252 Groups
March 26, 2017, Week 4
Small Group, 4-5
Dude, Where’s Your Forgiveness?
Bible Story: Dude, Where’s Your Forgiveness? (77 Times / Unmerciful Servant) • Matthew
18:21-35
Bottom Line: Since God forgave you, you should forgive others.
Memory Verse: “Put up with one another. Forgive one another if you are holding something
against someone. Forgive, just as the Lord forgave you.” Colossians 3:13, NIrV
Life App: Forgiveness—deciding that someone who has wronged you doesn’t have to pay.
Basic Truth: I should treat others the way I want to be treated.
Social: Providing Time for Fun Interaction (Small Groups, 15 minutes)
Plug In
What You Do:
• Engage kids in conversation. Use the optional questions below to facilitate discussion.
o What is something you do a lot? Maybe it is something you do every day. Is there
something you do every hour?
o What is something you wish you could do every day? Maybe have ice cream for
breakfast, or go to a movie, or ride a roller coaster?
o What are things you count or keep track of? Is there something you collect? Do you
have to count up the minutes you read each week for school? Do you keep track of your
allowance and how much money you have? How about the number of days until spring
break or summer break?
What You Say:
“ [Transition] Let’s head to Large Group to hear about something else that we should do a lot.”
Lead your group to the Large Group area.
Groups: Creating a Safe Place to Connect (Small Groups, 25 minutes)
1. Bible Review
What You Need: Bible
What You Do:
• Ask kids the following questions and have them use their Bibles to find the answers and
discuss.
•
Read Matthew 18:21-22. How many times did Jesus tell Peter he should forgive? What did
Jesus mean by that? Did he want Peter to stop forgiving once he reached the 77th time? How
many times do you think Jesus wants you to forgive others? Why?
©2016 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
Adapted by (jpaganini/mbcloudoun/4.16).
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252 Groups
March 26, 2017, Week 4
Small Group, 4-5
•
Read Matthew 18:23-27. How much money did the man owe the king? What was the master
going to do to the man and his family because of the debt? Why did the master change his
mind?
•
Read Matthew 18:28-30. What did the first servant do to his fellow worker? How did the first
servant respond when he didn’t receive payment?
•
What would you have done if you were the first servant looking for payment of a debt? It was in
the man’s rights, during that time, to throw the person who owed him money into jail. Why would
that response not be seen as doing things God’s way?
•
What happened to the first servant when the master heard about his treatment of his fellow
worker? Why did the master respond that way?
•
What does this story tell us about God and forgiveness? Is there a debt that we owe, that we
cannot pay? What is that debt? Who paid that debt for us without asking for anything in return?
What You Say:
“I just love how Jesus tells stories like these to help teach us a lesson. Can you believe that the man in
the story who had JUST been forgiven for such a big debt then refused to forgive someone who owed
him very little? We are like that man. God has forgiven us. He sent Jesus to pay the price for our sins
when He died on the cross. Because of what Jesus did, we know that God forgives us when we mess
up. And [Bottom Line] since God forgave you, you should forgive others.”
[Make It Personal] (Tell your group about a time you chose to forgive someone, even when it
was hard. Talk about how you chose to forgive because you had been forgiven. Choose an ageappropriate example.)
* 2. Forgiveness Frisbee Toss (application activity)
What You Need: Prepared plates, 2 tubs or baskets, masking tape
What You Do:
• Divide the group into two teams and give each team a set of “Frisbees” (plates).
• Place the two tubs against a wall.
• Using masking tape, make a line about 10-15 feet from the tubs.
• Teams need to decide if the statement on each Frisbee is an example of what “forgiveness is”
or an example of what “forgiveness is not.”
• Once teams decide, they work together to fly the Frisbee into the correct tub. Kids must stand
on the tape to fly their Frisbee. If they miss, they can retrieve their team’s Frisbees and try
again.
• The team with all their Frisbees in the tubs first wins.
