BIBLE STUDY: The Lord’s Prayer - Week 5 - Forgive us Our Debts
The Lord’s Prayer • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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ZAKK LOWER THIRD
Let me ask you a question: When’s the last time you felt the full weight of something you said or did — and immediately wished you could take it back?
We’ve all been there. Maybe it was a careless word — or a broken promise — or a moment of pride that hurt somebody you love. You felt that pit in your stomach — that voice that whispered, “You messed up again.”
That’s the weight of debt. Not financial debt — but spiritual debt. Sin always leaves a tab. It costs something. And if we’re honest — we’ve all racked up more than we could ever repay.
That’s the focus of this week’s study as we continue through the Lord’s Prayer. But here’s the good news: Jesus includes this line in the Lord’s Prayer to remind us that forgiveness is available daily — freely — and fully. — Look at Matthew 6:12:
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
This part of the prayer isn’t about guilt — it’s about grace. It’s not about shame — it’s about freedom.
As we always do, let’s pray the Lord’s prayer together. And as we do — notice that the translation that we typically use when we pray the Lord’s Prayer actually calls this our “transgressions”. Same thing — same meaning — but a different word. Consider that — as we pray the Lord’s Prayer together.
LORD’S PRAYER GRAPHICS — FULL SCREEN
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
forever.
Amen.
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To pray “forgive us of our debts” or our “trespasses” is to recognize our need for mercy — and to release others with the same mercy we’ve received.
JESUS CARRIES THE WEIGHT GRAPHIC — TV
In other words — this part of the prayer reminds us that Jesus carries the weight of what we can’t repay.
In Scripture — sin is often described as a “debt”. We owe righteousness to God — but we’ve fallen short. Romans 3:23 says:
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Nobody’s credit is clean. Nobody’s account is balanced. And the more we try to make it right on our own — by being “good enough,” by doing more — or pretending we’re fine — the deeper in debt we go.
Sin doesn’t just make us bad people who need to do better — it makes us spiritually bankrupt people who need mercy.
The word for “debts” in Greek literally means something owed — an obligation that we failed to meet. Every sinful act — every harsh word — every selfish thought piles on to that debt.
See — sin isn’t just breaking a rule — it’s breaking relationship. It’s not just missing the mark — it’s choosing our will over God’s will. Every time we sin — we’re saying, “God, I know better. But I’m going to do it my way.” But that rebellion carries a cost.
Romans 6:23 puts it plainly:
For the wages of sin is death,
That’s the debt. Death. Not just physical death — but spiritual death. Separation from God.
If you’ve ever felt that distance — that guilt — that sense that something’s not right between you and God — that’s the weight of the debt pressing on your soul.
And if we’re honest — most of us deal with that weight the same way we deal with financial debt: we try to pay it off ourselves.
We work harder.
We try to do more good than bad.
And we compare ourselves to people who seem worse off.
But none of it works. Isaiah 64:6 says it like this:
All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
Even our best attempts fall short. The truth is — sin’s debt is too high for us to pay off — and pretending we can only deepens the pride that got us here in the first place.
Imagine somebody drowning in a lake — trying to save themselves by pulling up on their own shirt collar. It’s impossible, right? That’s what it’s like to try to fix our sin problem by our own strength. We can’t rescue ourselves.
And that’s where grace enters the story. Because Jesus doesn’t teach us to pray, “Help me pay off my debt,” He teaches us “Forgive us our debts”.
Forgiveness means cancellation — erasure. It means the debt is wiped clean — not because we paid it — but because Somebody else did.
Jesus already paid the debt in full. On the Cross — He took the ledger of our sin and stamped it with one word: Paid.
Colossians 2:14 says
having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.
Picture that. Every sin — every offense — written down on a spiritual ledger. Every angry word — every betrayal — every moment of selfishness. And at the Cross — Jesus takes that ledger — presses against the wood — and drives a nail straight through it. Paid in full.
That’s what forgiveness means. The balance is zero. The record is clean. God doesn’t put you on a payment plan. He doesn’t say, “I’ll forgive you this time — but don’t mess it up again!” No — He wipes the record completely clean.
Think of checking your bank account and seeing this massive — un-payable debt — something so big you’d never recover. But then one day — you log in and you see a single line: paid in full. That’s the Gospel.
Now let’s be honest — sometimes it’s hard to believe this, isn’t it? Especially if you’ve carried guilt for years. Some of us have no problem believing God forgives other people — but deep down we think, “Yeah but not for me. Not after what I’ve done.”
THERE IS NO SIN YOU’VE COMMITTED GRAPHIC — TV
If that’s you, hear this: there is no sin you’ve committed that outruns the grace of God. None. The Cross wasn’t partial payment. It was total.
Now — forgiveness is offered freely — but it’s received through confession. Not because God needs to hear it — He already knows — but because we need to say it.
Confession breaks pride. It opens the floodgates of grace.
1 John 1:9 promises us:
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
So here’s how we do this:
We make confession a rhythm, not a rare event. We keep short accounts with God.
We don’t hide our sin — we bring it into the light. The only sin God’ can’t forgive is the one we won’t confess.
And we can use Scripture to guide our confessions — Psalms like the 32nd and 51st Psalms are powerful places to start.
See — when God forgives us — He doesn’t just clear our debt — He changes our identity. We’re no longer a debtor — we’re a son. A daughter.
Romans 8:1 tells us:
there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
That means we’re not defined by what we’ve done — we’re defined by what Jesus has done for us. We don’t walk around as a sinner trying to earn forgiveness. We walk as a forgiven child — learning to live like one.
