Matthew 18:21-35

Well, good morning, and thank you guys so much. Another just joyful morning to sing together, to recount all these wonderful truths.

! And I'd invite you to open up to Matthew chapter 18. So we're going to continue. This is our third week in the summer parable series.

Matthew 18 · chapter mention

And thank you to the other elders who have been serving us tremendously. As you make your way over to Matthew chapter 18,

Matthew 18 · chapter mention

I wanted to bring kind of a sober illustration for us this morning, but one that I think is effective in introducing what we'll be discussing.

So by way of introducing the text, there was a courtroom scene that you probably saw if you were paying attention to the news about five years ago.

This courtroom scene was one that caught many news outlets' attention, and I'm not going to get into all the details of everything involved in the case,

but there was a woman who was convicted of murder, and she had fatally shot a man.

And in her testimony, she said that she thought that this man was an intruder in her apartment.

But the very unfortunate thing was she had actually gone to the fourth floor.

She had bypassed her third floor apartment building, and of course, this guy was unexpecting the door to open up.

And she shot this man, and he fatally died, and this was about five years ago.

So very, very sad events that took place.

But what caught the attention of the news outlets was not really just that this had happened,

but particularly that there was a victim impact statement that was made by the younger brother of the man who had been killed.

And a victim impact statement, if you don't know, that generally happens when a verdict is announced,

and then the family can come up and say how this has caused an effect on the suffering party.

So this is what he said.

He said, if you truly, he was saying this to the lady, of course,

if you truly are sorry, I can speak for myself.

I forgive.

And I know if you go to God and ask him, he will forgive you.

And I don't think anyone can say it.

Again, I'm speaking for myself, but I love you just like anyone else.

And I'm not going to say that I hope you rot and die just like my brother did,

but I presently want what is best for you.

And I wasn't going to even say this in front of my family or in front of anyone,

but I don't even want you to go to jail.

I want the best for you because I know that's exactly what my brother would want you to do.

And the best would be to give your life to Christ.

I'm not going to say anything else.

I think giving your life to Christ would be the best thing that my brother would want you to do.

Again, I love you as a person and I don't wish anything bad on you.

And then he said, I don't know if this is possible, but can I give her a hug?

Please, please.

Now, this is one of the most striking pictures of human forgiveness that has ever been captured on at least modern TV.

And I don't know the state of this brother.

Of course, I've never met him.

But by all accounts, this appears to be a man who has been touched within him by the redemption,

the forgiveness that he's received by Christ.

And beyond the profound amazement that this act is worthy of,

I actually bring this up to draw attention to the types of responses that I saw happening

in some of the comments of the videos that were online.

Now, there's only two categories.

The first is profound amazement.

Those who saw this act as astonishingly commendable and beautiful.

But the other category was those who reacted in very strong anger.

People saw this act as a desecration of what they came to expect as real justice.

And while it's very easy for us to critique this latter response,

there's actually a lot of sound or not sound, but logical reasoning in the way that they're thinking through this.

They see the heinous nature of the crime.

And because of how bad that crime was,

they expect for justice to come quickly, to come with force without any delay.

And while we can understand that type of perspective,

what's missing in that perspective is recognizing that everybody in that courtroom believes in justice.

It didn't matter if you were an atheist or an agnostic or a Christian.

Everybody believes in justice, especially when something like that happens.

Now, if pressed, I am very certain.

It can be an interesting question to ask.

Of course, I probably never will.

But I bet you that that brother probably said,

you know what, I have never believed in the need for justice as strongly as I have until an event like that took place.

And I think that that is true.

We often don't experience stuff like that.

But when hard things happen, when justice is called for,

there's really a dividing line question with how we're going to respond.

And the question is this, especially as Christians,

we are called to put into action our belief of whether or not what Jesus did on the cross

was sufficient as a means of justice to hold out forgiveness for offenders.

Is it a strong enough basis for me and for you when we encounter sin,

and we surely will, you have this week?

