July 16, 2006 The Absolution

In this four part sermon series on Confession and Absolution I would hope that all of you could see that sorrow over sin is a regular part of the Christian life. Jesus says,

Revelation 21:6 To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.

Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

If you are not weary over your sins - if the judgmental thoughts of your mind, the immoral glance of your eyes, or the anger of your heart do not bother you, you are not a Christian. If you do not feel a need to be cleansed - if you are not thirsty for forgiveness, then you cannot claim Christ as your Savior. The rest that Christ offers is only for the weary. The drink from the water of life is only for the thirsty. It is not for those who treat this water of life like beer or wine at an occasional festive occasion. It is for those who look to Christ like a man walking on a long journey on a hot summer day - eager for as much water as he can get. This much is true.

In light of this, the question that often enters a Christian's mind is, "how sorry do I have to be to show I am truly sorry? How often do I have to confess my sins?" Some preachers point people to David's Psalm 38.

Psalm 38:6-8 I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning. My back is filled with searing pain; there is no health in my body. I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart.

If this is a prerequisite for sorrow, most of us would probably have to confess we are then not Christian - because we have not bowed down and gone about mourning all day long. This was the kind of advice Luther was given. As a result of this advice he wrote, "We wearied the father confessors. They in turn frightened us by their conditional absolutions: I absolve you through the merit of our Lord Jesus Christ because of the contrition of your heart, the confession of your mouth, the satisfaction of your works, and the intercession of the saints, etc. We did all these things that we might be justified." Since Luther was told that his forgiveness was dependant on how sorry he was, he went to his confessors all the time over any sin he could think of. In the end, he never had any comfort, because he never knew if he was sorry enough.

Confession is not supposed to be like a personal hell we try to put ourselves through. It isn't like going into a workout facility and exercising this muscle and then that in the hopes of beating yourself back into shape. In reality, confessing our sins is something we really would not rather do. But our Spirit led conscience takes us there. The Law brings your conscience into the holiness of God and exposes you for the weakling you are. It shows you what a terrible husband you've been. It exposes what a lazy child you are. It displays what a dirty sinner you are. Every time we try to open our mouths for an excuse, the Law swats us back down. When it has finally beaten you into complete submission, you lay there completely helpless. We don't like feeling completely helpless. The reward is not in the journey. We'd rather ignore this part of Christianity.

So what's the purpose of going through it if we don't enjoy it? When you're completely beaten into submission, left before your holy God all naked and exposed - God's face suddenly changes. When David was taken through Nathan's training system of sin, he was completely exposed for the hypocrite he was. Spiritually crucified and laying before the prophet as a dead sinner, David thought for sure that he would be put to death for what he had done. He admitted, "I have sinned against the LORD." But Nathan then said something completely different to David, "the LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die." Instead of condemning David as he deserved, the LORD took away his sin. Where did He take it? He hid it with Christ on the cross and buried it with him in the grave. Nathan told David that this terrible sin had been taken off of David's shoulders. How good it must have been to hear those words. This is the purpose of going through confession - so that we can hear the absolution.

Absolution comes from the Latin word - absolutio - meaning "acquittal." The old Latin rite would be to say to someone when they sinned, "absolvo te", meaning, "I forgive you." Those are to be the sweetest words we hear. Unfortunately, many of those who walk into our worship services on a Sunday morning think this to be some strange little ritual. A majority of those with even Christian backgrounds say to themselves, "that seems like kind of a Catholic thing to do. Who is he to forgive me my sins?" Even our own members who have been trained in the Lutheran Catechism go through this as nothing more than a ritual in which we can get through on our way to the sermon. If that is all that the confession and absolution mean to you, then you are missing a very integral part of the worship service.

Perhaps this whole portion of the service is overlooked because forgiveness is so misapplied by today's society as well. The mother who divorces her husband for another man is simply told, "you can't fight emotions. I'm sure God will understand." I never once heard Dennis Rader's church or pastor demand a call to repentance. They were more than eager to be "supportive" to this hurting man. Forgiveness is handed out like credit card offers to even the most blatant sinners who show no signs of repentance. "God loves you" has become a cliche. So the absolution has been cheapened in some senses.

It seems that in the study of Church history - the Church seems to go through peaks and valleys of either giving a lot of guilt or no guilt. People living in the realm of Christianity today are being exposed to no guilt. In Jesus' time, it would appear that a majority of the people were under a lot of guilt. If you were crippled in some way, society thought that it was because you or your parents sinned in some way. If you were a tax collector, you were automatically assumed to be a schnook and a turncoat - since most of them were. Those who committed adultery were forever banned from fellowship with the church and never allowed a drop of forgiveness or offered a kernel of hope. The only ones who were remitted from guilt were those who followed the Pharisaical way. As a result, a majority of the people who didn't have the time or effort to try and meet up to the Pharisees were left in a feeling of unworthiness. They never gave enough or did enough to match up to what was considered "God's expectations." When you take this into account along with the low life expectancy, many people were living in depression and fear.

