“The Gospel of Forgiveness”
April 27, 2014
2nd Sunday of the Great Christian
Passover
Acts 2: 14a; 22 – 32/Psalm 111/1 Peter 1: 3 - 9/John 20:
19 - 31
His Excellency
The Most Reverend Ariel Cornelio P.
Santos D.D.
of the
Archdiocese of Manila
the
National Church in the Philippines
and the
Territorial Church of Asia
International Communion of the
Charismatic Episcopal Church
Hallelujah! Christ is
risen! We welcome all of you to our last worship Sunday in this building. We
are thankful for God for giving us a home for almost 16 years in this
building. We just thought that this would be a good idea if all the
parishes of this Diocese gather because this is not the Parish's Cathedral, but
the Diocese's Cathedral. All have been part of this; we are grateful.
We are on our way out to our Land of Promise.
This is not to
disappoint you. God is taking us to a place; but this place is more of a stage
of maturity than the physical location. God is taking us to a better place. It
may involve a physical building and a piece of property, but I am talking of
what God really means - He is taking us to one degree of glory to the next.
We will keep going from glory to glory and His kingdom will keep
increasing. God says so that we will have a place of our own. I
know that because God said so, and when He says it, His words will not return
to Him empty without accomplishing that which it was sent for.
Today, the gospel talks
about forgiveness. The CEC is not unfamiliar with the message of
forgiveness. The bedrock principle of the CEC is based on 2Corinthians
5:19, "God was in Christ Jesus reconciling the world to Himself not
counting men's sins against them." God is not in the business of
counting men's offenses. Love does not keep a record of wrongs. In
fact, the CEC have come up with a blessing which we use at the end of the Mass
called "Lake George Blessing." It was during a retreat in a
place Lake George that they came up with this.
The blessing says,
"As you go out from this place, always remember the gospel that God was in
Christ Jesus reconciling the world to Himself, not counting men's sins against
them because God loves you; God is not angry at you; God will never leave you
nor forsake you." This is the gospel! The gospel is about
forgiveness! When you witness with the gospel, don't scare people out of
hell. Draw them and tell them about the kingdom of God. The gospel
is about forgiveness. It is a gospel of love, not fear.
I believe this is very
timely for us to hear. This is no coincidence, no accident that this gospel is
for this day. We need to hear this as we continue in our journey.
It is very, very key that we understand this because we need this on our
journey or we will tire out.
Forgiveness. What
does forgiveness have to do with Easter? Everything! Easter is the
triumph of life over death. Death is just the result of sin. The sting of death
is sin. If death, which is the ultimate or blown out stage of sin is
overcome, then, you are done away with sin automatically. 2Timothy 1:10
says that Jesus abolished death. Abolished! Wiped out! No
more death. This is good news for us - forgiveness of sin,
reconciliation of God, resumption, restoration of eternal life. Death has
been done away with. Jesus is talking about the abolition of death so that
believing the message of the gospel, you may have life in Jesus' Name.
The purpose of death being abolished is the life so that we can live eternal
life, which from the beginning, God has intended for us.
St. Peter in Acts 2
says that it is impossible for Christ to be held under the power of
death. St. Augustine said that while it is not impossible for man to die,
it is possible for him not to die because of the Resurrection. Death has
been abolished. He was talking specifically about physical death. Why do
we still die physically? This is because we are not there yet. We will
get there one day and death will be no more. The last enemy that
will be conquered will be death, but it doesn't take away from the truth that
we have the ability right now. Even scientists will tell you that man has
the ability to live ten thousand years. This is not even basing it on the
message of the Resurrection.
With God all things are
possible. We only need to believe - believing that you will have life in
His Name. Believing is receiving, proclaiming, demonstrating, living out, and
actualizing the truth that we do have eternal life and that death has no power
over us. I believe that we die because we succumb to that which has
been abolished. Even sin has no power over us. Sometimes, we just
enslave ourselves to sin. It was for freedom that you have been set
free. Don't put yourself in bondage again. You have been freed!
The Psalmist says in
Psalm 118, "I shall not die but live and tell of the works of the
Lord."More than physical death, it is about the Resurrection power being
demonstrated and manifested and lived out in our own lives, right here, right
now in this generation. It is not in heaven, but on earth.
In the Easter Season,
the Book of Acts is read because it is a demonstration of the power of the
Resurrection. Peter became a new creation. Peter, from fear, denial, betrayal,
and from overzealousness with the wrong things, became bold and selfless.
