2819 Church - WISDOM & WONDER | Release and Be Free | Matthew 18:21-35 | Philip Anthony Mitchell

Episode Date: January 4, 2025

In the Season 7 finale of "WISDOM & WONDER," Philip Anthony Mitchell proclaims a liberating truth about forgiveness from Matthew 18:21-35. Welcome to the official Youtube channel for 2819 Church. This channel features powerful and life-impacting messages from Philip Anthony Mitchell and guest communicators. As you listen to these sound biblical messages you can expect to be challenged, stirred, matured and inspired in your faith and walk with God. For more information about us visit 2819Church.org.

You can be seated if you can get it all out your system We ain't no punks Greater is he I feel the Spirit of God greater as he who is in you than that ancient serpent that's in the world. All authority in heaven and earth has been given to our Savior, and we operate in that authority in the name of Jesus. The weapons of our warfare they are not carnal they are mighty in God for the hallelujah

i said the weapons of our warfare they are mighty in God for the pulling down of strongholds. I told a sister this week across a text message that there is no dualism. There's no equal power between God and the devil. Paul wrote that on the cross, our enemy was dethroned. He was de-armed. Them principalities, if they were de-armed, they're just making noise for a season. We don't fight for victory. We fight from a place of victory. They're just making noise for a season, just shatter and unnecessary noise.

We're going to shed some tears. We're going to blow this snot, and we're going to come out of that basement and pray in the name of Jesus. Do I got any warfare? Do I got any warriors in the room right now? I'm waiting on you. Right? Right?

I'm waiting on y'all. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Yes. Yes. Hallelujah. We carry guns and we carry a sword in the name of Jesus. All right? Come on, no weapon. Amen, somebody?

Okay. Come on, no weapon. Amen, somebody. Amen. Okay. If you are guests, we welcome you to 2819. If you're sitting in the overflow room and you are guests, we welcome you to 2819. If you're sitting in the overflow room and you are guests, we welcome you to 2819. To all of our digital disciples watching live right now across the country and around the world, we welcome you to 2819. We're so glad that you are here. And if you're not a follower of Jesus Christ, we know that you're in the room. We know that some of you are sitting in the overflow. Maybe you're watching me right now across that camera. We're so glad that you're here. You could be long before you believe. You could keep hanging out with us before you believe. You could keep listening to these holy conversations we're having together,

and our prayer is that you will be brought into the kingdom by the sovereign power of the Lord Jesus Christ. I want to give a special shout out to two of my boys, my brothers who are in this room, one of them. We've been together for 30 years, came out the streets together. He's one of the most sought after voices when it comes to mortgaging and banking and finances. He's changing the whole culture with his businesses. And I just want to shout out my boy. I know him as Matthew Gollum. Y'all know him as MG, the mortgage guy. Can y'all just help me honor my friend who's in the house right now, MG?

One of the founders of InvestFest. And then one of my other boys is here who's changing the culture right now, educating the culture when it comes to investments and stocks. My boy Wall Street Trap is here. Would you help me honor my boy Wall Street Trap? Shout out for brothers and friends. Before we jump into the proclamation of this word, at the beginning of our church, maybe some time ago, this church, 2019, is not even two years old yet.

I have a vision in my heart that one day that arena where the Hawks play basketball, 20,000 seats, that one day we're going to hijack that arena for access. We're going to take it over. That we're going to take over that arena one day for prayer with no celebrities on the platform. The only celebrity in the room is going to be the Lord

Jesus Christ. There's going to be 20,000 of us in that room praying and crying out to the Lord, saying, Come quickly, Lord Jesus.'" I believe that day will come, but the Lord has already given us glimpses of the future. At the end of this month, myself and a few powerful communicators would preach at a conference called Acts 242 Discipleship Conference. And on the Sunday following the conference, we will not meet here, for it's 4,000 of us that call 2819 home that meet across three gatherings and three overflow rooms. And we will have guests coming in from around the country. So, on October 27th, in two weeks, we will not meet here at this school, but we will gather as one body together,

one family together, one message together. At 10.30 a.m. at the Gateway Center Arena, we will come together as a family. You will meet people from the 8 o'clock you've never seen before and people from the 1245 you've never seen before, And all 4,000 of us will come together under one roof, one gathering, one moment in time, one prophetic moment, one message, one awakening for us as a church. I think it's not by accident the first time we take over a small arena is called Gateway. It'll be the first time that room has ever been used for the glory of God, for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. We're going to take it over for the glory of the kingdom.

So let your brothers and sisters know, don't come here in two weeks. If you come here, it'll be you by yourself and the Holy Spirit. October 27th, following Acts 242 conference, the Gateway Center Arena, one message, one gathering, one family, all 4,000 of us. Amen. Amen. It's only the beginning. I said it's only the beginning. I said it's only the beginning. It's only the beginning.

