If you would like to read the Leader’s Guide for this session online, and cut-and-paste the outline for printing then…
PART TWO:
OUR AUTHORITY TO FORGIVE
DISCUSSION STARTERS
(Hand out the Groupsheets once everyone has arrived and ask everyone to huddle up in group of 4-6 people. Give them permission to spend some time talking about the Discussion Starters. All for as much time as the discussion is vibrant.)
MEDIA PRESENTATION
(Play a clip or a portion of a clip from the www.ForgiveEachOther..com website. You might choose an audio clip or a video clip. Around 10 minutes is the max for most folks to stay focused. This is a great way to kick off the teaching time.)
KEY SCRIPTURE OVERVIEW
(Next, ask everyone to open their Bibles and turn to these selections of Scripture. Take turns reading the passages, and try to emphasize some of the key notes we have made on each one. It is OK to allow for group participation because everyone’s voice is important, but try and keep the group focused on the key points from each passage as you go along.)
Key Verses: 2 Cor. 5:16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
Key Notes: We know that Jesus and the Father are one according to our basic understanding that there is only One God. This Scripture explains that we are now in Christ and so we have no more separation from our heavenly father. We were once orphans but now we are sons as well! This means that we can be ambassadors of his values in this world. One of his chief values is forgiveness.
Key Verses: John 20:19-23 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
Key Notes: The disciples were given clear authority to forgive. You are a disciple, too. The disciples were given clear instructions to forgive and by forgiving to release the power of the kingdom of God on the earth. You have been instructed to act out the kingdom value system in this world.
Key Verses: Luke 5:20-26 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. . . .” He said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”
Key Notes: If we are in Christ, then we, too, have the authority to forgive. When we forgive one another we are ushering in healing in all kinds fo ways. Jesus healed that man so we would know that, as children of human beings, we have the authority to forgive and when we don’t forgive, we are holding their sin in us and sin has a debilitating affect on our world.
PRINCIPLES FROM THE WORD
(Announce to the meeting that you would like to go over some of the key points from the Scriptures and discussions we have had so far. Ask everyone to take notes and make sure these truths sink in deep.)
- We have legal authority to forgive sins.
- It is a basic kingdom requirement to forgive sins, because it is in our DNA code passed on to us from our heavenly Father.
- If we do not forgive we are in opposition to the kingdom and in brings harm to our world and to our own lives.
- If we forgive we release the healing power of the kingdom on our world, our family, and ourselves.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
(Ask everone to turn back into their discussion groups and ask them these questions one at a time allowing them to discuss, in their small group, their answers to each. After you are completely finished you might ask each group to share the high points of their discussions during this meeting.)
- Have you ever thought about how being in Christ set you into the same places of favor in the Father’s heart?
- Have you ever thought about how being in Christ set you into the same places of authority as ambassadors of the kingdom in this world?
- Have you ever witness the healing power of forgiveness touch someone physically, mentally, or in some obvious way?
- Give an example from your own life, if you can, of how holding unforgiveness reaped a negative affect on the world around you.
- Jesus showed us the ultimate forgiveness when He, on the cross, asked God to “…forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34. Christ asked for our forgiveness at this time of great pain and suffering. Should we show the same compassion to those who need to be forgiven in our lives?
DOING THE WORD
(Now it is time to work together some forgiving actions. This will be a time of prayer and ministry time, confessions, commitments, and specific release for many. Listen closely to the Holy Spirit as he will guide you on how to challenge individuals and the group in this guided time of kingdom action.)
- When we forgive others and ourselves, we are rewarded with the freedom of the burdens of those sins. In this session, we discussed the authority given to us to forgive. What are some of the things we need to forgive, but have been slow to release the burden? Let’s write them out.
- How might we overcome the obstacles to forgiveness in these specific situations? How do we remove what is holding us back?
- Does anyone need specific prayer over an issue of forgiveness where you have had trouble acting out the kingdom value of release?
- Forgiveness is not a weapon to hurt others, but a tool to free us from the bondage of sin. How can we use this tool of forgiveness to improve our life with God?
- Let’s pray, “I have the authority to forgive others, and the power to follow through. There is no burden or pain that can trap me because I am son in the kingdom of my Father. The Father’s heart to forgive is my heart, and I have the power in Christ to act it out.”
WORSHIP
(This is great time to bask in the presence of God. You might play music, or you might just play a soft, worshipful CD. Enjoy an extended time of prayer, worship, and meditation together.)
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version ®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. The “NIV” and “New International Version” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society. Scripture quotes in italics are author’s preference for emphasis.