Hope Christian Church
Sermon Notes
Message notes for 3-2-25
Locations & Times
Hope Christian Church
9273 Coach Stop Rd, Columbia, IL 62236, USA
Sunday 8:00 AM
1: Forgiveness is commanded in the Bible
Col 3:13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Eph. 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Matthew 6:14-15 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
2: A forgiving spirit is almost unbelievable in the world we live in.
Hebrews 12:15 See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
“Evil for evil is man’s way. Evil for good is the devil’s way. Good for evil is God’s way and, His way should be our way.” William Barclay
Proverbs 17:9 Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.
It can’t grow if you don’t water it.
The root of bitterness grows when it is watered by the moisture of our memory and is fertilized by our failure to forgive.
“Bitterness is poison dipped in honey. It tastes sweet going down, then it kills us from the inside out.” Blake Glosson
Don’t let the pain of the past steal your hope for the future.
3: A forgiving spirit grows out of your experience of forgiveness with Christ
I Choose....with the help of God and the Holy Spirit’s power, I choose that I will welcome each day with a forgiving spirit. Realizing the poison caused by bitterness, I will choose to move toward forgiving others the way Jesus has forgiven me.
Life Group Questions for 3-2-25
READ:
Matthew 6:5-15
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“ ‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one. ’
14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.15But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
DISCUSS:
1. Share a time when you were shown unexpected forgiveness. How did that make you feel?
2. Colossians 3:13, “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” How have you, can you, or should you apply this to your life? Be specific.
3. Sometimes, the hardest person to forgive is yourself. Why do you think that is?
4. What are the benefits of forgiving others (or yourself)?
5. Who is someone in your life you need to forgive? (We live in a small community. Be careful to not say anything that would be inappropriate. :) This week, take a step toward
forgiveness through prayer or a conversation.
PRAYER:
Encourage your group to pray this prayer together, repeating each line after the reader....
When it comes to the person’s name, ask them to say it silently:
“God, I’m forgiving ____________________ today because you forgave me. I’m choosing to forgive regardless of how I feel or how they respond. I’m releasing it to you and asking you to replace it with your love. Please, fill me with your kindness, your joy, and your peace so I can be a blessing to the people around me - including those who’ve hurt me. I’m rejoicing in YOU because of what you’re doing in ME. Amen.”
Col 3:13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Eph. 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Matthew 6:14-15 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
2: A forgiving spirit is almost unbelievable in the world we live in.
Hebrews 12:15 See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
“Evil for evil is man’s way. Evil for good is the devil’s way. Good for evil is God’s way and, His way should be our way.” William Barclay
Proverbs 17:9 Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.
It can’t grow if you don’t water it.
The root of bitterness grows when it is watered by the moisture of our memory and is fertilized by our failure to forgive.
“Bitterness is poison dipped in honey. It tastes sweet going down, then it kills us from the inside out.” Blake Glosson
Don’t let the pain of the past steal your hope for the future.
3: A forgiving spirit grows out of your experience of forgiveness with Christ
I Choose....with the help of God and the Holy Spirit’s power, I choose that I will welcome each day with a forgiving spirit. Realizing the poison caused by bitterness, I will choose to move toward forgiving others the way Jesus has forgiven me.
Life Group Questions for 3-2-25
READ:
Matthew 6:5-15
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“ ‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one. ’
14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.15But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
DISCUSS:
1. Share a time when you were shown unexpected forgiveness. How did that make you feel?
2. Colossians 3:13, “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” How have you, can you, or should you apply this to your life? Be specific.
3. Sometimes, the hardest person to forgive is yourself. Why do you think that is?
4. What are the benefits of forgiving others (or yourself)?
5. Who is someone in your life you need to forgive? (We live in a small community. Be careful to not say anything that would be inappropriate. :) This week, take a step toward
forgiveness through prayer or a conversation.
PRAYER:
Encourage your group to pray this prayer together, repeating each line after the reader....
When it comes to the person’s name, ask them to say it silently:
“God, I’m forgiving ____________________ today because you forgave me. I’m choosing to forgive regardless of how I feel or how they respond. I’m releasing it to you and asking you to replace it with your love. Please, fill me with your kindness, your joy, and your peace so I can be a blessing to the people around me - including those who’ve hurt me. I’m rejoicing in YOU because of what you’re doing in ME. Amen.”