ONE ANOTHER WEEK 3: FORGIVE ONE ANOTHER OCTOBER 1, 2017

At a Glance Peter Asked Jesus a Question Matthew 18:21-35

Main Idea: We forgive others because God forgives us. Memory Verse: “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” – Colossians 3:13, NIV Younger Children Option: “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Colossians 3:13, NIV

Teacher Devotional On June 17, 2015, nine church members were ruthlessly gunned down during a Wednesday night Bible study at an historic African American church in Charleston, South Carolina. Following the shooting, the victim’s family members made headline news when they faced the shooter in the courtroom. Instead of launching justifiable insults against the young man who killed their loved ones, they took a different approach. They forgave him. “I forgive you,” Nadine Collier, the daughter of 70-year-old Ethel Lance, said at the hearing, her voice breaking with emotion. (washingtonpost.com)

Why did the family members make headline news? Because forgiveness of this magnitude is rare. To some, it might even seem inappropriate. Most of us struggle with forgiving offenses; we want mercy for ourselves, and justice for those who sin against us. But receiving and granting forgiveness is at the core of the gospel message. The Bible teaches there is a direct correlation between having been forgiven by God and extending forgiveness to other people.

We can’t simply ignore our emotions and hope they will go away. But as Christians, we can work through our negative emotions and prayerfully ask God to help us deal with them. Being kind and compassionate to one another flows from the fact that God has forgiven us completely. We need His forgiveness on a daily basis. As Christ followers, we are called to forgive others in the same manner God forgives us. The enemy of our souls will exploit an unforgiving attitude, and if we refuse to forgive we will likely become angry and bitter. When someone sins against us, we need to treat him or her in the same manner that God has treated us—with kindness, compassion, grace, and mercy. We are called to forgive others for Jesus’ sake. As Christians, we are to care for one another. When disagreements arise, rather than simply writing people off, we should

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focus our efforts on a peaceful resolution that leads to forgiveness and restored relationships. Christ followers need one another.

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Large Group

Introduce the Story Option for PreK: Repeat After Me

● Choose a simple motion (pat your head) and do it seven times while the groupcounts aloud with you.

● Cue the player on your left to pat his or her head seven times while the groupcounts, then add another motion to do seven times while the group counts toseven again.

● Continue adding to the series of motions until everyone has participated.● Tell kids that Peter thought forgiving a person seven times was a good thing to

do, but Jesus told a story to correct him.● Share that today’s focus is all about forgiveness.

Option for Older Kids: Zzzzt! Ball Supplies: Foam ball or crumpled ball of paper Prep:

● Lead kids to form a circle.● Give the ball to a child in the circle. The player holding the ball will count 1, the

next person counts 2, and so on until you reach 7. That particular player willsubstitute zzzzt! for the number 7.

● Guide the group to pass the ball around the circle as smoothly and as quickly aspossible.

● Continue in the same way, substituting zzzt! for any occurrence of the number 7:zzzt-teen, twenty-zzzt, thirty-zzzt. If a player makes a mistake, reverse thedirection the ball travels.

● Share: “When the group masters the stunt, we will change the rules: you mustsubstitute zzzt for multiples of 7: 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56, 63, 70.”

● Tell kids that Jesus used the number seven to teach Peter a lesson aboutforgiveness.

Review the Main Idea with kids by asking them to point to themselves while saying the first part of the main point, pointing up when saying God, and pointing back to themselves when saying the word us again: We forgive others because God forgives us.

Tell the Bible Story Supplies: Teaching Picture 3, round mailing stickers (four per child), permanent marker

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Prep: Draw smiley faces on half the stickers and frowny faces on the other half.

● Show kids the Teaching Picture.● Say: “Jesus told a story about the servant and the king to teach Peter about

forgiveness.”● Give each child two smiley stickers and two frowny stickers: a smile and a frown

for each thumb (the king) and a smile and a frown for each index finger (theservant).

● Open your Bible to Matthew 18 and invite kids to find the passage in their Bibles,too. Point out that Matthew is the first book in the New Testament and is a part ofthe Gospels.