He preached the gospel of forgiveness. First, he accepted his
forgiveness. The angel told one of the women, "Tell the disciples and Peter. Peter needs to hear this:
Jesus has risen." He is risen not to get back at him, but to
proclaim Peter's forgiveness. Tell the disciples and the people of the
Cathedral now! “Jesus is risen and He wants you to know that your sins have
been forgiven!”
In the Book of Acts, miracles,
healings, people being raised from the death happened. The powers that
are there were overcome. The Roman Empire, the power of the whole world was
overcome. They just preached the power of the resurrection and the forgiveness
of God. After the incident of the lame man getting healed at the gate
Beautiful, Peter and John were summoned by the Sanhedrin and they were told not
to speak in Jesus' Name anymore. They said, "We would rather obey
God than men." The Sanhedrin, the Pharisees, and the chief priests said
about them: they recognize them as having been with Jesus and that a noteworthy
miracle has taken place through them through the power of the Resurrection; it
is apparent to all and they cannot deny it. How would you like your
witness to be like that? It can be! We just need to
understand the power of the Resurrection like the apostles understood it and
walked in it.
In Acts 5:40ff, the
disciples were put in prison and the angel got them out, but they were summoned
again and told not to preach the gospel of Christ. They were
flogged. Flogging hurts which is severe persecution. See their
attitude: after being flogged, they went to the presence of the chief priestsrejoicing that they have been considered to
suffer shame in His Name. For us, if somebody pouts at us, we consider that
persecution. If we do not get the attention we want or get into traffic, we
say, "I don't like to attend." We have not suffered flogging to
a point of shedding blood. Our fathers were persecuted severely and yet, they
rejoiced because God considered them worthy to suffer for His Name.
Paul and Silas suffered
and were beaten; but they sang praises. When they did, the earthquake
occurred and the chains got broken. When they saw the jailer, did they
say, "You caused this! Do you know how flogging hurts?" The
jailers said, "What must we do?" They said "Believe in the Lord
Jesus, you and your household, and you will be saved!" They did not say,
"I will deal with you later." Paul and Silas did not complain
to God or give a blow by blow of how much they have given for the gospel or how
much they have suffered. They did not make Him realized, "We are such
great guys and You made us suffer." They continued in their
missionary journeys knowing they would suffer some more.
On top of that, when
they got out of the jail and went to the brethren who have never been flogged,
the disciples encouraged them. Those who have been left for dead, who
have hungered and experienced sleepless nights, persecution and betrayal, encouraged
the brethren. They did not recount to them the wrongs done to them.
This is because the gospel is about forgiveness! You don't count the wrongs.
Forgiveness is a key to a life free from death - both for the giver and for the
receiver. For the receiver, it is a starting point so that after
being forgiven, he can proclaim forgiveness to others.
Zaccheus, Mary
Magdalene, Matthew, Peter, Paul, started with the forgiveness of God.
They became such great men and women in the kingdom of God. Peter received and
proclaimed the gospel of forgiveness to those who nailed Christ to the
cross. They became the first three thousand Christians, those very people
who nailed Christ to the cross. For us today, we would say, "They
are hopeless. Christ was crucified so their souls are in hell." This
is not understanding forgiveness. Forgiveness is the reason why the Acts
of the Apostles is a powerful witness.
On the other hand,
unforgiveness keeps us in slavery to what already has been abolished. In
1Corinthians 6, St. Paul confronted them because they have law suits against
each other. He said, "You have already been defeated in the
first place because you have law suits against each other. You don't understand
the gospel of forgiveness. Why not rather be wronged because it is an
opportunity for you to forgive?" If you get slapped on the left
cheek, offer the right. Law suits are unforgiveness. Law
suits are keeping a record of wrong; counting sin. If we count sin, we are in
bondage to it. If we keep a record of sin, we are in bondage to sin
because we can’t let go. The sting of death is sin. Do not withhold
it. Listen to you eight-year old daughters singing, “Let it go. Let it
go! Don't hold back anymore." You don't need to be in bondage to it
because we put ourselves in bondage if we don't receive and proclaim the gospel
of forgiveness.
The first instruction
of Jesus after the Resurrection was: forgive. Why forgive? One reason is
because they don’t know what they do. Forgive them for they know not what
they do. If they do know what they do, chances are they won't do it
against you unless they are really mad at you. They don't know what they
are doing, so forgive them. Another reason is: forgive because Christ
died for them to forgive their sin, so forgive them. Whom you forgive,
you don’t know what they will be. These three thousand men that repented
at the sermon of Peter were the first Christians missionaries.
