Forgiveness

I read a sermon by Marvin McMickle tonight in Living Water for Thirsty Souls. It’s book on exegetical preaching—I doubt that most of you will ever encounter this in your day-to-day book reading. However, I do recommend reading sermons on occasion, they make wonderful devotional material.
At any rate, I was reading this sermon on Luke 23:32-42 titled “Father Forgive Them”. It’s all about forgiveness. It is a very powerful message. In one section he writes:
“I have argued in the past that even Judas could have received this gracious forgiveness and a second chance in the service of Christ, if he had not failed to understand the message of Jesus. The tragedy of Judas is not what he did to Jesus, but what he did to himself. He took his own life. He committed suicide. He hanged himself by the neck until he was dead, all because he never understood what Jesus was saying in those parables about the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. The very essence of God’s mercy and grace is giving undeserving sinners a second chance. Judas could have been forgiven. If he couldn’t be forgiven, then neither can we. For who among us has not, on more than one occasion betrayed Jesus in word or deed?”
Well, I’ve just been put in my place. I’m knocked off any pedestal I’ve managed to put myself on today. Me and Judas – both in dire need of God’s unending mercy.