● Tell today’s Bible story in your own words using the story below for guidance. Asyou tell the story, allow kids to display the sticker (kind king/angry king; happyservant/angry servant) that best fits the narrative. When you finish, ask: “Whatdid Jesus’ story teach Peter about forgiveness?”

● Help kids recognize that Jesus made it possible to be forgiven from sin forever.He took the punishment for people’s sin so that they can be forgiven.

Peter Asked Jesus a Question

“How many times should I forgive someone?” Peter asked Jesus. “Is seven times enough?”

Jesus said, “Not as many as seven. You should forgive seventy times seven!”

Then Jesus told this story to help Peter understand:

A king’s servant owed the king 10,000 talents ... more money than he could ever repay. The king ordered that the servant’s wife and family be sold to pay the debt.

The servant fell on his face before the king. “Be patient,” he cried, “and I will pay you back!” The king felt sorry for the servant and let him go free without repaying the debt.

Soon, the servant met another man who owed him 100 denarii—a much smaller debt than the servant had owed the king.

“Pay me back!” snarled the servant as he began to choke the man. The man begged the servant to forgive him—just like the servant had begged the king. But the servant did not forgive the debt. He had the man thrown into prison.

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People told the king what happened. The king was angry. “Why did you have no mercy on the man who owed you money?” he asked the servant. Angrily, the king sent the unforgiving servant to jail.

Jesus said, “You must forgive people from your heart!”

— BASED ON Matthew 18:21-35

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Apply the Bible Story Option for PreK and Younger Kids: Supplies: “03_ActivityPage_Younger,” pencils

● Provide each child with an activity page and a pencil.● Read aloud each scenario found on the activity page and allow time for kids to

draw either a smile or a frown to respond. Discuss the responses kids make andwhy they think it is important to forgive others and how to deal with times it isdifficult to forgive someone.

● Pray a simple prayer, asking God for help to forgive others like He forgives us.

Review the Main Idea with kids by asking them to point to themselves while saying the first part of the main point, pointing up when saying God, and pointing back to themselves when saying us again: We forgive others because God forgives us.

Option for Older Kids: Pictures in Words Supplies: “03_ActivityPage_Older,” pens

● Say: “To fully understand the need to forgive others, it is necessary to fullyunderstand how much God has forgiven us. Jesus took the punishment forpeople’s sin so that they can be forgiven.”

● Help kids locate Psalm 103 and complete “Word Pictures” on the Older KidsActivity Page.

● Ask: “What words and ideas in the psalm describe God’s unlimited forgiveness?”● Invite kids to reveal what words they wrote next to the different pictures.● Discuss how kids may use Psalm 103 to help them forgive.

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Small Group Time (Dismiss to Groups)

Apply the Main Idea

Option for PreK: Big Bounce Off Supplies: Super bounce balls (one per child), construction paper, tape Prep: Write each of the verses on a separate piece of paper: Psalm 103:12; Matthew 5:7; Matthew 6:14; Colossians 3:13. For Younger Kids: Write the words to each verse on a large piece of paper so kids can have it for easy reference. This will also be helpful for when the verse to be memorized is chosen. You may choose to cut apart the words from one of the verses and number the words to make it easier to bounce the ball around as described below. Option: With a parent’s approval, go outside to the sidewalk or a safe corner of the parking lot and use chalk to write the words of Colossians 3:13. Take turns playing the game with a full-sized playground ball.

● Help kids find and read these Bible verses about forgiveness you prepared. Readthe verses aloud. Challenge the boys and girls to identify the main idea of eachverse.

● Conduct a show-of-hands vote to choose which verse kids would like to learn.● Distribute construction paper and markers.● Assign each child one word or phrase of the selected verse. Each kid will print

the word or phrase from the verse on his or her paper.● Help kids tape their papers to the table in random order.● Distribute super bounce balls. Challenge kids to bounce and catch the ball

(similar to a jacks game) so that it touches each word in order. If desired, afterpractice runs, race to see who can “bounce” the verse the quickest.