• Once all the Frisbees are in the tubs, discuss which are in each tub and why.
• Optional: Depending on the dynamics of your group, you may want to review the statements on
the plates before playing the game.
©2016 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
Adapted by (jpaganini/mbcloudoun/4.16).
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252 Groups
March 26, 2017, Week 4
Small Group, 4-5
Potential follow-up discussion ideas are listed below for the statements on the plates:
Forgiveness is . . .
• Repetitive. This goes with the Bible story today. Ask kids how Jesus replied to Peter’s question:
Lord, how many times do I have to forgive someone who sins again me? Up to seven times?
(Matthew 18:21 NIrV). Refer to Matthew 18:21-22.
• A wise choice. Ask kids why forgiveness is a wise choice. What could you miss out on if you
choose not to forgive, if you choose to make someone who wronged you pay? This could lead
into the plate with the statement, “freedom from anger and bitterness”.
• Freedom from anger and bitterness. Forgiveness allows you to move on and move forward with
the relationship. When you forgive, you let go of the anger and bitterness. You might still be hurt
or might still get angry when you remember what the other person did, but you don’t dwell on it
because you’ve forgiven them.
• A gift from God. This ties into our memory verse: “Forgive, just as the Lord forgave you.”
(Colossians 3:13 NIrV).
• Deciding someone doesn’t have to pay. This is an opportunity to talk about revenge and how it
is difficult to show others God’s love if you are spending your time thinking how to “make
someone pay.” Showing forgiveness is a way to show others you trust God no matter what.
Forgiveness is not . . .
• Forgetting it happened. This could be an opportunity to discuss forgiveness doesn’t mean you
ignore it happened. For example, if someone treats you mean or is unkind, even though you
forgive them, there is still a consequence for their action. Maybe you decide to not spend time
with them or perhaps you need to tell a teacher or parent how they are treating you.
• Fair. Forgiveness isn’t about being fair, it is about remembering since God forgave you, you
should forgive others.
• Based on emotion. Forgiveness is hard. And sometimes we have to forgive someone even
when we don’t feel like it.
• Trusting someone no matter what. This is an opportunity to talk about how people will make
mistakes; no one is perfect. But God is perfect and you can trust Him no matter what. People
may say one thing and do another but God always does what He says. People in your life may
come and go but God is always there for you.
• Being someone’s friend. You will encounter people in your life who don’t make wise choices. If
someone continues to make unwise choices, you can forgive them but choose not to spend time
with them because of the choices they make. Just because you have decided someone who
wronged you doesn’t have to pay, that doesn’t mean you have to be their friend. You do need to
treat them the way you want to be treated but you don’t need to go out of your way to spend
time with them.
What You Say:
“Forgiveness is an incredible gift God gave you and [Bottom Line] since God forgave you, you
should forgive others. But it is important to remember what forgiveness is and what it is not.
Forgiveness is deciding that someone who has wronged you doesn’t have to pay. Forgiveness is a
choice you make again and again—a decision you make to trust God. Forgiveness can be hard,
especially when you are hurt or angry. But forgiveness isn’t about being fair or forgetting how people
treat you. Forgiveness is about God and trying to live the life He wants for you—a life free from anger
and bitterness, and trusting Him no matter what.”
©2016 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
Adapted by (jpaganini/mbcloudoun/4.16).
3
252 Groups
March 26, 2017, Week 4
Small Group, 4-5
3. Around the World 77 Times (Bible story review)
What You Need: Index cards, pencils, Bibles
What You Do:
• Put the index cards, pencils and Bibles within easy reach of everyone.
• Challenge students to come up with at least one hard question about today’s Bible story.
• To discourage them from writing easy questions, ask them what makes a question hard.
• Instruct students to write the question on one side of an index card, and then put the answer on
the back.
• If they need to look back at the Bible story, they can turn to Matthew 18:21-35. They can write
more than one if they have time and interest.
