WEBVTT

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 Well, thank you very much for your welcome, Paul. It's good to be with you again.

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 We actually came in October, sort of incognito, as a family with my wife and other two children.

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! Lovely to be with you again tonight.

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 We're in Matthew 18, page 823 and 824 of the Bibles in your hands.

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 As we come to God's Word, let's come to Him in prayer.

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 Our Heavenly Father, we praise and thank you for your Son, the Lord Jesus.

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 We ask now that you would help us to listen to Him, that we might walk in Him as the way,

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 that we might trust Him as the truth, that we might receive Him as the life.

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 We ask this in His precious name. Amen.

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 Amen.

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 It was in a church in Munich that I saw Him, a balding, heavyset man in a grey overcoat,

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 a brown felt cap clutched between His hands.

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 People were filing out of the basement room where I'd just spoken.

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 It was 1947, and I had come from Holland to defeated Germany with the message that God forgives.

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 And that's when I saw Him, working His way forward against the others.

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 One moment I saw the overcoat and the brown cap.

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 The next, a blue uniform and a visored cap with its skull and crossbones.

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 It came back with a rush, the huge room with its harsh overhead lights,

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 the pathetic pile of dresses and shoes in the centre of the floor,

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 the shame of walking naked past this man.

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 I could see my sister's frail form in front of me,

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 ribs sharp beneath the parchment skin.

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 Betsy, how thin you looked.

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 Betsy and I had been arrested for concealing Jews in our home

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 during the Nazi occupation of Holland.

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 This man had been a guard at Ravensbrück concentration camp where we were sent.

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 You mentioned Ravensbrück in your talk, he was saying.

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 I was a guard in there.

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 No, he did not remember me.

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 But since that time, he went on, I have become a Christian.

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 I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did there.

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 But I would like to hear it from your lips as well.

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 Fraulein, his hand came out.

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 Will you forgive me?

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 And I stood there.

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 I who sins had every day to be forgiven.

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 And I could not.

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 Betsy had died in that place.

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 Could he erase her slow, terrible death simply by asking?

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 It could not have been many seconds that he stood there, hand held out.

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 But to me, it seemed hours as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I have ever had to do.

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 For I had to do it.

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 I knew that.

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 The message that God forgives has a prior condition.

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 That we forgive those who have injured us.

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 If you do not forgive men their trespasses, Jesus says,

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 Neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.

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 And still I stood there.

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 The coldness clutching my heart.

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 But forgiveness is not an emotion.

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 I knew that too.

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 Forgiveness is an act of the will.

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 And the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.

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 Jesus, help me.

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 I prayed silently.

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 I can lift my hand.

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 I can do that much.

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 You supply the feeling.

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 And so woodenly, mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me.

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 And as I did, an incredible thing took place.

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 The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into our joined hands.

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 And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes.

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 I forgive you, brother, I cried.

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 With all my heart.

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 For a long moment, we grasped each other's hands.

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 The former guard and the former prisoner.

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 I had never known God's love so intensely as I did then.

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 But if you don't recognize it, that is an extract from Corrie Ten Boom's autobiography,

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 The Hiding Place.

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 I don't know how you react when you hear that story.

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 My instinct is to be full of admiration, but to think there is no way that I would ever be able to do what she did.

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 Forgive a man implicated in my sister's death.

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 And yet, as Corrie makes clear, forgiveness isn't an act only for super saints.

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 No, for Jesus, it's basic Christianity.

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 And nowhere is that clearer than in tonight's passage from Matthew 18.

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 It's a chapter all about relationships in God's kingdom, how we get on together in church.

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 Earlier in the chapter, Jesus highlighted three qualities that should mark our relationships with one another.

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 Humility, that we view ourselves simply as children.

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 Love, seeing each other as children too, and therefore protecting and caring for one another.

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 And then accountability.

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 Again, the family language of brothers and sisters challenging one another in unrepented sin.

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 And here, in tonight's verses, Jesus adds a fourth quality to his sketch of healthy church culture.

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 Maybe forgiveness.

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 Peter is the one who raises the issue, presumably off the back of what Jesus has just been saying about church discipline.

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 Verse 21, he says, Lord, how often will my brother sin against me and I forgive him?

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 As many as seven times.

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 Actually being very generous.

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 The rabbis of the day taught that it was necessary to forgive just three times.

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 But for Jesus, even seven times isn't enough.

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 Verse 22, I do not say to you seven times, but 77 times.

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 Or it could be 70 times seven.

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 By which he really means stop counting and just get on with forgiving.

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 Now, it may be that some of us feel that's actually quite an easy command.

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 We don't think of ourselves as the sort of people who hold grudges.

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 What's the big deal?

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 Which is probably a sign that we're not really doing the first half of this chapter

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 and properly getting involved in one another's lives.

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 You see, if we are seeking to do church life together as family,

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 sharing our lives and our homes and our hearts,

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 then because we remain sinners, there will be times when we clash,

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 when we rub each other up the wrong way.

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 When we sin.

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 And when we're sinned against.

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 And presumably that's why Jesus concludes his teaching on kingdom relationships

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 with this need for forgiveness.

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 But equally, there'll be others of us, perhaps the more honest,

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 for whom this feels like a very hard teaching.

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 We've been sinned against deeply and repeatedly by others.

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 And the thought of forgiving them is just too painful to contemplate.

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 Well, Jesus understands that,

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 and he's not in the business of laying burdens on us

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 and then leaving it to us to carry those burdens.

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 And in the story that follows,

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 he not only underlines how essential forgiveness is in his kingdom,

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 he also points to the one place that can move and empower such forgiveness.

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 It's a story of two halves.

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 Each teaches a simple truth.

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 First half, forgiveness is the heart of all true Christianity.

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 Let's remind ourselves how Jesus begins his story.

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 Verse 22, sorry, 23.

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

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 who wished to settle accounts with his servants.

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 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him 10,000 talents.

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 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold

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 with his wife and children and all that he had and payment to be made.

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 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him,

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 have patience with me and I will pay you everything.

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 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him

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 and forgave him the debt.

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 10,000 talents.

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 10,000 is the largest numeral in ancient Greece.

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 There isn't a bigger number than that.

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 And a talent you'll see from the footnote

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 was the equivalent of 20 years living wage.

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 So we can do the maths and say it's the equivalent of around 3.5 billion pounds today.

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 But Jesus is really just saying, this guy is a gazillion pounds in debt.

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 Which is what makes the man's request in verse 26 so ludicrous, isn't it?

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 Have patience with me and I will pay you everything.

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 Everything.

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 I mean, even before the Bank of England put up interest rates,

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 there's no way that he could keep up with the interest,

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 let alone start to pay off the capital.

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 In fact, the only thing more ludicrous than this man's request

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 is his master's response.

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 Verse 27,

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 And out of pity for him,

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 the master of that servant released him

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 and forgave him the debt.

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 To forgive a gazillion pound debt,

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 this man wanted a patient master.

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 What he got was a ludicrously generous master.

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 And that, of course, is Jesus' point.

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 You and I are in debt to God.