It was in the midst of this guilt ridden age that Jesus was born. John introduced Jesus into the scene by offering a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. This new promise of forgiveness through the baptism of John had people coming out in droves. John pointed these repentant believers to an even more powerful preacher - the Savior of the world - Jesus. When Jesus came, He didn't disappoint. At the beginning of his ministry - in Nazareth - Luke writes in 4:22, "All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips." In another instance, Jesus was in a house healing people and preaching. Four men came carrying a paralytic, but they couldn't get in the house. So they went on the roof, dug a hole through the sod and tile, and lowered the man through a hole in the roof. (Remember, paralytics were thought to have sinned in some way.) How did Jesus respond to him?

Mark 2:5-7 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, "Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

This wasn't the only time Jesus did this. In another instance, Jesus went to eat at the house of a Pharisee. When a woman who "had lived a sinful life" found out that Jesus was there, she went there immediately. While he was sitting down the woman poured perfume on his feet and used her tears and hair to wipe his feet - while kissing them. The Pharisee thought that Jesus shouldn't have had anything to do with her.

Luke 7:47-50 Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

There were two things that basically offended the people who were present that day. One was that Jesus was forgiving sin. For Him to have the audacity to actually tell people that they were forgiven seemed arrogant and even blasphemous to them. The only problem was that they didn't recognize that Jesus was God.

The second problem was with WHO Jesus was forgiving - a paralytic and an openly sinful woman. These weren't even people who they would have considered forgiving. Jesus did a similar thing with another woman who was caught in adultery. While the crowd was ready to stone her, Jesus said, "whoever is without sin can cast the first stone." Before He knew it, it was just He and the woman. He proclaimed to the woman, "neither do I condemn you." Even when Jesus was on the cross He proclaimed, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." How dare He tell these people they are forgiven! The absolution angered them.

Indeed, the absolution still angers people yet today. It doesn't seem fair! What if Dennis Rader did confess his sins? Would that mean that he wouldn't have to spend one second in hell? Would he just be forgiven? That's it? Why, that doesn't seem fair - for him to just get a free ride to heaven - even if he has to spend the rest of his physical life in prison. It is offensive to people yet today. Yet it should not be to us. When Jesus died on the cross, He paid for the sins of the WORLD. He said, "it is finished." Since Jesus made the payment, He has every right to choose whom He wants to give it to. If He wanted to give it to the rich and famous, He could have. If He only wanted to give it to the most moral people, He could have done that. But what did Jesus say? Luke 5:31-32 Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Jesus chose to give forgiveness to the worst of the worst or the best of the worst - to any sinners who recognize they are sick and need healed. In the parable of the workers in the vineyard, Jesus asked the question in Matthew 20:15, "Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?" Thankfully, Jesus has not chosen to be stingy with this forgiveness. He has chosen to generously absolve those who confess themselves to be lousy and unworthy sinners - no matter how lousy they are.

However, did you notice the common factor in both of these instances which I mentioned above? With the paralytic Jesus "saw their faith." With the sinful woman Jesus said "your faith has saved you." In both instances, Jesus could see that these people were not only sorry for their sins, but they also believed that Jesus was the Messiah - that He would save them from their guilt. If the woman or the paralytic had looked at Jesus as no more than a miracle healer, His words of forgiveness would not have mattered to them. Faith was there to not only hear His words but to cling to them and rejoice.

Christianity is a religion of faith. Everything we do is based on faith. It's not just a belief in God. Faith is clinging to the promises of God as found in Christ. If you don't believe that in your baptism your sinful nature was put to death and buried with Christ, then it isn't going to do you any good. If you don't believe that as you take the Lord's Supper Jesus is giving you His body and blood and personally saying to you, "These were shed FOR YOU," this Supper is not going to do you one ounce of good. If you don't believe that God really punished Christ for all of your sins and that forgiveness and eternal heaven are yours freely through faith, then you won't have any comfort on Judgment Day. Without faith in the Word and sacrament - none of these things will do you any good no matter how often you hear them. If God promises that whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, either He is lying or He is telling the truth. When Jesus promises that "whoever believes in Him shall not perish," He is not lying. Either you believe Him and take comfort in it, or you walk away in grief and unbelief. Faith is necessary for these promises of God to have any effect.

