Jeff Durbin (54:16)
What a difference over the last five years of the stuff that's happened, riots and burning and pillaging and raping, literally raping and murdering. When people don't get their way politically or something happens to their hero or whatever. It is an obvious distinction. And so it's a powerful moment of grace. It really, really is. And, you know, so let's talk about the issue of forgiveness, because this is a big one. And I have to just want to confess at the front of this, I am not even going to pretend. I'm not even going to pretend to be on the same level as Erica Kirk right now. And to even that I would even have the ability to stand above this right now and just speak to some of this stuff, because there's stuff that she's experiencing with God right now and that she felt led to do that I just think is miraculous. So all I can do, all we can do as Christians and as a pastor is go to the scriptures and say, like, okay, what's the standard in scripture? So a couple things. There was a lot mentioned during the memorial about the Lord's Prayer. And I got kicked in the teeth years ago when Douglas Wilson was teaching on the Lord's Prayer and forgiveness, because he unpacked it in a way that I had never. I never quite thought about in that way before. And I have to this very day been moved by that, challenged by that. And I am constantly convicted by that. Sometimes I'm afraid to pray it now. Sometimes I'll be honest, sometimes I'm afraid to pray the prayer right now. And I've even caught myself over the last couple years since Doug gave that sermon. I've caught myself at times avoiding praying that prayer because I want it to be genuine. And so the prayer goes. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth. As it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us. And one of the things that Doug brought out about that. That has again kicked me in the teeth is that the prayer goes like this. Jesus says, okay, here's God come down to earth in flesh in front of you. He says, okay, I want you to pray like this. This is when you talk to the Father. I want you to. I want you to say these things, and I want you to mean these things. Father, forgive us our sins. Okay, so that's between God and I. Father, forgive us our sins as we forgive others their sins. And one of the things that Doug said that had such an impact on me, he said that we put that to music. We have it in liturgy. We have it in the King James Version. And so even in, like, liturgy, where the church, like, recites it together, it sounds so beautiful. Beautiful, right? Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespassed against us. He makes the point that we're so used to singing it and saying it in liturgy and that beautiful language that we don't realize that when we say that part of the prayer, we should choke on it. We should choke on it, because what's Jesus saying to do? Pray it like this, father, forgive me my sins as I forgive others their sins. So the way that I forgive people's sins, forgive my sins like that. So, yes, you're coming to God, approaching him for the forgiveness of your own sins. But you're saying in the prayer, it's like a reminder that God, forgive me, like, I forgive others. Like, really let that hang for a second. Because if that doesn't work, you over, I don't know what will. Biblically, because the core issue between God and I is, like, first and foremost, forgiveness and peace with God. And then Jesus is saying, okay, Jeff, pray like this. You pray, God, please forgive me, like, I forgive others. And then you go, wait a second. How do I forgive others? Sometimes, like, I let it lurk in my mind, and I let it hang there. Sometimes I, like, I tuck it away in a little corner, like, yeah, I forgive you. But, you know, I remember it's, like, right there as I'm holding right there, and there's, like a little. A little compartment, a little space for it right there. Like, all the Stuff like, yeah, I've let go, I've forgiven, but I'm holding it here so that if there's another. Another incident, I can go back into that box, unlock it, and go, hey, remember, like. And hold it against you. Like, do I treat people the way that God treats me? Because I know that God forgives me for the inexcusable. There's no excuse whatsoever. There's no defense. He just forgives me. He loves me. He longs to forgive me. He longs to give me mercy and grace. He desires the forgiveness and the reconciled relationship, and he's the one that pursued the wicked one, Me, Me. And so that's how the prayer goes. That forgiveness from God is supposed to be, like, in my own life, practically the way. The way God, like, I treat. Like, I forgive others. I don't want God holding my sins against me. I don't want God holding a grudge against me for my sins. I want that forgiveness where he says, I separate your sins from you as far as the east is from the west. That is a profound divine forgiveness. And Jesus is telling you in the Lord's Prayer, like this, father, forgive me as I forgive others their sins. Again, like Doug said, if that doesn't cause you to choke when you pray it, I just don't know how it doesn't. So fundamentally, forgiveness for us is supposed to be like, God forgives me. So to remember that he forgives the inexcusable, he chases the rebel. He loves the sinner. He desires to let it go and to forgive. And so that's what I thought was so profound about Erica is that man. That's a divine. That's a divine moment for her to want to say at the memorial. I forgive you. To show and display the love of God in that way. You want to say something to that? Oh, no.