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 I mean, if I sin against you,

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 if I steal, I don't know, 10 pounds,

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 well, I can make up for that.

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 I can pay you back.

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 But to sin against an infinite being

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 is an infinite offense.

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 And you and I have sinned against God,

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 not just once or twice,

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 but all the time.

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 Every second that I fail to love God

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 with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength,

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 I am adding to that mountain of debt.

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 And I have absolutely no way

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 of paying it off.

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 Not a year of faithful church attendance,

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 not a decade of sacrificial good works,

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 not a lifetime of nonstop worship

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 could repay

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 my rejection of my loving creator.

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 Some of us here will know

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 the horrible feeling

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 of being in financial debt.

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 The bills mounting up,

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 the demands arriving.

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 The burden of it dominates

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 every waking moment.

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 But financial debt pales

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 beside the reality of our debt to God.

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 That debt is far greater

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 and infinitely more serious

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 in its consequences,

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 as verse 25 hints.

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 And yet here is the wonder.

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 If we belong to Jesus,

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 God has canceled it all,

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 every last penny.

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 And this side of the cross,

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 we know how much that cost God.

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 As Peter himself put it later,

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 you know that it was not

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 with perishable things

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 that you were redeemed

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 from your empty way of life,

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 but with the precious blood

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 of Christ,

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 chosen before the creation

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 of the world,

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 yet revealed

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 in these last times

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 for your sake.

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 An infinite debt

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 requires an infinite payment.

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 An infinite life

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 is of infinite value.

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 So when God the Son

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 willingly gives up his life

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 for us,

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 the offering of his life

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 exactly matches

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 our infinite need.

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 See, the gospel is even more wonderful,

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 actually, than this story.

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 For our king doesn't just

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 cancel our debt,

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 he pays it himself

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 by the gift of his Son.

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 That's why,

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 unlike any

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 religion or philosophy,

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 the heart of Christianity

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 is forgiveness.

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 If you are someone

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 looking into Christian things,

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 trying to work out

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 whether this is for you.

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 Well, the place to start

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 is with this question

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 of forgiveness.

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 For forgiveness.

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 forgiveness.

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 What do you think God makes

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 of the way that you've lived

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 your life?

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 Of the way you've treated

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 your loved ones?

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 Of the way you've treated him?

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 What does your conscience

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 say to you

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 about your moral state?

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 And if you don't come to Jesus

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 for forgiveness,

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 where else are you going to find it?

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 And for those of us

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 who are Christian believers,

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 well, really,

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 the extent to which we understand

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 what value God has done for us

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 in forgiving our sins

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 is the measure of our progress

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 as disciples.

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 As Jesus puts it elsewhere,

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 if we think we've been forgiven

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 only a little,

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 we'll love

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 only a little.

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 But if we know

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 that we have been forgiven much,

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 then we will love much.

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 Someone once compared

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 the Christian life

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 to one of those old cutters,

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 those big sailing ships

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 that used to bring the tea

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 round the Cape

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 from India,

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 nice and fresh,

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 as quickly as possible.

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 The reason they could put up

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 so much sail

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 to catch the wind

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 and go so fast

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 was because they had

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 so much heavy ballast

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 down in the bottom

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 of the ship

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 to stop it from being

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 blown over.

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 And the only way

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 that we will catch

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 the hurricane

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 of God's love for us

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 in Christ

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 is if we have a deep

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 and abiding sense

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 of our own sin

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 and how much

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 we have been forgiven.

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 It's why,

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 I mean,

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 I don't know if Paul

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 does this every time,

00:15:30.340 --> 00:15:30.940
 but I presume he does.

00:15:31.020 --> 00:15:31.500
 At the start of the service

00:15:31.500 --> 00:15:32.440
 as he was leading us in prayer,

00:15:32.540 --> 00:15:33.460
 he led us in confession

00:15:33.460 --> 00:15:35.200
 of our sins to God.

00:15:36.400 --> 00:15:36.820
 I used to think

00:15:36.820 --> 00:15:37.980
 that was a bit of a gloomy way

00:15:37.980 --> 00:15:39.100
 to start a service

00:15:39.100 --> 00:15:39.920
 with confession.

00:15:39.919 --> 00:15:40.360
 You know,

00:15:40.639 --> 00:15:41.240
 haven't I already

00:15:41.240 --> 00:15:41.779
 been forgiven?

00:15:42.439 --> 00:15:43.000
 Aren't I already

00:15:43.000 --> 00:15:43.759
 fully justified

00:15:43.759 --> 00:15:44.500
 the moment that I

00:15:44.500 --> 00:15:45.439
 trust in Christ?

00:15:47.120 --> 00:15:47.379
 Well,

00:15:47.419 --> 00:15:47.759
 yes.

00:15:49.059 --> 00:15:50.139
 But though forgiven,

00:15:50.919 --> 00:15:51.979
 I remain a sinner

00:15:51.979 --> 00:15:53.779
 and therefore

00:15:53.779 --> 00:15:54.699
 a debtor.

00:15:55.860 --> 00:15:56.740
 Only no longer

00:15:56.740 --> 00:15:58.079
 a debtor to God's law,

00:15:58.879 --> 00:15:59.759
 obliged to try

00:15:59.759 --> 00:16:00.779
 and do the impossible

00:16:00.779 --> 00:16:01.879
 and earn forgiveness

00:16:01.879 --> 00:16:02.799
 by my obedience.

00:16:04.059 --> 00:16:04.959
 But a debtor

00:16:04.959 --> 00:16:06.059
 to mercy alone.

00:16:06.059 --> 00:16:08.339
 And weekly,

00:16:08.439 --> 00:16:08.639
 in fact,

00:16:08.739 --> 00:16:09.500
 daily,

00:16:10.319 --> 00:16:10.839
 remembering

00:16:10.839 --> 00:16:12.000
 and meditating

00:16:12.000 --> 00:16:13.439
 on that gospel dynamic

00:16:13.439 --> 00:16:15.219
 of my sin

00:16:15.219 --> 00:16:16.879
 and God's forgiveness

00:16:16.879 --> 00:16:18.500
 is as much

00:16:18.500 --> 00:16:19.000
 the way on

00:16:19.000 --> 00:16:19.599
 with Jesus

00:16:19.599 --> 00:16:20.939
 as it is the way

00:16:20.939 --> 00:16:21.859
 into Jesus.

00:16:24.099 --> 00:16:24.819
 Which brings us

00:16:24.819 --> 00:16:25.699
 to the second half

00:16:25.699 --> 00:16:27.119
 of Jesus' story

00:16:27.119 --> 00:16:28.419
 and his second point.

00:16:28.819 --> 00:16:29.399
 We've learned

00:16:29.399 --> 00:16:30.019
 what it means

00:16:30.019 --> 00:16:30.139
 is,

00:16:30.500 --> 00:16:31.299
 if you like to pray,

00:16:32.299 --> 00:16:33.179
 forgive us

00:16:33.179 --> 00:16:33.860
 our trespasses.

