Greg Laurie - The Power of Forgiveness (10/03/2017)
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Pastor Greg Laurie teaches from Genesis 41 on "The Power of Forgiveness" in the life of Joseph. Betrayed, sold, falsely accused, and forgotten, Joseph forgives his brothers, declaring God turned their evil into good. Forgiven people must forgive others, releasing grudges to experience God's freedom and healing, especially during Christmas.
The Power of Forgiveness
Now, Father, we are glad to be here today. And we pray that you will speak to us as we open your Word. Because we want to, of course, keep our focus on you, especially in the Christmas season. But Lord, sometimes there are things in our hearts, anger, people that have hurt us, that really hurt us in many ways. And we're praying that as we open the Scripture today and learn about forgiveness, that you will speak to us. So we commit this time of Bible study to you. In Jesus' name, amen.
All right, why don't you grab your Bibles and turn to Genesis chapter 41. Genesis 41. And the title of my message is The Power of Forgiveness. And while you're turning, I want to mention a couple of things. We have some special events coming in the next few days on multiple campuses. For starters, this coming Wednesday here at Harvest Riverside, we're going to have special guest speaker, Will Graham. Okay? Now, if you don't know Will, Will is the grandson of Billy Graham. He's the son of Franklin and Jane Graham. I've known Will since he's been a little kid. In fact, he calls me Uncle Greg. And he really is like a nephew. I had the privilege of baptizing him at his grandfather's crusade in Puerto Rico as a young man. And the Lord's using him as he speaks around the country. And also joining Will will be our friend Dennis Agajanian doing special Christmas concert. So that's this Wednesday here at Harvest Riverside. I'll be here. I hope you'll join us as well.
Now, this Thursday at Harvest Orange County, I'm going to do an interview with a person I consider to be a living legend. And I would not say that of many people, but she certainly is, you know her well, Johnny Erickson Tata. Now, Johnny, of course, as many of you are aware, has spent most of her life in a wheelchair. But she has literally taken a disability and turned it into an ability, bringing hope to millions of people around the world. And Johnny has incredible insights into suffering and life. And yet, she's a very joyful person. And we'll talk about Christmas a little bit, too. So that's at Harvest Orange County. So here's how it works.
Listen, if you're in Harvest Riverside, you can actually come to Harvest Orange County and see Johnny on Thursday. There's a free way. Just drive on it. Come and join us. And you guys at Harvest Orange County, you can come up here to Harvest Riverside, and hear Will and Dennis. And if you can't make it to either one, everything's live, okay, on our website. And don't forget, we have apps that you can download. There's a Harvest app for Apple TV. It's free. Just go into the app section. And when you install that app, it's like watching television. You can watch services as they happen. You can watch archive services, crusades. Plus, we have an app for the Roku box. Plus, we have an app for the iPhone, for the Android phone. We even have an app for the Apple Watch, okay? So we have apps for everything, and they're all free. So get one of those.
Finally, next Sunday morning, we're going to welcome our good friend Phil Wickham as he comes and shares the music again. So that'll be fantastic. Now, word to the wise. If you actually want to see Phil in person, he'll be at the first two services at Harvest Riverside with us here. And he'll be at the third service at Harvest Orange County. So that's how it's going to work in the next few days. Lots of worship opportunities. Lots of great events to bring friends out to that don't know the Lord. So I hope you'll take advantage of those.
Well, again, as I said, the title of the message is The Power of Forgiveness. We're back in our World Changers series. This is part three of a three-part look at the life of Joseph. Heard about a Sunday school teacher that was talking to her class about the topic of forgiveness. And she asked, as she was concluding, you know, kids, what does a person need to do to receive forgiveness from God? There's a moment of silence. A little boy put his hand up and he said, you have to sin. And that's pretty true. You have to sin. And most of us qualify. Well, I suggest we sin more often than we think we do.