Isaiah 61:1-4 says, “ The Spirit of the Lord God is
upon me, Because theLord has anointed
me to bring good news to the afflicted; he has sent me tobind up
the brokenhearted, to proclaim
liberty to captives and freedom
to prisoners; To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord And
the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
To grant those who mournin Zion, Giving them a garland instead of
ashes, The oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins, they will raise up the former devastations; And they will repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations.”
The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins, they will raise up the former devastations; And they will repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations.”
They, who were formerly
captives and in slavery because of fear of death all their lives, will be
released from the power of sin and death and they will be in turn oaks of
righteousness. The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. Then
those who were formerly imprisoned will rebuild the ancient ruins.
How will they rebuild the ancient ruins? When they are released from prison,
when they set free! If they are not set free, how can they rebuild?
They will just rot in prison: the prison of sin, the prison of guilt,
shame and self -condemnation.
We, as ambassadors,
have been given this gospel to preach – the gospel of forgiveness. I
would rather bring good news than break bad news. The gospel of
forgiveness is good news. Christ died for us. Do not misinterpret
what Jesus said in the gospel, “Whosoever sins you forgive, they are
forgiven. Whosoever sins you retain, they are retained.” He is not
giving them a choice to forgive or retain. Jesus is telling them to
forgive seventy times seven. Forgive! You have the power for life
and death. It is just like your tongue. Choose life! Choose to forgive
seventy times seven.
Hear this: forget what
lies behind and reached forward to that which lies ahead and press on toward
the goal. The goal is ahead; not behind. Do not withhold that what
will just slow you down and put you on bondage. Let it go! Do not
withhold good from those to those whom it is due, for our brothers and sisters’
good. It is in your power to forgive.
Look at your
hands. In those hands are waiting miracles, healings, comfort, life,
forgiveness waiting to be released, waiting to touch someone. Your brother
or sister is waiting for those hands to touch. Forgiveness is in our
power to give it.
We are on our journey.
God has a predetermined plan according to His foreknowledge. We have no
choice or no better choice than to yield and go with it. We are believers
in God. He has a plan. The best thing that we can do is just to yield
ourselves to it and believe in it.
If you believe, you
will see the glory of God. If you believe, you will have life in His
Name. Do you believe that God gave us a promise? Psalm 111 says,
"Great are the works of the Lord; His works are splendid and
majestic. He made His wonders so that we would remember them.
Forget sin and remember God's works. We have this tendency to forget how
God delivered us in the past. How that God made us see the miracles, how
that we faced a blank wall and He made it crumble before us. We forget!
He made His wonders to be remembered because He is our God, our
Father. He is gracious and compassionate and He will remember His covenant
forever. He will not forget His covenant with us. He gave us His
word; He gave us His promise. He will not forget it forever! Verse 9
says, "He has ordained it forever.” He gave His people
heritage and His precepts and His statements are sure! It will happen.
Only believe!
We say, “I don’t
understand. I don’t see why I should do this and that. I don't see what
is going on.” Scriptures says, “Blessed is he who does not see but yet
believe." We say, “I don’t know when.” Blessed are you!
If you know, you will be less blessed. We say, “I don’t
understand.” Psalm 111 says, “A good understanding have all those who do
His commands, who receive and proclaim His command.” Peter says
that our inheritance is imperishable, reserved and secure in the heavens.
You may be thinking of
a building. You are right! I am thinking more, including the building, of a
place for us that we are close to the stature of the full measure of
Christ. It is our ultimate goal. Our goal is not the building. It will
happen. It will come to pass and see it one day. Shortly, but we need to
believe! Forget what lies behind; only the good things and reached
forward to what lies ahead. Forget what lies behind. Be free from
death; sin; reached forward and press on toward the goal.
The goal is ahead of
us. The cloud is ahead of us. We do not see the Promise Land yet,
but we do see Jesus. We do see the cloud and we follow the
cloud. This is the way it is in the kingdom of God!
LET
US CONTINUE OUR REFLECTION
WITH
CARDINAL OF
HOLY MOTHER CHURCH
AND
VENERABLE PRIMATE
OF
THE PHILIPPINES
THROUGH
THE WORD EXPOSED
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