Unmerciful Servant–"The 150,000 Year Loan"	August 20, 2000

Open to Matthew 18: read 23-35

read v23

Settle acc'ts much depends on char of collector. bro used to work for a credit bureau, all kinds of things to track people down and collect.

v.35, king is God, servants are us. What is debt? vv22,23 sin is what needs to be forgiven

read v24,25

How much owed? by whom to whom? 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

How well did servant understand this? 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.)

What does Master do? 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–(fight story)my brother forgave me 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 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.

But did not show pity, nor cancel the debt nor set him free, but had him thrown in prison until when? How much sense does this make? God takes impossible and makes it possible. Man takes possible and makes it impossible!

(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?

One thing's for sure. He didn't take king's forgiveness seriously. He was not appreciating King's generous forgiveness. He did not believe. He had not entered into a faith experience with God. How could he have shown mercy! He thought he still had to pay, and anyone who owed him money was now slowing him down and reminding him if his debt.

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.

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.

Who's sitting here by faith this morning?