Element Christian Church
Forgive Week 2: Who is the Servant and Who is the King
Locations & Times
Element Christian Church
4890 Bethany Ln, Santa Maria, CA 93455, USA
Sunday 9:00 AM
Sunday 10:45 AM
Welcome to Element
We strive to ensure the biggest thing people think when they hear about Element is Jesus! We are a Gospel centered community who finds our identity in Jesus.
Quick Connect Groups
Connect with new people and go deeper into the notes from the service each week and will run through the end of the Forgive series. For more details, email Michelle.Gee@ourelement.org
Drive In Movie Night - this Friday
Time to build those box cars and park them at our drive in! Friday, July 28th at 6pm. Water and popcorn are provided for free and other snacks will be available for purchase at our concession stand.<br><br>*Cars and kids not required to attend. All are invited to come enjoy the movie
Middle+ and Youth Parent Meeting and Pool Party
Attention all families with students moving up into 6th-9th grade this Fall! Both you and your child is invited to attend our annual Middles Parent Meeting + Student Game Event. We will keep your students busy while you hear about all the things we will be doing in Middles during the year. We will help you connect to other parents and to the ministry by providing ways to partner with us. And, we will give you a full run down on the dates for events coming up that we KNOW your kids will want to be involved with. You will not want to miss this meeting.
https://ourelement.churchcenter.com/people/forms/507274Financial Peace University
Whether you are trying to get out of debt or figuring out how to save more for children’s higher education, retirement, etc… the lessons learned throughout this course will help give you the tools to reach those goals even faster.
https://ourelement.churchcenter.com/calendar/event/130054985Replanted Conference
Foster, adoptive & kinship parents – You are not alone. The Replanted Conference provides a time away for caregivers to be refreshed, equipped, and inspired! Regardless of where you are in your adoption and foster care journey, we've created something special, just for you.
https://www.ourelement.org/replantedNew to Element? Need prayer? Just want to connect?
Click the link to fill out our Digital Connect Card so we can know you were here and send you a "Welcome" email.
https://ourelement.churchcenter.com/people/forms/295918Stay Connected - Download the Church Center App
https://ourelement.churchcenter.com/setupHelp Needed!!
Click the link below to see all the various areas you can serve at Element and sign up to help
https://ourelement.churchcenter.com/people/forms/395779This week's song list
Interested in looking for some of the songs we sang this week? Here's the titles and original artists:<br><br>Rock of Ages - Modern Post<br>Unstoppable God - Elevation Worship<br>Jesus Paid it All - Passion<br>Sweetly Broken - Jeremy Riddle<br>You Are My King (Amazing Love) - Chris Tomlin <br>Messiah/You're Beautiful - Phil Wickham
Who is the Servant and Who is the King
In this week’s message, we explore the parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18. We can learn a lot from this parable, as we see that we have been forgiven of an impossible debt by a generous King. We also see that King, God, desires for us to extend the same mercy He has shown us to others. Realizing the gravity of our own wrongs will destroy any sense of entitlement and humble our hearts. If we are unable to extend forgiveness to others, however, it reveals that we have not understood, or even worse, we have not been truly transformed by the grace and mercy God has shown us. In either case, we are not experiencing the full effect of the Gospel in our lives, and it is not being demonstrated to others.
• In what ways has the weight of your own sin felt like an impossible debt—like 10,000 talents?
• Do you believe that God has truly forgiven you?
• How would you describe the experience of God’s mercy and grace?
• Why do you think God wants and expects us to show mercy to others?
Internal
• Who do you identify with in the parable of the unforgiving servant?
• What does our unforgiveness of others say about our understanding of the Gospel?
• How does reflecting on the Cross enable us to forgive others?
Horizontal
• Who have you withheld forgiveness from and why?
• Do you see others’ wrongdoings as more or less costly than your own?
• How have you placed yourself in the position of Judge and King?
• What would it mean to release others of their debt?
• Who needs to forgive and release you from a debt?
• Are you, or your community, known for being loving, generous, gracious, and forgiving?
Action Steps
• Thank God each day for His forgiveness, and count the cost of that forgiveness.
• Look into the mirror and assess your own life, where you’ve been forgiven, and where you are not forgiving of others for less. Write them down and share with someone else.
• Spend time in Scripture exploring God’s mercy.
• Pray for God to give you grace and patience that can only grow out of a deep understanding of Jesus’ costly mercy for us.
• Review and work through this week’s additional resources: “Dimensions of Forgiveness,” “The Cost of Forgiveness,” and “Q&A with N.T. Wright on Matthew 6:15.”
Forgive Series Resources for Binders
https://www.ourelement.org/forgive/resourcesForgive Reading Plan
For a deeper study of the passages covered this week, download this helpful guide
https://audio.ourelement.org/forgive/notes/2023_forgive_readingPlan.pdf