"Gaudy Forgiveness"

Text:

Matthew 18:21–35 (ESV) — 21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times. 23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 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. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

Intro:

We might call this a study in gunpowder Christianity, or nuclear reactor Christianity. Things that are explosive with gospel pungency. Forgiveness is definitely one such incendiary device.

The disciples are asking questions, and Jesus had just explained about what you should do if you need to confront a sin between you and a brother. Peter goes on to ask, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?”

He seems to be asking, what are the limits to our forgiveness? What is boundary of inexcusable?

As we study, we see that Jesus is shaping their person and giving them His Spirit.

What is inexcusable is not unforgivable

Sins that need forgiveness are by definition inexcusable

We need to become familiar with naming our sins instead of our excuses. Use terms that the Bible uses (angry and lost my self-control instead of ‘stressed because of x,y,z’)

In Christ, the inexcusable, namely our sin, is forgivable. This is at the very core of Christianity — one that we often fail to display to a watching world. We, like Peter, have our limits. We want to know just how much grace is necessary to maintain our forgiveness, but reserve the right to hold back forgiveness to others.

We like to keep score. We like to use forgiveness or the lack of it as a leash of manipulation. We keep our distance and unforgiveness as a tactic, and we can even twist our “so-called” forgiveness as a tactic to manipulate as well.

But Christ teaches us two main realities when it comes to forgiveness: 1) There is no limit to what can be forgiven. 2) The forgiven is separated from their sin as far as east is from the west (Ps. 103). There is no one that cannot be forgiven. There is no amount that is too much for Him to handle. And there is no instance where the forgiven sin will be dragged back up and thrown in your face. In Christ, and only in Christ, the inexcusable becomes forgiven.

Ephesians 4:32 (ESV) — 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

1 Peter 4:8 (ESV) — 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

Matthew 6:11–15 (ESV) — 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

What Is Repentance, Anyway?

When is forgiveness not given?

Hebrews 12:15–17 (ESV) — 15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; 16 that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. 17 For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.

Esau seems to be sad about the consequences, not the sin.

Repentance isn’t sorrow over being caught, it is sorrow for our sin.

But what does that mean for us as we give forgiveness?

Luke 17:3–4 (ESV) — 3 Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, 4 and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

We aren’t in the position of God to judge the heart. We are obligated to forgive. We have a debt of forgiveness that must be paid.

What If They Haven’t Asked For Forgiveness?

What if there are sins that have occurred but the offending party hasn’t sought forgiveness?

What are your obligations?

What did Christ do for you? Did He take the cross before or after your sins? Did He plan on forgiving you before or after your sin?

The answer, of course, is before. He planned on forgiving you. He initiated forgiveness.

You, too, must decide to forgive. [See Doug Wilson quote below]

“You take the forgiveness that you have determined to give to them the moment they ask for it, make sure it is packed well, put it in a box, and wrap it up in the gaudiest gift wrap you have. You have special place for it, near the door, and you watch the driveway the way the father in the parable of the prodigal son watched the road.” [Wilson — https://dougwils.com/the-church/s8-expository/%EF%BB%BFmechanics-of-forgiveness.html]

This is explosive christianity. This is what flips relationships and homes and cultures upside down. The whole blazing center of the gospel is white-hot forgiveness. It isn’t done through gritted teeth and sidelong glances, it is done with gospel finality – a rested, determined, and assured pardon that brings restoration.

[Aside] Forgiveness doesn’t always mean there are no consequences.

Illustration/Parable

Jesus tells us what the kingdom is like. This is the kingdom that we are asking God to bring here to earth. Let this kingdom come!

We must see that God has forgiven us of massive, unaffordable debt. And we must also see how wicked it is for the forgiven to refuse the incomparably small debts that made against us.

Repentance

Reassurance

70x7

Communion