Prayer For Grace To Forgiven As Christ Forgave

Forgive Just as God in Christ Also Has Forgiven You

And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

Last week I talked about what forgiveness is—what it looks and what it's not. I quoted Thomas Watson's definition whichincluded

1. resisting revenge,
2. not returning evil for evil,
3. wishing them well,
4. grieving at their calamities,
5. praying for their welfare,
6. seeking reconciliation so far as it depends on you,
7. and coming to their aid in distress.

How Do We Truly Forgive? Gospel-Flying

This week I'm asking, how can we do that? What gives us thefreedom and the ability and the incentive and the power to forgivethose who sin against us? Some of you have been wronged so deeplyand hurt so badly that forgiving would be as great a miracle asflying.

But recall the little poem of John Bunyan:

Run, John, run, the law commands But gives us neither feet nor hands, Far better news the gospel brings:

It bids us fly and gives us wings.

Two wings, six feathers.

And that includes the “flying” of forgiveness. So I want God toshow us our gospel wings this morning. Forgiving is a flying youcan do in the power of the gospel. In fact six feathers are enoughfor this flight—three on one side and three on the other maketwo strong wings for gospel-flying—or gospel forgiving.

Two Wings, Six Feathers

I find all six feathers in these three verses (Ephesians 4:32–5:2),

And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

There are two wings in this text for gospel-flying—just a bird has two wings. Each wing has three feathers. All sixfeathers are things God the Father and God the Son have done for uswithout our help.

They are all works of his sovereign grace. I amtalking to Christian believers now. If you are not one yet, I hopeyou will listen and be drawn in.

What I am describing here aboutgospel-flying (forgiving) is yours freely if you will lay down theweights of unbelief and trust Christ.

There are two wings. One wing with its three feathers is whatChrist did for us before we even existed. And the other wing withits three feathers is what God did for us in our own lifetime.

Soif you are drawing the sermon today, you need to draw a bird withtwo big wings each having three feathers, and then write on eachfeather one of the things God has done so that we can fly withforgiveness to each other.

Wing #1: What God Did for Us Before We Existed

The first feather in this wing is this:

1. God Loved Us with a Special Saving Love

Ephesians 5:1, “Be imitators of God, as beloved children.” Andverse 2: “Walk in love, just as Christ also loved you.”

The first feather in the wing of gospel-flying—gospelforgiving—is the unspeakable reality of being loved by God.

But to feel the force of this, you need to know that this is notmerely the general love that God has for all the world—thelove that gives life and breath and food and rain and protectionand family and job and many evidences of his truth and power andgreatness. It is an amazing thing to be loved that, and shouldcause us to turn to him in gratitude.

But if that is all you know of the love of God, your gospel wingswill be weak. This text speaks of love a Father has for achild and love that moves Christ to take our place in death.

Nowthat is something more than the general love of God for the world.That is a saving love—a love that goes beyond the offer ofthe gospel and actually undertakes to save us effectively,infallibly.

It does what needs to be done to get us forgiven andsaved.

Here is the evidence for this: in Ephesians 1:4–5 Paul says thatthis love of God chose us for adoption as children of God.

[God] chose us in [Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 he predestined us to adoption as sons.

So God has loved you with a love that is precious beyond wordsbecause it is a love that he gave you before you were born and thatmoved him to predestine you to be a child of God in holiness.

So the first feather in the wing of gospel forgiving is thefeather of God's special saving love—call it covenant love.It is not mere general love. It is love that fixed personally,particularly on you as an individual and chose you and pursued youand brought you to himself, because he means to have you. If youget gripped by being loved that, you might only need onefeather to fly.

The second feather is

2. Christ Gave Himself for Us as a Sacrifice

Ephesians 5:2b, “[Christ] gave Himself up for us, an offeringand a sacrifice to God.”

According to Ephesians 2:3 we were all by nature children ofwrath. We all deserve to perish and be punished in hell for thesins of our thoughts and imaginations and attitudes and tongues andhands and whole bodies.

But the covenant love of God for us movedhim not only to choose us but to give his Son as a sacrifice in ourplace: “Christ gave himself up for us”—that is, in our place,so that we don't have to perish.

“He became a curse for us”(Galatians 3:13).

To feel the full force of this and to make the feather reallystrong for flying, we need to realize again that this is not merelya general thing Christ did the same for everybody.

Ephesians 5:25says, “Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church andgave himself up for her.

