Part 4 - The Unforgiving Servant

Matthew 18:21-35 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”
“No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!
“Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.
“But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.
“But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.
“His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.
“When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.
“That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.” (NLT)

Jesus is saying, how you treat people

.

1. In the Kingdom of Heaven: We

our imperfections.

Recognize everyone has

.

Matthew 7:3 *“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?” (NLT) *

1 John 1:8 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. (NLT)

Confess your

!

1 John 1:8-9 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. (NLT)

and

Reveal Answer

help others.

Matthew 18:15 “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back.” (NLT)

2. In the Kingdom of Heaven: We take

on our weakness.

Matthew 7:4-5 “How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.” (NLT)

Take the

out!

Stop making

for your behavior.

Start by asking for

.

3. In the Kingdom of Heaven: We reflect God’s Grace to the world.

Always take the

Reveal Answer

.

Matthew 7:12 “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.” (NLT)

Be intentional with

.

Follow the

of Jesus.

“That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”

Our actions have

significance!