Unmerciful Servant–"The 150,000 Year Loan"	September 20, 2002

Reflections on Hope

Hello nice people. This morning I get to continue sharing about my dream for you. I want you to know the hope to which God has called you. You all are advertising Hope for the Homeland. The question I have is, if you're advertising, have you got the goods–not just your speaker–you. He may preach eloquently about hope from up here, but if people join this church and find out that the hope is only for the person on the platform and it's not working for anyone else, guess where they'll go? Out the back door. This morning God has sent me with a message of hope for you, it's in Matthew 18. Read with me verses 23-35.

23 "For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves.

God's government in this parable is being compared to a king doing debt collection. Now when accounts are being settled, the debtor's hope depends on the character of debt collector. My brother Brent–who happens to be here today with his wife Anne–used to work for a credit bureau (translate: collection agency), and they tried to get him to make phone calls to debtors, posing as a boyfriend or some other person, in order to make the collection, because the bill collectors knew the debtors would recognize their voices and hang up. I don't know if I would be comfortable with that ethically, but suffice it to say that if you end up in the hands of an unscrupulous bill collector things could go very badly for you, but we'll see what the debt collector, the king is like in this story–

Bur first, let's identify some of the details in this parable. v.35, Who does the king represent? God. Servant? Us–if we are disciples of Jesus (he told this parable to His disciples). What is the debt? vv22, 23 sin is what needs to be forgiven.

read vv. 24, 25– 24 "When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. 25 "But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made."

Wow! How much owed? 10,000 Talents. By whom to whom? Servant to King. What is Jesus' point--not possible to pay it back. (NASB footnote says a Talent was worth over 15 years wages for a laborer, so it would take over 150,000 yrs of work for a servant to work it off.)

I've got news, folks, there's nothing you can do to pay God back for your sin.

--national debt illus: when you aren't paying on principle the longer you are in debt, the greater the debt gets–where's the hope in this? Stay with me.

How well did servant understand this?

Read 26 "So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, 'Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.'

He knew he was in serious trouble. His debt was about to make Him a slave. Yet what did servant ask for? time? What can we conclude? Did not realize the seriousness of situation. (Or thought he was smarter than the king.) Many believe w/ more time they can make it up to God. (By the way, you can't be an Adventist if you are waiting to make it up to God–Adventists seek the soon coming of Christ, but if you want more time so you can make it up to Him, you are pushing the 2nd coming farther and farther off.) Person close to me–studying Romans together–free gift of grace–what will you do with it? I just need to change a few things in my life . . . AAAAUuuuurgh! When will you ever be ready to ask for forgiveness–when you don't need it anymore?

What does Master do? V. 27 three things, took pity, canceled debt, and? Let him go.

1. took pity: What does this tell us about the king?

2. canceled debt

Had he asked for forgiveness? While we're pleading for time, He's already forgiven us. Some people get really nervous at the thought that God might forgive before we ask–(Brent and I had a fight once, I don't remember what it was about, but since we shared a room late at night we'd usually make up. I remember once him asking my forgiveness when I was still nursing the wound, and I refused, but he turned around and me–even before I asked–why wouldn't God? He knows more time won't help us make it up! He takes the first step because we need it.

3. Let him go

Did he get sold into slavery right here? Had mercy. His debt was paid by King, and he was not sold, but was set free. (could have been made slave of king!) appropriate response OT. bondservant Deut 15:17

servant1 has just come from an audience w/ king who in essence paid off his 10000 Talent debt and set him free.

What he do now that he is debtless and free?

vv28-30 28 "But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, 'Pay back what you owe.' 29 "So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, 'Have patience with me and I will repay you.' 30 "But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed.

Serv2's reaction is should be familiar, it's same argument serv1 used on the king.

How possible was it to repay? Only3+ months wages at most.

But did not show pity, nor cancel the debt nor set him free, but had him thrown in prison until when? Until he should pay back what was owed.

(In groups) Why did he do that? How consistent is this reaction with that of one who has just been forgiven an insurmountable debt?

perhaps seeking every penny with which to pay back king?

thought king was giving more time?

Maybe he just didn't understand how generous the king had been to him!

One thing's for sure. He was not appreciating King's generous forgiveness. He should have been jumping up and down saying, "Hey, I was just given $10 million dollars–who cares about the little bit that you owe me!"

