Loving Your Enemies
Posted by: Buffalo Dream Center
Topic: Mission Possible -Love God
Verse: Love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22:38
Props:
Napkin
Solution – ½ water, ½ alcohol
Glass
Lighter
Glass of water
Lemon
Sugar
Instructions:
Discussion:
Introduction
-Last week we talked about loving our neighbors.
-Who is our neighbor?
-Did you know that our enemies and those we do not get along with are also our neighbors?
-If we are going to live for Jesus we need to learn to love our enemies and those we do not get along with.
Seem Impossible?
-Does it seem impossible to love someone you consider your enemy?
-I know something else that seems impossible. Who thinks it is impossible to burn a wet napkin?
-Hold up a wet napkin with a pair of thongs. (The napkin should be soaked in a solution of ½ water and ½ rubbing alcohol)
-I am going to try and burn this wet napkin. Who thinks it will burn? Who thinks it won’t burn?
-Use a long handled lighter to light the napkin. (It will burn but the napkin will not be harmed, the rubbing alcohol is what is burning)
-You saw my napkin burn and what is even more amazing is that the napkin was not harmed at all even though it burned.
-How do you think this experiment worked?
-I will tell you the secret-my napkin was soaked in a secret solution (don’t tell what it is). The secret solution caused the fire, not the napkin. So the napkin did not burn just the secret solution.
-Did you know there is a secret solution to loving your enemy? God’s love
-Sometimes our love isn’t strong enough to love people that get on our nerves, or make us mad.
-When we decided to live for Jesus, God’s love came to live on the inside of us.
-His love gives us strength to love anybody.
-God’s love will never run out.
-When we are having a hard time loving someone we can pray and ask God to help us love that person with His love.
C. David and Saul
-David and Saul were two men in the Bible who could be considered to be enemies.
-Saul was king, but God’s plan was for David to be king.
-Everyone love and honored David.
-This made Saul very angry and jealous.
-Saul was so mad he was trying to kill David.
-David, who loved God very much, had two opportunities to kill his enemy Saul.-
1. In the cave
-One day David and some of his men were hiding in a cave
-Saul came in to go to the bathroom.
-David crept up on Saul and cut off a corner of his robe.
-He chose not to hurt Saul.
-Saul did not notice David or his men
-David felt really bad for doing what he did (cutting the kings robe)
-He went out of the cave and called for Saul.
-David apologized to Saul for cutting his robe.
2.When Saul was sleeping
One night while Saul was sleeping David and one of his helpers walked right up to Saul
David’s helper wanted to kill Saul because of how mean he had been to them.
David said that he would not kill Saul but that He would let God deal with Saul.
David took Saul’s spear and water jug.
David went to Saul and told Saul about how close he had been.
He returned Saul’s belongings.
David decided not to hurt his enemy but rather to love him, and let God deal with Saul.
C. Conclusion: Turn Lemon into Lemonade
-There are many people in life that will hurt us, use us, say mean things to us, and turn their back on us, just like Saul did to David.
-People like this could be compared to this lemon-water. Hold up a glass of lemon and water. This lemon and water taste really sour.
-Instead of getting angry with these people we need to find some way to show them God’s love.
-When we find ways to show God’s love to someone who is like an enemy to us we are like sugar. (Add sugar to the lemonade-stir it-have a volunteer taste it)
-God will give us the strength and the ideas we need to love people that are difficult to love if we ask Him.
Prayer
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