Go with them 2 miles
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
If you have your Bibles please turn to
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.
We have come to our time with the children this month and they have been learning about the fruits of the spirit. Last week in Sunday school they learned about kindness and so we are going to talk about that today.
However I didn’t want to go with some easy teachings about kindness because kindness is in short supply these days. Even with people we like sometimes, kindness can be hard to find. Yet that isn’t what Jesus teaches us.
But first let’s see what the children have learned. What are some examples of kindness ?
make sure to cover prayer
Why is it important that we be a kind person? Who has been kind to you in your life?
Now here is the tough question, what about people that are not kind to us? How should we treat them?
Jesus says to turn them the other cheek, he says to give them your coat, and if they want you to go one mile you should actually go two miles with them. Now Jesus says these for a few reasons and I really want everyone to think about this.
Jesus knows exactly who He is. He is the Son of God. The Father has given Him that identity and purpose. The Father has given all us the same thing. We are brothers and sisters of Jesus. God loves you, the only opinion that matters is God’s opinion. So when people are unkind to us, we are kind back to them because God loves us. Now does it hurt our feelings, of course, but who is actually in pain here? Why do people say mean things? Because they do not know the love of God. You have to understand that you are loved and valued by the creator of all things. What another person says to you cannot compare to the love God has for each of you.
It is not us who set everything right but God who sets everything right in the world. This is why Jesus says go walk with them 2 miles instead of just one. God sees everything and one day He will make them right again.
Have you ever heard the old saying you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar? There is a very good chance that when people are not being kind to us, it means something bad is happening in their life. Our job here on earth is to tell people about Jesus. What better way to tell people about Jesus than to show them the love of Jesus. I do a lot of talking but when we all put our faith into action and show people Jesus it will help them.
What are some ways we can show people the love of Jesus?
Now let’s look at another verse:
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Now lets list these out really quickly. Would you rather be angry and upset all the time?
Did you know that being angry causes your heart rate and blood pressure to increase and puts a strain on your heart muscle? It actually hurts your heart to be angry. Isn’t that interesting?
Or we can be kind and compassionate to each other.
Did you now that being a kind person helps you? It improves your hearts health, it can boost your immune system, it helps you feel happier, you actually recover from being sick faster, and it will help you live longer!
Now here is the most important part of that verse we just looked at. “Just as in Christ God forgave you” We are kind and we forgive because Jesus forgave us. Jesus is kind to us, He loves us so much that He went to the cross for us.
Spread love everywhere you go: First of all in your own house. Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting.
Mother Teresa
So this is important, we have to be kind to people in our house. So be kind to your parents, be kind to your brothers and sisters or your grandparents.
Before we close in prayer, I want to give all of us a challenge this week. Who in our lives can we be kind to this week? I bet there is someone in each of our lives that we can do that with ? Who in our lives needs a friend? More importantly can we talk about Jesus with that person?
Because what is the ultimate act of kindness? The ultimate act is sharing Jesus with someone.
