Unlocking Freedom through Forgiveness

There is nothing good about Debt.

Financial debt: borrowing money with interest is not a good thing. The Bible calls that a form of slavery. You are enslaved to your lender…

Material debt: Borrowing something that you lost or broke.

Borrowing a truck to move and messed up the tailgate.

Time debt: When people give up their time and you feel obligated to pay that person back but you can’t.

But sin is also a debt. People hurt us, we hurt others, we lash out, others lash out on us.

We deal with that pain because of sin but the question is, what do we do with that hurt and pain?

What do we do when others sin against us and what do we do when we sin against others?

Jesus used the parable of the unforgiving servant to illustrate the necessity and power of forgiveness.

READ: Matthew 18:21-35

PRAY

Jesus gave us the power to forgive so we must respond to receiving HIS forgivness but also forgiving those who have sinned against us.

Harboring unforgiveness can lead to spiritual and emotional bondage, but true freedom can only be found in extending the same grace that Jesus has shown us to those around us.

Christ's ultimate act of forgiveness was when HE went to the cross forgiving us from our insurmountable debts.

Our own forgiveness from God compels us to forgive others and when we forgive others it transforms our relationships by giving us real freedom.

True freedom comes when we embrace forgiveness and break free from the chains of resentment and bitterness. No matter how deep the stronghold might be, we have the power to forgive through the love of God. Jesus came to break every stronghold in our life (including unforgivness) in order to give us real and lasting freedom.

Forgiveness does not mean that we have to be friends with the people who hurt us. But, we need to release our hurts by forgiving the people who hurt us so that God can do that deep work of healing in our hearts. That’s where freedom begins.

1. Pondering Peter's Perspective

Matthew 18:21–27 NLT

21 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” 22 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven! 23 “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. 24 In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. 25 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. 26 “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ 27 Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.

Peter’s question to Jesus indicated that there must be some sort of limit when it comes to forgiveness. Peter’s question revealed a common struggle with extending grace.

How much grace should I give a repeat offender? 7 times…

Jesus said not 7 times but 70 times 7.

Jesus is saying that we are not to keep track of numbers at all. There ought to be no limit to a believer’s willingness to forgive another believer

However in the verses prior, Jesus gave instructions on what we need to do to restore a relationship as believers. (18:15–20).

All believers ought to willingly forgive others freely because God has already forgiven us way beyond what anyone has or will ever do to us.

This parable shows that the king had an overwhelming amount of compassion and generosity because this was not just a few hundred bucks, this was an enormous amount of money that was forgiven.

This was 10,000 talents… In today economy that would be about 20 Million dollars. This was an amount of debt that was impossible for this servant to ever pay off.

The debt that we carry is so much more then we could ever work off. The sin that we need God to forgive is so much more beyond our efforts.

Romans 3:23 NIV

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Isaiah 53:6 ESV

6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

God lavishes HIS mercy on us through Christ. We have received God’s unlimited forgiveness therefore what we have received from God we must then give to others.

Think about how forgiveness brings personal freedom in our relationship with God. Jesus want us to have that same freedom in our relationship with one another as we forgive those who hurt us it releases us from burdens of resentment.

Forgiveness is a choice. Nobody can force anyone to forgive but we must take responsibility for our choices and operate in God’s grace.

If you refuse to work towards forgiveness, you develop handicapped emotions. You’ll stunt your growth with grudges, no matter how important they seem to you.

Jesus is saying forgive others without limits as I have forgiven you without limits.

2. Paradox of the Pardoned

Matthew 18:28 NLT

28 “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.

After the king had forgiven this servants debt of 20 million dollars, he ran into one of his fellow servants (probably a subordinate) who owed him a hundred denarii, which was about a hundred days’ wages for a common laborer.

He wanted him to pay him back every penny so he grabbed him by the throat and demanded full payment.

The man owed him a few thousand dollars but compared to the millions, it was extremely small.

Jesus’ point was to show the ungratefulness of this forgiven man to be so cruel by punishing his fellow servant for such a relatively small amount of money.

When we think about the stark contrast between the response from the forgiven servant and his refusal to forgive a fellow servant is astounding.

Matthew 18:29–30 ESV

29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt.

This second servant responded the same way as the first one. He also fell to his knees and begged for patience and time. He did not request cancellation of the debt; instead, he promised to repay it. The only difference between these two scenarios was that this second servant’s request was not impossible. He would be able to repay his debt given a little bit of time.

But the first servant refused, having the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.

This was not unusual. In Bible times, serious consequences awaited those who could not pay their debts.

A person lending money could seize the borrower who couldn’t pay and force him or his family to work until the debt was paid.

The debtor could also be thrown into prison, or his family could be sold into slavery (as the king had planned to do to the first servant) to help pay off the debt.

So the debtor, while in prison, would sell off his property and possessions or that relatives would pay the debt. If not, the debtor could remain in prison for life.

We are appalled at this servants response but how often do we hold onto grievances despite knowing grace.

God wants us to let those things go and choose to forgive. No matter how large the debt may be the debt Jesus paid for our redemption is so much greater. The reality is that unforgivness never punishes the person who hurt us, it actually only hurts us. Satan will use unforgiveness and bitterness to keep us in bondage but Jesus came to set us free.

Luke 6:37–38 ESV

37 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

Grace is an act of generosity and there is great blessing when we give grace and we choose to forgive. Christ's call to forgive, suggest that forgiveness offers freedom from these self-imposed chains, liberating our spirit.

3. Consequences of Unforgiveness

Matthew 18:31–35 NLT

31 “When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. 32 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. 33 Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ 34 Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt. 35 “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”

Jesus came to set us free by forgiving us and giving us the opportunity to forgive others. But forgivness is a choice but with every choice there is a consequence.

The unforgiving servant faced sever consequences for his response to his fellow servant.

The king, who had been so merciful, was angry with the servant for accepting the King’s forgiveness and then being unwilling to extend forgiveness to another. The king’s question was rhetorical.

Matthew 18:33 NLT

33 Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’

Of course, the servant should have had mercy on his fellow servant but choose not to.

In light of all that God has forgiven us, how can we refuse to forgive the small hurts that we experience?

The serious call to forgive as we have been forgiven brings eternal consequences. The king's judgment reflects divine wisdom and justice, urging an authentic response to God’s mercy.

Because Jesus endured the cross we can now live in HIS freedom as HE unlocks our hearts towards others.

Through forgiveness, we not only live out God's commandments but also experience a deeper freedom and peace.

When we don’t forgive others, we are saying that we appreciate God’s love and forgiveness but that we’re unwilling to give it to anyone else.

TAKE AWAY:

SEARCH your HEART: Are we carrying around any unforgivness?

SEEK the LORD: Come to Jesus and as for HIS strength to forgive.

ACT in OBEDIENCE: Go to that person, express your hurt or offense, and then express your forgivness.

LIVE FREE: Enjoy real freedom as you release the control of unforgiveness to God.