70 Times 7
Liz and Spike are at war with Teddy when he ruins their entry in the school Science Exposition. How will it stop—with more revenge? Or with forgiveness?
Before You ListenLet's Get Started
Theme: Forgiveness
1. In Ephesians 4:32, Paul tells us to forgive each other as God forgave us in Christ. What did God have to forgive us for? What does it mean that he forgave us “in Christ”?
2. It’s usually easy to forgive someone when they cause us problems by accident. But what if it keeps happening—by accident or on purpose? What if we have someone in our lives who is always causing problems? That’s what the apostle Peter wanted to know. He had heard Jesus talk about how important it is to forgive others. In Matthew 18:21-22, Peter asked Jesus if he had to forgive others as many as seven times. Jesus told him not to stop at seven but to forgive 77 times. Some people think he meant 70 times seven. That’s 490 times! He wasn’t telling Peter to carry a notebook and mark down every time he forgives. He was telling Peter to keep on forgiving and never stop! As you listen to this episode, think if there is anyone you need to forgive.
After you listen
Memory Verse
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Quiz
A: He makes them fall and ruin their entry for the Science Expo.
A: They tape him to a tree and cause him to miss field hockey tryouts.
A: They both turn purple.
Reflect
In this episode, Liz and Spike try to get back at Teddy for ruining their science project. But the more they try, the more trouble it causes. Liz finally learns that it’s better to forgive than to get revenge.
The memory verse says that we are to forgive others as God forgave us. What did God forgive us for? He forgave us for disobeying him. All of us are sinners (Romans 3:23), even you! But even before we were born, God sent his son, Jesus, to die on the cross for those sins. He was preparing to forgive our sins before we even sinned!
Now God is telling us that he wants us to forgive others the same way. He wants us to forgive before the people we’re forgiving even say they’re sorry. He wants us to forgive even if those people aren’t sorry! The only way we can do that is to remember that it’s exactly the way he forgave us.
Want to dig deeper and learn about forgiveness? Check out Psalm 103:12, Ephesians 1:7, and Hebrews 10:17.
Challenge
Get a piece of paper and crayons or colored pencils and create a way in words or pictures to remind you of what Jesus has done for you. Tape it in a place you’ll see every day. When you see it, remember that you’re supposed to forgive others just as he forgave you.
