Unleash the Power of Forgiveness in Your Life

What happens when someone who has power over you, has authority over you, suddenly demands an accounting of your life? What then? No excuses, no passing the buck, no evading responsibility and, worse, no power to overcome the predicament we find ourselves in. What then?

Jesus today talks about the Father having authority over all of creation. In fact, the Bible talks about Jesus Himself coming again someday to judge the living and the dead. All things are ordered by Him. All things-all people-are accountable to Him. The day is coming when the right questions must be answered, when the new heavens and the new earth-made possible by Jesus' death and resurrection-they'll become a reality for all to see. Will you be ready for that day?

Well, let's assess our abilities then. Will you give yourself an honest look with me? How much control do you have over your own life? I mean if you're honest, it's a bit terrifying to think about how vulnerable we are to so many things.

Let me illustrate. A few years ago, I traveled to Australia, beautiful place. We were in the south, and it was lovely. It was serene. But I'm told that if you go out to the east coast of Australia or travel to the more rural parts of the country, there are some critters there that will bring terror into your life in mere moments. Yes, I'm talking about the spiders. Let's just put it this way: I don't like spiders or snakes. No, I don't. But in reality, thank God, they tend to stay in their God-ordered place in this world and, by and large, they are blessings to human beings, not curses.

But then I read this terrifying headline from The Washington Post. For some reason, The Post wrote a story that considered what would happen if spiders suddenly turned on us, or left their God-ordained places in the ecosystem. The headline read, "Spiders could theoretically eat every human being on earth in one year." Yikes! You heard that right. Spiders could eat every human being on earth in one year, and what's even worse, they would still be hungry!

Spiders eat four- to eight-hundred million tons of prey each year. Now, that is a lot. But thankfully, it's mainly insects. But what if they turned on us? According to the article, all of humanity weighs somewhere around 280-million tons. That means the spiders could deal with us, and they could venture through the drive-thru for another round. Wow!

But here's where the article gets more personal. It said something even more disturbing. Researchers found that spiders exist in 100 percent of homes, and they found spiders in over two-thirds of the bathrooms and almost three-quarters of the bedrooms. So even if a portion of this article is true, I'm thanking God right now that these little critters are basically afraid of us, that they look to eradicate the bugs and the mosquitoes around our house, and that they aren't ornery and cantankerous in relationship to me. Thank God!

Now, why do I talk about these spiders today? Well, I talk about their place and our place in the world. Well, the article showed me again how vulnerable we are just to the things of this world. That article showed me how little of this life we actually have in our control. There are so many forces that actually keep things in order, that keep things from going off the rails, and even in the little things, we often don't have much power over any of it.

Jesus is talking about our place in things and what God ultimately wants for every one of us. The story Jesus tells us is compelled by a question. Peter asked him a question about forgiveness, living the way God wants us to live and, before answering, Jesus has to teach them-and us-that life and salvation-those aren't things that are in our hands. Why? Because this is God's world, and life is ordered, judged, and redeemed on His terms.

You might say that when Peter asks about forgiving-how to do it-Jesus simply teaches His disciples what things look like when God is King. He then called them to live in that Kingdom on God's terms.

You see, when God runs things, love and mercy are the most important forces. When God is in control, love seeks opportunity to forgive and to have mercy. When God is ruling, the Kingdom looks much different than when we're in charge.

In Matthew 18, Jesus teaches that when God is in charge, greatness looks like weakness and humility. When God is in charge, greatness is found in mercy and forgiveness. When God is in charge, greatness is love: God's love on His terms.

Peter heard all this talk about forgiving, and he still wanted to reduce the discussion to his terms. It's like he said, "Hey, Jesus, tell us the rules of God's game. How many times do I have to do this or have to do that? How often do I have to live this way?" He then asked Jesus, "How many times should I forgive my brother when he sins. Seven?" In other words, "Tell me the rules that I have to follow to do things my way in God's kingdom," and, by the way, we would have asked a similar question, but we probably would have said, "Hey, Jesus, how does three times sound?"

So Peter presents this to Jesus. In his mind, and in yours and mine, too, seven times to him is ridiculous, and surely Jesus will say that seven is just too many times. He'll say that seven is extreme, Peter. But Jesus not only says the opposite, He says something incredible. He says to Peter that he should forgive not seven times, but seven times seventy, or seventy-seven, times, an incredible number, beyond number, beyond your ability to remember how many times because forgiveness has no end. It has no measure. Just forgive.

Then Jesus illustrates the reality of how things are when God is in control. He tells a story. The kingdom of heaven is like a king who wants to settle accounts with his servants. Jesus wants you to get the picture today about what happens when the king decides when he wants to settle accounts. And what if the king is God? How is your account before God? The Bible says that God is coming again to judge the living and the dead on our own merits. If you're like me, we're in trouble.

This is exactly what happens to the first man in the parable that Jesus tells. The king comes to settle accounts, and the servant cannot pay what he owes. As a matter of fact, it would take him thousands of years to pay off his debt. It simply wasn't possible. He needs the mercy of his master. If the king really does settle his accounts, the first servant is in deep trouble. He can't even offer his life in payment. He would require an eternity of lifetimes even to pay.

