Matthew 6:12 - Our Debts & Our Debtors
Tell about a time when forgiveness (or unforgiveness) had a profound affect on your life. Were you the one needing or extending forgiveness? What was difficult about the situation? How did forgiveness play out?
Read Matthew 6:12. Jesus uses the language of ‘debts & debtors’ to describe wrongs done by us and to us. In what sense is sin like debt? In what sense can such a debt be forgiven?
When Jesus instructs us to pray, “as we also have forgiven,” he is introducing the only phrase in the Lord’s prayer that describes human action rather than God’s. Why is it so important that we forgive as the Lord forgives us?
Which is more difficult for you personally: to ask forgiveness, or to extend forgiveness? Why? How does the Gospel empower us to work out forgiveness in our relationships?
In the sermon today, Robb warned against ‘shortcuts’ that keep us from having an authentic exchange of forgiveness. For instance, saying “I’m sorry” and “That’s OK” is not the same as saying, “Will you forgive me?” and “Yes, I forgive you.” How has forgiveness been practiced in your family? What have you found most helpful for working out forgiveness on a regular basis in your closest relationships?
Because we are broken people living in a broken world, forgiveness is something that is constantly needing to be worked out in our relationships. What situations might require an exchange of forgiveness in your lives right now? Share and pray for one another.