Weekend Sermon -- Apostles' Creed -- "The Forgiveness of Sins"

     Welcome to a new edition of the Weekend Sermon.  I am glad to be posting these messages.  I hope that everyone is having a good day.
     We have been having a lot of storms in my area lately.  Today, it is predicted that more bad weather is coming.  Please pray that these bad storms will not materialize.
     Work is going fairly well.  I am working on some new writing ideas, and I hope to be submitting some new writing in the future.
     In prayer this week, please pray for the people affected by the fires in Canada.  Pray that those fighting the fires will be safe, and pray for those displaced by the fire.
     Also, continue to pray for peace in this troubled world.  Pray that Syria and Iraq can find peace as well as other war torn countries.
     Continue to pray for the spread of the message of Jesus' love around the world.  This week, pray for the nations of Kyrgyzstan and Sri Lanka.
     We are just about to wrap up our series of messages on the Apostles' Creed.  Next week will bring the final message in this series.  Last week, we examined what the communion of saints is.  Today we will focus on the section of the Creed that deals with the belief in the forgiveness of sins.
     The idea of the forgiveness of sins has several important aspects.  First of all the forgiveness of sins has to do with the fact that we as sinners can receive forgiveness and salvation as a result of Jesus' death on the cross and His triumphal resurrection.
     Those who come to Jesus and confess their sins and ask Jesus to forgive them will receive His forgiveness and salvation.  Jesus paid the price for our sins.  There is nothing that anyone can do to redeem themselves.  Jesus paid it all.
     When a person turns to Jesus in repentance and faith, that person has their sins removed from them as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12).  Those who put their faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross are forgiven.
     After we have come to faith in Jesus and have been forgiven, sometimes we still fall into sin and we don't do what is right.  We don't follow what Jesus taught and commanded us to do.  When we sin as a Christian, this causes our fellowship with the Lord to be hindered.
     When we are convicted of our sin by the Holy Spirit, we need to immediately confess our sins to the Lord and receive His forgiveness and be restored to fellowship with Him.  I John 1:9 says that if we confess our sins, the Lord will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
     We have been forgiven of so much.  We owed a debt we could not pay, but Jesus washed our sins away and payed the sin debt for us.  When we realize the magnitude of our forgiveness, we then must realize that we have a duty to forgive those who do wrong to us.
     Once, Peter came to Jesus and asked Jesus about the subject of forgiveness.  Peter wondered if he should forgive someone who sinned against him up to seven times.  Jesus said that Peter should be willing to forgive up to seventy times seven times.  In other words, we must always be ready to forgive.
     Jesus told the parable about two men who owed a debt.  The first man owed his master a massive amount.  He could not pay, so he begged his master to have mercy.  The master forgave the servant's debt completely.  Another servant owed the man whose debt had just been forgiven a small amount.  He asked the servant for mercy, but the servant who had been forgiven the great debt would not forgive the debt of his fellow servant.
     When the master found out about this, he revoked the servant's forgiveness and had that ungrateful servant thrown into debtor's prison.  Jesus said that we would not be forgiven if we were not ready and willing to forgive.
     In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that forgiveness was of vital importance.  If we were worshiping the Lord and then realized that we had something against our brother or sister, Jesus said we need to go and be immediately reconciled with our brother or sister and then come back and worship the Lord.
     I am so thankful that Jesus has forgiven me of my sins.  He is willing to forgive whosoever will come to Him.  Whoever comes to Him, He will not cast out.
     As I said, next week will be the final message in our Apostles' Creed series.  We will examine what the Creed says about the life that is to come.  On Monday, I will post two new memory verses.  There will be a book review on Wednesday.  May God bless you all. Amen.

P.S.  --  I just wanted to say thank you to the Lord for helping me find my car keys this morning.  I was worried that I was going to be in a big mess.