Sermon Central
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Learning To Forgive
Contributed by Ian Johnson on Jun 5, 2003 (message contributor)
Summary: If we had an understanding of how much we had been set free from, we would find it easier to forgive others;
MATHEW 18:
23 "Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.
24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him.
25 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.
26 "The servant fell on his knees before him. ’Be patient with me,’ he begged, ’and I will pay back everything.’
27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
28 "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.
29 "His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ’Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
30 "But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.
31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.
32 "Then the master called the servant in. ’You wicked servant,’ he said, ’I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.
33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’
34 In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35 "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."
If we had an understanding of how much we had been set free from, then I am sure we would find it easyier to forgive others;
How much is 10000 talents: Talent is a weight measure, 1 talent is 75 pounds or 34 KGs.
So if the king had forgiven the servant of a debt of 10000 talents of Gold, in todays terms, with Gold @ US$272:15 an ounce. and there is 16 onces in a pound one talent in todays terms is worth US$327264 So 10000 talents would be worth $3.3BillionUS around $7.5Billion NZ
In other words it would be impossible for us to pay this off.
The servant then demanded a Hundred Deneri off a fellow servant. The average wage in the time of Jesus was about 300 Deneri so the servant was owed about 1/3 of a years wages.
Say a person earns an average wage today of $30000, the servant owed about $10000.
We have been forgiven a great debt: Forgive others their debt against you.
This was all brought up by Jesus. because Peter had asked:
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"
22 Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
30 Don’t cause the Holy Spirit sorrow by the way you live. Remember, he is the one who marks you to be present on that day when salvation from sin will be complete.
31 Stop being mean, bad-tempered, and angry. Quarreling, harsh words, and dislike of others should have no place in your lives.
32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God has forgiven you because you belong to Christ.
A man once said to John Wesley; I never forgive any man, to which John Wesly replyed, Then Sir, I hope you never Sin.
He of course was reflecting on: Luke 6:37
37 "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
To the measure we have known forgivness. this is the measure we will forgive others:
Augustine said:
“If you are suffering the injustice of a bad man, forgive Him least there be two bad men.”
14 Your heavenly Father will forgive you if you forgive those who sin against you;
15 but if you refuse to forgive them, he will not forgive you.
22 Don’t repay evil for evil. Wait for the Lord to handle the matter.
Peter was being clever because He had probably heard Jesus, say this very thing.
Look at Luke 17:3-4
3 So watch yourselves. "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.
4 If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ’I repent, forgive him.
