Teach us how to pray pt 6.

If you have a copy of God’s Word open it up to Matthew 6. I have titled the message this morning teach us how to pray pt 6. Pray with me.

So today I want to directly dive into the scripture and then I want to read you a story that fits into what we are talking about today.

So this Lord’s Prayer reads as the following. Matthew 6:9-15

Matthew 6:9–15 ESV

9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Today our focus will be on verses 12,14, and 15, and those verses are focused on this idea of forgiveness.

And the main idea for today is simple.

Christians are to ask God for forgiveness while always forgiving others.

Let me read you a story this morning.. ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON in his Notes of Edinburgh tells the story of two unmarried sisters who shared a single room. As people are apt to do who live in close quarters, the sisters had a falling out, "on some point of controversial divinity!" In other words, they disagreed over some aspect of theology. The controversy was so bitter that they never spoke to one another again! Yet, possibly because of a lack of means or because of the innate Scottish fear of scandal, they continued to live together in the single room.

They drew a chalk line across the floor to separate their two domains. It divided the doorway and the fireplace, so that each could go in and out and do her cooking without stepping into the territory of the other. For years they coexisted in hateful silence. Their meals, their baths, their family visitors were continually exposed to the other's unfriendly silence. And at night each went to bed listening to the heavy breathing of her enemy.' Thus the two sisters ( daughters of the church!) continued the rest of their miserable lives.

No doubt when they attended church they were compelled often to "say" the Lord's Prayer, but they obviously never truly prayed it, for that would have brought their reconciliation. How could they truly pray "Our Father" and remain estranged? Or "Give us this day our daily bread" and not reconcile?

And what about the next petition Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors"? There is no way they could truly pray those words and remain bitter and unforgiving.

Seriously prayed, the petition we will now consider can be healing  for a fractured spiritual life and broken human relationships. Our Lord's second great instruction on how we ought to pray for ourselves, it tells us how to pray in the matter of forgiveness. It is a prayer for forgiveness ("Forgive us our debts"), and it is also a prayer for a forgiving spirit ("as we also have forgiven our debtors"). Jesus teaches us here that ideal prayer contains a request for personal forgiveness and a request for a forgiving spirit.

Now why read this story to start this sermon today well to me its pretty simple Christians sometimes are some of the worst people at offering forgiveness even though they have been forgiven.

And when we offer up a prayer like the Lord’s prayer we need to do it with the right heart.

If you remember in the opening of the sermon on the mount just a few verses in we looked at one of those beatitudes that follow closely to this verse text we are today it said… Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

And Jesus doubles down on the mountain top wanting us to focus on this idea of forgiveness especially when it comes to our very own . Back in Chapter 5 i brought you the idea that if you have been forgiven then you will forgive. And Jesus not only wants us to see that in our walk here on earth. he wants us to pray that we have this kind of spirit because he knows the importance of this kind of living in a fallen sinful world.

This prayer is one that started with the idea that God cares what we pray, who we pray to , and how we pray. Remember we are praying to A God who is a good Father in heaven, in the name of good savior Christ who died who did what forgive us.

He wants us to pray his kingdom come He wants us to pray that Satan’s kingdom is destroyed that the gospel reaches the far ends of the earth, and pray that Jesus comes back once and for all, all while praying that we live out his will in our lives, and that we keep our eyes on him, with this total devotion, asking him to take care of our needs daily.

And we get to this part of the prayer where he wants us to pray that we are people who forgive as we have been forgiven.

couple things we need to take heart today 1st is this.

Christians need to pray to God for a forgiving heart.

Why you might ask? Well unless you have lived under a rock away from the world chances are you have been wronged, by who? a boss, a co-worker, a parent , a spouse, your children, your friends, a total stranger.

And as a result how did that make you feel? Terrible right, Not good and I am not here to excuse bad behavior, nor excuse the consequences that come from horrific acts, but I am here today telling you if you are a born again Christian who has been cleansed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ then you need to be one who has a forgiven spirit, because you have been forgiven. You have to pray to God that he will give you that kind of heart.

These needs to be a serious prayer you don’t want to end up like those sisters, or end up like people I know who hates their spouses hates there ex’s , or hate their parents, hate their family. People who claim to be Christians even sometimes myself sometimes some of you are not to good at forgiving others.

God is not saying that you have to go and have a relationship with all who have wronged but you have to forgive.

I like a quote I read this week that said. We are not bound to trust an enemy; but we are bound to forgive him.

Hate in your heart has no place for the Christian, and this was also the case for the people Jesus was teaching to.

The people who heard this from Jesus would know this was an important principle he was teaching. In fact studying this week I learned this was common understanding during their time.

