INTRODUCTION
SLIDE #1
• Today as we carry on with out look at the fruit of the spirit, we are going to take some time to examine a fruit that seems to be pretty nondescript on the surface.
• Kindness seems like something that is pretty ordinary, but when you start to really think about it, kindness is remarkable and inspiring.
• The exhibition of the fruit of kindness can literally change the lives of those around us.
• When you think of kindness, chances are that one of the first names that comes to mind is Mister Rogers. A year or two before Fred Roger’s death someone in Philadelphia where he lived stole his car. The news media got a hold of the story and before long all the local TV stations were broadcasting the story. Thousands of Philadelphia citizens saw the story, including the thief who stole the car. This criminal had dealt with his own share of difficult times, but he knew that when he was small Fred Rogers had been a positive influence on him.
• Within 48 hours the car was back in the spot where he left it, along with a note saying "If we’d known it was yours, we never would have taken it!" (www.sermoncentral.com)
• Kindness may be one of the most underrated fruits on the fruit stand.
• Theologian William Barclay once said, “More people have been brought into the church by the kindness of real Christian love than by all the theological arguments in the world”
• How many times in your life have you felt discouraged or felt like everything was against you only to be met by someone who was willing to show kindness to you.
• I wonder how many lives have been changed by someone showing the fruit of kindness.
• Today we are going to look at this nondescript fruit; we will look at what it is and why it can be so powerful and life changing.
SLIDE #2
SERMON
I. DEFINING KINDNESS.
• When you think of the word kindness, what comes to mind, do you think of the nice grandmother figure that is waiting there with a bunch of cookies for you?
• Is kindness emotional feeling?
• SLIDE #3
• The Encarta dictionary defines kindness as: the practice of being or the capability to be sympathetic and compassionate
• The English word does not fully capture the meaning of the original word. Kindness is more than being capable of being sympathetic and compassionate.
• SLIDE #4
• The word derives from a verb meaning “to take into use” and has the basic sense of “excellent,” “serviceable,” or “useful.” It refers to something that is well suited for its purpose, such as a “worker” bee, an “orderly” house, or “healthy and tasty” food. When the word was applied to people it meant they were “worthy,” “decent,” “honest.” When a person is all that he is supposed to be—when a human is humane—he is decent, reliable, gentle, and kind. All of this is included in what our Bible calls “kindness.” It is not just a sweet disposition: it is a serving, productive trait as well. College Press Commentary.
• It relates to tender concern for others. It has nothing to do with weakness or lack of conviction but is the genuine desire of a believer to treat others gently, just as the Lord treats him.
• Kindness is more than compassion. The very of nature of exhibiting kindness to another person makes that person have a sense of worth and usefulness. By exhibiting kindness to another person we are affirming their worth as a person, we are telling them that they are important enough for us to be inconvenienced, by them or that we would give them special attention. It is closely related to being gentle.
• Jesus’ kindness is the believer’s example. When “some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them, … Jesus said, ‘Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these’” (Matt. 19:13-14).
• On another occasion He said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls” (Matt. 11:28-29).
• Jesus by allowing the children to come to Him, showed them their worth to Him. The children were important to Him. His display of kindness to them let them know that.
• When Jesus calls those who are weary and heavy-laden to come to Him for rest, His kindness toward them shows us how important we are to Him.
• It has been said that "Kindness is a language the dumb can speak and the deaf can hear and understand." — Christian Nestell Bovee; Instant Quotation Dictionary
• Now let us look at kindness played out.
• SLIDE #5
II. JESUS HAS EXHIBITED KINDNESS TO US.
• WE have spoken of a couple of instances where Jesus displayed kindness toward us, let us look at some specific ways in which He exhibited kindness toward us. In looking at these areas, we can learn some things we need to know about kindness.
• SLIDE #6
1. Jesus understands my weakness. (Hebrews 4:15-16)
• Jesus understands our weakness, He knows why we have weaknesses. Jesus has compassion for us. If Jesus did not understand our weakness, then He would not be able to be kind to us when we struggle.
• I used to get upset when Rachel would throw wild pitches when she first started pitching, and as a result of that, I was not too kind to her when it happened. That changed when I realized why she was struggling.
• SLIDE #7
• Hebrews 4:15 - 16 (GWT) 15We have a chief priest who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses. He was tempted in every way that we are, but he didn’t sin. 16So we can go confidently to the throne of God’s kindness to receive mercy and find kindness, which will help us at the right time.
• Jesus walked in our shoes so He can relate to us. Jesus will be gentle and kind to you because He knows why you are struggling. You can come to Him when you struggle!
• When we understand other people and can walk in their shoes, we will treat them with kindness also, we will make them feel worthy.
• SLIDE #8
2. Jesus tells me the truth. (John 8:32)
• Telling the truth in love is part of being kind. Jesus could have come to live as a man and He could have just spent His time excusing our sin by telling us things that were not true.
