Forgiving Others
Live Like You’ve Never Been Hurt – Part 2
September 12-13, 2020
Dr. Jeffrey Allen Love, Pastor Steve Tanner
“Then Peter came to him and asked, ‘Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?’ ‘No, not seven times,’ Jesus replied, ‘but seventy times seven!’” Matthew 18:21-22 (p.749)
- I Choose To Forgive Others Because Jesus Chose To Forgive Me.
“…be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32 (p.897)
“…Let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.” Ephesians 4:23 (p.897)
“Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them.” Romans 12:14 (p.866)
- Remember how much Jesus has forgiven me.
“Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” Colossians 3:13 (p.904)
- Realize the arrogance in refusing to forgive others.
“For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5:19 (p.884)
Next Step: ______ I will pray daily this week: “forgive me of my sins, as I have forgiven those who sin against me.” (Based on Jesus words in Matthew 6:12 (p.737))
Discussion/Groups Guide from the Weekend Talk
From the Weekend Talk of September 12-13, 2020
Live Like You’ve Never Been Hurt – Part 2: Forgiving Other
Use this guide to discuss the Talk with your family or friends.
Life Groups also use these questions to go deeper into what we talked about this weekend. Dig into them so you will be ready for the discussion at your Life Group.
Get in a Group! Find out more at alivechurch.com/groups.
Conversation Starters
Did you ever do or say something that offended someone, and you had no idea they were hurt?
Have you ever been “wronged” by someone who had no idea they offended you? Examples could include: getting cut off on the road and the other driver had no idea what they did to you; an off-hand remark that the other person had no idea would offend you; perceived favoritism is shown to another person when you think you deserve the praise. Can you think of any other examples?
Why is it hard to forgive others?
Quick Review
Looking back at your Talk Notes, was there anything you heard in the service that stood out or maybe even confused you?
Discussion Starters from the Weekend Talk
Refer to the Talk Notes and related Bible verses from this Weekend’s Talk Notes.
This week Pastors Jeff Love and Steve Tanner emphasized One Thing to remember from this Talk:
“I Choose To Forgive Others Because Jesus Chose To Forgive Me.”
- Read Romans 12:14 (p.866*), Matthew 18:21-22 (p749*), Ephesians 4:20-24, 32 (p897*)
- Ken Ballenger, an Elder at Alive Church, shared his story of needing to forgive a co-worker. He reflected on Romans 12:14 in the process.
- When have you felt truly persecuted? How hard is it to bless a persecutor? What about asking God to bless them?
- Talk about Peter’s question to Jesus and Jesus’ answer in Matthew 18. Jewish Law allowed for a person to no longer forgive someone after three occurrences of the sin. Peter proposes SEVEN. But Jesus ups the ante!
- Have you ever thought that you had a statute of limitations on how often you had to forgive another person? Why do you think Jesus makes this declaration?
- In Ephesians 4:20-24 Paul lays out a description of how different the life of a Follower of Jesus should be, based on what Jesus has done for us.
- Paul then issues a command in Ephesians 4:32, “be kind to each other.” How does he say to do that? “Forgiving one another” is a part of it. Read this verse together as a Group.
- Who is our example of offering forgiveness?
- Why is it important to see the command of 4:32 in light of 4:20-24? Are we expected to pull ourselves up from our bootstraps and strive to make this happen with our own power?
- Ken Ballenger, an Elder at Alive Church, shared his story of needing to forgive a co-worker. He reflected on Romans 12:14 in the process.
Jeff and Steve focused on two imperatives to helping us actually forgive others:
- Remember how much Jesus has forgiven me. (Colossians 3:12-13 (p.904*))
- According to the beginning of verse 12, what fact has occurred which now sets up the instruction in verse 13 that we are to “forgive?” With what does the passage say we are to clothe ourselves? How does this whole list help us live out verse 13?
- In a practical sense, what helps you do this? What keeps you from doing this? What can you do to enhance your likelihood of actually living this way?
- Realize the arrogance in refusing to forgive others. (2 Corinthians 5:16-19 (p.884))
- Verse 17 describes our status in Jesus—a new creation! As new creations we are brought near to God because He reconciled us to Himself. We now carry His message of reconciliation (v.19).
- Talk about what “reconciliation” means. On what other context of life do we use this term? How does that context relate to what Paul describes here?
- Verse 17 describes our status in Jesus—a new creation! As new creations we are brought near to God because He reconciled us to Himself. We now carry His message of reconciliation (v.19).
Digging Deeper
We started this study with Romans 12:14. Review that verse and see that below are a few more challenging passages on forgiving others. As you read them, think about these questions:
In what way(s) does it challenge you? What can you do to apply it? What areas of your life can benefit from this application?
- Mark 11:25 (p.772*)
- Matthew 5:43-48 (p.737*)
- Genesis 50:14-21 (43*)
Next Step
My Next Step: ____ I will pray daily this week: “God, forgive me of my sins, as I have forgiven those who sin against me.” (See Matthew 6:12 (p.737*)
Pray
Pray for each other as you walk through asking for forgiveness and forgiving others this week.
What’s Ahead
Stay connected or get connected: Get in a Group! If you are not yet in a Group, you can still sign up. Find out more at alivechurch.com/groups. If you’re in already in a Group, encourage someone you know to get in a Group! Groups are a huge part of our re-entry plan.
This weekend we continue with our Talk Series: Live Like You’ve Never Been Hurt. It’s a series on forgiveness: from God, for each other, and of ourselves.
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* The Life Transformation Bible is the New Living Translation of the Bible, including many useful tools to help you better understand God’s Word, including our own Alive Church Life Transformation Discipleship Plan. They are available FREE. Let us know if you’d like to have one.