May 1, 2011  (Easter 2 A)

John 20:21-23

“Stopping the Sin Snowball!”

So – what did you get for Easter this year?  The kids might be thinking, “Chocolate – Easter baskets filled with goodies!”  The adults might be thinking, “Uhh – we don’t give presents for Easter.”  I guess I’m glad that Easter hasn’t become as commercialized as Christmas has – but, for Christians, EASTER is even bigger than Christmas, and the gifts that God gives us because of Easter are the most expensive, the most priceless gifts there are in the entire universe.  At Christmas God gave us His Son – but at Easter God’s Son gave us his LIFE – and He gives us eternal life and the gift of salvation – together with a whole Easter basket full of blessings. 

Today we’re going to pick one item out of that Easter Basket God has given us: forgiveness – picture it as a multi-purpose TOOL.  It’s something Christians also call “the Keys” – and it’s more powerful and useful than anything money can buy.  Jesus gives us this Easter gift here the day He rose from the dead, in John 20:21-23

21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

When Jesus healed the crippled man who was brought down through the roof on a mat, remember the first thing He said to him?  “Take heart son, your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:1-12).  The Pharisees rightly remarked, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?”  What Jesus did by saying that was even MORE powerful than healing him.  Because his sins were forgiven, he could enter God’s perfect heavenly home.  After a number of years his legs would again stop working, but heaven would last for eternity. 

As an Easter present, Jesus now hands this TOOL over to his disciples and says, “Here – you take this, and you use it!”    YIKES!!  Could they handle that?   They couldn’t see into hearts as Jesus did, how could they handle a tool this powerful?  Parents know how scary it is to hand the keys to the car over to their inexperienced teenage sons and daughters . . . . here GOD hands over to inexperienced, imperfect, sinful human beings the Keys to the Kingdom!   I’m not sure that we (His modern disciples) could handle having the power to perform miraculous healings – and here He’s given us something MORE powerful than that!

This tool works vertically:  on that relationship between God and us.  To the repentant we cut that barrier of sin between God and the believing soul.  Therefore, by forgiveness, we are reconciled to God and heirs of eternal salvation.  To those who stubbornly cling to their sin and defend it – we do NOT cut that barrier, and their sin remains.  This is a spiritual tool that unlocks and opens the door to heaven – or, closes and locks it.  As the church we use it with the utmost caution and highest care and reverence.

The same tool also works to bring peace between individuals in a horizontal fashion: In the Lord’s Prayer (and other places like the parable in Matthew 18:21-35) Jesus connects the vertical to the horizontal when He says, “Forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.”   With the MOUNTAIN of our sin wiped out before God – the molehill of whatever sins anyone could commit against us can now be wiped out with this powerful tool as well.  It works in marriage / in families / in congregations / at work – pretty much anywhere you go in this sin-drenched world you can find a way of using this multi-purpose gift. 

But – why does it seem there are times when this just doesn’t work?   We’ve just been through another Holy Week – what happened when Jesus Himself extended the olive branch of forgiveness and reconciliation to Judas at the last supper?  He chose money.  He cut himself off from that forgiveness.  He betrayed Him and, tragically, died in his sins without forgiveness. 

Believe me, if that could happen to Judas, it could happen to me, or to you.  It happens when sin begins to spread and grow . . . . it has a snowball effect.  As a snowball rolling down a hill will pick up size, speed, and power . . . . . . a sin-snowball can destroy ANYONE’S soul.  And, it can start off as such a small thing – it’s hard to believe. 

