An When You Pray/And Forgive Us As We Forgive - The Proof of Principled Forgiveness - 08/29/2021

PART 2 - August 29 "...And When You Pray" And Forgive Us As We Forgive Matthew 6:12; 14 & 15 Embracing God's Heart on Forgiveness: Excuse-Proof Forgiveness The Proof of Principled Forgiveness Matthew 18:21-35 Matthew 18:21-35 which reads: 21 Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" 22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. 23 Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' 27 Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. 28 "But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!' 29 So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' 30 And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. 31 So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. 32 Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33 Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?' 34 And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. 35 "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses." START This morning's message focuses on the second half of the parable of the found in Matthew Chapter 18: Verses 28-35. It is the culmination of our long running mini-series on forgiveness originally taken from the Lord's Prayer: 12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. Our message title remains The Proof of Principled Forgiveness Seeing Forgiveness from Heaven's Perspective [Excuse-proof forgiveness] Let's resume our lesson with a re-read of verses 23-35, then address "forgiveness" principles from the second half of this parable. Please turn with me to Matthew 18 Verse 23 23 Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' 27 Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. 28 "But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!' 29 So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' 30 And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. 31 So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. 32 Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33 Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?' 34 And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. 35 "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses." These verses are the flipside of the forgiveness coin. It's true, they reveal the true heart of the forgiven servant, but in reality, they show us ourselves and the potential we have to be ruthlessly unforgiving - even after receiving Christ's forgiveness. This second half of this passage is a warning to every believer to drop your excuses when it comes to forgiving people in your life. Above all, these verses reveal God's heart toward His children when we elect to be unforgiving. As we walk through this passage down, I want you to keep in mind that the king and master in this story is symbolic of God. Let's begin . . . We already know that the main servant in this parable has been forgiven a great sum of debt - over $3.4 billion dollars. Because of the grace and compassion of his master, his debt slate was wiped clean - no questions asked, no requirement to pay it back, no Chapter 7 or 13. No going to prison, no selling of wife and children or liquidating material passions. Just like that, verse 27 says: 27 Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. Now, let's follow this servants reaction to his master's incomprehensible act of forgiveness. Verse 28 says: 28 "But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!' This is unbelievable! The behavior displayed by the "just-forgiven" servant contradicts everything that was just done [for him]. [It doesn't cancel it out, because this is a picture of Christ's forgiveness of him and us at salvation - totally irreversible. But what the forgiven servant's actions prove is that he didn't accurately recognize the significance of the forgiveness extended him by the king. If we're not careful, neither will we. The forgiven servant only saw himself and the things that were of interest to him relative to the master's compassionate pardon of him. Proof of this fact is found in verse 28 which conveys a sense of urgency and haste coming from the forgiven servant. It is appalling to see him anxiously leave the presence of his master and rush out to find his fellow servant who owed him a little money. The Scripture says: "But that servant went out [seemingly immediately after being forgiven] and found [not happened to run into, but found (hunted him down) one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii (about 3 months wages); and he laid hands on him (violently) and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!' Does this look like a person who is a child of God? How could a person who has just been forgiven an incomprehensible amount debt be so: Ruthless, merciless, cavalier, and unforgiving? Think of it this way: Consider the concepts of Horizontal Forgiveness and Vertical Forgiveness. Horizontal is flat and level - the distance between two parallel points like east and west, man and man - Saint to Saint. Vertical is up and down like north and south; or like a standard elevator . .. up - down. When applied to forgiveness, vertical forgiveness is