Forgive Us… As We Forgive

Introduction

A little girl’s Prayer: A little girl was being punished by eating alone in the corner of the dining room. The family paid no attention to her until they heard her pray: “I thank Thee, Lord, for preparing a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.”

Matthew 6:9–15 NIV

9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘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 today 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 the evil one.’ 14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Luke: Verse by Verse The Setting (11:1)

As throughout Luke (see on 3:21), at a key moment in his journey to his destiny in Jerusalem, Jesus is spending prayer time with his Father. He is not just providing the model prayer; he is the model pray-er for his followers

Luke 11:4 “4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’ ””

We All Owe a Debt Called Sin

 Let me be explicit in stating it. Many think the goal of the Christian life is being forgiven. “I got saved and now I’m forgiven so I can go to heaven someday.” That is all important stuff: we do want people to get saved, we do want people to be forgiven, we do want people to go to heaven someday. But the goal of the Christian life is to make you Christlike. The goal is Christlikeness. And not just someday but increasing Christlikeness in this life

When Jesus talks about forgiveness of our debts here, he’s not talking about canceling our Visa bill. This prayer reflects a Jewish concept that all our lives are on loan from God. Every time we act in a way that violates the creator’s principles for how to live, that puts us in debt before God, because we’ve violated the principles God created us to live by. So this word refers to "the moral debt incurred because of our sins" (Louw and Nida 88.299)

1. Sin Is Not Just Mistakes—It’s a Spiritual Debt

Romans 6:23 “23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

2. We All Stand in Need of Mercy

Romans 3:10 “10 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one;”

The First Step to Forgiveness Is Owning Our Need for It

1. We All Have a Debt We Cannot Pay

• Matthew 18:24 “24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him.” –

The servant owed 10,000 talents, an unpayable amount.

• the weight of our sin—immeasurable, unmanageable on our own.

• Romans 3:23 – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

• Emphasize: Before we can forgive others, we must first recognize that we, too, are in need of mercy.

2. Forgiveness Begins with Humility

Highlight how the servant fell on his knees and begged

Matthew 18:26 “26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’”

Tie in the Lord’s Prayer: “Forgive us our debts…” — it’s a confession, not a demand.

Do we approach God with entitlement or with humility?

3. We Can’t Forgive What We Haven’t Faced

• Unforgiveness often stems from forgetting how much we’ve been forgiven.

• Invite reflection: What debts have I been forgiven? What grace have I received?

• You can’t pour out grace if your cup has never been filled.

4. God’s Forgiveness Is Not Earned—It’s Received

• Emphasize the king’s mercy: he didn’t set up a payment plan—he canceled the debt.

• Reference Ephesians 2:8–9 – “It is by grace you have been saved… not by works.”

• Encourage gratitude: We don’t work off our sin—we worship the One who wiped it clean.

5. Owning Our Need Opens the Door to Transformation

• When we admit our need, we position ourselves to receive healing and extend it.

• 1 John 1:9 “9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

We Cancel Debts Because Ours Was Canceled First

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a constant attitude.” 

“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you. C. S. Lewis

Jesus tells of a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. One servant owed him 10,000 talents—an impossible sum, equivalent to millions today. Unable to pay, the servant begged for mercy. Moved with compassion, the king forgave the entire debt.

But that same servant then found a fellow servant who owed him a hundred denarii—a tiny fraction of what he'd just been forgiven. Instead of showing mercy, he grabbed him, demanded payment, and threw him into prison.

When the king heard this, he was outraged. He summoned the servant and said, “Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?” Then he handed him over to be punished until the debt was repaid.

Forgiveness starts with a decision to release the claim we hold.

1. Forgiveness Is a Response, Not a Reward

• We don’t forgive because someone deserves it—we forgive because we’ve been forgiven.

• Ephesians 4:32 “32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

2. Unforgiveness Reveals Forgetfulness

• The servant forgot the mercy he received and acted harshly.

• Have we forgotten the grace that met us at our lowest?

3. Forgiveness Is a Kingdom Expectation

• Jesus ends the parable with a warning: “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive…”

• Forgiveness isn’t optional—it’s foundational to life in the Kingdom.

4. Forgiveness Frees Both Sides

• Holding onto offense keeps both parties in bondage.

• When we cancel the debt, we release others—and ourselves.

5. Forgiveness Doesn’t Minimize the Hurt—It Maximizes the Healing

• Acknowledge that forgiveness is hard, especially when the wound is deep.

• But God’s grace equips us to do what we cannot do alone