“Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.” – Luke 11:4
Have you ever avoided prayer because you knew you sinned and didn’t want to face God?
This passage is probably very familiar to you. It’s the part of the Lord’s prayer that deals with forgiveness. I find it amazing that this is part of the prayer Jesus taught. It not only tells us what we ought to do but reveals something about God. It shows us that Jesus wants us to confess our sins and that He WANTS to forgive us.
It’s not that we have to convince Jesus to forgive us, he wants to do it.
Sin separates us from God. Sometimes, when we sin, we may feel afraid to pray about it. Like Adam and Eve, after we sin, we try to hide from God. We may think that we’ve really blown it this time and gone too far. Or we’ve done the same sin too many times and we figure Jesus is only going to forgive us so many times, but that’s a lie. Jesus wants to forgive us.
What if we don’t want to confess? Sometimes, however, it’s not guilt or fear that keeps us from confessing our sin, it’s that we don’t really want to let go of the sin. Truth be told, we kinda like the sin and we know that if we come before God in prayer, we’re going to be faced with our sin and will need to confess it and turn from the sin. However, we need to confess it and we need to turn from it.
Amazingly, even in those moments, Jesus wants us to come to Him. Sometimes our confession needs to go something like this,
“Lord, I know I’ve sinned and should be sorry for it, but I don’t really feel sorry and even want to keep doing it. Please change my heart, that I would turn from my sin. Please forgive me.”
Who is there who would be better to turn to in order to change our hearts than the one who gave us a new heart? He is the one who said He will always show us a way out of the temptations we face. So, turn to Him.
Whatever your situation might be, Jesus encourages us to come to the Father in prayer, confess our sins, and receive His forgiveness. Let’s do that right now.
Heavenly Father,
I am forever amazed that You would be willing to forgive me. I know I don’t deserve it, but I trust in your promise to forgive me. Today, I confess the following sins:
(confess your sins)
Please forgive me for the sake of Jesus Christ who died for me.
“I believe in…the forgiveness of sins,“ – The Apostles’ Creed
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32
What do you do when someone wrongs you?
Sin is a big problem. Sin isn’t just about making poor choices or not doing the right thing. It is rebellion against God. It breaks our relationship with God. It breaks our relationships with each other. It’s a serious thing and it needs to be dealt with.
That’s OK. I remember an incident from a couple of years ago. I was cooking dinner and my two kids were playing in the living room. My daughter, Kaylee, was building a train track with a bridge out of blocks while my son, Eli (2 at the time), was bouncing from one toy to the next. At one point Eli decided he wanted to build a tower with the blocks. So, he walked over to Kaylee’s bridge, knocked it over, and grabbed the block he wanted.
As you might expect, my daughter was not happy with that. I went over to them from the kitchen and saw the destruction. Kaylee told me what happened. So, I went to Eli and told him what he had done was wrong. He shouldn’t just take something someone else was using and shouldn’t have knocked the bridge over.
I told him to tell Kaylee he was sorry and give the block back to her. He gave her the block and said, “Sorry Kaylee.” Kaylee responded, “That’s OK.”
No, That’s Not OK! I hear that phrase all the time these days. Someone wrongs someone else. They apologize and the response of the person who was wronged is, “That’s OK.” or something similar. I understand the sentiment, but the truth is it’s not OK. Damage was done. Someone was hurt. That’s not OK.
I understand that “That’s OK” is just a colloquialism and I don’t think my daughter or anyone else is doing anything wrong to say that nor do they intend to minimize sin. However, that is essentially what’s happening. We make it as though sin is not so big a deal.
We do this in other ways in our current culture as well. We call sin a “mistake” or a “poor choice.” I’ve seen several celebrities and politicians apologize and try to distance themselves from their own wrongdoing by saying, “That’s not who I really am.” Um…Actually…it is.
God Didn’t Excuse Sin. He Paid The Consequence. God doesn’t minimize sin. He treats it very seriously. In fact, He treats it so seriously that He gave the life of His own beloved Son because of it. He didn’t excuse it. He didn’t say, “Don’t worry about it.” He bled for it. By doing so, He removes our sin from us, completely.
When we say we believe in the forgiveness of sins, we acknowledge the seriousness of our sin, but also claim the promise that, out of God’s great mercy, our sin is gone. We have been purified by the grace of Jesus Christ. With our sin removed, we are once again made right with God. Our relationship has been restored.
We Also Forgive Now, having been forgiven of so much, we can forgive each other. We can acknowledge the seriousness of the wrongdoing and let the other person know we forgive them. When we sin against someone else, we can confess our sin and receive the comfort of their forgiveness.
