Finish Strong, Start Right

Intro

It is New Year’s Eve and we are the cusp of a fresh new year, untainted by mistakes or injustices. It is a clean slate and there is something exciting about a new year.

But with any new beginning, it is always important to finish strong the previous chapter strong. So this morning, we are going to do a couple of things to finish 2023 strong and set ourselves up for a great 2024.

So kick things off, I want to take some time and celebrate some of the things God has done. So I’m going to grab the hand held and give an open invitation to anyone who wants to share something good that happened this past year. This is one of the perks of being in community; if we feel like we had a bad year, it is refreshing to hear the good things that went on around us, and remind us that maybe last year wasn’t so bad.

Celebrate What God Has Done

give time for people to share

Celebrate the Goodness of God

Now there is a second part to celebrating what God has done, and this brings us to our passage for this morning. We are going to be in Matthew 18 for those who have their bible and want to follow along. The passage we are going to look at is titled something like the Unforgiving Debtor or something along those lines. In the parable we are going to look at, you are going to see a couple different things. On one hand, you are going to see the goodness of God on full display, and on the other the price of unforgiveness. My goal is to remind you or show you why it is important to have a heart of forgiveness, especially coming into a New Year.

So, here is the first part of the story. Matthew 18:21-27

Matthew 18:21–27 NLT

Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven! “Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt. “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.

The Grace of God

The story starts off with this interesting back and forth between Jesus and Peter. Now at first glance it may look like Peter is being stingy with forgiveness, especially in light of Jesus’ response. But the thing you need to know is that the rabbis of the time were telling their students they only had to forgive an offender 2, maybe 3 times. Peter’s offer of seven is comparatively quite generous.

Jesus response is that we should never fail to forgive someone, especially if they are repentant. One commentator said that as disciples, we should be known as people who forgive over and over and over and over and over again.

Then Jesus launches into this story. Important little notes that you should know. Anytime a parable refers to a king, the king always symbolizes God. Anytime there is a reference to settling accounts, it always symbolizes divine judgment.

The other thing I want to point out is the millions of dollars. This is a weaker translation that doesn’t really capture the magnitude of the point Jesus is trying to make. The literal translation is 10,000 talents. Now that number may seem significantly smaller until you understand the what each of those things means. 10,000 was the largest number used in ancient Greek calculations. For Jesus’ listeners, 10,000 was a huge number. A talent, depending on the source you used, was the equivalent of 15 years wages, or 6,000 days wages. A talent was the largest denomination of currency at the time.

So what Jesus was saying was the this debtor owed the king about 150,000 years worth of wages. For most of Jesus’ listeners, sinces they were poorer by nature, Jesus might as well said the guy owed a billion days worth of wages. Not a billion dollars, a billion days worth of wages.

The point Jesus is trying to make is that the debt is beyond unpayable. Selling the servant and his family wouldn’t have made a dent in the debt. So for the king to forgive the debtor is an unbelievable act of mercy.

What Jesus is trying to point out to Peter, the crowds, and to each of us is that you are the debtor in this story. Romans tells us that all have fallen short of the glory of God. No matter how good of a person you mught think you are, the debt of sin you owed to God is impossible to pay. The payment of sin is death, and you can only die once; that covers one sin. Now consider that the standard is God Almighty. Be holy as your Father in Heaven is holy. That means God is the standard. Every bad thought, every careless word, every evil intention of you heart; the list goes on and suddenly you begin to feel really small. If asked to make amends for it all, the only response we have is to fall on our knees like the debtor and beg.

But this isn’t actually about you. Jesus saw how absolutely hopeless the sitation was, died on a cross, took on all that guilt, shame, and sin, and because of His sacrifice, each one of received mercy.

As we come into the New Year, we pause and remember just how good our God is. We pause and remember that God has shown inexpressible mercy to each one of us, forgiving a debt none of us could have paid. If He was willing to show that level of goodness once, then we go into the new year expecting good things because our good God and Father goes with us.

But that’s not the end of the story. Matthew 18:28-35

Matthew 18:28–35 NLT

“But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment. “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full. “When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt. “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”

Forgive as You Have Been Forgiven

Remember, the debt of the first debtor was insurmountable. It was astronomical. The second guy’s debt was significantly less so. One source it was probably about 100 days wages.

The point isn’t the exact numbers, but simply to show how insignificant the second debt was.

Just as you are the person who has been forgiven a great debt, you also have to choose to forgive others. No matter how big the offense may be, you’ve been forgiven an even greater offense and are expected to do the same. Matthew 6:14-15

Matthew 6:14–15 NLT

“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.

The biggest thing you need to remember is that forgiveness actually has nothing to do with the offender, and everything to do with the one being offended.

Jon Courson said this,

Jon Courson’s Application Commentary (Chapter 18)

We all know people who are in torment and imprisoned because they will not forgive someone who’s wronged them. They’re small people in the sense that they’re no longer embracive and free. Instead, they’re restricted, tormented, uptight, tense, angry, bitter, and harsh. You see, the Lord tells us to forgive not for the sake of the offender, but for the sake of the one who has been offended. Regarding confronting problems, dealing with issues, binding and loosing, Jesus says, “Remember that you are to be a people known for forgiving over and over and over and over and over.”

Maybe you see yourself in this story. Maybe you’ve been hurt so badly that you just can’t forgive. Maybe you’re imprisoned, robbed of joy and peace, but you don’t know how to get out. The answer lies in this passage. The king commanded that the servant remain in prison until he paid his debt. But how could the servant earn money to pay his debt if he was in prison? The only way he could get out of prison was to go to his master and ask for forgiveness.

If Jesus says we are to be people who forgive over and over again, how much more will our Father forgive us when we go to Him and say, “Forgive me for not forgiving, Lord. Change my heart.” And the great thing is that He’ll not only forgive, but He’ll also forget.

God has done a great thing for each of us, and He continues to forgive, continues to show mercy and love because we are His kids.

As I read this passage from Jon Courson, I was struck because I have often felt these things. I’ve felt like I’ve been robbed of joy. I know I can be harsh and angry. Frankly, I don’t want to take any of those feelings into this New Year.

I also recognize that I have unforgiveness in my life that continues to hold me back. The truth is, you probably do to, and without even realizing it, that unforgiveness has slowly but surely sucking the life right out of you.

Forgiveness is an Action

forgiveness is something we are going to come back to frequently this year. I believe that there is a lot of unforgiveness in our church, and until we are willing to let it go, we are going to be spinning our wheels as a church. I honestly believe it is the biggest thing holding us back. So we’ll come back to it lots, but I want to give you these three things to help you in the process of forgiving, and this will be the discussion item around the table.

Luke 6:27–28 NLT

“But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.

Do good to those who hate you

Bless those who curse you

Pray for those who hurt you

this morning, take some time, identify someone you are holding onto unforgiveness towards. Ask yourself these questions. How can I do good to them? How can I bless them? How can I pray for them? What you’ll find is healing that you need more than you know.

Let’s Pray

1. What stood out in the message?

2. Identify unforgiveness in your life. Discuss at your table:

a) How can I do good to this person or group?

b) How can I bless this person or group?

c) How can I pray for them?

Write down your answers and commit to put it into practice.