Have you ever gone through a day and actually thought to yourself, you know, I don't think I sin today even once. You're probably sinning as you're saying that to yourself. It's called the sin of pride. I suggest to you, you sin more than you realize that you do. So yes, we have to ask God to forgive us. And most of us as believers understand that he graciously gives his forgiveness to us, though we don't deserve it. And he tells us in 1 John 1:9, if we will confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So that's amazing. We understand that for the most part. We accept it. But here's where it gets tricky for some. Forgiven people should be forgiving people. We have received the forgiveness of God, therefore we should extend that same forgiveness to others, especially those who have wronged us.
It was C.S. Lewis who said, quote, everyone thinks forgiveness is a lovely thing until they have someone to forgive, end quote. Isn't that true? It's great in theory, but it's much harder in practice. I read about a study that was done on the topic of forgiveness and it revealed that 75% of those who were surveyed believed that God had forgiven them for past sins, but of those who were polled, only 52% had forgiven others, end quote. Hey, Houston, we have a problem. If we're going to ask God to forgive us, the scripture says we should forgive others. Why? Because life is filled with hurt and disappointments, isn't it? We get hurt in life. We have people who hurt us, and guess what? There are people that you have hurt as well. So we need to learn how to apologize, and we need to learn how to forgive.
Now, some of you are thinking, no, wait a second, Greg, you don't know what people have done to me. You don't know what I've had to face in life, and you know, I don't. But I'm just telling you, this is what the Bible says, and I'm going to tell you why you should forgive. I'll give you a few reasons, but here's number one and the most important reason. You should forgive people who have hurt you because God commands you to. I don't think we need any other reasons, but there are a few others. Why do I say that? Because Ephesians 4:32 says, be kind, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ has forgiven you. Then Colossians 3:13, says, bear with one another and forgive one another. If anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so also you must do. Listen to this. To fail to forgive can bring your prayer life to a halt. Let me say that again. To fail to forgive can bring your prayer life to a screeching halt. Jesus says in Mark 11:25, when you're praying, first forgive anyone you're holding a grudge against, so your Father in Heaven will forgive your sins too. Bottom line, as I said, forgiven people should be forgiving people.
Why Forgiveness Matters at Christmas
So we've been hurt in life and we have a choice. We can rehearse what happened or we can release it. Let me say that again. We can rehearse what happened or we can release it. We can go over it again and again and again justifying our anger and our bitterness or we can just release it. And you know what? I think this is especially important at Christmas. Let's peel away for a moment the veneer of hot cocoa and cozy fireplaces and Jack Frost nipping at our heels and let's get real for a minute.
Christmas can be hard. And people can do things that irritate you. You know, just start with Black Friday. You know? They murder each other these days trying to get the sale item. But more than that, there's family members that you're probably going to get together with and they hurt you last year or something has happened or there's some friction going on. And so there's a lot of tension often when we gather together with family and sometimes with coworkers at that office party or at this other event and we're with people who are not comfortable being with. And this can take a festive time and turn it into, well, a real downer. So we need to look to theology now. And look to that great theologian, Taylor Swift. And she gave us this advice. Shake it off. And you know why you should shake it off? Because players are going to play, play, play, play. And haters are going to hate, hate, hate, hate. So shake it off. Forgive. Let it go. Didn't Queen Elsa tell us that? Let it go.
But what does it mean to forgive? Listen to this. What does it mean to forgive? It's not condoning or dismissing someone's bad behavior. I think sometimes we feel, well, if I forgive them, it's like I condone what they did. No. Forgiving is not condoning someone's bad behavior. It's not dismissing it. It's not even necessarily reconciliation because that's not always possible. There might be someone that's done something mean to you. You forgive them. But they still don't want to be reconciled to you. So I'm not even talking about that. So what do I mean when I say to forgive? Listen, to forgive means I'm surrendering my right to get even. I'm surrendering my right to get even. It means I will not pay that person back what they may indeed deserve. Instead, I'm going to put it in the hands of God. Because over in Romans 12:19, it says, never take vengeance into your own hands. Dear friends, stand back and let God punish if he will. For it is written, vengeance is mine. I will repay, says the Lord.