This is a great gift of God that heals wounds and restores relationships. It can transform people and bring peace not only to the one who has done wrong but the one who has been wronged.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I think it’s time to buck culture a bit. Next time someone wrongs you and confesses, rather than saying, “That’s OK,” try saying, “I forgive you.”
Heavenly Father,
I confess that I have not only sinned against you, but my heart is prone to sin. I am truly sorry. Thank you for sending Your Son to die for me. Please forgive me and help me to forgive those who sin against me, just as you have forgiven me.
As we continue through the season of Lent, we contemplate the breadth of God’s great love.
Should Nazis be forgiven? How about terrorists?
Are those people on the other side of the political aisle able to be loved and cared for?
This week we’ll explore how broad God’s love for us is. Does He draw lines? Are there people who are unforgivable? Will He forgive even that horrible sin you did a while back? Let’s find out.
Each week, we will have a new online mid-week devotional service this Lent. Watch for the new service each week as we explore the enormity of God’s love for us.
“‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.’” – Isaiah 1:18
What’s the most important decision you’ve ever made?
We’re faced with choices every day.
What will you eat?
What will you wear?
Will you go to work/school?
Should you talk to that person or not?
Life is filled with choices, some more important than others. Which pair of socks you wear is probably not as important as whether you have that second piece of pumpkin pie which isn’t as important as whether you quit your job, etc.
Judah’s Big Deception In today’s passage, the Lord is addressing the people of Judah. He confronts them with their sin. They were rebellious against the Lord. They were greedy, selfish, and corrupt. They disregarded the Lord’s commands and did whatever they felt like doing…until Saturday.
Saturday was the Sabbath. It was sort of like Sunday for us. On the Sabbath the people went to the synagogues or temple. They offered sacrifices and said prayers. They celebrated all the annual festivals, etc. They “did” everything they were supposed to do…but didn’t mean any of it. They were going through the motions, nothing more, and God was sick of it.
“What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats. “When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts? Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.” Isaiah 1:11-13
Judah’s Big Decision The Lord lays out their sin against them, not just to make them feel bad, but to lead them to repentance. He wants them to turn from their rebellion and turn to Him. He’s been incredibly patient, but He’s warning them that there will come a time when He won’t put up with this anymore and they will reap the consequences. However, He doesn’t want that. He wants them to turn to Him and be forgiven.
So, God says, “Let’s reason together.” In other words, let’s consider your options. Your sin is clear and you are guilty, but it can be washed away. You can be made pure as wool. Which will you choose?
Our Big Decision We are all sinners. However, there is a difference between being repentant for that sin or just continuing to live in that sin without remorse.
This isn’t a call to go to church. The People of Judah were going to church, but it was meaningless religion, not a matter of faith. We can slip into the same and just start going through the motions. However, God isn’t fooled. He doesn’t want the motions, He wants your heart.
“You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.“
So, let’s be reasonable.
Why continue in sin? Why risk the wrath of God? Why risk abandoning your faith. Turn to the Lord in repentance and find that He is loving and merciful. He will remove your sin. Though your sin is red as crimson, you will be white as wool, washed clean by the blood of the Lamb.
Holy Lord,
The temptation to sin is all around me and I confess that I give into it frequently. I pray that my heart would remain soft in repentance, always turning to You for forgiveness. For I know Your mercy is great. If my heart begins to harden and I resist repentance, bring me back to You. Remind me of Your Word and soften my heart again so that I would have a broken spirit and contrite heart.
“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” – 1 John 1:5-7
Are you clean of all your sins before God?
I remember watching one of the TV crime dramas (like CSI) a while back. A person had been killed and the killer had scoured the crime scene. To the naked eye, the place looked spotless, but the investigators brought in a special spray and some black lights.
When they turned on the black lights everything looked different. Every drop of blood that had been spilled was suddenly lit up and plain for all to see. There was no hiding what had been done there.
The Stain of Sin You and I have been stained, too, by all the wrong things we have done, all our sin. Like the killer in the crime drama, we often try to cover up our sin and we present to the world a person that appears clean and unblemished. However, we can’t hide our sin from God.
Like the black light being turned on, our sins are plain as day to God. God requires that we be clean to enter heaven. So, what are we to do? We cannot clean ourselves. The Bible tells us that even our good deeds like filthy rags,
“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;” – Isaiah 64:6
How can we become clean?
In 1 John 1:7 we read that it is by “the blood of Jesus [God’s] Son” that we are “cleanse[d] of all sin.”
