Unmerciful Servant
Introduction:
A. Can you imagine being so horribly in debt that there was no way you could ever get caught up?
     1. There are lots of people who get themselves so deep in debt that they have to do some drastic things.
         a. Financial advisors.
         b. Sell off whatever they can.
         c. Work 16 hrs a day.
         d. File bankruptcy.
     2. There are even people who have been so deeply in debt that they have done even more drastic things.
         a. Robbed banks.
         b. Embezzled money from the places where they work.
         c. Killed themselves so their Life Insurance would pay their debts, and their families would not lose everything.
B. You and I are horribly in debt, but we just don't know it.
     1. Read Matthew 18:21-35.
     2. Jesus told this parable in response to Peter's question (21).

There are many things we can learn from this parable about our debt that we owe God.  We can learn....

  I. We shall all give account to God (23).
      A. This is shown in this parable.
           1. The king is God.
           2. The debtor represents man.
           3. The 10,000 talents represent our debt to God.
           4. In verse 35 Jesus clearly reveals that He is speaking of the Father.
       B. God has described that time, when we will give account.
           1. We will be judged by the man He has ordained (Acts 17:31).
           2. Jesus is going to return, sit upon His throne, and judge all mankind (Matthew 25).
           3. They will be judged by His word (John 12:48).
           4. Some will hear enter in, and some will depart (Matthew 7:21-23).

  II. Our debt is beyond our ability to pay (23-25).
      A. The servant's debt was beyond his ability to repay.
           1. When his debt was figured, it came to 10,000 talents.
              a. If it were 10,000 talents of silver, by Roman calculations, he owed 3 million dollars.
               b. If it were by Jewish calculation it would be 10 million dollars.
              c. If it were 10,000 talents of gold, it would be 150 million.
           2. However you figure it...
              a. The servants debt was enormous.
              b. There was no way he could repay the debt in a 100 lifetimes.              
              c. In Matthew 20 it describes a man hiring labourers for a penny
                  a day (which is the same as the Roman Denarius, and was ;about 15 to 17 cents a day). So, a days wage, for the average man, according to Matthew 20 is 15 to 17 cents a day.
      B. Think about the debt we owe God.
           1. We owe Him everything for all that He has blessed us with.
               a. Every good and perfect gift comes from Him (James 1:17).
              b. We owe Him for: life; every breath we take; every physical
                  thing we have; our daily bread; our freedom; our health; etc.
           2. We owe Him even more for all the sins we have committed.
               a. Jesus taught His disciples to pray.."Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors (Matthew 6:21).
              b. Luke records it this way "Forgive us our sins; for we also forgive everyone that is indebted to us" (Luke 11:4).
              c. Think of all the sins you have committed, and, in keeping with the way Jesus put it here in this parable, think of each sin as a debt.  If you think of it that way, you can see just how indebted we are to God.
               d. If we think the servant who owed a possible 150 million could never repay his debt, how more impossible is it for us to repay our debt to God.

III. God's compassion is greater than our debt(26-27).
      A. The king in this parable...
           1. Demanded the servant pay his debt, and when the servant could not pay his debt, the king demanded that: the servant; his wife; his children; and all that he had be sold that the debt might be paid (25).
              a. This was a common practice in this day and time.
              b. We have an example in the O.T. where a widow woman's sons were to be sold to pay her debt (II Kings 4), but of course Elisha comes to her rescue, and she is able to pay her debt, and keep her sons.
           2.But, when the servant begged the king to be patient with him, and he would pay all of the debt, the king forgave him all his debt (27).
              a. Even if you take the minimum figure we considered earlier, for the debt the servant owed (3 million), the king's generosity is beyond words.
              b. The king had the ability to take everything away from him, but instead he forgave him his debt.
      B. God's compassion is also beyond words.
          1. God would be within His rights to demand retribution for our debt of sin.
             a. He has told us what is sinful, and warned us not to be guilty of it.
             b. He has told us the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).
             c. And, He will punish those who will not humbly submit to His will and obey the gospel - II Thessalonians 1:8-9.
          2. But, He wants to forgive all men their debt.
             a. He gave His Son to make it possible - John 3:16.
             b. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life(Romans 6:23).
          3. God is willing to forgive:
             a. Murderers, liars, adulterers, homosexuals, and gossips.
              b. He is willing to forgive the chief of sinners (I Timothy 1:15).
              c. He will cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9).
             d. He will forgive our sins, and remember them no more(Hebrews 8:12).
             e. It does not matter how many, how long, or how big we have sinned...if we will obey His Gospel, He will forgive.

  IV. We must forgive if we want to be forgiven (28-35).
       A. This is the main point to this parable.
            1. Peter had asked, how many times do I forgive someone who sins against me..7-times? (21).
               a. It is said that the Rabbis of Peter's day taught that a person should forgive someone 3-times.
               b. Peter asked, should a person forgive 7 times; which goes well beyond the Rabbis 3-times.
           2. Jesus, however, tells him 70x7 (490) times (22).
               a. Did Jesus mean that we should keep tract, and when someone sins against us 491 times we no longer have to forgive them?
               b. No! That is why Jesus told the parable about the servant who owed a debt he could not repay.
               c. That same servant, after he was forgiven his huge debt, would not forgive someone else who owed him a small debt ($17.00) so the king had the first servant delivered to the tormentors (28-34).
        B. The closing verse says if we do not forgive others, as He has forgiven us, so will God also do to us (35).
            1. Jesus taught this elsewhere:
                a. Matthew 5:7.
                b. Matthew 6:14-15.
                c. Mark 11:25-26.
            2. Before we become appalled with the unmerciful servant, we need to look in the mirror.
                a. The unmerciful servant was forgiven a debt of 150 million, but would not forgive someone who owed him $17.00.
                b. God is willing to forgive us for all the: lies; times we have gossipped; sexual immorality; idolatry; and so much more.
                c. We could not even begin to total up what we owe God, but He is willing to forgive it all.
                d. Is there anyone who has hurt our feelings..cheated us out of a few dollars..or lied about us that we have not forgiven?
                    1) Seems trivial in comparison to what we owe doesn't it?
                    2) And, it certainly is not worth not being forgiven ourselves.

Conclusion:
A. How many times should we forgive someone who sins againstus?
     1. Jesus says 70x7 times.
     2. Keep on forgiving them.
B. Your Heavenly Father wants to forgive you.
    1. He sent His Son to pay the price for your sin.
    2. He has told you what you must do to have the forgiveness of sins.
    3. The only thing left is for you to do what He says.