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Intention

To receive afresh God’s forgiveness and give that forgiveness to others.

Scripture

“So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.’ And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’”

– John 20:21–23

Reflection

At the cross, Jesus asked His Father to forgive those who had nailed Him to the wood planks of the cross. He cried, “Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

God could have rightly held our sins against us. We had forsaken Him. He could easily have forsaken us.

Yet even as evil humanity did its worst against His Son, God did His best for us. “In Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them” (2 Cor 5:19).

This was to fulfil God’s new covenant promises in Jeremiah 31:33–34:

“But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people…  they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

Jesus voluntarily shed His pure blood through His sacrificial death on the cross. He chose to be forsaken by God so He could fully forgive all humanity. Jesus died as our holy substitute so we can live in this blessed new reality of His forgiveness.

God chose not to forsake us. His Son was abandoned in our place so that we never have to be. We have gone from forsaken to fully forgiven. In response, “he has committed the message of reconciliation [i.e. the message about forgiveness] to us” (2 Cor 5:19).

Before He went to the cross, Jesus had been in the Garden of Gethsemane. It was a time of great agony and travail. He deeply desired His disciples’ care and companionship – but they failed Him and went to sleep. Alone with His Father, Jesus prepared to drink the cup of wrath and suffering for us all, as Isaiah 53:5-6 prophesied.

When Jesus came and met His disciples in His resurrection body, He had just defeated hell, death and the grave. But they had been too afraid to witness the most momentous act in history! Jesus could easily have condemned them for failing Him in the garden.

But He didn’t. Instead, He came and demonstrated His forgiveness, mercy and compassion even as they remained hiding in a room. He understood their fears and trauma.

In our human nature, that kind of betrayal might have made us resentful. But Jesus did not choose to be offended. He knew the key to their breakthrough was to forgive. Only through forgiveness could they move on and fulfil their calling in the Lord.

He breathed on them and spoke the powerful, healing, mending peace (shalom) of the Holy Spirit over them. In His presence they experienced joy.

As the Father had sent Him to forgive, now Jesus was sending His disciples to go and forgive others, just as He had done. This was His first commission.

When the Church of the forgiven becomes the fellowship of the forgiving, that is truly the greatest miracle of all.

Video

Prayer

Forgive me, Lord Jesus, for my unforgiveness and offence towards others. Open my eyes to see You with reverential fear.

Show me where I’ve held onto resentment and hurt and been deceived by the enemy. I don’t want anything hindering me from sharing the gospel in love.

I choose to forgive from my heart those with the same spirit who desired Jesus’ cruel brutal death. Lord, give us heart understanding that we need to first “receive the Holy Spirit” and revelation of your freedom and peace that forgiveness brings. Give us Your grace to love, bless and forgive our enemies.

Help us to forgive those who unjustly choose evil and the control of the flesh, instead of Your ways of goodness. Also, help us to recognise, repent and forgive ourselves for how we have let You down, Jesus.

As those already forgiven, release us to preach repentance and Your forgiveness of sins (Luke 24:47). Amen.

Author Bio

Dr Hilary Moroney was born in England and has two adult children. She received her doctorate through Fuller Seminary in the USA. She serves as a prayer intercessor and watchman, co-founder and leader of the Canberra House of Prayer for All Nations. Her calling is to pray in Jesus’ kingdom destiny for nations including Israel, governments and indigenous peoples. To find Hilary’s resources for ‘going’, click here and here.

Prayer Points and Purpose for GO Month 2024

1. To worship Jesus and give extravagant praise to God. 1 Chron 16:23–31.
2. To pray for revival, repentance and deliverance for Australia and for millions to find Christ. Acts 2:1–41.
3. To pray for five people by name to find Christ and share the gospel with those five in May. Matt 28:18–20.

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