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No claims of absolute originality are made for this material. As one man said, "I milk a lot of cows, but I churn my own butter." Please use these sermons as the Lord leads, but nothing on this site may be used for profit without my expressed, written permission!
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Lord, Teach Us To Pray Sermon #6 Matthew 6:12 PRAYER IS ABOUT RELEASING Intro: As we continue to move through the verses of The
Model Prayer, hopefully we are learning how to pray more authentic and
relevant prayers. We have already
covered a lot of ground in this prayer, moving through the areas of praise,
worship, hope and trust. In this
message, we will get a little close to the place where all live. Here, we are going to have to deal with the
matter of our sins. Not only are we
going to look at the sins we have committed before God; but we are also going
to deal with the matter of sin in our relationships with other humans. I
realize that just reading this verse makes some people nervous. No one likes to talk about the matter of sin,
but I hope you will not shut me down this evening. I hope you will keep your hearts open to the
voice of the Spirit of God as He speaks to each of us tonight. Now, while it is true that we have been saved
by God’s good grace and adopted into His family, it is also true that we all
have a problem with sin. Our heavenly
Father is perfect, but His children are dysfunctional at best. As
we have studied the various aspects of this prayer, I hope we have learned the
truth that this is a family prayer.
I call your attention back to verse
9. The first thing we are taught
here is to pray, calling on the Name of our heavenly Father. Everything we have been taught to pray is to
be prayed within the context of our family relationship to the Lord. Notice the pronouns that make up the text of
this prayer. Not a single one of them is
singular in nature. We are taught to
pray to “our Father.” We are to
pray about “our daily bread,” etc. All
the things that we are talking to the Lord about have to do with our standing
as members of the family of God. Even
when we come to this verses that deals with our sins, we are still praying as
members of the family of God. This
should give us some encouragement as we move into an area of preaching that is
painful for everyone. With
that in mind, let’s take a few minutes to look into this verse. I want us to see that when it comes to our
prayer lives and dealing with the problem of sin, Prayer Is About Releasing. Why is this important? It is important because our prayer lives, the
reality of His presence in our lives and the closeness and power in our
fellowship rests on how well we deal with our sin problem, both vertically and
horizontally. I want to preach for a few
minutes in the subject: Prayer Is About Releasing.
I. THIS PRAYER INVOLVES A CONFESSION A.
When you and I pray this prayer, we are confessing before the Lord that
we have a problem. This is a truth that
many believers have trouble with, but the fact is, we may be saved, but we can
and do still sin. This sad fact is made
plain by 1 John 1:8, 10. It is also clear from the testimony of the
great Apostle Paul in Rom. 7:14-25. His experience is one we all share. Friends,
we need a clear consciousness of our sins!
Far too many believers act as though they think sin is something that
happens in the lives of others and not to them.
As a result, they never go to the altar to pray. They never confess
their wrongdoings and their shortcomings.
They never go to another believer and say, I am sorry. I hurt you and I was wrong.” It never happens, but that kind of awareness
of sins should be a part of our lives every day. To watch many believers conduct themselves
and to hear them talk about themselves, you would think they were perfect. By
the way, every saved individual should have a constantly growing hatred of the
sin that exists in their lives, B.
One thing is sure, we all have a problem with sin in our lives and we
all need help in dealing with that problem.
It is also true that if I am going to ever get the help I need in
dealing with my sin problem, then I am going to have to admit my guilt before
God. C.
Our text uses the word “debts” to refer to our sin. This is one of five words used in the New Testament
for sin. Allow me to share those words
and a few places where each can be found with you this evening. 1. Romans
3:23; Luke 15:21 – This particular word is used several times in the New
Testament and carries the meaning of “Missing the mark.” It is an archery term and is used to refer to
an archer shooting an arrow that falls far short of the target. It refers to the fact that in our sins, we
all miss the standard of God’s perfect righteousness.
