21) Forgive Us - As We Forgive Others! Series

21) Forgive Us - As We Forgive Others

TEXT: Matthew 6:12

In the immediate context here...

We find Jesus teaching the disciples “How to Pray”.

This particular account in the Scriptures

Is what is more commonly referred to today as “The Lord’s Prayer”.

And although there is much to learn from Christ’s example of Prayer,

It’s really the idea of Forgiveness as found in verse number 12

That will be our ongoing focus today.

Here Jesus simply says:

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

Straight away, I want you to notice that there are two distinct aspects

To the forgiveness Jesus is talking about here.

Firstly, there is God’s forgiveness of us,

And we covered the truth of this last week.

And Secondly, there is Our forgiveness of others.

And it’s this latter aspect regarding the forgiveness of others

That we’re going to be focusing on this morning.

This is something that Jesus Himself addressed in His Prayer.

INTRODUCTION & RECAP

What’s interesting though, is that Jesus links the whole idea of forgiveness in vs 12,

Back to the existence of a personal “Debt”.

There is the debt we owe God, and there is reference to the debt others owe us.

Now a Debt is simply “Something you owe to another”.

Most of us only think of our debts in terms of dollars and cents.

But in truth we actually owe a lot more than that – don’t we.

In the Greek this word Debt does indeed speak of “something that is owed”

However, more specifically, it carries with it the idea of

Of a debt incurred for an “offence” or “sin” committed.

The term emphasises a serious transgression which in turn requires reparation.

Here Jesus prays to the Lord and says - Forgive us of our debts

And in doing so, He makes it quite clear

That we not only owe something to God,

But that we are totally indebted to the Lord because

Of our sins and trespasses against Him.

You see, our sins have incurred a Dept.

In fact, the Bible declares that:

…All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, - Romans 3:23

And that …the wages of sin is death; - Romans 6:23.

We have all transgressed God’s Holy Law,

And there is a price to be paid for that sin,

There is a debt that is owed.

Of course, we all know that by God’s redemptive plan

Jesus stood in our stead, and paid the debt for our sins in full

By shedding His blood and laying down His life on the cross.

And what’s more, we know that from the point of our salvation

The eternal consequence and penalty of our sins was wiped away forever.

Amen to that!

We are no longer chained to our sins…

Or to the colossal debt we owe God for our transgressions

Because Jesus has forgiven us of that dept once and for all.

That is the grace of God’s Eternal Forgiveness in our lives,

And this is something we all received freely at the point of Salvation.

No more condemnation for our sins…

But the loosing of an eternal dept through Christ Jesus.

Now interestingly, in the immediate context here,

Jesus was not talking about salvation…

Or of the need for them to receive God’s eternal forgiveness.

As Christ’s disciples – they had already done that.

In fact, back in Matthew Chapter 5 we are reassured of this reality when we are told:

1 And seeing the multitudes, He [Jesus] went up into a mountain: and when He was set,

His disciples came unto Him:

2 And He opened His mouth, and taught them, saying, (Mat 5:1-2).

ETERNAL FORGIVENESS - Once Saved Always Saved!

Jesus was not teaching His disciples – who were already saved,

That they somehow needed to seek God’s eternal forgiveness again.

Remember Once Saved – Always Saved!!!

Jesus said John 10: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and my Father are one. (John 10:28-30)

The Bible declares that once we receive the promise of salvation in Christ Jesus, Nothing will ever take that away from us.

We are given double assurance right here…

Through God the Father - and God the Son,

That Once we are Saved - we will always be Saved – because God’s promise to us.

Ephesians 4:30 even talks about the…

Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

You see God is a Triune being…One God – who is revealed to us in three parts,