Message from the Pastor

The Lord’s Prayer: The Fifth Petition (part I): Forgive us our sins—Matthew 6:11
                       
            Why we need to pray forgive us.  Simply put, we need to pray forgive us our trespasses because of who we are.  We are children of Adam and Eve, members of a fallen race.  Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned (Romans 5:12).  This means King David’s confession is also ours: Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me (Psalm 51:5).  A person may have a fatal disease and feel alright.  The fact that we sometimes don’t feel like we could be so bad is really just another symptom of our eternally fatal sin that wants to disagree with God when He tells us: There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins (Ecclesiastes 7:20). 

            We also need to pray this petition, because of what we do.  Or you could also put it this way: because of what we’ve already prayed in the Lord’s prayer.  Because we pray Our Father one moment and then go right back to disobeying and displeasing our God with our sins of heart and hand the next.  Because we pray Hallowed be thy name and then don’t treat God’s name as holy with a fervent and frequent prayer life and by constantly striving to honor his name in every part of our life.  Because we pray Thy Kingdom Come and then set our priorities as though the fading tinsel of this world and life was far more important than seeking His Kingdom in His Word.  Because we pray Thy will be done and then pick what our sinful heart wants instead.  Because we pray Give us this day our daily bread and then get upset when God gives us what we need, daily bread and not steak and lobster, or when He does give us what we need and more than we need we fail to thank Him in word, prayer, and action. 

            What we need the most.  Truly nothing could be more important than having what we are asking for with this little prayer, the forgiveness of sins.  For the rightful consequence of sin is far worse than not having air, water, or food.  The rightful consequence of this is that we are separated from God (Isaiah 59:2) and under God’s curse (cf. Galatians 3:10) and face eternal death in hell (Romans 6:23) where there is no end to the suffering of that living death (Isaiah 66:24).  Therefore through the gift of God worked faith we join other repentant sinners like Job in saying therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes (Job 42:6) as we pray forgive us our trespasses. 

            What an amazing answer.  And then with that same God worked faith we marvel anew at God’s gracious answer He gives to our request.  He does not tell us your sins will be forgiven if you make up for what you did, if you do enough good to repay the evil or any other if.  No instead He points us to the completed work of His Son’s perfect life of holiness, He directs to Jesus’ willing and innocent death in our place that bore the curse and the death of hell for us upon the cross, He bids us lift up our heads to see the brilliant Easter sunrise that shows the open tomb and our Risen Savior.  And this Savior who lived, died and rose in amazing love for us does not say your sins will be forgiven.  No, our Lord Jesus says to us Take heart, your sins ARE forgiven (Matthew 9:2), your sins are forgiven (Luke 7:48) and I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more (Jeremiah 31:34). 

            In Jesus Christ, the forgiveness of sins is not just a possibility, it is an accomplished reality.  You, yes, you are forgiven by God for Jesus sake (cf. John 3:16) and therefore live in forgiveness now and will enjoy heaven’s mansions forever.  You, yes you are forgiven and that forgiveness in Christ is as real as your Baptism, as real as Jesus body and blood given in the Supper to assure us of that personal forgiveness.  You, yes you are forgiven for at the cross, Jesus has already answered our prayer.  Therefore we, yes we too are forgiven, take God’s Word for it!  

Your shepherd under The Chief Shepherd: Jesus Christ,
Pastor Shaun Arndt