• Collect up the questions as they finish, looking through them. Group any similar ones up.
• Discuss the questions as a group and determine a group answer before looking on the back to
see what is written.
What You Say:
“In today’s story, the servant just didn’t get it. He experienced forgiveness and seemed grateful, but
then he turned around and demanded someone else to pay up even though his own debts had just
been erased. It’s like he missed a fundamental truth along the way: to treat others the way he wanted to
be treated. [Bottom Line] Since God forgave you, you should forgive others.”
4. Love Actually Survey
What You Need: “Love Actually Survey” cards Activity Page, index cards, pencils or pens
What You Do:
• Start a discussion on what love has to do with forgiveness. What do they have in common?
• Pass out index cards and pencils or pens.
• Encourage students to be honest and grade themselves on how well they love others based on
the titles on the love actually survey cards.
What You Say:
“What characteristic of love are we best at as a group? Are we patient? Are we kind? Do we put others
first? (Pause for discussion.) What kind of love are we weakest at and struggling with? Do we brag too
much or are we easily angered? (Pause for discussion.)
“If we read further in 1 Corinthians 13, in verse 11, we can see why growing in love matters—especially
now as you are approaching your teenage years. It says: When I was a child, I talked like a child. I
thought like a child. I had the understanding of a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of
childhood behind me (NIrV). If we want others to take us seriously and to not see us as children, we
can pick one of these things to really work on this week. Let’s put all the cards here in the middle of our
group. Pick one love actually card that you feel God might want you to work on this week and you can
take it home with you as a reminder.”
©2016 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
Adapted by (jpaganini/mbcloudoun/4.16).
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252 Groups
March 26, 2017, Week 4
Small Group, 4-5
Pray and Dismiss
What You Need: Bibles
What You Say:
“When Jesus teaches us how to pray, He makes a point to tell you to ask for God’s forgiveness and to
remember [Bottom Line] since God forgives you, you should forgive others. Let’s read Mathew
6:9-13 as a prayer to God.”
What You Do:
• Read Matthew 6:9-13 as a group.
As adults arrive to pick up, encourage kids to share with parents what they learned about what
“Forgiveness is . . .” Remind them to think of the statements on the paper Frisbees.
©2016 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
Adapted by (jpaganini/mbcloudoun/4.16).
5
A
B
C
D
F
I AM patient.
A
B
C
D
F
I look out for OTHER
A
B
C
D
F
A
B
C
D
F
PEOPLE’S interests.
A
B
C
D
F
to others.
A
B
C
D
F
I AM kind.
I DON’T easily become
I AM NOT proud.
I DON’T WANT what belongs
I DON’T brag.
A
B
C
D
F
angry.
I SHOW honor AND RESPECT
other people.
A
B
C
D
F
I DON’T keep track of other
people’s wrongs.
A
B
C
D
F
What to Do:
Print on cardstock and cut the cards apart. Make enough copies for each student to have
one card.
Love Actually
March 2017, Week 4, 5/6 Challenge
©2017 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
READ EPHESIANS 2:8
DAY 4
“God’s grace has saved you because of your faith in Christ. Your salvation
doesn’t come from anything you do. It is God’s gift.”
There are lots of things in life that we feel like we deserve. For example,
fill these in . . .
• If you ______, you deserve to get a good grade.
• If you ______, you deserve to make the team.
• If you prove you’re ______, you deserve to get a pet.
• If you’re ______ to someone, you deserve to get invited to their
birthday party.
• If you ______, you deserve something for dessert.
Those seem to make sense. But they don’t always happen, do they? You’ve
experienced enough of those situations to know that we don’t always get
what we deserve (or what we think we deserve).
The really great news is that God gives us exactly what we don’t deserve.
He gives us the gift of His forgiveness even though we’ve messed up
again and again.
The next time you struggle to forgive someone because they don’t
deserve it, remember . . . you didn’t really deserve God’s forgiveness
either. But He loved you enough to give it to you anyway!
