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EXODUS 32:7-14
1 TIMOTHY 1:12-17
LUKE 15:1-10

SUNDAY REFLECTION

The theme for our reflection is God’s unique kind of love of forgiveness. God’s unique kind of forgiveness borne out of His love for us through His son Jesus Christ. It is when He graciously and mercifully declares us justified although we have sinned against Him and deserve to be condemned. (John 3:16-17) We shall reflect on the fact that to benefit from God’s kind of forgiveness, we must be ready to repent. Repentance is the sincere act of showing regret or remorse for a sin committed against God and our fellow human beings whiles seeking mercy, forgiveness, transformation and reconciliation from God. We shall discuss the following points;

1. God’s unique kind of forgiveness is not for the unrepentant.
2. God’s unique kind of forgiveness is for the repentant.

Firstly, beloved in the Lord, those who are unrepentant will not benefit from God’s unique kind of forgiveness. You cannot have a relationship with God and continue to sin or take delight in disobeying God. We shall incur the wrath of God if we continue to sin. In Exodus 32:7-14 we see a demonstration of the fact that God has zero tolerance for disobedience or sin when He said to Moses “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’ “I have seen these people,” the LORD said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people. Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.” (Exodus 32:7-10). God is not happy with us when we remain stiff-necked people and take delight in being corrupt. To live in sin or to live a life of unrepentance is an act of ungratefulness to God for all His love, protection and providence in our lives. God may regret ever creating us when we continue to live in sin and unrepentance. We have a choice and an opportunity today to repent and to turn away God’s wrath from our lives. We are greatly admonished by the writer of Hebrews to ” See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. As has just been said: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.” (Hebrews 3:12-15). Dear friend, remember not to take advantage of God’s grace and continue sinning because God’s unique kind of forgiveness will not be granted to the unrepentant. It is, for this reason, Paul wrote that “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means!…” (Romans 6:1-2)

Secondly, we shall be beneficiaries of God’s unique kind of forgiveness when we bear fruits of repentance. It is for this reason, Jesus tells us in the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin respectively that “…there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent… In the same way… there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:7,10). Paul was one of the beneficiaries of God’s mercy towards the repentant sinner. In his letter to Timothy, Paul gave a passionate and inspirational testimony of his repentance and salvation when he wrote that “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners —of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. (1 Timothy 1:12-16). Dear friend, if you are in Christ Jesus then you are a product of grace. Be an example to those who are unrepentant and let them know about the true liberation, joy and mercy one enjoys in being set free from sin through God’s unique kind of forgiveness. Paul’s testimony should encourage us that “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26). No matter the sins you have committed so far, remember you are the lost sheep and coin Jesus is looking for, we have been assured in 1 John 1:9-10 that “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). Dear friend, take advantage of God’s mercy and love through our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16-17)

In summary beloved in the Lord, we have discovered that God’s unique kind of forgiveness is not for the unrepentant, however, His unique kind of forgiveness is for the repentant. May the Holy Spirit empower us to live a life of repentance to the Glory of the Lord. Amen.