Sermon Series: “The Gospel and the Parable”

Sermon 4: “Forgiveness Is the Only Way”

Matthew 18:21-35

Jacob Anderson

June 28, 2026

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How many of us have had someone in our life who was a challenge to work with, who was difficult to be around, or who was abusive either physically, verbally, or mentally.

 

How do we deal with difficult people in our lives?

 

The world tells us to treat them the way they treat us.

 

Luke 6:31, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

 

Do we ignore them, and shut them out of our life?

 

2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord does not wish any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.”

 

So, we can’t shut them out of our life, because they need to hear the gospel.

 

The only answer to difficult people in our life is forgiveness.

 

If we have received forgiveness, then we must give forgiveness.

 

Matthew 18:21 “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”

 

Amos 1 verses 3, 6, 9, 11, and 13 God says, “For three transgressions and for four I will not revoke its punishment.”

 

The Jewish rabbis assumed from those verses that God will only forgive you 3 times and no more, and if God only forgives 3 times, then they shouldn’t forgive more than 3 times either.

 

Peter was trying to make himself look good by saying “I will forgive someone up to seven times.” In other words, I am willing to forgive even more than the rabbis are willing to forgive.

 

Matthew 18:22 “Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”

 

The number that Jesus gives is an idea; and that idea is that we should forgive the person who has wronged us every single time.

 

Frank Stagg wrote, “Forgiveness is not so much an act as an attitude of the heart.”

 

 

Matthew 18:23 – 27 “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. ‘When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. ‘But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. ‘So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’ ‘And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt.’”

 

How much is ten thousand talents in US currency?

One talent was about 33 kilograms of gold which is about 4,400,000 dollars’ worth of gold. The slave owed 10,000 talents, which equates to roughly 44 billion dollars.

 

The king chose to forgive a debt of 44 billion dollars, because the king was merciful and compassionate.

 

God is the same way with us; God forgave us of our sin debt that we had no way of repaying. Through infinite mercy and compassion, He forgave us of a debt we would never have been able to repay.

 

Matthew 18:28 – 30 “But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ ‘So, his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’ ‘But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed.”

 

What does that slave do? He goes out in search of one of his own slaves.

 

The debt owed was one hundred denarii. How much is one hundred denarii in US currency?

One denarius was about one day’s wage in bible times, and he owed 100 denarii, or 100 days wages. A denarius was around one tenth of an ounce of silver, which is valued around $3 in today’s market. So, here we are talking about 100 days wage, or about $300.

 

Here we have someone who received incredible mercy and forgiveness, but is unwilling to forgive someone else whose debt is much smaller than his own.

 

If God has forgiven our unpayable debt, then why don’t we choose to forgive others just as we have been forgiven.

 

Matthew 18:31 – 34 “So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. ‘Then summoning him, his lord said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. ‘Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’ ‘And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him.”

 

 

 

 

The other slaves were watching what was going on. People are always watching us, and as we discussed last week if we aren’t acting like Christ, people will take notice.

 

How can the world believe God is merciful and forgiving, if Christians can’t even forgive?

 

God also knows when we act unforgiving.

 

Frank Stagg wrote, “There is no surer sign that one has known what it is to be a sinner before God and to have known the joy of forgiveness than is seen in his own mercy toward others.”
 

Matthew 18:33, “Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?”

 

Matthew 5:7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

 

James 2:13 “For judgment will be merciless to the one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.”

 

How can we be unmerciful and unforgiving to those who have wronged us and expect God to show us mercy and forgiveness.

 

Matthew 18:35 “My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”

 

To forgive is more than just a word; it’s a choice made from the heart.

 

Matthew 6:14 – 15 “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive you your transgressions.”

 

Forgiveness is an advancement of Christ’s kingdom in the world.”

 

Unforgiveness doesn’t only hurt you, but it also hurts your relationship with God.

 

Isaiah 43:25 "I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins.”

God forgives you and doesn’t even remember your sins any longer, let us choose to imitate God and forgive those who have wronged us, and let us remember their sins no more.

 

Let us choose forgiveness over anger, mercy over retribution, and love over contempt.