Living In Forgiveness!
Discipleship Group Questions
for September 11, 2005
Scripture
Sirach 27:30-28:7 Wrath and anger are hateful things,
yet the sinner
hugs them tight.
The vengeful will suffer the LORD’s vengeance,
for he
remembers their sins in detail.
Forgive your neighbor’s injustice;
Then when you pray, your own sins will
be forgiven.
Could anyone nourish anger against another
and expect
healing from the LORD?
Could anyone refuse mercy to another
like himself,
Can he seek pardon for his own sins?
If one who is but flesh cherishes
wrath,
Who will forgive his sins?
Remember your last days, set enmity
aside;
Remember death and decay, and cease
from sin!
Think of the commandments,
hate not your neighbor;
Remember the Most
High’s covenant, and overlook faults.
Matt.
18:21-35 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times
shall I forgive my brother when he 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 talents 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 “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 denarii. 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
you 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
greatly distressed 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 turned 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 from your heart.”
Discipleship Questions:
1. Do you live in a state of Forgiveness? Do you know what I mean when I ask this question? Do you know what it feels like to live in a state of innocence – no guilt, no heaviness. A state of being in which neither God nor Man has anything against you? Please discuss.
2. How many of us tolerate little sins in our
lives and therefore live with the concomitant debilitating sense of
“guilt?” Do know what I’m talking about
here? As Christians our consciences are
made to be sensitive and when we sin we “distance” ourselves from our Lord and
an empty, indeed, even sour feeling replaces that sense of joy and freedom we
felt when we were close to Him. How easy is it for us to live in a constant
state of sin i.e., unforgiven - ness? Please
discuss.
3. Has someone ever hurt you and never asked
for your forgiveness? Or perhaps someone
has hurt you terribly and has asked for your forgiveness but you have been
unable or unwilling to forgive them – perhaps because their repentance is
unconvincing or because you simply can’t find forgiveness for them? Can anyone
relate to this? Being able to forgive
someone and forget their offense against you is very very
hard. In fact, it’s quite impossible!
Please discuss.
4. Please read the Sirach passage and reflect upon the following verse: “Could anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the LORD?” What does this mean to you?
5. Please read the Gospel reading and answer the following question: Have you forgiven everyone in your life? Do you carry any – I mean any – unforgiveness in your heart?
6. Please take some time to reflect upon this
and forgive everyone who has hurt you and ask God for forgiveness for any sins
you have committed against Him.