Unpacking
Prayer
Part 8: Confession, Repentance
and Forgiveness
Matthew 6:9-13
“In this manner, therefore pray,
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the
glory forever. Amen.”
Prayer that starts in the right place of
praise leads us to the proper
place of humility when
We see God correctly.
praying about
relationships with
others.
We see ourselves correctly.
We see others correctly.
The Role of Confession,
Repentance and Forgiveness
in Prayer
Humility about the plank in your own eye.
(Luke 6:41-42)
Luke 6:41-42
“And why do you look at the speck in your
brother’s eye, but do not perceive the plank in
your own eye? Or how can you say to your
brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck that is
in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the
plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First
remove the plank from your own eye, and then
you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in
your brother’s eye.”
Confession
Homologeo (òμολογέω) = to agree, to say the
same thing, to confess.
True confession of sin is to say the same
thing that God does about a wrong. It is
to denounce it as sin and agree
with God about its negative
effects in our lives.
Repentance
Metanoeo (μετανοέω) = to exchange a mindset,
to change one’s mind, to repent.
Repentance is not just a slight
deviation from a course, but a
o
complete 180 change of
direction.
Forgiveness
Aphiemi (αφίημι) = to send away, to bid depart,
to release, to forgive, to give up, to remit.
1. Why do I have to forgive?
2. Who do I have to forgive?
3. What am I suppose to forgive?
4. How many times do I have to
forgive?
1. Why do I have to forgive?
- Because God has forgiven us. (Eph. 4:31-32)
Ephesians 4:31-32
Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and
evil speaking be put away from you, with all
malice. And be kind to one another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as
God in Christ forgave you.
1. Why do I have to forgive?
- Because God has forgiven us. (Eph. 4:31-32)
- Because it is good for us.
- Because it keeps us under God’s
full protection.
2. Who do I have to forgive?
- Others
- Ourselves
- God (Prov. 19:3)
Proverbs 19:3
The foolishness of a man twists his way,
And his heart frets against the LORD.
2. Who do I have to forgive?
- Others
- Ourselves
- God (Prov. 19:3)
3. What am I suppose to forgive?
There are as many words for “sin” in the Greek
language as there are words for “snow” in Inuit.
Matthew 6:12-15
“And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and
the glory forever. Amen.
“For if you forgive men their trespasses,
your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if
you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither
will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
3. What am I suppose to forgive?
There are as many words for “sin” in the Greek
language as there are words for “snow” in Inuit.
Debts – opheilema = in general anything owed.
Transgressions – paraptoma = the falling where
one should have stood upright.
4. How many times do I have to
forgive?
- Every time (Matt. 18:21-22)
Matthew 18:21-22
Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord,
how often shall my brother sin against me, and I
forgive him? Up to seven times?”
Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up
to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”
4. How many times do I have to
forgive?
- Every time (Matt. 18:21-22)
- All the time
- Be a part of the solution
We should never have anyone
indebted to us, not because we
don’t ever loan out, but because
we never require anything back.