in connection with the preaching and teaching of God's words. We want to turn, first of all, back to Psalm 51. Psalm 51, a well-known psalm. I know we've read from Psalm 51 and looked at different verses on several occasions over our time together. Ordinarily, in connection with various things that we come across in the Heidelberg Catechism, or even in the Canons of Dort when we looked at that together. But tonight we have Psalm 51 verses 7, 8, and 9. Page 507, if you have a few Bibles, this is a Psalm of David. Nathan, the prophet, went to him after he had gone into Bathsheba. So it is a song of repentance and a song of confession with regard to sin. Verses 7, 8, and 9, it says in the scriptures, purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness that the bones you have broken may rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and block out all my iniquities. And then we turn near the end of the Scriptures, towards the end of the New Testament, to the book of 1 John. 1, 2, and 3 John, the epistles of John the Apostle. And in 1 John, chapter 1, we have, again, well-known words that we often hear in connection with the declaration and assurance of pardon that we have in our morning service. It says to us there, 1 John 1, verses 8, 9, and 10, if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. The truth is not in us. If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not enough. Then we continue verses 1 and 2 of chapter 2. My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world. And then lastly, from Ephesians chapter 4 and into the beginning of chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 4 verse 32 to chapter 5 verse 2. So those first two passages that we read will correspond with the first point of our sermon, and then this passage will correspond to the second point. It says to us, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted. forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore, be imitators of God as dear children, and walk in love as Christ also has loved us and given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma." So there we have a short selection of scriptures tonight from the book of Psalms, the book of 1 John and there in the book of Ephesians. We also want to look at the summary of Scripture that we have in Lord's Day 51 as it walks us through this petition of the Lord's Prayer. Lord's Day 51 is on page 62 in the back of the Psalter hymnal. And in question 126 it asks us about the meaning of this fifth petition or the fifth request of the Lord's Prayer. I'll read the questions and then together we will read the answers. It asks us, what does the fifth request mean? And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. Indeed, because of Christ's blood, do not hold against us the standards that we are, any of the sins we do, or the evil that constantly brings to us. For may us, just as we are fully determined, have evidence of your grace in us, And so there we have our common confession. That we might then look at those passages we read and follow the outline given to us there in the scriptures, in the catechism rather, let us call upon the Lord together in prayer, shall we? Our Father in heaven, we do thank you once again for opportunity to hear from your word And we pray that you would impress upon each and every one of us the conviction of your forgiving grace through faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord. But Father, along with that conviction and assurance of pardon, may you also work in us by your grace to make us to be forgiving one to another, recognizing how great your forgiveness is, first of all, towards us. So may we therefore, O Lord, not only know your grace, but live in light of your grace, and be gracious ourselves. So hear us in these things we ask and pray, and may we bring much glory and praise unto you, even by the way in which we walk one to another. For we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, beloved brothers and sisters, we have some pretty familiar words that are before us tonight, don't we? Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. But what is the issue, really, that we have before us in this sermon? What I mean by that is this. Why does Jesus teach us to pray there in the Lord's Prayer as we call upon God for all that we need? Not only that we would be forgiven by God, but that we also might be forgiving towards others. Have you ever wondered about that line in the Lord's Prayer, forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors? After all, as believers, If we have been forgiven by God for our sins because of Christ and His sacrifice offered on our behalf, then why do we need to continue to pray for forgiveness? Why does Christ teach us to make the prayer of forgiving grace a regular part of our cry unto God? The question could be asked, does this request in the Lord's Prayer mean then, as it says, forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors, does it mean that God only grants us forgiving grace if or because we are forgiving towards others? Well, those are both big questions, aren't they? And they're often questions you hear asked in connection with the fifth request of the Lord's Prayer. And we're certainly not in a position to answer either one of those questions exhaustively tonight. But if we touch on them briefly in terms of an answer that's adequate, then let's say the following. On the one hand, we're taught to continue to pray for God's forgiving grace to be given to us, not because of any insufficiency in the sacrifice of Christ that he made for us, but only because of the fact that we continue to sin against God and therefore we continue to stand in need of his forgiving grace. And on the other hand, we must not say that forgiveness of sins from God depends upon anything we do upon anything we have done, but that it only comes by grace that it is only by faith and that it is only on account of Christ. We could say it like this. Having been forgiven by God, we are then enabled by God to be forgiving. The forgiveness of sins paves the way for us to be Maybe we can think of it like this. The existence of a rose is prior to and comes before the sweet smell and the aroma that the flower itself gives off. And we must always keep that order in view. And so, coming to the fifth request of the Lord's Prayer tonight, we want to keep this theme and points before us. If you have one of the inserts, you can see it there. We're taught to pray. to be both forgiven and forgiving. And in making this confession, we pray for two things. One, we pray for forgiveness through the blood