” In other words Christ's giving himself upto die as a substitute for the church is part of a covenant lovethat he has for his bride.

In love he chose you to be his bride and in love he lays downhis life for you. You, individually, particularly, were in view asthe goal of his loving and his dying.

Chuck Colson told the story (at the 1994 Ligonier Conference inDallas, Texas) of a prison camp where 20 men came in from diggingand lined their shovels up on the wall as they always did for thecounting. When they were counted, the officer found only 19.

Hedemanded that the one who didn't bring his shovel step forward.None did. Then he threatened that if no one stepped forward, hewould choose ten men at random and shoot them.

A young man of about19 stepped forward and was immediately taken a few paces away andshot as an example to the others.

But then as they were dismissing, the shovels were counted againand there were 20 after all. The officer had miscounted.

The difference between what that boy did for his friends andwhat Jesus did for you is that Jesus knew which ten men he wasdying for and he knew that we were all unworthy. But he did itanyway, because he had a very special covenant love for you that isfar above human love.

The first feather is that you have been loved with a specialsaving love. And the second feather is that Christ gave himself asa sacrifice to take your place so that you will never perish.

The third feather for gospel-flying (forgiving) is

3. God Was Satisfied with Christ's Sacrifice

Ephesians 5:2b, “[Christ] gave Himself up for us, an offeringand a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”

When Paul calls the death of Jesus for us a “fragrant aroma” toGod he means that God was satisfied with what Christ did. He did notlook down and say, “You can't do that. You can't die for others.Every person has to bear their own guilt.

Don't be so foolish tothink you can take the curse and condemnation of another.

” On thecontrary, the Father looked down and (with tears in his eyes, Ithink) took tremendous pleasure in the honor that the Son gave tothe Father in obeying his commission—the Father had sent him(John 3:16).

So Christ did not die in vain. God received his offering. Itsatisfied the Father's justice. It removed God's wrath andjudgment.

Be ye glad, O be ye glad! Every debt that you ever had, Has been paid up in full by the blood of the Lamb,

Be ye glad, be ye glad, be ye glad.

Words and Music by Michael Kelly Blanchard 1980 Paragon Music Corp. (ASCAP)/Gotz Music (ASCAP) ICS. ARR. UBP.

Of The Benson Company, Inc., Nashville, TN.

God was satisfied with the blood of Christ. That's the thirdfeather in the first wing of gospel-flying and forgiveness.

That's the wing of God's work before you were born:

1. God loved you with special saving love;
2. Christ gave himself for you as a sacrifice; and
3. God was satisfied with Christ's sacrifice. Your debt is paid.

Wing #2: What God Did for Us During Our Lifetime

The other wing for gospel-flying has three feathers in italso.

1. God Put Us in a Saving Relationship with Christ

God put you into a saving relationship with Christ, so thatyou are united to Christ a vine is united to the branch.

Ephesians 4:32b, “Forgive each other, just as God in Christ alsohas forgiven you.”

We are “in Christ.” That means we are in a relationship withChrist—we are united to Christ—ina way that makes usacceptable to God because he is acceptable to God. How did we getinto this relationship? 1 Corinthians 1:30 says, “By [God's] doingyou are in Christ Jesus.” God awakened faith in our hearts and putus into a saving relationship with Jesus (cf. Ephesians 2:10, 13; Romans16:17).

If he hadn't done that, all his other work (loving us, givinghis Son to die for us, being satisfied with the Son's sacrifice)would have been in vain. But he did it. He is doing it all. Hislove will not be frustrated in pursuing you for himself. Hispersonal, individual, particular love is moving him all the way.Nothing will stop him from saving you.

So the first feather in wing #2 for gospel-flying is God'sputting you into a relationship with Christ a vine in abranch.

2. God Adopted Us and Made Us Rightful Children

The second feather for gospel-forgiving is that God adoptedyou into his family and made you a rightful child of God.

Ephesians 5:1, “Therefore be imitators of God, as belovedchildren.”

In other words realize that when God united you to Christ, youbecame with Christ a child of God. And heir. This is what God hadbeen aiming at all along. Ephesians 1:5 says that “God predestinedus unto adoption.”

Some parents have children accidentally. And if they are crueland heartless parents, they might even tell their children theydidn't want them. But God has no unwanted children. They are allplanned—from eternity, with great expectation and joy. Theyare all pursued. Christ's death is an unspeakably high paymentthrough heaven's Micah Fund.1

The second wing of gospel-flying in wing #2 is the truth thatyou are loved not just in some random, general, impersonal way, butas a child of God that he sought out and adopted at great cost.

