Forgiving Others
Posted by: Buffalo Dream Center
Topic: Mission Possible -Love God
Verse: Love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22:38
Props:
Glass of water
Dirt
Spoon
Ball and Chain
Lock and key
Instructions:
Discussion:
Introduction
-Who is our neighbor?
-It is not enough just to decide to love them; we must also forgive them for the mean things they have done to us.
-There will be lots of times in our life when we will think someone is being unfair, or mean. We need to learn to forgive them.
-A very important part of loving people is being able to forgive people
B. Forgiveness starts in the mind.
-Hold up a clean glass of water. This glass of water represents a mind with clean and pure thoughts.
-When we react to other people in a mean and angry way we begin to think bad thoughts towards a person.
-Our mind gets dirty (Add spoonfuls of dirt to the clean water)
-For example you might get really mad at your brother or sister who ruined your schoolbook. (Put a scoop of dirt in the cup)
-You might get really mad at your friend who called you a bad name after school. (Put a scoop of dirt in the cup)
-You might get mad at your mom or dad for yelling at you. (Put a scoop of dirt in the cup)
-First we think bad thoughts towards someone, and then we start to think about ways we can get back at them.
-Our mind becomes polluted with unforgiveness, and we cannot live for Jesus effectively.
-Who would like to drink this glass of water?
-How do we get our mind clean? (Hold up a clean glass of water)
-We need to pray and ask Jesus to forgive us for the bad thought we have had.
-We need to say sorry to the person we are mad at.
-We need to decide to react in love even when others do something bad to us.
-The Bible does not say, “If someone hits you then you can hit them back.”
-The Bible does say, “if someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other cheek.”
C. Joseph’s Story of forgiveness
-Joseph had eleven brothers.
-Joseph’s dad loved him more than all the other brothers, and he gave Joseph a beautiful coat.
-The coat had many colors in it.
-Joseph’s brothers were very jealous of him.
-One day Joseph had a dream – He and his brothers were tying grain in the field. All his brothers’ bundles of grain bowed to Joseph’s bundle of grain. Then he had another dream-the sun, the moon and eleven stars bowed down to Joseph. –What do you think these dream meant?
-His brothers were very angry with Joseph.
-One day while they were out in the field working his brothers beat up Joseph. They tore off his beautiful coat and threw him in a well.
-Then the brothers sold Joseph as slave to some merchants passing by.
-The brothers killed an animal and rubbed the animal blood all over Joseph’s coat and told the dad that he had been attacked and killed by a wild animal.
-Joseph didn’t have it easy in Egypt. He ended up being slave.
-Then he was accused of doing something he didn’t do.
-Then he ended up in jail.
-One day Pharaoh (the ruler of Egypt) had a dream.
-Joseph helped tell Pharaoh what the dream meant because God gave him the wisdom to know what it meant.
-Joseph ended up being Pharaoh’s right hand man, and he helped save the nation from a very bad famine.
-Joseph saw his brothers again when they came to Egypt to get food. He could have been mean to them as he had the power to do whatever he wanted to them now.
-Joseph chose to forgive his brothers for what they had done, and Joseph and his family were reunited.
D. Conclusion: The Results Of Unforgiveness
-When we live our life full of feeling of unforgiveness, anger and bitterness towards others it is just like walking around with this ball and chain.
-Have a volunteer come up, and attach the ball and chain to them.
-Have them jump up and down, run down the aisle, and walk.
-This ball and chain affects everything you try and do. It isn’t easy trying to run with it.
-Imagine playing basketball, or swimming with it.
-Anger and unforgiveness also affect everything we do. They affect the way we think. They affect the way we talk. They affect the way we act. They affect our happiness.
-If you want to lead a happy and healthy life you have got to get rid of anger towards others, unforgiveness, and bad feelings you have.
-There is only one way to get rid of the ball and chain. You have to have the key for the lock. (Take off the ball and chain)
-There is only one way to get rid of anger and unforgiveness.
-First you have to make a decision that you are going to live for Jesus.
-Then you have to ask Jesus to forgive you for being angry and mad, and you have to decide to forgive the person who did something wrong to you.
Prayer
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