Forgiven and Forgiving

The Lord’s Prayer: You Can Pray!  Part 4

Matthew 6:12; And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

True prayer leads us to see the liberty and freedom in the Christian life. Many may think that Christianity is some form of awful bondage. How wrong! Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has made you free! Christ is the great liberator, and Christianity is liberational! Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free! You will never enter into the fullness of the liberty of Christ without a dynamic prayer life.

Prayer for our daily bread frees us from worry. This is the supplication for our physical life. Do not fear praying over our physical needs, God will provide the epiousios items of life, those things you need everyday that do not last. But, Jesus also tells us life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.

Prayer for forgiveness frees us from guilt. This is supplication for our relationship with God and anything else that relates to our walk with Him.

Prayer to forgive others relates to our relationships with our neighbor and frees us from resentment.

Prayer for victory relates to any circumstance of life that God Himself allows or ordains, whether the trial rises from the world, the flesh, and the Devil; and it frees us from fear.

We continue today in our series on the Model Prayer. I have said this prayer contains an introduction, a conclusion, and six different petitions. These words are very simple to say, but to really pray these words may take some time. The longer I study this prayer and meditate upon it the more I am convinced that these are not just some verses to memorize and spit out verbatim. To really prayer these petitions may take some of you months, Today we will look at the fifth of these petitions.

“And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.”

Forgive means to release or to let go, to cancel. Debts speak of something owed. When we sin, it leads to debt. The Model Prayer in Luke uses the word, Trespass, as well as Matthew in 6:14,15; which means our deviations from righteousness and truth.

O dear Lord God, cancel the things we owe you, release us from our deviations from righteousness and truth, on account of our releasing others from what they owe us or have sinned against us.”

This is a vital prayer we must make on a daily basis! A prayer to be forgiven and to be forgiving. Is that not the essence of our key relationship, our walk with God?

Godward, we need forgiveness.

Manward, must be forgiving.

In order to be forgiving, to others, I must be forgiven by God. One reason so many are wrecked by resentment is they have not been forgiven.

This petition is the key to conquering GUILT and RESENTMENT. If you do not ask God

1. Prayer for CLEANSING leads to Freedom from GUILT!

Let me ask you three questions about forgiveness:

A. On what basis does God forgive our sins?

On the basis of the shed blood of His only begotten Son. How can anyone have their sins forgiven? They must go to God on the basis of the all sufficient, perfect, once and for all sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In other words, God does not forgive us on the basis of love alone. He forgives us on the basis of blood sacrifice which was provided because of His love.

Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

Hebrews 9:22 Without shedding of blood is no remission, And it is the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God which can purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God! (Hebrews 9:14)

Through the blood of Christ we are cleansed! Through the blood of Christ we are delivered from the power of darkness! Through the blood of Christ we are translated into the kingdom of his dear Son! Through the blood of Christ we have redemption! Through the blood of Christ we are forgiven!

I asked a Muslim once, why should God forgive your sins? His answer was because God loved him. God is love, but God would be unjust to forgive sin on the basis of love alone. Why? Because the wages of sin is death. Love alone cannot pay the penalty of sin. God is love, and He is also holy and just, so that is why the payment for sin by the shedding of blood was made.

B. What is our part in receiving this forgiveness?

We must confess our sin with a repentant heart. This is not a prayer to mumble without feeling. Repentance is Biblical change. Repentance is a change of mind as a gift from God on account of His goodness accompanied by a sorrow for sin and a faith in Jesus Christ. Christian, we must confess our sin. To confess our sin means we humble ourselves before the Lord. We are not excusing ourselves and blaming others. We are not hiding our sin. We are confessing our sin and forsaking it by the grace of God; for the glory of God. The key to change is repentance at the feet of Jesus. We realize that God is good. We sorrow over our sin. We become sick and tired of our sin and we change our mind which leads to a change of heart.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

C. What is the result of forgiveness?

The result is freedom from guilt and the joy of the Lord which is our strength. Another result is power in service. We are not under the control of sin but we are under the control of the Holy Spirit.

Another result is you can pray the rest of this prayer! If you have not trusted in the shed blood of Jesus Christ to forgive you of sin, and if you do not truly desire His forgiveness daily in your life, you might as well not pray the rest of this prayer, because it will not help. You need His forgiveness if you are going to be able to forgive others and live victoriously over your circumstances and the temptations of the world, the flesh and the Devil.

 2. Prayer forgiving others leads to freedom from RESENTMENT

We have an amazing capacity to remember hurt. Are you nursing and rehearsing some hurt this morning? If I ask you the name of the person who has hurt you most, could you do it? One of the most important life skills is to get over a hurt. The world’s way is “don’t get mad, get even.” Do you know there are people who are in the revenge business? You can send cow chips by mail to get even with your enemy!

A.  Why should you forgive others?

Unforgiveness is ungodly; forgiveness is godly.

If you have been forgiven, you must forgive. Jesus gave a parable of a person forgiven of a massive debt yet would not forgive another of a miniscule debt in Matthew 18:21-35.  It is clearly ungodly to have an unforgiving attitude.

