Matthew 18:21

I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive."

Father, we thank You. I thank You for the joy that You have given to us, the joy that is seen in Your coming to this world, Jesus. A joy that we find, I believe, in the book of Nehemiah, that Your joy is our strength. I pray that this week, as we head into Christmas Day next Sunday, we would experience Your joy and the strength from Your joy. May we, Lord, reveal that same joy in our lives and share it with others.

As we continue to think on this topic of giving during this giving time of year, I pray, God, that You would inspire and stir our hearts to be those who willingly give ourselves first to You and then give from that to others. Lord, work in us by Your Spirit and through Your Word. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those that agreed said, "Amen." You can be seated.

During this season of giving, we have, over the last four weeks, been considering together some things that we, as followers of Jesus, as Christians, are to be giving—things that we should be giving to other people. We talked about giving thanks, giving mercy, and giving comfort last week. We discussed giving sacrificially as Jesus gave, and we considered that we are to give of our time, our talents, and our treasure.

As we sit here just a week out from Christmas, which is the celebration of the greatest gift that was ever given to us in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are going to talk about something that we, as Christians, must give that actually turns out to be one of the most difficult things for us to give.

Some people find it difficult to give of their time. Others find it incredibly hard to give of their money. In fact, it's been jokingly said that the very last thing in a Christian that gets saved is their wallet, and there might be some truth to that. Sometimes, we may have a difficult time giving of those things—our time, our talents, and our treasure.

However, for many people, giving mercy, giving thanks, and even giving money is easy by comparison to giving forgiveness. In our discipleship, the transformation we undergo as we become more like Jesus includes one of the most difficult things to change: the application of His teaching on forgiveness. I think it would be accurate to say that every single one of us struggles with forgiveness and the command in Scripture to forgive.

I know that when I make a statement like this, there is at least one person here who, in your mind right now, is thinking, "No, pastor, I really don't. I don't have any trouble with forgiveness at all. I'm actually quite good at forgiving people." To you, I forgive you for your lack of humility this morning.

One of Jesus' earliest followers, one of His closest disciples, also considered himself to be quite adept at the issue of forgiveness. In fact, it almost seems from his words recorded in the Gospel of Matthew that he was hoping for a commendation from Jesus regarding this very thing. This is found in what is probably the most famous passage in the New Testament about forgiveness, located in the Gospel of Matthew.

If you're in Acts, turn to the left; you'll pass John, Luke, and Mark until you come to Matthew. In Matthew chapter 18, Peter came to Jesus in verse 21 with a question about forgiveness. This passage may be familiar to you. Even people who don't routinely read through the Bible have heard pieces of it in our culture, as it has circulated in various sayings.

Peter approaches Jesus and asks, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" It may be hard to see in just those words the kind of desire for commendation that Peter had.

It becomes really clear when you begin to understand that the Jewish teachers of Jesus and Peter's day, 2,000 years ago, the rabbis, had discussed and debated the whole issue of forgiveness quite a bit. This issue of forgiveness is recorded in the rabbinical writings of the Jews. They had gone back and forth on it. The common teaching of Jesus's day, as prescribed by the rabbis, was that you only had to forgive someone up to three times.

Peter is clearly assuming that he has done something commendable by doubling that number and adding one. He anticipates a commendation from Jesus when he asks, "How often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" That seems like a significant amount.

Before we go any further and examine Jesus's response to Peter's question, I am certain that none of you have ever been put in a situation where you had to forgive someone over and over again. None of us, right? However, the wives in here might understand this completely. We can relate to what Peter is asking. Perhaps you've even thought about this before: someone does something to you repeatedly. How often should you forgive and pardon them?

Well, Jesus does give an answer. In Matthew 18:22, Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you up to seven times." Maybe Peter was anticipating that Jesus would say something like four, just to better the rabbis by one, but not seven. Instead, Jesus continues, "I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven."

Now, for those who are good at math, yes, that totals 490. However, the specific number is unimportant in what Jesus is saying here. It’s not as if you keep a little record book or journal, marking hashes and thinking, "487, you have three more, buddy." That is not what He is doing here.

He is presenting a principle that we might call, for the sake of our study this morning, extreme forgiveness. This principle of extreme forgiveness is evident in this text. The call of God is a call unto Christlikeness. He has called us, as followers of Jesus, to become more like Jesus in the way that we respond.

To people, the way that we think, the way that we act, and the way that we talk are all interconnected. It is right to say, and true to say, that you cannot be Christlike and not be forgiving. It's impossible to be Christlike and not be forgiving. Another way of saying it, point number one on your outline, is that you are never more like Christ than when you forgive. This is a challenging thought. You and I are never more like Jesus than when we forgive, and I don't think that point can be overemphasized. To be Christlike is to be forgiving.

