Series: On Prayer: Can you hear me now?                                                        Matthew 6:12

Sermon Three: Prayer and Forgiveness                                                        January 22, 2006

INTRODUCTION

Today, I'm going to talk about only one of the last three petitions of the LP

• forgive us our sins just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.
• I realize that I did preach on forgiveness in the spring
• but seeing it is a central teaching of Jesus, I won't hurt us to consider it twice a year.

Context: Interestingly, the LP in Luke sits in a very different context

• There, the emphasis is on the necessity of perseverance in prayer
• Remember the parable, which comes next (Luke 11:5) about the guy who goes to his friend late at night to get some food to feed a guest.
• The guy inside won’t get up because they are friends
• But the guy outside simply keeps pounding on his door saying, “wake up, I need some food.”
• Just to quiet him down, the guy inside gets up and gets him what he needs.
• The context of the LP in Matthew is very different – on the necessity of forgiveness.

Main Point – Jesus taught us to pray that God would forgive us just as we have forgiven others.

• God, forgive me of my sins to the degree that I forgive others.
• God, forgive me of my sins because I have forgiven others.
• God, forgive me of my sins just as I have forgiven others.

Matt. 6:14-15  If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you.  But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.

• next verses in the passage
• in case we missed the implications of the petition –
• Forgiveness Principle: God's forgiveness of you impinges upon your forgiveness of others.
• If you forgive others, God forgives you
• This causes people real problems: Does this mean that we are saved by our effort – how well we forgive others?
• Does this call into question the doctrine of justification by faith?
• Justification by forgiveness

We use these kinds of statements all the time

·         If you don’t eat your peas, you will not have any desert

·         If you don’t forgive others their trespasses, God will not forgive your trespasses

You know what:  Its pretty simple.

THE THEOLOGICAL CONUNDRUM

Question is really this: Can a Christian loose their salvation?

1.       I have been on both sides of the debate.

2.       Baptist often argue that if a person believes salvation can be lost, they are a heretic.

3.       The text I am presently preaching is one that forces me to state my position openly.

4.       Can salvation be lost?

·         Can a person go from a condition of having a saving relationship to Jesus Christ – to being a depraved heathen? 

·         Yes.  It is possible, through a lack of forgiveness, to loose your right standing with God.

"Ticket to Glory" – view of salvation

·         Salvation isn’t a "ticket on the glory train" or an irrevocable prize

·         as if salvation were something we posses

·         It is a gift of a right relationship to the living God – as Father

·         salvation isn't something we possess

·         it is someone who possesses us

·         the gift of a relationship with that someone who will never not let us go

Salvation as Right Relationship

·         God never forces his love on us – never forces us to stay in his love

·         we walk away by belittling the forgiveness freely given

·         we belittle that forgiveness by not forgiving others

1.       Real shocker: This is what we are asking God to do every time we pray the Lord's Prayer.

Community of Forgiveness

Jesus established a community of forgiveness

1.       Jesus’ teaching is addressed to a community that is based on a principle of forgiveness

2.       Those who refuse to forgive their enemies exclude themselves from the benefits God is offering

3.       The Church Jesus is establishing is to be a community of the forgiven, who because they have been so richly forgiven, respond by forgiving others.

4.       If they refuse to forgive others, they are excluding themselves; and cannot be forgiven.

5.       How many times should we forgive someone who sins? 7 times?

Now, we really must discuss this idea – apply it to the real world

1.       What if some child was abused by their father – beaten and abused in every way

·         how, you might ask, is that person supposed to forgive their father?

·         What if you felt your mother favored your sister and constantly belittled you?  Can you forgive?

Forgiveness: What is Isn’t

Every day fairly minor things happen that are hurtful.  People say things thoughtlessly that hurt others.  People do things thoughtlessly that make you angry.  The neighborhood kids play music too loudly or drive you crazy by playing basketball all the time - noise makes you go crazy.  Our last apartment with two kids nearby - we would have to leave.   Lets put these things into a different category; thoughtless but painful hurts.  Because they often are not “sins” per se.  While they can be very irritating, they do not involve any misbehavior.  A sin requires someone’s intentional wrongdoing or culpable lack of care for others.  Even though it can feel the same - we feel angry and imposed upon.  This passage is dealing with sins.

What forgiveness isn’t.  First: forgiveness isn’t liking.  To forgive a person doesn’t mean that I have to like the person forgiven.  Some people feel they cannot forgive, because they think, after how my uncle molested me when I was eight, I cannot ever like this guy.  I hate him.  Well forgiveness doesn’t mean liking.  They are different categories. 

Second: forgiveness isn’t relationship.  To forgive does not necessarily mean that I have to re-establish a relationship with a person.  I means I have the freedom to do so, but don’t not forgive someone because you thing you’ll have to spend time with them.  They are two different things.

Third: forgiveness isn’t pretending.  To forgive does not mean that I have to pretend like what happened never happened.  Sometimes, the person who asks forgiveness and is forgiven is still a person that you ought not trust with your children or yourself. 

Fourth, forgiveness isn’t trusting.  Forgiving a person over and over (when they really repent) does not mean that you must pretend like nothing is happened, or that they don’t have a history with you.  I don’t think Jesus wants parents to let a repentant child-molester baby-sit their kids.

            Fifth, forgiveness isn’t excusing or belittling.  To forgive a person is not to excuse the crime.  To forgive is not to lessen the crime.  Is not to say, “Oh, you couldn’t help it.”  Or “oh, you were just acting out your own problems”  You had a rough childhood.”

Forgiveness is Pardon

Forgiveness is pardon; to allow an offense to pass without demanding requital or retribution.  Forgiveness is to cease feeling resentment and anger toward.  It is to forgive the debt, to cease demanding repayment.  Forgiveness is therapeutic - ultimately you help yourself.  To forgive is to realize that God alone can exact revenge rightly.  If we take that job on ourselves, we always mess things up.  Forgiveness is to choose to desire, wish for, and work for, the well-being of the person who has wronged you.  It is to give the responsibility of revenge to God –let God judge them.  But you wish for and work for the best for the person.  You don’t have to like them, blame yourself, deny anything happened, etc.  You do everything you can to enhance the person’s well-being.

Forgiveness and Prayer

Oh yes, we were talking about Jesus' teaching on prayer.  Jesus asked us to constantly be praying about the issue of forgiveness in terms of learning to forgive others the way God has forgiven us.  Why constantly?  Because people are constantly hurting us.  Forgiveness is a part of every-day living.  Learn to pray, "God you forgive me just the way I am forgiving others."  The point here is simple: Prayer and forgiveness are connected together.  Prayer flows from right relationship with God as Father, and unforgiveness blocks that relationship.  Your prayer here is essentially, "God, help me to be a forgiving person so that I can live in right relationship with you and others."

Who do you need to forgive today?  Who in your life is stealing the freedom of your heart?  Even if they aren’t asking for forgiveness, you need to determine, “Am I willing to forgive?  Am I willing to pardon?  Am I willing to let it go, and be set free from the hurt?”  I’ll be very open with you.  I recently experienced a fairly vicious attack, very publicly carried out, and completely uncalled for.  I’m struggling with this as well.  No one has apologized.  But I’m still smarting, still a little resentful.  I’m preaching to myself as well.

Prayer:  Oh God of all mercy, help us learn to forgive others as you have forgiven us.  Help us to realize the depth of your love and grace, and to fully appreciate the sacrifice you made for us in forgiving our sins.  Help us to, in that light, be willing to forgive the sins of others.  In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.