3. God Forgave Us for Our Sins

Finally the third feather in wing #2 for gospel-flying(forgiving) is that God forgave you for your sins.

Ephesians 4:32, “And be kind to one another, tender-hearted,forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgivenyou.”

Review

Before you were born (wing #1):

1. God has loved you with a special, personal, saving love from all eternity.
2. His Son gave his life for you to take the place of your judgment.
3. God was satisfied by the substitute and sacrifice of the Son. The debt was paid.

Then after you were born (wing #2):

1. God brought you to faith and put you in a saving relationship with Christ.
2. God adopted you into his family as a child of his own.
3. And God forgave all your sins and there is no condemnation.

These are the wings John Bunyan had in mind:

Run, John, run, the law commands But gives us neither feet nor hands, Far better news the gospel brings:

It bids us fly and gives us wings.

It bids us forgive—and give us gospel wings. If youbelieve in your heart that God has done all of this for you and inyou, you will fly. You will forgive.

Charles Spurgeon tells how his heart was set on wing by thepardon of God:

My life was full of sorrow and wretchedness, believing that I was lost.

But, oh, the blessed gospel of the God of grace came to me, and with it a sovereign word, “Deliver him!” And I who was but a minute before as wretched as a soul could be, could have danced for the very merriment of heart.

And as the snow fell on my road home from the little house of prayer, I thought every snowflake talked with me and told of the pardon I had found, for I was white as the driven snow through the grace of God.2

But years later he added this:

To be forgiven is such sweetness that honey is tasteless in comparison with it. But yet there is one thing sweeter still, and that is to forgive. As it is more blessed to give than to receive, so to forgive rises a stage higher in experience than to be forgiven.3

It rises higher because it is gospel-flying. Spread your wingswith me in these days at Bethlehem and let's fly together.

1 The Micah Fund is an adoption ministry at Bethlehemthat helps covers the cost of adopting minority infants who mightotherwise have been sacrificed in abortion.

2 Volume 15, p. 156, Metropolitan TabernaclePulpit.

3 Volume 31, pp. 287f., Metropolitan TabernaclePulpit.

Источник: //www.desiringgod.org/messages/forgive-just-as-god-in-christ-also-has-forgiven-you

20 Powerful Prayers for Forgiveness [Bible Verses + Prayers]

We should not be satisfied merely to keep the commandments of God, but should always be ready to do good deeds, even when others do not command them. The commandments of God state the minimum requirements for salvation.

They should be kept not merely according to the scripture, but also according to the spirit, which obliges us to strive for greater perfection. We are sinful from birth, but God’s great love can save us if we allow Him to live within our hearts.

Have you asked God for forgiveness of all of your transgressions? If the answer is no, He is anxiously waiting for you. Listen, and allow Him to lead.

If the need for prayer is what you are seeking most, may it be asking for forgiveness or guidance, whether in your own life, or in the life of someone you love, let us pray for you at the holiest place on earth, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

We have faith that sending your prayer to the place where our Lord Jesus Christ gave his life for us will help your request be granted! It is our honor and privilege to be a prayer warrior for you, and to ask the Lord to watch over you, protect you, and keep you, always.

Please submit your prayer request today.

“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matthew 5:44-45

Prayer for Forgiveness of Sin and Eternal Life

Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again.

I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive today, and hears my pray. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward.

Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. Amen.

Prayer for Forgiveness of Others

Father, I need your help and your insights. Today I have gained a better understanding of forgiving others and with your help, I fully forgive from my heart. Although I have been sinned against, I know I myself have sinned against others.

You have freely forgiven me, so I forgive them as well. Father, I ask you to forgive me for hurting others my own hurt and to heal my relationships with others.

I pray all of this in Jesus' precious name and by whom all forgiveness and healing was made possible.

Prayer for the Sin of Adultery

Lord, I repent of all the sin in my life. I have committed adultery against my spouse, and I am so sorry. The decision I made to cheat on the partner you placed in my life was and is a terrible act on my part. Please forgive me. Please allow my spouse to forgive me in time, and heal our marriage.

I am truly sorry for the wrong that I have done, and the hurt that I have caused to You as well as my family. If there is any sin that I don’t know of, please bring it to my mind that I may repent as well.

