D.N.A. - Brotherly Kindness
Notes
Transcript
1 Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,
3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,
4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,
6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,
7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Kindness is compassion in action.
The opposite of kindness is brutality.
The Cultural call for brutality.
Nietzsche argued that cruelty is a source of pleasure and power, noting its presence in ancient cultures and its redirection inward by civilization. However, this is a complex view; he was not an advocate for gratuitous violence, but a critic of Christian morality and a proponent of overcoming, which sometimes involved a stark, even brutal, assessment of life and human nature.
Carl Marx believed this revolutionary violence could be "terror" to shock the system, and that the state, as an instrument of coercion, would be used to suppress the bourgeoisie. While he saw this phase as temporary, historical implementations of Marxism have been associated with widespread brutality and political repression.
This mindset helped fuel the tyrants of society into manipulation and brutality among others, for the purpose of control and political gain.
Both Nietzsche and Marx held views that are highly unbiblical and un are an insult to the teachings of Christ.
Instead, what we see is that the nature of Christ was one of Brotherly kindness.
Kindness is the opposite of Brutality, cruelty, and nastiness.
Now, Christ was not a tyrant, He was kind. But, neither was he a push over.
It has often been said that there is no hurt like church hurt.
Hardly a week goes by where I do not here a conversation from a pastor that will speak of the pain of ministry by church’s that are cruel in their words and actions.
Likewise, I continually hear from individuals who will either no longer go to church, or who are hanging on by a thread, because of church hurt.
Similarly, marriages that have been destroyed, or that are in pieces, because spouses can not control their tongues and actions.
Yet, these things should not be. This type of outcome only comes by the hand of those who do not partake of the divine nature of Christ.
For the bride of Christ, the church, brotherly kindness should be our mantra and what we are known for.
Yes, this type of testimony plays out in the churchB, but it begins in the home.
I. Words of Affirmation
I. Words of Affirmation
9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
II. Words of Encouragement
II. Words of Encouragement
40 So they went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia; and when they had seen the brethren, they encouraged them and departed.
13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
III. Words of Abstinence
III. Words of Abstinence
29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.
32 The place in the Scripture which he read was this: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth.
IV. Bearing the Burdens of Others
IV. Bearing the Burdens of Others
Empathy
There is a story of a farmer who decided to sell his dogs new pups. So, he went and nailed signs to his fence post. While he was driving in the last nail, he felt a tug at his leg.
2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.
V. Kindness in Action
V. Kindness in Action
32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Of all of the attributes of Christ nature, there may be none more important or Christ honoring than genuine kindness.
It’s not enough to think oneself kind. Kindness must be placed into action.
Now the truth is, none of us are kind all the time. We have moments of emotion, fatigue, and even hormonal struggles. Yet, just the same we are called to be kind.
