Lesson 14 Found: New Possibilities Scope and Sequence Doctrinal Truth: Salvation Lesson Objective Students will understand how God has freed them from the guilt and penalty of sins and be willing to extend forgiveness to others. Sticky Statement Because I m forgiven I don t have to relive it. Key Verse Hebrews 12:1 Definitions Forgiveness: the gracious act of God in removing the charges against sinners because Christ paid the penalty for their sin Confess: to reveal or make known sins to God (and sometimes man) and ask for forgiveness Checklist 1. A PowerPoint is available for this lesson. 2. Twenty eight canned drinks (Be sure that cans are the same shape and size.) 3. A table to place the cans on for the game. 4. A towel or anything that will cover the leader s canned drinks. Resources 1. Youth Group Memory Games https://teachersource.wol.org/resource/sbs18/14-1/ 2. Matthew 18 https://teachersource.wol.org/resource/sbs18/14-2/ 3. How to Handle the Guilt of Your Past (The Beat) https://teachersource.wol.org/resource/sbs18/14-3/ Found Page 139
Lesson Overview Because I m forgiven I don t have to relive it. I. God s forgiveness overthrows sin Forgiveness means the gracious act of God in removing the charges against sinners because Christ paid the penalty for their sin. Because I m forgiven, I don t have to relive it. II. God s forgiveness overcomes shame Confess means to reveal or make known sins to God (and sometimes man) and ask for forgiveness. Because I m forgiven I don t have to relive it. III. God s forgiveness overflows from the believer A. Embracing God s forgiveness allows us to forgive others. B. Embracing God s forgiveness allows us to focus on Him. Because I m forgiven I don t have to relive it. Hook Teacher s Note: Start off with this memory game You will need four volunteers to play the game. Three will be competing against each other while the other will be arranging the items listed. On a table in the front of the room, have four groups of seven various canned drinks. For example, each group would have one of the following: Coke, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper, Sprite, Arizona Tea, and Orange Soda. Be sure cans all have the same shape and size so they cannot be identified when covered. One student will be the leader who places a sequence of various cans on a table while the competitors have their backs turned. When the leader is ready, the players will have five seconds to look at the cans before you cover them with a towel. Whoever can match the exact line-up that the leader had, first, wins the round. Play three or four rounds of this changing the sequence each time. The key here is to keep the game moving. The fast pace is what makes it fun. Canned drinks work well because the audience is able to see and feel like they are a part of it. You could also use dice, coins, cards, or random items. This should only take about 10 minutes. Arrange your number of rounds accordingly. Found Page 140
How many of you believe you have a good memory? Would you like to test your memory? I have a game that I would like to play, but to do that I need four volunteers! The first volunteer will be the game leader. You will be arranging these cans in whatever order you want so that the competitors have to match it by memory. Who wants to be the leader? Great! Come up here by the table. Now I need three competitors. Who will it be? [Pick three from your crowd and tell them to come up to the table.] You will each have the same group of canned drinks and will have to place them in whatever order the leader places his/hers. The catch is that while the leader is arranging the cans you have to have your backs turned so you don t see them. Then, when I tell you to, I want you to turn and memorize the order of the cans. You will only have about five seconds to look at the sequence and then we will cover them up. Then, when I say go, you will place them in the correct order as quickly as possible. The first to get the right order wins. Teacher s Note: Have everyone, including the leader, stand on the side of the table where they are facing the crowd. This way the crowd is able to see each sequence. When the leader arranges the cans have the competitors turn their backs to crowd and step away from the table so the leader can stand on that side of the table too. This also eliminates any confusion about the order of the cans. Begin game and play a few rounds. Great job! That was fun to watch. You can have a seat. Now let s all use our memories. Look to the person beside you and think back to the first time you met that person. Maybe this is the first time you met or maybe you ve known each other your whole lives. Now think about the best gift you ve ever received. These types of things are probably easier to remember than a sequence of canned drinks. Does anybody have bad memories? We all have those days that we wish we could forget. There are probably a lot of things that you wish you hadn t done. Yet, no matter how much you try to get over it, you feel like you re constantly reliving those things. The last three weeks we ve talked about salvation. We ve learned about being born again which is the spiritual birth, redemption God buying us back, and propitiation or the turning away of God s wrath. Now, we are going to see how these truths all work together to give us confidence in the fact that when we ask God for forgiveness, our past is truly forgiven. I want you to leave this lesson with this thought echoing in your mind, Because I m forgiven I don t have to relive it. Found Page 141
