Forgive us our Debts

Intro

This morning, we all walked into this room with debt....

The average debt for an American in 2021......90,460 -credit cards, loans, mortgages, student debt.

The weight of your financial debt is small in comparison to your moral and spiritual debt of sin to God.

That is exactly why Jesus includes this next phrase in his model prayer....

This morning, I want us to see a few applications from this petition....

We need Daily Forgiveness

We are Forgiven to Forgive

A Warning of a Hard Heart

Matthew 6:12 ESV

12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

1. We need DAILY Forgiveness

What are the debts we need forgiveness for?

Sin in the Bible...... 5 main words in the NT for Sin.....

Hamartia - is the most common and carries the root idea of missing the mark. Sin misses the mark of God’s standard of righteousness.

Paraptoma - often rendered “trespass,” is the sin of slipping or falling, and results more from carelessness than from intentional disobedience.

Parabasis - to stepping across the line, going beyond the limits prescribed by God, and is often translated “transgression.” This sin is more conscious and intentional than hamartia and parapt ma.

Anomia - means lawlessness, and is a still more intentional and flagrant sin. It is direct and open rebellion against God and His ways.

Opheilema – refers to moral or spiritual debts

Matthew 1-7 MacArthur New Testament Commentary" by John MacArthur.

The Gospel message of the entire Bible is in this prayer! Confession of sin recognizes the gift of faith in Jesus, the Amazing Grace of God, and the overwhelming mercy of God towards our sin!

What is Jesus asking us to confess here? Ask for forgiveness for?...... I think to answer that we need to look at the different aspects of the Gospel message itself.

The Gospel is past, present, and future - It is always about Jesus and his salvation, but there are different aspects that must be understood.

The gospel was an event fulfilled in the past by Jesus on the cross and rising again!

1 Corinthians 15:3–8 ESV

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

The Gospel is a present reality in our ongoing sanctification

1 Corinthians 15:1–2 ESV

1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

The Gospel is a future promise to be fulfilled in heaven! We are saved from death and Hell..... FOREVER.... Future… it awaits.... to Jesus belongs the Victory!

1 Corinthians 15:19–21 ESV

19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.

Let’s stop for a moment and think about your salvation in Jesus....

1. You had a moment in the past.... where you came to receive the gift of faith by grace alone in Jesus. You didn’t earn it.... and for most you can point to a time and place or a sequence of events that revealed your change of heart from unrighteous to righteous.

2. You have a present relationship with Jesus ..... sanctification between now and heaven.... you were not perfected.... you still live in your human body and still face the temptation and reality of sin that you need to confess to God.

3. You have a future promise of victory over the sting of death and heaven!

Why all this talk about past, present, and future?..... Because Jesus is concerned with our ongoing daily need to confess our sins to God!

God is our Judge and Justifier

2 Corinthians 5:10 ESV

10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

Romans 5:1 ESV

1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

God is our Father - Here in the Lords Prayer.... that is exactly how Jesus is addressing God.... as OUR FATHER.

1 John 3:1 ESV

1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Galatians 3:26 ESV

26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.

Our relationship with God as our Father through Jesus our Savior does not change..... but we are made more aware of our sin day by day and our need of making right our relationship with God.

Illustration of my boys disobeying..... yet they are still relationally my sons!

Even in the most heinous of sins against one another, your intimacy and closeness will be impacted, but your relational title will remain the same.

In the same way, God as your father will never change, but your sin will hinder the intimacy and closeness of your relationship with him.

Practicing daily confession recognizes our sanctification that is taking place. WE are justified as believers and declared righteous.... but with the Holy Spirit living within us we recognize when we sin against God, and we know that Jesus has saved us from that sin and declared us righteous, but we continue to seek forgiveness because we know that we are still in this human body on earth until Jesus returns and so we confess to seek forgiveness to make right the ongoing relationship with the Father!