I once heard a pastor say, “I used to walk into prayer feeling like a criminal reporting to a judge… but now I walk in like a son coming home to his Father.” That’s what forgiveness does — it changes how we approach God.
When we pray “Forgive us our debts” — we’re doing two things:
we’re admitting the truth about ourselves — that we’re sinners in need of mercy, and
we’re declaring the truth about God — that He is rich in grace and quick to forgive.
This line of the Lord’s Prayer reminds us that the Christian life isn’t about pretending we’re good enough — it’s about admitting we’re not — and celebrating the One who is.
—————
Also notice here — Jesus ties God’s forgiveness of us directly to our forgiveness of others. That’s uncomfortable isn’t it?
Right after this prayer, in Matthew 6 verses 14 and 15, Jesus says,
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Now this isn’t because God’s love is conditional — it’s because forgiveness and unforgiveness can’t co-exist. You can’t truly receive grace and then withhold it.
Think of forgiveness like breathing. You inhale grace from God — and then exhale grace toward others. Stop exhaling — and you can’t keep breathing.
Now look — we all know how hard forgiveness can be. Especially when the wound runs deep. But forgiveness isn’t about pretending the hurt didn’t happen. It’s about releasing somebody from the debt they owe us — just like God released us.
Forgiveness doesn’t mean trust is instantly restored. It doesn’t mean reconciliation happens overnight. But it does mean we stop demanding repayment for something that other person can’t give back.
Whether that’s a parent who didn’t step up.
Or a spouse who broke marriage vows.
Or a friend who failed us.
We don’t hold the debt against them — just like God doesn’t hold the debt against us.
And so I encourage you:
Ask yourself: who am I holding hostage in my heart?
Pray for that person — for the strength to forgive them — even if the feelings aren’t there yet.
And remember — forgiveness isn’t weakness — it’s freedom.
Jesus includes forgiveness as part of a daily prayer. That means it isn’t just something we experience once—it’s something we practice over and over again. It’s a rhythm, a spiritual heartbeat of receiving and releasing grace.
When we pray “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors,” we are invited into a lifestyle of mercy—a continual rhythm of being forgiven and becoming forgiving.
Forgiveness isn’t a moment; it’s a rhythm. It’s not a transaction; it’s a transformation.
See — we tend to think of forgiveness like a single event—something that happens once and it’s over. But Jesus tells us to pray this every day. Why? Because sin happens every day. Wounds happen every day.
We can’t store up forgiveness like manna. We can’t live on yesterday’s grace. Just as we need daily bread to sustain our body, we need daily grace to sustain our soul.
Every day we wake up in need of fresh mercy — and every day — God gives it. Lamentations 3:22-23 reminds us:
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
So forgiveness isn’t just an occasional request—it’s the rhythm of the Christian life. We don’t outgrow it; we grow deeper into it.
Forgiveness is meant to move through us, not just to us. God’s grace flows like a river—it comes to us so it can pass through us to others.
That’s why Jesus connects the two halves of this prayer: “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” We can’t separate receiving forgiveness from extending forgiveness. They’re two sides of the same coin.
Think of a sponge. When it soaks up water but never releases it, it starts to smell. But when you wring it out, it’s useful again. The same is true of grace—if you only receive it but never give it, it turns stagnant in your soul.
WE ARE CONDUITS GRAPHIC — TV
Forgiveness must flow. We are conduits, not containers.
Sometimes we think forgiving someone else is a gift we’re giving them. But it’s actually a gift God gives us.
When we hold onto unforgiveness, it doesn’t hurt the other person—it poisons us. We replay the offense — we rehearse the pain — we keep the wound open. But forgiveness closes the wound—not by erasing the memory, but by releasing the power it has over us.
It’s not about pretending nothing happened. It’s about saying, “I refuse to let what happened define me.”
And sometimes — forgiveness doesn’t happen all at once. Especially when the pain is deep. You may forgive somebody today and feel the anger again tomorrow. That doesn’t mean you failed—it means forgiveness is a process.
Every time the wound resurfaces, bring it back to the cross. Say, “Father, I’ve already forgiven them. Help me live like it.” That’s the daily rhythm of forgiveness.
Ultimately, forgiveness is the family resemblance of the children of God. Jesus’ followers are meant to be known by love, and love always forgives.
Colossians 3:12-13 says:
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
When we live in forgiveness, we reflect the very heart of God. We become a walking reminder that grace is real.
When we pray, “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors,” we are standing at the intersection of mercy received and mercy given.
We’re saying: “God, I need grace—and I’ll give grace.” We’re admitting, “I’ve been forgiven far more than I’ll ever have to forgive.”
So the next time you pray this line, picture the cross. Picture the debt that’s been erased. Picture the freedom that’s now yours.
And then go extend that same freedom to others.
Let’s pray together.
TITLE GRAPHIC — FULL SCREEN
Father, thank You for Your forgiveness. We confess that we’ve sinned against You in thought, word, and deed. But we thank You that Jesus has paid our debt in full. Help us receive Your grace without guilt and extend that same grace without hesitation.
Where we’ve been hurt, heal us. Where we’ve held grudges, free us. Let our lives reflect the mercy we’ve been given, and may forgiveness flow from us as freely as it flows from You.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
ZAKK FULL SCREEN
As always — I’ve provided a resource guide to go along with this study — and it’s my prayer you seek out God’s forgiveness — and ways you can forgive others — over the course of the next week.
Next week is our final session in this six-week study. Until then — may God bless you as you seek to live for Him.
See you next week.
