Forgive us our trespasses

Beloved in the Lord, when we look at the matter of prayer, and what is all involved in it, then the Catechism has also shown us the way to that, especially in question and answer 117, that is of Lord's Day 45. Then you see later on when it gives the explanation of the various petitions, how closely it follows that path that it has shown itself. Where we read then, "What belongs to such prayer as God is pleased with and will hear? First, that from the heart we call upon the one true God only, who has revealed Himself in His Word, for all He has commanded us to ask of him; second, that we right thoroughly know our need and misery, in order to humble ourselves before the face of His majesty; and third, that we be firmly assured that notwithstanding we are unworthy of it, He will, for the sake of Christ our Lord certainly hear our prayer as He has promised us in His Word."

In regard to all of the various petitions of the Lord's Prayer it is following that example. That belongs to true prayer, that is the way true prayer ought to be seen. It is in that light that we recognize our sinfulness, and that we recognize His greatness, and that we also have that faith so that we know that He is going to hear us, and that He is going to answer us. That's prayer! That is true prayer, and therefore whether you are dealing with the first or with the fifth petition it doesn't make any difference, that is the way in which we are to look at prayer. We are to look upon it in this way of course, that here in the fifth petition, we are now finally coming to that which is the spiritual element concerning our need, our spiritual need.

First, the physical, says Paul, and then the spiritual; which we would like to turn around, but he doesn't. First, the physical, and then the spiritual, so that it is first, "Give us this day our daily bread," but at the same time, that we will also realize that there is something that is a whole lot more important then our daily bread, and that is, the forgiveness of sins.

And that's what the fifth petition deals with, as we speak to you this morning on, Forgive Us Our Debts. Noticing in the first place, the implication; secondly, the possibility; and finally, its effect.

Now concerning the implications of this, they are many, and I'm not going to look upon all those either this morning, but there are certain implications that we ought to see here very clearly, in regard to this, "Forgive Us Our Debts." In the first place it is implied and it is stated practically, and that is, that we have debts. And that is something that we also better assure ourselves of, and that is, that we have debts, and they are debts that we are not able to pay. That is the situation with the believer as he comes before his God. That he is to realize that he is indebted and so deeply in debt, that he is never able to pay, that he is never able to get from under the debt that he has, and that as a result of that he is to seek forgiveness.

That is the only reason beloved, that we have to seek forgiveness of our God, because of the fact that we are in debt, and therefore "Forgive us our debts," this is something that we have to plead for, something that we have to beg for, something that we look to, that He may forgive us because we are not able to do anything toward it ourselves.

And as I also reminded you of it before, and that in regard to the Apostles' Creed, the last part. We have to live on forgiveness, we have to live on welfare, we have to live on His goodness, His grace, that's the only thing that we are able to do, and that is the implication in this, "Forgive us our debts." So that one is to be fully assured of this, that he is a sinner, and not only in this way beloved, as we so casually look upon it, that I am a sinner, but so is everybody else, so what's the difference. And that as a result of that, I have already cancelled a good deal of my sin, because of the fact that everyone is in that same boat anyway. There isn't any difference, and that I'm a sinner, of course, that is something that is a given. That is something that I accept, but there is a whole lot more to it than that, a whole lot more, according to the Catechism and according to the Scriptures and especially according to Psalm 51.

And that we will realize that we are not only sinners, that we not only commit sin, but that we are evil, we are sin. He became sin for us, who were sin. That is the situation! Now that is the kind of a situation that we do not like to see, and that we do not like to hear. In fact, it is one of the implications that is here clearly before us, that we are to confess them. That we are to confess them before our God. Oh I know, the apostle also speaks of that later, that we are also to confess our sins one to another. But nevertheless, it is mainly this, that we are to confess our sins before God, because we like to cover them up before our neighbor. We like to cover them up there because of the fact that we want to have him have a good impression of us, a good idea of us. And then we better cover our sin so that they are not too obvious to our neighbors.

