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[0:00] Hey, it's great to be with you again this morning. Thank you so much for your invitation.! I've been a Baptist minister now for 41 years, and if I say it quickly, it doesn't seem so long.

[0:16] Just so that you know, in Cambridge for a few years after I'd trained in Oxford, after I'd finished in the law, practiced law for a little while, and then Cambridge for a few years in the city centre church there, to Ipswich for about 10 years as senior minister there at Burlington, and then to the New Forest, to Ashley Baptist Church in New York.

[0:46] In New Milton, and then to Orpington, where I was minister for 16 years, until I retired last year. But I discovered pretty quickly that there's no retirement in God's service of being a minister, and I'm really glad that that's so.

[1:10] So I continue as interim minister at a little church called Crayford Baptist Church near Dartford. I am chaplain to the Bromley Homeless Charity, working with the homeless in our borough of Bromley.

[1:28] I preach virtually every Sunday, and my wife says, when are you going to retire? But it's great to be with you. What a lovely part of London you live in, and what a joy to come here.

[1:47] This morning, as I came down into Dulwich Village, the sun began to shine, which was a sign of something good. I love the story that's told of the rather vain lady, not like anyone here, the rather vain lady who years ago went to a portrait photographer to have her picture taken, and said to the portrait photographer, young man, mind you do me justice today.

[2:22] And the portrait photographer said under his breath, madam, it's not justice, but mercy that you leave. And so for you and me, mercy, and not justice.

[2:43] Jehovah Sidkanu is the name of God that we especially think about this morning in your series, in the names of God.

[2:54] And it comes especially in Jeremiah 23 and verse 6, speaking about a righteous king that is to be raised up to rule over Israel.

[3:07] And as we think about it as Christians, we look at it and we understand that it speaks not just of an earthly king, but of the Messiah that was to come, the promise of Jesus Christ.

[3:24] Because it means Jehovah Sidkanu. It means the Lord is our righteousness. That is righteousness, which is a gift from God for us, not something that we can earn by our works, but mercy through faith in Jesus Christ.

[3:52] And mercy from our Father God, Jehovah Sidkanu. And mercy and compassion and forgiveness to share with others in relationship with them in life.

[4:12] Jesus taught us to pray as we pray. Forgive us our sins. Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who sin.

[4:22] Forgive us our sins against us. As in the Sermon on the Mount, where he underlines the point again. If you forgive others when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

[4:38] But if you do not forgive others, your heavenly Father will not forgive you. Now, in this parable of the unmerciful servant that Lynn read for us, he underlines the point again.

[4:55] Just in case we haven't got the message, let mercy lead to mercy in our lives. Let the forgiveness of the Father for us.

[5:10] Let the forgiveness of the Father flow through us into forgiving others around us. Let grace be added to grace.

[5:22] Jehovah Sidkanu. Let the Lord be our righteousness. Let's share it.

[5:56] He has a Christian who knew a lot about forgiveness. Corrie Ten Boom. She once wrote, He throws my sin into the deepest sea.

[6:10] And then he puts up a sign, No fishing allowed. But this servant, who owes the millions in current currency, has a debt to his master that's way beyond all hope of ever, ever paying back.

[6:33] But then as he looks to the master for patience, the debt is cancelled, the slate is wiped clean, the invoice is stamped, paid in full.

[6:51] The Father heart of God is the same for you and me. He has for you and me a heart of mercy, forgiveness and compassion.

[7:08] His heart is a heart of grace towards us, whatever has gone on in our lives. He is Jehovah Sinkano, the Lord is our righteousness.

[7:22] He wants to share that righteousness with us through Jesus Christ. We can't achieve it by ourselves, but we can receive it in a divine exchange.

[7:41] My sin for his righteousness. So, you know, before we go on to talk about forgiving others, which is the main point of the parable.

[8:01] Before we go on to talk about forgiving others, we need to pause. We need to be assured of our own need for forgiveness in our own lives.

[8:16] Not to be so on our high horses that we presume that we don't need to be forgiven. And we need to be assured of the Father's forgiveness for us.

[8:33] Not just once, but day by day. We need to be at peace with the truth that Jesus died for me.

