The Unforgiving Servant Series

• Genesis 3:15 - And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.

How would you like to get a credit card statement one month that shows a 23 ½ BILLION DOLLAR balance and the next month receive a letter that says, PAID IN FULL? Well, that is, in essence, what Jesus did…. He “took on = assumed” our unpayable debt on the cross.

• Isaiah 53:6 - We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

• 2 Corinthians 5:21 - God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

WHEW!!! Praise God and Thank you!!!

“Stan” however, has a medical condition called “Debt Amnesia”. He easily forgets the debt he owes God = a debt that cost the life of Jesus. As a matter of fact, most days it never crosses his mind at all and he might even begin to think that he never had a debt in the first place.

When reminded of the debt and the cost of removing all traces of it, “Stan” might be a bit ambivalent ---- I mean what person in his right mind takes on a debt he doesn’t owe --- but he is not awed or moved by this debt forgiveness as evidenced by what he does next….

Now “Pete”…. he represents you and me, all humanity too, but this is a HORIZINTAL DEBT. These are the “debts” we owe each other – the things we do to each other every day that need forgiveness = $16.00.

“Stan” not only refuses to forgive the insignificant $16.00 debt “Pete” owes him, he goes out of his way “to make Pete pay” and by doing so, reveals that he sees no value in the 23 ½ BILLION DOLLAR debt forgiveness he has just received.

It. Doesn’t. Matter. To. Him!!

That is what Jesus was telling Peter. By withholding forgiveness or by putting a limit on forgiveness --- after all, 7 times seems reasonable --- we are in fact stating that the debt we owe God and the forgiveness that has been extended to us is irrelevant.

We are literally throwing God’s forgiveness back in His face, “no thanks, I’m good, don’t need it, don’t want it…. I’ll get by on my own.”

There is NOTHING a fellow human can do to you that comes close to what you have done to God by your rebellion.

I know it doesn’t feel that way when your husband has an affair or a drunk driver kills your family, but it’s true.

Now, you may be prepared to argue that you’d consider forgiveness, if the offender would just fess-up, come clean, crawl on his hands and knees into your presence and BEG to be forgiven. You might be willing to get off your high horse – maybe….

Let me direct you to the following verse:

• Romans 5:8 - But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Before we knew we needed to be saved. Before we decided we wanted to be saved. While we were STILL THE ENEMIES OF GOD, we were extended forgiveness and “here is the ground upon which we should exercise forgiveness toward our fellow sinners” {EGW – COL 245}.