There's different words used in the Bible to describe forgiveness. 75 in total. The main word that we find in the New Testament that is translated into the words forgive and forgiveness is one that means to release. To release. To let go of something. To free yourself from something. Another word that is used to describe forgiveness in the Bible is canceling. As in canceling a debt. I mean, you have to just, keep a short account. And this is really true of marriage, okay? I mean, if you want a marriage that is happy, if you want a marriage that lasts, you better learn how to forgive. Because you're going to hurt and be hurt in marriage.
I love the advice of Ruth Graham, the wife of Billy Graham, who said, a good marriage or a successful marriage is made up of two good forgivers. So we should be willing to forgive other people. Because it comes down to this. When I forgive someone, I set a prisoner free. Myself. Because I can be the prisoner when I fail to forgive. I can be the one who's getting hurt more. To withhold forgiveness is detrimental. Not only to the person I'm withholding from, but harmful to me as well, spiritually, as well as physically. One study was done among resentful people. And it was revealed that they took, resentful people, 25% more medication than people who practice forgiveness. So if you want to save money at the drugstore, forgive. If you want to be a happier person, forgive. If you want to be a healthier person, forgive. And most importantly, if you want to be an obedient Christian, then you must forgive. It isn't giving in to another person. It's getting free of that person.
My friend Craig Rochelle put it this way. The first to apologize is the bravest. The first to forgive is the strongest. The first to forget is the happiest. And I like that. So just put it in your rearview mirror. You say, well, why are you talking about forgiveness? Well, because we're in part three of the life of Joseph. And before us now, in the book of Genesis, it's one of the most amazing examples of forgiveness in all of the Bible. The only story that really eclipses it, in my estimation, is Christ hanging on the cross saying, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Here is Joseph, a man who has been so wronged in life, extending forgiveness to his brothers. The very brothers who abandoned, betrayed, and for all intents, murdered him. This would have been a great moment in the narrative for him to deal in a little bit of payback. With one word, he could have had them all executed because he comes into a position of great prominence, as we'll see. Joseph could have said to his brothers, I have a very particular set of skills. Skills I have acquired over a long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. Those are the words of Liam Neeson in the Taken film, by the way, after someone kidnaps his daughter, right? That's what Joseph could have done. But he didn't do that. Instead, he forgave.
Joseph's Life: Start, Struggle, Success
Now, let's consider the fact that Joseph's life can be divided into three sections. Remember what they are? They are start, struggle, and success. Number one, their start, that would be birth to 17 years. When we're first introduced to the young Joseph, we find a young boy, 17 years old, with a super cool coat his dad made for him. And his father favored him above the other brothers as stirred resentment. Joseph made matters worse by tattling or ratting out his brothers when they were misbehaving.
Also, Joseph had these amazing dreams of other people bowing before him that were in reality from God. But as I said earlier, sometimes it's best to keep your dreams to yourself. Because the brothers just thought he was kind of a braggart and a bit spoiled. And maybe he was. But he certainly didn't deserve the treatment that they gave him. Because section number two of his life is struggle. They sell their 17-year-old brother to a group of slave traders for 20 pieces of silver, probably never thinking they would see him again. Well, he's purchased by a guy named Potiphar, who is the chief executioner under Pharaoh. That meant that he was in charge of all executions, and he was in charge of the secret service of Pharaoh, if you will. very powerful man. He put Joseph in, entry-level job, but Joseph was such a hard worker, so full of integrity. And as the Bible reminds us, because the Lord was with him, he elevated Joseph. So soon Joseph was running Potiphar's entire estate. All Potiphar had to think about was what he was going to eat for lunch.
Well, Potiphar had a wife who put her lustful eyes on young Joseph, who the Bible tells us was very attractive, handsome, well-built. And she started hitting on him day and night, and he resisted her advances. And finally, one day, she just got tired of being subtle, and grabbed him and yanked him down on the bed, and basically just said, have sex with me. And he ran out of there as quickly as he could. Then she falsely accuses him of rape. And now we find Joseph sent to prison, bringing us to this section three of his life's success. As he sits in prison, and the events that he goes through to prepare him for what was ahead. A very important detail is given to us in Genesis 39:21 about Joseph in prison. It says, the Lord was with Joseph. So now he's in a dungeon. Worst situation imaginable. But in typical Joseph fashion, because of his hard work, and because the Lord was with him, he's running the place.