However, there is a very clear problem with this for us. Every single one of us has a deep love for and desire for justice. We see the contrast: Christ is forgiving. If you're a Christian today, you've experienced that forgiveness, and He has called us to be like Jesus. God has called us to forgive, but we have this deep, abiding desire for justice. This is one of the traits of humanity that evolutionists have a very difficult time explaining, especially atheistic evolutionists who do not believe that there is a God. They have a hard time explaining where this deep desire for justice comes from.

The origin of this desperate desire cannot be adequately explained by the atheist. However, the Christian, the follower of God, understands where this comes from. As you read the very opening words of the Bible in Genesis, the first book of the Bible, in chapters one and two, you find very quickly that we were created in God's image. He is perfectly just, as we find Him revealed in the Scriptures. He has imparted to us a desire for justice, as we are made in His image and made like Him in this area.

With this deep, abiding desire for justice, we long to see justice done, even among people who have a hard time with justice at its highest level or its highest form in our culture. I would say that the highest level of justice that we would ever see in our culture is...

Today, the topic is capital punishment. Interestingly, this issue is debated repeatedly at both the federal and state levels. Just this last November, we voted in our state on matters related to capital punishment. Even those who often struggle with the concept sometimes accept it when the crime is so bad, so heinous, that something must be done. There is a recognition that justice needs to be served at that level.

This was illustrated just last Thursday when a court in South Carolina found Dylan Roof guilty of 33 crimes. He entered a South Carolina church in June of 2015 and shot and killed a group of people who were gathered there to pray. Even the Obama administration, through the Department of Justice and Attorney General Loretta Lynch, stated back in May of this year that the federal government would seek the death penalty.

When heinous crimes occur, especially those against children or those that clearly involve hate and malice, there is a strong sentiment that justice must be served. Whether it is the shooting at the South Carolina church or the Boston Marathon bombing a few years ago, we see a push for justice, even among those in our government who typically have reservations about capital punishment. They acknowledge the need for a form of justice. We desire justice, not only in high-profile cases like these or 9/11, but also at a personal level.

I think you could rightly say, point number two on your outline: it is human to deeply desire justice. However, there is a counterpoint to that: it is divine to grant forgiveness. So, what does this extreme forgiveness look like? To answer that question, Jesus addresses it in this passage of Scripture in Matthew chapter 18, something that He often did.

He would speak in stories and illustrate what he was trying to say with what we call a parable. In Matthew 18, verse 22, Jesus said to Peter in response to the question about how many times one should forgive, "I do not say that you should forgive up to seven times, but seventy times seven."

Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. When he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. Let's pause for a moment to consider this debt. How much is a talent? There is no specific number given in this text. A talent was the largest unit of measure in Bible times, and scholars generally agree that a talent weighed about seventy-five pounds.

Jesus does not specify whether it was silver or gold, but for the sake of study, let's assume it was gold. Ten thousand talents would equal 750,000 pounds of gold. How much is that? At the close of the market last Friday, gold was priced at just over $1,135 an ounce. This totals out to $12,423,506,340.15. According to Forbes 400, you would need to be among the top seventy-five wealthiest people on the planet to pay this debt.

You might say, "Come on, that's absurd! Who has a debt like that?" Even if we consider silver, which closed at $16.33 an ounce recently, that would still amount to $179 million. Regardless of the metal, that's a significant sum of money. How does one even acquire such a debt? I don't know. This is simply the story that Jesus presents to convey a very important truth.

Some of you, at the end of this holiday season, might be approaching a similar debt. We will discuss that after the first of the year. On the 14th, we will be having a finance seminar and teaching. If you want to participate, I'm serious.

We will. If you want to come to that, Jesus continues in Matthew 18, verse 25. But as he was not able to pay, that's kind of a laughable statement. He just didn't have 12 billion hanging around to cover the cost of this debt. He was not able to pay, so his master commanded that he be sold, along with his wife and his children, and all that they had, and that payment be made. His master commands justice.

Now, we can argue the merits of this form of justice, but in the first century, this was a common form of justice for a debtor. If he could not pay, he could be sold into slavery. Many times, the slaves of that time were debtor slaves. Here is this guy who owes this massive debt, somewhere between 179 million and 12 billion, plus or minus a couple of zeros, carry a comma—it's a lot of money—and he does not have what he needs to pay it.