00:16:34.939 --> 00:16:35.639
 Now Jesus

00:16:35.639 --> 00:16:36.120
 will teach us

00:16:36.120 --> 00:16:36.679
 what it means

00:16:36.679 --> 00:16:37.439
 to pray

00:16:37.439 --> 00:16:38.899
 as we forgive

00:16:38.899 --> 00:16:39.379
 those

00:16:39.379 --> 00:16:40.679
 who trespass

00:16:40.679 --> 00:16:41.519
 against us.

00:16:43.460 --> 00:16:43.779
 Forgiveness

00:16:43.779 --> 00:16:44.620
 is the heart

00:16:44.620 --> 00:16:45.740
 of all true

00:16:45.740 --> 00:16:46.379
 Christianity.

00:16:47.319 --> 00:16:47.679
 Therefore,

00:16:48.220 --> 00:16:48.500
 forgiveness

00:16:48.500 --> 00:16:49.740
 is the test

00:16:49.740 --> 00:16:51.079
 of all true

00:16:51.079 --> 00:16:51.439
 Christianity.

00:16:51.539 --> 00:16:52.039
 That's the point

00:16:52.039 --> 00:16:52.799
 of his second

00:16:52.799 --> 00:16:53.659
 half

00:16:53.659 --> 00:16:54.620
 of the story.

00:16:55.639 --> 00:16:55.919
 Forgiveness

00:16:55.919 --> 00:16:56.799
 is the test

00:16:56.799 --> 00:16:58.099
 of all true

00:16:58.099 --> 00:16:58.659
 Christianity.

00:16:59.399 --> 00:16:59.620
 You see,

00:16:59.679 --> 00:17:00.399
 even as we are

00:17:00.399 --> 00:17:00.879
 cheering

00:17:00.879 --> 00:17:01.699
 and applauding

00:17:01.699 --> 00:17:02.459
 the king's

00:17:02.459 --> 00:17:02.980
 generosity

00:17:02.980 --> 00:17:04.639
 in Jesus' story,

00:17:05.339 --> 00:17:05.779
 we're hit

00:17:05.779 --> 00:17:06.639
 with the sucker punch.

00:17:07.059 --> 00:17:07.779
 Verse 28,

00:17:08.779 --> 00:17:09.240
 for when that

00:17:09.240 --> 00:17:09.940
 same servant

00:17:09.940 --> 00:17:10.759
 went out,

00:17:11.279 --> 00:17:11.680
 having just had

00:17:11.680 --> 00:17:11.960
 his debt

00:17:11.960 --> 00:17:12.399
 cancelled,

00:17:13.480 --> 00:17:14.039
 he found

00:17:14.039 --> 00:17:14.480
 one of his

00:17:14.480 --> 00:17:15.319
 fellow servants

00:17:15.319 --> 00:17:16.420
 who owed him

00:17:16.420 --> 00:17:17.599
 a hundred denarii.

00:17:18.279 --> 00:17:19.379
 And seizing him,

00:17:19.440 --> 00:17:20.039
 he began to

00:17:20.039 --> 00:17:20.700
 choke him,

00:17:21.099 --> 00:17:21.420
 saying,

00:17:21.420 --> 00:17:22.759
 pay what

00:17:22.759 --> 00:17:23.360
 you owe.

00:17:24.660 --> 00:17:25.700
 So the TV

00:17:25.700 --> 00:17:26.380
 cameras are all

00:17:26.380 --> 00:17:27.080
 lined up outside

00:17:27.080 --> 00:17:27.700
 the debtor's

00:17:27.700 --> 00:17:28.340
 court,

00:17:28.720 --> 00:17:29.420
 the champagne

00:17:29.420 --> 00:17:30.140
 corks are

00:17:30.140 --> 00:17:30.560
 popping,

00:17:31.279 --> 00:17:31.880
 a string of

00:17:31.880 --> 00:17:32.380
 journalists are

00:17:32.380 --> 00:17:32.960
 waiting to ask

00:17:32.960 --> 00:17:34.279
 this chap how

00:17:34.279 --> 00:17:34.800
 it feels,

00:17:34.900 --> 00:17:35.420
 to have had

00:17:35.420 --> 00:17:35.759
 his debt

00:17:35.759 --> 00:17:36.340
 cancelled,

00:17:37.539 --> 00:17:38.240
 but he doesn't

00:17:38.240 --> 00:17:39.120
 even stop to

00:17:39.120 --> 00:17:40.180
 hug his wife,

00:17:41.140 --> 00:17:41.680
 because in the

00:17:41.680 --> 00:17:42.060
 crowd,

00:17:42.660 --> 00:17:43.519
 he spotted a

00:17:43.519 --> 00:17:44.440
 familiar face.

00:17:46.519 --> 00:17:46.779
 Well,

00:17:46.920 --> 00:17:47.539
 verse 29,

00:17:48.620 --> 00:17:49.120
 his fellow

00:17:49.120 --> 00:17:49.740
 servant fell

00:17:49.740 --> 00:17:50.120
 down and

00:17:50.120 --> 00:17:50.539
 pleaded with

00:17:50.539 --> 00:17:50.720
 him,

00:17:50.720 --> 00:17:52.019
 have patience

00:17:52.019 --> 00:17:52.480
 with me,

00:17:52.960 --> 00:17:53.600
 and I will

00:17:53.600 --> 00:17:54.059
 pay you

00:17:54.059 --> 00:17:54.440
 back.

00:17:55.799 --> 00:17:56.180
 Ring any

00:17:56.180 --> 00:17:56.539
 bells?

00:17:57.960 --> 00:17:58.680
 Verse 26,

00:18:00.279 --> 00:18:00.980
 doesn't ring any

00:18:00.980 --> 00:18:01.380
 bells for this

00:18:01.380 --> 00:18:01.579
 guy,

00:18:01.640 --> 00:18:01.779
 though,

00:18:01.839 --> 00:18:02.079
 no.

00:18:02.640 --> 00:18:03.460
 He refused

00:18:03.460 --> 00:18:04.519
 and went

00:18:04.519 --> 00:18:05.059
 and put him

00:18:05.059 --> 00:18:05.460
 in prison

00:18:05.460 --> 00:18:06.559
 until he

00:18:06.559 --> 00:18:07.200
 should pay

00:18:07.200 --> 00:18:08.039
 the debt.

00:18:10.120 --> 00:18:10.539
 Now,

00:18:10.579 --> 00:18:10.740
 it's worth

00:18:10.740 --> 00:18:11.100
 noting that

00:18:11.100 --> 00:18:11.539
 this second

00:18:11.539 --> 00:18:12.339
 debt is

00:18:12.339 --> 00:18:12.759
 not

00:18:12.759 --> 00:18:14.000
 insubstantial.

00:18:14.700 --> 00:18:15.079
 It's a

00:18:15.079 --> 00:18:15.960
 hundred denarii,

00:18:16.039 --> 00:18:16.400
 which apparently

00:18:16.400 --> 00:18:16.819
 today would be

00:18:16.819 --> 00:18:17.360
 about ten

00:18:17.360 --> 00:18:17.980
 thousand

00:18:17.980 --> 00:18:18.559
 pounds.

