Word of Salvation – Vol. 49 No.2 – January 2004

 

The Unforgiving Servant

 

Sermon by Rev B Vaatstra

on Matthew 18:21-35

Scripture Reading:  Matthew 18:21-35

 

Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

There is nothing better on earth than Christian community when it is working well. It's a haven of peace, hope and joy in a tough world. It's a place where God's love is given and received. It unites people from every background, race and culture. In fact, it's an entree, a small foretaste of heaven itself.

Our church is a Christian community and we do enjoy these things. But not as much as we could. Are we as joyful as we could be? Do we have that peace that passes all understanding? Do we love each other as we should? Are we as united as God wants us to be? It all depends on how we individually behave in community, how we respond to the Lordship of Christ, how we relate to one another, how we talk to one another; whether we allow the Holy Spirit to direct our lives.

Here in chapter 18 of Matthew's gospel, Jesus teaches His disciples how to live in Christian community, how they are to behave as Christians towards one another. And what Jesus teaches here is radical and counter-cultural. It's the exact opposite of what the world practices. Verses 1-4 tell us that we are to be humble. The way to true greatness is not through human power and gifts. The way to greatness is through humble service. Verses 5-9 tell us that we are to look after the little ones, the vulnerable, the weak, and the young. Woe to us if we ever cause one of these to stumble.

Verses 10-14 tell us to look for those who have wandered away from God, and there is great joy when they are restored to the flock. Verses 15-20 tell us that we must deal with sin in the community so that Christian people who are dishonouring God might repent and be reconciled to God. In the last section, in verses 21-35, Jesus stresses the importance of forgiveness in the Christian community.

That's how Christ wants us to behave towards one another:

humbly serving one another;

looking after our vulnerable, weak members, including our children;

reaching out to those who have left God;

dealing lovingly but firmly with sin in the church;

and, forgiving one another often.

The more we put these things into practice, the more Christ will be honoured in our church, and the more people around us will see Christ in our community. There is nothing in the world like Christian community when it is working well; when it is doing what Jesus teaches here.

But today, in this last section, verses 21-35, we want to consider the importance of forgiveness. In verse 21 Peter says to Jesus, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Actually Peter thought he was being very generous. The Jewish teachers said three times was enough, but Peter thought, let's double that and add one. Let's make it seven times, the number of perfection, wholeness. This, thought Peter, is surely extremely forgiving. It's not just going the extra mile. It's offering the moon. If I forgive my brother, not 3 times but 7 times, surely that is being big-hearted and generous.

But Jesus' response comes like a thunderbolt. "I tell you not seven times, but seventy-seven times" (vs 22). A better translation reads seventy times seven. It doesn't mean we should forgive 77 or 490 times, it means to go on and on and on with forgiving, always forgive, never stop forgiving! Forgiveness must become a lifestyle, a constant attitude, a reflex response, says Jesus.

How good are we at forgiving each other? It's easier to hold a grudge, isn't it? It's easier to want revenge, to hit back at someone who has hurt us. That's the natural reaction. But Jesus says, forgive, to keep on forgiving. And the apostle Paul says in Ephesians: "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you" (Eph 4:32). And Jesus' parable in Matthew 18 highlights the importance of this for the church. If we do not forgive each other, if we will not forgive those who have hurt us, the consequences are very serious.

Charles Spurgeon puts it this way: "Do you find it difficult to forgive one who has wronged you? Then you will find it difficult to get to heaven."

1. An unpayable debt forgiven

This is the first thing we learn from the story of Jesus. Look at the first part of the story again: "Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. 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. The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'And I will pay back everything.' The servant's master took pity on him, cancelled the debt and let him go." (vss 23-27)

The story teaches us that we all owe God a great debt, and like the servant, we cannot pay this debt. We are overdrawn, we have insufficient funds, and there will come a time when God will call us to account. And it will be utterly clear that what we owe God is unpayable.

You might wonder how are we in God's debt? What debt do we owe God? Well, aren't we in God's debt when we disobey His commands? He tells us to go south and we go north. He tells us to turn right and we turn left. Rather than loving our neighbour, we hurt our neighbour. Instead of seeking His will, we do our own thing. We are told to forgive our enemies, but we attack them. We disobey God, and we are racking up debt.