Just 18 months ago, there was only 183 of us in this room. 183. Time is running out. The Lord is gathering his remnant to himself. He's gathering his sons and daughters to himself. We don't have time to be playing around it's the spread of the gospel it's the multiplying

of disciples the Lord is swinging his sword his sickle he's building his storehouse we don't got that much time the headlines of the news is coming right out of the pages of the Bible. And please, stop exalting me on social media. This ain't happening because of a man.

This is happening because of the man, the Lord Jesus Christ. Only the Lord can do this. Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! And I'm just trying to awaken you with drama in the Middle East and a hot political climate

that prophecy is being unfolded right in front of our eyes. And while we're playing around and sucking our thumb in America. The hand of the Lord is on the doorknob of eternity. Just waiting for the Father to say, go now. Awaken, sons and daughters. Awaken, brothers and sisters. Amen, anybody. Amen. Anybody?

We are in a series right now called Wisdom and Wonder. The final two chapters in that series, we're walking through Matthew chapter 12 through 20 together. Don't want to presume that you know who Matthew was. Matthew was an outcast Jewish man who lived in the first century A.D. He was converted to Christianity By the Lord Jesus Christ himself He went on to become a follower of Christ And an eyewitness of his ministry

Matthew would write the book that bears his name The book that we are studying together He would go on to give his life as a martyr He died for what he saw, a resurrected Savior. And we are studying that book together as a church, if you are a guest. Our text today is coming from Matthew chapter 18, verses 21 to 35. I want to tag a title to this text.

Just call it Release and Be Free. Release and Be Free. Eternal God and ever wise Father, Lord, as a church, we humble ourselves right now before you. We acknowledge your holy presence that is among us. We acknowledge that time is running out and you are distilling the body down to a remnant, the real body of Christ. I pray, God, Lord, as your word is proclaimed, even in my weakness, that it would come to bear heavily on the hearts and souls of your sons and daughters.

I pray, God, in the name of Jesus, that today a prison door would be open and somebody would walk out of it. I pray today that a shackle will be broken and will fall to the floor. I pray, God, for this message, though short, not complicated, but serious. I pray, God, that our hearts will be burned and stirred. And that sons and daughters, God, would walk out of cells free. Move, God, in this room. Move in that overflow. Move across that camera right now. Help me, Lord, in my weakness to communicate these simple truths. I ask for help. and let your voice be heard.

Asking the mighty and the majestic and the matchless name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Somebody say amen. And amen. And amen. Release and be free. Now family, listen to me carefully. After the gift of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ, and then after the gift of health,

and then after the gift of time, perhaps the greatest gift you have in your life are your relationships. One of the greatest gifts God has given you after time and health and his son are the gift of relationships. And it is from our relationships we have developed a catalog of great memories and great moments and laughter and trips and tears of joy and all of these things that the blessings have flowed into our life through our relationships, open doors, shoulders to cry on, ears to listen to our cries. Man, one of the greatest things God has done in our lives is call us to community and given us

relationships. But as you live a little bit longer, and as you get a little bit older, you start to develop a new catalog that for those of us who have been living longer than five minutes, we can testify that from the same well of blessing that have come from our relationships has also come our greatest pain and our greatest sorrow and our greatest drama. For a relationship that brings you blessing in one season can be the a relationship that brings you blessing in one season can be the same relationship that brings you sorrow in another season. For the same relationship that brings you joy in one season can be the relationship that brings you heartbreak

in another season. And for those of us who have lived long enough, we can testify of what it is to have relationships that have blessed us on one day and have brought pain to us in another day. Not just any kind of pain, family, but a type of pain, a category of pain so deep, so traumatic, so heartbreaking that you find yourself even struggling to forgive the person who has wounded you in a particular area. Family, this is the drama at the center of our text. The Lord Jesus has given us in Matthew 18 the most important chapter as it relates to community in the entire New Testament. I want to say to you for the last time as we close out Matthew 18, these ethics of Jesus in this chapter is the foundation of all teaching in the New Testament for how we govern ourselves

in the context of family and biblical community. We have no credibility for a message if we don't get Matthew 18 right. We have no credibility to spread the gospel if we don't get Matthew 18 right. We have no credibility to spread the gospel if we don't get Matthew 18 right. It is Jesus who chose Matthew 18 as the very first teachings he gave to the church that was about to be founded within a month or so of this teaching. For in a month or so,

the Lord would be crucified and resurrected. And these are his first teachings to his sons and his daughters, his brothers and sisters. Listen these are his first teachings to his sons and his daughters, his brothers and sisters. Listen on how we should govern ourselves in the context of biblical relationships. He tells us in Matthew 18, don't let your heart be consumed with seeking glory and affirmation and status and power and prestige. He tells us that the true measure of greatness is seen in humility, that you can have money and you can have status and you can have fame, but the true measure of greatness, God says, is seen in the humility of

your character. He tells us in Matthew 18 that when we come into the kingdom, we should be childlike, for we never call adults anywhere in the word of God. He tells us in Matthew 18 that we should be humble in our dealings with one another. He tells us in Matthew 18 that we should be humble in our dealings with one another. He tells us in Matthew 18 that as we interact with one another, we should interact with one another as if we are interacting with Christ himself. He tells us in Matthew 18 that we should not be the cause of somebody else stumbling or being led into sin. He tells us in Matthew 18 that when we see sin patterns in our life that are destructive, that we should protect ourselves and protect others by cutting out those sinful patterns in our life. He tells us in Matthew

