Have mercy on me.
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This morning we are continuing out survey of the parables of Jesus.
Our savior was a master at using stories to illustrate a greater point. Many of his parables were used to give the disciples an accurate view of God’s Kingdom.
From those parables, we sometimes have to draw a conclusion. “In light of what Jesus said about God’s Kingdom, we should do this or that....”
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
When we see that unparalleled value of the Kingdom of Heaven, we willingly give up everything to pursue it.
Jesus followed that parable by saying,
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls,
46 and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Same point......however I have heard people try and argue that God is the merchant and we are the pearl of great value and that God willingly gave his Son to redeem us, because of our great value.
So we have to let Scripture define Scripture, so we understand what Jesus was 1. trying to get us to understand, 2. Have a good understanding of what we are to do in the light of His revelation.
And then in other parables, like to one we will study this morning, Jesus tells us exactly how we should respond to His revelation.
This morning we are going to hear about two servants, but it is important to understand the context of why Jesus is telling this parable.
In Matthew 18:15 Jesus is telling his disciples what do to if your brother sins. It is what we consider today Church discipline.
If your brother sins, go in private and show him his fault.
If he listens, you have won your brother.
If not, take two or three witnesses.
If he listens.....you have also won your brother.
If not, take him to the church. (congregation of believers)
Consider him outside the congregation.
Peter asks a question.
How many times should I forgive my brother who sins against me?
The assumption is that the process worked.
Seven times?
Jesus said up to 70 times 7.
Jesus didn’t mean 490 times. The number represents endless forgiveness. Here is why. When God forgives us, the Word says
12 “For I will be merciful to their iniquities,
And I will remember their sins no more.”
In 1 Corinthians 13 we are told, Love doesn’t taken into account wrong suffering.
So if we truly forgive our repentant brother or sister as God forgave us, then each time they sin is the first time they sin against us.
Jesus then gives us this parable.
23 “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves.
24 “When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him.
25 “But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made.
26 “So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’
27 “And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt.
talent was a unit of weight usually associated with silver or gold.
161 million or 11 + billion dollars.
The number is used to represent and debt that could never be paid.
Your sin before God. I will do enough good to pay for the bad.
You are over valuing your good. (filthy rags)
and under valuing your sin before a Holy God. (The wages of sin is death)
28 “But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe.’
4 months wages. 6 to 10 thousand dollars.
29 “So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’
30 “But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed.
31 “So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened.
32 “Then summoning him, his lord said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.
33 ‘Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’
34 “And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him.
150,000 to 200,000 years. Represents and eternity.
Then Jesus gives this stern warning:
35 “My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”
Forgiveness is hard
Forgiveness is hard
I’m cheap. To forgive someone a $10,000 debt would be difficult.
If someone wrongs you, or wrongs someone you love, it is a difficult proposition to forgive them.
Forgiveness makes you vulnerable.
Forgiveness makes you vulnerable.
If someone calls me a name or shows me their one finger wave. I’m not hurt by that.
But when someone that you care about, hurts you, or talks about you behind your back, or steals from you.
It hurts. There is pain involved and by forgiving them, you open yourself up to that same pain.
That is why Peter wanted a number on it. He was wanting to prepare himself for how much pain he would have to endure by those that he calls brothers.
Unforgiveness feels good.
Unforgiveness feels good.
Like all sin, it brings about short term pleasure. If I can hold something against you, I can feel superior to you.
11 “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
I can justify my sin toward you.
If I have something against you, and then you come to me and say, “you did this or that” I can immediately bring up......Remember when you.......
Unforgiveness has a cost.
Unforgiveness has a cost.
I read a story about a woman named Shaynna Sims. Her boyfriend was cheating on her with a woman named Tabitha. Tabitha then died of natural causes. Simms then decided to pose as a funeral employee to gain access to Tabitha’s body, she stole her property, messed up her make-up, cut her hair, cut her forehead, cut off a breast and one toe.
Simms was sentenced to 16 years in prison. She was so filled with hate and unforgiveness, she traded 16 years of her life to try and exact revenge on a dead person.
Unforgiveness is like drinking poison hoping the other person gets sick.
Forgiveness doesn’t always mean reconciliation.
Forgiveness doesn’t always mean reconciliation.
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
26 For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
Jesus said.
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
44 “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
That love included giving up your right to withhold your
forgiveness.
That doesn’t mean that if someone steals from you and is unrepentant, you have to give them your checkbook.
It means that you give them to God. “treat them as a gentile or a tax collector.”
When Paul and Barnabas went on a missionary journey, a young John Mark, the writer of the Gospel of Mark, went with them. John Mark got cold feet and left and went home. The next time Paul and Barnabas were to go out, Barnabas suggested they take John Mark, and Paul said, NOPE!
38 But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work.
39 And there occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus.
40 But Paul chose Silas and left, being committed by the brethren to the grace of the Lord.
41 And he was traveling through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
We know from Colossians 4:10 and Philemon 24, Paul didn’t hold any grudge.
Unforgiveness is unforgivable.
Unforgiveness is unforgivable.
35 “My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”
The Lords prayer
9 “Pray, then, in this way:
‘Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 ‘Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread.
12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’
Jesus followed that with:
14 “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 “But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.
We know the Gospel: We are sinners, The wages of sin is death. Jesus came to earth, lived a perfect life, suffered and died on the cross, as payment for our sins and then rose on the third day and sits at the right hand of the Father.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
So if you profess Christ, and also refuse to forgive, either God is a liar, or you are not saved.