WEEK 4 - PROPITIATION & FORGIVENESS

Forgiveness is to man the plainest of duties; to God it is the profoundest of problems.

  • Carnegie Simpson.

PRIMARY TEXT:

ROMANS 3:20  For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin 21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

MATTHEW 18:21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.  23“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold h was brought to him. 25Since 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.26“At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.28“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins.  He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. 29“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’30“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened. 32“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. 35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”


DISCUSSION QUESTIONS.

Read Romans 3:20-26 (we will be looking at this passage next week also, so no need to completely exhaust it tonight, spend a few minutes here then move to Matthew 18 for the bulk of your night)

Why is it that Jesus had to die in order for God to be able to forgive?

When you think of God Forgiving you, do you tend to reflect that in order for that to happen, Jesus blood had to be spilled?

READ MATTHEW 18:21-35

What stands out to you from this story?

What do you think Jesus means when he says to forgive seventy-seven times?

How does this story explain the relationship between our being forgiven and the expectation that we would forgive others?


APPLICATION

GIVE THE GROUP 10 MINUTES to reflect on these questions in silence, have people to find a space on their own if space allows.

Before beginning this section have someone pray and Invite God to revealing truth to us in this time. Acknowledge that some of these questions may be quite loaded for some people, and that tonight isn’t necessarily going to be the space for forgiveness to take place but that this is an opportunity to invite god to speak into our inner lives. Encourage people if they are finding these questions tricky to answer to use the time to reread Jesus’ parable and to pray in response to it.

Is there anything in my life for which I need to repent?

Is there anything in my life of which I haven’t fully received God’s forgiveness?

Is there anyone from whom i have been withholding forgiveness/ finding it really difficult to forgive?

Are there particular offences circumstances that i find really hard to forgive?


Come back together as a whole group, or in smaller groups (of the same gender) if you see fit and together discuss:

Was there anything that was revealed to you, or that you would like to share from that time of reflection?

Are there any next steps in any of these areas that you would like support in?

PRAYER.

Pray as a group (or subset ) for the things you have just shared.


Weekly Challenge:

  1. If you feel like you have a blockage in being able to forgive someone. Invite a trusted christian person to walk along side you in this and to help you get help.

  2. Find a time in the week to do the following:

    [FULL CREDIT: BRIDGETOWN CHURCH. Copied from: https://practicingtheway.org/forgive/part-two]

  1. Reflect on Forgiveness: Take some time alone with a journal and ask God to bring to mind a time someone absorbed your offense and forgave you. Try to identify three instances and write briefly about each. Think about how you felt when you knew you had done wrong and hurt them. Recall the guilt, embarrassment, or shame you felt. How did you feel about the potential consequences? How did you try to justify your actions? Journal about what happened.

  2. Remember Being Forgiven: Now try to remember the feelings and thoughts you had when you were forgiven. What was that like? Write about that experience. Consider what it would have felt like if the person you hurt made you feel guilty. What if they had tried to shame you or manipulate you? 

  3. Give Gratitude: Take a few minutes with Jesus to give thanks for the person who granted you forgiveness when you needed it. You may want to set a reminder to reach out to the person who forgave you and thank them.

  4. Imagine Forgiving: Now ask the Spirit to bring to mind a time you were hurt by someone. Think about it for a moment, recall the hurt. Try to avoid seeing yourself as a victim or an avenger. Then remember again the time you were forgiven by another. Bring to mind the person who has hurt you and consider absorbing their offense just as another absorbed yours. Imagine forgiving your offender the way you were also forgiven. 

  5. Grant Forgiveness: If you are ready, you can pray this prayer of forgiveness for someone who has hurt you: “In the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit, I commit to release the personal right to payback for their offense. I give the gift of forgiveness to _______. I choose to love this person who harmed me and to bless, not curse, them. [You may want to now visualize the cross of Jesus and giving that person to Jesus. Imagine Jesus cutting away their sin from you and canceling all the effects of it.] Now I ask you, Spirit, to fill me anew with all that you have for me.” (Wait in this posture and receive whatever God has for you. Ask for more of his love, joy, peace, kindness, power, or holiness).  

  6. Dream About Blessing Others. Take some time now to ask God what it would look like to do good for others out of a past wound. If you were hurt as a child or teenager, how could you work to protect or mentor young people? What do you wish someone had done for you that you can now do for others? Write ideas down, plan next steps, and share them with a trusted friend or your Community. End by giving Jesus thanks for his power to redeem all things – he is truly making all things new. 

Additional Resources:


Bridgetown church Teachings and Practices on forgiveness
Lots of good stuff here exploring some next steps if you want to think further on forgiveness.

More and Stronger: Week to Week. Jeremy Dunne & Anna Moran