Last week I posed the question with you, what is forgiveness, what does it look like,

and I looked at a definition from Thomas Watson with you that included these seven elements,

resisting revenge, not returning evil for evil,

wishing them well, grieving at their calamities, praying for their welfare, seeking reconciliation

as far as it depends upon you and coming to their aid in distress.

And I said that what I wanted to do today is to ask, how in the world do you do that?

Where do you get a heart, an ability, a power, a motive, a strength to carry that through against the natural inclinations of the

fallen human heart.

And that's what I want to ask about today.

Some of you have been wronged in your lives so badly and hurt so deeply, forgiving would be as impossible as flying.

When I said that to myself yesterday, it would be as impossible as flying. I remembered the little poem from John Bunyan back in January. Some of you remember it. I can tell. I had Barnabas respond and he could almost quote it this morning.

Run, John, run, the law commands, but gives us neither feet nor hands.

Far better news the gospel brings.

It bids us fly and gives us wings.

Now the flying of the Christian life is forgiving.

And you don't have wings in yourself. If we are to fly with forgiveness, you pick out the person right now that's hardest for you to forgive. If we are to fly with

forgiveness as a congregation in these days we must have wings. Gospel wings. The

Gospel brings far better news.

And it's right here in this text.

In fact, this text has two wings with three, just three big massive feathers in each wings.

So kids, if you're going to draw the sermon this morning, okay? I like kids to draw the sermon.

So if you're going to draw the sermon, get ready, you're going to draw, if you were doing it my way, you can do it your own way, but if you're going to do it my way,

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