Please forgive me Lord of any pride, rebellion, vanity, jealousy, judging, distrust, prejudice, dishonesty, theft, greed, spiritual adultery or fornication, or any spiritual murder. I ask this in Your precious name, amen.

Prayer for Guidance and Forgiveness

I am lost at this moment in my life. I have gone down the wrong road, and I am having a difficult time getting back to where I need to be. I want to do the right thing and keep true to myself, but it's very hard to fight the demons that have pulled me back down.

I need You, my precious Lord, to help get back on the right path and to stay away from this destructive life that I feel I am leading. I know I am the only one to blame for my actions.

But I know if You will give me the courage, strength, and will to walk away, I can make it through with my eyes on You.

Prayer for God’s Hand and Guidance In a Sin-Ridden Life

Lord, you promised that when I seek You with all our heart, I will find You. I seek only after You. I ask that you still my troubled heart, calm my wayward mind, as I seek only after You.

I'm never going to be able to figure this out on my own, and right now I'm leaning heavily on You. I give you all the anxieties and fears I feel inside, and I release them all to You. I know You will grant forgiveness of my sins.

I ask that you please so, as I am truly sorry for the wrong I’ve done in my life. I open up my life so that it becomes an open book before You.

Amen

More Forgiveness  Verses from the Bible:

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:23-24

“You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” James 4:4

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8

Источник: //www.holylandprayer.com/prayer_for/prayers-for-sins-transgressions-forgiveness/

A Call to Forgive

Heidelberg Catechism: Lord’s Day 51
(could be used for a Lord’s Supper service or preparatory)

Dear congregation,

Forgive is a big word. It’s huge, even gigantic. Just seven letters but it’s something that takes years to learn how to do well. And more than learning how to do it, it takes grace from God.

You see a lot of ugliness in life from an unwillingness to forgive. Many people can tell us stories of family feuds. Often money is at the center. We hear of problems starting between family members who fight over the estate money after parents die.

Or family members in business together get jealous of one another, start fighting over money or control and before long they are no longer talking. It may even come to lawsuits against one another. A lack of trust and inability to forgive does huge damage.

When we can’t or won’t forgive each other relationships are destroyed more and more as time passes.

Husbands and wives who won’t forgive, find the marriage drifting apart more and more. They might live under the same roof but there is no love. There’s hardly communication. And when they do communicate, it’s usually more fuel on the fire.

There’s no good will between them. No willingness to give their spouse the benefit of the doubt. Words and actions are misunderstood and the meaning twisted.

In most cases, the marriage eventually ends because none of us can live under such intense pressure for a long time.

People who won’t forgive wrongs done in the workplace grow increasingly bitter. They resent the employee or employer who wronged them. And that grows into bitterness that clouds our vision so we can’t be objective anymore. We see nothing but negative things in our workplace and eventually we either quit or get fired because our attitude is so toxic and our work quality suffers.

Is it any wonder that God tells his people to forgive one another. He loves us too much to want us to go down the destructive road of unforgiveness. That’s why he gives us a call to forgive.

It Takes Hard Work

The call to forgive is a call to hard work. If you think that’s the approach for wimps who can’t stand up for themselves or something that, you’re not alone. But you’re also not right. Dr. Tom Wright says,

Have you ever seriously tried to forgive someone who has wronged you? Have you ever seriously tried to be compassionate and patient? Have you ever tried to let Christ’s peace, Christ’s word, Christ’s name be the reality around which you order your life? If you have, you’ll know it’s not easy. It takes serious prayer and real moral effort. (Paul for Everyone: Prison Letters, pg 181)

That’s true, isn’t it? It’s not easy to forgive someone who has wronged you. For simple wrongs, it might mean accepting someone’s apology and then moving on. But even that is not easy for us. We start to second guess people’s motives. We wonder if they are really sincere.

The next time we interact with them, they don’t seem any different and certainly not any better. Our minds quickly think, “If she was really sorry when I forgave her last week, she would not have acted similarly today. She would have tried harder to keep her words in check.” The list goes on.

We can quickly second-guess the sincerity of others, which then gives us a sense of moral superiority. And that’s just over small disputes we have.

It becomes all the harder when people hurt us deeply. We have sayings “Once bitten, twice shy”—meaning we won’t give people a second chance very quickly if they hurt us once.

We may give a different person a first chance but the person who hurt you will not easily get close to you again. We say, “Fool me once, shame on you.

