And When You Pray | And Forgive Us As We Forgive (Part 8.3) - 05/16/2021

May 16, 2021 “…And When You Pray” And Forgive Us As We Forgive Matthew 6:14 & 15 Matthew 6:9-13 9 In this manner, therefore, 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 this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Matthew 6:14 & 15 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. 14 START Here: 1 GM GP This morning we’re resuming our Prayer Series entitled “…And When You Pray” – a verse by verse walk through of the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6. Our focus is on verse 12: 12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. Today’s installment is entitled: “And Forgive Us As We Forgive” The title Today’s message is entitled: “ . . . And Forgive Us As We Forgive” My desire is to use this morning’s message as “heart tenderizer” for what will be a deeper dive into forgiveness in the coming weeks. So, today, I’ll address a few practical perspectives from verse 12 in order to ready us for some mature learning on Excuse Proof Forgiveness. Let’s begin today’s lesson . . . Of the three petitions in this prayer that are geared to our human interests, this petition requires more of us – than the other two. Keep in mind, in total, there are SIX petitions addressed in the Lord’s Prayer. Three that are geared to God and three that are geared to man. The three that are geared to God are: • God’s Name be Hallowed 2 • God’s Kingdom Come • God’s Will be Done. The three that are geared to us, our human interests are: [SLIDE] [Three Petitions Geared to Man’s Interests:] 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. In petitions 4 and 6, respectively: Give us this day, Our daily bread, and “lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from the evil”, -- in both these petitions, God is either giving us something, or making a way. In petition 5, which says, And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors -- Jesus places a condition in the mix which demands that In order for Believers to be forgiven or receive forgiveness, they first have to forgive! While we let that sink in, let me define “forgiveness” and give some clarification as to the type of forgiveness Jesus is talking about in verse 5. [SLIDE] 3 Forgiveness is defined as the act of setting someone free from and obligation to you that is a result of a wrong done against you. Psychologists generally define forgiveness as a conscious, deliberate decision to release feelings of resentment or vengeance toward a person or group who has harmed you, regardless of whether they actually deserve your forgiveness. Forgiveness does not mean forgetting, nor does it mean condoning or excusing offenses. [More on that later]. [SLIDE] Forgiveness involves three elements: 1. An injury. (A wrong is committed. Pain, hurt, suffering, or guilt is experienced (consciously or subconsciously). 2. A debt resulting from the injury. (There is a consequence that is always detrimental and puts someone into a deficit state of some kind. 3. A cancellation of the debt. All three elements are involved in forgiveness of all types – forgiveness by God, forgiveness of others, and forgiveness of self. Given that, I now need to clarify the type of forgiveness Our Lord is talking about in the Model Prayer. 4 In talking about “forgiving our debts as we forgive our debtors”, the Lord is not referring to the forgiveness we received when we repented at the point of being born again. That type of forgiveness is known as “Judicial Forgiveness”. [SLIDE] Judicial Forgiveness ~ When God judicially forgives us of our sin and the penalty of sin by justifying us making us new creations on the basis of Jesus’ shed blood and death on the cross. That’s John 3:16 . . . 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but [be forgiven] and have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be [forgiven and] saved. Also, Romans 5:1 5 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, [NKJV] The forgiveness addressed in the Lord’s Prayer is what is referred to as “Parental Forgiveness”. 5 [SLIDE] “Parental Forgiveness” is the type of forgiveness that is necessary to maintain fellowship with our heavenly Father. If Believers are unwilling to forgive those who wrong them, how can they expect to be in fellowship with their Father who has freely forgiven them for their wrongdoings? But after being justified by faith (that is, made right with God through accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior) we still have our sin nature because we are in the flesh and human flesh is not saved. It is the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us that continuously tames the flesh as we choose to Walk in the Spirit. But, it’s when we opt to not walk in the Spirit that we find ourselves yielding to sin and temptation. That’s where we are prone to violate our commitment to God and our responsibility to each other as Fellow Believers to forgive and be forgiven. As a result, we find ourselves at human odds with one another – warring and fighting and backbiting and holding grudges and pouting and carrying chips on our shoulder and on and on. Sometimes situations are temporary, but often times in the church, they fester for a lifetime. It is this kind of debt, indebtedness, sin, and trespasses that the Lord is alluding to when He says pray: “And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors”. 