Liturgy
- Before Service Song – Ps. 9: 1, 5
- *Votum & Salutation
- *Song of Response – Ps. 30: 1, 2
- Ten Words of the Covenant
- Song of Response – Ps. 30: 3, 4, 5
- Prayer
- Reading of Scripture – Matthew 18:21-35
- Song of Response – Ps. 40: 1, 4
- Reading of the Text – Colossians 3:1-17
- Ministry of the Word: The Fourth One-Another Commandment: "Forgive one another"
- *Song of Response – Ps. 118: 1, 5, 8
- Thanksgiving Prayer
- Offertory – MAF
- *Song of Closing – Hymn 6: 1, 2
- *Benediction
Ministry of the Word: The Fourth One-Another Commandment: "Forgive one another"
- "There's nothing more American than apple pie".
- How about "There's nothing more Christian than reading the Bible". Except atheists and historians also read it.
- Maybe "There's nothing more Christian than forgiveness". Forgiveness is central to being a Christian.
- Our text reminds us of the speech from Mufasa to Simba in the Lion King.
1
- As God's chosen people, Christians must learn and practice forgiveness.
- In the parable in our text, the first servant owed a debt to the king. This represents our debt to God; owed Him for our sins against Him. The second debt owed a large debt to the first servant. Even though the first servant was forgiven by the king (God) he did not forgive his fellow servant.
2
- The concept of election is a confusing topic. God chose us and forgave us before we were even born.
- When we forgive, often it is conditional, or not a true forgiveness. We sometimes wait to throw it back in their face. We need to learn to forgive and forget.
- But this is not how forgiveness works from God.
- "Hurt people hurt people". So too can "forgiven people forgive people".
- "There's nothing more Christian than forgiveness".