Intro: Continue
in our series of the parables of Jesus with a parable that Jesus told to
answer a question by Peter

I) Peter's question 
A) How often should I forgive a brother if he sins against me? 
B) Peter offers seven as a possible answer - the Jews had
determined three (Talmud) 
C) Jesus took Peter's symbolic number for
completeness and multiplied to teach forgiveness should never be
exhausted

II) Forgiveness of first servant 
A) King wants to settle accounts - as
king he could demand even more than justice 
B) First servant owes him
10,000 talents (gold talents ~ $3.5 billion, silver talents ~ $50
million) an unpayable sum, not matter how much time he was allowed to
pay 
C) He begged for more time before having to settle, but the king
forgave him the debt entirely

III) Unforgiveness for the second servant 
A) Forgiven servant wants to
settle accounts and seeks a fellow servant and treats him as a lesser
being (choking) 
B) Second servant owes 100 denarii (day's wage ~ 1/3 of
year's salary) not an insignificant sum, but nonetheless a reasonable
hope of eventually paying it in full 
C) He begs for more time before
having to settle, but the first servant insists on making it even now 
D) Other servants witness this lack of mercy and testify to the king who
condemns the first servant for his refusal to show the same mercy he had
received (in much greater measure)

IV) Applications 
A) Our sins against God can never be repaid, no matter
how long we live and the sins of other against us are not insignificant,
but pale in comparison 
B) God is a king, while the offenses of others
come from equals, yet God treats us with great respect, while we are
sinners - Rom 5:6-8 
C) Our mercy, or lack of it, is witnessed by many
around us, who testify to God, knowingly or not, of our actions - Gen
4:10

Concl: If we fail to show mercy, God will remove His mercy from us - Mt
5:7; Psa 130