Is it enough for us to look to Jesus and say that Jesus' act of justifying sinners,

those who would one day put their faith in Christ,

is that sufficient as a means in and of itself?

Because we are always responding with our system of justice.

Is Jesus sufficient, or is human justice,

what is called for when tragedy happens?

We're going to read chapter 18, and we'll pick up in verse 21,

and we'll read through the end of the chapter.

And you guys apologize for being a little sniffly this morning.

Okay, the text reads this way.

Then Peter came up and said to him,

Lord, how often will my brother sin against me and I forgive him?

As many as seven times.

Jesus said to him,

I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.

Therefore, the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king

who wished to settle accounts with his servants.

When he began to settle,

one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.

And since he could not pay,

his master ordered him to be sold with his wife and children

and all that he had in payment to be made.

So the servant fell on his knees,

imploring him,

Have patience with me,

and I will pay you everything.

And out of pity for him,

the master of that servant released him

and forgave him the debt.

But when that same servant went out,

he found one of his fellow servants

who owed him a hundred denarii.

And seizing him,

he began to choke him,

saying,

Pay what you owe.

So his fellow servant fell down

and pleaded with him,

Have patience with me,

and I will pay you.

He refused and went and put him in prison

until he should pay the debt.

And when his fellow servant saw

what had taken place,

they were greatly distressed.

And they went and they reported

to their master all that had taken place.

Then his master summoned him

and said to him,

You wicked servant,

I forgave you all that debt

because you pleaded with me.

And should not you have had mercy

on your fellow servant

as I had mercy on you?

And in anger,

his master delivered him to the jailers

until he should pay all his debt.

So also my heavenly father

will do to every one of you

if you do not forgive

your brother from your heart.

Well, our outline this morning,

if you are a note taker,

is going to come in three primary points.

The first of which is

forgiveness withheld.

The second is forgiveness resisted.

And the third is unforgiveness exposed.

So our first point this morning

is forgiveness withheld.

And our primary example

from our text is the disciple Peter.

Now, you guys are familiar with Peter,

or I would expect most of you are.

Peter's resume is one that is

one that leaves us with the impression

that he should be very thankful

in general to the Lord,

very humble in his heart.

Listen to just a couple things.

So Peter was called out

as a fisherman by Jesus.

In Matthew chapter 16,

Matthew 16 · chapter mention

though, we are reminded

of some of the things

that Peter struggled with.

So Jesus had said

he was going to be going to the cross,

that he was preparing himself.

And Peter tried to dissuade

Jesus from doing this.

And Jesus rebukes him strongly.

In Matthew chapter 14,

Matthew 14 · chapter mention

a couple of chapters earlier,

even more well-known story,

Jesus calls Peter out onto the water

and Peter tries to come

and he loses sight of the Lord.

He's distracted.

And what happens is his faith,

his lack of faith is exposed

and he begins struggling.

And then later in the book of Matthew,

Matthew chapter 26, I believe,

Matthew 26 · chapter mention

we find the account of Peter

who is told by Jesus

that he's going to betray Jesus

in the days leading up

to his crucifixion.

And that's exactly what happens.

Not one time,

not two times,

but on three different times,

Peter denies the Lord.

Now, again,

I bring this up

because Peter is a man

upon hearing the words

that Jesus is saying.

And I'll give you

some of that context

in the verses

that precede what we read.

But Peter should be a guy

who is very grateful,

very aware

of all this grace

that belongs to him

that has changed his life

and brought him

into a brand new reality

of being a disciple of Christ.

The context of our passage

is one that you are likely familiar with.

We generally refer to this

as the stages of church discipline, right?

So right before our text,

Jesus walks through

the different stages

that happen

when somebody is entangled,

ensnared by sin.

Generally, one person goes

and pursues the unbeliever.

And if that is not successful,

a smaller group goes.

And then lastly,

the whole church

is called to give accountability

to the one

who is stuck in sin

for the aim of restoring

that struggling person

to repentance.

But if you look with me

at verse 21,

Peter does not have any humility.