[8:46] We need to be convinced in mind and heart that there is no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus.

[8:59] Do you believe that here at Hernhill? No condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus. Jehovah Sinkano.

[9:13] The Lord is our righteousness. He alone, he alone can put things that belong to the past in our lives.

[9:24] He can take away the guilt and the sense of shame that sometimes we have.

[9:36] And sometimes, sometimes, how hard we find it to forgive ourselves. Let alone receive the forgiveness of God for things that have gone on.

[9:48] For things that have happened. Perhaps in a new way today. With open hands and open hearts. We can receive for ourselves the love and peace and forgiveness of God.

[10:05] That we can be assured that there is no condemnation. That there is no need for shame or guilt anymore.

[10:18] As in the parable that the unrepayable debt that we owe to God. That it be wiped out. And that we might be able to walk from this church.

[10:37] With a new sense of being renewed and cleansed. And free to live a life that God wants us to in all its fullness.

[10:50] Not quite yet. But in a little while. We need to experience God's forgiveness for ourselves. Not just once but again and again each day.

[11:05] Experience God's forgiveness for your life as I want for mine as well. And secondly, if forgiveness needs experiencing.

[11:18] Forgiveness needs sharing. Forgiveness needs sharing. I remember speaking in another church. On the need for forgiving other people.

[11:32] Not far really away. Within South East London. And someone came to me at the door. And I saw them coming.

[11:43] Do you know how it is? How you can look across a room. And you can see somebody's intention. Of speaking to you. Rather aggressively.

[11:55] And she had a fire in her eyes. And she came to me at the door. And she said. It's alright for you.

[12:06] To preach about forgiveness. But let me tell you. What happened to me. And she went on and told me. About something that had happened to her.

[12:19] Which was very sad. And very difficult to forgive for her. Actually it's not alright. I need to forgive as well.

[12:36] And I have a testimony to share with you. Just now that I. I still find really hard. And even as I drove over here.

[12:49] I thought to myself. Well. Lord do you really expect me to say that to people? And he said yes.

[13:01] So I became a Christian. From a very non-Christian home. As a teenager. Within and through the Church of England.

[13:12] In Poole. In Dorset. And. Very quickly. The vicar.

[13:23] Of the Church. Groomed me. And started abusing me sexually. And raped me.

[13:37] Many times over. I told people about it. They said no. No.

[13:53] I can't. I can't begin to tell you. What damage it did to my life. And.

[14:04] And even when I. I got married later on. It deeply affected us.

[14:18] And for years. And years. And years. All through my ministry. I felt a sense. Of shame.

[14:29] Myself. It. Was my fault. But I felt the sense of shame. Nevertheless. Dirty.

[14:41] And ashamed. And I felt a sense of bitterness. And hatred. About what had been done to me.

[14:52] So many times over. And. And. You know. It was only as I came. To retirement. I don't know what it was.

[15:05] But. I. I. I wrote. To the Church of England. I guess I thought. Perhaps. There's a new beginning. For me.

[15:16] As I step into retirement. And. I wrote. I wrote. To the Church of England. And they took me seriously. For the first time. In my life. And.

[15:29] And. And. And. And. And. One thing. Led to another. And. And. And. And. And. And. And. And. And. And. And. And. And. And. And. And. And. The. The. Bishop of Salisbury. In his home.

[15:39] In. In. Salisbury. Now. He. Had nothing to do. With what happened to me. But it was in his diocese. That it had happened. And.

[15:50] I was going. For a formal. Bishop's apology. As we. Knocked on the door. Of his. House. In the shadow.

[16:01] Of Salisbury Cathedral. I thought to myself. I've had the wrong denomination. Because it's such a beautiful. Beautiful home.

[16:12] His churchmanship. Very far. From. My own. And from yours. But. But a. A lovely man. And he said.

[16:24] Martin. Margaret. Come in. I. I've cleared my diary. For the day. I just want to be there. For you. And we sat down. In his living room.

[16:34] And he. Heard my story. Of abuse. In my. Life. And he said. I'm so. So. Sorry. That was evil. That shouldn't have happened.

