Author: Bryan Gibson

Weekly Bulletin
May 15, 2022

Forgiveness—What A Wonderful Blessing
by Bryan Gibson
“If you Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? (Psalms 130:3). The answer is implied in the question—no one. But look at the next verse, “But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared.” Isn’t that great news? God forgives! To better appreciate this blessing, consider the following:
God delights in forgiving sins. “He does not retain his anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He again will have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities” (Micah 7:18-19). Let’s not get the wrong impression. God does not delight in sin. We do not make Him happy when we violate His law, in fact, we do just the opposite—we provoke Him to wrath (Romans 1:18). But what does make Him happy is when we come to Him seeking forgiveness. That is the very point illustrated by the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). The Father was waiting with open arms for his penitent son.
God forgives abundantly. “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:7). God does not measure out forgiveness with a teaspoon. No matter how many sins we’ve committed, no matter how serious they may be, God will forgive. Further assurance is given in 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” That’s why we sing “grace that is greater than all our sin.” We understand there is “pow’r in the blood”—power enough to cleanse us from all our sins (1 John 1:7).
God forgives permanently. “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more” (Hebrews 8:12). We may have trouble forgiving and forgetting, but God doesn’t. When He forgives sin, He doesn’t bring it back up, demanding that we answer for it again. It’s gone, forgotten, “blotted out” (Acts 3:19). Think of the magic slates we used to write on as children. Remember what would happen when we lifted the sheet up. Everything we had written was erased. That’s what God does with our sins. We quoted from Micah 7:19 earlier, but here is the rest of that verse: “You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”
However, and this is important—forgiveness is conditional! Read again Isaiah 55:7—“let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts”—only in doing that could one receive forgiveness. We need to clearly understand the conditions of forgiveness found in the New Testament. For those who have never come to Christ, who have never obeyed the gospel, the instructions are clear: one must believe in Him (Mark 16:16), repent of his sins (Acts 2:38; 3:19), confess his faith in Him (Romans 10:9-10; Acts 8:37), and be baptized in water for the remission of his sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16). One who is in Christ and sins against the Lord must confess his sins (1 John 1:9), and repent of them (Acts 8:18-24). Meet these conditions and God will not only forgive you, but will delight in doing so. He will forgive you of all your sins, and He will remember them no more. Why are you waiting? Seek His forgiveness now—this could very well be your last chance.

Contact Information
	P.O. Box 680872 / Prattville, AL 36067
	(334) 365-5887 / (334) 868-0801
	prattmont@gmail.com / prattmontchurchofchrist.org

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The Prattmont Church of Christ is just what the name suggests, a church that belongs to Christ. We are not a denomination; we are simply a group of Christians trying very hard to practice the teachings of our Head, Jesus Christ. The New Testament offers a complete pattern for what each local church should be like—its organization, its worship, its work, etc. We are committed to following that pattern. We cordially invite you to attend our services. We would also welcome any comments or questions about this bulletin.

TIMES OF SERVICES:
Sunday
Bible Classes………...9 A.M.
Worship 10:00 A.M.
Worship/Bible Study..5 P.M.
Wednesday:
Bible Study 7:00 P.M.