That is the way in which we live in this world, that men are sinners, well, who would ever be able to take up this kind of an idea, that man is perfect. That is something that even the unbeliever doesn't believe. No, everybody is a sinner! No, that's ot it, says Psalm 51; it is this, I am evil. It is sin so deep that it is simply something that is going to be fatal, that's the situation. And those we are to confess before our God; we don't confess them so readily before men. Dare we cover up? We cannot do that before our God. There all things are naked and open before the eyes of Him with whom we have to do; you cannot cover anything.

I am, and have been able to cover my sins fairly well before my neighbor; fairly well. But before my God; it's impossible, can't be done. And consequently, I am to come there and confess, confess my sins, that is the first requirement, the first requisite; and that is, that we confess. We are to make confession of it so that we are also fully aware of this, what the nature of sin is. That we are to be fully aware of it, how great it is, and that is also the thing of course, that is found in the 117th question and answer, that first of all, we are to acknowledge our own sin.

And that is the trouble in most of our prayer life, that there is not the realization or the confession of sin. Not only in general, but that we begin to mention them, that we begin to know ourselves that well, that we realize what are really some of these sins that we have. That I have sins that you may not have, and you have sins that I might not have. And that we learn to know ourselves well enough, in the light of the Scriptures, so that we confess, and confess them before Him who sees them all anyway, who sees all of our sins, all of our needs. And those are the things that you and I have to learn.

Not only that beloved, but it is also this, that we have to realize the original sin is there, that it is not only the sins that I commit, but that there is that original sin; "in sin my mother conceived me, and brought me forth," says David. That's the reason why I do sin, because of that sinful nature. So that He had to go way back, and not only forgive my deeds, but He had go way back, and also give me a new nature, because that nature was corrupt.

It is also the implication that we are to come to the realization that that is our greatest need, that is our greatest need. You believe that? I am confident of this, that this world is much more interested in finding a cure for cancer, than they are in a cure for sin. And that it has also spilled over to a great extent, even to God's people. That they also look upon these things, that these are so important, so important; greater than my sin that I have committed.

Now that we celebrated last Sunday you know, that Jesus Christ is risen, as conqueror over sin, over death, over the grave, over hell itself. There you have the Gospel, all of it, and we must realize that's exactly what we need, and that we are able with many of the difficulties of this present life, to enter into life, rather than having these difficulties taken away, and thereby still lie in the midst of your sin. This is the nub of the matter, this is the heart of it; "Forgive us our debts." That is the greatest need that we have; nothing compares to that.

No, physical life is important, don't forget it! Physical health is important, don't overlook it! But it is as nothing compared to the spiritual life that we have in communion with the living God. And that, we take for granted. And then we have moved far away from what our Lord has taught us, that "When ye pray, say, our Father forgive us our debts, forgive us our debts." That is a need, a felt need, a need that I consider to be more important than any bodily ill, be it cancer or heart trouble, or whatever. No, it doesn't begin to compare. Your greatest need is the forgiveness of sin. That's it! And that, we have to acknowledge, and as long as we don't come to the acknowledgement of it, we will also not pray fervently for forgiveness, forgiveness of sin.

It becomes so common, it becomes so casual, that we simply conclude our prayers and say, well, yah, and to make it complete, "and forgive our sins too." After we have prayed for health, and strength, and nourishment, and all the things that pertain to this life; then also, "forgive our sins."

Secondly, notice its possibility.

Now when I say the possibility, then we are to realize that here we are dealing with something that we would never have expected. You would never have expected that it would be such that He would forgive, just simple wipe it out. Not even any kind of payment toward it, not any kind, nothing. "Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling." That is the position of the sinner. And here is now the possibility held out; there is forgiveness, that is a possibility. And that is a possibility before your God, the One against whom you have really sinned. Now, according to the superscription above Psalm 51, it is written at the time and very likely the case. When Nathan the prophet came to David after he had sinned against Bathsheba, and he says, "thou art the man." And then David says, "I was born in sin, I was born in sin, and in iniquity." That's the way it's always been. Yah, this is just the outcropping of it, but it's a wonder.

