Innovative Concepts
FORGIVENESS: LETTING GO OF THE HURT AND LET GOD BE YOUR VINDICATOR
Locations & Times
Dave & Buster's Sunset Lounge
1030 Auahi St, Honolulu, HI 96814, USA
Sunday 9:30 AM
For we know him who said, “it is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”
Hebrews 10:30 NLT
Hebrews 10:30 NLT
What forgiveness is:
The act of pardoning an offender. Forgiveness literally means “to let go”, just like the situation where a creditor does not demand payment for a debt.
Some situations in the bible where Jesus uses this comparison includes the “Lord’s Prayer” (…and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Luke 11:4) and “The parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:23-35)."
The act of pardoning an offender. Forgiveness literally means “to let go”, just like the situation where a creditor does not demand payment for a debt.
Some situations in the bible where Jesus uses this comparison includes the “Lord’s Prayer” (…and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Luke 11:4) and “The parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:23-35)."
Matthew 18:23-35 (NLT)
23 “Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. 24 In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. 25 He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.
26 “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ 27 Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.
28 “But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.
29 “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patientwith me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. 30 But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.
31 “When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. 32 Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ 34 Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.
35 “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”
23 “Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. 24 In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. 25 He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.
26 “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ 27 Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.
28 “But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.
29 “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patientwith me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. 30 But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.
31 “When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. 32 Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ 34 Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.
35 “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”
What forgiveness does not mean:
Pretending that the offense did not occur.
Letting others take advantage of you: You can forgive but not necessarily continuing to trust the person.
Condoning the offense.
Pretending that the offense did not occur.
Letting others take advantage of you: You can forgive but not necessarily continuing to trust the person.
Condoning the offense.
How to forgive:
Remember what forgiveness involves (Letting it go).
Act quickly: As long as we hold onto resentment, we put ourselves in a self-made jail and at a standstill in our relationship with God.
Recognize the benefits of forgiving.
Be empathetic and reasonable.
Remember what forgiveness involves (Letting it go).
Act quickly: As long as we hold onto resentment, we put ourselves in a self-made jail and at a standstill in our relationship with God.
Recognize the benefits of forgiving.
Be empathetic and reasonable.
If you hang on to not forgiving, not only will it poison your own spirit, it will also stop God from bringing justice in your life.
REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION
1. Giving priority to your immediate family (parents, siblings) down to your close friends, name any person who has in the past really hurt and caused you pain, and how (briefly).
2. How did you handle and process it? Did you immediately forgive the person? Why or why not?
3. Do you still resent them?
1. Giving priority to your immediate family (parents, siblings) down to your close friends, name any person who has in the past really hurt and caused you pain, and how (briefly).
2. How did you handle and process it? Did you immediately forgive the person? Why or why not?
3. Do you still resent them?
Renee Napier Forgiveness Story
Watch this incredible story of the power of forgiveness in the midst of tragedy.
https://vimeo.com/106390543
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