18 that we should not despise other brothers and sisters, that we should see the worth and value in other brothers and sisters, even if we don't have an affinity for them. He tells us in Matthew 18, watch, that we should leave the 99. That is, when we see brothers and sisters go astray, we should go and get them and bring them back. And then last week, I read these verses to you, and I want to read it to you again, that on the heels of that, Matthew records that Jesus said this to his followers. If your brother sins against you, verse 15, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. That is, if somebody sins against you in the church, go have a conversation with them in private.

Reconcile that relationship and then be at peace with one another. But if he does not listen to you, take two or three others with you so that every charge may be established in the evidence of two or three witnesses. That is, if they won't listen to you, bring a small group of people with you

that somebody may be able to help that person see what you could not help them see. He says, if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen to even the church, let him be as to you a Gentile tax collector. That is, if he's stirring up trouble in the context of community, outcast him from fellowship. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed on heaven. That is, I will back the leaders who exercise church discipline. Again, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth asking anything in my name, then I will do it, and my Father in heaven will do it for you. He's saying, if you

come together and pray about any difficult situation, I will move in that situation on your behalf for where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them. Now, family, in these original manuscripts, there are no chapters and verses. So you need to understand that Matthew 18 is one complete sermon from the Lord Jesus Christ. And then on the heels of talking about conflict between brothers and sisters in the

church and dealing with people who sin against you in the church, on the heels of the Lord telling us how to address people who offend us, how often will my brother sin against me and I forgive him? As many as seven times? Jesus said, no, Peter, no, son. I do not say seven times, but 77 times. So I want you to pay attention to what's happening. They are in Capernaum. They are in the house of Peter. Peter is listening to Jesus teach. From the beginning of Matthew 18, he's paying attention to what he's saying. Then Peter hears Jesus talking about dealing with people who sin against you, who hurt you, wound you, offend you. Peter stops the Lord in the middle of the sermon.

He interrupts his message. And he comes up to him and he said, Lord, hold on. You mean to tell me what you just taught us, if this actually works. If I go to my brother and my sister who have sinned against me and they actually hear me and they actually reconcile to me like, Lord, how many times should I really forgive that person if he hurts me again? And a second time and a third time, like how many times should I forgive this person? Now, I don't want to presume to know everything that was going on in Peter's heart in this moment, but if we read Peter's question,

we could deduce some things from the text. We could deduce that Peter is listening to a difficult teaching, and he's having struggle in his heart with that teaching. That is, he's hearing the Lord, watch, giving him a difficult commandment, and he's wrestling with, do I have the capacity to obey that commandment? He's no different than you and I, for you and I have the capacity to obey that commandment. He's no different than you and I. For you and I have sat in rooms just like this and have opened up these scriptures and have read and have read something or have heard something from the Lord and thought to yourself, Lord, I hear you,

but that's going to be difficult for me to follow. We've heard teaching and said to ourselves, Lord, I've read that, but that's going to be difficult for me to follow I don't know if I have the capacity to do that the emotional health to do that the fortitude to do that the grace to do that I don't know if I can handle that Peter is struggling with this teaching and what really is Peter struggling with? Watch. Peter knows what you and I have learned by experience. Watch. That, Lord, there are some pain that has been inflicted on us by people we call friends, by our former spouse, by our former group, by our former mentor. There are some people that

have inflicted pain on us so deep, I don't know if I got the capacity to just keep forgiving somebody over and over and over. I don't know if I have the capacity to do that. What Peter is struggling with is, watch this word, boundless forgiveness. That is, Lord, you actually expect me to keep doing this over and over and over? And what else is Peter struggling with? He's struggling with the teaching of the day. In the first century, the rabbis took a teaching from the culture, and they taught this teaching, that if somebody offended you or sinned against you, forgive them once, forgive them twice. After you've forgiven them a third time, you can cut that person off. That is, you owe nobody no more than three times you forgive them. That is, if I'm dealing with a problem relationship

or a problem spouse, that meant if you have sinned against me three times, that is the cutoff for forgiveness. They taught limited forgiveness in the first century. So Peter now, thinking that he's being gracious and thinking he's showing good character, he comes to the Lord, knowing about the three times, and he said, Lord, if my brother sins against me, watch, he's trying to get brownie pounds with the Lord, brownie points. If my brother sins against me, how many times should I forgive him? Let me go beyond three. Let me go beyond four. Let me go beyond five. Let me go beyond six. I'm the man. Seven times, Lord? What does he do? He chooses the number of perfection.

