A sermon on biblical forgiveness.

Jacob flees from Esau and, exhausted, fall asleep with a rock for a pillow. He dreams of a ladder leading to heaven with angels ascending and descending. This OT shadow points to the NT reality of Jesus and the event described in John 1.

Isaac wants Esau to have the Abrahamic blessing, Rebekah wants Jacob. Both attempt to bend God's will to their desires, but the attempt by Isaac is futile, by Rebekah shows faithlessness as God works through the fallout of their sin to accomplish his perfect plan.

Paul is saved from shipwreck, but once on land is bitten by a viper. Is this God's judgment on this man- The residents think yes at first, then think again.

Paul's experience during the severe storm and shipwreck in Acts 27 shows how God doesn't necessarily deliver his people from the storms of life, but he does deliver them through those storms.

Faced with failures in his walk with God, Isaac may have wondered about his faith. God provides words of comfort to Isaac similar to the words he gave to Peter after Peter denied Jesus three times. The comfort to Isaac, and to all God's people throughout history are the words -tell my disciples and Peter...- that speak of God's mercy and preserving grace in the life of every Christian.

Each one must give as he has purposed in his heart.