Through faith in Jesus Christ, you can be made clean. And this is not just clean like a quick wipe-down with a Clorox wipe. 2 verses later in 1 John 1:9 we read that,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
To be purified is to remove all impurities. When gold is purified, all other elements are removed and all that’s left is pure gold as though nothing else had ever been there. By the blood of Jesus, who died on the cross, we are purified of all the wrong things we’ve done. We are made as though we never sinned.
We are made truly clean before God!!
Heavenly Father,
I confess that I have sinned in thought, word, and deed, by what I have done and what I have left undone. I am unclean. Cleanse me by the blood of Christ that I would be made pure and truly clean before You.
“When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.” – Mark 6:34
How should we respond when people reject God or reject His ways?
As Jesus went around Israel preaching about the Kingdom of God, He was traveling among the people who had been given His Word. They should have recognized Him. In this passage from Mark, Jesus was tired and trying to have some down-time, but a crowd showed up.
Lost People These people were like sheep without a shepherd. They did not know the Messiah. When Jesus saw them, how did he respond?
This was in Israel, His chosen people. Was He angry at His chosen people who didn’t recognize their Messiah?
No.
He had compassion on them and began to teach them.
That’s how Jesus is. He has compassion on the lost. How grateful we are that He does that, seeing that we all were once lost.
We can do the same.
We don’t need to get mad at people who don’t believe in Jesus. We can have compassion on them. We can teach them. Even when we are mistreated by them, we can forgive them and share God’s Word with them so that they might come to know the Good Shepherd.
We were all lost at one point. Jesus came to us and had compassion on us. Let’s go to others and show them that same compassion.
Dear Jesus,
Thank you for having compassion on me when I was lost and for speaking faith into my heart through your Word. Help me to have compassion on those who do not know you. Rather than getting mad, help me to show them love and tell them about you.
“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense — Jesus Christ the Righteous One.” – 1 John 2:1
What is the Primary Message of the Bible?
Depending on who you ask that question, you’ll get different answers. Of course, non-Christians will give answers like, ferry tails, myths, rules, etc. However, even in Christian circles you’ll get different answers. Some I’ve heard are:
God loves you
Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth
God’s rule book
Love everyone
What other answers have you heard?
So, what is the primary message?
Some of the above overlap, but I think the end of the Gospel of John sums it up very well.
“…these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” – John 20:31
Law and Gospel One of the ways you can break down the Bible is by Law and Gospel. The way Lutherans do this is by defining everything that tells us what God does for us as Gospel. Everything that tells us what we have to do is Law.
Legalism: When these two concepts get confused, the message that we are saved by grace not by our works gets confused and it usually ends up sounding like we are saved by our works. This is called legalism. You are saved by obeying God’s legal code, or…”I write this to you so that you will not sin.” However, that’s not the whole verse.
Antinomianism: That’s a big word. It basically means that since we are saved by grace we can do whatever we want. Sin all you want! It doesn’t matter. You don’t need to pay any attention to God’s Law. However, why, then, does God give us the Law and why would John write something so we wouldn’t sin?
Falling Off the Horse The truth is that neither legalism nor antinomianism is right. As they say,
“You can fall off a horse on either side.”
Our passage, today, rides the horse right in the middle. On the one hand, “Stop sinning!” [That’s Law] On the other hand, “When you do sin (and we both know you will), remember Jesus intercedes for you and saves you by His grace. [That’s Gospel]
The Law will never save us, but we don’t ignore it. We seek to obey God not to earn our salvation, but out of gratitude for the salvation we have already received, because we are now His children, and because we know His Law is good. However, as we learn His Law we also see our sin. So, we trust the Gospel for our salvation. After all, it is by believing that you have life in his name.
Dear Jesus,
Teach me Your ways, change my heart, and transform my mind that I would not sin. When I do, Lord, intercede for me. Lead me to repentance to receive Your forgiveness.
“Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.” – 2 Corinthians 7:1
Do you try to follow the Bible in order to be right with God?
Tim and Sarah had just gotten engaged a week ago, when Tim announced to his buddy, Sean, that he was going on a diet and getting back to the gym. Sean chuckled a bit and said,
“Tim, man, she said, ‘yes.’ You don’t have to get in shape anymore. Let’s go to Taco Bell.”
Tim said, “It’s not that. I just want to be the best I can be for her.”
Earning Your Spot in Heaven There are several passages in the Bible that tell us to live in certain ways. Don’t do X. Do do Y. Some have taken these passages and proclaimed that this is how we get right with God. This is how we get to heaven. They pile on a bunch of stress on people to live a godly life and then hit them with guilt when they fail.