00:18:18.559 --> 00:18:18.740
 pounds.

00:18:19.460 --> 00:18:19.759
 I'd

00:18:19.759 --> 00:18:19.960
 certainly

00:18:19.960 --> 00:18:20.220
 think

00:18:20.220 --> 00:18:20.740
 twice

00:18:20.740 --> 00:18:21.639
 about

00:18:21.639 --> 00:18:22.200
 writing

00:18:22.200 --> 00:18:22.519
 off a

00:18:22.519 --> 00:18:22.700
 ten

00:18:22.700 --> 00:18:23.019
 thousand

00:18:23.019 --> 00:18:23.599
 pound

00:18:23.599 --> 00:18:24.139
 debt.

00:18:24.919 --> 00:18:25.440
 But

00:18:25.440 --> 00:18:26.059
 compared to

00:18:26.059 --> 00:18:26.299
 what he's

00:18:26.299 --> 00:18:26.659
 just been

00:18:26.659 --> 00:18:27.059
 forgiven,

00:18:28.980 --> 00:18:29.480
 and in the

00:18:29.480 --> 00:18:30.139
 light of the

00:18:30.139 --> 00:18:30.639
 fact that

00:18:30.639 --> 00:18:30.899
 this is

00:18:30.899 --> 00:18:31.339
 another

00:18:31.339 --> 00:18:31.799
 servant

00:18:31.799 --> 00:18:32.740
 of the

00:18:32.740 --> 00:18:33.139
 same

00:18:33.139 --> 00:18:33.819
 master,

00:18:35.000 --> 00:18:35.279
 his

00:18:35.279 --> 00:18:35.740
 behavior

00:18:35.740 --> 00:18:36.359
 is as

00:18:36.359 --> 00:18:37.099
 outrageously

00:18:37.099 --> 00:18:37.799
 bad

00:18:37.799 --> 00:18:38.980
 as his

00:18:38.980 --> 00:18:39.460
 master's

00:18:39.460 --> 00:18:39.779
 was

00:18:39.779 --> 00:18:40.599
 kind.

00:18:42.039 --> 00:18:42.940
 And that's

00:18:42.940 --> 00:18:43.200
 Jesus'

00:18:43.200 --> 00:18:43.700
 point.

00:18:43.700 --> 00:18:45.160
 when I

00:18:45.160 --> 00:18:45.640
 fail to

00:18:45.640 --> 00:18:45.840
 forgive

00:18:45.840 --> 00:18:46.080
 another

00:18:46.080 --> 00:18:46.500
 Christian

00:18:46.500 --> 00:18:47.660
 from the

00:18:47.660 --> 00:18:48.160
 heart,

00:18:48.960 --> 00:18:49.200
 verse

00:18:49.200 --> 00:18:49.900
 35,

00:18:51.340 --> 00:18:51.580
 whether

00:18:51.580 --> 00:18:51.819
 that's

00:18:51.819 --> 00:18:52.500
 my wife,

00:18:53.279 --> 00:18:53.640
 or my

00:18:53.640 --> 00:18:54.200
 parents,

00:18:55.279 --> 00:18:55.920
 or my

00:18:55.920 --> 00:18:56.580
 sibling,

00:18:57.700 --> 00:18:58.980
 or my

00:18:58.980 --> 00:18:59.420
 previous

00:18:59.420 --> 00:19:00.000
 church,

00:19:00.680 --> 00:19:01.200
 or my

00:19:01.200 --> 00:19:01.620
 minister,

00:19:02.480 --> 00:19:02.840
 or just

00:19:02.840 --> 00:19:03.220
 the person

00:19:03.220 --> 00:19:03.640
 next to

00:19:03.640 --> 00:19:04.819
 me in

00:19:04.819 --> 00:19:04.960
 the

00:19:04.960 --> 00:19:05.240
 pew,

00:19:06.620 --> 00:19:07.000
 then my

00:19:07.000 --> 00:19:07.500
 behavior

00:19:07.500 --> 00:19:08.480
 and attitude

00:19:08.480 --> 00:19:09.759
 is as

00:19:09.759 --> 00:19:10.500
 offensive to

00:19:10.500 --> 00:19:10.920
 God

00:19:10.920 --> 00:19:12.660
 as this

00:19:12.660 --> 00:19:13.779
 unforgiving

00:19:13.779 --> 00:19:14.240
 servant

00:19:14.240 --> 00:19:14.980
 was to

00:19:14.980 --> 00:19:15.200
 his

00:19:15.200 --> 00:19:15.620
 king.

00:19:17.200 --> 00:19:18.060
 Verse 32,

00:19:18.160 --> 00:19:18.480
 Then his

00:19:18.480 --> 00:19:19.259
 master summoned

00:19:19.259 --> 00:19:19.620
 him and

00:19:19.620 --> 00:19:19.920
 said to

00:19:19.920 --> 00:19:20.120
 him,

00:19:20.840 --> 00:19:21.019
 You

00:19:21.019 --> 00:19:21.460
 wicked

00:19:21.460 --> 00:19:21.960
 servant,

00:19:22.820 --> 00:19:23.580
 I forgave

00:19:23.580 --> 00:19:24.160
 you all

00:19:24.160 --> 00:19:24.840
 that debt

00:19:24.840 --> 00:19:26.039
 because you

00:19:26.039 --> 00:19:26.460
 pleaded with

00:19:26.460 --> 00:19:26.700
 me,

00:19:27.880 --> 00:19:28.380
 and should

00:19:28.380 --> 00:19:28.779
 not you

00:19:28.779 --> 00:19:29.140
 have had

00:19:29.140 --> 00:19:29.660
 mercy on

00:19:29.660 --> 00:19:30.080
 your fellow

00:19:30.080 --> 00:19:30.600
 servant as

00:19:30.600 --> 00:19:30.880
 I had

00:19:30.880 --> 00:19:31.440
 mercy on

00:19:31.440 --> 00:19:31.720
 you?

00:19:33.220 --> 00:19:33.680
 And in

00:19:33.680 --> 00:19:33.940
 anger,

00:19:34.019 --> 00:19:34.500
 his master

00:19:34.500 --> 00:19:35.080
 delivered him

00:19:35.080 --> 00:19:35.480
 to the

00:19:35.480 --> 00:19:36.000
 jailers

00:19:36.000 --> 00:19:37.300
 until he

00:19:37.300 --> 00:19:37.960
 should pay

00:19:37.960 --> 00:19:38.940
 all his

00:19:38.940 --> 00:19:39.259
 debt.

00:19:40.920 --> 00:19:41.400
 And then

00:19:41.400 --> 00:19:42.060
 comes Jesus'

00:19:42.680 --> 00:19:43.100
 terrifying

00:19:43.100 --> 00:19:43.779
 punchline,

00:19:45.220 --> 00:19:46.060
 So also

00:19:46.060 --> 00:19:46.720
 my heavenly

00:19:46.720 --> 00:19:47.400
 father will

00:19:47.400 --> 00:19:47.920
 do to

00:19:47.920 --> 00:19:49.080
 every one

00:19:49.080 --> 00:19:49.840
 of you

00:19:49.840 --> 00:19:52.279
 if you

00:19:52.279 --> 00:19:52.519
 do not

00:19:52.519 --> 00:19:52.920
 forgive your

00:19:52.920 --> 00:19:54.080
 brother from

00:19:54.080 --> 00:19:54.620
 your heart.

