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Give and Forgive
(Matthew 6:9-13)
Yearly Theme: “Goodness is… Governing”
Series Title: “The Goodness of Prayer”
August 18th, 2024

Something to think about:

GOD’s provision for our daily, weekly, and monthly needs comes in so many different ways. If we trust Him with our lives, He is abundantly willing and able to supply us with what we need. Even the Psalmist declares,

Psalm 55:22 (NIV), Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.

As we continue in our series on the LORD’s Prayer, we come to verses 11 and 12 that shift in focus from GOD to the believer. In these two verses Jesus instructs His disciples to pray for daily provision of physical (and many scholars would agree, spiritual) sustenance. In addition, the prayer continues with a focus on the central theme of forgiveness from GOD toward us, and from us toward others who have hurt and/or offended us. Let’s take a closer look again today:

Key Point: “Our trust in GOD is the means for provision from Him and forgiveness in Him.”

What are the requests that Jesus tells His disciples to pray for in this specific verse? Let’s see:

Something to take home:
Consider this illustration as we close:

“When someone hurts you, you've been robbed. Because that's what the enemy does (Jn 10:10), and that person is acting as an agent of the enemy. But if you don't forgive, you will continue to be robbed.

“Picture it this way: Someone comes and knocks on your door in the middle of the night. You're sound asleep so you don't hear it. But you have a guest, and they hear it and answer the door.

“‘I want to rob your house.’ says the robber.

“‘Sure,’ says the guest. ‘Come on in.’ And with that, the guest goes back to bed.

“In the morning, you wake up and find out that the thief has taken all your valuables. And worse, you find out that your guest is responsible. Would you be angry? Of course!

“So, you kick your guest out, and the next night, you're still so angry that you can't sleep. Before long, there's another knock at the door. This time you answer the door.

“‘I want to rob your house.’ says the robber.

“‘Sure,’ you reply. ‘Come on in.’ Then, you go back to bed.

“In the morning, you wake up and find out that the thief has taken all your jewelry. Who's to blame this time? You are.

“If someone hurts you, it's not your fault you've been robbed of your goods, your reputation, your innocence. But, when you refuse to forgive, you open the door and let the enemy just keep robbing you. That’s when it becomes your fault.”

We can never forget that when GOD forgives us of our sins, He doesn’t hold what we’ve done against us anymore. It’s gone, never to be brought back up again. And that forgiveness that GOD gives is directly tied to the death and resurrection of Christ as a person surrenders their life to Him with complete abandon; holding nothing back. If then, GOD can forgive us of our sins, how then can we not forgive others who have sinned against us?

The great 20th-century Welsh minister and author, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, writes the following about this particular verse in the LORD’s Prayer:

“I say to the glory of God and in utter humility, that whenever I see myself before God and realize that even something of what my blessed Lord has done for me, I am ready to forgive anybody anything. I cannot withhold it, I do not even want to withhold it. That is what our Lord is saying here. We have a right therefore to pray like that. Pray to God and say, ‘Forgive me O God as I forgive others because of what Thou hast done for me. All I ask is that Thou shouldst forgive me in the same manner; not to the same degree, because all I do is imperfect. In the same way, as it were, as Thou hast forgiven me, I am forgiving others. Forgive me as I forgive them because of what the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ has done in my heart.’”[1]

Do you trust GOD for your daily bread? Do you forgive others just as GOD through Christ Jesus has forgiven you?


[1] D. Martin Lloyd-Jones, Studies on the Sermon on the Mount, (Eerdmans: Grand Rapids: Michigan; 1959-60), 349.

The final requests in the LORD’s Prayer are for personal needs. Why is it important to focus on GOD and His will first before we petition Him for our needs?

Not only should we rely on GOD for our “spiritual” sustenance, we should also trust Him for our daily provisions. Why should we trust GOD for our daily needs? When was the last time you had to trust GOD for your daily needs?

Trust and gratitude go hand in hand. When we trust and are thankful we spend less time worrying about things. When was the last time you had no worries? Are you trusting GOD and thanking Him for providing for your needs?

Trusting GOD for daily provisions does NOT mean that we sit idly by and do nothing about our situation. Rather, we are to work diligently with the strength GOD gives us to do those things that must be done daily. Are you working as if unto the LORD, and are you thanking Him for the ability to help you daily?

We are to pray for GOD’s forgiveness for our trespasses/debts, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Confession of sin is a key aspect of prayer. Are you regularly confessing your sin directly to God?

The word commonly used for trespasses and/or debts in this verse is closely tied to the word for “sin.” We must pray for GOD’s forgiveness for our sins, but only as we have forgiven others who have sinned against us. Have you forgiven everyone in your life? Why or why not?
How is GOD’s forgiveness of us contingent on our forgiveness of others (Consider Matthew 6:14-15)?

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