You Don't Mean It?

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April 10, 2005 - Matthew 18:21-35

Open It

  1. What makes forgiveness difficult?

  2. What acts of mercy have you seen or heard about recently?

  3. What are some situations others have faced that you would find difficult to forgive?

Explore It

  1. What question did Peter ask Jesus? (18:21)

  2. What surprising answer did Jesus give Peter? (18:22)

  3. How did Jesus illustrate his answer to Peter's question? (18:23)

  4. To what did Jesus compare the kingdom of heaven? (18:23)

  5. In the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant, what did the king want to do? (18:23)

  6. How was the king prepared to get the large amount of money owed him by a particular servant? (18:24-25)

  7. What did the indebted servant do? (18:26)

  8. How did the king graciously respond to the indebted servant's desperate plea? (18:27)

  9. What did the servant go do after his debt was cancelled? (18:28)

  10. How did the second servant respond to the demand for payment? (18:29)

  11. What effect did the second servant's pleas have on the first servant? (18:30)

  12. Who watched with dismay as the first servant refused to have mercy on the second? Why? (18:31)

  13. How did the onlookers respond when they saw the first servant throw the second in jail? (18:31)

  14. How did the king react to the news he heard? (18:32-34)

  15. How did Jesus apply this parable to his followers? (18:35)

Get It

  1. How likely are we to forgive someone once, twice, or even three times?

  2. How likely are people to forgive someone beyond three times?

  3. How are we to interpret Jesus' answer, "seventy-seven times"?

  4. Why is an unforgiving spirit so deadly?

  5. In what ways has God shown mercy in forgiving our sins?

  6. If God is so willing to forgive us, why are we sometimes unwilling to forgive others?

  7. How do we sometimes forgive with strings attached?

  8. What should we do if we don't feel like forgiving others?

  9. Is it possible for us to forget the wrongs others have done to us, or ought we to forget?

Apply It

  1. What individual(s) do you need to "release from their debts" today?

  2. What are some practical ways you can show mercy today to someone who has wronged you?

Notes

Matthew 18:22: The rabbis taught that people should forgive those who offend them-but only three times. Peter, trying to be especially generous, asked Jesus if seven (the "perfect" number) was enough times to forgive someone. But Jesus answered, "Seventy-seven times," meaning that we shouldn't even keep track of how many times we forgive someone. We should always forgive no matter how many times they ask.

Matthew 18:30: In Bible times, serious consequences awaited those who could not pay their debts. A person lending money could seize the borrower who couldn't pay and force him or his family to work until the debt was paid. The debtor could also be thrown into prison, or his family could be sold into slavery to help pay off the debt. It was hoped that the debtor, while in prison, would sell off his landholdings or that relatives would pay the debt. If not, the debtor could remain in prison for life.

Matthew 18:35: Because God has forgiven all our sins, we should not withhold forgiveness from others. Realizing how completely Christ has forgiven us should produce a free and generous attitude of forgiveness toward others. When we don't forgive others, we are setting ourselves outside and above Christ's law of love.

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