By Ronald E.
George Jr. at the Fayetteville Baptist Church
A minister parked his car in a no-parking zone in a large
city because he was short of time and couldn't find a space with a meter.
So he put a note under the windshield wiper that read: "I have
circled the block ten times. If I don't park here, I'll miss my appointment.
Forgive us our trespasses."
When he returned, he found a citation from a police
officer along with this note: "I've circled this block for ten years.
If I don't give you a ticket, I'll lose my job.
Lead us not into temptation."
Scripture
Text: Mat.
6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in
heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in
earth, as [it is] in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not
into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the
power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. 14
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also
forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will
your Father forgive your trespasses.
Forgive
our debts, trespasses, and sins, as we forgive others.
These are requirements of God for those who want to have
God in their lives. Thus for
those who want to go to heaven we must have the desire to have God in our
lives now. Then when we die we
can be sure that the God of earth and heaven will continue to give us what we
need through this life and the life to come in eternity.
This prayer of forgiveness for ourselves and for others shows that we
have decided that we will go with God. Going
with God means that we have asked for his forgiveness and have given that
forgiveness to others.
What
are debts, trespasses, and sins?
These are those things that we allow in our lives that come between the
Lord and us. Debts are used to
indicate sin in our lives. Trespasses,
sins, and debts would have been used to have the same meaning in the prayers
of the people. Trespasses are
times when we violate the property of others or ourselves have had our own
property violated. Debts are the
financial amounts that we owe or are owed.
Sins show the times that we have broken the desires of the Holy Father
for our lives. -A
class was asked what you have to do to be forgiven. A little boy started
waving his hand, "first you have to sin."
Ethel and Tom are two children
in a family. Ethel quarrels with Tom, and their father is grieved by their
quarrel. Ethel is very unhappy. So, in tears she goes to her father and says,
"Daddy, I am truly sorry. I can see I have made you unhappy." But
while her father's arms go round her, the minx is putting out her tongue at
Tom behind his back. The father wants to forgive her, but he cannot forgive
her if she will not forgive Tom. "You've got to make it up with Tom
first," the father wisely says. "If you shut Tom out, you keep me
out, for I love Tom as well as you." "If ye forgive not men their
trespasses," said the Master, "neither will your Father forgive your
trespasses." --Leslie D. Weatherhead
Some
requirements before you can forgive:
1.
You must have God. To
have God you must have realized that you are one who has sinned against God.
As a sinner you have humbled yourself before the Lord to ask for
forgiveness. Then God will come
into the individual person. From
the presence of the Divine we have been given unique characteristics that can
be drawn upon throughout our lives.
2.
You must have Humility. We
can’t think too highly of ourselves. We must remember that we aren’t perfect, but He is.
3.
You must have Faith. You
must believe that God will take care of those debts that are owed to you.
Let God take these things in his hands.
4.
You must have Love that covers a multitude of sins.
Then, you can have forgiveness. Then
you have something to give.
Can
we to continue to forgive? Jesus
said until 70 times 7. Ref.
Mat. 18:22
There is a story of a man in
England who was troubled with guilt. He
was resting behind a hedge and soon heard two girls talking.
There were discussing a sermon they heard. One of the girls said,
"I heard him preach once, and I shall never forget one thing that he
said. It gave me a big
lift." The other girl asked what the preacher said, and the girl replied,
"The world will always say, You made your bed and you must lie in it';
but One greater than the world has said, "Take up thy bed and walk.
Thy sins are forgiven.'" The despairing man on the other side of
the hedge heard that good report, the discouragement lifted, and he went on
his way rejoicing. <Stones with Fair Colors> Gary Bowell p. 183, 184
Is this a contract or a plea for
help? Can we make a contract with
the Lord?
Will God release the accounts that are held against us in
His accounting book? Will He
forgive our debts? Then will we
also forgive the debts that are owed to us?
How can we ask God to forgive us and not forgive others? If we decide to go with God then we will continue to forgive.
Forgiveness is essential.
Forgiveness is the nails
and glue that hold relationships together.
What if someone doesn’t want or ask for forgiveness?
Do we still have to forgive? We
must forgive because this is God’s desire for us.
Since we have decided that we want to go with God, then we must ask for
His help and strength to forgive the unforgivable.
With God all things are possible.
Forgiveness must come from the love of God that is in our heart
Two
Christians appeared before the court on charges of assault and a breach of the
peace. When the magistrate
had listened to all the evidence, he called them to the bench and whispered to
them, "Being Christians, the two of you, couldn't you have settled this
matter out of court?"
One of the men, who still had a black eye, said
to the judge, "SURE we could have settled this out of court, your Honor!
And that's exactly what we were TRYING to do when the POLICE arrived!"
Forgiveness is the relief we need to live in peace.
If we don’t forgive then we will
become a pressure cooker that will erupt.
Are we at peace in our own lives?
Are we harboring grudges against others in the community, church, or
home? Have you forgiven yourself?
Will we go with God and
forgive? Will we receive God into
our life and thus have the power and presence to give to others and to
ourselves relief from our guilt and sin.