Pastor's Blog

Good Morning, Dear Family.

Today we will finish our meditations on the parable of the one who was forgiven an unpayable debt, asking the Lord to show us how this fits in our lives today. First, the final verses of our text and then some additional scriptures.

Matthew 18:33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?

KJV Matthew 18:34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.

KJV Matthew 18:35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

Joseph's response to his brothers treatment of him.

KJV Genesis 50:15 And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him.

16 And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying,

17 So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him.

18 And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants.

19 And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?

20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

21 Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them

Job's attitude of life and his response to his friends who had not given him the right counsel of the Lord.

KJV Job 1:21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

KJV Job 1:22 In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

KJV Job 42:10 And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

Paul's exhortation to us.

KJV Ephesians 4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

KJV Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

All three of these illustrations (the man forgiven the 10,000 talent debt, Joseph's total forgiveness of his brothers and Job's forgving heart toward those who had mistreated him) all speak of what it means to be or not to be released from a prison of guilt, resentment, stress, conflict, anxiety, you name it; the emotions which we experience because of the inability to forgive ourselves/another will be present in us. How does this apply in our life today?

Briefly stated, the inability to personally grasp the grace of forgiveness through Jesus and the cross will make it impossible to live in forgiveness of ourselves as well as toward others. Which means that we are then locked in a prison of emotions which are detailed above, thus causing us torment. The man in the parable could not forgive because he did not grasp that forgiveness was a gift which may only be received upon one's total need for grace; therefore since he had not received the grace of forgiveness, he could not forgive himself or others and consequently remained in the prison of owing a debt which causes anger, resentment, stress, sleeplessness, because of things like: I should have never done that, now look at my life; I will never forgive him/her; why did that have to happen to me, why do I have these difficulties in life; she/he is not being what she/he should be, and on it goes. Take a minute to read the surrounding passages of the scriptures which are placed above. For example, learn of how Joseph was able to freely and totally live in complete forgiveness toward his brothers, examine the heart of Job and what enabled him to say that all that was taken from him was taken by the Lord and not by Satan. Do we understand the connection between Job's realization that everything works together for the good to those who love the Lord and are the called according to His purpose? Even forgiving one another as we have been forgiven? Ultimately, the answer comes down to the same truth: Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

May our rich in grace Lord Jesus Christ abundantly bestow his love and kindness upon us all today and forever. This knowledge will come through the reading, praying upon and meditation in His Word. Let us continue to meet Him in his Word, for He is always waiting to reveal more grace and truth from the living Word contained in our Holy Bibles.

In Christ,

Pastor Orval Wirkkala

Good Morning, Dear Family.

Romans 5:20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:

Matthew 18:25 But forasmuch as he had not wherewith to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.

Matthew 18:26 The servant therefore fell down and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

Matthew 18:27 And the lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.

1 Peter 1:17 And if ye call on him as Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to each man's work, pass the time of your sojourning in fear:

1 Peter 1:18 knowing that ye were redeemed, not with corruptible things, with silver or gold, from your vain manner of life handed down from your fathers;

1 Peter 1:19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb without spot, even the blood of Christ:KJV 1 Peter 1:20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

Now, how does the man respond to being released from his debt and that it will not be required that everything that he owns be sold, including himself? How does he receive this amazing grace? How have you/I comprehended this total forgiveness by our King?

After the man realized the enormity of his debt, he fell down at the feet of the one to whom he owed the great debt and asked for more time, not realizing that it was impossible to pay it back. After being told that he was forgiven completely, he did not grasp it and acted accordingly with those that owed him a paltry amount, falling into the human propensity to believe that we ourselves must or are able to earn forgiveness. When the gospel frees us from the penalty of sin, we are freed from the demands of the law and its slavish demands. Have we grasped that today?

This parable could be looked at in a couple of ways. Let us take the most common approach to this parable: We pray in the Lord's Prayer:

Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

So, if we are refusing to forgive someone and we ask God to forgive us as we forgive those who trespass against us, in reality are we asking God not to forgive us?

After teaching us the Lord's prayer these words are added by Jesus:

Matthew 6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

Matthew 6:15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Let us continue next time, but til then let us live in the knowledge that we have been released from the penalty of sin because He had and continues to have compassion on us.

In Christ,

Pastor Orval Wirkkala