If you missed Sunday March 1st’s message, “The Lord’s Prayer: Forgive Us”, you can watch or listen to it online by clicking here. In your Home Church, use as many or as few of these discussion questions as you need to in order to start a good conversation:
- Pray together to open things up, concluding with The Lord’s Prayer.
- Tonight’s discussion is about the first part of the fifth petition in the Lord’s Prayer, “Forgive Us Our Debts“. What is Jesus inviting us to pray in this petition? What is significant about the word “debt” here?
- Jeff talked about how some people would prefer not to pray this part of the prayer at all, while others might think it needs to be closer to the top. Which “extreme” would you identify with (not praying it all, or thinking it needs to be near the top)? Why? What might this reveal to you about your understanding of sin and your identity in Christ?
- What is significant about the order of the prayer and how Jesus places this petition where he does (at #5 as opposed to #1 or #2)? What is significant about it being prayed after petition #4, “Give us this day or daily bread”? Spend some time reflecting on the significance of the order of this prayer.
- Jeff talked about four ways people often respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit regarding sin in their life: 1. Indifference (choosing to ignore the leading of the Spirit), 2. Justification (Blaming others or trying to earn God’s approval), 3. Shame (believing that “I’m not good enough” like Simon Peter in Luke 5:1-11) and finally 4. Repentance (confessing and turning away from our sin. See 1 John 1:9).
- Can you think of examples from your own life, or from people in Scripture, of #1, #2, or #3? What happened when you (or they) choose to respond to your (or their) sin the way that you (or they) did? What were the results?
- What is true, authentic repentance? How do we repent from our sin?
- Jeff shared several other ways that we can pray “Forgive Us Our Debts” (credit Sara Maynard in “The Prayer of All Prayers”). Which one(s) most resonate with you? Why?
- Father, show me where you are grieved with my attitudes, motives, lifestyle or words. Show me my sin.
- I repent for _____. Forgive me, wash me and fill me.
- Help me to stand in your light and to not hide from you and the cleansing work of your Spirit.
- Remind me of who I am in you, so that I can live a holy life.
- Let me see my sin as you see it, with holy hatred.
- As you forgive and cleanse me, I receive this forgiveness and forgive myself.
- Fill me with your Spirit afresh, that I would be empowered to live a holy life.
- Reveal Jesus as the One who not only forgives my sin but takes my sin away.
- Read 2 Corinthians 5:21 to close. How can knowing this make it possible to pray “Forgive Us Our Debts” daily & deeply from the heart?
- Spend some time in prayer, praying “Forgive Us Our Debts” in whatever way most resonates with each person.
- (Remember to pray The Lord’s Prayer daily & deeply this week!)
