Small Group Leaders Facilitation Worksheet:
Produced by Rhema Bible Church North
“Forgiveness Is For the Undeserving”
ICE BREAKER: A mother was trying to get her nine-year-old daughter, Joan, to study her Sunday school lesson. At length mother took her Bible from the dresser.
“All right, mother” said Joan, “but let’s study from grandpa’s Bible. It’s much more interesting that yours”.
“Oh, no Joan, they are exactly alike”.
“Well, I thinkgrandpa’s must be more interesting than yours because he reads it much more than you do!”
QUESTION:What do you understand from this story?
[Allow a few minutes for feedback]
Forgiveness Is For the Undeserving
READ:Matthew 18v21
Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”
QUESTION:Do you think we should forgive regardless of the deed or do you think we should forgive those deserving of forgiveness?
[Allow a few minutes for feedback]
CLARIFY:Here in this scripture Peter asked the Lord how often he should forgive his brother. The Lord’s answer to him was simple: Up to 70 times seven times. (Matthew: 18v22) In other words, all the time!
And some would say, “Well, Pastor, he does not deserve my forgiveness.”
Well, the fact is that neither do we deserve God’s forgiveness! There is not a single person alive OR dead who did not break ALL 10 of God’s Commandments because there is NO such thing as a “Partial Sinner” or a “Great Sinner”. All of us were sinners when Jesus saved us, and when we realize that we are forgiven MUCH, we will love MUCH!
READ:Luke: 7v37-46
Verse 37 And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil,
Verse 38 and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.
Verse 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, "This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner."
Verse 40 And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." So he said, "Teacher, say it."
Verse 41 "There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.
Verse 42 And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?"
Verse 43 Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more." And He said to him, "You have rightly judged."
Verse 44 Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head.
Verse 45 You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in.
Verse 46 You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil.
Verse 47 Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little."
Verse 48 Then He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
Verse 49 And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"
Verse 50 Then He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace."
CLARIFY:“But, how can you say that I have broken all of God’s commandments? I have never committed adultery.”
My friend, Jesus said, “If you lust after a woman in your heart, you have already committed adultery with her.”
READ:Matthew: 5v28
But I say to you that whoever “looks” at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
CLARIFY:That is God’s standard. Man looks outward, but God looks inward at the heart. Moreover, if you break one law, you are guilty of all.
READ:James: 2v10
Verse 8If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR AS YOURSELF," you do well;
Verse 9 but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
Verse10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.
Verse 11 For He who said, "DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY," also said, "DO NOT MURDER." Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.
CLARIFY:So everyone has broken all of God’s commandments, everyone is a great sinner.
READ:Romans: 3v23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
CLARIFY:NOW, you are no longer a sinner if you have received Christ as your Saviour. You are a new creation. But you were a great sinner and God forgave you your huge debt through the death of His Son.So if someone has wronged you, tell yourself this: “I did not deserve God’s forgiveness, but He forgave me through Christ. So I forgive this person also.” If you say something like, “He does not deserve it,” it makes no sense.
READ:2Corinthians: 5v17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he ISa new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
CLARIFY:Now clarify this by looking at;
Colossians:2v13
And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He HAS made alivetogether with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses.
Forgiveness is not for people who deserve it. If they deserve anything, it is punishment. But forgiveness means that you extend grace — undeserved favour — like how God extends undeserved favour to you.
Beloved, if you choose to hold on to bitterness, no one suffers but you. You lose your peace, then possibly your health. It is just not worth it. God says to you, “Let go. Forgive them their debts, just as I have forgiven you yours.”
QUESTION:How will you put this truth into action?
[Allow a few minutes for feedback and close the meeting but be sensitive to the Holy Spirit should there be those hurt through unforgiveness or by being unforgiven.]
AMEN
Produced by Rhema Bible Church North:
VM/JP09/05/2013Page 1 of 3