• It is so sad to see so many people who are living a life of sin have people excuse their sin by telling them they are born that way.
• I saw a man on television Thursday evening tell another person that God created him to be a homosexual so therefore God did not look down on that sin.
• Somewhere along the line, someone, probably under the umbrella of kindness or compassion, told this man his sin was not his fault so therefore he could not overcome it or should he even try to overcome it.
• SLIDE #9
• John 8:32 (GWT) 32You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
• Jesus has set us free from the bondage of sin by being truthful to us. If we are going to be kind, we must share the truth in love with other people. We cannot pervert the truth because we do not want to hurt someone’s feelings or that we are afraid to challenge them.
• SLIDE #10
3. Jesus forgives my sins (Romans 3:23-24)
• It is hard to be kind to those with whom you do not forgive. Jesus has forgiven our sins.
• SLIDE #11
• Romans 3:23 - 24 (GWT) 23Because all people have sinned, they have fallen short of God’s glory. 24They receive God’s approval freely by an act of his kindness£ through the price Christ Jesus paid to set us free from sin.
• Jesus found us worth saving, so He saved us from our sins. All the times we have sinned against Him are forgiven when we accept Him is our Lord and Savior.
• If we cannot forgive someone, do you think we are going to treat them with kindness?
• SLIDE #12
4. Jesus affirms my worth. (Psalm 139:15-17)
• By dying on the cross, by that very act of kindness, my worth is affirmed. It does not matter what the rest of the world thinks about me, Jesus says I have a high self-worth.
• SLIDE #13
• Psalms 139:15 - 17 (GWT) 15My bones were not hidden from you when I was being made in secret, when I was being skillfully woven in an underground workshop. 16 Your eyes saw me when I was only a fetus. Every day of my life was recorded in your book before one of them had taken place. 17How precious are your thoughts concerning me, O God! How vast in number they are!
• People need to know they are valuable to God, people need to know they have enough value to us that we would extend kindness to them.
• SLIDE #14
III. WAYS TO FOSTER AN ATTITUDE OF KINDNESS.
• In the last section of the message I hope that we gained some insight into kindness by seeing what Jesus has done for us. Here are a few practical ideas to help us to have an attitude of kindness.
• These four things can help us not only to feel the emotion of kindness, but also help us to put action behind the emotion.
• SLIDE #15
1. Be aware of what kindness can do for others (Pay It Forward Movie Clip)
• Exhibiting kindness to others can have dramatic effects on the lives of others.
• In the movie, “Pay It Forward, Trevor (played by Haley Joel Osment), a seventh-grader, responds to the call of his Social Studies teacher to come up with a plan to change the world and act on it. He turns "Pay Back" on its head to "Pay it Forward" - a plan to help three people who must each help three people and so on until everyone is doing something for someone.
• SHOW MOVIE CLIP FROM DVD NOW.
• Sometimes we want to do things for people who can repay us in kind: Be nice to the boss to get a promotion; buy a candy bar from the neighbor kid, so they will buy popcorn from you during soccer season; babysit for a friend so they will babysit for you. But God says to give to those who can’t give back, “and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous" (Luke 14:14). Sounds like a pretty good payday to me! (MovieMinistry.com)
• SLIDE #16
2. Be willing to be inconvenienced. (Good Samaritan Luke 10:30-37)
• So many times we do not show kindness because we are not willing to go to the trouble.
• In the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:30-37 we see a man who was in some trouble.
• Let us read this passage together.
• SLIDE #17-19
• Luke 10:30 - 37 (NASB) 30Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. 31“And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32“Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33“But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, 34and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35“On the next day he took out two £denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’ 36“Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?” 37And he said, “The one who showed mercy toward him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.”
• The Good Samaritan went out of his way to help this person in need. WE must be willing to allow ourselves to be inconvenienced if we are going to show kindness to others.
SLIDE 20
3. Remember that others have been kind to you. (David and Mephibosheth 2 Samuel 9)
• David and Jonathan were best of friends. When King Saul was trying to kill David, Jonathan, Saul’s son, protected David and showed him kindness, even though he knew it would mean he would never sit on the throne.
• When Saul and Jonathan were killed in battle and David became king, he looked for anyone who was alive in Jonathans family. Most of the time this was done to make sure no one else would claim the throne who from the previous king.
• David wanted to show kindness to Jonathan’s survivors because of the kindness Jonathan showed to him.
• He was able to do this through Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth. He was crippled because of an accidental fall when he was escaping after Jonathan and Saul were killed.
• David took care of Mephibosheth, he remembered the kindness shown to him.
SLIDE #21
4. Remember that God has shown you kindness. Ephesians 2:4-7)
• READ Ephesians 2:4-7
CONCLUSION
• You never know when your kindness could change the life of another person.
• God wants His people to be kind.
• When we allow the Spirit to grow in our lives, we will be able to be kind to those around us.
• The ultimate act of kindness was Jesus dying for you.
• Are you ready to accept that act of kindness?