Enter the Butler and the baker. They worked for the pharaoh. And they were both sent to prison. You wonder, how did that go down? Did the baker come up with a really overcooked piece of loaf of bread, and the Butler served it? He said, you're both going to prison. Whatever it is, in this case, literally, the Butler did it, right? So they're now incarcerated. And here's Joseph walking around, sort of taking care of people. And he sees his two fellow inmates. He knows this one day, they're very depressed. He says, hey guys, why the lung phase? What's wrong? And they began to tell him their troubles. Now, it's an interesting thing to me. Here's Joseph. He doesn't deserve to be in prison. And yet he's thinking about others. Which reminds me of a cure for depression I came across recently. You know, people get depressed this time of the year often. And so I have found a 10-step solution for curing depression. If you're taking notes, you might want to write these 10 things down. Step number one, do something for someone else who has greater needs than you. Do something for someone else who has greater needs than you. Step number two, repeat step number one nine more times.
Now, I know it's oversimplifying it. I understand there's clinical depression. I'm not really addressing that. I'm just talking about those times in our life when we get a little bit down in the dumps. Because we didn't get what we wanted for Christmas. Or something didn't meet our expectation. Get a little perspective. You know, sometimes you may not be feeling well, but you go and make a visit to someone in a hospital. And you see, wow, they're a whole lot worse off than I am. And I have to tell you, I've had situations where I've visited people in hospitals who are terminally ill. And when it was all said and done, they ministered to me more than I ministered to them. But it also put my problems in perspective as I walked out and said, and I was complaining about having a cold. And that person is dealing with stage three cancer. And they're trusting the Lord. Or you don't have all the material things you wish that you had. Well, go and take one of these trips we have down to Skid Row at the Fred Jordan Mission. And look at the kind of Christmas these folks are having right now. So as I see others who are suffering maybe a lot more than I am, it puts my problems in perspective. But I love the fact that he was thinking of others above himself.
So he's talking with these guys. And they both had these dreams. And they said, oh, someone's car alarm is going off here. Okay. And it's never because someone's breaking in. They probably lost their car and they're trying to find it. Isn't that how we all find our cars, especially in malls this time of the year? But anyway, so he meets the Butler and the baker. So he goes, so what's the problem? Well, okay. We both had these weird dreams last night. They freaked us out. What were your dreams? Okay. Well, one of them says, I had a dream. This is the Butler now. He says, I had a dream of a vine growing up with three branches. And then the three branches were clusters of grapes. And so I took the wine from the grapes and I put them in the king's cup and served them to the king. What does that dream mean? Joseph said, that's a good dream, buddy. The Lord has shown me that that that means you're going to get out of here. And before you know it, you're going to be serving wine to the king. Yes.
So the baker's going, oh, my turn, my turn. Okay. What was your dream? Baker says, okay, I had this dream about three baskets of white bread. I had them up on my head and in the top basket were some special baked treats for the Pharaoh. And so that's my dream. What does that mean? Joseph was like, eh, not so good. Your dream means that you're going to be beheaded and they're going to hang you on a tree and birds are going to eat your brain. Sorry to break that to you. But that was the honest interpretation of the dream. You know, it's hard sometimes to tell people the truth, isn't it? You know, we love to share the gospel and the good news that God forgives and you can have personal peace and a joy and all the great attributes of the Christian life. But a person may say, well, what if I don't believe in Jesus? What if I reject him? What happens to me? Well, now we have to tell him the other part. That there is a final judgment. There is a hell. God doesn't want anyone to go there. But you got to tell people the truth. Joseph did that.
