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September 15, 2002
17th Sunday after Pentecost
Matthew 18:21-35
Pastor Ben Berger

All Debts Are Off

Do we have any Badger fans in the house? Two weeks ago the Badger football team played the University of Nevada Las Vegas in Las Vegas. Badger fan or not, a lot of people were paying attention to that game because they had placed a bet. With seven or eight minutes left in the game, a generator failed and the lights went out; the game was called. Betting rules state that unless a football game has been played for 55 minutes or more, all bets are off. I'm sure those who would have collected were a little upset, but those who would have lost found unexpected relief. Today through his Word God tells us All Debts Are Off. We haven't made any bets with God, but we have accumulated substantial debt. Jesus teaches us how God has dealt with our debt and how we want to deal with those in debt to us. He declares, All Debts Are Off 1)We owe nothing & 2) We collect nothing.

Peter asked a rather straightforward question about forgiveness. How many times should I forgive someone? Peter's question assumed that he would forgive, but that the forgiveness had a limit. Jesus responded with a story.

A king lent his servants different sums of money. One servant owed the kind, let's say, one million dollars. The servant could not repay the money. He begged for more time, and the king simply said, "All debts are off; you owe me nothing." That servant owed big, and yet the king just cancelled the debt. No questions asked.

We owe big too. Yet, we do not owe money; we owe payment for our sins. Every single day, every single day we build up new debt. Do I really have to tell you that you're a sinner? Do I really have to go through the commandments to point out to you what you have done wrong? Or has your conscience already done that for you? How selfish we are! I deserve to use my money the way I want because I earned it. I deserve to use my body to fulfill my desires any time I want because it's my body. I deserve to use my time as I see fit because I have earned that right. Unbelievable! What happened to fear, love and trust in God above all things? I got in the way, that's what happened.

That part you know, but do you also know that you have earned a debt to God. Even if God gave us a clean slate every day, we still wouldn't be able to repay him just for today's sins, just for this morning's sins. There is only one payment - it's death, a death in hell that never ends because we can never fully pay for putting ourselves before God. We have nothing, we deserve nothing, nothing but hell.

So, what then? What do we do when God comes to settle our accounts? First, I hope we do what the servant did: ask for God's mercy. Acknowledge your debt; don't try to weasel out of it or act like you have already offered payment. God has every right to demand payment from us. He is God. We are his creation, and we have rebelled. We owe him. So, admit, "I owe big and I have nothing to give, be merciful to me." Then, then, most importantly, listen. Wait and listen.

Here's what you'll hear. All debts are off - you owe nothing. Finally, believe. God does not lie. He has forgiven your sins. I don't see the point in asking why. The answer is that God loves you. Again you could ask why, but I don't see the point in asking why, but I know why you're asking. You want to know how God could possibly love you. You know what you've done and how much you owe and don't know how God could just forget about your sins. I also understand your doubt; I have it too. Still I'm just going to ask you to believe because it's God who has called off your debt. You owed him; if he wants to cancel your debt, just be happy.

He says that he cancels your debt because of what Jesus has done for you. Jesus lived a debt-free life. He was never selfish; just the opposite - he always had you in mind. He did the things he knew you wouldn't; he didn't do the things he knew you would. And when he saw your debt, he said, "I'll pay it. I'll die on the cross. I'll go to hell. Why? Because I love you." In turn God accepted Jesus' payment. Every day God accepts Jesus payment. Every day he forgives your sins. Every day he tries to show you how much he loves you; how much you're worth to him.

I tried really hard to think of a way for you to visualize God canceling your debt. This is what I came up with. I'd like you to take out one of those yellow cards in the pews. Then write down your sins on that card. This is hard, I know, but do your best. You don't have to right every sin, maybe just the ones bothering you the most. Here's what God does with that list every day: he shreds it. It's gone; there is no record. Jesus paid your debt and God declared, "All debts are off - you owe nothing.

That's not the end of the story, though. All debts are off - not just what we owed to God but also what others owe to us. Because we owe nothing, we collect nothing.

Let's look at the rest of the story. One day the king cancelled the million-dollar debt of his servant. The next day that same servant ran into someone who owed him a few hundred dollars. He demanded payment. When his fellow servant asked for mercy, he threw him into jail.
Are not we like that wicked servant? We are just like him! That servant had a legitimate payment coming to him, and he wanted his money. He didn't really care that the king had cancelled his debt. He figured that he deserved what was owed him. He wanted payback, and oh yes we want payback too.

If anyone dare sin against us, he had better be ready to make up for it. If someone sins against me or someone I care about, he better be ready to answer. First I'll make sure everyone knows exactly what he did. Then, I'll round up my supporters. He will apologize; he will no longer serve in that position. He's done. What wicked servants we are! The wicked servant in the story was handed over to be tortured. The wicked servants in real life deserve eternal torture. They have forgotten that the king called all debts off.

Please, do not be that wicked servant. Rather, become a good servant. The servant in the story did one thing well. He approached the one who owed him. However, he did not approach out of love. The wicked servant was worried more about himself than his fellow servant. Just as God thought of us first, we too can put others before ourselves. That does not mean we don't approach one who has sinned. God asks for payment, but he also granted mercy.

If I sin against you, by all means come and tell me. Point out my sin. But, please, oh please, when I beg for you mercy, forgive me. Do not add to my guilt, but take it away. Don't forgive me because I deserve it; I don't. Don't forgive me because you're such a good person; you're not! Forgive me because your Father in heaven has forgiven you. All debts are off - You owe nothing, so collect nothing.

Accusing someone of sin is a very serious thing. God wants us to point out each other's sin, but not to get payback. He wants us to point out sin so that we can offer forgiveness. He wants us to put everyone one else before ourselves. He wants us to love others as much as he has loved us. This is a very difficult thing to learn. To love others as God has loved us, we first need to learn how much he has loved us. I think there's a good way to do this.

Remember your baptism. When you remember your baptism, you constantly remind yourself of the depth of your sin. You constantly remember the debt you owe your God. Anytime we forget how deep our sins run or how large our debt is to God, we fail to appreciate how much he loves us. Your baptism will remind you of your debt. At the same time your baptism will remind you that God has cancelled your debt. It will remind you that Jesus died to make your payment. It will remind you that Jesus rose from the dead to give you life.

Let me make a suggestion to help you remember your baptism. Go to Wal-Mart or K-mart or Target or wherever and buy a $15 shredder. Keep a pencil and pad of paper by your bed or wherever you can get to it often. Every night before you go to bed - write down your sins. Write down the sins you remember from that day; write down the sins that have been bothering you for years. As long as they bother you, write them down. Then say a short prayer acknowledging your sins and your debt. If you want, use the confession at the beginning of the service we use on Sundays. Ask God for his mercy. Then put your sins through the shredder because God has forgiven all of them. Every day hear God say - All debts are off, you owe nothing. In return, when you see your debtor the next day, collect nothing because you owe nothing.