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The Lord’s Prayer: And Forgive Us Our Debts, As We Also Forgive Our Debtors

July 26, 2015 Preacher: Series: The Lord's Prayer

Scripture: Matthew 6:12–6:15

Key Truth: God forgives us our debts which sets us free to in turn forgive others as ambassadors of His reconciliation.

 

Introduction:

 

Q: Why did Christ take on flesh, walk among us, lay down his life, and take it up again?

 

“In (Jesus) also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.”

Colossians 2:11-14

Fifth Petition: Part 1: And Forgive Us Our Debts:

Matthew 6:12

“Man’s first debt is obedience to God. When that debt has not been paid, it is followed by another debt of sin, by which the sinner owes a debt to Divine justice.”

Herman Witsius, Dissertations on the Lord’s Prayer

Q: If you had the ability and courage to catalogue all of your sins against God, how great do you think your debt would be? How much greater should be your praise and thanks for so great a debt being forgiven by grace alone through Christ alone in faith alone?

 

Part 2 (with Postscript for Emphasis):

As We Also Have Forgiven Our Debtors:

Matthew 6:12 and Matthew 6:14-15

“Once our eyes have been opened to see the enormity of our offence 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 offences of others, it proves that we have minimized our own.”

John R.W. Stott, Christian Counter-Culture

Q: What is the clearest evidence of our having been forgiven by God? Is there anyone that you are struggling to forgive?

 

Application:

“The ability to forgive is one of the surest signs of having been forgiven. It is part of the proof that we have received God’s grace….Those who are truly forgiven, truly forgive. The sins they commit are of greater importance to them than the sins they suffer.”

Philip Graham Ryken, When You Pray: Making the Lord’s Prayer Your Own

 

Jesus teaches us in Matthew 6:12 that:

- we are debtors who don’t have the ability to pay our own debt to God

- God is a gracious and loving Father who is faithful to forgive our debts by grace alone

- God’s forgiveness comes with a call to action to forgive others as ambassadors of His reconciliation

 

Baptism

 

Benediction:

Psalm 103:6-14