Hot Topics Pt 3

Costly Grace.

This Sunday, Simon Lace  brings us the talk in the latest of our EBC services. We encourage you to reflect on the bible text and join us in the prayer that follows below.

 
Here are some questions to consider:

Readings

Matthew 6:9-15 (NIV) “This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Matthew 18: 21-35 (NIV)  The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. 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.

“At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, cancelled the debt and let him go.

“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’

“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.

“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I cancelled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

Ephesians 4:32 (ESV)

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Prayer

Father, I ask you to cleanse our minds of wrong teaching, and protect us from abusive relationships that are not right, and from feeling any guilt about keeping clear of people who would harm us.

Loving God, thank you for your costly grace. Help us remember just how much of our wrongdoing You have forgiven. Grant us dear Lord some measure of that grace. Help us by Your Holy Spirit to find healing and ultimately – in Your good timing - to forgive, be forgiven, and find a godly reconciliation with those whom we have hurt and who have hurt us. Give us – and them – tender hearts. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Questions to Consider

1. What is your understanding of what forgiveness means?

2. Do you believe God would want anyone to stay in an abusive relationship?

3. What do you make of the idea that forgiveness and reconciliation do not need to be at odds with justice?

4. What examples can you think of where someone has forgiven somebody for something terrible?

5. Alternative ideas of forgiveness: freely giving up any idea of revenge or ‘getting even’. Choosing to pray for healing, change and blessing, rather than bad things happening to someone. Accepting that things may never be as they were (for example, staying in or returning to an abusive or toxic relationship) whilst still willing the good of the other. What do you think?

6. Alternative ideas of reconciliation: understanding how and why things are not the way they were, accepting they are

not, and being at peace with that – and the other party – without necessarily restoring the relationship. Think of the ‘accountancy’ model of reconciliation – the closing balance may be lower than the opening balance, but we know why and can accept it – we have ‘reconciled’ things. What do you think?

7. Given what we have said about steering clear of toxic or abusive people/relationships… and keeping that in mind… is there any situation in which you might pray for healing, forgiveness and reconciliation, as defined in the ideas above? Have you also spoken to trusted friends and, perhaps, a Christian counsellor about it?