This message was given on March 29, 2015 at New City Church in Calgary by Pastor John Ferguson. For more info visit: www.newcitychurch.ca

1. Seeking the Face of God
Using the Ancient Prayer
Jesus Gave Us
“Forgive Us Our Debts As We Also
Have Forgiven Our Debtors”
The Gospel of Matthew 6:5-14

2. We live in a world of hurt.

3. We live in a world of hurt.
How do you respond
when your world is hurt?

4. The True Story of
Jennifer Thompson &
Ronald Cotton

6. 5 And when you pray, you must not be
Matthew 6:5-13
like the hypocrites. For they love to stand
and pray in the synagogues and at the
street corners, that they may be seen by
others. Truly, I tell you, they have received
their reward. 6 But when you pray,
go into your room and shut the door

7. Matthew 6:5-13
“…and pray to your Father who is in
secret. And your Father who sees in
secret will reward you.
7 “And when you pray, do not heap up
empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for
they think they will be heard for their
many words. 8 Do not be like them, for

8. Matthew 6:5-13
“your Father knows what you need before
you ask him. 9 Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.

9. Matthew 6:5-13
11 “Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts, as
we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.”
Leader: This is the word of the Lord!
People: Thanks be to God!

10. Seeking the Face of God
Using the Ancient Prayer
Jesus Gave Us
“Forgive Us Our Debts As We Also
Have Forgiven Our Debtors”
The Gospel of Matthew 6:5-14

11. Matthew 6:12
Father…forgive us our debts, as
we also have forgiven our debtors.

12. “For God so loved
the world that he
gave his only Son,
that whoever
believes in him
might not perish but
have eternal life.”
~ Jesus of Nazareth in
the Gospel of John, 3:16

13. This is eternal life,
that they may
know you the only
true God, and
Jesus Christ whom
you have sent.
~ Jesus of Nazareth in
The Gospel of John, 17:7

14. What about
this language
of “debt” ?

15. “…a lawyer asked him a question to test him.
‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in
the Law?’ And he said to him, ‘You shall love
the Lord your God with all your heart and with
all your soul and with all your mind. This is the
great and first commandment. And a second is
like it: You shall love your neighbour as
yourself. On these two commandments
depend all the Law and the Prophets.’
~ Jesus of Nazareth in The Gospel of Matthew, ch. 22

16. Owe no one anything,
except to love each
other, for the one who
loves another has
fulfilled the law.
~ The Apostle Paul in
Romans 13:8-10

17. For the commandments,
“You shall not commit
adultery, You shall not
murder, You shall not steal,
You shall not covet,” and
any other commandment,
are summed up in this word:
“You shall love your
neighbour as yourself.”
~ The Apostle Paul in
Romans 13:8-10

18. Love does no wrong
to a neighbour;
therefore love is the
fulfilling of the law.
~ The Apostle Paul in
Romans 13:8-10

19. Dealing with
the debt
Make ‘em
pay
Offer
forgiveness

20. “Forgiveness means bearing the cost instead
of making the wrongdoer do it, so you can
reach out in love and seek your enemy’s
renewal and change. Forgiveness
means absorbing the debt of
sin yourself.”
~ Tim Keller,
The Reason for God

21. “When you were dead in your sins…, God
made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all
our sins, having canceled the charge of our
legal indebtedness, which stood against us
and condemned us; he has taken it away,
nailing it to the cross.”
~ The Apostle Paul in Colossians 2:13-14

22. My sin—oh the bliss
of this glorious thought!—
My sin, not in part
but the whole
is nailed to the Cross
And I bear it now more
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord,
O my soul!

23. “Forgiveness means
absorbing the debt of
sin yourself. Everyone
who forgives great evils
goes through a death
into resurrection, and
experiences nails,
blood, sweat, and
tears.”
~ Tim Keller, Pastor
Redeemer NYC

24. The weak can never forgive.
Forgiveness is an attribute
of the strong.
~ Gandhi

25. Forgiveness is an
attribute of the forgiven.
The forgiven forgive.

26. That’s the
difference
between God
and me.
~ Lyle Lovett

27. When we imprison
people in our hate,
we slowly deteriorate.

28. Main Idea
Because God the Father
freely forgives,
his forgiven children
freely forgive.

29. Release the debt?
You bet.

30. The Rest of the Story of
Jennifer Thompson &
Ronald Cotton

31. What is your
next step?

32. image: Christopher Brown
“…as the Lord has forgiven you,
so you must also forgive.”
~ Colossians 3:13

33. http://thatnashvillesound.blogspot.ca/2011/12/lyle-lovett-announces-new-album-release.html
flickr images courtesy of:
other images: for educational purposes
Christopher Brown: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7853490@N07/3531948937/
other images:
Shutterstock - Image ID: Image ID: 98852681
http://wallpaperssfree.com/mahatma-gandhi-hd-wallpapers/mahatma-gandhi-hd-wallpapers-2/