- Reno Campus: Pastor Dave Pretlove
- Carson Campus: Pastor Dave Pretlove
- Sparks Campus: Pastor Dave Pretlove
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Series: Forgive and Forget?
Sermon Title: Forgiveness 301
SERMON POINTS:
How did Jesus live from a posture of grace and forgiveness?
- Commitment to Relentlessly love.
- Security in a Crystal clear identity.
- Confidence that a perfect future is near.
5 MINUTE DAILY DIVE QUESTIONS:
Monday – The Tension Before the Table
- Reflection Question: How do you prepare your heart when you know disappointment is coming?
- Go Deeper: Who are you currently serving, loving, or trusting, even while unsure how they’ll respond to you in the future?
- Scripture to Reflect On: John 13:1 – “Jesus knew the hour had come… Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.”
Tuesday – Washing the Feet of Betrayal
- Reflection Question: What would it take to serve someone you know will betray you?
- Go Deeper: Is there a part of you that fears being taken advantage of or unseen if you extend love first?
- Scripture to Reflect On: John 13:17 – “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”
Wednesday – The Power of Identity Over Wounding
- Reflection Question: How does your sense of identity shift when you’re hurt or misunderstood?
- Go Deeper: What part of you needs to be reminded that rejection doesn’t define you — adoption does?
- Scripture to Reflect On: John 13:3 – “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God…”
Thursday – When Forgiveness Is Your Posture, Not Just a Response
- Reflection Question: How would your relationships change if you lived from a posture of pre-forgiveness?
- Go Deeper: Is there someone in your life you need to extend grace toward, not because they deserve it—but because Jesus offered you the same?
- Scripture to Reflect On: 1 Peter 4:8 – “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”
Friday – Denied and Still Faithful
- Reflection Question: Have you ever felt invisible or denied by someone close to you?
- Go Deeper: What part of your heart withdrew or hardened after that moment? What does that part need from Jesus today?
- Scripture to Reflect On: Luke 22:57 – “But he denied it, saying, ‘Woman, I don’t know him.’”
Saturday – Not a Victim, But a Vessel
- Reflection Question: Are you tempted to let wounds shape your identity?
- Go Deeper: What would it look like to lay down the victim label and pick up your true identity as chosen, filled, and secure?
- Scripture to Reflect On: 2 Corinthians 4:16–17-“We do not lose heart… for our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”
Sunday – Eyes on the Ending
- Reflection Question: How does knowing Jesus has secured your future help you forgive today?
- Go Deeper: What pain still clings to you? Speak to it with the voice of heaven: “This will not last. Every wound will be healed.”
- Scripture to Reflect On: 2 Corinthians 4:18 – “…We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. Since what is seen is temporary, what is unseen is eternal.”
SCRIPTURES TO MEDITATE ON:
SERIES RESOURCES:
- BOOK | Lysa TerKeurst | Forgiving What You Can’t Forget
- BOOK | Dr. David Stoop | Forgiving What you’d Never Forget
- Article | What Forgiveness Is Not | Center for Biblical and Cultural Discernment
- Article | GOSPEL CENTERED DISCIPLESHIP | HOW TO FORGIVE
- PODCAST | RUSSELL MOORE SHOW | TIM KELLER SAYS FORGIVENESS IS KEY TO CHRISTIAN WITNESS
GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Forgiveness 301
- WHEN CLOSE PEOPLE HURT US
- Primary Question: Why is it so much harder to forgive someone you’ve been close to?
- Secondary Question: How do you usually respond when someone you trusted lets you down?
- Supportive Scripture: John 13:2,5
- SERVING WITHOUT STRINGS ATTACHED
- Primary Question: Have you ever loved or served someone without expecting anything in return?
- Secondary Question: How do you feel when that love or effort goes unnoticed?
- Supportive Scripture: John 13:3
- WHEN FORGIVENESS ISN’T EASY
- Primary Question: Why do you think it’s sometimes easier to pretend everything’s fine than to truly forgive?
- Secondary Question: What’s one situation where you’ve struggled to forgive honestly?
- Supportive Scripture: John 13:15,17
- WHEN YOU FEEL FORGOTTEN OR LEFT OUT
- Primary Question: What does it feel like when someone ignores you or acts like you don’t matter?
- Secondary Question: Have you ever forgiven someone who made you feel invisible?
- Supportive Scripture: Luke 22:57,61
- GRACE BEFORE AN APOLOGY
- Primary Question: Why is it so hard to forgive someone before they say they’re sorry?