That said, Lord, at seven times, no more forgiveness after that. And the Lord says to him, no, Peter, not seven times, but 77 times. In another translation, they have the Lord as saying 70 times 7. 490 times. 490 times. So you expect me to keep forgiving somebody that keeps wounding me in the same area 490 times you don't know what i've suffered with that person you don't know what they put me through you don't know that the scars they left in my life and lord you actually expect me to forgive them 490 times we could bring it down you expect me to give them 77 times, forgive them? No. The Lord don't

expect you to forgive them 490 times because he don't expect you to watch this to keep count. 490 times or 70 times seven is a metaphor from the Lord that is, watch, keep forgiving people who hurt you without keeping record of how many times you have to forgive. See? Now, even as I say that to you, some of you squirm in your chair. You squirm in the overflow because you're thinking about yourself a season of trauma. A moment of betrayal, a person who failed you, a divorce that scarred you. You're thinking about people right now you're still holding. They're in your heart like an apartment, and you're hearing Jesus says, I want you to forgive every person that hurt you to the point that you even stopped counting how often you forgive.

No. See? No. Young Philip Anthony Mitchell heard that and said, Lord, I don't know if I can do that. Lord, you have any idea what they did to me in that season? That molestation, that rape, that abandonment, that rejection. You're telling me that as I live this life, any brother or sister that wounds me deeply, you expect me to just keep forgiving people over and over and over and over again. That is, watch. Lord, you're telling me there is no limit to forgiveness? What Peter's saying. I don't got a license to at least hold somebody in unforgiveness even for a little while, Lord? Watch.

Peter is looking for a comfort zone. The Lord is trying to take that away from him. Peter is looking for an out from the teaching. The Lord is trying to take that away from him. Peter is looking for a cap on forgiveness. The Lord is trying to take that away from him. Peter is looking for a work on forgiveness. The Lord is trying to take that away from him. Peter is looking for a workaround around boundless forgiveness. The Lord is trying to take that away from him. Now look at me. This is a difficult teaching because in our natural

flesh, it is not easy to forgive people when they wound you. I can testify of being hurt by people, and my first response is not forgiveness. It's vengeance. It's retaliation. It's I don't owe you forgiveness. And I know I'm not the only one. You can sit there and look at me with your halo crooked on your head, but I know I'm not the only one who has been deeply wounded by somebody, and your first response was not forgiveness. Your first response was cuss them out. Your first response was cut

them off. Your first response is not naturally, let me just let this person go. You betray me, or just let them go. Stepping out on me, or just let them go. Deceive me, or just let them go. No, no, no, no, no, family. You ain't that righteous. That's not your natural first response. For a lot of us, our natural first response is pain, it's tears, it's heartbreak. It's hold that person until I'm ready to do something with them. Now, look at me. The Lord knows something about you and I that we forget that he knows about you and I. The Lord knows, watch this, that you are human.

And he knew that you would struggle with this teaching. I'm almost done. He knew when he said this in the first century that this would seem almost unnatural for us to just keep forgiving people that wound us. He knew that in our weakness, we would struggle with this level of teaching. I mean, let's be honest. A lot of us have held people in unforgiveness in our heart. I have done that. The Lord knows that this would be very difficult for us to accomplish. So what the Lord does in mercy is that he responds to Peter with a parable, an encrypted story to teach Peter not only a lesson, pay attention,

but to create in Peter, watch this, a grace and a strength to be able to obey this. Now, look at me. In this life, you're not going to get out of here without somebody wounding you in the context of community. Nobody is going to do church and do community and have Christian friends and not get wounded by somebody. Everybody in this life, the longer you live, somebody will hurt you so bad you will not have the grace to want to forgive that person. So what the Lord gives us here is not suggestions, but what the Lord gives us here is teaching to give us an inner strength to know how to respond to people that wound us deeply. So in the middle of his sermon, he stops and he responds to Peter. And I want you

to watch what the Lord says to Peter, to the apostles, to the church, to you and I. Look at what he says to him. He said to Peter, let me tell you a story. Therefore, verse 23, the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. And when he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him 10,000 talents. Now, I want you to listen to the first part of the story, the parable. I want you to pay attention to this word, the kingdom. The kingdom gives us location for the parable. I want you to pay attention to this word, the kingdom. The kingdom gives us location for the parable. The Lord is talking about brothers and sisters in the context of biblical community. This is important that you understand location. He is not talking to people outside of the church. This is important because you don't want to go out of here and try to create an

unrealistic expectation for a person that does not follow these same commandments. For some of you are going to take this and try to text this passage to somebody that hurt you three years ago who was not saved. And you're going to expect them to text you back an apology. And you may never get an apology from that person because they're not under the same authority that you're under. So you need to not have false expectations on people who are not submitted to the Lord Jesus Christ. The teaching is for people in the kingdom. He's talking to you who call yourself follower. He's talking to you who call yourself Christian. He's not talking to the atheist. He's not talking to the agnostic. He's not talking to all the people you're going to text us to when the gathering is over. He's not talking to them. He said a king, watch, had a kingdom. And in the kingdom, he gave

servants a certain sum of money to go and handle his business in the kingdom. He says that when he calls for an account now, you're going to pay me what you owe me. One of them comes in and he owes the king, pay attention, 10,000 talents. Okay, now family, listen to me. The talent was the highest form of financial currency in the first century AD.