We do not earn this forgiveness...... we are given it freely in Jesus Christ alone! (Ephesians 2:8)

2. We are Forgiven to Forgive

How do you know that Zach is my son? He looks like me, acts like me, talks like me! Like father like son is a popular phrase used for centuries, but its found in the Bible..... like mother, like daughter....

Ezekiel 16:44 ESV

44 “Behold, everyone who uses proverbs will use this proverb about you: ‘Like mother, like daughter.’

We are known as christians because we are “little Christs” (Acts 11:26).... acting like him, looking like him in this world...... In fact we are a part of God’s family and as his children, we should do what he does!

Jesus said it this way....

John 13:35 ESV

35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Its also what God told Abraham..... I am going to bless you..... to bless others!

Genesis 12:1–3 ESV

1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

The litmus test of our hearts and our acceptance of the grace and mercy of God..... Does the forgivenss of God stop with me? Do I receive this free gift of salvation and then hold onto it myself!?

The true follower of Christ realizes that God has blessed them to bless others.... they have been loved to love others… they have been forgiven to forgive others!

When asked about the greatest commandment Jesus made this connection....... If we love God we will love others! Why because that is exactly in Jesus’ nature! That is exactly who he was!

Matthew 22:37–40 ESV

37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Are you like Jesus? Do you love God and others?

All of your financial debt..... forgiven right now..... 90,0000+ gone..... would you then begin to spend your extra money on others..... all of it so that they could experience it?

Jesus forgave all the past sins, present sins, and future sins...... if we just take the active people alive in the BILLIONS.... Jesus died for all of them..... and here is the truth..... Jesus didn’t owe it to any of us to help us.....

While we were enemies Christ died for us...... and here is the truth.... it is only by the Grace of God at work in our lives that makes this true of us...... We love because he loved us.... we forgive others because he forgave us.... we bless others because he blessed us!

3. Warning of a Hard Heart

Matthew 6:14–15 ESV

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.

Does this through you for a loop?..... take a step back and say.... Did Jesus really say that?

Jesus has actually been doing this throughout a lot of the book of Matthew......

Cut off your hand.... pluck out your eye..... if it causes you to sin.

Matthew 5:29 ESV

29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.

Blessed are the merciful for they will receive mercy. Matthew 5:7

Matthew 5:7 ESV

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Matthew 6:14—15 is taught again by Jesus in Matthew 18 with a servant indebted to a master.......

Matthew 18:21–35 ESV

21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times. 23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 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.”

This is the warning from this prayer this morning......

Have your recieved the forgiveness from Jesus and chosen not to forgive someone else?

Right now are you holding a grudge against someone else?

Are you choosing to willfully never forgive someone else?

This is the warning from Jesus.....

You will either see these words and repent, change, and go and forgive because that is in your nature as a child of God.

or

You were never a child of God at all..... That is a warning that you must hear..... That you may be mistaken about the reality of your salvation...... If you are stalwart in your unforgiveness to others.... if you do not love others.... if you do not desire to see others in the same way that God sees them...... Then you would be of those that say “Lord Lord” yet are given over to eternal punishment in Hell.

Application this morning..... We must not miss the truth of the Gospel this morning...

We are forgiven by Jesus Christ alone.... not by our works.... but by his Grace.

We are changed by His Grace… Forgiven to forgive others.

We multiply him in this world.

Invitation -

Heart check..... I think there are several heart checks in your prayer today.

Have I been forgiven?

stop trying to earn forgiveness and receive it

acknowledge your daily sins..... you have grown numb to the depth of forgiveness Jesus has shown to you

Do I live a forgiven life that forgives others?

Repent of a grudge......

seek someone out to forgive them

c. Does this define our church? We are friendly.... but are we friendly because we have been radically changed by Jesus.... when conflict arises do we forgive as we have been forgiven?

2. Belief in Jesus or Baptism

3. Church membership at LCBC

Grant me never to lose sight of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, the exceeding righteousness of salvation, the exceeding glory of Christ, the exceeding beauty of holiness, the exceeding wonder of grace. - Valley of Vision