January 11, 2015 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Forgiveness

Matthew 28:18-20 – New International Version (NIV) – The Great Commission

¹⁸ “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Forgiveness

Matthew 18:21-35 – New International Version (NIV)

²¹ “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?”

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 bags of gold 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 “At this 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 silver coins. 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 it 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 outraged 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 handed 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 or sister from your heart.”

Who ask Jesus “how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me” (verse 21)?

In your opinion, why would Peter ask “up to seven times” when the rabbis taught that people should be forgiven three times (verse 21)?

How did Jesus answer the question (verse 22)?

What is “like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants” (verse 23)?

How much did the man brought before the king owe (verse 24)?

What was ordered to occur “since he was not able to pay” (verse 25)?

In your opinion, was the servant’s statement “be patient with me and I will pay back everything” possible (verse 26)?

How did the master respond (verse 27)?

How much did the fellow servant owe him (verse 28)?

In your opinion, was the fellow servant’s plea to “be patient with me, and I will pay it back” possible (verse 29)?

How did the servant react to the fellow servant (verse 30)?

In your opinion, why were the other servants outraged (verse 31)?

What was the reaction of the master when he heard what had happened (verse 32, 33, and 34)?

How do we avoid being treated that way by the heavenly Father (verse 35)?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Matthew 18:21-35 show us about the Great Commission?

Genesis 50:15-21 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁵ “When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” ¹⁶ So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died: ¹⁷ ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept.

¹⁸ His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said.

¹⁹ But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God?²⁰ You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. ²¹ So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.”

In your opinion, why would Joseph’s brothers be afraid that Joseph would hold a grudge against them (verse 15)?

Who did they say left instructions for Joseph (verse 16)?

What were the instructions (verse 17)?

How did Joseph respond when the message “came to him” (verse 17)?

How did the brothers identify themselves to Joseph (verse 18)?

In your opinion, why did Joseph say “am I in the place of God” (verse 19)?

What did the brothers intend to do to Joseph (verse 20)?

What did God intend for the actions of the brothers to produce (verse 21)?

How did Joseph treat his brothers (verse 21)?

In your opinion, why does Joseph’s forgiveness of his brothers in Genesis 50:15-21 provide an example for Peter and us to follow in obeying the command of Jesus in 18:21-35 “forgive your brother or sister from your heart”?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Genesis show us about the Great Commission?

2 Corinthians 2:5-11 – New International Version (NIV)

⁵ “If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you to some extent—not to put it too severely. ⁶ The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. ⁷ Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. ⁸ I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. ⁹ Another reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. ¹⁰ Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, ¹¹ in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.”

Who has anyone who “has caused grief” grieved the most (verse 5)?

What is sufficient (verse 6)?

What should the church of the Corinthians do now (verse 7)?

In your opinion, why should love be reaffirmed (verse 8)?

What were the Corinthians to be “in everything” (verse 9)?

Who does Paul forgive (verse 10)?

For whose sake does Paul forgive (verse 10)?

Why does Paul forgive (verse 11)?

In your opinion, how does the reassurance that Joseph offered to his brothers in Genesis 50:15-21 meet the guidelines of Paul to “forgive and comfort” in 2 Corinthians 2:5-11?

In your opinion, how does following the instruction of Jesus to forgive seventy-seven times in Matthew 18:21-35 help us to live in such a way that, as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 “Satan might not outwit us”?

In your opinion, what does this passage from 2 Corinthians show us about the Great Commission?

    

Ephesians 4:22-32 – New International Version (NIV)

²² “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; ²³ to be made new in the attitude of your minds; ²⁴ and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

²⁵ Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. ²⁶ “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, ²⁷ and do not give the devil a foothold. ²⁸ Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

²⁹ Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. ³² Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

What were the Ephesians taught “with regard to your former way of life” (verse 22)?

In what should we be “made new” (verse 23)?

Who is our “new self” created to be like (verse 24)?

In your opinion, why should we “put off falsehood” (verse 25)?

What is it important not to do while we are angry (verse 26)?

Who do we not want to give a foothold (verse 27)?

Why should the one has been stealing do “something useful with their own hands” (verse 28)?

What should come from our mouths (verse 29)?

In your opinion, why should we “not grieve the Holy Spirit of God” (verse 30)?

What should we “get rid of” (verse 31)?

How should we “be kind and compassionate to one another” (verse 32)?

In your opinion, what can we learn from the fact that in 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 Paul stresses that it is important to forgive so that “Satan might not outwit us” and in Ephesians 4:22-32 he says that we should not “let the sun go down while” we are angry so that we don’t “give the devil a foothold”?

In your opinion, how is the fact that Joseph could state that “you intended to harm me” but then go on to say “but God intended it for good” in Genesis 50:15-21 a testimony that he is practicing what Paul instructs us to do in Ephesians 4:22-32 to “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice”?

In your opinion, how does putting on “the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” as Paul instructs in Ephesians 4:22-32 help us to be obedient to the instruction of Jesus in Matthew 18:21-35 to forgive “seventy-seven” times?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Ephesians show us about the Great Commission?

 Next, back to Matthew 19:1 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)