Title: TAKING THE FIFTH

Focus: Jesus teaches us to take the 5th upon our lips and rest in God’s compassion.

Function: To encourage the people to rest in God’s compassion and to practice the grace of forgiveness.

Text: Psalm 103:1-22

Confession: Lord’s Day 51

 

INTRODUCTION

It happens quite often in Washington, DC: Congress calls for an official investigation of some alleged criminal activities perpetrated by a corporation or some important government official. A senate committee meets with the individuals involved and they are made to swear that they will “tell the truth and nothing but the truth.”

            As the senators put on the heat and press the individuals to reveal their business practices, one of the individuals may refuse to answer the questions, saying: “I take the fifth.” In doing so, the individual appeals to the fifth amendment of our Constitution—an amendment that protects a person from incriminating himself. In legal terms, then, taking the fifth protects us from prosecution and indictment.

 

            As we continue our exploration of the Lord’s Prayer, we now are to that point of taking the fifth petition on our lips—the petition that says: “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” Here the Lord Jesus teaches us to prayerfully take the fifth and to rest in God’s compassion. Taking the fifth is not an option for Christians. It’s a petition that comforts us and, at the same time, challenges us to practice the grace of God in our lives. “Take the fifth—and live it!” is our bottom line tonight.

 

            So, let’s take a closer look at the fifth petition of the Lord’s Prayer. Note, first of all,

 

·        Its Connection With the Fourth Petition: The fourth petition says: “Give us today our daily bread.” The fifth says, “Forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors.” Give—Forgive. Is there something here we should observe? Yes, in the fourth petition the Lord Jesus teaches us that we need God’s daily provision of food and drink for our bodies. If we don’t eat, our bodies weaken and eventually we perish physically.

 

So it is also with our spirit or soul. And thus the Lord Jesus teaches us to pray, “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” For if we do not receive forgiveness of our sins, we will die eternally; and if we do not practice the grace of forgiveness toward our neighbors, we wither away and perish spiritually and eternally. Here’s the connection: the fourth petition concerns our bodies; the fifth concerns our spirits, our souls. Note also

 

·        The Fifth’s Inherent Call to Confession: “Forgive our debts, as we forgive our debtors,” is a petition that drives us on our knees. It’s a call to daily confess our sins and sinfulness. The Catechism has caught this posture of humility in its interpretation of the fifth. Listen: “What does the fifth request mean? Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors, means, ‘Because of Christ’s blood, do not hold against us, poor sinners that we are, any of the sins we do or the evil that constantly clings to us.’”

 

            Jesus, then, teaches us to live before God with humility; we must always remember that our relationship before God is marred, stained, spoiled by sin. God wants us on our knees, so that we can be raised up and stand before him “Not Guilty” only because of God’s love and grace in his Son, the Lord Jesus. A contrite spirit leads to a grateful heart. A spirit of confession teaches us to look for the Savior’s shed blood. And that, in turn, leads to gratitude and the practice of grace in our lives. Therefore, the Lord Jesus wants us to take the fifth upon our lips.

            Some versions of the fifth say: “Forgive our debts. Other versions use the translation “sins” or our “trespasses.” Each translation brings out a nuance that may be helpful for spiritual reflection. The translation of “debts” makes us realize that our relationship with God is one of a debt relationship. We are in God’s debt.

 

The wages of our sins or trespasses is death. And since we cannot pay the wages of our sins ourselves (and thus avoid or overcome death), we are spiritually bankrupt. Our debts cry out before God and weigh down on us. My actual sins and my sinful condition drive me to take the fifth—and to appeal to Jesus’ shed blood. Thus we see the fifth’s inherent call to confession. Note also,

 

·        The Fifth’s Neighborly

Component: Jesus wants his followers to practice the grace of forgiveness. In other words, when I am able to forgive my neighbor, I give evidence of God’s grace and workings in my own life. The gift of God’s forgiveness is a gift that is supposed to keep on giving. This is not easy to do. For taking the fifth means that I must give up any anger, bitterness or resentment that I may have toward my neighbor. When someone has wronged me, I must be willing to give up any resentment so that the grace of God’s (having come to me from God’s love in Christ) will also be at work in me reaching out to my neighbor. Letting go of bitterness and hatred is not easy. (Tell story of my Dad and this German tourist).

