Housegroups 

The Lord’s Prayer    Week Eight 29th Feb– 6th March

Overall Theme:         A framework of prayer to enable us to embrace all God offers us through His friendship and His kingship
 
Week’s Theme:                         As we forgive those that sin against us8 Forgive others
 
Welcome
SO FAR: We have approached a powerful loving Father God in prayer with the purpose of honouring His name; we have been seeking to establish Jesus’ heavenly kingdom and will here on Earth. We have looked to God for our and the church’s daily provision and the daily restoration of our relationship with Him.
  • Imagine a church where there were no broken relationships at all. How would you feel about being part of such a place?
 
Worship
  • Read Psalm 150 together– reconciliation in relationships means we can praise God without limits.
 
Word            “as we forgive those who sin against us”     Read Matthew 6:14-15 & 18:20-22, Mark 11:24-26
Matthew 6:14-15        14For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly 8 handshakeFather will also forgive you.15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
  • Why do you think that some people find it hard to ever forgive while others suffer badly yet still forgive?
  • This verse clearly links our forgiving of others with God’s forgiveness to us. Why do you think forgiveness of others so important?
Mark 11:24-26              24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25-26 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.
  • In this verse effective prayer is linked to the forgiveness of others. What is this link?
  • There is an order given here of “forgive others first and then pray”. Why do you think they are in this order?
Matthew 18:20-22     20 For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. 21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times? 22 Jesus answered, I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
  • Most of us will know verse 20 but again it is linked to prayer in v21. What might this tell us about being an effective praying church and being a forgiving people?
  • Why might Jesus say not seven but seventy seven times?
  • What are the sins today that the church / society / you personally find particularly hard to forgive?
This is the second half of the 5th prayer petition but vital to maintain our relationships with God’s Church.
 
Witness
  • There have been instances of Christians who have had loved ones murdered, publically forgiving the killers which amazes the press. In what practical ways could we be known as a community who accepts and forgives everyone?
Prayer
  • Pray that we might be a community of forgiveness, and accept those who sin against us.
 
Reflection
  • Forgiveness is not an option in the Bible and yet we often treat it as such. If we tackled our wrong attitudes and brought forgiveness into those difficult situations, our prayer lives might look very different.
  • NO secrets NO skeletons - let God have it all!

 


James Levasier, 26/02/2010