[16:46] I'm so. I'm so. So sorry. On behalf of the. Church of England. And then. He took us into his. His private chapel.

[16:57] Which was. Next to his living room. Part of the. Of the house. Beautiful chapel. There. And he. Anointed us both. Margaret.

[17:08] And me. And. Took his. Bishop's. Staff. And said. As he anointed us. Be set free.

[17:22] And do you know. I don't know. If you know. Salisbury Cathedral. But the green there. Is beautiful. Margaret. And I. Went from that.

[17:32] Bishop's palace. And we. Skipped. Over that. Cathedral. Green. Because. For the first. Time. In my life. After.

[17:46] Even after. 45. Years. I felt. Set free. I felt.

[17:57] I felt. That I was able. To forgive. At last. And to let go. Of the. Shame.

[18:08] And the bitterness. That I'd felt. Sometimes. It's. Not easy. Perhaps.

[18:21] Peter. Was struggling. With a. A personal. Hurt. In his. In his own life. We don't know. But. When he asked Jesus. Lord. If my brother. Keeps on sinning.

[18:32] Against me. How many times. Should I. Forgive him. As many as seven times. And Jesus replies. And it's different. In different. Translations. Uh.

[18:42] The one we heard. This morning. Was 70 times. 77 times. And other translations. It's 70. Times. Seven. And that's not a math.

[18:55] Sum. As it were. You wait. Until you do it. 78 times. And. I'll be. For you. Or. You wait. Until the.

[19:05] 491st. Time. It's. A cultivation. In our hearts. And lives. In our spirits.

[19:16] Of an attitude. Of grace. Instead of an attitude. Of legalism. Or bitterness. In our hearts. And it can be.

[19:28] It can be. And I. I speak from my own experience. It can be. One of the hardest things. We're. Called on to do. C.S. Lewis.

[19:40] Put it. Famously. Everyone. Thinks. Forgiveness. Is a good idea. Until they come. To practice it. We may have been.

[19:53] Treated. Unfairly. Unkindly. Unjustly. We may have had. To watch. A loved one. Being hurt. Sometimes. It's.

[20:04] Hard. Isn't it. To. To. To. To. To. Watch. A loved one. Being hurt. Than to be. Than to be hurt. Ourselves. But the teaching. Of Jesus.

[20:15] Here and elsewhere. Couldn't be. Clearer. Forgiveness. needs. Needs. Sharing. Sharing. Forgive. As the Lord.

[20:25] Has forgiven you. Be sure. Of how much. The Lord. Has forgiven you. In your life. And then learn. To share it.

[20:36] In overflow. Of grace. To others. The double. Standards. Of the servant. Who is forgiven. Such. An enormous debt.

[20:48] Himself. But. Will not forgive. His fellow servant. Even a trifling amount. By comparison. Is nothing short. Of hypocrisy.

[21:03] To let go. Of the bitter. Feelings. To begin.

[21:13] At least. The process. Of forgiveness. And I. I know. As it was. For me. Maybe. It will be. For you.

[21:24] Sometimes. It's not. In an instant. There needs. To be. A process. Of forgiveness. That's the way.

[21:36] To know. God's peace. And God's joy. In our own lives. As we learn. To share. Forgiveness. With others. It's not.

[21:47] Excusing. What happened. What happened. Was terrible. And maybe. It was. For you. It's not.

[21:58] Pretending. That it didn't. Matter. The years. Of abuse. That I. Suffered. Matter. More than. Anything else. In my life. It doesn't.

[22:12] Mean. That we'll. Be able. To easily. Forget. Because. Only God. Can really. Forget. Trust.

[22:23] May have. Been. Broken. Human. Justice. May still. Need. To be done. There may. May well. Be. Be. Consequences. Still. But forgiveness.

[22:35] Forgiveness. In our hearts. Minds. Is a. Is a new. A new. Attitude. A new. Spirit. It's the. It's the attitude. Of Jehovah.

[22:46] Sikkanu. That we might. Share. It with others. It's the grace. Of letting go.

[22:59] And it's something. That you and I. Can choose again. For ourselves. Today. To choose it.

