Sermon in Minneapolis 12.11.2017

Let us begin this evening's service with opening prayer.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who have trespassed against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Today is the 22nd Sunday after Trinity. That's the old order. It's the 23rd Sunday after Pentecost, according to the order that we presently follow. The theme, as we heard this morning, is forgive one another. In other words, about the topic of forgiveness.

Two of the gospel texts for today are from Matthew chapter 18. And I'll read a little bit of one, and then the rest of another year's text. So Matthew 18, beginning from verse 21 through the end of the chapter to verse 35.

Then came Peter to him and said, Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which went to take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. For as much as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, also his wife and children, and all that he had, and that payment would be made.

The servant therefore fell down and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and he loosened him and forgave him the debt.

But the same servant went out and found one of his fellow servants, which owed him one hundred pence. And he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that what you owe me. And his fellow servant fell down at his feet and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

And he would not, but went and cast him, the fellow servant, into prison until he would pay the debt.

So when his other fellow servants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told their lord all that was done.

Then his lord, after that, he had called him and said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee or you all that debt, because you desired me to do so. Shouldn't not thou have also had compassion on your fellow servant, even as I had pity on me?

And his lord was wroth or angry, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.

So likewise shall my heavenly father do also unto you, if you from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. Amen.

So this text of ours is from the end of chapter 18 in Matthew. And the entire chapter is one complete unit. And it's one full story.

In the beginning of this chapter, it tells how the disciples were kind of debating among themselves that who, Lord, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And so Jesus, during the course of this chapter, during the course of this discussion, is wishing to illustrate that when people have and begin to act out such attitudes, there is a danger that divisions would occur and come about.

So Jesus is wanting to come up with a practice or some sort of method in order to prevent any sort of conflicts that would bring about a division among his people.

Jesus said that if you do not humble yourselves and become like a little child, you shall not enter therein into the kingdom of heaven. And he took a little child up in his arms and he said, of such is the kingdom of heaven.

Then after this discussion had ended, then Jesus tells about a practice which we know is the church law of Christ. And he said, of such is the church law of Christ. And he said, of such is the church law of Christ.

Here is that you would have three more people who are independent listeners, neutral listeners, not taking one side or the other, but just listening to both sides and trying to help resolve the issue. And hopefully already at the first stage matters can be solved and corrected and love returned and life continue as before.

And then of course then is the third step and if that person does not hear then when a larger group of people come together then bring it before the congregation and so on and so forth.

So apparently here in the background someone was offended, was hurt and offended and we don't know for sure but most likely apparently it was Peter. Peter was, we assume, can assume that he was offended and is wondering what to do and how to proceed.

And so after this so-called teaching of the church law of Christ is over today's actual text for this year also includes these verses 21 and 22 which I read which are prior to the assigned portion for last year which is the story, the parable that follows today's text.

But anyways, Peter, after he's hearing all of this instruction of Jesus beginning from the first verse in chapter 18 until verse 20 then Peter asked Jesus.

Then Peter came to Jesus and he said, Lord, when a brother or someone offends me how many times does it need to be that I forgive him? Is it enough that I forgive him seven times for the same issue?

So, before proceeding I'll ask a rhetorical or hypothetical question. So, what is easier to, or what is more difficult to ask for forgiveness from another person for something you have done or to forgive another person when they come to ask you for forgiveness for something they have done to you?

Well, I was swimming in the swimming pool this week and I go to water aerobics almost every morning and we're all doing backstrokes and of course it's hard to see where you're going when you do a backstroke and as I was doing a backstroke wacko, I smacked a lady right in the face. And I said, I'm sorry, profusely I said it was an accident and, well, that wasn't hard to ask to say you're sorry because it was completely unintentional.

Or if you step on someone's toes accidentally in a crowded area well, you ask or say you're sorry and I don't think that's very difficult to do.

But what if you've done something more serious? For example, did some shoplifting stole something. And now you need to admit to someone else the transgression that you had done. As some people have said it's like you'd rather drink tar or drink cod liver oil. And most of us older people know that cod liver oil is terrible tastes terrible and has an awful smell and that's the last thing you would want to to drink put down your throat.

But you would rather in such a case drink cod liver oil just to use an illustration than to go ask for forgiveness for some fault or transgression that you have done.

So this is only to illustrate that it's not easy it's difficult to ask for forgiveness for faults and errors that we have committed.

So if that's difficult what about if someone comes to you someone who's hurt you deeply offended you severely and now turns around and says can you forgive me?

Well thinking in a human sense this may be very very difficult.