Fool me twice, shame on me”—meaning we are fools if we give someone a second chance.

All of this flies in the face of what Jesus teaches us in the Lord’s Prayer and what Paul says in Colossians 3.

Our Lord says we should pray, “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” John Calvin writes,

In Matthew, sins are called debts, because they expose us to condemnation at the tribunal of God, and make us debtors; nay more, they alienate us entirely from God, so that there is no hope of obtaining peace and favour except by pardon…. And certainly, if the Spirit of God reigns in our hearts, every description of ill-will and revenge ought to be banished. (Calvin, Harmony of Gospels, 327)

Still it is hard for us to let go of the sin that others commit against us. But it’s wrong to read “forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors” as if that line speaks about a prerequisite to forgiveness or a condition that we must meet before we can be forgiven by God.

You see, some people try to say that Jesus means we will only be forgiven to the degree that we forgive others. If that’s the case, we might as well all prepare ourselves for eternity in a hot place. We can’t measure up to that standard. No one can.

Besides, we know from the Bible that salvation is by grace through faith not through our own achievements, forgiving others. Jesus is not saying we have to prove ourselves worthy of forgiveness by forgiving others.

Instead, this is what we read in Lord’s Day 51. Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors means,

Forgive us just as we are fully determined,
as evidence of your grace in us,
to forgive our neighbors.

The words “fully determined” speak to our human will. If we’re serious about forgiving people who hurt us, it’ll take determination. And the bigger the offense against us, the harder it will be to forgive someone.

It’s tough work. And that’s especially true when everyone around you is saying, “Don’t do it.” Or “You’re a fool to forgive that jerk!” Remember why Jesus says this to us. As Tom Wright put it,

Remind yourself that to be tenderhearted doesn’t mean being sentimental. That being kind doesn’t mean being a soft touch. That humility isn’t the same thing as low self-esteem.

That meekness is not weakness, but is what you get when a powerful wild horse has been tamed (all the same power, but now under control). That large-heartedness doesn’t mean letting everyone do what they want with you.

Don’t let people scoff at the central virtues that make the Christian life what it’s supposed to be. Why do you think people do that? Are they, perhaps, threatened by such a dazzling and demanding way of life? (182)

Yes, friends, Jesus wants our lives to reflect his love—and to dazzle! In teaching us the Lord’s Prayer he’s teaching us to let our lives glorify God—to make him look good in the world around us. That means striving to forgive others as freely and graciously as God in Christ has forgiven us. And that takes discipline and determination.

It Takes Grace

But more than human effort, it takes divine help. It takes God’s grace. And the best way for me to help you see that, I think, is through a few examples.

You may have heard the well-known story about Corrie Ten Boom.

“Arrested by the Nazis along with the rest of her family for hiding Jews in their Haarlem home during the Holocaust, she was imprisoned and eventually sent to the Ravensbruck concentration camp along with her beloved sister, Betsie, who perished there just days before Corrie's own release on December 31, 1944. Inspired by Betsie's example of selfless love and forgiveness amid extreme cruelty and persecution, Corrie established a post-war home for other camp survivors trying to recover from the horrors they had escaped. She went on to travel widely as a missionary, preaching God's forgiveness and the need for reconciliation. Corrie's devout moral principles were tested when she came face to face with one of her former tormentors in 1947. (//www.pbs.org/wgbh/questionofgod/voices/boom.html)

After a speech she gave in a church in Germany, a

man came to her and said, “You mentioned Ravensbruck in your talk; I was a guard in there. But since that time I have become a Christian. I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did there, but I would to hear it from your lips as well. Fraulein,…” his hand came out, … “will you forgive me?”

And Corrie writes, “I stood there — I whose sins had every day to be forgiven — and could not.

Betsie had died in that place — could he erase her slow terrible death simply for the asking? It could not have been many seconds that he stood there, hand held out, but to me it seemed hours as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I had ever had to do…. And still I stood there with the coldness clutching my heart.

But forgiveness is not an emotion — I knew that too. Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. “Jesus, help me!” I prayed silently. “I can lift my hand, I can do that much. You supply the feeling.”

And so woodenly, mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me. And as I did, an incredible thing took place. The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes.

“I forgive you, brother!” I cried. “With all my heart!”

For a long moment we grasped each other's hands, the former guard and the former prisoner. I had never known God's love so intensely as I did then.”