[23:11] And to practice it. In big things. And in small. To build a community. A society. That's built on. Compassion.

[23:22] Instead of. Prejudice. And fear. Let's learn. To experience. Forgiveness. For ourselves. Let's learn.

[23:33] To share. Forgiveness. With others. Let's learn. That forgiveness. Sets you free. I can think. Of only.

[23:43] One thing. That costs. More. Than forgiving. Someone. Do you know. What it is. Is. Is not. Forgiving. Forgiving. Forgiving. Forgiving.

[23:53] Forgiving. Forgiving. To lick. Our wounds. And to rehearse. The pain. Of what happened. As we can do. To hold.

[24:05] The grudge. For ourselves. And in the end. Find that the grudge. Holds you. To forgive. It's part of the cost. Which Jesus teaches.

[24:16] When the unmerciful servant. Now finds himself. In prison. As a result of his hypocrisy. And hard heartedness.

[24:27] Pete Gregg. The founder of the 24-7 prayer movement. Puts it wonderfully. Like this. He says. To forgive. Is to set the prisoner free.

[24:39] Only to find. That the prisoner was you. All along. So outraged.

[24:49] By the sheer injustice. Of what they. Of what they'd seen. They. They go. And the fellow servants. Go. And report. The unmerciful servant.

[25:00] To the master. Who withdraws his mercy. And demands. Payment. Of the huge. Unrepayable debt. A reminder to us.

[25:10] That we are. Eternally. Answerable. To the judge. Of all the earth. And even when justice. Is not done.

[25:20] On this earth. As it wasn't done. For me. The Lord. Will see to it. That there is justice. Done. In eternity.

[25:31] It is. His to avenge. And not yours. Or mine. Famously. Nelson Mandela.

[25:41] Once. President. Of South Africa. After 25 years. Of. Imprisonment. Under. The then. Apartheid. Regime.

[25:52] Of. That. Country. He. He wrote. In his. Memoirs. He wrote. As I walked. Out of the door. Of the prison. Towards my freedom.

[26:04] I knew. That if I didn't. Leave. The anger. Hatred. And bitterness. Behind. I would still. Be in prison.

[26:15] Ha. True. Isn't it? Like the unmerciful. Servant. We can find.

[26:27] Ourselves. Imprisoned. I. Very intimately. And personally. Try not to hold it against me.

[26:41] But I. I know that I did. Imprisoned. By what had happened. To me.

[26:52] Years before. We can be. We can be. We can be. We can be locked up. In our own. In our own. Bitterness. We can be.

[27:02] We can be. Tortured. By our own. Sense of shame. And resentment. And it can. Shape our. Our personalities. And characters. And the way that we are.

[27:14] With. With other people too. Jehovah. Sid Kahn. The Lord. Who is our. Righteousness.

[27:25] Is the one. Who has the. Key. That unlocks. The chains. And sets us. Free. To live a life. In all this. Fullness.

[27:36] That we might go. Skipping. Across. Some green. Or. Even. When we have arthritis. Jehovah.

[27:50] Sid Kahn. Experience it. Today. Share it.

[28:03] With others. And be set free. Be a church. That's known.

[28:14] For its freedom. Be set free. For he's the one. That unlocks. Our chains. Hallelujah.

[28:28] Amen. Let's pray. Jehovah.

[28:38] Sid Kahn. We praise. We praise. And. And worship you. For you are the righteous one. Please share that.

[28:49] That righteousness with us. As we put our faith. In. The Lord Jesus Christ. And trust him. Now and for eternity.

[29:00] Help us to experience. Help us to experience. More of your love. And grace. And forgiveness. For our own lives.

[29:12] Give us the strength. That we need. By your Holy Spirit. To share it with others. And share it even with ourselves.

[29:23] As we seek to forgive ourselves. And Lord help us. To be. Men and women of freedom.

[29:37] Set free. By the love and grace. That you pour into our lives. Lord we find it hard.

[29:48] By your Holy Spirit. Nothing is impossible. We praise you. We worship you.

[29:59]  We thank you. In Jesus's name. Amen.