They had during this time a book not scripture but highly regarded during the time of Jesus that was titled Ecclesiasticus, the Wisdom of Jesus the son of Sirach, and listen to just a little bit of the teachings for just a moment I think they have good principles that we see in the teachings of the scriptures in other places.. Sirach 28:2-12 2 Forgive your neighbor a wrong, and then, when you pray, your sins will be forgiven. 3 Can people hold on to their anger against others, and then look for healing from the Lord? 4 Can they refuse to have mercy on people like themselves, and then pray about their own sins? 5 If they, who are just flesh, hold on to anger, who will secure pardon for their own sins? 6 Be mindful of the end that awaits you, and put an end to enmity; be mindful of decay and death, and be faithful to the commandments. 7 Be mindful of the commandments, and don't be irate at your neighbor; be mindful of the covenant of the Most High, and overlook a mistake. 8 Keep away from conflict, and you will reduce your sins; for hot-tempered people spark conflict. 9 Sinful people will stir up trouble for friends, and they spread slander among people who are at peace. 10 A fire burns in proportion to its fuel, and conflict increases the longer it continues. The more powerful individuals are, the stronger their anger will be; and the wealthier they are, the more their wrath will increase. 11 A hasty quarrel sparks a fire, and hasty conflict sheds blood. 12 If you blow on a spark, it will flame up, and if you spit on it, it will go out; nonetheless, both come out of your mouth. because they have destroyed many who are at peace. This teaching shows the importance of our very words, and Jesus in the text is showing how important it is that we have a forgiving spirit just like this man who said Forgive your neighbor a wrong, and then, when you pray, your sins will be forgiven. Jesus is big on offering forgiveness for others. He mentions all over his teachings.

I will preach on this text later and I already referenced it a-lot in the first sermon, but we need to be careful that we are not people who will take forgiveness and not give it out like the man in Matthew 18.

Whom Jesus said this about in Matthew 18:32-35

Matthew 18:32–35 ESV

32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

Our forgiveness of all our debts is not an excuse to not offer it back.

This idea of forgiveness many people that are highly respected in the faith have commented on and we can learn much from them.

John Wesley was serving as a missionary to the Colonies and was having a terrible time with General Oglethorpe, who was noted for his pride and unbending nature. In a particularly prideful moment Oglethorpe said, "I never forgive." To which Wesley replied, "Then I hope, sir, you never sin." Wesley knew that if we pride ourselves on never forgetting a wrong, if we make an unforgiving spirit a virtue, we cannot be forgiven.

I don’t want you to misunderstand something here. We must not think that our salvation rests on the fact that we forgive because our salvation rests on the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, but I believe what Jesus is saying what Wesley is saying Is if we will not forgive, we are not Christians!

Thats a powerful claim isn’t it, but listen I am not saying we will be perfect on this, and the good Lord knows it but we have so many going around who are like this General Oglethorpe who have no desire to forgive no desire to ever be examined, think they do no wrong, and if you are this way? Why?

Why you cannot see what you have done to God first which is that you have sinned against your Holy Creator and been forgiven of that if you have truly put your faith in Christ.

Can you not then in turn be ready and willing to forgive not based on who I am or who you are or who that person is all based on who Christ is and what they have done. .

One man Thomas Watson took it so seriously, "A man can as well go to hell for not forgiving as for not believing."

He says that because he understand if you have been forgiven you will forgive. One of Satan’s biggest schemes is trying to get people to not forgive. You see it all the time in the media, in movies, in your everyday life. One of the Greatest ways church you can be like Christ is to forgive.

Another quote…

Charles Spurgeon said, "Unless you have forgiven others, you read your own death-warrant when you repeat the Lord's Prayer."

Amen or ouch right? Remember part 1. Pray with Sincerity. Many of us need to go to God today and say. I need to forgive this person or that person, and let it go. Because that is exactly what the Lord did to you. And if you can’t what do you need to do? You need to take part of what we have already learned get away and just pray, pray that you can show Christ to whoever may wronged you.

If you don’t have that heart to forgive do you really know the the one who has forgiven you?

Another one because they are so good.. C. S. Lewis wrote:

No part of his teaching is clearer: and there are no exceptions to it. He doesn't say that we are to forgive other people's sins provided they are not too frightful, or provided there are extenuating circumstances, or anything of that sort. We are to forgive them all, however spiteful, however mean, however often they are repeated. If we don't, we shall be forgiven none of our own.

I know that quote is hard for many of us. Because like I said already people do things that wrong us that upset us, but what will make us as Christians different from the rest of the world is our ability to forgive.

Studying this week I also read another man say this.. Sometimes our unforgiving hearts make our prayers die on our lips.

The Lord's Prayer can then be nothing more than a self-inflicted curse a prayer of doom instead of blessing, for if we pray, "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors" with unforgiving hearts, we are asking God not to forgive us!

Be genuine when we pray dont offer up empty words to a Holy God.

Listen to this..This fifth petition of the Lord's Prayer not only helps us to understand whether or not we are believers, , it helps us to monitor our spiritual health:

We all have the unhealthy tendency to be more conscious of the wrongs done to us than the wrongs we have done to others.

When others are hurt, we credit it to their oversensitive feelings.

But when we are wronged, we tend to exaggerate our own hurt and the evil of the offender.

C.S. Lewis says of this:

In our own case we accept excuses too easily, in other people's we do not accept them easily enough.

As regards my own sins it is a safe bet (though not a certainty) that the excuses are not really as good as I think: as regards other men's sins against me it is a safe bet (though not a certainty) that the excuses are better than I think.