So now the Butler who's going to get out, he says, no, listen, man, you got to do me a favor. I did this for you. Remember your buddy Joseph when you get out, okay? And the Butler said, yeah, I'll never forget you. He never heard from him. And so now he's just sitting there for two more years. He was forgotten. In fact, the Bible tells us in Genesis 40:23, the Butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him. Do you ever feel that way? As though God has forgotten you? I think Noah felt that way, bobbing around on the water with a bunch of stinking animals for all that time. And he wondered, did the Lord forget about us? I mean, I know he saved us, but we've been here a long time. And the Bible says, but God remembered Noah. I love that. God remembered Noah. And Jesus said, your father knows about every bird that falls to the ground. Don't you think he cares about you, what you're going to eat, what you're going to drink, what you're going to wear? God never forgets you. Sometimes we forget God, but he never forgets us. And the Lord had not forgotten Joseph. He was just whipping him into shape. Because what was about to happen to Joseph was going to fulfill his dreams. In time, people were literally going to be bowing before him, but he wasn't quite ready. So the Lord needed two more years to kind of get some iron in the soul of this formerly spoiled young man and turn him into the man of God. He needed him to be.
Maybe you feel like you're in a dungeon right now. You're in a prison. Maybe it's a really bad marriage. Maybe it's a really tough job. Maybe it's some kind of an illness or disability you're dealing with and you feel like, well, what's going to happen to me? God is in control of your life. And you just watch. And so now here is Joseph sitting in prison, not knowing how the story is going to end. Meanwhile, the most powerful man on the face of the earth, the Pharaoh of Egypt, has a troubling dream. And in his particular dream, he sees seven fat, healthy cows in front of the Nile River. And then after them came seven scrawny, shriveled up cows. And the seven skinny cows ate the seven fat cows. Pharaoh woke up and went, whoa, I should not have eaten that Egyptian pizza last night. What does this mean? Then he falls asleep and he has another dream.
This time it's seven heads of grain, strong and healthy, growing from a single stalk. And then seven heads of grain also sprout, but they're sort of scorched and withering. And the scorched ones ate up the healthy ones. He wakes up. What does this mean? So he calls in all of the astrologers and the wizards and the experts and advisors. You see, he had them on staff. They were on the payroll. They were supposed to help him interpret things and give him messages from the gods, messages from the stars. By the way, the Magi, the wise men, we call them, who brought gifts to the child Jesus, that was their job. They were astrologers slash astronomers. And they had looked to the stars and God had sent a star to direct them to the one who had been born called the King of the Jews, the Lord Jesus. But these guys had no answers. They couldn't make sense out of Pharaoh's dreams. And then there's a Butler. He's standing there. He's thinking, oh, why? I remember that Joseph guy. So he says to the Pharaoh, I met this guy in prison and he interpreted my dream, also the dream of your former baker. And I believe God's given him this ability. The Pharaoh says, get him up here right now.
So meanwhile, down in prison, there sits Joseph. His hair's probably growing up really long, long beard. They come into a cell. You're going to go meet the Pharaoh today. We're going to give you a shave and a haircut. Let's go. The next thing he knows, he's in the presence of the Pharaoh. Genesis 41. By the way, was that not the longest introduction ever? That was the intro. Verse 14. Pharaoh sent for Joseph at once and he was brought quickly from the dungeon. After a quick shave and a change of clothes, he went in and stood in Pharaoh's presence. I had a dream last night, Pharaoh told him. And none of these men can tell me what it means. But I've heard that you can interpret dreams. And that's why I have called for you.
I love Joseph's response. Verse 16. It is beyond my power to do this. The Pharaoh's heart probably sunk. But then he went on to say, but God will tell you what it means and he'll set you at ease. Now that took courage. And so now the Pharaoh tells him his dream. And Joseph says, okay, I got it. Lord showed me. Here's what it means. Those fat cows getting eaten by the skinny cows. That's talking about seven years of plenty. In other words, you're going to do really well in grain reserves and food for seven years. But you have seven years of famine following that. So you better stock up now and get some reserve in place. So when the famine comes, you'll survive it. And by the way, you got to get a really good person over this to administrate it. And all the Pharaoh soothsayers, wizards and magicians are saying, me, me, me. And the Pharaoh looks at Joseph and says, I want that guy right there. Next thing you know, Joseph is the second most powerful man in the world. He had gone from the prison to the palace. He had gone from rags to riches.