And aren't we in God's debt when we disregard Him? He makes the universe and we applaud science. He heals the sick and we praise medicine. He fills the world with beautiful things and we credit mother nature. He gives us every good thing and we congratulate human ingenuity. We ignore God, and in all these things we increase our debt every time.

Aren't we in God's debt when we disrespect His children. We are all God's children. You wouldn't tolerate it if I raised my voice at your children, or if I criticised one of your co-workers, or if I gossiped about your relatives, or spoke about your friends before I spoke to them. That's how we often treat God's children and co-workers and friends.

Every time we do these things, we are sinning against God, we increase our debt, we withdraw more and more from our account.

Remember the story of king David? He stole another man's wife and had him killed. David thought he had covered his tracks. But God saw everything. He had specifically broken at least three of God's commandments: you shall not covet, you shall not commit adultery, and you shall not murder.

Now God sent Nathan the prophet to confront David, and he told him the story of a poor man who had one sheep, and the rich man who had lots of sheep. When the rich man had a guest stay over, he took the poor man's sheep and slaughtered it, and served it for the banquet for his guest.

Hearing the story, king David was angry and indignant, and said the man who did this deserved to die! Nathan simply said to David, "you are the man".

One day we will all stand before God, and we will be confronted with the debt we owe. You did not feed me, you did not give me drink, and you did not visit me. Do you remember the person you noticed because of the sadness in his eyes, who was just hoping you'd say hello, but you turned away. Do you remember the colleague at work, the neighbour, your brother or sister in the church, who was withdrawn and difficult to get along with because of a loss in the family. He just needed you to sit with him for a while, but you were too busy. Do you remember your parents who wanted to see you, but you were too self-absorbed. And says Jesus, not to mention the hurtful things you said, the lies, the gossip: You are the man, Brian, Jack, Mary, Sally. You are guilty. Your debt is ten thousand talents and you can never pay it back.

Friends, we all owe God a great debt, an enormous unpayable debt, and one day God will call us to account for it.

But then we read in verse 27, "The servant's master took pity on him and cancelled the debt." The debt is cancelled. He takes the statement of debt, the overdrawn account covered with red ink, and cancels it, wipes it out completely.

How does God do this with our sin against Him? Through His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And all who are sorry for their sin and trust in Him will have their great debt cancelled. He takes our place, He pays for our sin, He is punished for the wrong we did with his one sacrifice on the cross 2000 years ago. He cleans the slate and makes us holy.

This is great forgiveness, isn't it? This is God's mercy and grace for the sinner, a huge debt is cancelled. A priceless and precious gift is received. And you must believe it. You must receive this gift by faith. A gift that makes the poorest beggar a prince. This is what every true Christian has received, and if you have received this gift by faith, then it will show in your thankfulness, your love, your service, your giving, and in the way you forgive others.

2. A shocking attitude expressed

Look at verses 28-30: "But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded. His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him. 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back'. But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt."

Friends, resentment is a deadly poison and it is very common, sadly, even among so-called Christians. The world may say 'revenge is sweet', but as someone said, 'it is the sweetest morsel ever cooked in hell.' That is where it comes from, and that is where it belongs.

Resentment and a bitter spirit is a killer. It kills off the spiritual life and joy of those who cherish it. It destroys emotional, mental, and sometimes even physical health. It also kills the fellowship of the church if it is not dealt with. It's like a blockage in the body. It stops us functioning and thriving.

Notice that when Jesus tells the story He gives us the relative value of the two debts. The first servant's debt was a fortune - ten thousand talents, a debt so great it could never be paid. The second servant's debt was a fiver - a hundred denarii, a debt so petty it could easily be overlooked.

Why is this servant unable to forgive his fellow servant? Because he hasn't appreciated the forgiveness he has received. He is a hypocrite. Thomas Watson said this, "A hypocrite will read (the Bible), come to church, give to the poor, build hospitals, but cannot forgive wrongs. He will rather want forgiveness from God than he will forgive his neighbour."