of Christ shed for us. And we pray for two, forgiveness through the work of God's grace in us. So, as things open up then, we see, first of all, that this fifth request of the Lord's Prayer teaches us to pray for forgiveness. In this connection, we look at those passages we read from Psalm 51 and from 1 John, Chapter 1, and there at the beginning of Chapter 2. Well-known words, most of us, if not all of us, I would venture to guess. And in verses 7, 8, and 9, David uses some very interesting language as he lays his prayer of confession and repentance before the Lord. He says, purge me and wash me. That language refers to the purification from the stain of sin. He says, purge me and I shall be clean, wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. Not only words of plea, but words also that recognize God's promise that is attached to the genuine confession of sin and true repentance. Verse 8 sees David asking God to make him hear joy and gladness, so that the bones that God has broken may rejoice. That language describes a sense of relief that David is asking God to give him, which comes from confessing and acknowledging his sin before God's throne, and thereby receiving, according to God's promise, that peace which surpasses all understanding. And then verse 9, David prays with simplicity and sincerity, asking God to hide his face from his sins and that God would blot out all of his iniquity. That's language, congregation, that has David asking God not only to remove his sins from his sight, but to forget about them altogether. So that David may then not be overwhelmed and burdened by them, but that he may enjoy friendship and fellowship with God through that pardon and peace. 1 John 1, verses 8 and 10, see the scripture teaching us that we must admit that we have sinned and that none of us are free from guilt. It says to deny that is to call God a liar. It's to make his word a work of fiction. And it teaches us as well that we cannot deny the ongoing fact of our own sinfulness, even as believers. Because if we do that, it tells us that we're deceiving ourselves and God's truth is not in us. But in the midst of those dark clouds there in 1 John 1, beloved, there is a ray of sunshine, a gospel light that shines through. Is there not? Just like it did in Psalm 51. Verse 8 says, so simply and yet so needfully, that if we confess our sins, that God who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. And then in chapter 2, verses 1 and 2, it told us, even as John's stated purpose was that these believers to whom he writes would not sin, but that they would walk in the light, even as he is in the light. God said, nevertheless, when you do sin, remember that you have an advocate with the father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. He is your defense attorney. So that even when you sin, you do not come into condemnation before God's throne of justice, because Christ himself has satisfied God's wrath and remove any judgment which was previously or otherwise would be against you. That's what that word propitiation removal. of God's wrath and anger against us, because Christ has taken it out of the way. And since that's the case, brothers and sisters, is it any wonder that David can pray with such confidence before God, even as an Old Testament believer, in spite of his grievous sins? And is it any wonder, congregation, that John can call us to be frank, to be honest, and to be open with ourselves when it comes to the truth and reality of our own sins and sinfulness. Because no matter how bad the bad news of our wickedness is, the good news of the gospel is far better. And no matter how bad of a sinner you might think you are, trust me, you're far worse than you realize. But the grace of God is more than sufficient, and the blood of Christ is able to cleanse even the filthiest and most defiled among us. And though we are defiled in God's sight, yet it's Christ who purifies, it's Christ who cleanses, it's Christ who washes, it's Christ who heals us, and it's Christ who restores us into favor with God, so that we are not condemned as we deserve, but so that we are pardoned. according to God's grace. Isn't that wonderful? His grace is greater than all of our sins. And so let me ask you, do you pray with that kind of confidence in your prayers? Do you plead with God for forgiving grace? And do you believe that for the sake of Christ, God hears those prayers, that He answers those prayers? that He gives ear to your cry and that He does, in fact, for the sake of Christ, wipe away your sins and reckon you as righteous in His sight? Or do you pray for forgiveness and never arrive at the point of assurance because you fail to fully believe the simple promise that God makes Namely, that when confession of sins is made, then the declaration of pardon is granted. Let's not make it more complicated than it is, brothers and sisters. The gospel has been referred to as many things, and at one point it was referred to as the simple plan of salvation. Confession and repentance lead to forgiveness. Let's not make confession of sin or contrition over some sort of work, as though it must measure up to some man-made standard and make us feel this bad before we can finally convince ourselves that we really are sorry for our sins and that God ought to forgive us because we deserve his pity, since we are so sorry over what we have done against him. Let's not think of confession and repentance like that. But let's call out to God in humility. Let's call out to God in true repentance, which is to say, let's call out to God with a genuine, honest recognition of our sins, and let's call out to God in true faith. knowing that His promise is always steadfast and sure, and that Jesus Christ is, in fact, a faithful Savior to all who cry out to God, wanting to belong to Him. Let me ask you further. Are you transparent before God in prayer when it comes to confessing and or admitting your sins? We can't keep any secrets from the Lord, brothers and sisters. We might be able to keep secrets from our spouses. We might be able to keep secrets from our district elder. We might be able to keep secrets from other members of our family. But we cannot keep secrets from God. And when we cry out to him in repentance, we might as well be honest about ourselves before his throne of grace. Surely it's no secret to anybody that you're a sinner, right? Well, it's certainly not a secret to the Lord. And if you think you're not a sinner, then just let me talk to your spouse or to your friends, to those you work with, to any members of your family, and very quickly it will become evident