Stop Drinking Poison: Part 2 - Fayetteville/Ft. Bragg
Part of Stop Drinking Poison - Fayetteville/Ft. Brag
October 13, 2022
Stop Drinking Poison: Part 2
October 13 & 16, 2022
Learning to Forgive
Romans 12:14-21 (ESV)
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Ephesians 4:31-32 (ESV)
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you,
along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Colossians 3:12-13 (ESV)
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
1 Samuel 26:6-13 (ESV)
6 Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Joab’s brother Abishai the son of Zeruiah, “Who will go down with me into the camp to Saul?” And Abishai said, “I will go down with you.” 7 So David and Abishai went to the army by night. And there lay Saul sleeping within the encampment, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head, and Abner and the army lay around him. 8 Then Abishai said to David, “God has given your enemy into your hand this day. Now please let me pin him to the earth with one stroke of the spear, and I will not strike him twice.” 9 But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand against the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless?” 10 And David said, “As the Lord lives, the Lord will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish.
1 Samuel 26:25 (ESV)
25 Then Saul said to David, “Blessed be you, my son David! You will do many things and will succeed in them.” So David went his way, and Saul returned to his place.
2 Samuel 1:11-12 (ESV)
Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. 12And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.
Questions & Application
These questions can be used for personal study and/or in a Small Group format. We’d love to hear how you are putting them to use, so let us know at smallgroups@manna.church!
“Bitterness is unfulfilled revenge.” How does unforgiveness trap you in an emotional jail?
How do you forgive even if the other person does not want to repent or reconcile?
Read Romans 12:14-21. What resonates with you the most regarding how to treat others? Why?
Read Ephesians 4:31-32. How can focusing on Christ’s forgiveness help you to forgive others?
Take some time in prayer. Ask the Lord “Who do I need to forgive?” Let Him show you and then decide to forgive.