Winning Ways -- Hillcrest Baptist Church

The Power of Your Forgiveness
by Tom Goodman
August 19, 2015

www.Hillcrest.Church/HILL

When Dylann Roof first appeared in a courtroom, accused of killing nine people at a Bible study at Emmanuel AME church in Charleston, grieving relatives had an opportunity to confront Roof through a video feed. What they said stunned the world.

"You took something very precious from me, but I forgive you," said the daughter of 70-year-old Ethel Lance. "We have no room for hating, so we have to forgive," said the sister of another. "I pray God on your soul." One by one, representatives of the murdered victims rose for similar statements.

In truth, though, the story convicts us as much as it inspires us. "Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea," C.S. Lewis wrote. "That is, until they have something to forgive."

Do you have something to forgive? Jesus said that forgiven people forgive people. That's the lesson in Matthew 18:21-35, which we will examine this Sunday at 10am. It's the last lesson in our summertime series, The Church You've Always Longed For.

Know that Christ's call to forgive is not just a stern command: It's filled with promise! Because of God's amazing grace to us, we have the ability show some amazing grace of our own.

The late Corrie Ten Boom discovered this. Churches often invited her to speak about how her Christian family suffered in Nazi concentration camps for their resistance. After one church service in Munich, however, one of her former guards came up to her, beaming. "How grateful I am for your message, Fraulein," he said. "To think that, as you say, he has washed my sins away!"

He thrust his hand out to shake hers, but she froze. "I tried to smile," she wrote later. "I struggled to raise my hand. I could not. And so I breathed a silent prayer. Jesus, I cannot forgive him. Give me your forgiveness."

And then it happened: "As I took his hand the most incredible thing happened. From my shoulder along my arm and through my hand a current seemed to pass from me to him, while into my heart sprang a love for this stranger that almost overwhelmed me. And so I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness any more than on our goodness that the world's healing hinges, but on his. When he tells us to love our enemies, he gives, along with the command, the love itself."

--Tom

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Winning Ways - from Hillcrest Baptist Church, Austin, Texas	Contact Tom Goodman, Pastor
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The Power of Your Forgiveness by Tom Goodman August 19, 2015 Sign up for a class in our FALL HILLCREST INSTITUTE www.Hillcrest.Church/HILL When Dylann Roof first appeared in a courtroom, accused of killing nine people at a Bible study at Emmanuel AME church in Charleston, grieving relatives had an opportunity to confront Roof through a video feed. What they said stunned the world. "You took something very precious from me, but I forgive you," said the daughter of 70-year-old Ethel Lance. "We have no room for hating, so we have to forgive," said the sister of another. "I pray God on your soul." One by one, representatives of the murdered victims rose for similar statements. In truth, though, the story convicts us as much as it inspires us. "Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea," C.S. Lewis wrote. "That is, until they have something to forgive." Do you have something to forgive? Jesus said that forgiven people forgive people. That's the lesson in Matthew 18:21-35, which we will examine this Sunday at 10am. It's the last lesson in our summertime series, The Church You've Always Longed For. Know that Christ's call to forgive is not just a stern command: It's filled with promise! Because of God's amazing grace to us, we have the ability show some amazing grace of our own. The late Corrie Ten Boom discovered this. Churches often invited her to speak about how her Christian family suffered in Nazi concentration camps for their resistance. After one church service in Munich, however, one of her former guards came up to her, beaming. "How grateful I am for your message, Fraulein," he said. "To think that, as you say, he has washed my sins away!" He thrust his hand out to shake hers, but she froze. "I tried to smile," she wrote later. "I struggled to raise my hand. I could not. And so I breathed a silent prayer. Jesus, I cannot forgive him. Give me your forgiveness." And then it happened: "As I took his hand the most incredible thing happened. From my shoulder along my arm and through my hand a current seemed to pass from me to him, while into my heart sprang a love for this stranger that almost overwhelmed me. And so I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness any more than on our goodness that the world's healing hinges, but on his. When he tells us to love our enemies, he gives, along with the command, the love itself." --Tom Beacon Articles Available Online: The staff newsletters that appear each week in the Beacon are also available on our website. You can find them here. Check out my weblog here. Do you know friends who would appreciate Winning Ways? Just forward this e-mail to them! Have you subscribed to Winning Ways? You can subscribe by clicking here and following the instructions. Your e-mail address will not be sold or given away to anyone, and you can automatically change your subscription or drop it by following the easy steps provided with each e-mail. FRESH NEWS AT HILLCREST UPDATED WEEKLY: www.hillcrestaustin.org LISTEN TO RECENT SERMONS: Click here. MANAGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTIONS TO OUR EMAIL NEWSLETTERS: Click here. If you do not have access to the web, please send a note to newsmaster@hbcaustin.org to tell us of any changes you would like to make.