Well I'll use an illustration and I just listened to a sermon from Finland kept by one week ago Sunday evening was preaching from this pulpit a year ago he was preaching on the same text that I'm preaching on in his home locality.

And as he mentioned in his sermon that here that he often goes to preach in prisons and he says some time ago he was visiting in a prison asked to go preach with another preacher brother and during the course of the services he said he wasn't preaching but his friend was preaching during the course of the services one of the prisoners stood up and he said about another fellow prisoner that I will never ever forgive that person because that person is a tattletale.

So apparently one of the other prisoners was a tattletale telling the prison guard that he had done this and that which he wasn't supposed to do and I suppose he got even an extra punishment on top of what he was experiencing.

I will never forgive him and perhaps we have heard this ourselves from the ears of some people even believers I've heard have said that maybe just in the fit of wrath or moment of anger hopefully they didn't mean it from the bottom of their heart but it sometimes comes from the lips of even believers but this was an unbeliever.

And so the two ministers then began to visit with this prisoner who had just said these words and they said well at least you're honest with the words that you said and then they said well the prisoner then replied to them well you're also honest to your convictions and preaching what you are preaching I can sense that you're true to your convictions.

And so they the two ministers decided that well let's sit down and visit with this person a little bit more and during the course of the discussion they asked the prisoner that well we're here to preach the gospel of God's kingdom and to offer forgiveness that we want to offer you forgiveness do you want your sins forgiven and lo and behold that man repented and they asked well how does it feel now and he says I feel good I feel relieved.

But anyways what I wanted to illustrate is sometimes forgiving someone who has offended you is many times more difficult than you or I actually going to ask for forgiveness for something that we have done.

So now Peter apparently we can assume we don't know for sure but from the context apparently Peter was offended someone offended Peter and now is trying to figure out what he should do and Jesus was trying to tell him to have a forgiving heart and how to approach a situation in practice through the church law of Christ and so on and so forth.

And so after hearing all this Peter says well how many times Lord do I need to forgive that person if he comes and asks for forgiveness is seven times enough?

Well the practice among the Jewish rabbis was three strikes and you're out if they come once you forgive them comes a second time you forgive them comes a third time you forgive them but then that's it then forgiveness is done and over with the quota's up and over with it ends.

So now Peter was being generous in his mind and he doubles the number three which was what the rabbis thought was the quota so he doubles it to six and he adds one more for good measure comes up with seven and seven in the Bible is the number of perfection.

So Peter thought he's being very generous and very liberal how about seven times they come and ask seven times is that then enough and no more?

Well Jesus answered Peter no Peter I don't say only seven times but I tell you seventy times seven or four hundred and ninety times and that's quite a few times but actually in the gospel according to saint Luke Jesus even turns that number into infinity he takes the limit away and he says as many times or as often not only up to four hundred ninety times but even the thousandth ten thousandth hundred thousandth millionth time as often as your brother or sister comes and says can I be forgiven we forgive that brother or sister his trespasses.

So Luther if we read his writings he said we cannot deny a penitent sinner forgiveness or in other words we cannot withhold forgiveness from a penitent person.

We have bylaws of our church and I'm sure every LLC congregation has bylaws and in the bylaws it says that we confess according to the holy scriptures and also according to the Augsburg confession.

So that is one of the main documents upon which our faith Lutheran faith Christian faith is based and in the Augsburg confession there's one statement which it says in this way about forgiveness of repentance.

So a person is repenting it is taught that those who have fallen from faith after they have been baptized and grew up and become a teenager adult or whatever so on and so forth and then they come and ask for forgiveness there is remission of sins whenever they make repentance and the church cannot forbid forgiveness or absolution thus says the Augsburg confession.

So Jesus teaches and we say in the Lord's prayer forgive us our debts or our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us.

The apostle Paul writes to the Ephesians about this matter of forgiveness and he says we forgive one another even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven us.

So just as God through Christ has forgiven us so likewise we wish and desire to forgive one another.

In the Bible is spoken about having the mind of Christ and so what is the mind of Christ and we remember when Jesus was hanging on the cross and soon to die because of blood loss and so forth some of his last words were toward those who were crucifying him.

You think he would be angry full of wrath because of the injustice he was experiencing because he was innocent and suffering crucifixion without cause on the cross and the mind of Christ was father forgive them for they know not what they do.

Imagine if your hands were being nailed to the cross and they were spitting you in the face and whacking you over the head with whatever would you have the strength to say father forgive them for they know not what they do.

