What is kindness?
Notes
Transcript
What is kindness?
What is kindness?
Intro
Be kind.
Something so elementary yet so hard to master for many of us.
It does not take much to look through a facebook feed or on the gram feed to see that people are pretty mean.
We like to share negative post, post that put others down, we say things that are harmful over helpful.
Think back to the last couple of years, what are some things that were said about you by others that stick with you?
Are they mostly the negative stuff or are they more positive.
I would guess we tend to dwell on the negative over the positive.
We spend lots of time trying to not have people think negatively about us.
We spend hours getting ready, buy the newest and best clothes, we spend lots of money on personal beauty or handsomeness just so we do not get mean or nasty comments.
Because we have heard others talk about us, or maybe they just come right out and say they do not like you and they put you down, they are mean and ruthless.
Know that we are all feeling a little down, how many of you do this to others?
How many put others down?
How many are mean rather than kind to others?
Now that we are even further down the trash shoot— here is the good news.
What is interesting about kindness, patience and goodness as mentioned in Galatians 5 is they are a characteristics of God intended to be reproduced by the Spirit in God’s people.
Patience which John Peterson talked about last week looked at Matthew 6:25-34 and we know that we can Trust in God.
We know that we can wait and trust.
Kindness is displayed by God to us.
So that we can go and display kindness to others.
God does not make fun of you nor does God humiliate you.
He is not mean but is the root of kindness and love.
Now God does not give you a free pass.
There is a difference on love and enabling someone.
Sometimes we feel like our parents are being mean to us or unkind when in reality they are looking out for us.
God does this as well.
We may not feel all happy and go luck when we are convicted of sin— which is respond GOOD!
You shouldn’t conviction is meant to sting a bit.
Look at what Paul writes in Romans 2:4.
Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
When we compare ourselves to God we are lead to repentance since we cannot match up to God.
God’s kindness is perfect and right.
and has already been displayed to you!
When we stack up our goodness, our kindness and yes our patience to God we loss every time.
There is no one more good, or more kind, or more patience than God.
Here is where being unkind comes into play.
What do you think causes us to be unkind?
Maybe that is a good question for your breakout leaders and you to discuss.
I think we tend one of the most unkind things we can do is withhold forgiveness.
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Forgive one another as Christ forgave you.
Who here likes that we are forgiven by Christ?
Everyone’s hand should be up.
Yet why do we hold grudges?
Why do we not seek restitutions?
Why do we not run for forgiveness?
Instead you know what we do....
We blast them, we say horrible things, we are mean!
We are unkind.
I want to leave you with this.
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers as some have entertained angels unawares.
Now this may not translate easily today so lets back up in the time this was written.
May people believe that Paul wrote this week, but moving along.
Back when this was written, travel was really hard and Paul is saying here open up your house and let strangers come in and stay.
We say this today and it sounds crazy.
Hebrews: An Introduction and Commentary (i) Exhortations Affecting Social Life (13:1–3)
In the Middle East, hospitality is a means of friendship. To invite a person to a meal is to extend fellowship to him. It is against this background that the exhortation, Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers (philoxenia), must be considered.
While we may not have a stranger knock on our door for food, this can still apply for us today.
Think about people you come in contact with daily, are any of them people you treat well or do you put them down instead.
Is it possible that you have entertained angels unaware?
Maybe?
So from today forward, make the commitment to be kind to everyone whether they deserve it or not because you did not deserve God’s kindness but he gave it to you anyway.
And that is reason worth forgiving and showing kindness.
Remember we are off next week! but we look forward to being with everyone the following week Sept 6th at 6:00 at Bethel.
We are planning to be outside, but that will be a that day decision.
For the next serval weeks, be kind and love one another and know that you are loved!