March 1 2020 A Sermon on Kindness
(Reader Please keep in mind that this sermon is for people living in a memory care residence at Market Street)
Communion service: 1. Quiet time to examine ourselves
Scripture: MT. 26: 26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
EAT the bread
27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the[b] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
Drink the Cup
Let’s Pray
I have been preaching through the “Fruits of the Spirit” found in Gal 5: 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
Now the fruit of the Spirit is contrasted to the acts of the sinful nature found right above it in the Bible. They are: VV.5 19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
So we have this very clear contrast about what the sinful nature is that leads to eternal death, and the Spirit filled life that the Christian who is the “real McCoy” will bear and gain eternal life.
That statement right there could easily be the end of any sermon on the “Fruits of the Spirit” and “How Then Shall We Live?”
Yet it is always good for the preacher to illustrate to the congregation a few bullet points to help the listener lock on to the truth. So NO-we are not done yet!!
Truths of the mark of a Christian:
1. Love begets KINDNESS. – We may have all the book knowledge about the Bible and be able to quote chapter and verse and be in assembly and Sunday school every weekend. Maybe we know the words to every hymn, but without LOVE in our hearts-we are simply making a lot of noise. i.e. worthless and annoying in the eyes of our Lord.
Please listen closely: God’s kindness flows out of HIS great love for us and the Christian’s kindness towards others flows out of our great love for God. (repeat) (from a sermon by Rick Burdette)
Col. 3: 12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
You see Church it is LOVE that binds the FRUIT together in the Christian. Without love we cannot consistently bear good fruit.
The Christian has a Spirit that lives in a body-a body that will someday die, but a Spirit that will live forever and then receive a body that is imperishable. That is why it is mandatory that the Christian live being led by the Spirit and NOT the flesh of the Body.
God’s great KINDNESS to us through His salvation for us MANDATES our kindness to others. (repeat)
Eph. 2: 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
Christians please do not expect for a minute that we can be the recipient of kindness and then fail in being a donor of that same kindness God has given us. Throughout the Scriptures we see in Jesus’ teachings-that is not the way it works.
Listen to the Apostle Paul’s words to the church in Rome:
2 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2 Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3 So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
You see church when we pass judgment on others and withhold the LOVE and KINDNESS to them that God has given us, we place ourselves in the position of being judged, by the ONLY ONE who has the right to judge.
The following story about Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia at a football game with former president George Bush has some value that the Christian should glean.
We have a liberal Gay woman (who is married to another woman) who is friends with a conservative ex-president who fought( vigorously against same sex marriage) together at a football game. A lot of her fans were mad at her and so they Tweet out hatred.
Her response was and should be that of we Christians and I quote “But just because I don't agree with someone on everything doesn't mean that I'm not going to be friends with them," she said. "When I say, 'be kind to one another,' I don't only mean the people that think the same way that you do. I mean be kind to everyone."
Maybe our first reaction as Christians is to judge, if it is put the brakes on that-we don’t have that right or power-yet there is one who will judge, but judgment is NOT mentioned anywhere in the :”Fruits of the Spirit”. Kindness is.
2. The second mark of a Christian –Be sensitive to the needs of others this is kindness. Phil. 2: 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
3. The 3rd Mark of a kind Christian- Be Supportive. Use Gentle words to build people up when you talk to them.
4. Be Sympathetic - Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ God forgave you. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.
5. Be Straight Forward – Love and Kindness are not mutually exclusive from telling the truth. WE must tell the truth to others, but while doing so we remain loving, sensitive, supportive, sympathetic and honest.
If you were to go to the doctor and he knows you have cancer. What is the kind thing to do?-Tell you rest easy-don’t worry about anything or to tell you the truth and the solution.
6. Be Spontaneous – Don’t wait to be kind, be kind at the moment kindness is required.
THE 5 marks of a kind Christian were taken from a sermon by Tom Shepherd.
So Church what do you say? Can we start today to make it a point to be kind? Sometimes we have to set boundaries, when doing so use love and kindness not anger or judgment.
Prov 15:1 &4 A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger. 4 The soothing tongue is a tree of life,
but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.
Let’s Pray
