Cultivating Kindness
Notes
Transcript
Warren Brosi
June 22, 2025
Dominant Thought: Christ’s kindness compels our kindness.
Objectives:
I want my listeners to understand the vocabulary of God’s kindness.
I want my listeners to feel encouraged by the kindness of Jesus.
I want my listeners to show the kindness of Jesus to people we see each day.
We need the kindness of Jesus Christ. In our world filled with divisions, missiles, negotiations, and ultimatums, we need the kindness of Jesus Christ. In our effort to become Spirit-filled, we are tracing the fruit of the Spirit through the wisdom books connected to Solomon in the Hebrew Bible. We have looked at love, joy, peace and patience. Today, we focus on kindness. Our text is Proverbs 16.6.
Christ’s Kindness covers our sins.
The word that is used most in the Old Testament to describe kindness is the word for love or lovingkindness. It is also translated as steadfast love or loyal love. It is used to described a brotherly kindness between two friends, David and Jonathan (1 Samuel 10). David expresses kindness to one of Jonathan’s family members when he asked, “Is there anyone of the house of Saul whom I may show the kindness of God? (2 Samuel 9.3). David invites Saul’s grandson Mephibosheth, a crippled young man to dine at the king’s table all the day of his life. Kindness.
Another word the Old Testament uses to describe kindness is “good.” At the close of Psalm 23, David says, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” (Psalm 23.6).
Our primary text for the fruit of kindness is Proverbs 16.6. Proverbs 16:6 (ESV), “By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil.” The word for steadfast love represents the word kindness.
The word for “atoned” in Proverbs 16.6 carries the idea of cover. It is first used when Noah is commanded to build that big boat, the ark. God says “cover it with pitch inside and out” (Genesis 6.14). “Atone it with pitch inside and out.”
The second half of Proverbs 16.6 is, “through the fear of the LORD evil is avoided. The word for “avoided” can better be understood as “turns away.” “And by the fear of the LORD one turns away from evil (Proverbs 16.6, ESV). In Proverbs 3:7, we read “Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.” In Proverbs 15.33, “Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the LORD, and humility comes before honor.”
We can fear the LORD because He is kind, faithful, loyal and good. When we fear Him, we turn away from evil or bad things. The fear of the LORD can keep you away from the house of the wayward woman, the reckless and careless way (Proverbs 14.16), the snares of death (Proverbs 14.27), the grave (Proverbs 15.24).
To turn away is also used in Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” “To depart from it is to turn away from it.”
The kindness of Christ covers our sins and turns us away from evil. The Apostle Paul wrote about the kindness and love of God to Titus, his apprentice, serving on the island of Crete.
Titus 3.3-7 describes the kindness and love of God referring to the coming of Jesus Christ.
At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.
But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared,
he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,
so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
Spirit-filled followers of Jesus surrender their lives the kindness and love of God our Savior, Jesus Christ. Have you accepted the gift of God’s kindness.
Christ’s kindness compels our kindness.
Philip Kenneson identifies the main obstacle to cultivating kindness is self: me, myself, and I. We grow up wanting our kids to be independent and self-sufficient. Afterall, we don’t want them living in our basement forever. However, there is a healthy sense of our need for one another. In athletics, we award the Most Valuable Player. Rarely do you see an award go to the Most Valuable Team or Teammate. In America, we pride individualism.
We live in a world where kindness is in short supply. As followers of Jesus, we should be described by our kindness. It is true many people who are not followers of Christ can show kindness. They can open the door for a widow, fix something broken at the neighbors. What sets apart Christian kindness is we do it for and in the name of Jesus.
As we think about the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, we want to be Spirit-filled. But the Spirit fills us to bless the world.
A few weeks ago, Weston and I were getting some polyurethane for our porch swing. Every couple of years, we need to sand it down and give it several coats of new sealer. As we waited at the checkout at Menards, I noticed the customer in front of me was taking longer than usual. She had several of those heavy landscape pavers in her cart. She had questions for the cashier. The cashier was being patient with her.
The lady was still nearby when I was swiping my card to pay for the polyurethane. Once again I saw those heavy stones in her cart and asked her if she’d like some help unloading those pavers. She said, “Yes.” The cashier said, “Oh, we’ve got people to help. She rang her bell and made the call out for one of their young men to come.
As I punched in my PIN on the keypad, I notice she was starting to cry. I asked her if everything was okay. She said, “My husband died...Everything is hard.” I told her, “You’re not alone.” We walked with her. Finally, the helper came by, but I waved him off and told him, “We’ve got this.” I asked about her husband. She told me his name. He died almost a year ago.
Weston and I unloaded the pavers into her truck. She thanked us. Then she asked, “Can I get a hug.” I said, “Sure.” I gave her a hug. Weston gave her a hug. We may have prayed with her and told her Jesus loved her. Then, we went on her way.
Kindness unloads heavy blocks into a truck for widows. Kindness gives hugs in a parking lot to strangers and says a prayer with them in the name of Jesus.
Last week we noticed the first description of love that Paul lists in 1 Corinthians 13.4 is patient. The second description Paul gives about love is “Love is kind.”
God calls us to seek the good of others. Listen to another Proverb that shows kindness in action.
If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.
Philip Kenneson, in his book, Life on the Vine, writes, “Because the Greek word for Christ (christos) was so similar to the word for “kind” (chrestos), apparently many people mistakenly (though perhaps fittingly) called Jesus’ early followers not “Christians” but “the kind ones” (p. 137).
Christ’s kindness compels our kindness.