So his master says, "Well, here's what we're going to do. We will sell you, your wife, and your kids, and we'll go through and make an accounting of all you have to have a nice big estate sale, and payment can be made." It won't be sufficient; it's not enough, but that's what we're going to do. Payment will be made.

The servant, therefore, in verse 26, fell down before the master, saying, "Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all." Now, let's be clear: the debtor's pledge to pay this debt in full is about as likely as you or I swimming from San Diego to Japan. It might be possible, but it's highly unlikely. Maybe you can make it a little farther than me, or maybe I can make it a little farther than you, but the likelihood is highly unlikely that this individual could find a way, even if his master was eternally patient, to pay back this sum—this debt so great that he could not pay.

So his pledge is unlikely, but we read in verse 27 that the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. He didn't merely acquiesce to the response or just respond to the request of this individual.

Give me patience, and I'll pay you off. He was moved with compassion and completely released him from the debt, forgiving it completely and letting it go. This brings us to a really important point: there is no forgiveness apart from compassion. Notice that it says he was moved with compassion. Those three words are one word in the original language. This was written in Greek. He was moved with compassion.

It's an interesting word that speaks of an emotional response deep in your bowels. Literally, that is what this word translates to. The root of the word translated as "moved with compassion" is the root from which we get our English word "spleen." So, this guy was like moved in his spleen. I don't know what it is like to be moved in your spleen, but whatever it was, this guy was deeply affected. The master was moved by the cry, which we're told just a few verses later was a begging cry of this man, this debtor, laying on the ground. He was deeply affected by it. Everything about the servant's plea for mercy moved this master to completely release him of the $12 billion debt.

Now, it would still be a great story illustrating extreme forgiveness if Jesus just stopped there. Peter asked him a question: "How much should I forgive my brother if he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus said, "No, I say up to seventy times seven." The number is not important; it represents extreme forgiveness.

Here's an illustration: this master forgives his servant this massive debt. It would seem like a perfectly adequate story to stop there, but Jesus has something more he wants to teach us—not just about extreme forgiveness, but about our response to extreme forgiveness.

Look at the next verses. In verse 28, the servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. A hundred denarii is a hundred days' wages. For the sake of argument, let's say it's about a third of a year's wages—maybe we can put a number on it: $20,000 versus $12 billion. Twenty thousand isn't the interest.

On 12 billion for a minute, he goes out and finds a servant, a fellow servant who owed him a hundred denarii. He laid hands on him and took him by the throat, holding this guy around his neck. The servant who has just been forgiven 12 billion dollars is holding another servant by the throat, saying, "Pay me what you owe me!" His fellow servant fell down at his feet, begging him, "Have patience with me, and I will pay you all." That sounds familiar. You might think that would trigger something in his brain, but he would not listen. Instead, he went and threw him into prison until he should pay the debt.

When his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved and came to tell their master all that had happened. The master, after calling him, said to him, "You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have been moved with compassion on your fellow servant just as I had pity on you?" His master was angry and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.

Now notice Jesus's application for us in the last verse: "So my heavenly Father also will do to each of you if each of you from his heart does not forgive his brother his trespasses." Like Peter, we probably would have preferred if Jesus had skipped that whole last paragraph, especially that last verse. Forgiveness is a significantly important topic. Can you imagine the gospel without forgiveness? Is there even a gospel without forgiveness? Core to the good news of the gospel is the truth that God in Christ Jesus has dealt with the debt of our unrighteousness and sin and has pardoned us, forgiven us.

That is the whole core of the gospel. You cannot have the good news of the gospel without forgiveness. It is an essentially important topic, and the master in Jesus's story is clearly God. That's what we're told in the very last verse. The debtor who owes this great debt is clearly you and me, having this incredible debt of unrighteousness and sin against us.

If today you have put your trust, your faith in Jesus, then what the revelation of the Bible says is that as you put your trust in Jesus, God clears the account. It is paid in full, as Jesus on the cross declared the final words before he died: "It is finished." It's an accounting term. It is paid in full. The debt is gone. He takes and he pays it.

Now, the amazing thing is that virtually every time I talk about forgiveness, we come to this topic on a pretty regular basis. Just recently, we went through the small New Testament letter of Philemon, which will only take you about five minutes to read. It will take you longer to find it in your Bible than to read it. We did a three-week series on the issue of forgiveness called "Unchained." You can listen or watch it on our website, LifeInConnection.com.