That, congregation, is grace. We cannot do such things without God’s help. We can be thankful for our salvation which comes by grace alone. And still we need God’s grace daily to live our life his way. And we need to pray for that, as Corrie did. Just as Christ, by grace, forgave us, so we with his grace can forgive others.

Austin and Jessica Crowley know about the need for grace in order to save their marriage. Listen and watch the testimony they give for their home church as they share their journey of brokenness, sin, rebellion, fumbling along and then grace and forgiveness.

Watch video: //sovereignhopechurch.com/stories-of-grace-the-crowleys

There we have it again. More grace. Apart from God’s grace to fix their marriage, forgiveness would not have been possible. Both Jessica and Austin had issues going into the marriage.

And those issues only became bigger once the pressure grew in their lives. Both had wrong thinking and wrong actions.

It’s only when they got to the point of crying out to God, “I can’t do this” that they found grace from Jesus.

Austin put it so beautifully when he talked about looking at the cross. He said, “Now I see Jesus on that cross and my sin putting him there… which was really hard to see that but it’s amazing that I got to see it… that God showed me.

” We need to look at the cross each day, especially when we feel wronged by someone. We can forgive others because Christ has forgiven us so much more.

But we need to look to Jesus for grace to do that because we can’t do it in and of ourselves.

Forgiveness is hard work. And while we need to seek it and give it, we need God’s grace to humble us to the point that we realize we are nothing without Jesus and we’ll fail without his help.

As the Crowley’s reminded us, we get so lost in ourselves and we’re so helpless in ourselves. We hold on to anger and resentment. We allow brokenness to get worse and worse. Only Jesus can forgive us.

And only he can give us the grace we need to forgive as we have been forgiven.

Amen.

Prayer of Response
Gracious God in heaven, all we can say is “thank you!” We thank you for your amazing grace, your amazing love, your persistent work in drawing us to yourself despite our rebellious hearts.

We pray that you will keep us humble and totally in love with you because of your love shown first of all to us.

Forgive our stubbornness and pride and help us to forgive as we have been forgiven by you! We ask this in Jesus’ precious and powerful name. Amen.

TURNING OUR HEARTS TO GOD

Welcome & Announcements * We Greet One Another

* Gathering Song: As It is in Heaven or PsH #562:1,6,8 Our Father, Clothed in Majesty

* Opening Prayer * Call to Worship: Exodus 15:2 * Prayer for God’s Greeting, “May God’s grace, mercy and peace be ours in the name of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.”

* Songs: Revelation Song or PsH #475 Praise My Soul, the King of Heaven

             Faithful One or PsH #556 Great is Thy Faithfulness

LISTENING TO THE WORD OF GOD

Prayer for the Word in song: Breathe or PsH #424 Spirit of the Living God Children’s Message Scripture: Colossians 3:12-17 Catechism: Lord’s Day 51

Sermon: A Call to Forgive

Insert Video: Grace for the Crowleys

CELEBRATING GOD’S GRACE

(Lord’s Supper Preparatory,  PsH, pg 976) Prayer of Confession Assurance of Pardon God’s Will for Our Lives: Our World Belongs to God, par 39-40, PsH pg 1031

* Song:You Are My King (Amazing Love)  or PsH #267 And Can It Be

PRESENTING OUR PRAYERS AND GIFTS

Congregational Prayer Tithes & Offerings

* Song: Knowing You or PsH #95 Now with Joyful Exultation

LEAVING TO SERVE THE LORD

* Prayer for God’s Parting Blessing, “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen.”
* Song: Let Us Adore or PsH #284 Father, I Adore You

Источник: //www.crcna.org/resources/church-resources/reading-sermons/call-forgive

4 Prayers for Forgiveness – For Self and Others

Whether we are seeking forgiveness for our own sins or asking God to help us forgive others, prayer is the first place to start when seeking restoration and healing.  The below prayers can help guide your thoughts and words as you seek being forgiven or help in forgiving others. It is a big step to seek out forgiveness and you have taken a bold step in faith! 

Before we jump into specific prayers for forgiveness, you may want to take some time to consider what God commands of us concerning forgiveness and why it's so critical to be able to forgive. Visit our article: What Does the Bible Say About Forgiveness?

Prayer to God for Forgiveness of Sins

Even while I encourage you to pray this prayer, I caution you that saying words alone will not save you. Prayer doesn’t save. Only Christ can save. But prayer can be a means of reaching out to the Lord in true saving faith. If you pray these words in faith, Christ will save you. You can be sure of that.

