DiscoverCornerstone ChurchHow to Forgive When They Don’t Deserve It
How to Forgive When They Don’t Deserve It

How to Forgive When They Don’t Deserve It

Update: 2025-08-31
Share

Description

What do you do when forgiveness feels like a mountain you can’t climb? How do you show mercy to someone who doesn’t deserve it—and maybe never will? In this powerful stand-alone message, guest speaker Justin Davis shares from Matthew 18 and the parable of the unmerciful servant, offering a fresh and deeply personal perspective on mercy, justice, and forgiveness.

Drawing from his own life story and biblical teaching, Justin explores the shocking contrast between the mercy we’ve received from God and the grudges we often hold against others. He shows how true freedom begins not with fairness, but with grace—and that forgiving others might be the very act that heals us the most.

Whether you’re carrying years of pain, struggling to move past a betrayal, or just wondering if mercy is even possible in your story, this message will challenge and encourage you. God’s forgiveness isn’t just a gift—it’s an invitation to extend what we’ve been given.

📖 Scripture: Matthew 18:21 –35, Matthew 5:7, Colossians 2:13 –14, Revelation 20, Psalm 139, Matthew 12:36

🎙️ Speaker: Justin Davis

📍 Cornerstone Church, Prescott, AZ

🗺️ Yavapai County | Evangelical Free Church of America

🗓️ Series: Stand-Alone Message

📅 August 31, 2025

🌐 Learn more or plan a visit: https://prescottcornerstone.com

00:00 Welcome & Introduction — Who is Justin Davis?
01:00 A Family Milestone & New Book Overview
02:15 Setting the Stage — The Sermon on the Mount
03:30 Blessed Are the Merciful — Matthew 5:7
04:30 What Is Mercy? A Countercultural Kingdom Value
06:00 Peter’s Question on Forgiveness — Matthew 18:21
07:30 Forgiving 70x7 — Not a Formula, but Formation
09:00 The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant — Matthew 18:23 –35
10:30 A $6 Billion Debt — The Weight of Our Sin
13:30 Who Are We in the Parable? Spoiler: The 10,000 Talent Servant
16:00 The Danger of Comparing Ourselves to Others
18:00 Revelation 20 and God’s Holiness
20:00 God Judges Even Our Words — Matthew 12:36
21:00 God Knows Our Thoughts — Psalm 139:2
22:30 We Owe More Than We Realize
24:00 The King’s Response — Mercy Instead of Justice
25:30 Colossians 2:13 –14 — Our Debt Nailed to the Cross
27:00 The $12,000 Debt — Why Forgiveness Still Feels Hard
29:00 Forgiveness is Based on What You’ve Received
30:00 Mercy is a One-Way Street
31:30 Trust vs. Forgiveness — What’s the Difference?
32:30 Bitterness is a Prison — And We Lock Ourselves In
33:30 A Deeply Personal Story of Family, DNA & Betrayal
35:00 Realizing God’s Forgiveness Far Exceeds What We Must Extend
36:00 Mercy Isn’t Fair—It’s Freedom
37:00 Closing Prayer — Becoming People of Mercy

Comments 
00:00
00:00
x

0.5x

0.8x

1.0x

1.25x

1.5x

2.0x

3.0x

Sleep Timer

Off

End of Episode

5 Minutes

10 Minutes

15 Minutes

30 Minutes

45 Minutes

60 Minutes

120 Minutes

How to Forgive When They Don’t Deserve It

How to Forgive When They Don’t Deserve It