Now it happened just as he said it would. The famine came. But Joseph was doing the work that God had given him to do. And he had two sons at that time, Manasseh and Ephraim. And the names of each of his sons pretty much sum up the way he saw things. Manasseh means, God has made me forget all of my hardship. He was able to look back at all that he had gone through. And he thought, you know what? The Lord was in control. And I've been able to forgive. And I've been able to forget. And then Ephraim means, God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction. So here I am in this place, but God has blessed me in every way.
Now if the story ended here, it would be an epic story. But it doesn't. It continues on and gives us one of the most amazing demonstrations of forgiveness found anywhere in the scripture, as I already said. Let's sort of set the stage before we read from Genesis 45. You might start churning over there. Genesis 45. So many years have passed. The famine is in full swing. People are coming from around the world to get food. Because Egypt is the only one that is prepared for the future because of Joseph's interpretation of the Pharaoh's dream. One day, a Jewish family shows up. Now they don't recognize Joseph. For starters, they never thought they'd see him again. They thought he was dead. Secondly, he's an older man now. And he's changed. And thirdly, he doesn't have his hair long or his beard grown out like he used to. His head was all shaved. He probably wore eyeliner like they do in those old Egyptian drawings. He kind of moved around like this all the time. And so they didn't recognize him, but he recognized them. In comes his family. And he's looking at them. And his heart is beginning to just burst. It's been so long. He's thought of them so many times.
And this amazing scene unfolds. He has to tell them who he is. Genesis 45, verse 1. Reading from the New Living Translation. Joseph could stand it no longer. Get out of here, all of you, he cried out to his attendants. He wanted to be alone with his brothers. And when he told them who he was, he broke down and wept aloud. His sobs could be heard to the palace. And the news was quickly carried to Pharaoh's palace. I am Joseph, he said to his brothers. Can you imagine how they felt when they realized he was alive and powerful? I am Joseph. And they're thinking, and we are dead, dead, dead, dead, dead. So dead, dead, dead, dead. Yeah. Yeah. I'm Joseph. Then he goes on to say, is my father still alive? The brothers were speechless. They were stunned to realize Joseph was standing there in front of them. Come over here, he said. And they came closer. And he said, I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. Oh, yes, he remembers. But don't be angry with yourselves that you did this to me. For God did it. Did you read that? Underline it. For God did it. He sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives. Wait. I would have understood it if Joseph said, don't be angry with yourselves because God allowed it. But Joseph didn't say God allowed it. Joseph said, God did it. Where did he find the grace and the mercy and the perspective to say such a thing?
A couple of things you might want to write down. Joseph understood, number one, God is sovereign. God is sovereign. Now that's a fancy theological word. We hear it thrown around a lot. I don't even know if people know what it means. Joe, God's sovereign. What does that mean? I have no idea, but he's sovereign. When we say God is sovereign, here's what we're saying. We're saying God is in control of all things. God is aware of all things. What we are saying when we as a Christian say God is sovereign, we're saying God is in control of all circumstances surrounding my life, and I'm saying there's no mere luck or chance in my life.
God is firmly in control. Okay, that's good. But if you think God is angry or God is against you, it's kind of scary to know he's in control. But that's true that he's sovereign, but it's also true God is good. He is good. That means the things he allows in my life are ultimately for my benefit and the benefit of others. Joseph said to his brothers, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good. Because Joseph loved God, no matter what came his way, no matter how wicked its origin, God turned it around for good. And then he extended his forgiveness to them. And they've done a lot of bad stuff to him. They sold him as a slave. Number two, he was falsely accused by the wife of Potiphar. Number three, he was forgotten by that stupid Butler of Pharaoh and sat there for another two years. That's a lot to forget. But he didn't hold grudges. He let it all go.
Can you let it all go? Is there someone you can think of right now that has hurt you? Someone who has wronged you? Someone who has brought harm to you? Or someone that has said something cruel about you? And it hurts and it makes you angry. And you would like to see them destroyed. In fact, at times you find yourself thinking about ways to get back at them. But remember, that's not what forgiveness is. Forgiveness is forgiving. Forgiveness is forgetting. Forgiveness is canceling a debt. One image given in Scripture, forgiveness is like taking a Clay pot and smashing it into a thousand pieces or more. That's what it is. Just put it behind you. I don't even think about it any longer.