between God and man. But horizontal forgiveness is between you and me, me and you, person to person and limited to the earth realm. (More on that later). The reason the forgiven servant could be so violent and ruthless toward his fellow servant after having been forgiven such a great amount of debt is because he was dealing from a position of horizontal forgiveness. I believe the forgiven servant never fully comprehended the unconditional forgiveness his Master (symbolizing God) lavished upon him. The forgiven servant only wanted to be excused from paying back what he owed -- not because he was in love with Christ, but so he wouldn't have to suffer embarrassment: loss of clout and position, loss of family, and loss of material possessions. And so, as it was with him, so it is with us - that anytime a Believer has opportunity to forgive - it is impossible to do so completely without first acknowledging VERTICAL Forgiveness. That is, Christ's forgiveness of us. When vertical forgiveness isn't clearly experienced in a believer's life, then his ability to extend forgiveness to others will always be difficult and incomplete at best. This is what heaven sees in our hearts when we have only our interests as the priority instead of the real gift of forgiveness that God has provided us through Jesus's Blood. Now to Verse 29 says . . . 29 So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' This is an exact re-run of the type begging and pleading we saw coming from the forgiven servant in Matthew 18: 26, 27. Verse 30 says: 30 And he would not but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. This is a picture of "man's brand of forgiveness". Better known as "horizontal forgiveness". We now know that Horizontal forgiveness is man to man forgiveness. It is temperamental and it runs hot and cold, but mostly lukewarm. You never know what to expect because it is unpredictable. It's driven by a man or a woman's personal persuasions, personal biases, prejudices, triggers, emotions, culture, history, family upbringing, and customs of the times - anything but what is spiritual. Horizontal forgiveness alone is a dangerous place to be in because it rests in man's control. It has the potential to go in so many directions - including the good, bad, ugly, awful, revenge, retaliation, regret, remorse, restitution and maybe reconciliation. Any type of forgiveness that is absent of VERTICAL Forgiveness is incomplete - lacking the power and perspective of Christ's death on the cross and His unconditional forgiveness of us. Now to verse 31 . . . 31 So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. What can be drawn from this verse? So much! For me, this verse is heroic. It saves the day; otherwise, the forgiven servant would have gotten away with "proverbial" murder. A totally unjust act. [If it had not been for the fellow servants standing by to witness the forgiven servant's behavior, then what? What if they had not been there? Deep down we want him to be dealt with. This verse lets us know that we will never get away with being unforgiving. • We can't rationalize or wish away our requirement to forgive; • We can't think time will erase it; • We can't think that somehow God will forget about it, or His grace and love will get us off the hook • We can't belittle or blow off any case where forgiveness is required. This verse also tells us that we (me and you) are the only ones who can put the blessings of our salvation in jeopardy! Unforgiveness STOPS our blessings on many levels. Not in total, but enough to be noticed. I think this verse further illustrates three more things: Reality, Rationality and Reprimand. 1. First: Reality - others can see when we are unforgiving - "It's real and it's clear to them because they feel our "mean" behavior. We all feel the bad behavior of the forgiven servant and we want him to be dealt with. His behavior is grievous. It grieves his fellow servants and cuts them deeply. When we are mean and unforgiving - such behavior is uncharacteristic of our Heavenly Father. "They'll know us by our love for one another". 2. Second: Rationality - the fellow servant's assessment of the forgiven servant's behavior was accurate; their right reasoning signified that the forgiven servant was wrong. He was wrong to ignore the mercy extended him, then turn right around and show violent unforgiveness toward his fellowman. 3. Thirdly, Reprimand/ (Harsh Reminding) - we all need a second set of eyes on us to help us see ourselves when we don't, or can't or flat out refuse to. Those eyes protect us from ourselves. (Jeremiah 9:23 23 O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps. 24 O Lord, correct me, but with justice; Not in Your anger, lest You bring me to nothing.). Verse 32 32 Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33 Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?' The master replayed the forgiven servant's case back to him and showed him his debt and sin, and how grace (not the jury) was lavished upon him because he begged. The master forgave him ALL his debt [not because he could pay it back], but because he begged. God forgave us by His grace through faith because we begged Christ's forgiveness - not because we were at all wonderful. But note the language the master used to describe the unforgiving servant in this second confronting: He called him wicked (evil, distressing, ungodly). We are prone to this same scenario and this same descriptor: being unforgiving and wicked. What should have resulted from the forgiven servant's experience? In verse 33 the master asked a better question and left it up to the one who was forgiven: He asked . . . Verse 33: 33 Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?' 