| Teacher: Rusty Kennedy Series: Forgiveness |
Rusty's Notes
Forgiveness was defined last week. “Let it go”, “Debt Cleared” “Never to be remembered”
Psalm 51
1 Be gracious to me, God, according to Your faithful love; according to Your abundant compassion, blot out my rebellion.
2 Wash away my guilt and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I am conscious of my rebellion, and my sin is always before me.
4 Against You—You alone—I have sinned and done this evil in Your sight. So You are right when You pass sentence; You are blameless when You judge.
5 Indeed, I was guilty when I was born; I was sinful when my mother conceived me.
6 Surely You desire integrity in the inner self, and You teach me wisdom deep within.
7 Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones You have crushed rejoice.
9 Turn Your face away from my sins and blot out all my guilt.
10 God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not banish me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore the joy of Your salvation to me, and give me a willing spirit. b
13 Then I will teach the rebellious Your ways, and sinners will return to You.
14 Save me from the guilt of bloodshed, God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing of Your righteousness.
15 Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise.
16 You do not want a sacrifice, or I would give it; You are not pleased with a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit. God, You will not despise a broken and humbled heart. [1]
Sin, by contrast, is “the state of being in bondage—in need of being set free.”[2]
Romans 5:12-19
12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all men, because all sinned. 13 In fact, sin was in the world before the law, but sin is not charged to a person’s account when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin in the likeness of Adam’s transgression. He is a prototype of the Coming One.
15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if by the one man’s trespass the many died, how much more have the grace of God and the gift overflowed to the many by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ. 16 And the gift is not like the one man’s sin, because from one sin came the judgment, resulting in condemnation, but from many trespasses came the gift, resulting in justification. 17 Since by the one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
18 So then, as through one trespass there is condemnation for everyone, so also through one righteous act there is life-giving justification for everyone. 19 For just as through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.[3]
- Cory: Forgiveness is not mine to keep. It was given to me to be given away.
- Give $1 bill
- Give gift cards
- Give $100 bill
- “For God loved the world so much that he GAVE His one and only son so whoever would believe in Jesus, would not die but live forever.” - John 3:16
John 19:16-30
Therefore they took Jesus away. 17 Carrying His own cross, He went out to what is called Skull Place, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. 18 There they crucified Him and two others with Him, one on either side, with Jesus in the middle. 19 Pilate also had a sign lettered and put on the cross. The inscription was:
JESUS THE NAZARENE
THE KING OF THE JEWS.
20 Many of the Jews read this sign, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. 21 So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Don’t write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that He said, ‘I am the King of the Jews.’ ”
22 Pilate replied, “What I have written, I have written.”
23 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took His clothes and divided them into four parts, a part for each soldier. They also took the tunic, which was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. 24 So they said to one another, “Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it, to see who gets it.” They did this to fulfill the Scripture that says: They divided My clothes among themselves, and they cast lots for My clothing. And this is what the soldiers did.
25 Standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple He loved standing there, He said to His mother, “Woman, here is your son.” 27 Then He said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
28 After this, when Jesus knew that everything was now accomplished that the Scripture might be fulfilled, He said, “I’m thirsty!” 29 A jar full of sour wine was sitting there; so they fixed a sponge full of sour wine on hyssop land held it up to His mouth.
30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” Then bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. [4]
- Because forgiveness is totally at God’s initiative and subject to God’s will alone, we must ask, “Has God established any rules or protocol for forgiveness?” He certainly has.
- We must recognize that God is a holy God, which means He is separate from humankind in nature. God has no capacity for sin, and He cannot have fellowship with sin. God is totally pure, righteous, and without fault. He cannot coexist where sin is present.
- Light and dark do not exist simultaneously. In a similar manner, your sin cannot exist in God’s presence. God consumes or destroys sin just as light consumes darkness. And in that, we find a picture of our vulnerability before God when we are filled with sin. We are subject to being consumed by Him, having the innermost being vaporized by His fire of righteousness. In a word, we are subject to death.
- God made a provision, however, for us to be cleansed of sin so that we might have fellowship with Him. That provision was in the form of a blood sacrifice.
- There is no forgiveness without blood sacrifice. This theme is in the Bible from cover to cover. When Cain and Abel made sacrificial offerings to God, the offering that was accepted by God was the blood sacrifice of a lamb. (See Gen. 4:2–5.)
- Substitutionary. Jesus took your place on the cross. He died in your place and in my place and in the place of everyone you know.
- All–sufficient. The work that Jesus did was definitive. We no longer need to offer blood sacrifices in acknowledgment of our sin. We need only have faith in Jesus Christ and accept what He has done on our behalf. The writer of Hebrews says that God took away the first means of blood sacrifice that He might establish the second means, the sacrifice of Jesus. The sacrifice of Jesus was the only one necessary. The phrase that is used is a powerful one: “once for all” (Heb. 10:10).
