Sermon Illustrations
Forgiveness Must Be Unconditional
A man came into my study not too long ago. His daughter was going to marry a young man he didn't like. (I too thought the young man was a turkey, but I wasn't having to marry them.) He came in and said, "If my daughter marries that man, I'll disown her."
I said, "You don't mean that. You love her. Let me tell you something, sir. My daughters can't do anything that will cause me to disown them. Nothing. There is absolutely nothing in this world that Robin and Jennifer can do that will ever cause me to disown them."
What have I done? I've forgiven them their past. They're still my daughters. I've forgiven them their present. They're still my daughters. And no matter what they do in the future, they will still be my daughters and will still be forgiven.