Can man forgive? Ah, how can you! Called your attention to it just recently. Uriah is slain by David in order to cover the sin that he has committed against Bathsheba. And Ahithophel, her grandfather turns against him in wrath. He can't forgive! How can man forgive, when someone has so transgressed against us, has violated that which was the most precious to us. Can we forgive! That's very difficult. And now we come to God, because, says David, "against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned." Has he forgotten about Uriah, and against Bathsheba, and Ahithophel? No... But it is the crux of the matter; against Thee, Thee only have I sinned. And now you go to Him for forgiveness.

See, you go to the very heart of the matter, and that is the place where forgiveness is to be found, according to the Scripture. That all that I am, I owe to Thee. Yah, he has fashioned us, but also everything that we are we owe to Him, because only with Him there is forgiveness; man stammers at forgiveness, but it is never complete. He forgives so that it is; pardon the expression; patched up. God forgives and roots it out, it's gone, He is able to undo what has been done. Now I imagine you don't want much of the O.J. Simpson trial, but the judge has mentioned various times, when an objection is raised, but the witness has already answered, now the jury is told to forget that, forget that. Although you, as he mentioned, you cannot un-ring a bell; no. That's what God does. He un-rings the bell, He un-does what has been done. And that is the way forgiveness comes. That is the true forgiveness; He forgives, and He forgets; it's gone. So that with Him there is a true forgiveness, the like of which we are not able to see anywhere else. This makes it difficult for us, because we usually had the idea that God forgives the same way that my neighbor, my brother forgives me, and that's not very good.

But no, when He forgives, it's gone, it has disappeared, it is as though it has never been done. That's the situation. And that is the possibility. It is done for us only through the blood of Christ, because, yah, we cannot stand a moment, we are weak in ourselves, we cannot stand a moment. And as a result of that, it is this of course, that we, miserable sinners, all of the transgressions, the evil which always cleaves to us. These are the things that are forgiven only upon the basis of the blood of Christ. He who does not belong to Jesus Christ does not find forgiveness, and then he is still in his sin, then he is still in debt, and then he is in the throes of that wickedness. That's the only way, people, the only way! There is no other, and that makes Christianity so exclusive; there is no other blood that will do. There is forgiveness only through the blood of Jesus Christ.

He forgives, and He forgives on the basis of justice. Zion will be redeemed with justice, His justice is going to be satisfied, and it is satisfied in Jesus Christ on the cross. And when He rises, your sin is gone. Let us now lay hold on that, lay hold on that. So that we now pray, "and forgive us our debts."

And again, a possibility is there because of the fact that we have also already confessed, have we not, in the confession for the whole church of Christ and that is, "I believe the forgiveness of sins." That we say in the Creed again every Sunday; "I believe the forgiveness of sins." So it is somewhat, by praying for your food when the table is already full; very similar. That we then pray, pray nevertheless, for a blessing upon that food; pray for the food, because He alone is able to bless it. And in that way we also come to ask for forgiveness, because I believe the forgiveness of sins. I am confident of this, that it is a possibility, I am confident of this, that it is not only possible, but also actual. That it is true, He forgives. And it is on that basis that we come.

Because prayer is not a jump in the dark, but it is this, that we are standing on firm ground, and that we lay hold on His promises, and lay hold on them to such an extent that we say, "those are mine; Lord forgive us our debts, forgive them because we cannot live in them." You who have been pardoned of sin, how can you any longer live therein; you who have died to sin, says Paul, how can you any longer live therein. You can't! You must seek the forgiveness of sins, but this is the glorious thing, there is such a thing. I confess, I believe the forgiveness of sins.