Lesson Content As we look at forgiveness, the first thing I want you to see is that I. God s forgiveness overthrows sin Forgiveness means the gracious act of God in removing the charges against sinners because Christ paid the penalty for their sin. It goes beyond just a bunch of evil things we ve done though. It is something that has infected and contaminated our very nature. It is in our nature to act on sinful desires. Two common ways the Bible refers to our sin nature is the flesh and the old man (Romans 8:12; Ephesians 4:22). We not only have to deal with our acts of sin but also our nature of sin. This is why Jesus died. He wanted to free us from both. Those who ask Christ to forgive them of their sins, trusting in Him for salvation, are granted full forgiveness. What does that mean? First, it means that those who trust in Jesus are no longer slaves to sin. God s forgiveness overthrows the sin nature. [Have a student read Romans 6:6.] Secondly, it means that those who trust in Jesus are now sons and daughters of God. [Have student read Romans 8:15.] Our sin nature still rises up and tries to tempt us with sin every day. It will try to remind you of past pleasures to see if you will return to it. It wants to put you back in bondage but you can say, Because I m forgiven, I don t have to relive it. We ve seen how God s forgiveness overthrows sin. Now let s look at how II. God s forgiveness overcomes shame For the believer, shame is typically the result of being stuck in the past. We all make mistakes; we all fall. Our enemy, the devil, would love to have us dwell on those past mistakes. Luke 22 tells us about the trial of Jesus and what Peter was doing during that time. He was watching the interrogation of Jesus. In the midst of all that was happening, people recognized Peter as one of Jesus disciples. When asked about it, Peter denied it three times! Teacher s Note: Have a student read Luke 22:60-62. What did Peter do when he remembered the words of Jesus? [Wait for a response. Possible answer: he ran out crying.] Why do you think he did that? [Wait for a response.] Peter was overwhelmed with his shame. He felt the guilt of what he had done. Can there be any greater sin than denying Jesus Christ? Found Page 142
Can you relate to Peter? You ve probably never outright denied Jesus to your friends but have you ever been caught with pornography on your phone or laptop? Maybe it wasn t that, but you know how it feels to be caught doing something wrong. A few weeks following the resurrection, Peter and some of the disciples decided to go fishing. After fishing all night, the disciples still had not caught anything. In a miraculous way, Jesus reveals Himself to them on the shore. He feeds them and then it happens Jesus starts talking to Peter. This wasn t the first time that Jesus had shown Himself to the disciples since the resurrection; but, as far as we know, this was the first time Jesus spoke directly to Peter in a one-on-one talk. Do you think it might have been awkward? I m sure that while they were eating breakfast, Peter s mind kept going back to what he had done how he had denied Jesus. He probably sat there fighting thoughts of guilt. Let s look at what Jesus asked Peter. [Have student read John 21:15.] In the following verses, Jesus would repeat that question two more times. The third time it grieved Peter that He was still asking the question. Do you think when Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him three times, it had anything to do with the fact that Peter had denied Jesus three times? When we feel guilty about something, we typically don t want people bringing it up. We want to forget about it and pretend it didn t happen! Jesus didn t bring up Peter s sin; He showed him that love and forgiveness overcome shame. [Have student read Luke 22:32.] Jesus had a purpose for Peter and it was for him to strengthen the other disciples. If Peter was supposed to be strengthening and encouraging the other disciples, why did he go fishing? [Wait for a response.] Peter was allowing his shame to keep him from serving. The shame of your past will create fear concerning your future. Sometimes when we sin, we are so ashamed and discouraged by it, we don t even want to try again. The fear of continuing to make the same mistakes keeps us from coming back to Christ. The Bible has a lot to say about this though. It says that the righteous man may fall seven times but he continues to get up (Proverbs 24:16). Teacher s Note: Have student read 1 John 1:9. Confess means to reveal or make known sins to God (and sometimes man, James 5:16) and ask for forgiveness. It s basically acknowledging the fact that you have sinned and asking the Lord to forgive you. This verse tells us that if we will do that He will forgive us and cleanse us from those sins. He will purge us from every fault. Found Page 143
God has a purpose for you and your past does not revoke that purpose. Still, if you are holding on to the shame of your past you are not going to be able to fulfill your purpose. When you ask Jesus to forgive you, you can rest knowing He will do it every time. God s forgiveness overcomes shame. Remind yourself, because I m forgiven I don t have to relive it. III. God s forgiveness overflows from the believer We must intentionally embrace God s forgiveness so that it overflows our hearts. A. Embracing God s forgiveness allows us to forgive others. In Matthew 18, Jesus shares a parable of a man who owed a great financial debt to his king. When the king brought him in for payment, the man didn t have the money. He begged for mercy and the king graciously granted him forgiveness. When the man left the palace, he went and found someone who owed him a very small amount. He demanded that he pay him back all of it but the man didn t have the money. Despite having just been forgiven a much larger debt by the king, he had his debtor thrown into prison. Then the king found out about it. How do you think the king responded? [Wait for a response.] Teacher s Note: Have student read Matthew 18:32-34. The king was not happy! He had this man thrown in prison until he repaid his full debt. Then Jesus brings the parable to life. [Read Matthew 18:35.] When you ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins, He does it. Our sins are totally opposed to God; yet, He forgives us. Shouldn t we show that same type of forgiveness to the people that have sinned against us? When Jesus taught the disciples how to pray, He made a powerful statement. [Have student read Matthew 6:12.] God s forgiveness should flow out of us and into our relationships with other people. We should show mercy to those who have done us wrong. B. Embracing God s forgiveness allows us to focus on Him. When we choose to dwell on other people s sins against us, it creates bitterness in our hearts. Bitterness is dangerous. The longer it stays in your system the more damage it does. It has been said that bitterness is like drinking poison and expecting it to hurt someone else. Found Page 144