I've told you the story before of Corrie Ten Boom, a remarkable lady. She's now with the Lord. But she survived a concentration camp during World War II. Corrie and her family, the Ten Boom family, lived in Holland. And when the Nazis began to persecute the Jews, this wonderful Christian family took these folks into their home and hid them from the Nazis. And the Nazis were aware of this and warned the Ten Boom family if they continued to do this. They would be sent to a concentration camp. But they continued to protect these Jewish people that were being persecuted.
So one day the Gestapo showed up, arrested all of Corrie's family. Her father, Casper, an older man, was sent to a concentration camp. And there he quickly died. Her sister and her, her sister was Betsy, were sent to Ravensbrook. And there they suffered greatly, watched people around them die. But they reached out to the other prisoners, sharing the gospel with them, having a Bible study for them. But then Betsy, her very godly, saintly older sister, also died. And Corrie was freed on a clerical error. It was actually a mistake, but as we said, God's sovereign. And he was in control, and she got out. So she spent the rest of her life traveling around the world as a self-described tramp for the Lord. And her message was, there is no pit so deep that God is not deeper still. And she would tell her audiences about all that she had gone through and how she was able to forgive.
Well, one day, or excuse me, one night after a church meeting in Munich, Germany, a man walked up to her. And he said, Fraulein Ten Boom, I too was at Ravensbrück. I was one of the guards. And as she looked at him in his plain clothes, she had a flashback to him in his Gestapo uniform. She remembered him well. She remembered the skull and crossbones insignia on his collar. She remembered the especially cruel treatment he gave toward her and her sister. And she just filled with rage and anger. And he says, and I'm asking you, would you forgive me? And he extended his hand. Corrie just left that hand hanging. She said, I couldn't shake his hand. I couldn't do it. But then I remembered that God had forgiven me. And I remembered that forgiveness is not an emotion. It's an act of the will. And the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. So she writes that she reached out her hand and woodenly shook his and said, I forgive you, my brother, with all of my heart. And then she writes, I never knew God's love so intensely as I did then.
Isn't that great? Corrie ten Boom said, God has taken your sins. He's thrown them into the sea of forgetfulness. And he has posted a sign that says, no fishing allowed. What I love about this story is it's practical. You know, we might say, well, one of these days, if I can find it in my heart, I'll forgive that person. No, you need to do it this day. Not one of these days. And don't try to find it in your heart because you never will. No, you need to do it as an act of obedience. What if I'm not feeling it, man? Who cares if you're feeling it? Just do it. Because it's the right thing to do. And I believe that your emotions will follow in time to go to that person that hurt you and say, I forgive you. But what am I doing? I'm freeing myself of this, you see. Now, they may never accept my apology, but that's their issue. I'm doing this because the Lord has shown me to do it.
Okay, fast forward many years now. Corrie ten Boom is a much older lady. She's traveled around the world telling people how to forgive. And she had a couple of Christian friends that she worked with. And they had both hurt her. In fact, in her estimation, they had betrayed her. But she forgave them. And a friend was visiting from the United States. She was over in Europe at this time. And a friend said, Wow, Corrie, aren't those girls that are working with you now the two that hurt you? She said, yes. But then she adds, Very smugly, I said, But I've given them forgiveness. And he says, Oh, that's great. Did they accept your forgiveness? Did they apologize? She said, no. They actually said they didn't think they did anything to deserve to be forgiven of. Anything to be forgiven of.
So that's just the way it ended up. And she says, but I have information. I've kept the records. And she reached into her desk and pulled it out and said, I have it right here in black and white. I have all the letters that prove what they did to me. And the man said, Corrie, you're the one who came up with the statement, God's taken our sins and thrown them into the sea of forgetfulness and has posted a sign that says, No fishing allowed. She's like, oh no. Here is this woman who was able to forgive a Nazi for what he did to her and her family. And yet she was still harboring a grudge against these two Christian friends. So she says, I took all of those letters and I threw them into the fireplace and never thought about it again. That's forgiveness. It's just getting rid of the record. It's letting it go.
