Introductory Considerations
1. Call in education among many today to go back to basics - "the 3 R’s" - reading, writing, and rithmetic. It may be easy to learn all kinds of other things, but if basics not there a student is in trouble.
2. Today I call on us to go back to basics. To look at the 3 R’s, but these 3 R’s are the 3 R’s of forgiveness perhaps we could say 3 r’s of our faith. Wasy to get into many other things as Christians, but unless we have the 3 R’s down we also are in trouble.
3. Today we consider the statement in the Apostles’ creed that says "I believe in the forgiveness of sins". All believers should say this but do we really believe and understand what we are saying? For us to believe and receive this forgiveness we need to know and do three things - the 3 R’s of forgiveness.
Teaching
1. First thing we need to receive forgiveness is to RECOGNIZE OUR NEED TO BE FORGIVEN.
2. In the parable Jesus presents to us there are two men who went to the temple to pray. Both worship God and both recognize that God is the one who enables them to live righteously.
3. Obvious that the Pharisee has something wrong with way he views things he - does not consider himself a robber, evildoer, or adulterer and he thanks God for this.
a. Is it wrong for us to pray to God together thanking Him for enabling us to overcome the sins that others have? To thank him for causing us to worship Him and tithe to Him? Perhaps the man has some sense of His need for God to enable Him to live a good life, but the problem is that he does not recognize the reality and depth of sin he has.
b. OK to say thanks but to say that he is not an evildoer - that reveals a lack of recognition is there anyone here who would say they are not an evildoer? Please don’t tell us because what I am about to say will only embarrass you and I don’t want to do that publicly.
4. For this man and maybe for some of us, sin is doing something wrong - stealing, murder, lying
5. But this is like saying that we are like a bruised apple when we should be saying we are rotten to the core. Not nice thing to say - "I am rotten to the core" - but it is something we must say and believe if we want to understand and receive forgiveness.
a. For this man did not go home justified before God and so will we
6. There is a difference in what the tax collector recognized about his sin. He did not list the sins he committed.
a. Often do we not come to go and present a list of the wrongs we have done? Instead the man comes before God and presents not a list of sins but himself - a sinner.
b. We say "hate the sin but not the sinner". There may be some truth in this but I don’t read it in Bible - although we are to love but when apply to self there is a great danger.
7. To be forgiven we need to recognize ourselves for who we are. Not to bring bushel of sin and lay at cross and then all is fine.
a. It is to admit that the trouble is our sinful nature, which as the HC says, we need to struggle against all our lives
b. It means recognizing that I was created to depend on God and glorify Him but basically I depend on self and seek to glorify self. I never met anyone who does not struggle with this and even after forgiven and justified.
c. We still struggle our sin follows us into our new lives as Christians tax collector justified but he still was a sinner.
That is why we are both sinners and saints.
8 We must not look down at others as Pharisee did but to see ourselves for who we are.
9. To recognize our sinful nature means to take full responsibility for it so easy to blame others.
a. Not my fault, I was born that way - blame my parents.
b. We are responsible for who we are - regardless of whether we were born that way.
c. Some say we were taught to act this way at home - my father swore or he always lost control he taught me how to behave and so that’s why I’m like this. I don’t know any better. I didn’t know this was wrong and now it’s a habit that is hard to break.
10. To buy this argument is to go along with view of society today that we need to educate children and all people in how to act and not sin then things will be better will knowledge make us overcome sin.
11. Story of mother and her little boy talking on Sunday morning mother said "It’s time to get ready for Sunday School"; son - "I’m not going"; mother "O yes you are"; son - "I don’t want to go."; mother - "I don’t remember asking you if you wanted to go. You’re going."; son -’Why do I have to go to Sunday School?"; mother - "To learn to be a good little boy"; son - "I already know how to be a better little boy than I want to be.";
a. Problem with sin is not that I don’t know what is right and wrong I sometimes feel I know more than I want to know. Teaching right and wrong has a place but it does not over come sin.
b. Not just In Society but In church teach young children what is right and wrong now they will behave right well, they will not. Must teach them that they cannot overcome sin on own because it comes from our sinful nature
c. We are not going to teach anyone into proper behaviour and overcomng sin only when we recognize trouble deeper can we come to God and admit sin. Otherwise children think I’m Ok - I’ve kept the rules.
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17. Because we want to please Him we feel we have betrayed and profaned his holiness.. As minister - sin - I can feel bad because of what others hink or because I fail to honour God - last night - fun - pride? - good things and bad.
18. May we all feel weight of sin because we fail to honour God.
19. Have you truly repeated of your sin? If you have repented is it genuine? why did you repent?
20. There is a third "R" we must look at and that "r" is "RECEIVE".
21. Catecism No. 56 says that because of Christ’s atonement, God will not hold my sins or sinful nature against me. rather, in His grace, God grants me the righteousness of Christ to free me forever from judgement. (Isa 44:22. Jer 31:34) their sins no more." and Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us
22. T receive means to humble self and see God’s mercy as tax collector did.
23. Have you received God’s forgiveness? Some of us recognize and repent but take no further. Not realize what god has done for us in Christ receive good news, forgiveness.
24. We still wrestle with old nature but we know we have victory.
25. We talk about have open hands to give but we also need open hands to receive Stuart Briscoe tells of bringing a few books to grandson. He wanted to receive gifts but hands full of toys and security blanket. What do we have to let go of? What is in your hands?