Furthermore, our unhealthy tendencies to take offense and to offend take their toll on our relationships-oftentimes the relationships we most value.*

 Our quickness to take offense and our slowness to forgive strain even our best relationships.

An unforgiving spirit brings isolation and a compounding of our bitterness, and sooner or later it shows itself. Self-pity finds its roots here. Then comes depression as an unforgiving, offended self turns inward.

We become even more fault-finding and hurt and unforgiving, then more depressed and emotionally unhealthy.

Not only do friendships sour, but our own healthy relationship with God suffers. The heavens seem as brass to the unforgiving heart, and they practically are so. We suffer from spiritual ill health.

On the other hand he would say, the health benefits of a forgiving spirit are incalculable. The chief benefit is this: We are never closer to God, or more like God, than when we forgive! When we forgive, we are like the Father and like the Son, who prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34).

We say "to err is human," and that is true. But the last part of that couplet is, "to forgive is divine," and so it is. You are never more beautiful or noble or healthy than when you forgive, for then you are like God.

Friends I think its too easy to agree with General Oglethorpe: "I never forgive. And I'm so proud of my hatreds, and no one crosses me, and I always pay accounts."

But the truth is this.. To forgive is divine. To not forgive is demonic. So if you are at a place where forgiveness is not in your heart you must pray that it becomes that way because your very own faith and relationship with Christ is on the line.

Are we forgiving people?

next take note of this.

Christians need to pray to God for their own forgiveness.

Know this when you are saved. God saved you from all your sins in your past, all your sins in the present, and all your sins in the future, but we still need to go to God through Christ for forgiveness of our sin, because God’s word commands us to do it.

And not only does the command us to do it makes have this continual dependance on God. There are far to many people walking around as believers saying God saved me at Fall’s creek so many years ago, or during an alter call when I was young or a prayer when I raised my hand or some other time and say I know he saved me from my sins, why do I have to keep praying for my own forgiveness.

A great example of why this is the case is found in 1 John.

Let me read me read to you a few verses and I want to focus on one of them in just a moment 1 John 1:5-10

1 John 1:5–10 ESV

5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

I really like the headers that they often put on these sections of texts in your bibles, and above the verses I just read you in the ESV its titled walking in the light. And one of those key things about walking in the light is that we confess our sin.

Martyn Lloyd Jones says. John is not writing to unbelievers; it is a letter to believers. He is writing to Christians, and our Lord was speaking to believers here. ( This book is for believers )

Who is the man who can pray, ‘Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors’? He is the man who already has a right to say, ‘Our Father’. And the only man who has a right to say ‘Our Father’ is the one who is in Christ Jesus. It is ‘The Children’s Prayer’. It is not a prayer for anybody, but only for those who have become the children of God in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the relationship of the child to the Father, and the moment we realize we have offended, or grieved or sinned against the Father, we confess it and ask to be forgiven, and we are sure that we are forgiven.

With regard to those who claim that they are so sanctified that they do not need forgiveness, we learn again from John’s Epistle that ‘If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us’. The man who does not know the blackness of his own heart, but is simply concerned with his own theories, is a man who is not examining himself truly. The greater the saint the greater is the sense of sin and the awareness of sin within.

The Longer I am a Christian the more I realize that I need him just as much today then I did 18 years ago when he saved from my sins. And the beautiful thing about the Christian life that he will keep forgiving you over and over again.

But I think the key sometimes to forgiving others is knowing you yourself need forgiveness. We all need sometimes to take a step back and say God forgive me so that I can in turn forgive others.

Friends the bible teaches us in Romans 8:1

Romans 8:1 ESV

1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

If you are a believer in Christ you have no condemnation. ( you have no quilt for your sin)(You have be justified before God by the blood of Jesus Christ ) But a life full of repentance is the way you must live your life. Be subjection to correction be subjection to change, be subject to God removing all the sin in you, and praying and confessing your sin is an important part of the Christian life. And its key to extending that out to others.

If you don’t know him today, forgiveness is an overwhelming feeling. And that is exactly what Jesus offers to those who know him, and to know him is to know that his life was perfect he did not sin once he never needed to ask anyone for forgiveness, yet he gladly went the Cross so you and I who are enemies of God could in fact receive forgiveness by trusting in Christ alone for salvation by turning away for our sins running to the man who hung on the cross crying out Forgive me and give me eternal life, and for those who truly do that he gives you the right to be a child of God who is forgiven so that no only can you be apart of the kingdom of God, but so that you can extend that kingdom to sinners just like you and me.

For those who are saved. We know what we have done to God, the great sin that we have commited over and over again and yet we have continually been forgiven. So we must show that forgiveness back to others.

One last quote to close out the sermon today. IJohn Stott :

Once our eyes have been opened to see the enormity of our offense against God, the injuries which others have done to us appear by comparison extremely trifling. If, on the other hand, we have an exaggerated view of the offenses of others, it proves that we have minimized our own.

Let us take to heart the work that Jesus Christ has done for us and in us so that we can extend that back out into the world, and have a prayer life that seeks to honor him. let us pray.