6 But what is the significance behind why the Lord instructed us to pray this petition? First and foremost, He wants us to have a forgiving spirit toward others when we pray. But this petition is more about the us personally, [the individual], than it is about others [which we will see later on]. The expectation the Lord has for us forgiving others stems from the fact that He first forgave us all of our sin at a time we least deserved to be forgiven; therefore, from that perspective – the most we can do is to learn to be forgiving – along with the benefits that accompany it. Another reason the Lord instructed us to pray this petition is . . . It’s because this petition is like a mirror that brings us face to face with ourselves – especially our own sins and hypocritical ways. This petition is God’s way of keeping our egos in check and showing us how we are supposed to relate to one another. It’s funny how quick we are to demand forgiveness of others and to harbor an expectation that we deserve it when we feel we have been wronged. But how slow we often are to dish it out and recognize our wrongs when the “forgiveness shoe” is on the other foot. [SLIDE] Matthew 6:12 reveals FOUR important truths to us about ourselves, our debt, our sins, our trespasses and the principle of forgiveness. Of course, it reads: 12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. 7 Four Key Truths in Verse 12 1. The first truth It reveals that our ability to be forgiven of daily personal sins is conditional. It is contingent upon our willingness to forgive others. “Forgive us, Lord, as we forgive others”. If we don’t forgive, then we can’t expect you to forgive us. [What is your practice or conviction for forgiving people? Do you hold grudges or burn bridges? Are you quick to cut people loose who do you wrong? Do you demand that people beg your pardon when you do wrong, or excuse you or just forget that anything happened? The original Bible language for this verse says that the disciples prayed for “forgiveness” from God only after having first expressed forgiveness to others. 2. Secondly, it reveals who has the greatest need to be forgiven – Me. That need is a desperate one and is the key to me forgiving others. My own need to be forgiven is driven by my willingness to completely forgive and be forgiven by God. What if verse 12 stopped at “Lord, forgive us our debts and/or sins”. But it doesn’t stop there. What if it did? Just forgive us, Lord, but don’t hold us accountable to be forgiving. 8 Jesus is showing us that our need for “forgiveness” is an indication of our need to always be ready to extend forgiveness to others. (Matt. 18:23-35; Eph. 4:32; Col 3:13). 3. Thirdly, this verse admonishes us to reexamine our hearts a second time –to check whether we have extended forgiveness to others as we desire God to extend forgiveness to us. “As I forgive, Lord, please forgive me in the same way”. Can any of us be so confident to pray this. Without verse 12, a majority of us would look more like Matthew 18:2135 which reads: Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” 21 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. 22 4. Finally, this verse reveals how to experience God’s forgiveness. On the surface, this verse could be misinterpreted as saying believers earn God’s forgiveness by forgiving others. It’s not saying that. What it is saying is that if we have truly experienced God’s forgiveness, then we will have a readiness to forgive others. Ephesians 4:32 says: 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. 9 We experience God’s forgiveness every time we forgive. To forgive is to know God and the unmatched forgiveness of sin He has extended toward me. This principle is illustrated in the parable of the unmerciful servant in Matt. 18:21-35. [of which will use next week to surface ] No Believer should have an unforgiving heart toward others – especially those of the household of faith. If that is the case, it shows that he or she doesn’t take their own sin seriously. It also demonstrates that they haven’t fully believed God’s forgiveness for their own personal sins. Most tragically, it’s a sign that they have lost sight on the Greatest Forgiver of All – the One who has forgiven us and saved us from eternal damnation Matthew 6:12 is given to us by our Lord to show us that God is the only door through which we can enter to find forgiveness of sin and debt, but only on condition that we come with a heart of forgiveness equal to our desire to forgive others. We will deal with that more fully next week. God’s Heart on Forgiveness: Excuse Proof Forgiveness And Forgive Us As We Forgive Matthew 6:14 & 15 END 10