00:19:56.779 --> 00:19:57.519
 It's not

00:19:57.519 --> 00:19:57.820
 that our

00:19:57.820 --> 00:19:58.340
 forgiveness of

00:19:58.340 --> 00:19:59.580
 others earns

00:19:59.580 --> 00:20:00.420
 God's forgiveness

00:20:00.420 --> 00:20:01.060
 of us.

00:20:02.060 --> 00:20:02.480
 No, in the

00:20:02.480 --> 00:20:03.259
 gospel, just

00:20:03.259 --> 00:20:04.060
 as in Jesus'

00:20:04.320 --> 00:20:04.779
 parable,

00:20:05.440 --> 00:20:06.140
 God's forgiveness

00:20:06.140 --> 00:20:07.220
 comes first.

00:20:08.900 --> 00:20:09.400
 But Jesus

00:20:09.400 --> 00:20:10.580
 is saying that

00:20:10.579 --> 00:20:11.019
 there is no

00:20:11.019 --> 00:20:11.819
 such thing

00:20:11.819 --> 00:20:12.559
 as an

00:20:12.559 --> 00:20:13.240
 unforgiving

00:20:13.240 --> 00:20:14.220
 Christian.

00:20:15.500 --> 00:20:16.379
 Being forgiven

00:20:16.379 --> 00:20:16.980
 by God

00:20:16.980 --> 00:20:18.699
 changes a

00:20:18.699 --> 00:20:19.139
 person.

00:20:20.059 --> 00:20:20.699
 If we have

00:20:20.699 --> 00:20:21.659
 been reborn

00:20:21.659 --> 00:20:22.819
 through the

00:20:22.819 --> 00:20:23.559
 message of

00:20:23.559 --> 00:20:23.939
 forgiveness,

00:20:24.139 --> 00:20:24.939
 we will bear

00:20:24.939 --> 00:20:26.019
 the fruit of

00:20:26.019 --> 00:20:26.460
 forgiveness

00:20:26.460 --> 00:20:28.039
 in our lives.

00:20:29.639 --> 00:20:31.039
 If we persist

00:20:31.039 --> 00:20:32.359
 in a refusal

00:20:32.359 --> 00:20:32.859
 to forgive,

00:20:33.299 --> 00:20:33.799
 then whatever we

00:20:33.799 --> 00:20:34.439
 profess to

00:20:34.439 --> 00:20:34.899
 believe,

00:20:36.059 --> 00:20:36.519
 we are not

00:20:36.519 --> 00:20:37.119
 God's children.

00:20:37.119 --> 00:20:39.899
 any bitterness

00:20:39.899 --> 00:20:40.879
 in my heart

00:20:40.879 --> 00:20:41.500
 towards another

00:20:41.500 --> 00:20:41.979
 Christian,

00:20:42.939 --> 00:20:43.259
 or indeed

00:20:43.259 --> 00:20:43.799
 any person

00:20:43.799 --> 00:20:44.219
 made in

00:20:44.219 --> 00:20:44.859
 God's image,

00:20:45.459 --> 00:20:45.759
 here or

00:20:45.759 --> 00:20:46.339
 elsewhere,

00:20:47.359 --> 00:20:47.779
 is an

00:20:47.779 --> 00:20:48.719
 urgent summons

00:20:48.719 --> 00:20:50.119
 to me to

00:20:50.119 --> 00:20:51.259
 examine my

00:20:51.259 --> 00:20:52.739
 heart and

00:20:52.739 --> 00:20:53.019
 whether I

00:20:53.019 --> 00:20:53.399
 have really

00:20:53.399 --> 00:20:53.799
 come to

00:20:53.799 --> 00:20:54.759
 understand and

00:20:54.759 --> 00:20:55.779
 trust what

00:20:55.779 --> 00:20:56.559
 God has done

00:20:56.559 --> 00:20:57.879
 for me in

00:20:57.879 --> 00:20:58.239
 Christ.

00:20:58.240 --> 00:20:58.319
 Christ.

00:21:00.519 --> 00:21:01.319
 Here's how

00:21:01.319 --> 00:21:02.220
 Irish missionary

00:21:02.220 --> 00:21:03.220
 Amy Carmichael

00:21:03.220 --> 00:21:03.980
 put it in her

00:21:03.980 --> 00:21:04.579
 extended prose

00:21:04.579 --> 00:21:04.920
 poem,

00:21:05.079 --> 00:21:06.500
 If, based on

00:21:06.500 --> 00:21:07.019
 1 Corinthians

00:21:07.019 --> 00:21:07.599
 13.

00:21:07.599 --> 00:21:09.839
 If I have

00:21:09.839 --> 00:21:10.599
 not compassion

00:21:10.599 --> 00:21:11.259
 on my

00:21:11.259 --> 00:21:12.039
 fellow servant,

00:21:13.039 --> 00:21:13.779
 even as my

00:21:13.779 --> 00:21:14.759
 Lord had pity

00:21:14.759 --> 00:21:15.299
 on me,

00:21:16.319 --> 00:21:16.839
 then I know

00:21:16.839 --> 00:21:17.839
 nothing of

00:21:17.839 --> 00:21:18.679
 Calvary love.

00:21:20.039 --> 00:21:20.899
 If I know

00:21:20.899 --> 00:21:21.399
 little of his

00:21:21.399 --> 00:21:21.759
 pity,

00:21:22.480 --> 00:21:22.919
 if I know

00:21:22.919 --> 00:21:23.359
 little of his

00:21:23.359 --> 00:21:24.259
 hopefulness for

00:21:24.259 --> 00:21:25.119
 the truly humble

00:21:25.119 --> 00:21:25.839
 and penitent,

00:21:26.759 --> 00:21:27.459
 then I know

00:21:27.459 --> 00:21:28.639
 nothing of

00:21:28.639 --> 00:21:29.419
 Calvary love.

00:21:30.699 --> 00:21:31.839
 If I cast

00:21:31.839 --> 00:21:32.779
 up a

00:21:32.779 --> 00:21:33.339
 confessed,

00:21:33.599 --> 00:21:34.139
 repented,

00:21:34.379 --> 00:21:35.099
 and forsaken

00:21:35.099 --> 00:21:35.819
 sin against

00:21:35.819 --> 00:21:36.240
 another,

00:21:36.240 --> 00:21:37.440
 and allow

00:21:37.440 --> 00:21:38.099
 my remembrance

00:21:38.099 --> 00:21:39.120
 of that sin

00:21:39.120 --> 00:21:39.740
 to colour

00:21:39.740 --> 00:21:40.380
 my thinking

00:21:40.380 --> 00:21:41.359
 and feed

00:21:41.359 --> 00:21:42.319
 my suspicions,

00:21:43.180 --> 00:21:43.819
 then I know

00:21:43.819 --> 00:21:45.039
 nothing of

00:21:45.039 --> 00:21:45.799
 Calvary love.