Yet once more, as far as the possibility is concerned. We also pray priestly, that is, we pray in the plural, "forgive us our sins." That is not merely added as an addition, that would be nice to have there, but it is that which is the very nature of this prayer, that it is priestly. That we pray for others, and we pray for those in Oklahoma City this week, we pray for them, we pray for them because they are going through such torture. We pray for those in Rwanda, because they are going through such torture. But we also are to pray for their forgiveness of sins, because that's what it all comes from. That's the basis of it all, of all the difficulty, of all the error that is in this world; "forgive us our debts." Our debts are so great, Lord. Wilt Thou in mercy forgive. That is the way we pray this fifth petition. That is Lord's Day 51. That is Psalm 51. Then we recognize what a tremendously difficulty sin has caused in every human life.

And finally, notice the effect.

Now when we speak of the effect beloved, then it is rather this, that it ends in such a very strange way. "And forgive us our debts, as we have also forgiven those who trespass against us." Or as this one has it, "and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." We have forgiven them! Well, is it this, and you could almost use the words in that way, and they have been employed that way sometime; as though we are now the model for God. That God ought to follow our example; forgive us our debts the way we do it, we forgive our debtors. Now you realize of course, that cannot be true, nor is it. We are never the model for God to follow. No, He has set the tone completely from beginning to end. These words, they lead us in such a way sometime that we would almost cling to that, "forgive us our debts, the way we forgive our debtors." I'm glad God doesn't do that. The way I forgive my debtors, those who trespass against me; if I have that kind of forgiveness, it's not enough. I need a lot more than that.

Which also shows of course, that we do not forgive adequately. We would not be satisfied with that, it would not suffice. But it is rather this, as this question and answer put it so beautifully, as we also find this witness of Thy grace in us, that it is our full purpose heartily to forgive our neighbor. So we find that grace of His within us, that we are making a beginning, that we are making an attempt, to forgive. It's hard! What they don't do against us, and how they have hurt us! And now, says Jesus, you shouldn't say that, and He comes with that parable of the man who owed ten thousand talents, a sum that is just simply staggering. He owed that to the king. And he asks forgiveness, and he receives it. And then there is a fellow-servant who owes him a hundred pence, a very small amount. And he takes him by the throat and says, "Pay, or I will cast you into prison." And he pleads for forgiveness, and he says, "No!" Nobody owes me much, and nobody owes you much; we're not that important. We owe God everything, and He forgives everything. And my brother sinned against me; that happens; but it's so little.

Now then, I should find that grace of His within me so that I am able to forgive. And we have to get that far, because we are not there by nature. By nature we would say, no, let him come to me, and let him be the lesser, and let him beg, and let him be on his knees. While God says, "No, you forgive, you forgive." That is the effect of forgive us our debts; it should have that effect in us. That we are ready to forgive one another, it isn't much, but that we forgive one another. But my honor is so important to me, that anyone who touches it is immediately suspect, and is immediately a debtor. And now here we pray, "and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." Dare you pray that anymore? Is there enough of that grace that has been given so that you forgive your fellow man? You want to use that as an example for God? He uses it, the Lord uses it. Which simply underscores this beloved, that we are to be ready to forgive one another. And that would make an entirely different light on this world. It would also make an entirely different life in the church, if people readily forgave one another. If they found that grace within them, of His forgiveness, so that they are able to forgive. And that's our duty! "Forgive ye one another, and so fulfill the Law of Christ. That is our duty, and otherwise how dare we plead for forgiveness before Him, and that we have to do every day because it's a life matter, a matter of life and death. He has to forgive.

If I'm not forgiven, aw, then the future is hopeless. But if I'm forgiven, then "neither death, nor life, nor principalities, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." And then it has to be demonstrated in our forgiveness of each other. May God grant us that grace, to so love one another, to so forgive one another, in order that we may also fully, confidently, expect His forgiveness. Amen.

We thank Thee, heavenly Father, for the Word wherein Thou hast spoken to us, Thy Word of reconciliation. We pray that it may be sanctified unto our hearts and lives. We pray Lord, grant us Thy blessing further. Be near us, and uphold us the remainder of this day. Bring us together in Thy house again in this evening. Forgive us our sins, and hear us, in Jesus, our Redeemer's Name. Amen.