● Encourage kids to be quick to forgive others as God forgives them.

Option for Younger and Older Kids: Supplies: One sheet of construction paper, balloons (one per child), permanent markers

● Guide kids to find and read 1 Peter 2:21-23.● Say: “When Jesus was offended, He was able to forgive those who offended

Him.”● Place the construction paper on the floor to use as a target.● Direct kids to write their names on their balloons and inflate them without tying

the opening. On the count of three, allow kids to release the balloons. The ownerof the balloon closest to the target should respond as described below:

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○ Round 1—Describe something that is hard for you to forgive.○ Round 2—Describe a time someone forgave you.○ Round 3—What Bible verse can help you forgive someone?○ Round 4—What are the consequences of being unforgiving?

● Allow kids to retrieve their own balloons and re-inflate them for additional roundsas time permits.

● Say: “Jesus is the perfect example of how to forgive others. You can always askGod for help when you need to forgive someone.”

Review Option for PreK and Younger Kids

● Ask the following questions, and then provide two answers.● Invite kids to hold up either one finger or two to indicate which answer you

provided was correct.● Use the (incorrect) answers below to coordinate with the Review Questions and

answers that follow. Be sure to vary which answer you read first to keep thereview challenging. If you notice a large amount of children respondingincorrectly, be sure to stop and explain the reasons for right and wrong answers.

○ Question 1: How long do I wait to forgive someone?○ Question 2: Seven times seven○ Question 3: Threw him in prison○ Question 4: He forgave the man○ Question 5: He let the man go○ Question 6: He was in a bad mood○ Question 7: You don’t have to forgive○ Question 8: Do not use

● Congratulate kids on doing a great job identifying the right answers.● Say: “Jesus is always the best example to follow. Jesus chose to forgive others,

and God wants us to choose forgiveness, too.”

Review Questions 1. What question did Peter ask Jesus? (How many times should I forgive

someone?)2. How many times did Jesus tell Peter he should forgive others? (Seventy times

seven)3. In the story Jesus told Peter, what did the king do to the servant who owed him

10,000 talents? (He forgave his debt)4. How did the servant treat the man who owed him 100 denarii, much less than the

servant owed the king? (The servant had the man thrown in prison)

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5. When the king found out about the man being thrown in prison, what did he do?(He sent the servant to prison)

6. Why was the king angry with the servant, whose debt he had forgiven? (Theservant didn’t forgive the man even though the king had forgiven him)

7. Why is it important to forgive others? (Answers will vary)8. How do you think forgiving others helps them learn more about Jesus? (Answers

will vary) *Older kids question only

Option for Older Kids Supplies: Paper and a marker Prep: Write the session review questions on separate half-sheets of paper.

● Distribute the review questions.● Direct kids to crumple the questions.● Form two teams and position them on opposite sides of the room.● Explain that when you say: “Snowball Fight!” kids will throw their “snowballs.”

When you call “time,” each child must pick up a snowball, read it aloud, andanswer the review questions.

Learn the Memory Verse

Memory Verse: “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” – Colossians 3:13, NIV Younger Children Option: “Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ” Colossians 3:13, NIV

Option for PreK Supplies: Marker board, marker, stickers used during “Tell the Bible Story” time Prep: Write the verse phrase, “Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (NIV) from Colossians 3:13 on the marker board. Option: Omit the use of the stickers and call out different emotions for kids to have when they are saying the verse aloud.

● Ask a volunteer to display one of his or her finger stickers.● Lead the group to read the verse in that manner (kind/angry king voice;

happy/angry servant voice).● Repeat several times.● Conceal or erase the words on the board.● Challenge kids to say the verse from memory in their own voices.● Read the entire memory verse passage for today: Colossians 3:12-15.

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● Ask: “Why is it important to forgive others?”● Discuss with kids other things this passage says to do.

Option for All Kids Supplies: Marker and marker board, sticky notes Prep: Write the words to Colossians 3:13 on the marker board for reference as needed. Option for Younger Kids: Write the different verbs and adjectives found in the passage on separate sticky notes. Display the sticky notes and challenge kids to “grab” a sticky note when they hear them mentioned as you read aloud the passage.