00:21:47.460 --> 00:21:48.440
 If I take

00:21:48.440 --> 00:21:49.279
 offence easily,

00:21:50.279 --> 00:21:50.779
 if I'm

00:21:50.779 --> 00:21:51.500
 content to

00:21:51.500 --> 00:21:52.359
 continue in a

00:21:52.359 --> 00:21:53.839
 cool unfriendliness,

00:21:54.519 --> 00:21:55.019
 though friendship

00:21:55.019 --> 00:21:55.660
 be possible,

00:21:56.900 --> 00:21:57.359
 then I know

00:21:57.359 --> 00:21:57.799
 nothing of

00:21:57.799 --> 00:21:58.440
 Calvary love.

00:21:59.680 --> 00:22:00.700
 If I say,

00:22:01.039 --> 00:22:01.339
 yes, I

00:22:01.339 --> 00:22:01.920
 forgive,

00:22:02.839 --> 00:22:03.420
 but I cannot

00:22:03.420 --> 00:22:04.019
 forget,

00:22:05.180 --> 00:22:05.920
 as though the

00:22:05.920 --> 00:22:06.300
 God,

00:22:06.440 --> 00:22:07.240
 who twice a

00:22:07.240 --> 00:22:07.860
 day washes

00:22:07.860 --> 00:22:08.340
 all the

00:22:08.340 --> 00:22:09.380
 sands on

00:22:09.380 --> 00:22:09.759
 all the

00:22:09.759 --> 00:22:10.340
 shores of

00:22:10.340 --> 00:22:10.740
 all the

00:22:10.740 --> 00:22:11.180
 world,

00:22:11.300 --> 00:22:11.620
 could not

00:22:11.620 --> 00:22:12.140
 wash such

00:22:12.140 --> 00:22:13.500
 memories from

00:22:13.500 --> 00:22:14.400
 my mind,

00:22:15.539 --> 00:22:15.920
 then I

00:22:15.920 --> 00:22:16.600
 know nothing

00:22:16.600 --> 00:22:17.960
 of Calvary

00:22:17.960 --> 00:22:18.300
 love.

00:22:21.800 --> 00:22:22.580
 So, in

00:22:22.580 --> 00:22:23.420
 the light of

00:22:23.420 --> 00:22:24.900
 Calvary love,

00:22:25.759 --> 00:22:26.560
 what will it

00:22:26.560 --> 00:22:27.200
 mean for me to

00:22:27.200 --> 00:22:28.060
 start forgiving

00:22:28.060 --> 00:22:29.560
 from the

00:22:29.560 --> 00:22:29.980
 heart?

00:22:32.140 --> 00:22:32.779
 For some, as I

00:22:32.779 --> 00:22:33.380
 ask that question,

00:22:33.380 --> 00:22:33.800
 it will be a

00:22:33.800 --> 00:22:34.580
 particular sin

00:22:34.580 --> 00:22:35.860
 and a particular

00:22:35.860 --> 00:22:36.560
 person that

00:22:36.560 --> 00:22:37.100
 springs to

00:22:37.100 --> 00:22:37.540
 mind,

00:22:38.200 --> 00:22:39.160
 something done

00:22:39.160 --> 00:22:39.960
 to us or

00:22:39.960 --> 00:22:40.520
 said about

00:22:40.520 --> 00:22:42.020
 us that has

00:22:42.020 --> 00:22:42.820
 left deep scars

00:22:42.820 --> 00:22:44.940
 of hurt that

00:22:44.940 --> 00:22:45.560
 we have allowed

00:22:45.560 --> 00:22:46.660
 to fester into

00:22:46.660 --> 00:22:47.780
 the gangrene of

00:22:47.780 --> 00:22:48.180
 bitterness.

00:22:50.380 --> 00:22:51.100
 For others, it

00:22:51.100 --> 00:22:51.340
 will be a

00:22:51.340 --> 00:22:51.660
 particular

00:22:51.660 --> 00:22:53.640
 relationship here

00:22:53.640 --> 00:22:55.160
 at church or

00:22:55.160 --> 00:22:55.660
 with a relative

00:22:55.660 --> 00:22:56.320
 or spouse.

00:22:56.660 --> 00:22:57.220
 We're still

00:22:57.220 --> 00:22:58.220
 civil to each

00:22:58.220 --> 00:22:59.560
 other, but

00:22:59.560 --> 00:22:59.860
 there's a

00:22:59.859 --> 00:23:00.939
 coolness and

00:23:00.939 --> 00:23:02.979
 distance, because

00:23:02.979 --> 00:23:03.959
 it's easier to

00:23:03.959 --> 00:23:04.819
 tiptoe around

00:23:04.819 --> 00:23:06.500
 each other than

00:23:06.500 --> 00:23:07.139
 deal with that

00:23:07.139 --> 00:23:07.539
 wall of

00:23:07.539 --> 00:23:08.599
 frustration and

00:23:08.599 --> 00:23:09.319
 criticism and

00:23:09.319 --> 00:23:10.519
 self-justification.

00:23:12.819 --> 00:23:13.299
 Well, forgiveness

00:23:13.299 --> 00:23:14.500
 is not about

00:23:14.500 --> 00:23:15.619
 pretending that sin

00:23:15.619 --> 00:23:16.099
 doesn't have

00:23:16.099 --> 00:23:16.759
 consequences.

00:23:17.719 --> 00:23:18.539
 If a crime has

00:23:18.539 --> 00:23:20.099
 taken place, that

00:23:20.099 --> 00:23:20.459
 needs to be

00:23:20.459 --> 00:23:21.039
 reported and

00:23:21.039 --> 00:23:21.599
 dealt with by

00:23:21.599 --> 00:23:21.879
 the legal

00:23:21.879 --> 00:23:22.339
 authorities.

00:23:23.539 --> 00:23:24.159
 If abuse has

00:23:24.159 --> 00:23:24.619
 happened, I

00:23:24.619 --> 00:23:24.959
 need to get

00:23:24.959 --> 00:23:25.439
 myself out of

00:23:25.439 --> 00:23:26.159
 that situation.

00:23:26.879 --> 00:23:27.619
 And where trust

00:23:27.619 --> 00:23:28.000
 has been

00:23:28.000 --> 00:23:29.699
 destroyed, in a

00:23:29.700 --> 00:23:31.240
 spouse, in a

00:23:31.240 --> 00:23:31.799
 church leader,

00:23:33.200 --> 00:23:33.920
 forgiveness doesn't

00:23:33.920 --> 00:23:34.940
 necessarily mean

00:23:34.940 --> 00:23:35.580
 that the marriage

00:23:35.580 --> 00:23:37.180
 lasts or the

00:23:37.180 --> 00:23:37.779
 church leader is

00:23:37.779 --> 00:23:38.400
 reinstated.

