Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had on you?’Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, even as I had mercy on you?’Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?shouldest not thou also have had mercy on thy fellow-servant, even as I had mercy on thee?
5 sermons cite this verse
… I forgave you your entire debt because you asked me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant as I had pity on you? Then in anger, his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. And so will my heavenly father do to you unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart. The gospel of the Lord. Wait to have a seat. so um unfortunately i unfortunately i see my physical therapist a lot just falling apart um but fortunately my physical therapist is awesome and at one point so she was uh she was a high school athlete she became a college athlete up at css she still is an athlete she still competes and one of the things she always does is she reminds me whenever all of our patients about like whenever you go into something you know it's going to be hard you know it's going to be tough you know it's going to be a challenge, that your mindset can change everything. …
… Will my Father in heaven do to all of you, if you do not, each of you, forgive your brother from your hearts, Matthew chapter 18 verses 23 through 35. Jesus compares God, his father, to this king. Now, that doesn't mean that God is like this fictional king in every sense, but at least in one sense. In God's family, forgiveness is a non-negotiable. It's not up for debate, because forgiveness is what makes us who we are. It doesn't mean it's easy Just necessary Necessary because God is not willing That even one of these little ones be lost Not lost to him, not lost to us And we're not going to change God's mind on this And we shouldn't try We can't give up on anyone Because God hasn't given up on us Jesus' story is a comfort and a warning It's a comfort because no debt is too much for God to forgive on account of Jesus. And a double comfort because Christian forgiveness doesn't start with us, but with God. …
… because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant just as I had pity on you? I've heard people say in counseling offices and conversations, I'm not ready to forgive. I'm still healing. I'm still working through it. But ironically, the people who hold on to that long-term never seem to be healed. In fact, they usually seem to be some of the more bitter, the more angry people that I've interacted with. Rather than moving forward, they'd rather relitigate and relive the past over and over and over. Forgiveness isn't something we do after we heal. Forgiveness is something we do so that we can heal. That's why we forgive, so that I can start the healing process, not waiting until I've decided that I'm healed enough to forgive. But before you can forgive someone else, you need to first remember who you are in Christ. What has God done for you? Before you try to show Christ-like love, you need to remember that you are a recipient of that Christ-like love. …
Then his Lord summoned him and said to him, you wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave as I had mercy on you? And in his anger, his Lord handed him over to be tortured until he should pay his entire debt. So my heavenly father will also do to every one of you if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart. This is the word of God for you, the people of God. Thanks be to God. Thank you. In watching current events play out on the stage of human culture, it feels to me like this moment in history has embraced a distinct theme. It's there in pop culture, it's there in politics, It's there in foreign relations. It's there in every news cycle. It's there in sports. Everyone seems to be on a revenge tour. In recent weeks, I've lost count of the number of times that the news cycle has centered on vengeance. …
We're looking at, we started a series that I guess could be called a series on character or virtue. At least a lot of people would use those words out in our culture for what we're going to be talking about. But I don't think it's not, it doesn't fit. Those are not adequate terms. We saw last week that Paul, in the famous love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13, says that we must remember that morally virtuous behavior can arise out of a heart filled with deep spiritual emptiness. In other words, what Paul said, just a real brief summary. He says people can live, they can be loyal to their families, they can be generous to the poor, deeply committed to moral principles and to biblical principles as well. And the heart motive for that, the force for that, the dynamic for that, can be one of self-centeredness, self-absorption, self-interest, self-righteousness. So see, a character, morally virtuous behavior can arise out of a heart that hasn't actually been changed, that hasn't really been supernaturally changed. …