One talent, just one, was equivalent, watch this, to 20 years of work. Okay, get this in your mind. Just one talent, not 10, not 20, just one talent, one. That's why when you read the other parable he gave to his servant, one talent, two, five, you think the one is a little. No, no, no, no. That's a lot of money the Lord put in people's hands. One talent was equivalent to 20 years of working. That is taking all your checks for 20 years. That's one talent. He said this servant owed him 10,000 talents.

Just do the math. That's 200,000 years of work. Okay, watch. That's Elon Musk money times 10 in today's economy. Watch. The servant owes the king a debt he cannot pay. Let's go deeper. The servant owes the king a debt he will never be able to pay off, watch this, in a lifetime. The servant owes the king a debt he has no capacity to pay off. He could not do it

in 10 lifetimes. He could not return to this king the debt that he owed him. Are you paying attention? The accounting in the moment represents judgment. That is your time has come to give an account for what you have done with what I gave you. And the scripture does not tell us how he ran up this bag, but it does tell us that he is in trouble with this king and he owes the king a sum of money he cannot pay off in a lifetime. This is like somebody saying to you, you're in debt until you give me back Elon Musk money. For 99.99%, you will not be able to pay that off in a lifetime. This is an incalculable number.

This is an insurmountable debt. This servant is in trouble. Now pay attention. Verse 25, since he could not pay, his master, the king, ordered him to be sold with his wife and his children and all that he had and payment to be made. That is, how could the king be so cruel? No, the king is righteous and just. So because the servant owes the king money, he says, you're going to pay what you owe. Now, in the first century, man, if you had debt, debt was a serious thing. It's not like today when a creditor could call you and you could just bang the phone on a creditor. No, it ain't just bang the phone on a creditor. It ain't like that. In the first century, if you owe somebody money,

they had legal right to even lock you in prison or take your children or your wife or your spouse and sell you into slavery. And you would work until you paid off that debt, or you would sit in prison until you paid off that debt. So now the king orders a judgment against the servant. Take his wife, take his children, take that servant, lock him up, pay me what you owe me. Now pay attention. Verse 26. So the servant fell on his knees. Oh my gosh. Watch. And imploring him, he begged to the king, have patience with me and i will pay you everything and out of pity that is compassion for him the master of the servant watch this word released him watch this next word and forgave him all of that debt.

So I want you to pay attention to what happened. The servant knows I can never repay this debt in a lifetime. He falls down on his knees and he pleads with the king, please be patient with me, have mercy on me. He cries out to the king. This moment is a beautiful picture of the gospel. It is that moment a person recognizes their need for God and cries out to God because they have a sin debt they know they cannot pay. He cries out about that, and watch, the king doesn't even demand him pay a dollar. He clears his account.

He releases him. He forgives him. He sends him about his way. Now, family, the disciples, pay attention, I'm almost done, have been walking with Jesus for three and a half years. They've heard this kind of teaching before. And for those of us who've been reading the gospels, we've heard this kind of teaching before. If they're listening to Jesus carefully, you know what they're picking up on? They're picking up on the different people in the story. They realize that this king represents God Almighty.

That accountant represents the end time judgment that is coming for all people. This servant represents everyone who was saved, who have cried out to God, forgive me for my sins. And the Lord heard your cry and brought you into the kingdom, gave you his spirit and canceled your sin debt. That is you were headed to hell. You were headed to damnation. And the Lord heard your cry, canceled your sin debt. Watch. He canceled a debt you could not pay. And some people think, no, I've never committed no sins. No. We were born in sin. We have committed sins.

And if anyone dies in their sin, the Scripture says they're going to be separated from God for all eternity. Hell is their permanent home. But for those of you who have said, God, forgive me for my sin, and the Lord heard your cry, you know what he did? He took a debt you could not pay him. Watch. He canceled that debt. He made you a son and daughter, and he set you free. This happened for me, 2003, 2003 November in a bathroom suicidal cried out to God and he met me

in that bathroom transformed my whole life a few months before that shotgun and Hennessy about to blow my brains out the Lord spares my life in that moment so for those of you who pay attention, I'm almost done, who are in this room, in the overflow, across that camera, who you know in

your heart, watch this, watch this, watch this, you have been forgiven for all of your mistakes, all of your sins. The Lord has looked down upon you. Watch what he did. Man, in your recklessness, you're still breathing. In your recklessness, you're still in your right mind. In your recklessness, you still got a job. You still got a business. You still have bags. You still have relationships. You still have a house. You still have a car. You still have a testimony. You still have friends. You still have relationships. You still have health. For all of us who have received… What's the word? Received. Watch this word. Grace. Who has pardoned you over and over and over and has kept back from you what you really deserve. You know what you really deserve? Wrath.