00:23:39.680 --> 00:23:40.519
 And all we can

00:23:40.519 --> 00:23:41.160
 do if we have

00:23:41.160 --> 00:23:41.720
 been sinned

00:23:41.720 --> 00:23:43.440
 against is to

00:23:43.440 --> 00:23:44.559
 offer forgiveness.

00:23:45.720 --> 00:23:46.180
 We're not

00:23:46.180 --> 00:23:46.720
 responsible for

00:23:46.720 --> 00:23:47.299
 how that offer

00:23:47.299 --> 00:23:48.519
 is received,

00:23:48.600 --> 00:23:49.180
 whether reconciliation

00:23:49.180 --> 00:23:50.440
 is achieved.

00:23:52.019 --> 00:23:54.120
 But, from this

00:23:54.120 --> 00:23:54.759
 parable, here are

00:23:54.759 --> 00:23:55.660
 three marks of

00:23:55.660 --> 00:23:57.259
 genuine heart

00:23:57.259 --> 00:23:58.100
 forgiveness.

00:23:58.099 --> 00:23:58.299
 forgiveness.

00:23:59.559 --> 00:24:01.039
 First, it will

00:24:01.039 --> 00:24:02.480
 be costly.

00:24:04.019 --> 00:24:04.639
 Sometimes it will

00:24:04.639 --> 00:24:05.599
 feel like forgiving

00:24:05.599 --> 00:24:07.980
 a £10,000 debt.

00:24:09.599 --> 00:24:10.439
 Being sinned

00:24:10.439 --> 00:24:11.119
 against gives us

00:24:11.119 --> 00:24:12.500
 power over another

00:24:12.500 --> 00:24:13.079
 person.

00:24:13.839 --> 00:24:14.459
 It gives us a

00:24:14.459 --> 00:24:15.439
 sense of moral

00:24:15.439 --> 00:24:16.099
 superiority.

00:24:17.439 --> 00:24:18.199
 And sometimes we

00:24:18.199 --> 00:24:19.559
 enjoy that power so

00:24:19.559 --> 00:24:20.399
 much we don't want

00:24:20.399 --> 00:24:21.199
 to give it up.

00:24:22.279 --> 00:24:23.159
 We love the fact

00:24:23.159 --> 00:24:24.000
 that we can use

00:24:24.000 --> 00:24:25.439
 that grievance as

00:24:25.439 --> 00:24:27.319
 leverage against them.

00:24:27.319 --> 00:24:29.259
 or as an excuse

00:24:29.259 --> 00:24:30.259
 not to get close

00:24:30.259 --> 00:24:30.639
 to them.

00:24:33.679 --> 00:24:34.299
 But to forgive

00:24:34.299 --> 00:24:35.519
 someone is

00:24:35.519 --> 00:24:36.619
 consciously to

00:24:36.619 --> 00:24:37.379
 choose to

00:24:37.379 --> 00:24:39.039
 cancel that

00:24:39.039 --> 00:24:39.419
 debt.

00:24:39.700 --> 00:24:40.559
 To absorb

00:24:40.559 --> 00:24:41.240
 into ourselves,

00:24:41.339 --> 00:24:41.539
 if you like,

00:24:41.559 --> 00:24:42.879
 the cost of

00:24:42.879 --> 00:24:43.359
 the sin,

00:24:43.519 --> 00:24:44.119
 rather than

00:24:44.119 --> 00:24:44.559
 making the

00:24:44.559 --> 00:24:45.299
 offender pay

00:24:45.299 --> 00:24:45.779
 and taking it

00:24:45.779 --> 00:24:46.279
 out on them.

00:24:47.379 --> 00:24:47.939
 That's what

00:24:47.939 --> 00:24:48.659
 Jesus did for us

00:24:48.659 --> 00:24:49.079
 on the cross,

00:24:49.139 --> 00:24:49.480
 isn't it?

00:24:51.559 --> 00:24:52.200
 To forgive

00:24:52.200 --> 00:24:52.779
 someone is to

00:24:52.779 --> 00:24:54.159
 promise not to

00:24:54.159 --> 00:24:55.439
 remind them of

00:24:55.439 --> 00:24:56.259
 their sin as a

00:24:56.259 --> 00:24:57.240
 means of control.

00:24:57.319 --> 00:24:58.319
 as a way of

00:24:58.319 --> 00:24:59.159
 manipulating them

00:24:59.159 --> 00:25:00.460
 for our purposes.

00:25:02.059 --> 00:25:03.159
 Yes, we can talk

00:25:03.159 --> 00:25:04.779
 about the sin as

00:25:04.779 --> 00:25:05.519
 we seek to learn

00:25:05.519 --> 00:25:06.259
 from it and grow in

00:25:06.259 --> 00:25:06.859
 our relationship

00:25:06.859 --> 00:25:07.339
 together.

00:25:08.339 --> 00:25:08.960
 And yes, we might

00:25:08.960 --> 00:25:09.819
 together decide to

00:25:09.819 --> 00:25:10.399
 go and get help

00:25:10.399 --> 00:25:11.579
 from a third party

00:25:11.579 --> 00:25:13.099
 in processing it.

00:25:13.720 --> 00:25:14.659
 But we won't bring

00:25:14.659 --> 00:25:15.460
 the offense up to

00:25:15.460 --> 00:25:16.759
 others and use it

00:25:16.759 --> 00:25:17.700
 to tear down our

00:25:17.700 --> 00:25:18.439
 brother and sister.

00:25:19.359 --> 00:25:20.279
 And we won't dwell

00:25:20.279 --> 00:25:20.799
 on the offense

00:25:20.799 --> 00:25:21.379
 ourselves.

00:25:22.779 --> 00:25:23.439
 Heart forgiveness

00:25:23.440 --> 00:25:25.180
 will be costly.

00:25:27.100 --> 00:25:27.880
 Though not as

00:25:27.880 --> 00:25:28.720
 costly as failing

00:25:28.720 --> 00:25:29.279
 to forgive.

00:25:31.360 --> 00:25:32.279
 Second, it will be

00:25:32.279 --> 00:25:32.960
 continual.

00:25:33.700 --> 00:25:34.900
 Not seven times,

00:25:35.039 --> 00:25:36.580
 but 70 times

00:25:36.580 --> 00:25:37.160
 seven.

00:25:38.220 --> 00:25:38.580
 The parable

00:25:38.580 --> 00:25:39.120
 Jesus tells

00:25:39.120 --> 00:25:40.120
 is not so much

00:25:40.120 --> 00:25:40.640
 about a one-off

00:25:40.640 --> 00:25:41.279
 action as an

00:25:41.279 --> 00:25:42.240
 ongoing attitude.

00:25:43.000 --> 00:25:43.640
 I go through

00:25:43.640 --> 00:25:44.100
 life,

00:25:44.900 --> 00:25:45.500
 through marriage,

00:25:45.640 --> 00:25:46.440
 through church,

00:25:46.440 --> 00:25:48.380
 with a bias to

00:25:48.380 --> 00:25:49.100
 let go of

00:25:49.100 --> 00:25:49.460
 resentment,

00:25:50.220 --> 00:25:50.779
 rather than to

00:25:50.779 --> 00:25:51.500
 hold on to it.