He actually responds to Jesus

with a hint of self-satisfaction,

perhaps thinking

that he will maybe even win

some congratulatory approval

from Jesus

for what he's about to say.

You see,

it was well known

in the rabbinic tradition

of the day

that extending forgiveness

ought to happen

three different times.

and Peter thinks

he's going to come

and impress Jesus

by more than doubling

that amount.

That's why he says

seven times.

Peter is very bold

in his personality.

Listen to these words.

It says,

Peter came up

and said to him,

Lord,

how often will my brother

sin against me

and I forgive him?

As many as seven times?

It's this important question

that sets the stage

for the rest of the parable

that Jesus is going to unpack.

Jesus doesn't see this

just as a regular question,

but this question

brings Jesus

to tell this story.

There's a weight to it.

There's something

that needs to be corrected

in the way that Peter

is speaking of this situation,

how he's responding

to the Lord's words.

The how many times question

demonstrates that Peter

actually has a framework

that's already existing

which he needs to apply

as it relates to those

who offend him,

that sin against him.

He's purposed.

He's measured.

And he is trying

to think through

what are the occasions

by which I can apply

the rules of justice,

his rules of justice.

And when are the times

that I'm called

to apply these teachings,

these words of Jesus

that seem to lean

into mercy and forgiveness?

Peter has probably heard

often some of the familiar things

that Jesus has said

about forgiveness, right?

He has heard that Jesus

has said,

this is how you should pray.

Father, forgive our debts

as we forgive those

who sin against us.

As the layers

of Peter's question

are peeled back,

we begin to see

that what's happening

in Peter's heart

is not just inquiry.

He's not just interested

in something.

He's making a statement.

He's coming to grips

with how do I actually feel

about things

when stuff is hard

in my life?

What am I called to do

when it's very uncomfortable

for me to keep going on

and extending grace

when it feels like

justice needs to be applied?

See, it might be,

we don't know this,

but it could be that Peter

has somebody in mind.

You might even be thinking

of someone in mind

that their ways of sinning

against you

are particularly hard for you.

There's often a repetitious cycle

that happens

when we're with people closely.

they sin against us

and maybe they ask

for forgiveness

and then we grant it.

But when it happens again

and again

and again,

then we start to question

what other things

need to happen

to make this situation change.

The same sort of results

from me

are getting these same responses

and that doesn't seem right.

But beyond Peter's question,

beyond just the impatience,

what Peter's actually doing here

is he is showing us

what Jesus is showing us,

that he's actually struggling

to put his faith

and his trust

in Jesus himself.

Peter is no mathematician.

He's not interested in numbers.

He is actually troubled

with this idea

that he may be called

to endure significant pain

so that others

can receive the offer

of forgiveness.

He might be thinking,

how many times

are you asking me

to do this?

Do you want me to trust you

that enduring offenses

is what brings about

the unfolding of your plan?

Are we called

to give an indefinite

free pass

on people

who don't even understand

the pain

that they have brought

into our life?

You see,

Peter's question

is not innocent.

Neither are our questions

that we ask

innocent

at times like this.

Now,

with all of these parables

and all of God's Word,

2 Timothy 3

reminds us

that all of Scripture

is for

the correction

of our hearts.

The piercing

and the dividing

of our souls,

our inward desires.

That's what this parable

in all of God's Word

is meant to do.

So this parable,

this story,

is not only about Peter.

This is a reality

that exists

in your heart

and in my heart.

There are many questions

that my heart asks

when I've got five kids

and a big family.

We stand against each other

all the time

as I'm sure you do

and these questions

come up regularly.

Will this person

ever understand?

Will he change course?

Will things look different

if I perhaps respond

with the silent treatment

or maybe just a mini episode

of my anger?

Will he figure out

how much inconvenience

this is bringing

into my life?

See, all of these questions

that we ask

remind us

that we have

a resistance

to the Lordship

of Christ.

So Jesus responds

to Peter

in verse 22

and he paves the way

for the course

correction

for Peter

and for us

and the disciples

and Jesus says

to him,

I do not say

to you

seven times

but 77

times.