There are two parts to appreciating the King's forgiveness, an understanding of seriousness of the debt, and a willingness to be forgiven. Most of the people I know who aren't willing to receive forgiveness from God are the ones who don't understand how serious of a problem sin is. They're the only people who think that if they just had more time they could make it up to God–by the way . . . .

Why is sin compared to a debt, a very large debt? In what way is sin a debt that increases the longer we live? What do we owe God?

Some say death, but that's not it. Then we could die and pay God back. What have we 'borrowed' from God, that we cannot pay back? Life! What kind of life do we "owe" God? What kind of life paid our debt? A perfectly obedient life. Rom 5:19 For as through one man's disobedience, many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.

Adam and Eve received life as a gift, but it was not theirs to do with as they wished, it was a borrowed life, and they owed their allegiance and love to God. They received life from Him, but by their love they gave it back. They were not in debt day by day, but were fulfilling their vows to the Lord. Their life was a life of constant obedience, complete surrender, total connection with God, as was the Life of Jesus.

We received life as a gift, but since Adam and Eve chose to separate from God, we are all living on borrowed time. The longer we live a life apart from God the longer we are stealing from Him what is rightly His, a relationship of love with us, and the greater our debt of sin (separation from God).

Why can't we pay it back? Sin is a broken relationship. It's like the father who goes away on a trip just before his daughter's birthday, promising, "I'll make it up to you, dear." And he brings home presents, but he can't make up for the lost time. You can't pay back a broken relationship with gifts or money or works. The first few times she may accept the gifts, but she knows inside that they don't make up for the fact that her Daddy was separate from her when she wanted to be with him and enjoy his company. After a while she realizes that the gifts and bribes are a symbol of her father's neglect, and when he comes home from another trip she says, "I don't want your gifts." What she really wants is her father.

In the same way we bring our works to God, expecting that he will be pleased, but he says, "I am not pleased with your sacrifices (Isa 1:11), not with ten thousand rivers of oil (Micah 6)! Take them out of my sight. They are a stench in my nostrils. What I want is your hearts.(Isa 1.)" We can't pay God back with good deeds for the broken relationship of our past. The debt we owe isn't in human currency. It's a debt of time and friendship and perfect obedience. We can't "make it up" to God! But He has provided a sacrifice for us, a life of perfect obedience which is ours in Christ. If we were seeing that we wouldn't be trying to appease God with our gifts and works and sacrifices.

Jesus repeated many times, "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." All our Sabbath keeping and tithe-paying and church attendance and service is missing the point unless we've seen how merciful God has been to us and are responding to that by faith. If your picture of God does not make you more merciful, it's time to get a new picture of God.

How can you tell if you are receiving God's mercy? Are you choking others, or can you honestly say, "God has been so gracious to me–what you did to me hardly compares."

Folks, that's a life of hope! People may come and join this fellowship, and when they make mistakes and offend you, will you be aware enough of God's mercy toward you to freely give mercy to them? Or better yet, does it work now in your home?

Who here needs to receive by faith the mercy God has already provided you in the cross of Jesus? What would be an appropriate prayer to pray? Thank you. Lord have mercy on me a sinner. Yes. We don't want to hear all about you and your struggles right now, just tell us what you are willing to receive from Him.

How about

I hope it's becoming increasingly clear that unless grace comes freely to all of us, we are still in debt over our heads, but there is some validity to a fear that if forgiveness comes to all people freely that some won't change and we'll end up with evil people in heaven.

How irresponsible is God with grace? Does he allow forgiven people to hurt others indefinitely? Let's keep reading.

vv31-35

What did the King ask servant 1? Why didn't you show mercy? How can we conclude God feels when those who have received mercy do not show mercy? He is angry. I want you to catch this. How many of us have received mercy, just believers? No, all of us have. How many should be showing it. All. Why don't all show it, then? Not all believe they've received it. Belief, faith. This is the issue.

What did the Master finally give servant 1?

What he pled for--all the time he wanted to pay off the debt--those who receive more time are tortured people. Knowing what we do about his debt, which will come first, paying off the debt or death? Is he gonna die a tortured person because he's not been forgiven? No, but because he wouldn't recognize his true condition and believe he'd been forgiven. This is the fate of all who reject the grace of God. Don't worry, God won't let anyone into heaven who has not learned to be merciful, but don't get unclear on this. Mercy cannot be worked up by gritting the teeth it comes from seeing and believing that God has been merciful to me.