And the real danger of an unforgiving spirit is described by Jesus in verse 31 and following: "When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I cancelled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed."

God's mercy is tied to forgiveness. We can go to hell for not forgiving. Jesus says the same in the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6. He says we are to pray, "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors" (vs 12). If you pray the Lord's Prayer and do not forgive, you actually pray against yourself.

Charles Spurgeon puts it like this, "You are nothing better than deceitful hypocrites if you harbour in your minds a single unforgiving thought. There are some sins which may be in the heart, and yet you may be saved. But you cannot be saved unless you are forgiving. If we do not choose to forgive, we choose to be damned."

It's a good test to see whether our sins have been forgiven. We don't have to climb up into heaven to find this out, we just need to look into our hearts. Ask yourself: Do I have a forgiving spirit? Am I quick to forgive the hurts that come my way? Do I return good for evil? If so, it's a sure sign that you have received the forgiveness of God.

3. An important principle to practice

You might be wondering: how are we to forgive others? Well, the simple answer is in the same way that God forgives us. Forgiveness must be genuine. It's not good enough just to say the words, "alright, if I really must, if God wants me to, I forgive you." No you must mean it. It must be from the heart. That's what Jesus says in verse 35: forgive others as God forgives you, from the heart.

Secondly, it must be full forgiveness. It's not good enough to forgive some sins but not others. Where would we be if God only forgave our minor sins, but still called us to account for our major sins? Forgive others as God forgives you, fully.

And thirdly, forgive often. How often? Seventy times seven. Go on and on and on forgiving. Always forgive. Forgive others as God forgives you, often.

When we read the Bible, we come across great examples of God's people forgiving others, great models for us to follow. Joseph forgave his brothers who sold him into slavery in Egypt. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, prayed for those who were stoning him. Moses who led the people of Israel out of Egypt and for forty years around the desert, forgave the people of Israel time and time again when they opposed him.

We see the same thing in Christian history. The great reformer John Calvin had the same forgiving spirit when Luther, another great reformer, spoke harsh words against Calvin. Calvin said, "Though he call me a devil a thousand times, yet I will love and honour him as a precious servant of Christ."

But our supreme example is our Lord Jesus Christ, who, as He was being crucified, as the nails are being driven into His hands and feet, as He hangs there in agony on that cross, He remains silent to men, but not to his Father, and from his lips we hear a prayer: "Father forgive them for they don't know what they do." When His hands can no longer minister to the needy, when His feet can no longer bring good news, Jesus does the one thing He can do; He prays for forgiveness for His enemies. Christ is our great example and our great motivation to forgive others.

If we really know Jesus Christ as Saviour, if He suffered on that cross to cancel our great debt with God, if He prayed that prayer on the cross for our forgiveness, then our hearts will be broken, they cannot be hard, and we will forgive as God forgave us.

Conclusion

Let me finish. There is a golden rule of the Christian life - what we receive from God must be passed on. Have you received the love of God? Have you received the grace of God? Have you received the peace of God? Have you received the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ? You can't hoard these things for yourselves. You can't collect them, and store them. No, they must all be passed on. Every gift from God brings responsibility, the responsibility to pass it on, to extend what you have received to others around you. The Bible says we are to love one another as Christ has loved us. It says we are to be kind and compassionate to one another just as God has been towards us. We are to be peacemakers, showing ourselves to be sons of God. We are to spread the gospel that saves us. It's a golden rule of the Christian life - what we receive from God must be passed on.

It's the same with forgiveness. God has forgiven us more than we will ever fully appreciate this side of heaven. But He also calls us to forgive. It's a responsibility and a duty. Ephesians 4:32 says, "Forgive each other just as in Christ God forgave you."

So let me ask you a question: Is there someone you need to forgive? Someone who has hurt you or wronged you in some way? It is a sad fact that forgiveness is so rare even among Christians. There is too much spite and bitterness, too much hardness and unkindness.

But when we forgive one another, we honour Christ who forgives us. We ourselves grow in love and grace and holiness. We build the unity and fellowship of the church, and we show the world that we are the people of God, filled with the love and grace and forgiveness of Christ.

Is there someone you need to forgive?

Amen.