- Secondary Question: Have you ever chosen to forgive someone even when they never admitted they were wrong?
- Supportive Scripture: Luke 22:21,19
- WHEN WE FEEL DESERVING OR ENTITLED
- Primary Question: Why do we sometimes want to be seen as better or more right than others?
- Secondary Question: What keeps you from forgiving when your pride or position feels threatened?
- Supportive Scripture: Luke 22:24
- WHO ARE YOU WHEN YOU’RE HURT?
- Primary Question: What do you tend to believe about yourself when someone hurts you?
- Secondary Question: What do you think Jesus wants to remind you about who you really are?
- Supportive Scripture: Colossians 3:12
- LOOKING AHEAD, NOT BACK
- Primary Question: How does knowing that God will one day heal every wound help you forgive today?
- Secondary Question: What hurt are you still holding onto, and how would it feel to start releasing it?
- Supportive Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:18
** It is suggested to take communion together as a Group this week.
MONTHLY SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE: Simplicity
WEEK 1: AWAKENING TO COMPLEXITY
Synopsis & Understanding of Simplicity: Simplicity begins with honest evaluation and inspection. Growth and change cannot happen without naming what needs top be addressed. This month, we look at simplicity as a practice that bolsters your inner contemplative practice becoming aware of the layers of complexity that hinders our relationship with God as well as ourselves. We’ve normalized multitasking complex life that erodes the union with God our soul desires. True simplicity isn’t about doing less; it’s about being undivided. The psalmist prays, “Give me an undivided heart” (Psalm 86:11). Complexity divides us—scattering our attention, fragmenting our souls, and keeping us too busy to hear God’s voice. The desired outcome of this discipline is sacred awareness: to see clearly, perhaps for the first time, what has captured our attention, energy, and affection that isn’t God.
Day 1 – The Practice of Sacred Inventory Scripture: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.” – Psalm 139:23
Practice: Spend 20 minutes in silence with pen and paper. Ask the Spirit to reveal the sources of complexity in your life. List them without judgment: commitments, possessions, relationships, digital habits, internal narratives. Don’t fix—just see. Close by praying Psalm 139:23-24 as your own prayer.
Day 2 – The Practice of Presence Awareness Scripture: “Be still, and know that I am God.” – Psalm 46:10
Practice: Set five random alarms throughout your day. When each sounds, stop completely. Notice: Where is my mind? What am I anxious about? What am I reaching for? What need am I trying to meet apart from God? Record these observations. This practice trains us to notice our automatic patterns of coping and control.
Day 3 – The Practice of Calendar Confession Scripture: “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” – Psalm 90:12
Practice: Review last week’s calendar/schedule. With compassionate honesty, mark each commitment/activity: Was this life-giving or life-draining? Did it flow from my true identity or my false self? What was I hoping it would give me? Bring your findings to God, not for shame, but for illumination. Where are you trying to earn worth or prove yourself?
Day 4 – The Practice of Desire Excavation Scripture: “Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” – Psalm 37:4
Practice: Complete this sentence 10 times: “What I really want is…” Don’t edit or spiritualize. Be ruthlessly honest. Then ask: Which of these desires are leading me toward God, and which are substitutes for God? Where am I seeking from creation what only the Creator can provide? Journal your discoveries.
Day 5 – The Practice of Possession Interrogation Scripture: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – Matthew 6:21
Practice: Choose one room in your home. Slowly walk through it, and reflect. Ask yourself “Why do I keep this? What do the items promise me? Security? Status? Comfort? Identity?” Notice which possessions you’re afraid to let go of, it may reveal where you’re finding security apart from God. Write down what surfaces and pray asking God for clarity on the object.
Day 6 – The Practice of Relationship Mapping Scripture: “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God?” – Galatians 1:10
Practice: List your significant relationships. Beside each name, honestly note: Am I my true self with this person, or am I performing/managing? Where am I exhausted by image management? Which relationships are reciprocal, and which are one-way drains? God invites us to receive love, not just perform for it. What does this reveal about where you’re operating from your false self?
Day 7 – The Practice of Sabbath Review Scripture: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11:28
Practice: Sabbath from all productivity. Spend one hour reviewing this week’s discoveries. What patterns emerged? What surprised you? What grieved you? Where did you feel God’s invitation? Write a letter to God expressing what you’ve seen. Close by sitting in silence, receiving His love without earning it, without fixing yourself. Just be His beloved.