Perhaps you are still suspicious of this absolution - this public proclamation of forgiveness, however. Where do we feel we have the authority to tell people they are forgiven? Let's look at the Word. In the Lord's Prayer Jesus taught us to pray, Luke 11:4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. Now, you may say this is a personal forgiveness - not on behalf of God. Ok. Let's then look at John 20:21-23 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 his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." Notice that John specifically says that Jesus was talking to His disciples - all of them - not just Peter. With these words and the gift of the Holy Spirit, He gave all of them the ability to forgive or not forgive people their sins ON HIS BEHALF. Paul - in His conversation with the Corinthians - fellow disciples of the LORD and possessors of the Holy Spirit - also assumed this responsibility was theirs. When a man who had sexual relations with his stepmother was brought to repentance - he told the congregation in 2 Corinthians 2:6-7, "The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow." Very clearly Paul gave the Corinthians to absolve the sinner in this instance.

This should make it clear to all of us that Jesus commissions us as His disciples to absolve one another when we come to each other in repentance. This has nothing to do with whether I am a pastor, a carpenter, or a housewife. Jesus commanded all of us - as His disciples - to tell people they are forgiven. Look at it as if Jesus has supplied a huge vat of paint. He simply tells us to apply the paint to the wall. That is all. We are not producing the forgiveness. We are simply applying it to the sorrowful sinner. If Jesus gave His disciples the power to chase out demons with His words, and He enabled Paul and Peter to heal people through faith in Jesus - should it then surprise us that He enablles us to convey and pronounce His forgiveness - which has already been purchased 2,000 years ago? Who better to put forgiveness in the hands of than one who has tasted it and knows how sweet it tastes? Jesus says, "if YOU do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." He personally puts the proclamation of forgiveness on YOU.

In light of this, Luther said, "In absolving it is not as necessary to say: Are you sorry? As it is to say: Do you believe it possible for me to absolve you? Thus Christ says to the blind: "Believe ye that I am able to do this?" (Matthew 9:28) If you hear me say at the beginning of the service, "I as a called and ordained servant of the Word announce the grace of God unto you," all I am stating is that I am standing up here because you called me to be up here. You have asked me to publicly pronounce this forgiveness to you as a congregation. I then say, "In the stead and BY THE COMMAND OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST forgive you your sins." I am telling you this because Jesus commissioned me - just like He commissioned you - to tell people this. If you believe this is just a part of our ritual, or if you aren't really convinced that I have the authority to tell you this, then it isn't going to do you any good. Dr. Walther - the pronounced Lutheran theologian in the late 1800's - said,

"other sects have lost at one stroke the forgiveness of sins, Baptism, the Sacrament, the Christian Church, and all Christian works because they reject the Word when they hear it from their fellow man and regard it as nothing better than the bleating of a calf. Well, suppose God were to speak to you through some cow or other animal, as once upon a time He spoke through a donkey, still you are not to despise His Word, but regard it as valid. Why, then, will you despise it when men speak it by the command and order of God? For though you hear, indeed, a man's voice, you do not hear a man's but God's Word and surely will receive the forgiveness of sins attached to it, if you will but accept it by faith."

When a fellow Christian - or your called pastor hears you speak words of remorse and then pronounces to you, "I forgive you," regard it as if Jesus Christ Himself were standing before you and showing you His hands and side - saying to you, "I paid for your sins! You are holy in my sight!" How wonderful would it be if we would learn to say this to each other, "I forgive you." Don't just say, "no problem," "no big deal," or "forget about it," use these sweet words - "I forgive you." You've got the power - go ahead and use it!

In a more recent movie called "The Mission," Robert De Niro plays a rough man who was involved in slave trading and who also murdered his brother over a woman. In sorrow over his sin, he went to the local priest and wanted forgiveness for what he had done. The priest made him carry a huge load of junk and serve the pygmies that he had formerly sold into slavery. He had to travel up a huge mountain and through a rainforest with this huge weight tied to him. When it finally fell off, De Niro fell over and cried in sorrow and joy, believing that he had served his time and payed the price for his sin.

Many of us walk around with a huge burden of guilt on our shoulders every day. We would like nothing more than to forget about our sins, but we just can't seem to get rid of them. God does not prescribe the Robert De Niro method. Without actions, we simply say, "I'm sorry." Jesus says, "I forgive you." These are just words to some people. It's too easy. Talk is cheap, they say. They don't believe they have any effect. Yet it was through words that God created the world. It's through words that the Holy Spirit creates faith. After His sacrificial actions, it was with words that Jesus declared, "it is finished." These words were not cheap. They were earned on the cross. Ours is the only religion that offers full forgiveness simply through words of promise in the Gospel. This is why we confess our sins. We believe that the absolution - the words "I forgive you" are God's promise to us of eternal life. The absolution is where we not only find the courage to confess our sins, but also the power to hope for eternity. Amen.