Topical · Week 4 of 6

The Unforgiving Servant

Matthew 18:21-35

Forgiveness received and given

Main Point

You cannot hoard the forgiveness God gave you — it was always meant to flow through you to others.

Application Ideas

Who do you need to forgive? Not because they deserve it, but because you've been forgiven an unpayable debt.

Discussion Questions

Why is the contrast between the two debts so extreme? What does 'forgive from your heart' require?

Detailed Sermon Outline

Primary Text: Matthew 18:21-35

Supporting Texts: Matthew 18:15-20; Colossians 3:13; 1 Peter 4:8

Big Idea: Having received unlimited forgiveness from God, believers must extend unlimited forgiveness to others, or risk losing their own peace and salvation.

Target Length: 35-40 minutes

Introduction

Peter asks Jesus a question: 'Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me?' He suggests seven times. Jesus says, 'Seventy-seven times.' Not because you need to forgive exactly that many. But because forgiveness should be without limit.

Then Jesus tells a parable about a servant who owes an unpayable debt. He's forgiven by his master. But then he refuses to forgive a fellow servant a much smaller debt. The story doesn't end well.

This parable is about the fundamental injustice of hoarding forgiveness. You've been forgiven an infinite debt. How can you refuse to forgive others?

I. You've Been Forgiven an Unpayable Debt (Matthew 18:23-27)

The servant owes ten thousand talents — an astronomical sum. In modern currency, millions of dollars. There's no way he could ever repay it. He's utterly helpless.

This is a picture of your sin before God. You owe a debt you cannot pay. You're helpless. You deserve condemnation.
But the master doesn't demand payment. He forgives the entire debt. Freely. Completely.

This is what Christ did. You owed a debt to God's justice. You couldn't pay it. So Christ paid it for you. Your sins are forgiven. Not because you earned it. Because He chose to forgive.

II. You Cannot Hoard What Has Been Given to You (Matthew 18:28-32)

The servant goes out and finds a fellow servant who owes him a much smaller debt. Instead of extending grace, he demands payment. When the other servant can't pay, he has him thrown in prison.

The contrast is stunning. You were forgiven millions. You demand payment of pennies. You were shown grace. You show judgment.
When the master hears about this, he is enraged. Not because the servant owed money. Because the servant refused to give to others what had been given to him.

Forgiveness is not something you earn and then own. It flows through you. It's meant to be given away. If you hoard it, you lose it.

III. Unforgiveness Imprisons You (Matthew 18:33-35)

The master hands the unforgiving servant over to the jailers 'until he should pay back all he owed.' But he can't pay it. So he'll be imprisoned forever.

This is not primarily about punishment. It's about the reality of unforgiveness. When you refuse to forgive, you imprison yourself.
Bitterness eats you from the inside. Resentment poisons your joy. Unforgiveness keeps you locked in the past, unable to move forward.

Forgiveness, by contrast, is freedom. When you forgive, you're not excusing what they did. You're releasing yourself from the burden of carrying what they did.

Appeal

Who do you need to forgive? Not because they deserve it. Because you've been forgiven an infinite debt. How can you, in good conscience, refuse to forgive?

Release yourself from the prison of unforgiveness. Forgive from your heart. And experience the freedom that comes from giving away the grace that's been given to you.