● Open your Bible to Colossians 3:13 and read the verses aloud.● Distribute sticky notes and pencils and ask kids to listen carefully as you slowly

read aloud the verses again. (If you have chosen to display the passage, directkids to turn their backs to the verses for this part of the activity.)

● Instruct kids to write down important words they hear in the verse.● Ask kids to collect their notes and make stacks of the same words.● Assist kids in putting the words in order as they appear in the verse, using the

marker board for reference.● Review the passage several times and challenge kids to use only the words

found on the sticky notes to say the passage together. (Erase the verse, orsections of it, as kids become more familiar with it.)

● Share that this verse is a great reminder of God’s amazing plan for His peopleand how to live.

Pray ● Use today’s memory verse (Colossians 3:13) as a prayer. Read it aloud as kids

bow their heads and pray silently with you.

Activity/Take Home Sheets ● If you haven’t already used the Activity Sheets, use the remaining group time to

complete the Activity Sheets or review your answers for this week’s lesson(“03_ActivityPage_Younger” and “03_ActivityPage_Older”). If you run out of time,send the sheets home for kids to review during the week.

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© 2013 LifeWay

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Finish drawing the smiling

face next to the examples

of forgiveness.

Finish drawing an unhappy

face next to examples

of unforgiveness.

A kid at school makes fun of my name

every day! Tomorrow when he does it again,

I will just pretend I did not hear him.

My dad and I were going to the cupcake place

today. I could not wait to get a triple fudge

strawberry cupcake. But he had to go to work.

I am so mad! I am going to stomp everywhere

I walk to show how mad I am.

I broke my big brother’s video game. I wanted

to hide it and not tell. But I asked God to help me

be brave. I showed it to my brother. He said:

“That’s OK. I know how to fix it.”

The neighbor kids are mean to us sometimes.

To pay them back, we hid their bikes in the woods

behind our house.

B i B l e S t u d i e S f o r l i f e g r a d e S 1–3 5© 2013 LifeWay

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How Much Was That Much?

Using Psalm 103:8-18, write the

matching Bible verse

(or some words from the verse)

next to each picture.

A denar was a small silver Roman coin.

A worker could earn one denar in one

day. A talent was a large amount of

money worth 6,000 denarii.

Do you like math? Here is a challenge: If the servant

owed 10,000 talents, how many days would

he have to work to earn it?

© 2013 LifeWay

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family devotionals Week #3: Forgive One Another

ACTIVITY:

FOCUS:

STEP IT UP:(if you are able to make

more time in your week)

GO DEEPER:(have older kids or are

just ready for more?)

Read Matthew 18:21-35.

You can choose to answer these separately on paper and then go over them or just walk through it as a family and discuss as you go. If kids are unsure go back to the passage to find the answer.

True or False:__ Jesus said you only have to forgive someone 7 times.__ The King felt sorry for his servant.__ The servant also forgave the other servant who owed him money.__ We are the servant in this story and God is the King.__ We are not really to count how many times we forgive someone.__ It is easy to forgive someone when they keep hurting you.

We forgive others because God forgives us.

Get slips of paper and pens/pencils for each family member. Write down the name of someone who has hurt you.

Pray: “God, ____________________ really hurt me but I know you want me to forgive them. Please help me to forgive them and show them grace like you do to me. AMEN.”

Offer for kids to share who they wrote down but do not force them to share. Remind them that this is between them and God.

Everyone should take that piece of paper and destroy it. Shred it, scribble on it, or even throw it in the fireplace (be careful!). As you do this remind kids that this is a reminder that we should not hold onto our anger but forgive and that will give us a feeling of relief.

Read Matthew 18:35. What does it mean that the Father (God) will treat us “this way?” How does this make you feel?

If we have truly received Jesus as our Savior one of the things that should result or that we should have is a forgiving heart. We cannot RECEIVE forgiveness if we do not GIVE forgiveness.

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