So it's said about the kingdom of God that its constitution or its basic rule of law is this that forgiveness is the kingdom's foundation and constitution.

There have been times throughout the history of Christianity when forgiveness hasn't been freely preached.

You can go back to the old country over a hundred years ago and there was a heresy that was breaking away which is called the new awakened heresy and they were concerned that there were people living in fleshly sins and we never accept such a lifestyle.

And there were even some ministers who had fallen to commit fleshly acts fornication and adultery even while on mission trips and of course this is abominable God does not approve of such.

But then they came up with this idea that the reason or the fault is in the gospel the gospel is spoken too freely and when you preach the free liberating life giving gospel without conditions it will just lead a person to leave a lenient and loose lifestyle.

So we have to tighten things up a little bit and we have to kind of restrict forgiveness because when it's preached too liberally you can see what's happening to the youth and even to some of the ministers and so they begin to restrict forgiveness forgiveness they begin to put a quota on it.

And I've heard this story by several different people and one preacher brother told this story from this pulpit back in 1995 you can check in the archives if you're curious enough.

It happened in Rovani one lady a wretch was troubled over matters and she came to talk to a minister who happened to be one who had gone into the new awakened heresy.

So she comes into his office and she begins to open her heart and pour out her heart and the minister listens for a while and she asks for forgiveness and he said is that all you have such trivial little things and you want me to forgive you?

He said sit here and think for a while he said I'm going to go make myself a cup of coffee and I'll come back and see if you come up with anything more significant serious than what you've been telling me.

So he leaves the room and goes and makes a cup of coffee and comes back and apparently this poor woman came up with something that was significant enough in this minister's mind that then he preached the gospel to her.

He was putting conditions on the gospel we always say in Christianity and living faith that the gospel has no conditions it is a conditionless gospel.

Jesus says the only condition is if a person comes and asks for forgiveness we preach not up to three times not up to seven times not up to 490 times but up to the number infinity as many times as a person comes and asks for forgiveness we preach.

So now Jesus tells a story a parable in order to illustrate the point that he's trying to teach.

So Jesus was an expert in parables and a parable is a story from concrete to real life in order to illustrate and drive home a point that he's trying to explain.

And so he said that the kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king or a certain ruler and this king or this ruler is God our heavenly father who now was coming to visit with his the subjects of his kingdom and see how things are going.

And he found one individual who owed him money and now they're using terms and measures which we have no concept of what they are anymore they're biblical term terminology from way back when but we have to convert these terms into language of our day in order that we would get an idea a real feeling of the amounts.

So he found one individual who owed him 10,000 talents.

Well what does we hear this term all the time we have received our sin debt of 10,000 talents forgiven so what does it mean?

Well one talent is worth 6,000 days of wages so in those days there was a typical average wage of denarius and so that's a one day's wage.

So one talent was worth 6,000 days of wages and now this individual owed the king 10,000 talents.

Well so what's 10,000 times 6,000 it's worth 60 million days of wages 60 million days of wages.

Well what's that in years divide that by 365 and you get approximately 165 thousand years of wages.

That's hard to fathom 165 thousand years of wages it would take to repay that debt.

Well if you live to be 80 years old you can see you're not even coming close to even scratching the surface of that debt.

So Jesus has purposely taken such a huge number that it is just ridiculously large.

So one person calculated that that it would take an army of people that if one person was carrying 60 pounds of money of course it was a weight as well as a money value so we got gold and gold is worth so much per ounce so convert that to money.

So say one soldier can carry 60 pounds of money and it would take 8,600 soldiers each carrying 60 pounds of this money and if you would string them out in a single line that line would be five miles long that's how much that person was in debt.

Well I'll tell you now that we're coming to the second person who owed 100 pence which is 100 days wages and it's so infinitesimally small compared to this first person's debt that that debt could be carried in a person's pocket.

So the second debt could be carried in a person's pocket the first debt it would take 8,600 people strung out in a line of five miles long to carry that debt.

So what is this debt this debt is the debt that you and I and every single individual has and owes to God the heavenly father.

What do you mean we are all sinners?

I just heard another sermon today when I'm preparing for a sermon I try to find every sermon I can find on the text and that one was kept by who was here in this country in 1958 and so he kept this sermon in 1988.

So he says when I was in America 30 years ago in 1958 57 58 or thereabouts or 56 57 he said he was in a certain locality and there was a certain woman in the services and after the services she came and talked to him and I suppose they're in a Finnish community and of course everyone knew Finnish back then and so I'm sure they're conversing in the Finnish language.

