SING A NEW SONG: FORGIVEN

Most every human has experienced the power of forgiveness.  It is a common thread that binds humanity, communities, and nationalities into a common bond.  Forgiveness is the “oil” of human interaction, and it reduces the “friction” and “temperature” of hostility.  It can transform heated confrontation into hopeful reconciliation!   Yet, the tired old song of humanity is riddled with sour notes of anger, a cacophony of confrontation, and the virtuosity of violence!  In our series Sing a New Song, we need to tune our lives to the sound of the sermon title, Forgiven.  What does “forgiven” sound like?  It has to be Psalm 103:6-18.  David begins this Psalm with these words: Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. (Psalm 103:1, NIV).  He is thankful that the living God has done so much for every believer through the power of forgiveness.   This is the source of healing and wholeness, as well as redemption and resurrection.  However, he is not just celebrating, he is also illustrating the path to enhance the power of forgiveness in our lives.  What would be different for you if you could experience a more complete and fuller forgiveness?  Would it alter your relationships?  Your burden of guilt? Your ability to share forgiveness?  Of course, it would!  God’s forgiveness is a moment of purity and clarity that sets us free!   As you prepare your heart for worship, we pray that you will experience a greater measure of Psalm 103.  May you sense the heart of God and his power to forgive you and deliver you from the miry pit, and crown you with the joy of compassion as you read Psalm 103:6-18:    

The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. ⁷ He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: ⁸ The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. ⁹ He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; ¹⁰ he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. ¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; ¹² as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. ¹³ As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; ¹⁴ for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. ¹⁵ The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; ¹⁶ the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. ¹⁷ But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children— ¹⁸ with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts. (NIV)