Forgiveness is the Sweetest Word in the World

You know, sometimes the best ideas for sermons don’t arrive while you’re staring at a blank page—they sneak up on you in the middle of someone else’s sermon. That’s what happened to me last week while listening to my brother-in-law preach. He said something simple, almost in passing, but it hit me like a hymnbook falling off the back of a pew:  “Forgiveness is the sweetest word in the world.”

Now, I’m not usually one to steal material… but I am willing to borrow it aggressively, so . . . 

The more I sat with that phrase, the more it grew on me. Think about it:  forgiveness really is the sweetest word in the world. It’s sweeter than “dessert buffet,” sweeter than “your package has arrived,” and maybe even sweeter than “the doctor says it’s just allergies.” Forgiveness is the core of the Christian story, the anchor of our hope, and the center of how we respond to God’s will.

So, let’s walk through this big, beautiful idea together—because if forgiveness is the sweetest word in the world, we ought to understand why.

The Need for Forgiveness: We’re All in the Same Boat

The Bible has a way of leveling the playing field pretty quickly—Romans 3:23 reminds us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” In other words, none of us has a spotless record. We’ve all messed up. Some of us have sinned loudly, some quietly, but nobody gets to claim perfection.

If sin were a stain, we’d all be walking around like we ate spaghetti while wearing white.

And because of that sin, we need forgiveness—not just a casual “my bad,” but a deep, soul-cleansing reconciliation with the God who made us. Left to ourselves, we can’t fix it. We can try harder, promise better, or pretend we’ve got it handled—but the truth is:  we need help. We need grace.

The Means of Forgiveness: Jesus at the Center

This is where the sweetness gets even sweeter.

Forgiveness isn’t something we earn; it’s something God offers. And He doesn’t offer it with crossed arms or a raised eyebrow. He offers it freely, lovingly, and through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus.

Ephesians 1:7 puts it beautifully:  “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”

Jesus didn’t come to earth to make us “better people.” He came to save us. To forgive us. To restore us.

And the amazing thing is—He actually invites us into that grace. Not by guessing what to do, but by giving us a clear path: faith, repentance, confession of His name, and baptism—that beautiful moment where we are united with Christ, our sins are washed away, and we rise to walk in newness of life (Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3–4). Baptism isn’t an “extra.” It’s part of the moment we come to Jesus, part of the embrace of His saving forgiveness.

Forgiveness isn’t just sweet—it’s accessible.

The Results of Forgiveness: A Whole New Life

Now, here’s the really good part:  forgiveness doesn’t just clean up our past—it transforms our present and redirects our future.

When God forgives, He doesn’t do it halfway. Psalm 103 says He removes our sins “as far as the east is from the west.” That’s poetic Hebrew for “so far you couldn’t find it again with a map, a compass, and a search party.”

Forgiven people become forgiving people. We’re called to release bitterness, mend relationships, and extend grace—because God has extended so much grace to us. Forgiveness becomes both a gift we receive and a gift we pass on.

And what does forgiveness produce in our lives? Peace. Joy. Hope. A lighter heart. A deeper faith. A stronger walk. And a perspective that sees others not as problems to be fixed, but as souls to be loved.

A Sweet Final Thought

Forgiveness really is the sweetest word in the world—not because it sounds nice, but because of what it accomplishes. It takes broken people and makes them whole. It takes guilty people and sets them free. It takes lost people and brings them home.

And God offers it to every one of us.

So yes, inspiration came from a sermon I didn’t plan to borrow from—but I suppose good ideas belong to God anyway. And His idea of forgiveness? It’s sweeter than anything we could ever imagine.

A Garden and a Grave

 (A Communion Table Talk)

This morning, I want to take you to two places that hold deep meaning in the story of our salvation:  a garden . . . and a grave.

The two don’t seem like they go together.  A garden is where things grow.  A grave is where things end.  But in the story of Jesus, they’re both central — and they both tell the truth of the gospel.

The Garden

Let’s begin in the garden.

In Luke 22:39–44, we find Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. It's night. The cross is just hours away. And the weight of the world — literally — is pressing down on Him.

Luke tells us:  “Being in anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” (v. 44)

This was no peaceful stroll. This garden was not blooming with roses — it was heavy with the cost of our redemption. In that moment, Jesus wrestled with the terrifying reality of the cross.

And what does He pray?  “Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me. Yet not My will, but Yours be done.” (v. 42)

That’s where salvation began for us — not at the cross, but here — in a garden — where the Son of God said “yes” to the will of the Father.

Jesus didn’t just die for us — He chose to die for us.

The Grave

Then came the grave.

John 19 tells us that after the mock trial, the crown of thorns, the cross, and the final cry, “It is finished” — Jesus’ body was taken down, wrapped in linen, and laid in a tomb.

A borrowed grave — Cold — Sealed with a stone.

From the outside, it looked like the end.  But from heaven’s view — it was the planting of a seed.

Jesus had said in John 12:24:  “Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”

Jesus was that seed.  The grave was not defeat.  It was the doorway to resurrection.

In that tomb, the Author of Life rewrote the story of death.

The Table

So here we are, gathered around this table — surrounded by reminders:  

The bread — His body

The cup — His blood.  

Each symbol calls us to remember what happened in that garden . . . and what happened in that grave.

In the garden — Jesus gave His will.

In the grave — He gave His life.

And because of both — we are given hope.

Romans 5:8 says:  “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

So today, as we take this bread and cup…

Look back to the garden — where love surrendered.

Look back to the cross — where love suffered.

Look back to the grave — where love was buried — and from which it rose again.

And then — look forward.

Because Jesus didn’t just rise — He promised to return.  

1 Corinthians 11:26 reminds us that every time we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim His death until He comes.

Let’s use this moment to take in . . . 

The garden,

the grave,

and the glory of the One who walked through both — for us.