And she said that you know why don't you people preach the law to the believers and Laudy said that well wait a minute he says the law doesn't belong to a believer and he asked the woman he says well woman have you fulfilled the law and she says well almost not quite completely but almost.

And so they sat down and they began to visit there was a local American minister I don't know he didn't say the name but anyways they began to visit with this woman and they began to go through the ten commandment law of Christ.

Then they got to the fourth commandment thou shall not kill or thou shall not commit adultery whichever one it is and she said you're beginning to make me feel like a sinner and they said well that's the purpose of the law to show that every human being every individual before the face of God the heavenly father is a sinner.

And on their own part it's completely impossible to be acceptable to God the heavenly father because they have such a huge sin debt that they could never repay it's ten thousand dollars sixty million days of wages or hundred and sixty five thousand years of wages sixty million days of wages or hundred and sixty five thousand years of wages impossible.

So we have to rely on the good grace and mercy of someone and so they brought this person who owed the king for God ten thousand talents and this person of course didn't have the money to be able to pay him.

So then God says well if you can't pay it I'll cast you into prison and we'll sell your wife and your children which was a common practice back then and we'll liquidate all your possessions and well you have to you have to pay me back.

And so this person thought and isn't this a self-righteous thought that give me time have patience with me and I will do my best and I'll eventually be able to pay you off that's a self-righteous thought when in practice it's literally impossible no one could ever do it but that was his human thought I'll try my best I'll do what I can and just have patience with me and so forth.

So the servant fell down and worshipped or begged him saying Lord have patience with me and I will repay you all even though it's literally impossible.

But then here comes the mind and the heart of God the Heavenly Father then the Lord of that servant was moved with compassion and loosed him or released him from his shackles he must have came tied by the hands and by the feet so he loosed him from his shackles and forgave him his debt.

The king didn't have to God didn't have to but that was his heart he was a merciful judge and completely wiped the debt the slave clean didn't have to go to prison the debts were forgiven and he was a free man.

And that's what we have experienced by and through faith of no effort no works of our own but solely by grace alone by faith completely and only through the merit works of Christ Jesus.

This is the heart of God the heavenly father toward us and this is what we have experienced by faith through the forgiveness of sins and as a result we feel happiness and we feel joy and we feel liberty in our hearts.

But now what happened to this person who was just forgiven this huge debt but this person who was just forgiven this huge huge debt worth 10,000 talents then turns around and he sees one of his other fellow servants who owes him some money and here it says and the same servant went out and found one of his fellow servants which owed him 100 pence.

Well it should be 100 denari so as I was trying to say earlier one day's wages is one denarius so 100 days wages is well there's 30 days in the month so 30 60 90 that's 3 months of wages if you don't subtract the weekends and then another 10 days so 3 to 4 months of wages.

Well if someone owed me 3 months of wages I would be pretty disappointed so it's no small sum of money but compare it to 60 million days of wages it's infinitesimally small because I tried to illustrate that 100 pence could fit in one person's pocket while the 10,000 talent debt it would take 8,600 soldiers each carrying 60 pounds strung out in a line over 5 miles long.

So this is just to illustrate the difference between the two sums of money one is basically a drop in the sea compared to the large ocean but still it's significant 3-4 months of wages.

So the same servant went out and found one of his fellow servants which owed him 100 pence or 3-4 months of wages and what did he do?

He was just forgiven his huge debt and now he goes to his fellow servant he laid hands on him took him by the throat and he said pay me up everything you owe me.

And his fellow servant fell down exactly what he did before his king exact same words and the fellow servant fell down at his feet and said unto him have patience with me and I will pay you all the same thing he said to his king the king pardoned him.

But what does he do?

He would not he refused to have mercy and to pardon him he would not but he went and he cast that fellow servant into prison until that debt could be repaid.

So now when the other fellow servants heard and saw what had happened they were very sad and they came and told the king what had occurred what had taken place what they had seen and what they had heard.

And now the king went and called the original servant whose huge huge debt of ten thousand talents he had just canceled and he says come on I need to have a little visit with you and he said you wicked servant I forgave you all of your debt because you begged for mercy and I showed you mercy and compassion and I wiped the debt clean.

Now shouldn't you have also had compassion on your fellow servant just like I had pity on you?

Now the king became angry and delivered this first servant to the tormentors till he should repay all that was due to him.

And so it's just like David we remember David fell into the sin of adultery and then well and then Nathan came and told a little story a little parable to him he comes and knocks on the door and Nathan I mean David I'm sure said come in the palace and Nathan I'm sure was just frightened and timid and he was like a servant talking to the king and David I'm sure said well what do you have on your mind.

