​CHURCH AS FAMILY: Church as a forgiving family 5-10-26

​CHURCH AS FAMILY: Church as a forgiving family 5-10-26

 

INTRODUCTION

 

Church is family.

Church is a family of faith.

Church is a faithful family.

Church is a loving family.

Church is a forgiving family.

 

Everyone has need for forgiveness

 

“Forgiving and being forgiven are two names for the same thing.  The important thing is that a discord has been resolved.”  

            C.S. Lewis

 

“To err is human, to forgive, divine.”

            Alexander Pope

 

Let us start here this morning.

 

Matthew 6:9-13 NIV

 

““This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. ’”

            Matthew 6:9-13 NIV

 

I.  FORGIVENESS IS OUR HALLMARK

 

Lowell Wood - inventor with 1085 patents passed Thomas Edison with his invention to hallmark objects with gamma rays

 

            A. We all begin this journey as sinners.

 

Ephesians 1:7 NIV

 

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace”

            Ephesians 1:7 NIV

 

1 John 1:9-10 NIV

 

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.”

            1 John 1:9-10 NIV

 

            B. The proof of our provenance is the display of our hallmark.

 

Matthew 6:14-15 NIV

 

“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

            Matthew 6:14-15 NIV

 

A pastor finished his message early one Sunday, (and that pastor was not me) and he wanted to check his congregation’s understanding. So he asked, "Can anyone tell me what you must do before you can obtain forgiveness of sin?"

 

There was a short pause and then, from the back of the room, a small boy spoke up, "You have to sin."

 

I suspect we don’t have a problem fulfilling that prerequisite. But Jesus reveals that another prerequisite for God to forgive is our willingness to forgive others.

            Dana Chau, Sermon Central, June 25, 2002.

 

II.  FORGIVENESS IS MORE ART THAN SCIENCE

 

Matthew 18:21-35 NIV

 

“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened. “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.””

            Matthew 18:21-35 NIV

 

            A. 490 times is not enough.

            B. Personal forgiveness is demonstrated in personal forgiving.

 

Dr. Mark Eckart tells this story.

 

I once invited a guest lecturer to speak to a counseling class I was teaching and ask him to specifically discuss the topic forgiveness. He told a powerful story from his own life that day to illustrate his point that we should forgive.

 

His brother had many struggles, and one day there was a conflict that arose and someone shot and killed my friend’s brother. The whole family was sad of course and grieved very much about this sudden and unfortunate loss. Our guest that day said he struggled initially forgiving the man that killed his brother. After awhile though, God helped him process the tragedy and forgive the murderer.

 

This was the neat part. For years, my friend had a prayer list with his brother’s name on it, and he prayed for him often. After his death, he eventually got to the point where he erased his brother’s name and inserted the murderer's name in his brother's place on the prayer list, and now he prays for him often.

 

This, ladies and gentlemen, is forgiveness.

            Dr. Mark Eckart, Sermon Central, July 6, 2009.

 

III.  FORGIVENESS IS OUR LEGACY

 

            A. Our first prayers

 

Matthew 6:9-15 NIV

 

“This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.’””

            Matthew 6:9-15 NIV

 

            B. The message of the Gospel

 

Luke 24:45-47 NIV

 

“Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”

            Luke 24:45-47 NIV

 

            C. The heart of the mission

 

John 20:19-23 NIV

 

“On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.””

            John 20:19-23 NIV

 

Martin Dale tells this story.

 

One of my heroes of the faith is the late Richard Wurmbrand who died in February 2001. Wurmbrand was born in Romania in 1920 as a Jew and became a Christian when he encountered Christ at an early age.

He shared his faith with the occupying troops in the 1940’s and the Germans threw him in prison for it. When the Russians threw the Germans out at the end of the war, he shared his faith with the Russians. Eventually the Communists threw him in prison for his faith too and he served 14 years in prison, 2 1/2 of which were in solitary confinement for being a Christian.

 

I recall one incident that he wrote about in his book “In God’s Underground”. His wife, Sabrina’s family was killed by a man called Borila at a place called Golta in Romania. Wurmbrand met Borila one day and brought him to faith in Christ.

 

Wurmbrand went into his wife’s bedroom and woke her up. He said “There is a man here who you must meet. We believe he murdered your family, but he has repented and now he is our brother.”

 

She came out in her dressing gown and put her arms around him and embraced him. They both began to weep and console each other.

 

And then Sabrina went into the kitchen and made him something to eat.

            Martin Dale, Sermon Central, October 24, 2025.

 

CONCLUSION

 

“A forgiveness ought to be like a cancelled note, torn in two and burned up, sos that it can never be shown against the man.”

            Henry Ward Beecher

 

Forgiveness is our hallmark. Forgiveness is more art than science. Forgiveness is our legacy.

 

INVITATION

 

It is our custom to offer an "invitation" following the preaching of the Word.  You may want to follow Jesus.  You may want to proclaim your faith.  You may want to repent (stop doing ungodly things and start doing Godly things).  Perhaps you want to be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins     and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Possibly, if you have already responded to God’s call in these ways, you would like to become a member of Kenwood Church.  If you have been moved by the Holy Spirit to make a decision in your life, you can come forward now.  If you would like, I would be honored to speak with you following the service about what God is doing in your life.