As we talk about this topic of forgiveness, I find it intriguing that nearly every time I jump into the topic, someone will either come and talk with me after the service or they'll send me an email regarding this whole issue of forgiveness. There is a difficulty that we often have in applying the forgiveness that Jesus speaks of here in this passage, especially in light of verse 35. This isn't just a suggestion from Jesus that we be forgiving; this is a command that, if not obeyed, apparently has significant consequences.

According to Jesus, point number four on your outline is that forgiven sinners should forgive sinners. That's the teaching, the view of Jesus. Forgiven sinners should forgive sinners. However, the conversation often goes like this: "Pastor, you don't understand. I have been severely wronged. You cannot even begin to comprehend the devastation, the depth of hurt that I've experienced."

Let me be clear. I don't want to minimize that some in this room today who are struggling with the concept of forgiveness are struggling with it for good reason. As those created in the image of God, we have a deep desire for and sense of justice. Some in this room have been significantly harmed or hurt by someone. There is a very sincere question that grows out of the teaching of Jesus on forgiveness: How can I learn to forgive in this manner? How can I possibly be extreme in my forgiveness?

Let me read a few passages of Scripture that I think are helpful. In the book of Ephesians, chapter four, the Apostle Paul says, "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice." It is interesting that these are the things that generally well up in us when we have been hurt or harmed, deeply devastated by the evil actions of another person. We come to the passage of Jesus dealing with forgiveness, and we are told that we are to forgive—extremely forgive—in the manner that we have been forgiven.

In us resides bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, evil speaking, and malice. We have bitterness, anger, and wrath because of the things that have been done to us. We want to share with others what has been done to us, often seeking their sympathy. You will often get sympathy from someone when you share your story of hurt. Someone will say, "That's terrible. I can't believe someone did that to you. It's such a horrible thing."

Then there is malice. What is that? It is the desire to inflict harm, the desire to bring vengeance. Paul says, "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, along with all malice, and be kind to one another." In the place of malice, anger, wrath, and bitterness, we are called to be kind, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ Jesus forgave you.

Not just in Ephesians, but in Colossians, written around the same time, Paul says, "Therefore, as the elect of God, those who have been chosen by God..."

And forgiven by God, holy and beloved, we are called to put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, and long-suffering, bearing with one another and forgiving one another. If anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so also you must do emphatically. You must do this. Forgiven sinners forgive sinners.

How can we learn to be extreme in our forgiveness? Well, first, you need to experience extreme forgiveness. I don't think that you can be forgiving in the manner in which Jesus prescribes unless you yourself have experienced the extreme forgiveness of Jesus. It is impossible to be able to forgive in this way without first tasting that forgiveness.

Point number five on your outline: the forgiveness of Christ enables the Christian to forgive. His forgiveness, the forgiveness of Christ, enables us, the Christians, to forgive.

You might say, "But this person did something so terrible to me. They should be punished for it." Okay, I'll grant that there needs to be justice. There should be some form of punishment and justice in this situation regarding the wrong that you've experienced.

Here’s the amazing thing: the Scriptures reveal in the book of Romans and in other places that God has instituted systems of justice in society to deal with these things. If it was an illegal act, then the systems of justice in our society should address that.

However, you may object and say, "Yes, but the systems of justice didn't do anything." I will grant you that the systems of justice in a broken and unjust world sometimes fail. The systems of justice are imperfect, but here’s one truth that we can hold on to: God is the ultimate bringer of justice, and He will be just. Ultimately, He alone is justified in His justice.

I am never justified to take justice into my own hands or to bring vengeance. I have no right standing in that position, but God does. He is the one who has said, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay." So, when the systems of justice in an imperfect world do not bring forth the justice that is necessary, we can know for certain that God will.

There is a real tension between our deep-seated desire for justice and the call, the command of Christ, that we forgive. As Christians, we have to turn over to the Lord that desire for justice.

You might wonder, what if I just can't forgive this person? It seems impossible. I want to share with you that the Scriptures say that which is impossible with man is possible with God. You and I can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. Philippians chapter 4, verse 13, says even forgive.

Now, I want to discuss four quick points regarding forgiveness. First, it's good to have a working definition of what forgiveness is. I really like the definition given by the great Bible teacher and commentator John MacArthur. He describes forgiveness as a promise to never take revenge. It is a verbally declared promise, a statement of love that affirms, "I hold no anger, I hold no hatred, I hold no bitterness against you."

Forgiveness has a threefold perspective: I won't ever bring it up to you, I won't ever bring it up to another person, and I won't ever bring it up to myself. That is forgiveness. I suggest to you that to forgive in this manner requires God's help and grace. This is not something that I can manufacture on my own, nor can you. We have this deep desire for justice, and to be able to release someone, to not hold it against them, or to carry revenge, hatred, bitterness, or anger in our hearts, requires the gracious help of God by His Spirit. Amen?