Well Nathan didn't begin to just lay out the grievous sins of David on the table but he said I want to tell a little story and he said there was a rich man who had large flocks of sheep and then there was a neighbor in the community a poor neighbor and he had one lamb and that lamb was like his only child he loved that lamb and took it up into his arms and fed it with a bottle and it was like his only child.

Now this rich man noticed that he was going to have some guests and then he wanted to prepare dinner for the guests who were coming so he didn't even want to take one of his own sheep from his own flock but he went and he took that poor man's one and only sheep that was so dear to him he killed it and he roasted it and prepared it for dinner.

At that moment David was filled with anger and he said that rich man who did that act should be put to death.

So you can see the heart and the mind of David what it was like in that state and condition of heart it was harsh it was merciless and it was without any love or grace at all.

I listened to another sermon recently and the person says in this way that we as believers we have this staff of the gospel and we as believers want to lean on this staff of the gospel and he said oh that it would never change into a rod of demand and become a demanding rod toward other fellow brothers and sisters in faith almost almost just like the mind and the heart of David toward that rich man in the parable that man should be put to death that was a demanding rod of David coming down toward that rich man in the parable or that we would never have such a heart and mind toward another individual but we would have the heart of love and compassion and mercy and grace.

So anyways when we read the parables the crux or the moral of the story or the main point of the story is often right at the end.

So if you read many many parables there's tens of parables always go to the end of the parable and then that's where we can see often the main point what Jesus is trying to emphasize.

So what is the main point of this entire 18th chapter or especially this illustration he's trying to trying to tell us and teach us?

So the last verse of our text so likewise shall my heavenly father do unto you so remember this is to that fellow servant who we had forgiven that huge debt of 10,000 talents who then in turn went to his fellow servant who owned just an infinitesimally small debt and refused to forgive him that debt.

So now he tells the first servant who had forgiven the huge debt and refused to forgive the fellow servant so likewise shall my heavenly father do also unto you if you from your hearts do not forgive every brother their trespasses.

Years ago in Finland there was a rich landowner and had hired hands and servants and maids and it was a believing family believing home and that person would often ask the ministers who were passing by to come over to their place and since they had a big home they would have services in their homes they didn't have churches back then and in Finland they didn't have RYs that isn't until something in the 60s or the 70s so they'd always be in the homes or in the rented school houses and so on and so forth.

So she would often have services in her home and one of her maids often during the services was so moved by the sermons and filled with the grace and goodness of God that she was experiencing by hearing the gospel that she began to rejoice out loud the Lord Jesus be praised the Lord Jesus be praised.

Seldom do we hear that anymore but in years back it was quite common and this mother the wife of the house once while she was rejoicing said right in the middle of the services that do you know this maid of mine who is rejoicing that she's a thief she's been taking money for my coffer for who knows how long.

Well that's quite an accusation and of course then the rumors began to spread throughout the community and of course everyone kind of looked at her with crossed eyes I'm sure.

Well it so happened that this mother became ill and was on her deathbed and this maid who had been ill treated in an ill manner by her employer was on her deathbed and so the maid wanted to come visit with her before she paid her last respects before she died and came into the room and her employer the mother of the house said that you know that I have been envious and jealous of you that I have been walking with actually a bound conscience and I haven't been able to be free like you have and disturb me when you have been able to be freely rejoicing and enjoying God's grace.

But she said that I don't have long to live but I want to yet ask you can you forgive me for all of this ill treatment that I have done to you in the past.

Well the maid put her hands upon her employer and said you can believe sins forgiven in Jesus name and blood.

Then the maid began to rejoice and the people thought that well why is she rejoicing she said God the heavenly father who is gracious and loving has forgiven me first of all my huge sin debt of ten thousand dollars has pardoned it and washed it away and it's been forgiven.

It is just but a small matter that I would forgive her her little sin debt of 100 pence which has been toward me God has forgiven me so I can forgive her as well.

Isn't that a good heart a heart of a believing child of God and God has been good and gracious to us he has forgiven us our sins and yet even wants to pardon us.

So just as you find yourself now just as you are you can believe of the good and gracious mercy and love of God the heavenly father sins are forgiven in Jesus name and precious blood and through the power of the gospel it will lift us it will carry us and it will one day bring us to our eternal home in heaven in Jesus name amen.

The Lord bless us and keep us the Lord make his face to shine upon us and be gracious unto us the Lord lift us countenance upon us and give us peace in the name of the father son the holy ghost amen.