Seeking the Face of GodUsing the Ancient Prayer

Jesus Gave Us

“Forgive Us Our Debts As We Also Have Forgiven Our Debtors”

The Gospel of Matthew 6:5-14

We live in a world of hurt.

We live in a world of hurt.

How do you respond when your world is hurt?

The True Story of Jennifer Thompson &

Ronald Cotton

5 And when you pray, you must not be

Matthew 6:5-13

like the hypocrites. For they love to standand pray in the synagogues and at thestreet corners, that they may be seen byothers. Truly, I tell you, they have receivedtheir reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door

Matthew 6:5-13

“…and pray to your Father who is insecret. And your Father who sees insecret will reward you. 7 “And when you pray, do not heap upempty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think they will be heard for theirmany words. 8 Do not be like them, for

Matthew 6:5-13

“your Father knows what you need beforeyou ask him. 9 Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.10 Your kingdom come,your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Matthew 6:5-13

11 “Give us this day our daily bread,12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

Leader: This is the word of the Lord!People: Thanks be to God!

Seeking the Face of GodUsing the Ancient Prayer

Jesus Gave Us

“Forgive Us Our Debts As We Also Have Forgiven Our Debtors”

The Gospel of Matthew 6:5-14

Matthew 6:12

Father…forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,

that whoever believes in him

might not perish but have eternal life.”

~ Jesus of Nazareth in the Gospel of John, 3:16

This is eternal life, that they may

know you the only true God, and

Jesus Christ whom you have sent. ~ Jesus of Nazareth in

The Gospel of John, 17:7

What about this language

of “debt” ?

“…a lawyer asked him a question to test him. ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And he said to him, ‘You shall love

the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is

like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.’

~ Jesus of Nazareth in The Gospel of Matthew, ch. 22

Owe no one anything, except to love each

other, for the one who loves another has

fulfilled the law.

~ The Apostle Paul in Romans 13:8-10

For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not

murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment,

are summed up in this word: “You shall love your

neighbour as yourself.”

~ The Apostle Paul in Romans 13:8-10

Love does no wrong to a neighbour;

therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

~ The Apostle Paul in Romans 13:8-10

Dealing with the debt

Make ‘em pay

Offer forgiveness

“Forgiveness means bearing the cost instead of making the wrongdoer do it, so you can reach out in love and seek your enemy’s renewal and change. Forgiveness means absorbing the debt of sin yourself.”

~ Tim Keller, The Reason for God

“When you were dead in your sins…, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away,

nailing it to the cross.”~ The Apostle Paul in Colossians 2:13-14

My sin—oh the bliss of this glorious thought!—

My sin, not in part but the whole

is nailed to the Cross And I bear it now more

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord,

O my soul!

“Forgiveness means absorbing the debt of sin yourself. Everyone

who forgives great evils goes through a death into resurrection, and

experiences nails, blood, sweat, and

tears.”~ Tim Keller, Pastor

Redeemer NYC

The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is an attribute

of the strong.

~ Gandhi

Forgiveness is an attribute of the forgiven.

The forgiven forgive.

That’s the difference

between God and me.

~ Lyle Lovett

When we imprison people in our hate,

we slowly deteriorate.

Main Idea

Because God the Father freely forgives,

his forgiven children freely forgive.

Release the debt?You bet.

The Rest of the Story of Jennifer Thompson &

Ronald Cotton

What is your next step?

image: Christopher Brown

“…as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive.”

~ Colossians 3:13

http://thatnashvillesound.blogspot.ca/2011/12/lyle-lovett-announces-new-album-release.html

flickr images courtesy of:

other images: for educational purposes

Christopher Brown: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7853490@N07/3531948937/

other images:

Shutterstock - Image ID: Image ID: 98852681

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