Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

Forgiveness

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Matthew 18:15–35 NIV

15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. 18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” 21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. 23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. 26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. 28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. 29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ 30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened. 32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. 35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

Church Discipline

Matthew 18:15–20 NIV

15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. 18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

1 Timothy 5:19–21 NIV

19 Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. 20 But those elders who are sinning you are to reprove before everyone, so that the others may take warning. 21 I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism.

2 Corinthians 13:1 NIV

1 This will be my third visit to you. “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”

Peter’s Question

How many times Lord?

Matthew 18:21–22 NIV

21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

A Tale of Two Men.

Jesus’s Illustration

Matthew 18:23–35 NIV

23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. 26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. 28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. 29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ 30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened. 32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. 35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

The first man…

- Matthew 18:21-35

The second man…

- 2 Samuel 12:1-6

Confession is an agreement with God that we are guilty.

2 Samuel 12:7- David…you are that man.

Confession is a cry for relief from the weight and guilt of sin

Psalm 51:1–4 (Background story: David you are that man. You are the one who is guilty of sinning against the Lord. He has been so good to you yet you desired something that wasn’t yours. You lusted after something that you shouldn’t have. You should have been out at battle but instead you were idle and in your idleness you committed idolatry and adultery. Not only did you sleep with a married man’s wife, you then had her husband killed to cover up your sin. The guilt and shame of what you done was weighing you down and the only way you thought you could get past it was to sin more. To lie, and murder.

David’s prayer after being confronted for his decisions regarding Bathsheba and her husband Uriah

He responded to the ministry of the Word of God. David committed an egregious act that blemished his character. After months of no expressions of remorse or guilt, he was confronted by the Word of God through Nathan.

David is desperate; he is feeling the guilt, and he knows he has failed God. He knows that if he does not do something to lighten the weight of shame on his shoulders, his brokenness and dishonor will kill him. He wants to talk to God. He knows what God can do.

Acknowledge the debilitating effects of sin. David recognized his behavior as depraved, corrupt, and completely disconnected from God. In desperation, he offers his sin-stained soul up to God.

“Have mercy on me, O God . . . blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from sin” (Ps. 51:1–2). Psalms 32:3-4 depicts the painful reality of guilt and shame (bones in pain, groaning all day, hand of God heavy on him, strength sapped).

Recognize that sin cannot be kept hidden for long. 1. David presented his soul to God, looking for mercy and grace. 2. “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me” (Ps. 51:3).

II. Confession makes Christ the rightful owner of your sin and shame.

A. The text: Psalm 51:4–9 (Additional verses: Psalm 103:12; Matthew 11:28, 27:46)

We do not need to negotiate. David found no other option to trust in the relentless love of God who is willing to do something about his deprave heart. He does not try to balance his wrongdoings with his good service record. He throws himself directly towards God’s mercy when seeking forgiveness.

Psalm 51:7

God paid the price so that we do not have to keep our sin. At the center of God’s grace and mercy is His willingness to own the sin that affects us. He paid the price in blood when He hanged upon a cross for all the world to see. On the cross, He felt the weight of sin and its effects in His relationship with the Father (Matt. 27:46). Now, He can own every sin that breaks your back, keeps you awake, demands to be hidden, and affects your character.

God is sufficient to handle our sin. As believers, we rarely question if God can handle the amount of sin we carry. Our dilemma is if we trust Him enough to confess them, lay them down at His feet, and make Him the owner of our shame. Jesus is the only One that can claim, own, and dispose of our sin.

1 John 1:9 reads, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

he goes on to say in Chapter 2:1-2, “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”

You are forgiven. Your sin is washed as white as snow when you confess your sin to the Father. He forgives you not based on what you have done, but what Jesus has done for you.

And because we have been forgiven from all our sin. The shame the guilt the sorrow is washed away. You are as white as snow. Because you now have an advocate in case you do sin again, and he does not condemn you but forgives you….

Jesus teaches us to pray… and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.

III. Confession agrees we have a part to play in receiving and extending forgiveness.

See until we realize that we are the man...the first man. It is easy for us to hold on to anger, bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness.

But harboring all this is nothing short of prison. It keeps our souls locked up tight, and it gives Satan a foothold.

Matthew 6:12

“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.”

Do you know what you pray if you actually pray these words. You are asking God to forgive you to the extent that you forgive others.

That may be a scary thought for some of us.

And how do we know that’s what Jesus is saying?

Because after he teaches this model prayer…he explains this in verse 14…14 “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15 But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Some of you may not be feeling very forgiven, like you cannot shake the feeling that God is disappointed in you.

John Bevere (2014). “The Bait of Satan, writes…

A PERSON WHO CANNOT FORGIVE HAS FORGOTTEN HOW GREAT A DEBT GOD HAS FORGIVEN THEM.

By harboring unforgiveness we are guilty of being the First Man.

See sometimes someone or something hurts you.

They pour out what feels like a 5 gallon bucket of offense.

And you try to forgive them. You grab your cup and you offer forgiveness but that isn’t enough…there is still offense weighing you down.