Now clearly

Jesus is not

ascribing

a numeric limit

to the amount

of times

that we're to have

a heart of forgiveness.

He's not saying

in any measure

Peter,

make your threshold

larger

and then all

will be well.

No,

he's doing

the exact opposite.

The number 77

is intended

to communicate

that counting

is completely

out of the question.

Counting of sins

implies

that there is

a limit

on the sacrifice

that Jesus

was preparing

himself

to endure.

Jesus has

completely

done away

with all

types of counting

as it relates

to our sins.

2 Corinthians 5

and verse 19

says,

in Christ

God was

reconciling

the world

to himself

not counting

their trespasses

against him.

We sang a song

that said the same

thing.

What a beautiful

song.

His mercy is more.

God doesn't

count the sins

we commit

against his

infinite worth

and glory

when we put

our faith

in Christ.

How ought

I to resist

counting the

sins of

others

when it just

brings some

inconvenience

to my life?

So the parable

continues

to show us

the reason

that the heart

resists

forgiving.

That's our

second point.

Forgiveness

resisted.

Excuse me.

So resistance

to forgiving

others occurs

because we

have resisted

the master's

forgiveness

offered to

us.

Let's look

at verse

23.

Therefore,

the kingdom

of heaven

may be

compared

to a

king

who wished

to settle

accounts

with his

servants.

When he

began to

settle,

one was

brought to

him who

owed him

ten thousand

talents.

and since

he could

not pay,

his master

ordered him

to be

sold with

his wife

and his

children and

all that he

had in

payment was

to be

made.

Since he

could not

pay,

his master

ordered him

to be sold

with his

wife and

children and

all that he

had in

payment to

be made.

See,

the resistance

of the

servant to

forgive others

is correlated

with how

he views

his debts

to his

master.

You may

have heard

before of

this ten

thousand

talent number.

This number

represents not

just a day's

wages,

and it's not

a year's

wages,

but it's

actually the

wages of

a servant,

which is

who this

man was,

and it

would have

cost 20

years of

his life

without

interest to

pay back

his master.

To help

even illustrate

this,

number

further,

if you

remember

King

David,

he donated

7,000 talents,

or he gave

7,000 talents

of silver,

and 3,000 talents

of gold,

totaling 10,000

talents for

the construction

of the temple.

And this

servant has

racked up

that amount

of debt

against his

master.

This is a

quantity of

debt that

is a

picture for

us to show

just how

desperate a

position this

servant was

in.

He could

not dig

himself out

of this

debt if he

had 10

years,

or 100

years,

or 10,000

years.

And the

same is

true for

every one

of us,

every one

of us

who

miscalculates

the debt

that we

are under

without

Christ to

God for

all the

ways that,

as an

image bearer

of God,

we have

failed to

honor him

and to

glorify him,

to steward

what he

has given

to us,

all the

worth that

he is

so entitled

to.

We are

those who

should be

cautious about

how we view

the debt that

we were under

towards the

Lord.

Now look at

verse 26.

Notice the

absurdity of

what this

servant says

next.

So the

servant fell

on his

knees,

imploring him,

have patience

with me,

and I will

pay you

everything.

So it's

the one who

failed every

account of

his stewarding

responsibility.

Everything that

he mismanaged

and he failed

to use

appropriately,

he promises

to bring back

the lost

value to

restore

everything

that he

was wasted.

He's like

the child

who takes

his dad's

prized

childhood

possession

and he

breaks it

and then

what does

he do?

He looks

for the

things in

his room,

the Elmer's

glue,

the Plato

and promises

to put

things back

together.

It is

utterly

impossible

to repay

the Lord.

Incorrectly

assessing

our debt

and our

ability to

pay it

back is

an

eternally

horrific

mistake

to make.

Only

mercy can

be applied

to in

relationship

to what

belongs to

God and

the debt

that we

are under.

So the

error and

miscalculating

debt always

leads to a

mishandling of

how we treat

the debts

of others,

especially those

who sin

against us.