That’s why Jesus teaches us to take the fifth upon our lips. And that’s why we do well to rest in God’s compassion.

 

I say this in light of what we learn in Psalm 103. Psalm 103 is a beautiful psalm, often used in the context of the Lord’s Supper. Consider

 

·        Its Frame: the psalmist speaks of God’s characteristics and actions with eloquence and joy. The psalmist is like a painter, painting the beauty and works of God on the canvas of poetry or song. Then the psalmist frames his song. In verses 1 and 2 he draws us into his own heart as he begins with a call to you and me and all the nations of the world saying: “Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits….” This is the top frame of his song—and the focus is on us here on earth.

 

            The bottom frame of the psalm is focused on the heavens: Listen: “Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.” Here the focus is the heavens.

 

            And then the psalmist pulls it all together in that very last verse, where he says: “Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the Lord, O my soul.” Psalm 103 is like a painting, framed from top to bottom with a call to praise the Lord in the heavens and in the earth. It’s a beautiful psalm that covers the territory of God’s character and actions. Consider, for example,

 

·        Its Structure: If you think of psalm 103 as a country, then the psalmist leads us to explore two parts of the country: the first part (vs. 3-5) celebrates God’s benefits toward his people. And the second part (vs. 6-19) recites God’s mercies toward his people. In fact, in that second part we note that the psalmist points to God’s compassion toward sinners, and God’s merciful disposition toward our frailty as human beings. As the psalmist says: (vs. 14) “For God himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.”

 

            I want to focus for a few minutes on God’s mercies toward his people. Those mercies are heavenly benefits that come our ways. For example, there is

 

·        The Benefit of God Revealing Himself to Us So That We May Know Him: Listen: (vs. 7) “(God) made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel….” In his mercies, God enables us to seek him, and serve him. God enables us to experience wholeness and life as we seek to love him and our neighbors. Thus God reveals himself to us in his holy Word. He also reveals himself in his Son, the Lord Jesus. How blessed we are to know the Lord through his Word and through the mighty acts and presence of Jesus in our lives.

 

            Through his Word and Spirit, God directs us today; God reflects his perfect character and will to us today. And through the teachings of Jesus, and through the taking of the fifth, we now may experience God’s shalom. Thus we praise God for the benefits he has revealed to us. God also shows his mercies toward us as he showers us with his grace. Indeed,

 

·        God Is Gracious and Compassionate. Listen: (vs. 8-11) “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his loving kindness toward those who fear him.”

 

            You see, congregation, we may take the fifth praying, “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors,” because God is gracious. Yes, he takes our sins seriously. But through the shed blood of Jesus, God eagerly, willingly forgives us. Thus his compassion comes our way as we strike a posture of humility and confession. The psalmist is clear on this truth. God’s compassion toward us can be clearly seen in this benefit:

 

·        God Removes Our Sins: Listen (vs. 12) “As far as the east is from the west, so far has (God) removed our transgressions from us.”  It’s not Ajax, or Tide or any other soap that can cleanse us from sin. It’s God—through Christ—who makes us spotless, clean, and holy. This is why the Catechism interprets the fifth petition with this appeal at the very beginning of its prayer: “Because of Christ’s blood, do not hold against us, poor sinners that we are, any of the sins we do or the evil that constantly clings to us.” You see? It’s the blood of Jesus that forms the basis for us taking the fifth: Forgiveness is only possible because of Jesus’ shed blood. And God is the One who has made this possible, by giving up his One and Only Son, that we should not perish, but have eternal life.

 

            By taking the fifth upon our lips and resting in God’s compassion, we learn to live humbly before God, with gratitude in our hearts; we learn to practice the grace of God by reaching out to others with God’s forgiveness. Thus we develop the mind of Christ; and thus we experience the peace of Christ more and more as we take the fifth.

 

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.