The Bible, however, doesn’t tell us that following God’s Law is our way to heaven. In fact, it says you can’t get to heaven by the Law. Why? Because you can’t do it perfectly…no matter how good you think you are. You can’t earn your spot in heaven!
Worshiping and Giving Thanks The Bible says over and over that we are saved by grace not by our works. It’s a gift. If God saved you when you were still a spiritually dead sinner, no amount of good work or avoidance of sin is going to make Him love you more. So, why, then should we follow God’s Law?
We do it as our way of worshiping God and giving thanks for the gift of salvation He has given us. Just like Tim, we aren’t worrying about whether God will change His mind, we just want to be the best we can for Him because we love Him and He loves us. It’s because of God’s promises that we act.
Three More Reasons Worship and thanking God are great reasons to follow God’s ways, but there are two others as well.
It’s Who You Are – You are a child of God, holy and righteous and the Spirit of God lives in You. So, you get to live like who you are.
It’s A Better Life – God’s Law is good and true. Our lives and the lives of those around us are better off for following God’s ways.
We Are Showing Love to Our Neighbor – Much of the Law of God deals with how we treat our neighbor. By following it, we love our neighbor.
So, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit. Let’s do it out of love, not fear. Let’s do it because it’s good. Let’s do it because we know God loves us and wants the best for us.
Heavenly Father,
You have given us salvation despite our sin. We could never earn it. Now, since I’ve been saved and given new life, help me to live that new life according to your ways. Forgive me and restore me when I fall. Help me to always remember that the good works I strive to do are not to earn Your love, but because You already love me.
“You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.” – Leviticus 19:18
How do you react to people who have hurt you or betrayed you?
Tim was so excited. He had landed the job interview he was hoping for. If he got the job, he’d be able to get a car and wouldn’t have to resort to asking for rides or borrowing his roommate’s car.
He asked his roommate, Steve. if he could give him a ride to the interview.
“Sure. I’m not doing anything that afternoon.” Steve said.
The day of the interview came. Tim put on his good dress shirt and pants. He ran through some practice questions one more time and then went into the livingroom. Steve wasn’t there. He wasn’t in his room either. “Hmmm? Maybe he left me is car?” Tim thought. He went outside and there was no car in the driveway.
An hour went by. Tim called the company to try to reschedule the interview, but they said they were making their decision today. Finally, three hours later, Steve pulled up. Tim was sitting on the porch out front. He was steaming.
Steve saw him and immediately remembered.
“Oh man! I’m sorry. I went to Taco Bell for lunch and ran into Becky and we just started talking. I totally forgot.”
Tim didn’t talk to Steve for a week. Steve tried to apologize several times, but Tim wouldn’t hear it. When Tim did speak to Steve again, it was just to tell him he had found another place to live and was moving out.
People hurt us. Sometimes it’s intentional and sometimes not. The temptation is get mad and hold on to that anger. I’ve known some people who carried around a grudge for decades.
Drinking Poison I don’t remember who said it, but I do remember a saying that has stuck with me.
“Holding a grudge is like drinking poison to get back at someone who hurt you.”
Holding a grudge hurts you, not the other person. They may not even know.
God’s way is different. Forgive. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. You would want to be forgiven. So, forgive others. In fact, you have been forgiven. So, forgive others.
Heavenly Father,
You have shown great mercy to me, forgiving me of all my sins. Help me to show the same mercy to others.
Forgive Them Because They Need It...Just Like You Did
“bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” – Colossians 3:13
When someone wrongs you how do you deal with it?
Do you forgive?
I used to watch the show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. (Don’t judge me!) There’s one scene in the show that has stuck with me years later. There was a guy who had killed someone and was looking for forgiveness, but no one would forgive him. Buffy said, “Good! He doesn’t deserve it.” Then Giles (a sort of mentor) said to her,
“To forgive is an act of compassion, Buffy. It’s not done because people deserve it, it’s done because they need it.”
I’m not recommending the show, but in this case, Giles nailed it. Forgiveness is an act of love. It’s not earned or deserved because we can’t earn it and don’t deserve it. It’s given out of love because we need it.
So, we forgive each other because the person needs it. Jesus forgave us when we needed it. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We didn’t deserve it, but we certainly needed it. In His great love, He has forgiven you.
You have been forgiven of much and you can forgive others. It restores relationships and brings healing and peace. Truthfully, it also heals us. Bitterness is destructive.
God has given you a great gift by forgiving you and has given you the ability to give that gift to others.
Is there someone you need to forgive? Maybe it’s time.
Heavenly Father,
I confess that I have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed. I know I don’t deserve it, but please forgive me. I know You promise that You do. Thank You. Please help me to forgive others as You have forgiven me.