THINK ABOUT IT:
1. How is forgiveness a gift from God?
2. Why do you think some people have a hard time believing that such
an amazing gift could be true?
3. Imagine you forgave someone, and they asked
you why you did it. What would you tell them?
READ MATTHEW 18:21-22
DAY 1
No matter how long you’ve been a Christian . . . no matter how well you feel
like you’re doing . . . one of the coolest things about following Jesus and
reading His Word is knowing that you’ve never “made it.” He will always
challenge you to do more.
Maybe you’ve felt like Peter. He thought he was doing pretty well to say
he’d forgive someone seven times. He wanted to know where the line was.
In other words, “How long do I have to put up with someone until I don’t
have to forgive them anymore?”
But Jesus raised the stakes for Peter. And He raised the stakes for us too.
Peter was thinking seven times; but for Jesus, it was more like 77! We
should never stop forgiving. We should try to forgive as much as God will
forgive us.
It’s hard to keep forgiving some one that gets on your nerves. But Jesus
showed us that forgiveness and relationships are more important.
This week, raise the stakes and be willing to forgive even more!
THINK ABOUT IT:
1. What do you think these verses show about how much Jesus cares about
people?
2. Aren’t you glad that Jesus didn’t give up on you when you “crossed the
line”?
3. Can you think of some other things Jesus said that raised the stakes and
March 26
2ND - 5TH
READ MATTHEW 18:26-27
DAY 2
See if you can borrow someone’s phone for this one.
Open the camera app and get ready to take a slow-motion video of
yourself. (You can get a sibling or friend to help.)
Take a video of yourself waving your hands across your chest like a
football referee and say: “NO WAY!”
Now take another slow-motion video of yourself giving the thumbs-up
and saying “ALWAYS!”
READ ROMANS 5:8
DAY 3
One thing that’s so amazing about God’s forgiveness is that he didn’t have to
wait for us to ask him. He knew that forgiveness is what we needed most. He
knew we had a sin problem that kept us from having a relationship with our
perfect God. And He loved us enough to do something about it!
He sent Jesus to die on the cross, to take our sins on Himself and to get
our sin problem out of the way. That way our sin would no longer be in the
way of our relationship with Him. And if we believe that He did that for us
personally, then we get to receive the gift of eternal life.
How did they turn out? Pretty good? You see, when someone needs our
forgiveness, Jesus wants us to be willing to say “ALWAYS!” instead “NO
WAY!”
Jesus paid the ultimate price and made it possible for everyone who believes
to find forgiveness of their sins. It’s something we could never do for
ourselves. We could never do enough good things to earn His forgiveness. It
could only come through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.
In the story Jesus told, the king had shown incredible forgiveness to the
servant, but the servant wouldn’t do the same for someone else who
owed him. He got to hear an “ALWAYS!” from the king, but all he could
give in return was a “NO WAY!”
If that seems like a big deal, you’re right! It’s the BIGGEST deal. So doesn’t
it seem silly when we aren’t willing to extend forgiveness and love to the
people around us? We’ve experienced the true freedom that comes from
Jesus. The least we can do is follow His example and forgive others.
Be ready to give your “ALWAYS” to the people around you, and forgive
like God has forgiven you.
BE QUICK TO FORGIVE people who wrong you, because God
THINK ABOUT IT:
THINK ABOUT IT:
2. How can you make sure you’ve got the right “video” playing in the way
you treat people?
2. What do you think it means to be quick to forgive?
1. Which of those two videos do you think people see when they interact
with you? “NO WAY” or “ALWAYS”?
3. In the story, it says the king felt sorry for the servant. Why is it
important that we need to feel something for the person who needs
our forgiveness?
forgave you for so much more.
1. When someone has done something wrong to you, don’t you kind of want
them to come apologize before you forgive them?
3. W
hy do you think God wants you to forgive them
even if they don’t apologize, or don’t fully understand
the way they’ve hurt you?