Joel – Book of Forgiveness
We must learn to Forgive!
Key Point – We must forgive!
Memory Verse – Matthew 6:15 “But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Skit – Kids pick on a boy – the boy getting picked on will not forgive. A group of kids make fun of a little boy and push him to the ground. The boy starts crying a Christian girl comes in and sees the boy crying. She asks why he explains that he is crying because kids were picking on him. The boy decides that he now hates them. The Christian girl explains that the boy must learn to forgive. The boy asks why. The girls says because in Matthew 6:15 it says that if you don’t forgive others God will not forgive you. Do you want God to forgive you? The boy says yes. The girl says then you must forgive the bullies. The boy and the girl bow their heads and pray. She explains we can forgive because we have been forgiven by God. Walk off stage excited and ready to forgive.
Skit – Old man who learned to forgive and an old man who didn’t learn to forgive show the difference forgiveness makes. Two old men start talking one talks about how much he loves life the other one talks about how he hates everything. The old man who loves life explains how every morning and every evening he asks God to forgive him of things that he has done but also he forgives others. The old man who hates life says that he would never and has never forgiven anyone. The man who loves life explains that you must forgive or you will end up a bitter hateful old man. The hateful old man refuses to listen to him. Different people come up to each old man the difference is plain to see. A child comes up and says hi the nice old man says hi the mean old man simply grunts and turns away from the child, someone else comes and asks for directions etc…. The difference is plain to see. Have the MC come up and ask the kids which one was the one who had forgiven during his life. Explain to the kids that you become when you are old what you were your whole life. So we must forgive.
Object lesson –70 x 7 – how many times should we forgive have something represent 490 so kids can see how much they need to forgive each day. Have a bag of marshmallows to represent to the kids how many times we must forgive. Call a kid forward ask the kid how many times do they think they should forgive they will say a certain number, give them the amount of marshmallows equal to the number of times they feel that they should forgive someone. Have them put their marshmallows on the table then pull out 490 marshmallows and explain that Jesus wants us to forgive not just 7x not just 70x but 70 x 7. So we must forgive.
Object lesson – Forgiveness sets us free, handcuffs. Forgiveness is the key that opens our life and keeps us free. Explain that un-forgiveness puts us in chains it locks us up. As long as we chose not to forgive we stay bound in chains. The only key that unlocks our chains is forgiveness to forgive sets us free. We can forgive because we have been forgiven. So we must forgive.
Puppet – MC teaches a puppet how to forgive – MC explains how to forgive people. First ask God to help you second you tell them that you do forgive them and you give it to God you don’t keep hanging on to un-forgiveness. So we must forgive.
Small Group –
Key Point – We must forgive!
Memory Verse – Matthew 6:15 “But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Questions –
What is forgiveness
What happens to us when we don’t forgive?
Are we supposed to forgive all the time?
How many times are we supposed to forgive? Why?
What happens to us if we choose to forgive?
What is mercy?
Should we ask God to help us forgive?
What does forgiveness do? (sets us free)
Who does the Bible say that God forgives? (you and me)
Who can tell me the story in Matthew 18:21-30?
What did the king do for the servant?
What did the servant do to his servant?
What happened to the servant that did not forgive?
What is the lesson in this story?