Holding onto the bad things people have committed against you doesn t hurt them, it hurts you. Instead of focusing on the times we ve been wronged, we should focus on Jesus. Teacher s Note: Read Hebrews 12:1-2. We must lay aside not only the sins but the weights that hold us back from running this race. The weight that holds many people back is their unwillingness to forgive. Then in verse two it says that we run this race looking to Jesus. A lot of times we focus on everything but Jesus. We worry about our past; we worry about our future; we worry about the people around us. After the conversation that Jesus had with Peter, He said, Follow me. Then Peter turned and saw another disciple standing behind him. He asked, What will he do? Jesus basically said, Why is that your business? Follow me. Jesus had to bring Peter s mind back around to the fact that no matter what other people did, he was to follow the Lord. Let go of the past. Whether it is your past sins or the sins people have committed against you, you can take the next step by receiving the forgiveness of the Lord, forgiving yourself, and forgiving others. Remember, Because I m forgiven I don t have to relive it. Connection Focusing on your past limits your future. Peter was told to feed the sheep but if he stayed focused on his past he wouldn t have been able to do that. He had to get beyond those past regrets so that he could effectively minister to others. As long as you are holding onto your past, you will not be able to fulfill the plans that God has for you at least not to the greatest degree. Jesus will never take you back to past mistakes of which you have repented. He does not want you to feel guilty over something that has been dealt with (Psalm 103:12)! If you find yourself dwelling on past failures, then the enemy is trying to distract you from a greater purpose. Forgiving others is a reflection of the forgiveness you have received. When people hurt you, the most powerful thing you can do is forgive them. Forgiving someone says, I will not hold this against you, I will not bring this up, I am letting it go. Before we forgive we are holding on to something with a tight fist. Forgiving someone is standing before them with open hands and releasing them. This releases our heart too. The most dangerous thing you can do is hold onto it. This is dangerous for you and the people around you: for you, because it brews inside you. You re always stuck on it. Your anger grows with every thought of it. For the people around you, because you begin to lash out at people, even those who have done nothing wrong. Don t allow an unforgiving spirit to take root in your heart. Found Page 145
Following Jesus means staying focused on Him and His purpose. Jesus told Peter to strengthen his brethren when he returned to Christ but Peter didn t really seem to do that. Why? He was probably focused on his failure. He wasn t looking to the fact that Jesus had risen again and was alive! He wasn t fulfilling the purpose that God had planned for him. Maybe the Lord has told you to start a Bible study at your school. Have you done that? Maybe He is leading you to witness to a particular friend of yours. Have you witnessed to that person? When you are focused on Jesus, you will be motivated to pursue His purpose for your life. Decision Take some time this week to journal your feelings. Focus on feelings of regret, shame, and bitterness; include events that stir these emotions. When you feel guilty over the past, write down what led to that feeling. Have you asked for forgiveness over it? If you re having feelings of bitterness, what brought that up? Is this an opportunity to forgive? How does the Bible speak to these feelings? Sticky Statement Because I m forgiven I don t have to relive it. Small Group Discussion Questions 1. What does it mean to be ashamed? (Allow students to think about this and answer. Some good follow-up questions could be: Have you ever felt ashamed of anything before? Do you still feel that way? How does today s lesson help you overcome shame? Remind your students that if they have confessed their sins, God has forgiven them 1 John 1:9. Any shame after that is not of God.) 2. How does being a child of God specifically help us concerning our past? (You want to lead them towards thinking about how they are not the same people they were before salvation. For those feeling shame over sins committed since being saved, you can point out how God is a loving Father. He is always ready to forgive and He doesn t want to see us bogged down over the things He has already forgiven. Remind them of the restoration of Peter in John 21:15-19.) 3. How does knowing the forgiveness of God help you forgive others? (Follow up questions could be: Is there someone to whom you need to extend forgiveness? Why does God expect us to forgive others? Remind students that God has forgiven us a debt we could never pay off. If He has forgiven us then out of a love and appreciation for Him, we should extend forgiveness to others Matthew 6:12; Matthew 18:35.) Found Page 146