Kindness

Introduction:

Good afternoon students.

My name is Pastor Thomas. I have the privilege to pastor at Calvary Harvest and I have two wonderful daughters who attend this school: Eliza and Olive.

Today we’re learning about something everyone loves to receive: Kindness!

Let’s all say it together: Kindness!

Kindness isn’t just being nice—kindness is doing good to others because Jesus has been good to us.

Today we’ll learn about kindness from two verses in the Bible which will show us:

Why we should show kindness

How we show kindness

Ephesians 4:32 — Hand Motions

“And be kind to one another,”

🤲 Hands open in front of you, palms up (Showing kindness / offering help)

“tenderhearted,”

❤️ Place both hands over your heart (Soft, caring heart)

“forgiving one another,”

🔄 Make a sweeping motion outward with one hand, like erasing a mistake (Forgiving / wiping away the wrong)

“even as God in Christ forgave you.”

👆 Point upward for “God” ✝️ Cross arms over chest for “Christ” 🤝 Stretch hands out in front of you again for “forgave you” (Showing God’s kindness toward us)

Scripture #1—Why we show kindness

Ephesians 4:30–32 NKJV

30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

As Christians, we have been given the Holy Spirit. The third Person of the Trinity to live within us and to be with us as long as we are here on earth. The Bible teaches us that because we have been given the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, the Greek word parakletos we have been sealed. Meaning we are secure and safe in Him.

If you are truly a Christian, we have been given the power to conquer and to put away our sin.

Galatians 5:16 NKJV

16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

So how do we walk in the Spirit?

We live in accordance to the Word of God.

As verse 31 stated, “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice:” the only way we could put those bad things away from us, not to act on them and sin against God is through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Likewise the only way we can accomplish verse 32, “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another:” is also through the Holy Spirit.

Questions:

Who does this verse (32) say we should be kind to? (One another)

How kind was Jesus to us? (He forgave us, loved us, and died for us)

Main Idea:

Kids this means we show kindness because Jesus first showed kindness to us first.

Romans 5:6–11 NKJV

6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

Do you know why I love Jesus and why I love the kindness Jesus showed me?

Jesus didn’t wait until I was perfect to love me. He loved us when we were sinners. He forgave us freely. So we treat others the same way Jesus treated us.

Scripture #2—How we show kindness

Matthew 7:12 NKJV

12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Questions:

How do you want others to treat you? (nicely, fairly, kindly, include me, share with me, etc.)

Main Idea:

Kids, kindness means treating others the way you want to be treated.

If you want others to talk kindly to you, talk kindly to them. If you want others to include you, include them. If you want others to forgive you, forgive them.

This is kindness in action.

Illustration:

This mirror shows my face. But did you know God gives us another kind of mirror—His Word. When we look at the Bible, it shows us what our hearts should look like.

Questions:

If Jesus forgives us…should we forgive others?

If Jesus is gentle…should we be gentle too?

If Jesus is kind…don’t you think we should be kind also?

Kids, we show Jesus’ kindness like a mirror shows a reflection.

Story Time:

There was a boy named Lucas who always played soccer at recess. One day, he saw another boy sitting alone. Nobody wanted to play with him because he wasn’t very good at soccer. Lucas remembered the words of Jesus: “Do to others what you want them to do to you.” So Lucas walked over, invited the boy to play, and even taught him how to kick the ball. That small act of kindness changed his whole day—and his heart.

Questions:

What did Lucas do that was kind?

How did his kindness make a difference?

Application:

Who can you be kind to?

Brothers/sisters

Classmates

Teachers

The kids who feel left out

Even the kids who are mean to you

What does kindness look like?

Sharing

Helping

Encouraging

Listening

Obeying your parents

Forgiving when wronged

Including others

When can you show kindness?

At home

At school

On the playground

In the classroom

In the car

Anytime

Kindness is choosing to do good—even when it’s hard—because Jesus showed us kindness. Isn’t that incredible?

Gospel Moment:

Kids, the greatest kindness every shown was when Jesus came to earth, lived a perfect life, and died for our sins. He forgave us before we ever deserved it. When we trust in Him, by believing Jesus is our Master—our Lord, and that God raised Him from the dead, the Bible teaches us we are saved. And when we are saved Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit to seal our hearts and to fill our hearts with His kindness so we can share it with others.

Final Challenge:

This week, find one person you can show kindness to—even if they don’t expect it.

Try and make it a practice too:

Sit with someone new for lunch.

Help someone who is struggling.

Say something encouraging rather than belittling.

Forgive those who wrong you quickly.

Invite someone into your game or better yet, invite them to go to church with you.

Memory Challenge:

Ephesians 4:32 NKJV

32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Ephesians 4:32 — Hand Motions

“And be kind to one another,”

🤲 Hands open in front of you, palms up (Showing kindness / offering help)

“tenderhearted,”

❤️ Place both hands over your heart (Soft, caring heart)

“forgiving one another,”

🔄 Make a sweeping motion outward with one hand, like erasing a mistake (Forgiving / wiping away the wrong)

“even as God in Christ forgave you.”

👆 Point upward for “God” ✝️ Cross arms over chest for “Christ” 🤝 Stretch hands out in front of you again for “forgave you” (Showing God’s kindness toward us)