Remember this is God's kingdom. He is the King of kings. These are His rules. He's the Creator. We're not. Jesus reminds us all of just who orders things.

Here's another thought. God knows everything. He knows your secret thoughts. He knows your hidden deeds. He knows the things that you've done that you aren't proud of. He knows the things that you've stuffed back into the recesses of your memory, hoping that no one will ever find out. He knows everything you and I have ever done, thought, or said, and He knows how imperfect they really are. He knows everything, and He's coming to settle accounts.

When this king in the story comes to settle accounts-our sin, our rebellion, our lawless hearts and minds-that reality means that we're not able to dwell in His kingdom. We won't be able to stand in the glow of His righteousness and judgment. If that's the only message you know and the only part of the story Jesus told, you'd be ill informed. You might feel boxed in, helpless, without hope, and if it was up to you and me, you'd be right.

But the good news is that while God is in control, that He orders things in the face of sin and rebellion, He even acts out of love on our behalf to reconcile us to Himself, even though we don't deserve any of it.

While it's true, when the king comes to settle accounts-without any more action by the king-you and I would be in deep trouble. Like the story says, everyone owes what they cannot pay. We need the forgiveness, not just for our sins; we need it for our best efforts, too, because they are tainted with pride and arrogance as well.

The king comes to settle accounts. From the Bible's point of view, he settled the account in a way that is totally different than anything we could imagine or think. The king came to settle accounts by paying the penalty of our sin and debt so that we might have life with Him, and that's the whole message of the Gospel in a nutshell. Jesus came as the King. He came to settle accounts. He came to pay the price for our sin, our rebellion, our lack of love, and He did it by taking our eternal punishment on His shoulders, and unleashing God's real forgiveness and salvation through faith in His cross and resurrection.

Out of love, Jesus came. He lived our life. He went to the cross in order to take your debt into His account. He died on the cross to take my enormous debt unto Himself. He went to the cross to settle the accounts of every single person, and that's just what He did for you and me.

Now, you and I can live on in our debt-ridden terms, or we can live by faith in the person and work of Jesus, for us. And there's more: accounts settled, yes, but new life is possible again, too. You see, after three days, Jesus rose from the dead. He ascended into heaven 40 days later, and now He's the King of kings and the Lord of lords, and this King says that all who have faith in Him will owe nothing, even though your debt is larger than you can ever repay, even though your sins continue to make you indebted. God declares your debt is forgiven in Jesus. He says you belong to His kingdom, because of what Jesus has done.

Jesus' point-how would you live your life if all of your overwhelming debts were erased, physical and spiritual? Yes, paid in full. What would you do if you realized that God did all of that for you and that He wants you to live towards others the same way? What then?

Well, when Peter asked Jesus the question, the response from Jesus is basically, "Peter, do you really know what you're asking? I guess not, since you don't even know how utterly graced and forgiven you are by the King."

Yes, the King is coming to settle accounts. Yes, there will be no fudging of the rules, no debts left unpaid and, yes, the power of the righteousness and justice of God is terrifying, as it should be. Sin must be eradicated. Fear must be overcome. But all that righteous judgment was unleashed on Jesus. Why? So that God's love and mercy-graciously given and graciously received-could be unleashed in your life and mine.

My friend, you got to realize that God took all that judgment upon Himself, so you could have a fresh start and an eternal future with Him. He took your sins, your sorrows, your inadequacies, your fears-all of it upon Himself-and He covered you with a mercy that is full of grace, forgiveness, and peace. The most beautiful words in the story are "The master, out of mercy"-what does it say?-"He took pity on him." He released him. He forgave him the debt.

That's right. The Bible is about God wanting you to receive, not His righteous judgment on your own terms, but His gracious forgiveness because of Jesus Christ. He also wants to unleash the power of His gracious forgiveness in your life and in the lives of those around you. Strive for holiness and excellence, yes, but with the joy of new life in Jesus as pure gift. If that's true, you won't take yourself so seriously. You can't be self-righteous or full of yourself because your life is in Christ for others.

Jesus wants Peter to get the picture. Life with God is not about sinners keeping score, or we'd all be judged and condemned. It's about living in the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ, earned for us, gifted to all who trust in Him, and then unleashing it in our lives towards others, now and forever.

If you're going to be one of His disciples, that's the way it is. That's the message of the King. That's the essence of His kingdom, and His kingdom is the one, the only one, that lasts.

So, remember, the King has come, and He has forgiven your enormous debt, the one that earned you an eternal life of punishment, and He did it freely. Well, at least free to you. It cost Him dearly.

So, how do you react when people then sin against you, when people are indebted to you? What do you do when someone owes you a debt? Well, you love as He loves you. You forgive as He has forgiven you. You speak His truth in love to others and unleash the power of His forgiveness, life, and salvation in your life towards others by His Spirit.

What other way would you want to live? Well, I invite you then to follow Him together with us here at The Lutheran Hour, by His grace, in His Name. Amen.