Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve been walking through the Lord’s Prayer. We’ve talked about the Lord’s prayer. To date, we’ve discussed how we approach God in prayer, understanding that He is both a loving and a holy God. We talked about praying for desires to become manifest in our lives and in the lives of all believers as we serve Him. Then, last week, we talked about praying for our necessities and what that looks like.
Today we are going to cover verse 12, then skip 13 and cover 14 through 15th. The prayer technically ends at verse 13, but Jesus immediately follows it up with these last two verses to emphasise and explain why verse 12 is so important. So let’s jump into it.
READ: Matthew 11:12
and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
The term debt here is not necessarily about money owed to someone, but it’s about sin or offense. When we disobey God or don’t do what He asks, it’s like we “owe” Him something because there are consequences to the offense. The problem is that there’s really nothing we can do to “Pay back” what is owed to God. Loook at what Romans 6:23 says is the cost of sin.
READ: Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Sin leads to death, but God provides eternal life by the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus. We can’t do anything to earn this; it’s a gift given to us by God himself. When we pray, “Forgive us our debts,” it’s not us begging for God to do something, but rather it’s us, in humility, repenting to the Lord and accessing the grace He has for us that we don’t actually deserve.
But then look at that second part “as we also forgive our debtors.” This is a call for us to forgive those who have offended us or wronged us. Jesus hammers home this idea of forgiving others with the following two phrases that really say the same thing, just one is a positive way, and the other in a negative way.
READ: Matthew 6:14-15
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
ASK: According to Jesus, what are the consequences of not forgiving others?
This is a pretty major thing here. While God isn’t necessarily talking about salvation, he is talking about the relationship you have moving forward with Him. If you’re not willing to forgive others, you are harming your personal relationship with God. The question becomes, why is it so important to forgive others?
Think about it this way. God is holy and divine. In the grand scheme of things, He does not need us, yet He made a way for us, mere mortal humans, to have a relationship with him. That process cost Him greatly, the suffering and death of His Son, Jesus.
Ask: What does it cost you to forgive another person?
Keep in mind, we aren’t saying that forgiving others is easy, but really what it costs us to forgive another human does not compare to the cost God paid for us to be forgiven. But if we refuse to forgive others, then in essence we are saying this to God:
“I know that the suffering that Your only Son had to go through for me to be forgiven of my sins was traumatic and incomprehensible. But MY personal feelings and pain are more important than yours, God, so I’m not going to forgive this person.”
Keep this in mind: what Jesus is saying here does not mean that we are saying that the things done against us were right, nor are they justified. At the same time, our providing the grace of forgiveness through this prayer does not require those who hurt us to seek our forgiveness. Christ provided forgiveness for your sins well before you were willing to ask.
Forgiving those who hurt you is about releasing yourself from the need to be bitter and angry at them. God provided forgiveness to the world; He’s not bitter or angry at them, but it is the job of the world to accept that forgiveness so that they may walk in that blessing. When you forgive others, they must accept that forgiveness for them to experience the blessing it provides.
As we step into our time of prayer today, seek God’s forgiveness for things that you may have done personally. At the same time, ask the Holy Spirit to help you let go of any bitterness, anger, or pain you may be experiencing that keeps you from forgiving those who have hurt you.
Adventures in Student Ministry 