You will need to be forgiven again.

Being unforgiving is controlling.

As long as you are holding on to hate, that person is controlling your attitudes and actions. People who remain resentful are controlled for years after a hurt. Then as they focus on the person they hate, they eventually become like the very person they despise. That is why children often become like their parents.

Being unforgiving doesn’t work.

Holding on to resentment and stewing with bitterness does not work. Nursing a hurt doesn’t work.

You can offer all kinds of excuses to remain bitter, but none of them hold water. People say things like, “They don’t deserve to be forgiven; I don’t feel forgiving; I am not ready yet…”

B.  How can you pray this prayer of forgiveness?

Forgiveness is not a feeling, it is a choice. Here is what you need to choose to do.

To really be a forgiving person, recognize my position in Jesus Christ.

Colossians 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

We cannot resist our feelings, for what you resist, persists; we must replace those feelings. We have to focus on our position in Jesus Christ. Realize you are the elect of God. Stop focusing on how you have been hurt; focus on your position in Jesus Christ. You are secure and forgiven in Jesus Christ. You have the Holy Spirit in you, and He is shed abroad in your heart. Focus on Jesus Christ and not the hurt. What is holding your attention? What holds your attention holds you! Is your attention on some person you hate, or is your attention on the One who loves you?

Begin ACTING with forgiveness rather than REACTING with bitterness. Focus on the fact you are forgiven in Jesus Christ! Then, Realize God will never ask you to forgive someone else more than He has forgiven you.

If you say, I can never forgive that person, NEVER. Well, I just hope you never have sinned yourself, because you just burned the bridge you have to cross!

Mark 11:25; And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

You will never be able to receive what you are unwilling to give. If you are unwilling to forgive others, God will not forgive you. Face the cross! Tell your feelings to SHUT UP and decide as an ACT of your will to forgive.

The very essence of Christianity is forgiveness. Christ went to the cross to forgive us. The mark of being forgiven is you are forgiving. Forgiveness is a mark of godliness.

How did Jesus forgive you?

He forgave you freely,

He forgives you continually;

He forgives you completely.

Then, See the one who has hurt you or sinned against you with Sympathy:

1 Peter 3:8; Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another.

One reason people get into conflict is they fail to see a situation from the perspective of another. We focus on our feelings and our hurts and do not see the situation from any other reference point. We need to realize that hurting people hurt people. In order to have a forgiving spirit, have this sympathetic compassion.

There is a word I love in the New Testament, sumpatheo. This word is translated “compassion” in 1 Peter 3:8. Pathos speaks of some kind of experience, often a painful one. The prefix “sum” speaks of something you share with another. Sumpatheo means to share in the pain or hurt another has, to suffer with, to have a fellow feeling. It means to first understand where another person is coming from. See a situation from another point of view. Realize that hurting people hurt people. You have to have SYMPATHY for the hurts of others.

Then, to forgive someone, go meekly as soon as possible to the one who has hurt you: Don’t let the situation stew.

Do not get on the phone and tell others. Gossip is a wicked evil.  Go immediately to the person who has offended you. Read Matthew 5:23,24, Galatians 6:1 and Matthew 18:15.

Finally, Do something kind and good to the person you are forgiving.

Romans 12:21 challenges us, Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Therefore, never take revenge. Trust God to deal with the person who has hurt you.

Proverbs 20:22; Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee.

It is your responsibility to do good to them. The best way to change your EMOTION is to change your MOTION. Right MOTIONS, or actions, lead to right EMOTION, or feeling.

Luke 6:27,28 Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again…

Do you know the best thing to do if someone has sinned against you? Do something good for them. Pray for them. Buy them a gift. Say an encouraging word. If someone has hurt you, you are responsible for a few things. First, forgive them in your heart. Next, go to that person immediately. If you don’t you are going to hold on to that hurt and it will turn into a hate.

What will you do with your hurts? 

You can nurse them,

Or curse them,

Rehearse them,

Or DISPERSE them by forgiving the one who hurt you.

We are to forgive others the same way God has forgiven us. Maybe the reason you are not forgiving is you have not been forgiven. Maybe you need Jesus to come into your heart. Maybe you just need to say today, Jesus, replace the hate and hurt in my life with your healing; the pain in my life with your peace; the take away my sin with your precious blood shed on the cross; replace the bitterness with your love.

He will do it. He can save you.

Maybe for the first time you will receive Jesus as your Savior. Say, Jesus, I have done many things in my life to bring me guilt and shame. Lord, I realize that all my sin is first against you. I believe you love me, Lord, and I receive you as my Savior. I believe you died on the cross for me and rose again. Save me now, Lord! Give me saving faith to claim your forgiveness.

Are you harboring bitterness? Pray this, Lord, as an act of my will, I put on the new man. I focus on how much you have forgiven me. On the basis of your forgiveness for me, I forgive ------, that person who has hurt me. Let them go, or you will eventually become like the very one you hate.

Are you rehearsing or cursing the hurt? Lord, help me to be a forgiving person because by your matchless grace you have forgiven me!