5-6-26 S.U.M. It Up!

​

5-3-26 Kenwood Church of Christ Live Stream

 

​CHURCH AS FAMILY: Church as a loving family 5-3-26

​CHURCH AS FAMILY: Church as a loving family 5-3-26

INTRODUCTION

Church is family.

Church is a family of faith.

Church is a faithful family

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭22:34-40‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.'”

‭‭ Matthew‬ ‭22:34-40‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The command to love God and love our neighbor is not new to Jesus. It comes right from Torah. The Pharisees had finessed that fundamental law right out of everyday life, but Jesus not only showed us that we can’t live without it, he took it to the limit when he loved us all the way to giving himself on the cross, and continuing to give us His own life in this sacrament of love.

Pat Cunningham, Sermon Central, August 23, 2008.

Pray!

I.  LOVE FOR GOD

A certain medieval monk announced he would be preaching next Sunday evening on “The Love of God.” As the shadows fell and the light ceased to come in through the cathedral windows, the congregation gathered. In the darkness of the altar, the monk lighted a candle and carried it to the crucifix. First of all, he illumined the crown of thorns, next, the two wounded hands, then the marks of the spear wound. In the hush that fell, he blew out the candle and left the chancel. There was nothing else to say. 

10,000 Sermon Illustrations, Biblical Studies Press

A.  The true litmus test

‭‭1 John‬ ‭4:7-8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭4:7-8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

B.  The sight test

‭‭1 John‬ ‭4:20-21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”

‭‭ 1 John‬ ‭4:20-21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

II.  LOVE FOR NEIGHBOR

A.  Love

A little girl stayed for dinner at the home of her friend. The vegetable was buttered broccoli, and the mother asked if she liked it. The child replied very politely, "Oh, yes, I love it." But when the bowl of broccoli was passed, she declined to take any. The hostess said, "I thought you said you loved broccoli." The girl replied sweetly, "Oh, yes, ma’am, I do, but not enough to eat it!"

"One cannot define one’s neighbor; one can only be a neighbor," Haddon Robinson said. "Your neighbor is anyone whose need you see, whose need you are able to meet." A neighbor is someone who says, "What is mine is God’s and what is God’s belongs to my neighbor because my neighbor belongs to Him."

Stephen Sheane, "Love Your Neighbor," 2/10/2009.

B.  Neighbor

"Love of God is the root, love of our neighbour the fruit of the Tree of Life. Neither can exist without the other, but the one is cause and the other effect."

Unknown source

III.  LOVE FOR REAL!

A.  Not partial

B.  Not for personal gain

C.  Not conditional

D.  Not contrived

E.  Not boastful

‭‭Luke‬ ‭15:11-32‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ “ ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ””

‭‭ Luke‬ ‭15:11-32‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Paula and I visited to the DIA last December. We saw many amazing works of art. I especially remember Bartholomeus van Bessen’s “Return of the Prodigal Son.”

Austin W. Duncan wrote:

I was an art major in undergrad, which means I took more art history classes than any human should be required to sit through. And then, because God has a sense of humor, I spent an entire semester in seminary studying one painting. One.

Rembrandt’s The Return of the Prodigal Son.

Paper after paper after paper on this. But it’s become my favorite painting of all time. Not one of my favorites. My favorite.

Rembrandt painted it right near the end of his life, the same year he passed away. In the painting, the son is kneeling. His shoes are worn through. His clothes are ruined. His face is buried in his father’s chest. He’s come a long way to get there, and you can see it. But the part that gets me every time is the father’s hands. They’re resting on the son’s back. One hand is firm, almost strong. The other is soft, almost tender. And the father isn’t pointing back toward the pigpen. He isn’t giving a lecture. He isn’t reviewing the son’s mistakes.

He’s just holding him.

And then off to the side, almost in the shadows, Rembrandt paints the older brother. Standing. Watching. Arms stiff. He’s close enough to see the grace, but he’s not in it. He stayed home the whole time, did everything right on paper, and he’s the one who can’t enter the embrace. He’s too proud to need it.

So many people who look at this painting instinctively identify with the younger son. We see ourselves as the one who wandered and came home. But the real challenge of the painting, and of the parable, is the invitation to become the one whose hands don’t push away. The one whose first instinct toward the broken person isn’t to correct but to hold. The one who doesn’t say, “Let me tell you everything you did wrong.” The one who says, “You’re home. That’s enough for now.”

Austin W. Duncan, Sermon Central, April 17, 2026.

CONCLUSION

Love God. Love your neighbor. Love for real!

INVITATION

It is our custom to offer an "invitation" following the preaching of the Word.  You may want to follow Jesus.  You may want to proclaim your faith.  You may want to repent (stop doing ungodly things and start doing Godly things).  Perhaps you want to be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins     and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Possibly, if you have already responded to God’s call in these ways, you would like to become a member of Kenwood Church.  If you have been moved by the Holy Spirit to make a decision in your life, you can come forward now.  If you would like, I would be honored to speak with you following the service about what God is doing in your life.