Page 8 - IR 2Q 2016

An Ungrateful Response
unkind to them. They feel that if they stop going to church, they will
Now, this would be a nice place to end the story, but Jesus somehow get even with the other party. But how does moving away

went on to make His most important point.“But that servant went from God’s house teach anyone a lesson? It just doesn’t make sense,

out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred and it is exactly what the devil wants us to do.
denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, Don’t ever fall into the devil’s trap by withdrawing from the

saying,‘Pay me what you owe!’”(verse 28).
church.There will always be noxious weeds mixed in with the good

This man’s heavy-handed actions are shocking in light of grain. Even Jesus had a Judas in His church, so don’t let Satan scare you
the mercy he had just experienced. He didn’t leave the presence away because of stiff-necked people. Indeed, those who wound others

of the king with appreciation; he walked away mad. He convinced have often been wounded themselves. If we could see the pains from
himself that his buddy still owed him what amounted to a few
their pasts, we might have more empathy toward them. It is easier to
weeks’ wages. Why was he so harsh, demanding that he be paid forgive others when we know what is going on in their hearts.

back immediately? Evidently, his own forgiveness from the king Jesus continued.“So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and
did not sink in.
begged him, saying,‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all’”

Think about the vast difference between 10,000 talents and (verse 29). Notice that the servant who owed a much smaller amount

100 denarii. It took 6,000 denarii to equal one talent. It’s as if gave the exact plea as the servant who owed a much larger amount.
our debt to God is like the distance from the earth to the sun, a “And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should

93-million-mile divide. By comparison, the debts others owe us pay the debt” (verse 30).

are at most a few yards. The Lord said that He is willing to forgive Pause before you point an accusing finger at this man’s cold-
us the vast distance between the earth and sun, yet we struggle hearted response; consider that Jesus might be speaking about you.

to forgive each other a measly 12 inches! Jesus contrasted these Have you ever been unwilling to forgive others? Is that happening

absurdly differing amounts of money to show how much God has in your life right now? Each one of us has a debt that Jesus willingly
forgiven us in comparison with how little we’re sometimes willing suffered to take off our plate—He was beaten, spit upon, denied by

to forgive each other.
His friends, and nailed to a cross. Look at your Savior hanging there.

I often meet people who have quit attending church. I ask Listen as He tells you,“I forgive you.”
them,“Why don’t you go anymore?” Many tell me stories of how How can you then say,“But Lord, I just cannot forgive that

they were treated poorly or how a church member or pastor was
person at church who gossiped about me or took over my church

office”? What does that say about your Christian experience?

Difficult but Necessary

As a pastor, I have heard terrible stories of people who were

abused as children for years by unrepentant family members.

Should they forgive these evil perpetrators? This is a very
difficult—and fair—question.

Let me clarify—forgiveness does not mean we let offenders

off the hook for their bad behavior. Some people need to be held
accountable for their actions by the laws of the land. Nor does

forgiveness mean we let people constantly use us as a physical or

emotional punching bag.
Rather, forgiveness is giving up bitterness and resentment. It

is choosing to release malice, putting the other person into God’s

hands, and being willing to pray for your enemy.
When you refuse to forgive others who have hurt you, you

are giving them permission to keep hurting you.You continue to
be a slave to their offense. Jesus told us to love our neighbors and

our enemies. Sometimes the people who hurt us most deeply are

those closest to us. It was Abel’s own brother, Cain, who slew him.
David’s son tried to murder him. As children of God, we have turned

our backs on Him repeatedly. We should never forget that “God

demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still
sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8, emphasis added).

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Inside Report
2Q 2016