You're not that nice. You're not that nice. You're not that holy. Your bundle ain't that tight. Some of you are so narcissistic, you think God owes you grace. He owes you nothing but wrath and judgment. Yet you got up this morning. You're still in your right mind. You got all these things that you can wrestle with, all these blessings, and what you really

deserve is wrath. The Lord said to all my children that have been pardoned and have been recipients of my grace, we are the servants that had a debt we could not pay. Watch this. And the Lord did what? He heard your cry. He's seen your pity. He canceled your debt. Now, family, watch. I'm almost done. Pay attention to the text. You know what Jesus is doing right here? Pay attention. Pay attention. You know what he's doing? He's putting the heart of God on display. Look at me. Look right here. Pay attention. Look right here. Listen to me. You know what Jesus is doing? He's a master teacher. He's taking the heart of God towards human beings who are saved, and he's taking that heart, and he's putting it on display for you to see this is what grace looks like. This is what forgiveness looks like. This is what mercy looks like.

Now, I hear you saying yes, but now wait. But then what the Lord does next is he shows you your heart. I'm almost done. What the Lord does next, in the very next verse, he shows you a picture of your heart. He says in verse 26, watch. No, he says in verse 28, but transition, when that same servant went out, gosh, he found one of his fellow street who owe him a bag. And he quickly forgets. He quickly forgets that he has been forgiven. He quickly forgets how much he has been forgiven 10,000 talents a hundred denarii pennies in exchange he sees he sees a fellow servant in the

street who owes him a hundred denarii watch and seizing him he began to choke him and say unto him, pay me what you owe. Now watch the next verse. So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him. Watch these words. Have patience with me. So you prayed a prayer to God. Now somebody's giving you the same words that you prayed. You cried out to God, Lord, have mercy on me. Now somebody who wounded you is giving you the same message. Man, could you please forgive me? Same words you prayed. same words the servant prayed, exact same language. Watch the hypocrisy in the text. He says, "'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.'" Verse 30, "'But he refused, and he went and he put him in prison until he should pay the whole debt. Watch. So the man who was forgiven much

is now find somebody who wounded him in the street. Okay, watch. Your mother that hurt you. Your father that hurt you. Your rejection issues. The divorce that scarred you. The mentor that abused you. The brother

that betrayed you. The person in the mentor that abused you, the brother that betrayed you, the person in the church that slandered you. Man, how quickly we forget what we have been forgiven. The spouse that wounded you, the child, the teenager that cursed you. How quickly we forget what we've been forgiven. The same servant goes out now, finds somebody that owes him a small sum of money. Watch. And watch what the Scripture says.

He chokes him. Is that what it said? He chokes him. You know what that choking is akin to? That choking is akin to, watch this, vengeance. See, this is your heart now. You get hurt, and your first response is not grace. It's vengeance. Pay attention to the text. Then he says, watch. Not only he choked him, he refused to accept his apology. You know what that refusal is? This is your heart. This is you harden your heart towards the one asking for mercy. Him refusing is a decision he made. It says he refused. That is, he chose to harden his heart. I'm trying to, daughter. I'm trying to. He refused. He hardened his heart, and then he put him in prison. You know what it is? I'm going to inflict pain on you. That is, I ain't got to hear nothing you got to say. You get no forgiveness from me.

You're going to make things right. No. Now watch. I'm almost done. Family, this moment right here, I'm going to say it. This is immoral. It is ungodly. Watch this. It is hypocritical. A lot of us, including me, have been guilty of this behavior. I'm going to start with me. I know what it is to be wounded by. Can I go down the list? Wife, friend, companions, co-workers, mentors, pastors, and my first response is not forgiveness. My first response is vengeance. My first response is screw you. My first response is get out of my face. My first response is bang the phone. My first response is you get no text back. My first response is I ain't got nothing to say to you. Period. My first response is watch this limited forgiveness. I'm the only one. You're so self-righteous. I'm the only one. Okay.

I know what it is, a former season to get hurt so bad, it took me, watch this, not weeks, not months, watch this word, years to forgive somebody from my past that wounded me so bad. It took me almost 15 years. What you know about pain that deep? Let me say that again. I know what it is to be wounded so bad, it took me 15 years to forgive someone. I'm the hypocrite in the text. Watch. And in the moment I held that person, you know what I was in? Sin for 15 years. Now it's not only the person that sinned against me.

Now I am sinning against God by handcuffing that person all those years. Okay. Now I'm almost done. Now watch. Now just watch the last verses in the text. Now pay attention. Watch this. Watch. Verse 32. Watch. Watch this. Watch.

