1. Abnormally Normal PBC Sermon Series

2. GRATITUDE TO THE KING

3. Matthew 13:10-16 The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” He replied, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.

4. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance
Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.”

5. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes.

6. Otherwise they wouls see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.

7. Jesus came to bring God’s Kingdom to earth … The time has come, the Kingdom of God is near
But the perfect Kingdom is still to come … Let your Kingdom come on earth …

8. The event that divides the KINGDOM NOW from the KINGDOM TO COME is Jesus’ second coming and the resurrection from the dead

9. Matthew 18:21-35 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

10. “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents (1 talent = 15 years wages = a total of R3bn) was brought to him.

11. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. “The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’

12. The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii (1 denarius = 1 day’s wages = a total of R8,000). He grabbed him and began to choke him.

13. ‘Pay back what you owe me. ’ he demanded
‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.

14. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.

15. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”

16. There are 3 stages to this story:
The King forgiving the servant who owed him millions
That servant being unwilling to forgive the servant who owed him a little
The confrontation between the King and the first servant

17. The unspoken expectation of the King is that his subjects would respond to others the way in which he has responded to them

18. The kingdom of heaven is where followers of Jesus start behaving like the king AS SUBJECTS OF THE KINGDOM WE ARE REQUIRED TO FORGIVE AS WE HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN

19. THE KING EXPECTS THAT IN HIS KINGDOM HIS SUBJECTS WILL TREAT OTHERS IN THE SAME WAY AS HE HAS TREATED THEM

20. Matthew 18:21-22 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

21. Colossians 3:13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

22. Acknowledge that this is what God wants of you
Acknowledge that this is not something that you can do in your own strength
Determine that you will forgive
Keep on forgiving

23. THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS FILLED WITH GRATEFUL PEOPLE WHO DEMONSTRATE THEIR GRATITUDE BY TREATING OTHERS THE SAME WAY THE KING HAS TREATED THEM