2. Eph.
2:1; Col. 3:13 – This word is often translated “offenses” or “trespass”
in the New Testament. It carries
the idea of “slipping or falling.” It
refers to sins that result from carelessness instead of intentional
disobedience. 3. James
2:9 – This word is usually translated as “transgression.” It refers to “an intentional crossing of the
boundaries established by God in His Word.” This is a far more conscious sin than either
of the other two. 4. 1 John
3:4; Matt. 7:23 – This word is usually translated either by “iniquity”
or by “transgression.” It
literally means “without the Law or lawlessness.” It refers to high handed sin that is
committed without regard to what God has to say about the matter. It is direct and open rebellion to against
God, His ways and His Word. 5. Matt.
6:12 – This words is translated “debt, debtor or ought.” It refers to something that is “owed
to another party.” Here, Jesus
says that our sin is like a debt owed to God and to our fellow man. D.
When the Lord calls our sin a “debt” He is reminding us that when
we sin we owe Him something. Why
is this true? When you and I sin, it requires that we use our bodies,
our minds or both. The Bible
is clear when it teaches us that both our body and our spirit belong
to God, 1 Cor. 6:19-20. When the Lord
redeemed us, He bought us out completely.
If you are saved, the Lord owns your life. Therefore, when we use our bodies to commit
sin, we are indebted to the Lord because we have used His property
for our own purposes. E.
When I see and am made aware of the sin I carry within my own
heart, then the only recourse I have is to confess my guilt before
the Lord so the healing and cleansing process can begin in my life. Until I come clean before the Lord, I cannot
be cleansed by the Lord! F.
So, when I pray “And forgive us debts as we forgive our
debtors,” I am confessing to the Lord that I have a problem with sin in
my life and that I am aware of the fact that I owe God a debt that I cannot pay
on my own. II. THIS PRAYER INVOLVES A CRY A.
If my greatest problem is my sin, then my greatest need is for
forgiveness. Now, when we raise the
issue of forgiveness, someone will always say, “But, I am saved! Am I not already forgiven for all my sins?” The answer top that question is both “Yes”
and “No.”
Judicially speaking, when we were saved,
we were completely justified by God, declare righteous by Him and given perfect
standing in His sight. This is the clear
teaching is the New Testament, Rom.
3:24-28; 1 Cor. 6:9-11. That is our
positional standing. It defines our
relationship to the Lord and it can never be altered. As far as God is concerned the child of God
is righteous, perfect and free from the taint of sin. This is a glorious truth and it is one that
needs to be embraced by the church. But,
practically speaking, you and I sin on a daily basis. We may be in a permanent relationship with
God that can never be affected by sin, but our walk with Him, our daily
fellowship with Him can certainly be damaged by the sin that comes into our
lives, Isa. 59:2; 1 Cor. 9:27. B.
Simply stated, our relationship with God through Jesus Christ is eternal
and stands solely upon His grace. It
cannot be affected by anything internal or external, but it is a perfect,
permanent relationship that can never be severed, John 6:37; John 10:28. However, our fellowship with God is
temporary in nature and hinges upon our obedience to Him and our willingness to
walk with Him. This is the clear teaching of 1 John 1:7. We are to walk
in His light if we wish to enjoy His fellowship on an ongoing basis. C.
We should be thankful for our relationship with the Lord! Thank God that it is eternal and that we do
not worry about losing that blessed connection, because we cannot! However, we should be very aware that we can
fall out of fellowship with the Lord and that is why we need to have a
consciousness of sin in our lives day by day.
We need to maintain as close a walk with Jesus as is possible! We need Him and we must shun sin to have that
fellowship be all that it can be! D.
With that in mind, when sin rears its ugly head in your life and mine,
we do not need to try and hide it. We
should never attempt to sweep it under the rug and pretend that it does not
exist. We should rather drag it out into
the light of God’s Word, confess it for what it is and deal with it. This is the only way our sins can ever be
forgiven and our fellowship restored with the Father. Instead
of hiding our sins, we should drag them out into the light and confess them as
far as they are known. When it comes
time to deal with them before the Lord, we should “confess” them to
Him. This word simply means “to
agree with, or to say the same thing as.” God wants us to reach the same place He is
concerning our sins. He wants us to see
sin in all its horror, its pain and it perversion like He does. He wants us to deal with sin like He
does. He wants me to judge it in my own
life. If I do, I can bypass His judgment
and chastisement, 1 Cor. 11:31-32. ( E.
