July 20 2014 Dealing With Difficult People
/God on Film (Planet of the Apes) Dealing With Difficult People
5 kinds of difficult Apes
- The Hostile Ape.
- The Know It All Ape.
- The Complainer Ape.
- The Back stabber Ape.
- The Unreliable Ape.
- The Story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10)
“Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was one of the most influential Jews in the Roman tax-collecting business, and he had become very rich.” - Luke 19:1-2
WHEN FACED WITH A DIFFICULT PERSON, I SHOULD...
1. DETERMINE GOD’S PURPOSE FOR THE RELATIONSHIP.
Luke 19:3-5“[Zacchaeus] tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowds. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree beside the road, so he could watch from there. When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. ‘Zacchaeus!’ he said.”
God allows difficult people in my life so He can...
- Use Me
- Show Me
- Grow Me
James 1:2-4“Whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.”
2. DECIDE to respond with kindness. .
Luke 19:5-7 “‘Quick, come down! For I must be a guest in your home today.’ Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. But the crowds were displeased. ‘He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,’ they grumbled.”
Galatians 5:22-23 “But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
3. DON’T Avoid the real issue .
Luke 19:8 “Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, ‘I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have overcharged people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!’”
2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”
4. DEVELOP Jesus’s heart for people. .
Luke 19:9-10 “Jesus responded, ‘Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a son of Abraham. And I, the Son of Man, have come to seek and save those like him who are lost.’”
Matthew 5:44-46(Jesus) “But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven….If you love only those who love you, what good is that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much.”
1 John 4:11 “ Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.”