Verse 28

says,

when the

same

servant

went out,

he found

one of

his fellow

servants

who owed

him a

hundred

denarii

and seizing

him,

he began

to choke

him saying,

pay what

you owe.

So his

servant fell

down and

pleaded with

him,

have patience

with me

and I

will pay

you.

He refused

and went

and put him

in prison

until he

should pay

the debt.

Now this

is incredibly

instructive

for us.

When my

heart is

aware of

all the

grace that

God has

given me,

when my

heart is

postured

appropriately

to remember

that I've

been adopted

as a son

of the

King of

Kings,

when I

remember

the path

that I

was on

and the

one that

the Lord

has now

set me

on,

then it's

much easier

to be able

to forgive

somebody.

But so

often when

I am

sinned

against,

I would

imagine the

same is

true for

every one

of us

in this

room.

I feel

the urge

for a

very quick

course

correction

for the

one that

has inconvenienced

me,

so I

can become

angry

quickly,

grumbling

and complaining,

restricting

forgiveness

until a

certain set

of deeds

are done

that appease

me.

And what

we do

every time

we do

this is

we paint

a picture,

and this

is a

picture for

the people

who need

grace the

most,

the people

that need

to be

restored in

their hearts

to the

Lord who

sent his

son for

them.

And the

picture is

the same

picture,

it's pay

what you

owe.

How can

I tell

others to

pay what

they owe

when I have

paid nothing

for the cost

of redeeming

my own

soul?

And we

require nobody

to pay

what only

Christ's

blood was

sufficient to

pay for.

See,

the parable

makes it

very clear

that there

are eternal

consequences

and dangers

for maintaining

a heart

that lacks

forgiveness.

We could

spend a

good amount

of time,

but just

a couple

passages

for our

attention.

Matthew

Matthew 6 · chapter mention

chapter 6

says,

verse 12

says,

forgive us

our sins

as we

forgive our

debtors.

Notice the

logical

connection

between

forgiving

and being

forgiven.

Two verses

later,

verse 14,

for if you

forgive others

their trespasses,

your heavenly

father will

also forgive

you.

But if you

do not

forgive others

their trespasses,

neither will

your father

forgive your

trespasses.

And back

to our

text,

the response

of the

master

is striking.

Verse 34

says,

and in

anger his

master

delivered him

to the

jailers

until he

should pay

his debt.

The word

jailer here

is also

translated in

other Greek

literature of

that time

as a

torturer.

This is not

a picture of

a jail with

modern conveniences.

This is a

place where

this man

will be

delivered

for justice

to be

appropriately

applied.

So Matthew

18.35

says,

my heavenly

father will

also do to

every one of

you if you

do not

forgive your

brother from

your heart.

And notice

how severe

these warnings

are without

the external

evidence of

forgiveness

applied to

others,

one is

called to

question the

legitimacy of

our gospel

profession and

allegiance.

The practice

of forgiveness

then is a

meter which

all proclaiming

Christians are

called to give

appropriate

attention to.

And while no

actions, no

amount of

forgiveness that

we ever extend

to others could

position us

rightly before

the Lord,

nonetheless,

the Lord makes

it clear.

If there is a

lack of

forgiveness in

our heart,

then we may

be in danger.

Many who have

false professions

of faith will

need to look at

their ongoing

struggle to

forgive others

to find

themselves as

the subjects

of these grave

and dire

warnings.

So our last

point this

morning is

exposing

unforgiveness

within.

sin.

We cannot

read such

a sobering

parable

without

self-reflection,

right?

Without doing

the sort of

self-examination

that Jesus is

calling us to.

Perhaps you're

not characterized

by regular

lack of

forgiveness.

Maybe it just

comes up from

time to time.

Or maybe this

morning you're in

the camp and

you are thinking

yourself to be

somebody who

regularly struggles

with objecting

to acts of

forgiveness.

Well, what are

we to do in

light of this

parable?

How are we to

examine our

hearts?

