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Group Video Study
Marriage: Forgiveness and Forbearance
Big Idea: Our marriages are fixed vertically before they are fixed horizontally: grasping how fully God has forgiven us is the key to forgiving one another.
Key Verses: Colossians 3:12-14; Nehemiah 9:17; Micah 7:18-19; Psalm 103:10-12; Colossians 2:13-14; Ephesians 1:7; Matthew 6:14-15; Matthew 18:21-35
Start here: Growing up, what usually happened in your home after someone said 'I'm sorry'?
Read together: Colossians 3:12-14
Clip 1 of 4 · about 6 min
Forgiveness Is Who God Is
Open this clip in YouTubeIn the Text
- The clip says, "Forgiveness is a part of who God is," not something He "takes out of his bag of supernatural tricks." Read Nehemiah 9:17 and Micah 7:18-19. Which phrase about God's forgiveness stands out to you most, and why?
- Psalm 103:12 says God removes our transgressions "as far as the east is from the west," and the clip says it's "almost like he's unable to bring it back up again." If God doesn't bring up our past, why do so many believers still live as though He does?
Clip 2 of 4 · about 6 min
Fixed Vertically First
Open this clip in YouTubeThe Big Idea
- The clip describes holding back forgiveness until the other person has "squirmed for a few days." Why is that so tempting with the people closest to us?
- The sermon pictured a husband who might "mend the relationship" and still "return to that rotten fruit" because "the root is still the same." In real life, what does it look like when a couple patches up a fight but leaves the root untouched?
Clip 3 of 4 · about 5 min
The 18-Inch Road Trip
Open this clip in YouTubeThe Big Idea
- The clip asks, "Do I live my life out of an identity of one who has been forgiven of much?" In real life, what's the difference between someone who knows they're forgiven and someone who lives like it?
- Read Matthew 18:21-35. The servant walks out forgiven of a debt he could never repay, then grabs a fellow servant by the throat over a much smaller one. How does someone go from one to the other that fast?
Clip 4 of 4 · about 3 min
A Grace You Step Into
Open this clip in YouTubeIn Your Life
- The clip says, "Forgiving is a grace that you must step into," and warns against trying to do it by "gritting our teeth." What does it look like when people try to get past a hurt on willpower alone?
- The clip says, "We need supernatural empowerment from the Holy Spirit to forgive people who have hurt us." What is one ordinary moment this week, at home, at work, or with a friend, when you could stop and ask for that help?
- The prayer at the end of this clip says, "I have been hurt. This is difficult." Close by praying together. Anyone who wants to can name a relationship where they'd like to step into that grace this week.