34 And his master was angry and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. Verse 33 wreaks of the master's disappointment. God is disappointed with us when we don't extend the same measure of mercy to others that He extends to us. A man must forgive in order to be forgiven. He who will not forgive his fellowmen cannot hope that God will forgive him. Matthew 5:7 says: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." James 2:13 says: "For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy." Divine and human forgiveness go hand and hand. 34 And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. Two things stand out here: That the master was angry at the behavior of the forgiven servant, and that the unforgiver is in the hands of the torturers. The anger here depicts the seriousness of God's position on forgiveness - especially as it relates to our blindness, resistance, and unwillingness to extend to others the same measure of forgiveness, He has extended us. As far as being turned over to the torturers to be tortured . . . this is a picture of the believer (or any person) who refuses to forgive. Torturers are skilled in the action or practice of inflicting severe pain or suffering on someone as a punishment or in order to force them to do or say something. What are some types of pain and suffering might an unforgiving person experience: • Unrest and Restlessness; Get up . . . constantly dogged • thoughts of anger, vengeance, hate, and resentment that have unproductive outcomes for the ruminator [unforgiver], such as increased anxiety, depression, elevated blood pressure, vascular resistance, decreased immune response, and worse outcomes • Sickness: Mental and Physical • Bitterness at life, God and People • Always angry, • Skewed outlook on life and the world • Unblessed and unfavored in everyway To refuse to forgive another person produces inner torment. Torment is defined as terrible constant pain. 2 Peter 2:8 talks about this type of torment by referring to Lot down in Sodom. He said Lot was tormented daily by the sins of the people that ran counter to God's righteousness and Lots desire to live righteously. Because we are unforgiving - our lives are tortured at the hands of torturers who are allowed by God to have at us at will - sometimes on a daily basis, and other times seasonally - we are dogged. God is angered by our lack of compassion and empathy; we are labeled wicked; we forget God's continued compassion and forgiveness of us. We elect to live as if unforgiveness is acceptable. What does that look like? It looks like a person who is not a child of God; unforgiving always 2 Peter 1:9; God will treat us as unforgiving children if we refuse to extend forgiveness to our debtors.] [We are blessed by God's forgiveness of us, but we forfeit the blessings and benefits of that forgiveness when we don't forgive. And we can't afford to miss God's blessings. Unforgiveness is one of the greatest self-inflicted punishments that a believer can impose upon themself / himself. When we don't forgive, we deprive ourselves of great blessings like: • Unanswered Prayers • Poor health • Poor Fellowship with Christ • Hostility with God • Tortured life style v. 34 • Spiritual myopia 1Peter 1: • Lack of witness - perceived as being wicked by God v. 32 • Heartlessness/ evil (Matt 18:28 Took fellow servant by the threat; ungrateful .... Pay me what you owe me; forgiveness is not a choice? Unforgiveness is the choice we make!] We place ourselves in a different column when we don't forgive as we have been forgiven. We open ourselves back in voluntary servitude / bondage - to live beneath the freedom Christ got for us - as if we had never been freed or forgiven. Because we had never been freed or forgiven. Finally Verse 35 35 "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses." This verse speaks for itself! 35 "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses." • From his heart • Does not forgive his brother This lesson brings us full circle . . . back to the very petition and principle Jesus said we should pray in Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our debts As we forgive our debtors This is conditional. We individually and personally control the degree of freedom in Christ and life based on our willingness or unwillingness to extend forgiveness. [Matt 6: 12 Forgive us as we forgive .. . . Jesus is saying my forgiveness of you will be mirrored by your drive and motivation to forgive of other. ] The only relief and remedy from torment resulting from unforgiveness is FORGIVENESS. Such forgiveness will come only when Jesus' forgiveness is embraced. STOP 2 2 1