How are we to

see which ways

this parable is

meant to be

understood and

assessed and

repented of if

necessary?

I'm going to

give you two

things to look

for within the

parable.

The first one

question is this.

It's a question.

Are there

observable changes

in you and

me in the way

that we respond

to the sin of

others in light

of what Jesus

has done for us

in the gospel?

This is really

the great thrust

of our text.

The great cost

that the master

absorbed is

intended to

produce change,

real change,

in the heart

of the servant.

And yet no

change can be

observed.

Tragically,

this reveals

the depravity

of our hearts.

This is the

basis on which

the master

calls out the

servant by

saying,

you wicked

servant.

See, the

effectual love

of Christ is

always intended

to produce

change by

those who

were once

indebted to

the king of

kings.

For this

reason, we

are to humbly

assess our

relationships

with others.

This is a

hard thing to

do, but what

may be warranted

from this text

is to think

about the

people that

maybe sin

against you

the most.

It could be

your brother

or your sister

kids.

It could be

your parents.

It could be

your roommates,

your spouse,

your employer.

anger.

There are so

many categories.

What we are

called to do

is to go to

them and to

ask them,

hey, when you

have sinned

against me,

as you think

about my

response,

do you see

within me a

hope and a

desire for you

to be restored,

to be in right

relationship,

to experience the

grace of Jesus

and him alone?

Or are you

receiving from

me anger

for me

and expectation

that I be

pleased,

that my

respect be

honored?

See, it's a

very humbling

thing for us

to do, but

often the

people that

we are

with, that

those people

ought to feel

Christ and

his work

within us

when we

respond to

their sin.

Ephesians

Ephesians 4:32

chapter 4

verse 32

says,

be kind to

one another.

tenderhearted

and forgiving

one another

just as

God in

Christ forgave

you.

The second

thing that

we can do

and look for

in this

parable is

another very

important question

and I saw

this for the

first time

studying this

week.

Here's the

question,

does God's

forgiving of

my sin

result in

an increasing

joy in

him?

Now,

part of

the devastation

of the

unmerciful

servant is

that the

master's

treatment

towards him

should have

resulted in

great

enthused

joy in

the master

himself.

But you

notice that

the servant

only views

what happened

to him as

a transaction.

As soon as

it happens,

he moves on

and he's

off and

running and

nothing has

changed.

changed.

There's a

striking

similarity if

you think

of the

picture that's

given in the

book of

Luke of

the ten

lepers,

right,

who are

healed by

Jesus.

What happens

to those

lepers?

Well,

nine of

them,

nine go

away and

only one

comes back.

That one

was so

affected

deeply

within his

heart that

he came

back praising

God and

with a

loud voice

he fell

on his

face at

Jesus'

feet giving

him thanks.

Have you

found yourself

responding to

God's love

with a

similar type

of thankfulness?

If you're

struggling to

forgive others,

could it be

that this

type of

thankfulness is

lacking within

your heart?

Could it be

that you have

separated what

Jesus has

offered from

Jesus himself

and only

taken what

he offers

and viewed

it in

transactional

forms but

forgot that

Jesus intends

to call you

to himself

to be

enjoyed?

John Piper

has a very

helpful book

that discusses

this theme.

Perhaps you've

read it.

It's called

God is the

Gospel.

Let me

just read

a quick

excerpt.

It says

there are

ten thousand

gifts that

flames

the news

that he

has purchased

by his

death

ten thousand

blessings

for his

bride.

But none

of these

gifts will

lead to

final joy

if they

have not

first

led

to God.

And not

one

Gospel

blessing

will be

enjoyed

by anyone

for whom

the Gospel's

greatest gift

is not

the Lord

himself.

see we

are forgiven

so that

we may

enjoy

the Lord.

First

Peter 3

says for

Christ also

suffered once

for sin

the righteous

for the

unrighteous

so that

he might

bring us

to his

father

to God.

