Prop: a No Trespassing Sign.
Hold up the sign and ask, “Have you ever seen a No Trespassing sign in a neighbor’s yard or on public property?
Why do you suppose people put up No Trespassing signs? (Receive answers.)
A No Trespassing sign is a notice to people that they don’t have permission to step onto the property without permission from the owner. If people disregard the sign, oftentimes they could be fined or experience bodily danger, because vicious dogs or armed guards could be protecting the property against trespassers. In other words, it is a warning to stay away, so they don’t get hurt.
The word trespass is also found in Scripture; it means “a false step or sin.” In other words, it is disobedience against God's law, it is stepping into the wrong place or activity that God warns us against.
When Jesus taught the disciples to pray, he told them to ask God for forgiveness and to forgive others when they sin against them (Matthew 6:12). The New Testament was originally written in Greek. The word for sin in this part of Jesus' prayer is "opheilema," which in English means “a debt that is owed.” This is why many English translations of the Bible say forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Let’s say the Lord’s Prayer now. (Read Matthew 6:9-13.)
It's important to note that some English Bible translations say, “forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” And there is good reason for this too!
After Jesus taught the disciples to pray, he continued saying, “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14–15).
The word for trespass in Greek is "paraptomata." Do you remember the meaning of trespass? It means "a false step, a sin." And this is why some Bible translators use the words “trespass and trespasses” in the Lord’s Prayer, instead of “debts and debtors.”
Both phrases, debts and trespass, are important and here are the reasons why . . . continue reading.
