Debts, Trespasses and Sins

Happy Sunday. If you recite the Lord's Prayer with a group of people, all is pretty much the same until you come to the part "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us," or some might say "forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors," or even "forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us," depending on which translation of the Bible you use, Luke 11:4 and Matthew 6:12. We'll usually say trespasses, debts, or sin. All three words work, but today I'll use the word sin.

We all know what that is. We all wrestle with sin; it's a struggle all of our days. Romans 3:23 clearly tells us, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." We're all in the same boat, and all of us need the forgiveness of God.

Forgiveness is God passing by our sin. It's God wiping our sin off the record. Listen to these beautiful words from Micah chapter 7, verses 18 and 19: "Where's another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of his special people? You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love. Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean." I also love this promise of Psalm 103:12. It says, "He has removed our sins as far as the east is from the west."

If you want the forgiveness of God, the Bible has some conditions. First, we must acknowledge our sin. First John 1:8 says, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." There are many people in this world today that are unforgiven because they've never acknowledged their sin. Many don't even think about it.

Some think that they are just a mistaker and not a sinner, make them feel better. If that were true, and it's not, we would not need a savior. If that were true, and it is not, Jesus was would not have had to come to die on a cross for our sins. There's an interesting proverb about people like that. Proverbs 30:20 says, "This is the way of an adulteress: she eats and wipes her mouth and says, 'I have done no wrong.'"

That's our world today. People have decided to call sin other things. To some, people don't say they lie; they, they misspeak. To some, people don't cheat in business; they're shrewd. The sexual sins, uh, spelled out in scripture are explained away as just being too consenting adults.

Calling sin something else will not help. Second Corinthians 5:10 tells us, "For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body." We must acknowledge sin. That's condition one.

Condition two: we must admit fault with our sin. We must confess it. The remedy for sin is not a good lawyer to get us out of it. We must admit that we are sinners and it is our fault.

I'm sure you recognize these words: you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand these rights?

That's the Miranda warning. When it comes to sin in our lives, we do not have the right to remain silent. We must confess. First John 1:9 is a verse I learned a long time ago: "If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." So conditions one and two are acknowledge your sin and admit fault, or confess your sin.

Condition three seems like it would be the easiest step, but to some this is the hardest. We must accept the forgiveness for our sins. Let me go back to First John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." God makes the promise. Jesus gave his life for that promise, and when we do our part, confess, God does his, forgive.

Let me ask you this question: have you ever confessed a sin, assault forgiveness, but after it was over you didn't feel forgiven? Maybe it's something that happened years ago. If that has happened to you, remember this: your forgiveness does not depend on your feelings; your forgiveness depends on his faithfulness. If God says it, he means it.

There is one more condition when we look at the Lord's Prayer. Jesus taught us that if we want his forgiveness, we must be willing to forgive others. That's hard, forgiving those who hurt us. C.S. Lewis said, "Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea until they have to forgive someone."

Jesus said this in Matthew 6:14 and 15: "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your father will not forgive your sins." This prayer of forgiveness is something that we must do for ourselves and for others. God bless the forgivers, as we are forgiven.

Pray with me. Lord, we thank you for cleansing us from all unrighteousness when we confess our sins. You promise you will do that, but you also tell us that we need to free of others. If we're harboring hatred, ill will towards someone, help us to be free from that, to forgive them in our hearts, to move on.

Thank you for your forgiveness that cleanses us. Thank you for removing our sin as far as the east is from the west. No matter how we feel, that is the truth after we confess. In Jesus' name, amen. God bless.