Introduction
Let me begin with a discipleship question: how will you follow Jesus in prayer and dependence on God this week?
Main Points
In this lesson shaped by Calvary Boise's teaching on PARABLES OF JESUS: The Unforgiving Servant, Christ invites us to receive truth with humility, practice repentance, and walk in faithful obedience.
Sin and Salvation
We're gonna jump into this story right in the middle of Matthew chapter 18 and the to set the stage for this Matthew 18. Is really the playbook for the church on how to come alongside people and really encourage them to work out whatever sin or hurt.
- Has existed in that relationship so the beginning of the chapter Jesus is telling his disciples the dangers of sin and what that causes.
- And how serious that his kingdom deals with sin and then he walks them through how important it is to not let sin break.
- Up a relationship and the roadmap for a church to come alongside to people that are struggling with some offense and how they can.
- Work together within a church system to make sure that gets reconciled and the question that now comes up that should come up anytime.
You really study what it means to work out your differences with somebody to what extent or how often are you supposed to do. That what do you do with somebody who's continually hurting you or what do you do with something that just doesn't seem to be.
Repentance and Renewal
Have to wrestle through in our own ideas of what it means to be a forgiving person now of course Jesus is gonna answer. This question the way he usually does when you look for Jesus to give you some clear boundaries or some post mile posts that.
- You can put on how we extend compassion mercy love and forgiveness it's really hard to find the boundaries of Jesus it's really hard.
- To look to Jesus and his example and his teaching and find what the cutoff is for when you can finally be finished with.
- Someone and that's exactly what Jesus gives him as an answer he says I don't say to you up to seven times but up.
- To seventy times seven now what this is not supposed to say is oh there's your number 490 if you count through 490 times.
That you've reconciled with someone and that 491 you quit you've missed the point don't give up on someone is what Jesus is saying. Stop keeping count it goes so far beyond what you would think times it by 70 so that you stop thinking there's a boundary.
Sin and Salvation
It can be as much as a year's worth of wage for a talent so in this we have 10,000 talents remember Peter says. Seven Jesus says let me tell you a story about a guy who owes ten thousand talents if you read some of the updated. Versions of the Bible one of them is the New Living Translation they're gonna give it to you in numbers that will make sense. To us it says a certain man owed in a owed millions of dollars that's a number that still should land as an unpayable. Amount for most of us if in this room there is a debt of millions of dollars hanging over this man's head and it's. Now time to pay the loan and what happens it says but he was not able to pay and that's a very important aspect. Of this story whatever number you need to understand the amount of this know that it is something that he can never pay on. His own this is a debt that is hanging over his head that is now beyond his ability to ever figure it out on. His own and since he's not able to pay his master does a very reasonable thing he commands that he be sold with his. Wife and children all that he had so that payment could be made here's how that looks in our day and age let's say. You take out a loan to buy your dream house it's a dream how she really couldn't afford and your salary doesn't match up. With your mortgage and all of a sudden you owe more than you could ever afford to make payments on and the bank comes. Soon and says today is the day that we need our money back and you can't pay it so what does the bank do. Well we know what the bank does the bank says this house is no longer yours take your children and your wife and you. And leave we'll take the house now and we'll put it up for auction so that payment could be made and they'll get whatever. They can out of the house that's essentially what is happening here and now here's the part of the story that's going to teach. Us about the heart of God this is the story that some of you just need to get this far because in this story. God is as a king that is owed a lot of money.
Sin and Salvation
And someone has come before him who can never pay listen closely because that's gonna be all of us it's gonna be all of. Us when we really take inventory of what we God we created us to live in His perfect will we've all taken out debt. In the form of sin and failure in ways that we've broken his moral law and when it comes to settling your accounts with. Your maker it is beyond your ability to ever make right and so listen to this part of the story that the man can't. Pay back the debt so what happens the servant therefore fell down before the king saying Master have patience with me and I will. Pay you all so heart of God on display in the character of the king and the master the master of the servant was. Moved with compassion and instead of putting him in jail instead of removing his livelihood and selling all that this man had to his. Name he's moved with compassion he is released and all is forgiven know that this is his story about the heart of God in. Our study of the parables one of the great themes has been any time that Jesus has a character in a story that is. Supposed to teach us about God the character is lavishly and beyond measure loving compassionate and merciful some of you don't need me to. Explain what this debt represents in the story because you've come into this place knowing all too well that you've got guilt and shame. And things in your life that you can't pay off on your own you've been running from them all your life and you come. In here and here's what you need after this you can go home if you want God is happy that you're here and when. Your debt is brought before him he is moved with compassion and he wants you to hear this story of how he wants to. Make you a debt-free person when it comes to the burdens of your life when it comes to what you owe in the form. Of who you are created to be the good work that you were created to walk in and he's just can't on your own. We believe in a God who is represented by a forgiving praise God and good news but that's not where the story ends unfortunately. We also need to continue listening because there's a great warning that's.