00:25:52.740 --> 00:25:53.860
 Every time I see

00:25:53.860 --> 00:25:55.140
 you or think of

00:25:55.140 --> 00:25:56.080
 you, I am careful

00:25:56.080 --> 00:25:57.360
 to put to death

00:25:57.360 --> 00:25:59.660
 bitterness and to

00:25:59.660 --> 00:26:00.400
 welcome you as a

00:26:00.400 --> 00:26:01.120
 fellow debtor,

00:26:01.900 --> 00:26:02.360
 forgiven and

00:26:02.360 --> 00:26:03.600
 welcomed by Christ.

00:26:05.360 --> 00:26:06.680
 Yes, that will be

00:26:06.680 --> 00:26:07.140
 a battle,

00:26:08.180 --> 00:26:08.680
 particularly where

00:26:08.680 --> 00:26:09.420
 the hurt has been

00:26:09.420 --> 00:26:09.920
 deep or the

00:26:09.920 --> 00:26:10.799
 bitterness long.

00:26:11.880 --> 00:26:12.640
 But it is a battle

00:26:12.640 --> 00:26:13.460
 I must keep on

00:26:13.460 --> 00:26:15.500
 fighting if I have

00:26:15.500 --> 00:26:16.000
 been forgiven,

00:26:16.440 --> 00:26:17.220
 by God.

00:26:19.299 --> 00:26:20.259
 But wonderfully,

00:26:20.400 --> 00:26:21.180
 it is not a battle

00:26:21.180 --> 00:26:22.820
 I fight on my own.

00:26:23.860 --> 00:26:24.720
 For thirdly,

00:26:25.160 --> 00:26:26.120
 forgiveness will be

00:26:26.120 --> 00:26:27.799
 Christ in me.

00:26:29.279 --> 00:26:30.080
 That is, I do not

00:26:30.080 --> 00:26:31.240
 have in myself the

00:26:31.240 --> 00:26:32.920
 spiritual or

00:26:32.920 --> 00:26:33.720
 emotional resources

00:26:33.720 --> 00:26:34.680
 to forgive like

00:26:34.680 --> 00:26:35.120
 this.

00:26:36.360 --> 00:26:37.220
 But Jesus does.

00:26:38.680 --> 00:26:40.059
 We see his heart

00:26:40.059 --> 00:26:40.759
 in this parable,

00:26:41.440 --> 00:26:42.259
 and the king who

00:26:42.259 --> 00:26:42.860
 cancelled the

00:26:42.860 --> 00:26:43.920
 gazillion pound

00:26:43.920 --> 00:26:46.380
 debt, we see it at

00:26:46.380 --> 00:26:48.180
 the cross as he

00:26:48.180 --> 00:26:49.100
 prays, Father,

00:26:49.240 --> 00:26:51.080
 forgive them, and

00:26:51.080 --> 00:26:52.160
 then gives everything

00:26:52.160 --> 00:26:52.760
 that that prayer

00:26:52.760 --> 00:26:53.500
 might be answered.

00:26:55.120 --> 00:26:56.380
 And when he forgives

00:26:56.380 --> 00:26:58.500
 us, he also pours

00:26:58.500 --> 00:27:00.140
 out his spirit into

00:27:00.140 --> 00:27:01.920
 our hearts to give

00:27:01.920 --> 00:27:03.200
 us his desire and

00:27:03.200 --> 00:27:04.500
 strength to forgive.

00:27:04.500 --> 00:27:04.559
 forgive.

00:27:06.140 --> 00:27:07.279
 It's a power we can't

00:27:07.279 --> 00:27:08.000
 imagine, actually,

00:27:08.059 --> 00:27:10.079
 before we forgive,

00:27:10.680 --> 00:27:11.400
 when all that fills

00:27:11.400 --> 00:27:12.160
 our mind is the

00:27:12.160 --> 00:27:13.180
 other person's sin.

00:27:14.500 --> 00:27:15.819
 But it's a power we

00:27:15.819 --> 00:27:16.740
 need to trust, just

00:27:16.740 --> 00:27:17.259
 like Corrie

00:27:17.259 --> 00:27:18.940
 Ten Boom did when

00:27:18.940 --> 00:27:19.799
 she lifted her hand

00:27:19.799 --> 00:27:20.920
 and prayed, Lord,

00:27:21.039 --> 00:27:22.140
 you supply the

00:27:22.140 --> 00:27:22.480
 feeling.

00:27:24.359 --> 00:27:25.559
 And as we trust

00:27:25.559 --> 00:27:27.200
 God's promise and

00:27:27.200 --> 00:27:28.339
 obey his commands,

00:27:29.279 --> 00:27:30.660
 his compassion will

00:27:30.660 --> 00:27:33.000
 soften the scab of

00:27:33.000 --> 00:27:33.359
 bitterness.

00:27:34.240 --> 00:27:35.279
 It'll soothe the

00:27:35.279 --> 00:27:36.200
 scar of pain.

00:27:36.559 --> 00:27:37.660
 It'll overwhelm the

00:27:37.660 --> 00:27:39.660
 towering barrier of

00:27:39.660 --> 00:27:40.059
 hatred.

00:27:41.740 --> 00:27:43.059
 No, it won't turn the

00:27:43.059 --> 00:27:45.099
 clock back as if the

00:27:45.099 --> 00:27:45.500
 sin had never

00:27:45.500 --> 00:27:45.859
 happened.

00:27:47.000 --> 00:27:48.240
 In God's grace, it

00:27:48.240 --> 00:27:48.859
 will do something

00:27:48.859 --> 00:27:49.299
 better.

00:27:50.240 --> 00:27:51.099
 It will turn the

00:27:51.099 --> 00:27:52.380
 clock forward.

00:27:53.259 --> 00:27:55.039
 It will deepen our

00:27:55.039 --> 00:27:57.160
 appreciation of God's

00:27:57.160 --> 00:27:58.319
 forgiveness of us and

00:27:58.319 --> 00:27:59.779
 of his spirit's healing

00:27:59.779 --> 00:28:00.200
 power.

00:28:00.200 --> 00:28:01.980
 And where that

00:28:01.980 --> 00:28:02.559
 forgiveness is

00:28:02.559 --> 00:28:03.380
 accepted, it won't

00:28:03.380 --> 00:28:05.160
 just restore the

00:28:05.160 --> 00:28:05.680
 relationship.

00:28:06.559 --> 00:28:08.259
 It will enrich and

00:28:08.259 --> 00:28:08.759
 deepen it.

00:28:11.640 --> 00:28:13.120
 So who do you need

00:28:13.120 --> 00:28:14.940
 to forgive tonight?

00:28:16.380 --> 00:28:17.279
 Or who do you need

00:28:17.279 --> 00:28:19.200
 to go on forgiving?

00:28:19.200 --> 00:28:22.180
 Let's pray.

00:28:22.180 --> 00:28:22.180


00:28:22.180 --> 00:28:22.180