Sermon Tone Analysis

! \\ *Finding The Freedom To Forgive*

/ /

*Scripture*/: Matthew 18:21-35/

 

21 ¶ Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me?

Up to seven times?"  22  Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

{Or seventy times seven}  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 talents {That is, *millions of pounds*} 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  "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, *cancelled 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 denarii.

{That is, a few pounds} 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 you 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 greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.

32  "Then the master called the servant in.

`*You wicked servant*,' he said, `I cancelled 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 turned 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 from your heart."

!!!

No Offense

 

"Of course you have to work hard to offend Christians.

By nature Christians are the most forgiving, understanding and thoughtful group of people I've ever dealt with.

They never assume the worst at the get-go, they appreciate the importance of having different perspectives, they're slow to anger, quick to forgive and almost never make rash judgments or act in anything less than a spirit of total love.

"No, wait -- I'm thinking of Labrador retrievers."

By DAVIDLEARN

 

!! 1.

The Enormity Of The Debt

 

It is a common struggle for people to accurately assess their true need for God and the extent of their indebtedness to Him

 

This “servant” was in debt to the tune of “millions” of dollars.

And he had nothing to show for it.

Paul writes in Romans, /“The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”/

We add to that debt everyday we live without God.

Every Sunday as you come and go from church in an unregenerate or unsaved state – in a broken relationship with God.

Ø      You borrow time from God.  Everyone of us live on borrowed time when you come to think about it.

You assume that He will grant you a last minute leap of faith into His arms.

He’ll forgive you all right enough if you have time to breathe a prayer.

Ø      You borrow from the mercy bank as you live a self-sufficient existence.

God looks down and sees the bankrupt soul living on the illusion of plenty.

How do we get that far in debt?

Rev.

3:17 - "You say 'I am rich.'"

We have a very difficult time gaining a picture of our spiritual condition.

He was a servant.

What people owe us should lose significance when our debt has been canceled.

When it is within your ability to pass on a blessing that you have been freely given - God help us when we hoard.

Why is it difficult for us to assess the true state of our souls?

We hold up false standards.

a)     We compare ourselves to the failings of others and say that we are “better” than this or that person.

b)     We think that “good” is the bar.

If we are good people and treat others fairly then that will do.

You may go through life without offending your neighbor but he~/she will not be the one to determine whether or not you find your way to heaven someday.

You might get a good reference but what would that mean.

You neighbor will not determine whether or not you are in a right standing with God.

When I say  that a person is a good person, I am speaking of my own personal experience with them.

That is all that I can speak from.

What we do in the here and now does not negate a pre-existing state in which every man, woman, boy and girl finds themselves.

They are in a broken relationship with God.

Regardless of how loving and compassionate God is, the restoration of that relationship depends on what you do with the judicial sacrifice of Christ.

He took your penalty, he paid the price for your sin.

He looked into the future two thousand years and saw your sinfulness and determined to provide for your forgiveness.

The holy nature of a loving God demands that sin be “atoned” for.

He cannot merely say as we do – “That’s okay.”

He tells us that our basis for approaching Him is in the sacrifice of His son.

I treat people as I find them – Ray Shalala

 

c)      Our sense of goodness can never be anything more than an expression of our values.

The Rich Young Ruler.

(movies)

 

 

2.

The Extent Of His Pardon

 

It is a common struggle for Christians to live fully within their privilege as a forgiven son~/daughter of God.

He saved his neck.

We have a difficult time understanding the implications of our privileged position.

We have a freedom that we often fail to exercise.

We are like the dog taken off his leash - conditioned to stay within a limited radius, we have come to accept the limits of our bondage and to preserve these in our freedom.

He cast himself on someone else's mercy.

He had nothing to offer.

There was no hope that he ever could have repaid his debt.

He had proven himself to be nothing but a user - nothing to show for all that he had been given.

It's amazing how little we need when we have no debt - we have greater freedom than the person who has much and is bound by his obligations.

There are people who come to faith in Christ who think that they are on a long term repayment plan.

You see salvation is a gift and God doesn’t want you to try to “pay him back”.

I am indebted to people in my life that I am unable to repay in a thousand lifetimes.

I am head over heels in debt to God and he has canceled that account.

Paid in full!

How do you respond to that?

I find myself in love with Him and this love becomes my impetus – my motivation for living – to demonstrate my love – not to repay a non-existent debt.

It makes for a totally different experience.

Knowing God’s forgiveness personally in my life causes me to see other people differently.

Ø      I didn’t earn what I have been given.

Sort of like an honorary doctorate.

It doesn’t separate me from the common folk – it is a merely a title conferred upon me by someone else who has the authority to so bless me.

Do I use the title?

Not much if any.

Ø      I am no different than others who have not been forgiven.

My relationship with God is different but that’s it.

I can claim no resident goodness of my own.

It is the daily working out or the demonstration of that relationship that counts.

Does God look at my life and see the expression of love for Him manifested.

Ø      It’s makes me want to “bless” others with the same relationship that I know.

When I talk to others of Christ, I am extending a wonderful invitation to know Him fully – to be “debt-free” as well.