October, 1941
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h* not have extended hearty forgive ness to the one who owed him so little by comparison—a mere seventeen cents ? So should we. For Those Who Have Topics I. WHY IS THE CHRISTIAN FOR GIVING? 1. Because God, for Christ’s sake, has forgiven him. Likewise, the Christian should forgive his brother (Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:13). 2. Because it is the Lord’s desire that we be one in Him (John 17:21). 3. Because of the Christian’s witness to the world (John 17:21). II. WHEN SHOULD THE CHRISTIAN BE FORGIVING? 1. When he stands praying (Mk. 11:25). 2. When he brings an offering (Matt. 5:23, 24). 3. Whenever there is an opportunity to forgive (Matt. 18:22). (Is forgive ness active or passive?) IT T HOW CAN THE CHRISTIAN BE FORGIVING? 1. By realizing how much he himself has been forgiven (Matt. 18:33). 2. By following the example of the Lord (Lk. 23:34). 3. By the enabling grace of God through the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts (Gal. 5:22, 23). For the Leader * Further discussion can be based upon related subjects, dealing with the fol lowing Scripture passages: 1. John 17. V How mp.ny times in this chapter does the Lord pray for oneness among be lievers? What bearing has forgiveness on the answer to His prayer ? 2. Matthew 18:15-20. What is the etiquette of forgiveness? In what places are the “two or three” found ? Where two or three are gathered together for forgiveness, there is the Lord in the midst. Why does He love to be there ? Does not this help to answer His prayer in John 17? 3. Jeremiah 31:34. “When God forgives, He forgets.” Do we? Illustration of unreserved forgive ness; (Do we not sometimes reserve the right to self-esteem because we have been showing a forgiving spirit? And do we perhaps retain the right to “rub it in” ? Should we do this?) C o u l d you forgive the| man who executed the orders to bum down your factory? Could you forgive him and then give him a job in the rebuilt factory? A businessman, a Gideon in Salem, Oregon, did that very thing in the winter of 1937. The forgiven one became a changed man through the power of the Lord Jesus Christ in his life.
terrupted gratitude la & definite part of Hi» plan for each believer (1 Thesa. 5:18). Have you been offering to your Lord the daily sacrifice of service, time, talent, money, or prayer? Offer to Him the sacrifice of praise, “ for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus to you-ward" (1 Thess. 5:18, R. V.). For the Leader At the close of your meeting, ask several adult members of your church to tell briefly and vividly of some “ dark hour” when there seemed to be no pos sible satisfactory solution to a problem; but when they, in faith, rejoiced in His faithfulness. Have them .tell how, as they look back at this testing time, they realize anew that “He hath done all things well.” NOVEMBER 30, 1941 A CHRISTIAN IS FORGIVING M atthew 6:12; 18:21-35 By Doris C. Aldrich Introduction Nothing hinders fellowship more than does an unforgiving spirit. The Lord's heart is grieved when two of His own are not on speaking terms; and we, with our brother, are the weaker be cause of that unforgiven “thing” be tween us. We need the 'strength of one another, but an unforgiving spirit de prives us of the blessing and strength of oneness in the Lord. Lack of fellowship leads to lack of effective witness to the Lord. How can we impress another- with our love for God when he sees that we harbor a grudge against our brother in Christ? Is not the world quick to judge when ever there is church trouble or personal misunderstanding? It was said of the early Christians, “Behold how they love one another!” Do we hear the world say that today? Might not the lack of a forgiving spirit result in coldness toward one’s brother in Christ ? The one ness of the Christians was meant to be a witness to the world (John 17:23). A parable is “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.” W h a t is the heavenly meaning of the parable of our lesson as found in Matthew 18:21-35? Let us see. How does this parable help to answer Peter’s question in verse 21? It does not speak of how often to for give, but it does give the reason that we should be willing to forgive often: we have been forgiven much more than we shall ever be called upon to forgive. Which man are we in this parable? Why was the man loosed and forgiven even tliough he had offered to pay? Was it not because he could not have paid in a lifetime the debt that he owed ? (The debt was equivalent to a million dollars.) He could not h a v e earned his forgiveness. Nojr can we. And having been forgiven so much, should
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