Contact us Forgiven People - Forgiving People Part 3 This sermon is about what it means not just to be forgiven, but to actually live as forgiven people. We believe that God forgives. But learning to live in the freedom, peace, and confidence of that forgiveness wherever we are in our spiritual journey can be a slower and deeper process. You may, for example, still be discovering the offer of the gospel for the first time. You may, on the other hand, know about the offer of forgiveness in your head but find it hard to translate that to your heart. You may have received forgiveness, yet still carry guilt, shame, or self-condemnation. The simple but life-giving truth is that the gospel is not God saying, "try harder." It is God saying, "come as you are, and be forgiven." Jesus does not merely soothe guilty people; he deals with our guilt before God. Through him, forgiveness is proclaimed and freedom is offered. It is possible to be around grace without fully receiving it. Forgiveness can be spoken about, understood, even admired, and yet still somehow be held at arm's length. Like an unopened gift, it can be real and near but not yet enjoyed. The invitation of the gospel is not to perform, but to receive what Christ has already paid for. A large part of this message focuses on what happens when we receive forgiveness but struggle to live in agreement with it. This is often where phrases like, "I can't forgive myself," come from. That phrase usually points to something very real, but if God has forgiven us in Christ, then we do not need to keep reopening the case, rehearsing the failure, or living as though the cross was not enough. As 1 John 3:20 reminds us, "If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything." That is a steadying word. Our hearts are not the highest court. God is. And as we stand before the cross and see the love of Christ and the cost of our redemption, we are being shown again: this is enough. His grace is enough. His sacrifice is enough. We do not need to add to what Jesus has already finished. Forgiveness is meant to do more than cancel debt. It is meant to bring us home. In Christ, we are not only pardoned but welcomed and received as children of God. Grace does not simply clear our record; it begins to reshape our hearts. That does not mean there is no need for boundaries, that there are no consequences, and that there is no need for wisdom or evidence of change. But it does mean that forgiven people can begin, slowly, honestly, and sometimes painfully, to become forgiving people. Reflect on this message and locate where you are before you take your next step. Hear the offer. Receive the gift. Agree with God. Let grace go deeper because we are forgiven people—not because we got it right, but because Jesus carried what we got wrong. And now, by his grace, we learn to live in that forgiveness and extend it to others. You can see past sermons on the Leominster Baptist Church website at Leominster Baptist Church - YouTube and can contact us directly with your feedback or queries through the Contact Us link at the top of the episode description text. Leominster Baptist Church can be found on Etnam Street in Leominster, Herefordshire. To find out more about us, visit our website leobc.co.uk. If you would like to speak to someone about anything that you have heard on our podcasts please give us a call and ask for a chat.
