Eph.1:7b Rich in Forgiveness part 6                             

Captivate in Our Riches From Our Savior v.7-12

   Edify Us In Our Being Pardoned the forgiveness of sins

Jesus in His earthly life was constantly thronged with people; He continually attracted the masses who mobbed Him night and day.  They wanted to see His miracles and hear His promises.  They we’re hoping also that He’d overthrow the corrupt tyrannical political sludge of their day.

They we’re heavily taxed and impoverished.  They we’re trapped by political and religious exploiters, worn down by being vexed with diabolical manipulators.  Jesus loved people and He was involved with them.  He was never a recluse or a hermit.  He openly welcomed others, provided food for others and joyously celebrated with them.

Once he went into a house in Capernaum.  The dwelling quickly filled to the point where it clogged the entrance and the surrounding yard with people.

The friends of a crippled man we’re determined to see if He would do something for their-disabled friend.  There was no way to get to Jesus with people filling the house.  With creative faith and ingenuity they got their hurting friend in front of Christ by climbing up on the roof of the house Jesus was in.

They removed the roofing material and lowering their crippled friend on a stretcher right in front of Jesus in the house.  Jesus glowed with a joy at their great faith and resilient creativity.  But instead of honoring their faith with instantaneous healing He threw a curve at everyone.  He tells the crippled man His sins are forgiven Him.

That Jesus would pronounce a pardoning release to someone made the religious leaders, who were dogging Jesus, infuriated; they accused Him of intolerable blasphemy.  Healing was one thing, but forgiving sin was something only God could do.

By doing this He was declaring He is God.  He was announcing, God makes the rules, determines what works and what doesn’t.

There is only one person we’re to listen to and that’s Jesus,

God made this clear in, Mt.17:5 While he yet spoke, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear him.

The point is only God can forgive sins.  Not even the apostles in the first century took a shot at mediating between God and man in the forgiveness of sins.

Jesus is the only mediator between God and man.  The man Christ Jesus can forgive sins.  Not Mary, not Buddha, not Mohammad, not anyone else.  No one but Jesus can forgive sins.

Jesus revelation was an uncovering of His person that they vehemently rejected.  He is God. Our riches in Christ are that in Him, and in him alone, we have forgiveness of sins.

The word for forgiveness means to send from one’s self, to send away, a release, and forgiveness is letting the wrong go as if they had not been committed.  Trench says that the image of the verb is that of releasing a prisoner.

We see total forgiveness of a prisoner in Isaiah 61:1-5

Forgiveness is the Release of the Captured

  By Our Riches in the Lord

     The Spirits Ability                The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me                                      The Spirits Anointing         because the LORD hath anointed me

     The Spirits Articulation    to preach

Forgiveness is the Rebuilding of the Contrite

  Help to the Compliant          good tidings unto the meek

Healing to the Crushed        he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted 

Forgiveness is the Recovery of the Captured

  Opportunity                               to proclaim liberty to the captives

Opening                                       and the opening of the prison to them that are bound

Forgiveness is Reliability of Creator Outlook

  The Penalty Answered           To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord 

The Provision Accounted      and the day of vengeance of our God

Forgiveness is Reassurance for the Crying

  Comfort for Dirge                      to comfort all who mourn

Choosing for Directionless   To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion

Charm for Devastation           to give unto them beauty for ashes

Celebration for Depression  the oil of joy for mourning,   

Clothing for Drabness the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness     

Forgiveness is Recognition for the Claimers 

  Comprehensiveness    that they might be called trees of righteousness

  Connection                      the planting of the LORD,

  Compelling                      that he might be glorified.  

Forgiveness is Restoration for the Collapsed

   Renovation                     And they shall build the old wastes,   

Resurrection                 they shall raise up the former desolations,  

Repair                              and they shall repair the waste cities,

Renewal                          the desolations of many generations.

Forgiveness is not only the releasing of the imprisoned but it’s the erasing of a debt.  The debt of the sin has been sent away.  To be released is one thing but to we’re also to accept that release and see the debt for the imprisonment is erased and sent away.  This is what it is to grasp forgiveness.

The only way to embrace forgiveness is to receive by an acceptance of faith in Christ and His substitutionary sacrifice for our sin.  Forgiveness frees all who receive Jesus from sin’s guilt, from sins condemnation, from sins bondage, from sins power, from sins penalty, and when we are taken to be with Jesus forever we will be free from sins presence.