Let me illustrate: I’ll introduce you to Ben Penguin and Jerry Barks today.  (Two of my kids stuffed animals).   They’re friends and members of the same congregation.  They’ve known each other for years.  In conversation at a fellowship gathering Ben Penguin said that people from Calgary smell funny and have a much lower IQ than people from Ontario.  Jerry heard this – and . . . . Jerry is from Calgary.  It’s a pretty small thing, but sin snowballs can start from anything and often it is something just that seemingly insignificant.  Jerry’s upset – but does he say anything?    Nope . . . . he just bottles it up inside.  Does that anger go away?   Nope . . . . it festers and comes out against Ben in strange ways.  Ben isn’t that perceptive, but he knows something is wrong with Jerry – he just isn’t sure what.  Jerry tosses out some cruel comments here and there intentionally trying to get back at Ben.  Guess what – this thing begins to snowball FAST.  It grows to the point where Jerry doesn’t even want to see Ben, and he doesn’t even feel comfortable coming to church – in case their paths cross.  After a while the elders of the congregation approach Jerry and Jerry begins to think (not seeing this as loving concern and admonition) that everyone is siding with Ben and ganging up on him.  Jerry feels that everyone has betrayed him, and that he’s all alone . . . . . and this snowball just keeps on growing!

It started with a hurtful comment against him, but look where it led and what happened within his own heart!  Look at all the commandments of God that got crushed and rolled over as this sin snowball quickly grew out of control in his life:
(Put God first) – God has been pushed aside, this is about Jerry now. 
(Respect God’s Name) – it’s been trashed because people look at what happened between Christian brothers, and the name of Jesus has been tarnished by their behaviour. 
(Make worship a priority) – he’s not comfortable in worship. So, he doesn’t go – and this commandment is broken too. 
(Honour and respect authority) – when his pastor and elders try and talk with him about this, the door is slammed in their faces.  Jerry doesn’t respect them as having any authority what-so-ever. 
(Respect for life) – this issue with Ben has escalated into hatred – and Jesus said that hatred was the same sin (at heart) as murder. 
(Protecting reputations) – Jerry’s / Ben’s / the congregations – all this damage came from one tiny little comment that was supposed to be funny. 

The bigger the snowball gets, the harder it is to STOP it.  Church discipline refers to how the elders and the pastor of a congregation use the Keys to try and stop a runaway sin snowball.  People might think it’s harsh – but it’s done in love to stop a sin snowball before souls get destroyed . . . . and, the only thing that has ANY chance at all, is this powerful tool God has given us: forgiveness / the Keys.

Even still, sometimes that snowball just keeps rolling – but, we as God’s representatives (who are held accountable to Him) need to do everything we can to bring souls to repentance and reconciliation with each other and with God . . . . eternity is at stake here. 

Let’s look at Ben and Jerry once again, but we’ll start over and use the TOOL God has given us right from the start.  Ben heartlessly insults Jerry’s hometown . . . . . Jerry, what do you do now?   Jerry takes hold of this Easter Gift and says, “The way I see it, I have 2 options here: 1) I can tell Ben that this upset me.  Maybe he will apologize, maybe he won’t – but he needs to know that comments like this can really hurt people.  Regardless, I forgive him.  I am not upset or angry anymore, and this won’t disrupt my relationship with God or him. 2) I’ll keep this to myself for now; I know Ben likes to joke around.  I forgive him and let it go . . . . but, if I hear Ben say something hurtful again, I will then have to talk to him – comments like this can really hurt people, and maybe he needs to hear that.  If this was just a one-time thing, then I’ll forget about it.”   Guess what happened to the sin snowball when God’s Easter Gift of Forgiveness was being used – it didn’t even get rolling!!

This is something we ALL encounter – every single one of us – because we’re all sinful and ANYTHING can start off a sin snowball.   So, if you can remember anything from this sermon at all, please remember this: Stop the sin snowball before it even gets rolling. The only thing that really works is this: FORGIVENESS – it cuts, and it heals.  It’s Jesus Easter Gift to you.  He’s forgiven ALL your sins, and given you the power to forgive others (both in a horizontal fashion, and a vertical fashion).  Use this wonderful priceless gift, and enjoy the peace that only Jesus can bring – peace that comes with forgiveness – peace that was bought with Jesus’ own blood.