Verse 32. Watch. Watch this. Watch this. Verse 31. When the fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master what had taken place. Did you see that? So, some other people saw the hypocriteite and they went and told the master,

yo, that dude that you forgave, he went out in the street and choked somebody, refused them, and put them in prison. He said, preacher, I don't get it. Remember the whole context of Matthew 18. Who's Jesus talking to? His future church. He's teaching us how to what? Live in community. What do we see right here? Accountability amongst peers. This is me getting wind that there's somebody in my community who's been holding somebody for a long time. And instead of me turning a blind eye to that, I get down on my knees and I pray for my sister. Lord, I pray for my sister that you can help them get free. Lord, I pray for my brother that you can help them be free. Oh, I go and have a conversation with them.

My sister, my brother, let's talk about this trauma. Let's talk about what you've been through. Let's talk about why you're still holding this person. They were dist. They wasn't a loose coalition. They were family who helped family grow in character. So I overheard you've been struggling with this for 10 years. What can we do to get you free? Come on, man. What can we do to get you free? So they went and gave the king a report. How do you give the king a report? You pray. Dang it, man. You pray for the person who's bound in unforgiveness. give the king a report. Go and tell on your brother and sister. Say, Lord, man, they've been holding this person for a long time.

Watch, I'm giving the king a report. I care about the freedom of my brother and sister. I know you have forgiven them so much. Lord, would you help them get free from what they're carrying? That's what you do when you love and when you care. How many of y'all do that? No, you're lying. I know what you do. You hear about them holding somebody, and you egg them on. Yeah, they don't deserve your forgiveness. I can't believe they did that to you.

You don't got no right to forgive them. Girl, you should just forget about that. My dude, you shouldn't. You are causing your brother and sister to stumble. Man, they did that to you? Man, I would never forgive them if that was me. What did the servants do? They gave the king a report. They cared enough about the person who was bound to pray for their freedom.

Now watch how the Lord closes the text. So powerful, right? Look. Look. Then his master, verse 32, summoned him and said to him you wicked servant look at you you're saying yeah oh how could he do he's talking to you so self-righteous he's talking to you listen to him he said you wicked servant i'm closing watch last verses you wicked servant. I'm closing. Watch. Last verses.

You wicked servant. For I forgave you all that debt. I forgave you all that debt. Because you pleaded with me. And should you not have had mercy on your fellow servant as I have had mercy on you? And in his anger, his master delivered him to the jailers until he should pay all of his debt. Now sit still and listen to me. Did you see what the king did?

He saw the hypocrisy of the forgiven and said, because he is so righteous and because he cares so much about us doing what's right, he said, because you have been holding this person, Philip Anthony Mitchell, for all those years, you know what I'm going to do? You're going to get married, and you're going to have kids, and you're going to do ministry,

but I'm going to put you in prison until you deal with that. Watch this. I'm going to let the jailers deal with you. Now, in another translation, it says he gave them over to the tormentors. Now, pay attention to me. Jesus is telling us.

I know you're not going to like what I'm about to say. For as long as you hold someone in your heart in unforgiveness, you will be handed over to some form of punishment. Now, where does that punishment come? Watch. This happened to me. It comes in your soul. That is, you know what the

jailers deny you of? It's not bars. They deny you of peace. You get denied a sense of freedom. You'll be up at night thinking about that person. You'll be waiting for the phone to ring. They done moved on with their life, and you still caught up in that season. You still having nightmares. You still dealing with trauma. Some of them are dead and gone, and you still caught in that season. The tormentors are dealing with your soul because you're holding that person in your heart. Watch. And because the Lord put the same servant in prison who could not pay the debt this is a life sentence except he repented see and you don't believe me when I tell you this because you think the Lord is not that

cruel or the Lord is that nice he's cutesy and demure. Right? And that's why Jesus gave us the final verse in the chapter 35. So also my heavenly father, watch this word, will do to every one of who? You. If you do not forgive your brother from your heart, not from your mouth, not from a text. It is something you got to work out in your heart. Not from your mouth. Not from a text. It is something you got to work out in your heart. The Lord says that because you don't forgive, I have to inflict your soul until you let that person

go. This is Lena and I getting into beef and thinking I could just go watch TV for four days and not feel pain in my soul. Dang it! I got to go watch TV for four days and not feel pain in my soul. Dang it. I got to go back and make this right. This is your mother or your father who grieved you, man, sinned you, and they're dead and gone, and you're still carrying them in your heart. The Lord said, you'll never have peace until you let them go. Now watch. I know this is not easy. Listen to me. When you don't forgive people,

we do that as a defense mechanism. I know. We develop a victim mentality, and we form an identity that keeps us safe in unforgiveness. And then to forgive that person, it almost feels like you're losing control. It almost feels like you're losing a part of yourself. Man, they stole your virginity. You'll never get that back. They molested you. You'll never get back your innocence. They raped you. You'll never get back your innocence. They cheated. They betrayed you. they destroyed the marriage, they destroyed the family, they ruined the business, they wounded you, they left you in tears in one season. You'll never get back those tears. You'll never get back that time. Some of them may never even have the capacity

to come back and apologize. You'll never go back and be a little boy again. You'll never go back and be a little girl again. Man, when I was molested at 10 years old, you're never gonna be able to go back and get that back. But what the Lord is saying here, listen, forgiveness is not for them. That's right. Come on, come on. Jesus.

