Always Forgive SERMON NOTES AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Matthew 18:21 35 (NIV) 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? 22 Jesus 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. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. 25 Since 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. 27 The 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. 31 When 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.
Outline Introduction Living by Grace Question: How can I forgive this? Lesson 1: Forgiveness Doesn t Start with Us Peter s Question: How many times do I forgive? Lesson 2: Religion Misses the Point Forgive or You won t be Forgiven Lesson 3: Recognize that we can only know Grace by experiencing Grace
Lesson 4: Remember the Goal of Forgiveness Conclusion Discussion Questions Sharing Life Together 1. What do you think is the hardest thing to forgive? 2. What do you think is the most formative experience of forgiveness that has shaped your life? Reflecting on the Message Together 1. If you were in Simon Weisenthal s shoes, would you have extended forgiveness to the SS officer? Why or why not? 2. Is there or has there ever been a time when you have struggled to forgive? 3. As a group, discuss the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation. Can we forgive and not be reconciled? Why is it important to distinguish between reconciliation and forgiveness? What does reconciliation have to say about the idea to forgive and forget? 4. Is it necessary to forgive in order to be forgiven? 5. Why is it ultimately impossible not to forgive if we have experienced the grace of Jesus Christ?
6. If a Christian was struggling to forgive, how would you try to help them forgive? 7. What is the ultimate goal of forgiveness? Why is it easy to lose sight of this goal? 8. How did God speak into your present circumstances through this message? 9. How can we support and pray for one another? Meditating on the Scriptures Read 18:21-35 Forgiveness is not excusing, tolerating, forgetting, or reconciling. Forgiveness is giving up on trying to get even. Forgiveness is seeing the person and not the hurt they have caused you. Forgiveness is the ability to desire the welfare of the other person. 1. How does this definition of forgiveness help you understand what Jesus is calling us to do in 18:22? In the parable, the King forgives one of his own servants an incredibly larger debt. Arland Hultgren comments: The amount is ridiculously high. What slave could ever accumulate such a debt owed a king? It is doubtful that even Herod the Great certainly one of the richest persons of his day could have paid such a debt Both the terms 10,000 and talent are the highest magnitudes in use (10,000 is the highest number used in reckoning, and the talent is the largest currency unit in the whole of the Near East). Understanding the Figures 1 denarii = 1 days wage for a soldier or a farm worker 1 talent = 6000 denarii 10,000 talents = 60,000,000 denarii If you figure that: 300 denarii approximately = a laborer s yearly wages. Then: 10,000 talents = annual wage of 200,000 persons. What would this mean in U.S. Dollars? If we assume on the conservative side a wage of $10.500 an hour and a forty-hour workweek we would get the following amount: $6,240,000,000
2. If you were the King, what would be your reaction to the servant s proposal in verse 26? 3. Reread verses 25-27. Imagine you are this servant. What would you experience when you hear the King forgive your debt? 4. Why do you think any King would cancel such a debt? Why would God cancel such a debt? 5. Do you think your experience of God s forgiveness of your sins is comparable to getting this huge debt canceled? Why or why not? 6. What is your gut level response to the servant s actions in verses 28-30? Remember Jesus response to Peter s question of how many times to forgive. He said in effect, Stop counting how many times you forgive someone. There are two ways to live with people. The human way is by a ledger sheet, where we keep a record of debts and payments. God s way is to stop counting altogether and live by gracious love. 7. Why do you think some people aren t touched by God s extravagant forgiveness through Jesus and continue to live by a ledger sheet like the unmerciful servant? 8. Why are the king s actions in verses 32-34 completely justified?