Repentance and Renewal
Going to come on to how this man and each one of us respond to the gospel good news that was just shared this. Morning this man is going to give us an example of how we get this wrong remember the question of the hour is what. Do I do with people who've hurt me we're starting the story by saying there's a man in a lot of debt there's a. Man who's been forgiven and what's the proper response for that man here's what he does verse 28 but that servant went out and. Found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii now if you were continuing to read this in the New Living. Translation it would give you the first servant owing millions to the king he is now left after being forgiven to find someone who. Owes him a hundred denarii that they translate into thousands he's been forgiven of millions he's calling a debt for thousands do you see. The scale that Jesus has created for every one of us to weigh our lives by what does this man do with a servant. Who now owes him a small amount and compared to what was forgiven he laid hands on him and he took him by the. Throat saying pay me what you owe so his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him saying have patience with me. And I'll pay you do you remember we just read that line remember who just said that the servant who has given all of. This mercy so much was forgiven said the same thing and what does he do as his response he would not forgive him but. He went and threw him into prison that the debt should be paid so when his fellow servants saw what he had done they. Were very grieved and they told and they came and told the King all that had been done and then the master after he. Called him said to him you wicked servant I forgave you all that debt because you begged me should you not also have had. Compassion on your fellow servant just as I had pity on you what's been done in your life isn't it only right but in. All the ways you've experienced forgiveness compassion and mercy isn't it right that you give a small amount of it back to somebody else. That's the beginning of the question of the hour what do we.
Grace and Justification
Do with people who have heard us well let's start with what has done it what God has done with our own failures and. Forms of guilt and it's important we get this right because as much as we study how to live in the kingdom the parables. Also give us very strict and real warnings of what will make you someone who doesn't belong in the kingdom at all remember the. Story of the of the servant who buried his talents and the parable of the talents what happened if the Lord gave him the. Resource he gave him this money to be a good steward of and he was so afraid that he wouldn't do well that he. Buried and did nothing so that the master came back and said listen you did nothing with the gift that I gave you then. Give it back to me and you can leave my kingdom in that story the lesson was listen God wants to use our lives. God has made us for a purpose and a reason he's given you things to do with your life for his glory and your. Joy and your satisfaction but if you don't want to do them then just leave the kingdom and we have another warning a similar. Warning this is why this is such an important topic this morning what happens to this man as he has been so unmerciful in. Light of all that was forgiven it says the master was so angry in verse 34 that he delivered him to the torturers until. He should pay all that was due to him all of a sudden all of that debt is back verse 35 so my heavenly. Father also will do to each of you from his heart who does not forgive his brother his trespasses what we have just discovered. In the word today is one of the high effective the kingdom of God we get we get really caught up on what we. Shouldn't do and what we should do as church people we know we shouldn't steal we know we shouldn't lie we know we shouldn't. Commit adultery we know we shouldn't do things that are so clearly bad stuff and one thing that we forget that maybe is much. Higher offense maybe the greatest offense of the kingdom this is the fence that will get you removed from the kingdom unforgiveness hard heart. Towards someone that is in need of mercy if you're unwilling to.
Repentance and Renewal
Extend it that is as just not tolerated in the kingdom and it reminds us how we get into the kingdom in the first. Place none of us deserve to be in the family of God it's just your understanding of the radical forgiveness of God that eradicate. All of your sin brings you into relationship with God and it is what keeps the kingdom moving forgiveness and mercy and compassion it. Is the economy of the kingdom if you want to be in the kingdom use the currency forgiveness now it's really important that you. Are a person that answers the question of how do I live in the kingdom with an answer of with compassion mercy and forgiveness. And a radical and loving way and you got to answer it right so this morning I'm gonna go back to the bad example. This is the unmerciful servant how did he get it wrong why did he have such a wrong opposite reaction in a way that. Got him removed from the kingdom and I asked that question because I realized in my own life and probably in your life we. Get the answer wrong with what to do with our own sin and guilt we don't if we don't handle our sin and guilt. Correctly with God we will not handle the relationships that we have with one another correctly and will be walking towards hardness apart unforgiveness. And no activity in the kingdom so how do we get it wrong I'm gonna give three very basic answers that I see come. Up in this text that I can relate to and how is not the right way to handle sin guilt and a sense of. Failure between you and God and when we do it these ways it sets us up to then have broken relationships in extension in. Our lives three ways one bury it your sense of guilt that maybe you feel right now I don't need to tell you about. It because you know what you've done wrong there's a temptation to bury it number two blame others there's blames shift and number three. Is to bargain and we'll see versions of that in this and then really throughout the word that often time what's happening rather than. Us realize the radical compassion and mercy and forgiveness and love of God in our lives because we accept it we are dealing with. Our guilt and our sim by bearing blaming and bargaining here's how.
We return to the opening teaching: discipleship is not just information, it is transformation through faith and obedience to Jesus. If we receive His Word and walk it out, He will shape us into people who endure and bear fruit.
Lord Jesus, help me hear Your Word, obey it with faith, and grow as Your disciple. Amen.
Conclusion
We return to the opening teaching: discipleship is not just information, it is transformation through faith and obedience to Jesus. If we receive His Word and walk it out, He will shape us into people who endure and bear fruit.
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, help me hear Your Word, obey it with faith, and grow as Your disciple. Amen.