Sermon Tone Analysis

Forgiveness is Limitless

Forgiveness is hard!

It’s not fair

They don't have to deal with what I have felt

Not long before she died in 1988, in a moment of surprising candor in television, Marghanita Laski, one of our best-known secular humanists and novelists, said, "What I envy most about you Christians is your forgiveness; I have nobody to forgive me."

John Stott in The Contemporary Christian.

Peter had just heard the discourse on being offended and hurt!

If you are offended go tell you brother what he/she has done!

vs 15

If that doesn't work take someone with you to hear the matter vs 16

Finally bring it in front of the church

Peter had been impressed by the Lord’s teaching on reconciliation.

He realized that if he were the injured party, he would have to exercise a forgiving spirit.

But how often would one be called on to forgive?

The rabbis had decided that three times would be forbearance and forgiveness enough.

Peter, with a great show of magnanimity, suggested that he forgive seven times.

He was reducing love to logic, mercy to mathematics, a matter of spirituality to a matter of arithmetic

Peter had been impressed by the Lord’s teaching on reconciliation.

He realized that if he were the injured party, he would have to exercise a forgiving spirit.

But how often would one be called on to forgive?

The rabbis had decided that three times would be forbearance and forgiveness enough.

Peter suggested that he forgive seven times.

He was reducing love to logic, mercy to mathematics, a matter of spirituality to a matter of arithmetic

Notice Peter was always willing to make a public statement about his spirituality!

Look at me!

I will never leave

I will forgive 7 times ; law only required three.....

He again spoke up and let all know how Spiritual he was!

This parable put him in his place.

Forgiveness can only come from an act of God!

On our own we are unable to forgive!

Illustration -

Mathematics - how much can I memorize to be proficient?

Math facts, postulates, theorems equations ????

No the entire approach is wrong!

You must see the why and the logic as to why you do what you do!

Memorizing will always fall short !

Some commentators thought that Peter was under constant ridicule and that's why he asked the question ?

I The Compassion-

Let me show you -----

The Lord answered Peter’s proposal with a parable.

The down-to-earth story tells of a man who owed an oriental ruler an incalculable debt, stated to be “ten thousand talents” (18:24).

It is hard to translate Bible money into present-day equivalents because of fluctuating values.

It is best to draw parallels, and to point out that a talent was the heaviest unit of weight used by the Hebrews and the number “ten thousand” was the highest round number.[10]

By all standards, the man’s debt was beyond computation.

A denarius was a days pay

A Talent was 6,000 denarii

Thus owed was 60,000 days of work or 164 years

vs 25

The day of accounting came; the man was brought before the king and found to be bankrupt.

The king commanded that such assets as the man had be liquidated.

He was to be sold, along with his wife and family.

Even so, his indebtedness to the throne would not be totally satisfied.

The man’s condition illustrates our state before God.

We are all ten-thousand-talent debtors.

We are in debt to a loving God

We can’t possibly get our of this

Example - Colleen goes into pool on vacation .....

does not want any help and then falls into the deep end....

She is not going to get out of this

It will not end well

Then with gentleness and love I reach my hand down and pull her back to saftey.

God has lavished on us life, skills, and opportunities.

In return, we have misappropriated His investment, abused His gifts, wasted our substance, despised His laws, ignored His claims, sinned constantly and with a high hand.

We have accumulated an incalculable debt.

vs 26-27

The man’s only hope, as is ours, was to cast himself on the mercy of the king, who was willing to forgive the debt.

The debtor, however, had no grasp of the principle of grace; he only understood law.

He appealed not for grace, but for more time.

“Lord, have patience with me,” he said, “and I will pay thee all” (18:26).

vs 26 - He asked for patience; he received pardon.

The lord was “moved with compassion” and loosed him from his debt (18:27).

Illustration - God has given us skills and opportunities - we have wasted them and now have to give an account.

II The Crime -

Key word found !

Hunting down went looking !

Mad and out for revenge!

Pump station - threw pliers at me and was going to crush my car with crane

Auburn - hit by fist through my window

How many of you are bitter and unforgiving and hunting down those that hurt you .....

Illustration - looking for and hunting down those that have offended us

Illustration - looking for and hunting down those that have offended us

Family

Work

Parents

Children

vs 28 - owned three months wages vs 164 years

Look at the anger - take by the throat !

Illustration - out of control

When you think of that person what comes t mind?

¨ Do you desire to have fellowship with them or do you try to avoid them?

Do you still make up speeches of what you are going to say to them, or what you should have said to them?

¨ Do you say or feel in your heart: “I forgive them, but I don’t have to like them”?

¨ Do you still make up speeches of what you are going to say to them, or what you should have said to them?

¨ Do you still think that they should hurt or should pay for what they have done to you?

¨ Do you still think of ways to get even with them?

¨ Do you sometimes think hard thoughts and have to repent, only to think those hard thoughts again and have to repent, over and over?

¨ Do you have strong emotional reactions when you think of or see the person who hurt you?

¨ Can you sincerely pray for this person and bless them, sincerely desiring to see them blessed?

¨ Can you, and do you honestly rejoice when good things happen for the person who wounded you?