Coming out of Sunday March 14th’s teaching “Letting Go of Bitterness“, spend some time in prayerful reflection and dialogue with your Home Church/Friends/Family around any combination of these questions:
Read the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant in Matthew 18:21-35 before starting. Pray and ask God to speak.
- How did God speak to you on Sunday through the message, “Letting Go of Bitterness?
- Would you say you are a ‘forgiving person’? Why or why not? What makes forgiveness so difficult?
- What is the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation? Is reconciliation always required in order to forgive? Is forgiveness required for reconciliation? Why or why not?
- What general observations can be made about forgiveness from “The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant”? What does this parable teach us about forgiveness and bitterness?
- How can we sometimes be like the “unforgiving servant” in the story?
- Why did the King lock the unforgiving servant up? What does this teach us about unforgiveness?
- Jeff mentioned the quote, “Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.” What do you think about this quote? How do we see this in the parable? How have you seen this in your life and relationships?
- Share your experience with holding grudges, resentment and bitterness. How has (or hasn’t) God freed you from this?
- Jeff said that “Forgiven people, Forgive people” – Forgiveness is to flow out of our experience of the grace and forgiveness of Jesus towards us. Why is it so important that we understand this? What does unforgivness reveal about our relationship with God and understanding of what Jesus did for us?
- What does “letting go of bitterness” look like for you today? Who do you sense God is inviting you to forgive? Why? What are you going to do about it?