What an

amazing gift

that we can

come not

being

fearfully

reminded

of our

debts

but we

can be

welcomed

because

Jesus

has

expensed

the payment

of our

sin

when he

died

on the

cross.

Lastly

as we

move

towards

our

conclusion

and consider

the application

that this

text calls

for

there are

several

categories

of people

that the

Lord

brought

to mind

this week

and I'm

hopeful

that it

may help

to serve

these people

in particular

because forgiveness

often finds

itself into

very difficult

situations.

Sometimes the

type of sin

that we are

called to

endure is

so serious

that you

feel the

impact of

it for

years or

even decades

after it

has occurred.

You can't

always easily

forget it

or dismiss

this sin

that happened

to you

from your

mind and

you wonder

what does

forgiveness

look like

in this

type of

situation?

What am I

to do?

How can I

be faithful

to honor

the Lord?

The second

category is

people that

maybe have

wronged you

and they

have no

understanding

of the

forgiveness

that they

need.

Maybe they're

denying

that they

actually hurt

you in

the first

place.

Maybe they

have no

idea.

Maybe they're

unbelievers

and forgiveness

is not in

their vocabulary

what do

we do?

Well, as

one of your

pastors, I

first want to

encourage you

that we

know and

we recognize

just how

hard it

is in

these

situations

to forgive

others.

We know

it can be

tremendously

difficult to

love and

to find

appropriate

boundaries

for what

relationship

looks like

after great

sin has

happened.

So just

a few

clarifying

remarks

that I

hope are

helpful.

Forgiveness

is not a

restoration

of trust.

Forgiveness

doesn't always

mean that

trust is

rightfully

restored just

because you

have forgiven

somebody.

Trust within

relationships

is based

upon standards

which allow

for a

relationship

to flourish.

And as

Christians,

the best

relational

harmony

that happens

is when

we're

walking

in

obedience

and

faithfulness

before

the Lord.

See,

many have

lost this

trust within

relationships

because they

have either

drifted from

the Lord

or they

never were

disciples

after all.

And while

we long

for these

relationships

to have

this really

deep and

meaningful

trust,

oftentimes

it is

absent

and we

should not

be assuming

that we

are called

to act

as if

it's there.

That's a

hard thing

to think

about,

but it

is not

good for

us to

trust people

that are

not able

to be

trusted

and the

Lord

doesn't

call us

to that.

The second

is forgiveness

is not

pretending

that consequences

don't exist

and that

things should

always go

back to

the way

that they

used to

be

after

somebody

has been

forgiven.

Now,

very similar

to our

previous

point,

but let's

be clear

here,

consequences

for sin

are sometimes

very necessary.

They're

helpful,

they're wise

to apply

with discernment

to your

situation.

This may

mean that

it's good

to place

restrictions

on relationships

so that

sinful

patterns

and tendencies

are not

allowed to

continue.

You can

have a

heart of

forgiveness

and still

honor Christ

by changing

some of the

relational

boundaries

that should

be there

as you

move forward.

And thirdly,

a specific

word for

those who

are in

situations

where forgiveness

is not

sought by

the person

who has

sinned.

These are

so hard.

We can

often get

very confused

and think

that we

can't

fulfill

what Jesus

is calling

us to

because it

feels like

it's a

two-party

act when

forgiveness

is there.

Somebody

asks for

forgiveness

and then I

give it.

That's not

actually quite

the case.

In some

situations,

we can

try to

show someone

how they've

sinned

against the

Lord,

but we

cannot

control

how they

respond.

and we're

helped in

this way

by looking

at Jesus

and what

he did

in the

book of

Luke

Luke 23 · chapter mention

chapter 23.

This is

what he

says to

those who

were clearly

not seeking

the forgiveness

of him.

In fact,

they were

furthering their

sinful rebellion

and that is

when Jesus

said these

words.

Jesus

said,

Father,

forgive them

for they

know not

what they

do.

So we

can view

the punishment

of Christ

is completely

sufficient for

them.

We can

trust that

the Lord

alone is

able to

make the

gospel

effective

in the

heart of

the one

who has