Classic Sermon Outlines (continued)
SERMON SEVENTEEN
FORGIVENESS OF
SIN AS A DEBT
And forgive us our debts.
—MATTHEW 6:12
And forgive us our sins.
FROM this petition in the Lord's prayer, thus differently expressed by the two evangelists, we may observe that sin is a debt to God and the pardon of sin is the forgiveness of this debt.
I. SIN IS A DEBT TO GOD.
A. The Manner in Which Men Become Debtors to God.
1. As the servant is indebted to his master. Our Savior represents our case like that of a servant to a king who at the time of reckoning was found to be in debt to the king (Matthew 25:24—30).
2. As the tenant is in debt to his landlord. As a tenant who is behind in his rent or has damaged the landlord's property.
3. As the borrower is indebted to the lender. God has bestowed many mercies upon us, that is, He has been lending to us as the case has required.