Let me remind you that this prayer is a family prayer. We are talking to our Father and He is not a
cruel despot or some terrifying ogre. He
is a loving, tender, gracious God Whose “mercy endureth forever.” When His child comes to Him, confessing sin,
failure and shortcoming, God tenderly hears us, receives us and forgives us for
His glory. He has far more invested in
our relationship than I ever will or than I can even comprehend. He will restore me to that place of closeness
and fellowship when I come clean about my sins and deal with them His way. F.
This simple prayer is about our confessing our problem before the Lord
and our voicing our plea to Him for forgiveness. If we could ever learn to do it His way, we
could walk in constant victory before Him. III. THIS PRAYER INVOLVES A CONDITION A.
The most difficult part of this prayer is the last part. When this prayer is understood correctly, it
is a prayer for God to extend forgiveness to me to the same degree that I
extend forgiveness to others. My friends
that is a scary thought! Let’s examine
this truth just a little more deeply. B.
When I refuse to maintain fellowship with other believers in the family
of God, it affects my own fellowship with God the Father. Regardless of what anyone does to me in this
life, it could never possibly rise to the same level of my guilt before the
Lord. Jesus illustrated this truth in Matt. 18:15-35. The
lesson is clear: if I expect the Lord to forgive me when I cry out to Him, then
I must be quick to forgive those who have wronged me. I am to forgive them to the same level that I
have been forgiven, Eph. 4:32! If I refuse to forgive my brethren, then I
should not expect the Lord to forgive me.
After all, He is clear that my forgiveness before Him hinges on my
willingness to forgive others, Matt.
6:14-15. C.
The Bible is clear about this matter.
When we have been wronged, offended and hurt by others, we are to carry
that need before the Lord, leave it with Him and forgive the offending party, Rom. 12:19. We are to forgive them and let their offenses
go, D.
Let me try to make this matter practical for you this evening. When you have wronged someone, and you know
it, you are to go to them, confessing your wrong and seek their forgiveness, Matt. 5:23. Some people never grow in the Lord and wonder
why. The answer is as simple as this:
you need to go to those you have offended and say “I am sorry.” Your fellowship with the family of God and
with the heavenly Father will never be all it should be. Others
have been hurt and offended and you wear the pain of that moment like a lead
weight within your heart and soul. If
you ever expect to get past it, you must forgive that person what they said or
for what they did. This may involve you
going to them and telling them why you are hurt, Matt. 18:15. If the person
repents, then all is well. Put it behind
you and get over it. If you go to them
and they refuse to acknowledge their wrongdoing, then you need to take them
before the Lord, forgive them anyway and get past it. If you do not get past the hurts and the
problems you have encountered in your past, they will destroy you! When you harbor resentment and hard feelings
in your heart because of what someone else has said or done to or about you,
then you are hurting no one but yourself.
You need to get before the Lord and deal with this matter once and for
all. E.
Why is this so important? Your
fellowship with Jesus Christ will never be all that it should be until you come
to the place where your fellowship with you brothers and sisters in Jesus is
all that it should be! Your prayer life
will be hindered; your ability to praise and worship will be hindered; your day
by day walk will be hindered. You must deal
with this problem before it takes a permanent toll in your own life! F. I am never more like Jesus than
when I can forgive those who have offended me!
So, when I pray this simple prayer, I am saying, “Lord, help me to be more like
you!” Conc: Forgiving and being forgiven
are more important than you and I can ever imagine. Notice the very first word of verse 12. It is the word “and.” This little word connects verse 12 to verse 11. Just as I am
taught to pray for the things I need to sustain life day by day, I am also
taught that I need forgiveness day by day.
I am a needy man! I sin against
the Lord and I need forgiveness. There
are times when I am offended by others.
At those times, I need grace to forgive them and get passed the
hurt. So,
in the final analysis, praying is about releasing. It is about my releasing my sins into the
hands of God’s grace, so that I can experience His forgiveness. It is about my releasing the debts others
incur in my own life, so that my fellowship is not hindered with God or with
man. Are
there debts in your life that need to be cancelled out this evening? If so, bring them to Him and He will deal
with them. Are there debts that need to
be cleared up with others? If so, make
it right, whatever it takes so that you fellowship with the Lord can be all it
should be!
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Copyright 2003 by Alan Carr |
