Housegroups 

The Lord’s Prayer  Week Seven 21st–28th Feb 2010

 
Overall Theme:         A framework of prayer to enable us to embrace all God offers us through His friendship and His 7 Forgive us our sinskingship
 
Weeks Theme:          Forgive us our debts: Restoring our relationship with God
 
Welcome
SO FAR: We have approached a powerful loving Father God in prayer with the purpose of honouring His name; we have been seeking to establish Jesus’ heavenly kingdom and will here on Earth. We have looked to God for our and the church’s daily provision.
  • Think of a film or personal experience when a broken friendship has been restored. How did it feel either to watch or be part of that kind of experience?
 
Worship
  • Read Psalm 147 together– Knowing God is amazing, makes a broken relationship unthinkable!
 
Word            “Forgive us our debts”     Read Psalm 51:1-12  (David’s Psalm of repentance after murder and adultery)7 hands forgive
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.  3For I know my transgressions and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. 5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. 6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.  7Cleanse me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. 10Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
 
This is the 5th prayer petition but vital to begin and maintain our relationship with the living God.
 
  • Why is forgiveness so important to a Christian? What role does the cross play in this process? (Col 1 : 19-22)
  • David talks about sinning against God, not Bathsheba, why do you think this was? (v4)
  • David did not repent until confronted with his sin. Why do you think we hide from the reality of our sin?
  • When repenting, why might David have appealed to God’s character? (v.1)
  • David did not make any excuses when he repented, are we ever tempted to water our sins down? (v.3-5)
  • The Bible talks about confessing our sins to each other (James 5:16). How would you feel about this? Why do you think it might be a good idea?
  • David looks totally to God to restore him; what does he ask God to actually do? (v.7-12)
 
God convicts us with our sin and always forgives, only the devil continues to condemn. (1 John 1:9)
 
Witness
Forgiveness is a lifestyle not a one-off event. Where might you need to practice saying sorry for the small things, perhaps with friends and family, so it will become a natural part of our lives.
Prayer
  • Depending on how close and open your house group is, you can share your personal struggles with sin with each other. If this is not appropriate pray for more attitudes of forgiveness in our church, schools, homes and workplaces.
  • Pray that God would reveal any sin in our lives. (Have some space, play some quiet music to let God speak)                                                                                                        (At home you can have an annual sin MOT and commit some real time to God to reveal sin and restore you.)
  • Pray that God would restore you completely and protect you from condemnation that the devil brings
 
Reflection
An effective prayer life comes from having no condemnation in our lives, which is possible with repentance through in Christ Jesus. We often struggle with the idea being righteous but we are in Jesus. This is not a feeling but the truth of what Christ achieved on the cross. (See James 5:16, Col 2:14)

 


James Levasier, 22/02/2010