- What Jesus did on the cross, He never needs to do again, and neither does anyone else ever have to suffer and die as He did. He is the sacrificial, substitutionary, all–sufficient atonement.[5]
- What once was broken has now been paid for a price… Jesus, the Son of God poured out his blood for your forgiveness.
John 20:1-18
20 On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark. She saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2 So she ran to Simon Peter and to the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put Him!”
3 At that, Peter and the other disciple went out, heading for the tomb. 4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and got to the tomb first. 5 Stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying there, yet he did not go in. 6 Then, following him, Simon Peter came also. He entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there. 7 The wrapping that had been on His head was not lying with the linen cloths but was folded up in a separate place by itself. 8 The other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, then entered the tomb, saw, and believed. 9 For they still did not understand the Scripture that He must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went home again.
11 But Mary stood outside facing the tomb, crying. As she was crying, she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 She saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet, where Jesus’ body had been lying. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“Because they’ve taken away my Lord,” she told them, “and I don’t know where they’ve put Him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, though she did not know it was Jesus.
15 “Woman,” Jesus said to her, “why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Supposing He was the gardener, she replied, “Sir, if you’ve removed Him, tell me where you’ve put Him, and I will take Him away.”
16Jesus said, “Mary.”
Turning around, she said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” —which means “Teacher.”
17 “Don’t cling to Me,” Jesus told her, “for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to My brothers and tell them that I am ascending to My Father and your Father—to My God and your God.”
18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what He had said to her. [6]
- I’m alive because He lives…
"Because He Lives (Amen)" - Matt Maher
I believe in the Son
I believe in the risen One
I believe I overcome
By the power of His blood
Amen, Amen
I’m alive, I’m alive
Because He lives
Amen, Amen
Let my song join the one that never ends
Because He lives
I was dead in the grave
I was covered in sin and shame
I heard mercy call my name
He rolled the stone away
Amen, Amen
I’m alive, I’m alive
Because He lives
Amen, Amen
Let my song join the one that never ends
Because He lives
I can face tomorrow
Because He lives
Every fear is gone
I know He holds my life my future in His hands
Amen, Amen
I’m alive, I’m alive
Because He lives
Amen, Amen
Let my song join the one that never ends
Amen, Amen
I’m alive, I’m alive
Because He lives
Amen, Amen
Let my song join the one that never ends
Because He lives
Because He lives
[1] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Ps 51). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Stanley, C. F. (1996). Experiencing forgiveness. Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.
[3] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Ro 5:12–21). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Jn 19:16–30). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] Stanley, C. F. (1996). Experiencing forgiveness. Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.
[6] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Jn 20:1–18). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
Psalm 51
1 Be gracious to me, God, according to Your faithful love; according to Your abundant compassion, blot out my rebellion.
2 Wash away my guilt and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I am conscious of my rebellion, and my sin is always before me.
4 Against You—You alone—I have sinned and done this evil in Your sight. So You are right when You pass sentence; You are blameless when You judge.
5 Indeed, I was guilty when I was born; I was sinful when my mother conceived me.
6 Surely You desire integrity in the inner self, and You teach me wisdom deep within.
7 Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones You have crushed rejoice.
9 Turn Your face away from my sins and blot out all my guilt.
10 God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not banish me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore the joy of Your salvation to me, and give me a willing spirit. b
13 Then I will teach the rebellious Your ways, and sinners will return to You.
14 Save me from the guilt of bloodshed, God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing of Your righteousness.
15 Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise.
16 You do not want a sacrifice, or I would give it; You are not pleased with a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit. God, You will not despise a broken and humbled heart. [1]
Sin, by contrast, is “the state of being in bondage—in need of being set free.”[2]
Romans 5:12-19
12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all men, because all sinned. 13 In fact, sin was in the world before the law, but sin is not charged to a person’s account when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin in the likeness of Adam’s transgression. He is a prototype of the Coming One.
15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if by the one man’s trespass the many died, how much more have the grace of God and the gift overflowed to the many by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ. 16 And the gift is not like the one man’s sin, because from one sin came the judgment, resulting in condemnation, but from many trespasses came the gift, resulting in justification. 17 Since by the one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
18 So then, as through one trespass there is condemnation for everyone, so also through one righteous act there is life-giving justification for everyone. 19 For just as through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.[3]
- Cory: Forgiveness is not mine to keep. It was given to me to be given away.
- Give $1 bill
- Give gift cards
- Give $100 bill
- “For God loved the world so much that he GAVE His one and only son so whoever would believe in Jesus, would not die but live forever.” - John 3:16
John 19:16-30
Therefore they took Jesus away. 17 Carrying His own cross, He went out to what is called Skull Place, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. 18 There they crucified Him and two others with Him, one on either side, with Jesus in the middle. 19 Pilate also had a sign lettered and put on the cross. The inscription was:
JESUS THE NAZARENE
THE KING OF THE JEWS.
