Lesson 59

What are we asking God to do when we pray the Fifth Petition?

What is true of us because of our sins? Matthew 6:12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

What is true of us because of our sins? Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. not worthy to pray

What is true of us because of our sins? Romans 6:23a For the wages of sin is death… deserve punishment (death)

Key Point #1 Because of our sins, we are not worthy to have God hear our prayers. All we deserve from him is death.

What are we asking for, then, when we pray for forgiveness? Psalm 51:1-4 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. we ask God to graciously…

What are we asking for, then, when we pray for forgiveness? Psalm 51:2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. cancel our sins

What are we asking for, then, when we pray for forgiveness? Psalm 4:1 Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer.

What are we asking for, then, when we pray for forgiveness? Psalm 66:20 Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me! hear our prayers

Key Point #2 We are asking that God would graciously cancel the debt of all our sins and hear our prayers.

How do we show our thanks for God’s forgiveness? Matthew 18:21-35

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. “The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”

How do we show our thanks for God’s forgiveness? Matthew 18:21-35 forgive others who sin against us

How do we show our thanks for God’s forgiveness? Luke 6:33,35-36 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. do good to those who sin against us

Key Point #3 God’s gracious forgiveness moves us to forgive and do good to others who sin against us.

Evaluate… Sinning is doing things God says we shouldn’t do.

Suppose that a person who has sinned against you doesn’t ask for or seem to deserve your forgiveness. Why does God still want you to forgive him? If you don’t, according to Jesus, the Father will not forgive you. Why not? Doesn’t God forgive everybody? Didn’t Jesus die for everybody?

Let’s say you try to tell someone who sinned against you that she is forgiven, but she refuses to talk to you. What should you do? Why should you do that? Does it matter whether you forgive her in your heart? Why or why not?

“I forgive, but I cannot forget.” Is this statement good or bad?

Agree or Disagree? If someone sins against you over and over, there comes a point when it is impossible to forgive him.

Search the Hymnal… What hymn in the Christian love section of Christian Worship fits with this petition?

Lesson 59 I ask God to graciously cancel my sins and to lead me to forgive and do good to other people.

Vocabulary… “Sin” to miss the mark of God’s law

Vocabulary… “Transgression” stepping over the forbidden line of God’s law

Vocabulary… “Trespass” stepping over the forbidden line of God’s law

Vocabulary… “Iniquity” lawlessness / not measuring up to God’s law

Vocabulary… “Forgive” to let go