not only that you have weaknesses and shortcomings, but that you have sin in your life. No doubt, all of those who know us best, and that includes the people who know me best, all of the people who know us best, if they had opportunity, could probably talk endlessly about our sins. So there's no reason to ask as though we're better than we are or that we don't need God's amazing grace to forgive us. The Scriptures tell us, do they not, that God resists the proud but that He gives grace to the humble. It says that in James chapter 4 and it says that in 1 Peter chapter 5. So there is no profit to be gained from denying that we are sinners and we are called only to put down the weapons of our warfare and confess and repent before God. First thing that we must learn in order to live and die in the comfort of belonging unto our faithful Savior Jesus Christ. First of all, how great our sins and misery are. Secondly, how we are delivered from that misery. And thirdly, how we are to show ourselves thankful to God for such deliverance. Let that pattern be reflected in our prayers. and let us both walk and live in light of God's free and undeserved grace of forgiveness of sins. In turning to the next part of the fifth request of the Lord's Prayer, a part of the petition which is just as important as the ground that we covered, we see that we pray for forgiveness through the work of God's grace in us. We pray for forgiveness, and we pray for forgivingness. We pray to be forgiven, and we pray to be forgiving. The passage of Scripture that we looked at in this connection was there from Ephesians 4 and 5. And what a powerful set of verses they are, beloved. How those verses ought to challenge us. If you have your Bible open, look at those verses. You don't have your Bible open. Open it and look at those verses. Powerful set of verses. They ought to challenge us. They ought to convict us. Those verses ought to humble us. They ought to instruct us. But they ought also to make our hearts glad. They ought to give us proper perspective on this issue. They ought to remind us of the gospel. They ought to make us remember how great God's grace is. And they ought to make us see how wrong bitterness, hatred, holding grudges, or any other kind of willful stubbornness really is in any of our interpersonal relations. These verses ought to move us to action. if we really know God's grace and understand what He has done for us through Jesus Christ. Just listen to what the Scripture says. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore, be imitators of God as dear children and walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma." Do you hear what the Scriptures say, brothers and sisters? Do those words penetrate not only into your ears, but do they penetrate into your heart? Or do they merely stop at the ears? without actually entering into the fiber and fabric of your being. Those words resonate in the core of your life. Or do they bounce off? Because you've become cold and callous. We must hear these words. They must enter our hearts. They must sound forth within us. In a word, they must be true of us. And they must be in our lives and come to expression in all of what we think, say, and do. Because this is what God's Word says to God's people, our life. This is the calling that God gives to those who name the name of Christ. You've been forgiven. Remember that. and then be forgiving. It's very simple. Our sins against God are greater and more numerous than any sins that any person could ever commit against us. And if God has forgiven us of such high treason, cannot we find it in ourselves by His grace to forgive others of their sins against us. That's the nuts and bolts of what this passage says. That's the long and short of what the Scriptures hold out to us. Imitate God, since He is your Father and you are His children. But rather than misunderstand this passage, as some do, and picking up earlier on what we said a little bit in the introduction, rather than misunderstand this passage and make it seem like Being forgiven depends on whether or not we are forgiving. Let's see the connection between these two things. As being one of consequence, forgiven leads to forgiving rather than one of dependence. If you are forgiving, then you will be forgiven. It's not that. The one flows from the other. Remember the rose and its aroma, that illustration earlier? Well, similarly here. You have to have freshly baked bread before you can smell that bread, right? So too here. You have to know God's grace of forgiveness before you can bring that pleasant aroma to others by showing them tenderness, kindness, and forgiveness as well. But if we claim to know God's grace of forgiveness, and there is no aroma that follows us and goes with us. And something is terribly wrong. Patience should mark the way that we walk with others, should it not? Since God has been infinitely patient with us, shouldn't tenderness characterize the way we interact with other people? Since tenderness characterizes the way that God deals with us through Jesus Christ, Forgiveness, brothers and sisters, must lead to forgivingness. And even as God has not held a grudge against us, so too, as believers, we must not hold grudges or wrongs against others. We should forget those sins that are committed against us, even as God forgets those sins which we commit against Him. That's to be the rule that we walk by, and we should seek reconciliation and resolution in any and all of our relationships that become broken, that become fractured, or that break down even in the slightest bit. And the foundation upon which we stand as we seek such glorious living is nothing less than the foundation that God himself has established for us, namely, the person and work of Jesus Christ, the one mediator between God and man, the one who reconciles us and establishes peace for us with God. So if we fail to pursue peace with all men, especially those who are of the household of faith, then we're in danger of showing that we stand upon that one foundation, and if we refuse to be forgiving, then our claim to being forgiven simply rings hollow, and we show that we perhaps don't understand the Gospels at all. May our prayers, congregation, be fueled first and foremost by God's forgiving grace, and may we pray for grace that is sufficient to look upon others the same way that God looks upon us. Amen. Let's pray together. Our Father in heaven, as you take your word, we pray and seal it to each of our hearts and lives. May we walk in forgiveness, even as, O Lord, you have forgiven us. For we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.