Secondly, you may rightly ask, what if the person is not repenting, like the person in Jesus' story? What if they don't even acknowledge their guilt? They don't recognize or confess that they've done something wrong, and they're not asking for forgiveness. Do I still have to forgive them, or can I be let off? Let me answer that with a few passages from the Scriptures.

Matthew chapter five, verse 44, presents Jesus' response to the prevailing sentiment of His day, which suggested that one could hate their enemies. He said, "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use and persecute you."

Paul picks up the same theme in Romans chapter 12, stating, "Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men." He continues, "Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine. I will repay,' says the Lord. Therefore, if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing, you heap coals of fire on his head." Yes, I like that. "Do not overcome evil with evil, but overcome evil with good."

Finally, we reflect on the words of Jesus on the cross. As His crucifiers stood before Him, mocking Him, dividing His clothes, and spitting upon Him, His prayer was, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." Those people weren't asking for forgiveness, yet His prayer was still, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

It is important to note that forgiveness does not equal trust. Forgiveness does not immediately mean the restoration of a relationship, especially in situations where a person has been unwilling to acknowledge guilt or confess their wrongdoing. Yes, you are to release them. Yes, you are to not hold anger, bitterness, or wrath in your heart against them. You are to forgive them. However, that does not necessarily mean that you unwisely put yourself back in a position where you might once again be harmed. There is wisdom in this. It is not simply a matter of saying, "I will release them, and it's okay that this person beats me."

Furthermore, I find this to be true in my life and observably true in others as well: sometimes it is not the single great injustice or injury that is really hard to forgive. I have met some people who have endured incredible crises and devastation brought into their lives by an individual, and they have been able to release that person and forgive them.

It's not always the single great injury that's hard to forgive. It is the over and over again irritations and annoyances of a harsh husband, a nagging wife, a selfish child, an obnoxious coworker, or an in-law. Whatever it is, it can be challenging. And boy, you're looking forward to next Sunday; Christmas is coming. Oftentimes, it's not the big thing; it's the multiple little things. It's the 10,000th time you're at 300 and you're at 487, buddy. We're at 49. We're almost there, right? Oftentimes, that's the issue. This is the 30th time this week. How many times do we have to go through this?

Well, Jesus has a great answer to that. It's found in Luke chapter 17. He said in verse three, "Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him. And if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day and seven times in a day returns to you saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."

I love the disciples' response because I think it's the response of all of us. They immediately responded in Luke 17:5, "The apostles said to Jesus, 'Increase our faith.' God, I need help." Looking at passages like this and considering a topic like this, we probably need God's help too, right?

So why don't we stand together? We'll ask God for help, that He would enable us by His power to give forgiveness as we ourselves have been forgiven by Him.

Let's pray. Father, I thank You for Your forgiving grace. Lord, I confess that it is very hard for me to forgive those over and over again irritations. It is very hard for me to release people, to give away, to let go of the anger that feels so right and feels so justified, especially when we share that anger with someone else and they sympathize. God, would You help us to let those things go?

And Father, I thank You that You have forgiven us our sins and You don't bring it back up again. The debt is paid.

It's paid in full. You don't constantly remind us of what we've done in the past because you have removed our sins as far as the East is from the West. The Scriptures say you've cast them into the sea of forgetfulness.

Lord, there may be some of us standing here today who need to take some things that have been done to us or said to us and drop them into the sea of forgetfulness with a nice big weight around them. Help us to do that. I thank you for honoring and glorifying you because we live in a world filled with billions of people desiring justice, and to forgive is from you. It's not of this world. May it be a witness of your grace at work in us when we forgive.

Now, as we're standing here this morning, I don't think we can possibly talk about the issues of forgiveness and the forgiving grace of God without at least giving the opportunity for those who have never received it. If you have never received the forgiving grace of God to deal with your sin, to pay your debt, and you would like to receive that free gift this morning, what a great gift to receive seven days before Christmas!

If that's you and you want to receive the forgiving grace of God, would you just lift up your hand so I can see it? I'm standing here this morning. God bless you. I see it in the back, and in the back as well. Is there anywhere else? Do you want the joy of having your debt removed? Blessed is the man whose sin is forgiven.

If that's you, would you just pray out loud with me?

Dear Jesus, I recognize I have a debt, a debt I cannot pay. I thank you that you paid it for me, and I pray that you would forgive me of my sin. Help me to turn from my sin and to follow you by faith. Save me, I pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.