Follow the text. Forgiveness is for you to be free. It's to get out of the prison you have been in your soul. And there are too many of us in this room, too many of us in that overflow, too many of us watching me across that camera. You've been in a prison for months. You've been in a prison for years. You've been in a prison for decades.

No, they don't deserve it. Neither did you. They may never come back and apologize. This is not the Lord saying, you be in a doormat. This is not excusing people for sin. This is the Lord saying, I care about your freedom so much. I want you to live a life of boundless forgiveness. That is, when people wound you, just keep letting them go. You're not doing it for them. You're doing it so that you can live in freedom. The Lord wants you to live in freedom. He wants you to evict everybody in your heart that you've been carrying for years, decades. You're still stuck in that season. He wants you to evict them from your heart. Say, Lord, how can I do that? Every time, watch, look at me.

You get a glimpse of the cross and what Christ has done for you on the cross. How on the cross he nailed to the cross your entire sin debt in full. He says, now look at what I did for you on the cross and turn away from it and keep releasing people the same way. Here is my question for you, because I know it hurts. Is the blood of Christ enough to pay for what they did? I close with that question. I know about the rape. We know about the molestation. We know that they cheated on you in the marriage. We know that they hurt you. We know they destroyed the business. We know they abandoned you. We know they rejected you. We know that they cheated on you in the marriage. We know that they hurt you. We know they destroyed the business. We know they abandoned you.

We know they rejected you. We know, Philip, we know what they did to you in that former season. We know it took you a decade and a half to forgive. My question, is the blood of Christ enough to pay for what they did? Let's go deeper. Is the blood of Christ enough for you to walk out of here today in freedom? That is, it may take some time, but at least the decision you make to let them go starts the journey, watch this word, of healing. I see you, brother.

I see you. Don't be ashamed. So right now, in this room, in that overflow, through that camera, I want to pray a special prayer for everyone who is wounded and need to walk out of a prison right now. Every head is bowed. I see you standing, sister. Tag, y'all standing. I see you standing, sister. Man, my brother, I see you standing. Oh my gosh, I see you. Dang, I see y'all. All right, I see all of y'all. If you're in overflow, you can stand too if that's what you want to do. You can stand. You can come down to the altar. You can fall down on the floor. I'll touch you if you come down here. Whatever you feel like you

need, I'm about to pray right now for every person that just needs an emotional, a mental release. Come on. I see y'all shedding tears. Whatever you need. Whatever you need. I want to pray over everyone. I see those tears. I want to pray over everyone right now that just needs the journey of, I see these tears, that just needs the journey of healing to begin today.

They don't deserve it, but you deserve to be free. They don't deserve it, but you deserve to come out of that prison. Where's Jonathan? If you're in an overflow, don't move. Minister to them, Frank. If you're in an overflow, if you're watching me across that camera, you could fall down in your house. I see somebody on their knees. You could fall down in your house.

You could fall down. You could pull over on the side of the road in the car. Just stay still. I want to pray a special prayer over everybody that needs a release. It's okay, cry. Let it out. They don't deserve it, but you deserve it.

It's time. You've been carrying that for too don't deserve it, but you deserve it. It's time. You've been carrying that for too long. You've been holding them for too long. You've been scarred for too long. Cry. I see those tears, sister. Cry. I see these tears, sister.

Cry. You've been carrying it for too long. Too long. Today is the beginning of a brand new day. Today starts the journey of healing. We're going to release them right now. Eternal God and ever-wild Father. It's okay. Cry, brother. Come on. Real men cry. It's all right. It's okay. It's okay. Cry. I got you. I'm right here. Cry. Real men can cry. Father, in the name

of Jesus, I pray over every person under the sound of my voice that's been deeply scarred or wounded by someone who hurt them in some previous season, scarred them in some previous season, wrecked them in some previous season. Father, I pray right now on the strength of the cross and the blood of Christ, I pray you would give them the capacity to release that person right now, Jesus. Give them the grace to forgive and to let go on the strength of the blood of the Messiah, God. Give them the grace, God, to let go. Give them the grace to let go right now, Jesus. I pray today starts a journey, Father, of healing, of deliverance, of peace, of freedom. I pray, God, Lord, for a release, a release right now that they walk out of prison doors. They walk out of prison doors right now. I pray they walk out of prison doors right now Father do it for them right now I pray that power over them

healing in the mighty and the majestic and the matchless name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