20 Many of the Jews read this sign, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. 21 So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Don’t write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that He said, ‘I am the King of the Jews.’ ”
22 Pilate replied, “What I have written, I have written.”
23 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took His clothes and divided them into four parts, a part for each soldier. They also took the tunic, which was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. 24 So they said to one another, “Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it, to see who gets it.” They did this to fulfill the Scripture that says: They divided My clothes among themselves, and they cast lots for My clothing. And this is what the soldiers did.
25 Standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple He loved standing there, He said to His mother, “Woman, here is your son.” 27 Then He said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
28 After this, when Jesus knew that everything was now accomplished that the Scripture might be fulfilled, He said, “I’m thirsty!” 29 A jar full of sour wine was sitting there; so they fixed a sponge full of sour wine on hyssop land held it up to His mouth.
30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” Then bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. [4]
- Because forgiveness is totally at God’s initiative and subject to God’s will alone, we must ask, “Has God established any rules or protocol for forgiveness?” He certainly has.
- We must recognize that God is a holy God, which means He is separate from humankind in nature. God has no capacity for sin, and He cannot have fellowship with sin. God is totally pure, righteous, and without fault. He cannot coexist where sin is present.
- Light and dark do not exist simultaneously. In a similar manner, your sin cannot exist in God’s presence. God consumes or destroys sin just as light consumes darkness. And in that, we find a picture of our vulnerability before God when we are filled with sin. We are subject to being consumed by Him, having the innermost being vaporized by His fire of righteousness. In a word, we are subject to death.
- God made a provision, however, for us to be cleansed of sin so that we might have fellowship with Him. That provision was in the form of a blood sacrifice.
- There is no forgiveness without blood sacrifice. This theme is in the Bible from cover to cover. When Cain and Abel made sacrificial offerings to God, the offering that was accepted by God was the blood sacrifice of a lamb. (See Gen. 4:2–5.)
- Substitutionary. Jesus took your place on the cross. He died in your place and in my place and in the place of everyone you know.
- All–sufficient. The work that Jesus did was definitive. We no longer need to offer blood sacrifices in acknowledgment of our sin. We need only have faith in Jesus Christ and accept what He has done on our behalf. The writer of Hebrews says that God took away the first means of blood sacrifice that He might establish the second means, the sacrifice of Jesus. The sacrifice of Jesus was the only one necessary. The phrase that is used is a powerful one: “once for all” (Heb. 10:10).
- What Jesus did on the cross, He never needs to do again, and neither does anyone else ever have to suffer and die as He did. He is the sacrificial, substitutionary, all–sufficient atonement.[5]
- What once was broken has now been paid for a price… Jesus, the Son of God poured out his blood for your forgiveness.
John 20:1-18
20 On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark. She saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2 So she ran to Simon Peter and to the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put Him!”
3 At that, Peter and the other disciple went out, heading for the tomb. 4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and got to the tomb first. 5 Stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying there, yet he did not go in. 6 Then, following him, Simon Peter came also. He entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there. 7 The wrapping that had been on His head was not lying with the linen cloths but was folded up in a separate place by itself. 8 The other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, then entered the tomb, saw, and believed. 9 For they still did not understand the Scripture that He must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went home again.
11 But Mary stood outside facing the tomb, crying. As she was crying, she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 She saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet, where Jesus’ body had been lying. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“Because they’ve taken away my Lord,” she told them, “and I don’t know where they’ve put Him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, though she did not know it was Jesus.
15 “Woman,” Jesus said to her, “why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Supposing He was the gardener, she replied, “Sir, if you’ve removed Him, tell me where you’ve put Him, and I will take Him away.”
16Jesus said, “Mary.”
Turning around, she said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” —which means “Teacher.”
17 “Don’t cling to Me,” Jesus told her, “for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to My brothers and tell them that I am ascending to My Father and your Father—to My God and your God.”
18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what He had said to her. [6]
- I’m alive because He lives…
"Because He Lives (Amen)" - Matt Maher
I believe in the Son
I believe in the risen One
I believe I overcome
By the power of His blood
Amen, Amen
I’m alive, I’m alive
Because He lives
Amen, Amen
Let my song join the one that never ends
Because He lives
I was dead in the grave
I was covered in sin and shame
I heard mercy call my name
He rolled the stone away
Amen, Amen
I’m alive, I’m alive
Because He lives
Amen, Amen
Let my song join the one that never ends
Because He lives
I can face tomorrow
Because He lives
Every fear is gone
I know He holds my life my future in His hands
Amen, Amen
I’m alive, I’m alive
Because He lives
Amen, Amen
Let my song join the one that never ends
Amen, Amen
I’m alive, I’m alive
Because He lives
Amen, Amen
Let my song join the one that never ends
Because He lives
Because He lives
[1] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Ps 51). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Stanley, C. F. (1996). Experiencing forgiveness. Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.
[3] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Ro 5:12–21). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Jn 19:16–30). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] Stanley, C. F. (1996). Experiencing forgiveness. Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.
[6] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Jn 20:1–18). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
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