Lord Jesus, for too long I’ve kept you my life. I know that I am a sinner and that I cannot save myself. No longer will I close the door when I hear you knocking. By faith I gratefully receive your gift of salvation. I am ready to trust you as my Lord and Savior.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for coming to earth. I believe you are the Son of God who died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead on the third day. Thank you for bearing my sins and giving me the gift of eternal life. I believe your words are true.

Come into my heart, Lord Jesus, and be my Savior. Amen.

If you have prayed this prayer in sincere faith, you may want to put your initials by the prayer along with today’s date as a reminder that you have come to Christ in faith, trusting him as your Lord and Savior.
– Dr Ray Pritchard

Prayer for Forgiving  Others

Dear Merciful Lord,
Thank you for your gift of forgiveness. Your only Son loved me enough to come to earth and experience the worst pain imaginable so I could be forgiven.

Your mercy flows to me in spite of my faults and failures. Your Word says to “clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.” (Col.

3:14) Help me demonstrate unconditional love today, even to those who hurt me. 

I understand that even though I feel scarred, my emotions don’t have to control my actions. Father, may Your sweet words saturate my mind and direct my thoughts.

Help me release the hurt and begin to love as Jesus loves. I want to see my offender through my Savior’s eyes. If I can be forgiven, so can he. I understand there are no levels to your love.

We are all your children, and your desire is that none of us should perish.

You teach us to “let the peace that comes from Christ rule in our hearts.” (Col. 3:15) When I forgive in words, allow your Holy Spirit to fill my heart with peace. I pray this peace that only comes from Jesus will rule in my heart, keeping out doubt and questions. And above all, I am thankful.

Not just today, not just this week, but always. Thank you for the reminder, “Always be thankful.” (Col. 3:15) With gratitude I can draw closer to you and let go of unforgiveness. With gratitude I can see the person who caused my pain as a child of the Most High God. Loved and accepted.

Help me find the compassion that comes with true forgiveness.

And when I see the person who hurt me, bring this prayer back to my remembrance, so I can take any ungodly thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ. (2 Cor. 10:5) And may the confidence of Christ in my heart guide me into the freedom of forgiveness. I praise you for the work you are doing in my life, teaching and perfecting my faith. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
– Kristine Brown

Short Prayer to Forgive Others

Dear Lord, I thank You for the power of forgiveness, and I choose to forgive everyone who has hurt me. Help me set [name anyone who has offended you] free and release them to You [Romans 12:19].

Help me bless those who have hurt me [Romans 12:14]. Help me walk in righteousness, peace, and joy, demonstrating Your life here on earth. I choose to be kind and compassionate, forgiving others, just as You forgave me [Ephesians 4:32].

In Jesus’ name, amen.
– Debbie Przybylski

Short Prayer to Forgive Yourself

Father, today I ask forgiveness of all the negative and harmful words I have spoken about myself. I do not want to abuse myself in such a way again. Transform my thoughts and let me understand how marvelously you made me. Change my habits so I use my tongue to speak hope and favor upon my life. In Jesus' name. 
– Sarah Coleman

Matthew West – Forgiveness (Official Lyric Video) from matthew-west on GodTube.

Matthew 6:14-15 – For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

1 John 1:9 – If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Isaiah 1:18 – “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be wool. 

Micah 7:18-19 – Who is a God you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.

Mark 11:25 – And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” 

Colossians 3:13 – Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Ephesians 4:31-32 – Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Luke 17:3-4 – So watch yourselves. “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.” 

Read more Bible Verses on Forgiveness at BibleStudyTools.com

If you've been set free from sin and the hurt from others, comment below so that others can live in freedom through forgiveness too! Be a light to our online community and recieve encouragement for your own walk of faith. 

This article is part of our larger Prayers resource meant to inspire and encourage your prayer life when you face uncertain times. Visit our most popular prayers if you are wondering how to pray or what to pray. Remember, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us and God knows your heart even if you can't find the words to pray.

Prayer for Healing
Prayer for Strength
Prayer for Protection
Morning Prayers
Good Night Prayers
Serenity Prayer
A Birthday Prayer
Sinner’s Prayer
Prayer for Forgiveness
Prayer for Guidance
Intercessory Prayer
Prayer for Peace
Prayer for Faith
Prayer for Love

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Источник: //www.crosswalk.com/faith/prayer/4-prayers-for-forgiveness-for-sin-healing-and-others.html