And there's no greater example of forgiveness in the Bible than Christ himself hanging on the cross. After Jesus was crucified, after they ripped his back open with the Roman whip, after they pulled the beard from his face, and he hung there at Calvary, he gave seven statements in total. And the first one was, you know it, well, say it with me, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Do those Roman soldiers deserve forgiveness? Do those religious leaders deserve forgiveness? No. But he gave it anyway. And that's how God feels toward us. He loves us. And he will forgive us if we will turn from our sin. Looping back to what I said earlier about that little boy in Sunday school.
What do you need to do to be forgiven? You have to sin. Well, we've all done that, haven't we? And God can forgive you of all of your sin right now. And I wonder if you've not come here to this service today, or you're watching this service, and you feel there's like a barrier between you and God. Maybe it's the fact that you haven't forgiven someone. Maybe it's a certain sin you've committed. But I'm telling you right now, God can forgive you of that sin, and take that sin, and as Corey wrote, throw it into the sea of forgetfulness. Never to be remembered again. But you have to say to him, I have sinned and I'm sorry. And if you will say that to the Lord, he will forgive you right here, right now.
If you've never asked Jesus Christ to come into your life, I'd like to give you an opportunity to do it. And if you have maybe asked Christ to come into your life, but maybe you've fallen away, or you found yourself involved in things you should not be doing as a Christian, and you need to recommit your life to Christ, this would be a great time to do it as we close in prayer. Let's all bow our heads. Father, thank you for loving us so much. You sent Jesus. And Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for our sin, and taking God's judgment upon yourself. And thank you for your gracious offer of forgiveness to all who would call out to you. And now we pray for them, Lord. Help them to see their need for you. Help them to be forgiven by you. And we ask it in your name.
Now while our heads are bowed, and our eyes are closed and we're praying. How many of you would say today, Greg, I need to be forgiven of my sin. Because I don't know if I'll go to heaven when I die. And I don't want to go to hell. I want to know God in a personal way. I want to know him as my friend. Pray for me. If that's your desire, if you want Jesus to come into your life, if you want him to forgive you of your sin, if you want to go to heaven when you die, would you raise your hand up right now and let me pray for you. Wherever you're sitting, God bless you and you and you. God bless each one of you. Just raise your hand up. And I'll pray for you. God bless you. Hands are going up all over. I hope yours is one of them. If you need God's forgiveness today. He loves you. And he'll forgive you. You don't have to do a bunch of things to get the forgiveness. You need to just say, I'm sorry. I turned from it, Lord. He's paid the price for your sin, but you must reach out to him. You may be watching the screen right now, but you need Christ.
Would you raise your hand too? Just saying, yes, I need the Lord. Wherever you are, raise your hand up. Let me pray for you. All right. Now I'm going to ask every one of you, if you would, please. If you raise your hand, saying you want Jesus to come in your life, I want you to stand to your feet. And I'm going to lead you in a prayer. That's right. Stand up. You want Christ to come into your life? You want him to forgive you of your sin? You want to go to heaven when you die? Are you falling away from the Lord? Do you want to come back to him?
Stand to your feet. And I'm going to lead you in a prayer. And as you pray this prayer and mean it, God in heaven will hear you and forgive you of all of your sin. Just stand up. I'll wait another moment. Quite a few are standing. I hope you're one of them. God bless you, sir. Anybody else? Stand up. You're watching the screen there. Stand up. Right there. And we're going to have a prayer together. You'll be glad you did this. I'll wait one more moment. God bless all of you standing. Anybody else? Stand now.
All right, you that are standing, I want you to pray this prayer out loud after me. This is a prayer where you're asking Christ to come into your life. Again, as I pray, pray this out loud after me. Pray this prayer now.
Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner. But I know that you're the Savior who died on the cross for me. I turn from my sin and I choose to follow you. Thank you for calling me and accepting me and forgiving me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.