The Christian Virtues - Kindness

It's good to see you this morning. I'd like to invite you to open your Bibles, but I'm not going to tell you where. Not just yet. You can just open your Bible. Just open your app.

No, seriously, if you've been around Redeemer for any length of time, you know that our normal approach to Scripture is to take a book of the Bible and go chapter by chapter and verse by verse.

We call this expositional preaching, and we are still committed to that. We're going to get back to that, but having just finished a lengthy sermon series in the book of 2 Kings, I would like to take a little different approach today.

I'm going to mix things up a little bit if that's okay with you. So for all you OCD people that need a journal, a Scripture journal, you just have to find a blank journal or a blank sheet of paper or whatever it is that you've got in your lap.

Because today I want to take a little bit more of a topical approach to preaching. I think that there are times when focusing in on a particular topic of Scripture can be helpful, and I'd like to do that this morning.

So today I'm going to begin what I'm going to call like a little series in the Christian virtues. Christian virtues. A virtue as in a commendable quality or a beneficial trait.

So if you want a definition, write that down. A commendable quality or a beneficial trait. Some would say that the concept of virtues dates all the way back to Plato and Aristotle, to the Greeks.

But if you've read the Old Testament, you will know that it dates back further than that. It dates back to the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes.

These books extol the value of many traits and behaviors that we would call virtues. Some of you might be familiar with the Proverbs 31 woman, famously called the wife of noble character or virtuous woman.

This is a woman of virtue, a woman of noble character. Today I'm going to start with the virtue of kindness. Kindness. Kindness. Because being kind is a virtue.

And I would argue that kindness, stay with me here, I think kindness is an underrated virtue. I think it's underrated in our lives. I think it's underrated in our homes and in our marriages and in our workplaces and everywhere we go.

And I think that kindness is easy to overlook. But when it's missing, when it's absent, I think it's glaringly obvious. Galatians chapter 5 lists kindness as a fruit of the Spirit.

Galatians 5 · chapter mention

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness. And it is. But you may not be aware, and you might find this surprising, I did, that the Apostle Paul in one of his letters refers to kindness as a weapon.

A weapon of righteousness. I want you to hear these verses from 2 Corinthians chapter 6. They should be on the screen behind me. 2 Corinthians chapter 6 verses 3 through 7.

2 Corinthians 6 · chapter mention 2 Corinthians 6:3–7

Listen to this. We put no obstacle in anyone's way so that no fault may be found with our ministry. But as servants of God, we commend ourselves in every way.

By great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger. By purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love.

By truthful speech and the power of God. With the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left. No obstacle to our ministry, Paul says.

He and his companions want to commend themselves to everyone. They don't want any barriers. And the way that they're going to do this is by, amongst other things, by being kind.

Through their kindness. Kindness is a weapon of righteousness. A weapon of righteousness for the right hand and for the left. What does that mean?

Well, that's a peculiar phrase. Scholars tell us that right-handed weapons. Sorry, all you lefties. You're going to say, here we go again. Right-handed weapons are the offensive ones.

The dominant hand. Like a sword. Whereas the left hand was the hand that you would typically hold the shield. Right-handed and left-handed weapons.

And by referring to these virtues like this as weapons, doesn't that tell us that they're meant for a fight? What else are weapons for but for a fight?

And what kind of fight are believers in? We're in a battle, a spiritual battle. We call it spiritual warfare. So, yes, what I'm suggesting to us is that kindness is an important weapon in the fight in spiritual warfare.

And you're sitting there saying, I thought only things like praying and quoting Bible verses were for spiritual warfare. But Paul says that spiritual warfare can be fought with the weapon of kindness.

Kindness is a key weapon. Kindness may win you some battles in this life. And in the next few minutes, I'd like to offer you some thoughts about kindness.

Better yet, some biblical examples of kindness. I want to share with you a few snapshots from Scripture where kindness either saved or preserved a family or literally stopped a massacre.

But before we go any further, let's pray. Would you bow your heads with me once more? Heavenly Father, we come to you. We just submit ourselves to your word.

Lord, teach us today through what you have preserved and written for us. Let your spirit be active in our hearts. And we pray this in the name of Jesus.

Amen. Egboula, I'm going to ask for just a little bump in the volume, just a bit. And if I get too loud, then somebody raise their hand. There we go.

Okay. As we dig into the topic of biblical kindness broadly, I want to do it with a series of questions. So we're going to get to that. If you're taking notes, I'll give you some questions.

But first, I want to walk you through one particular Old Testament story. And some of you are like, where do I turn? Where do I turn? You could turn to the book of Ruth.

The Old Testament book of Ruth, the eighth book of the Bible. Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth. And as you're finding Ruth, let me just try to set up this snapshot for us a little bit.

These are the days after Israel's exodus out of Egypt, but before the kings, before the monarchy. It's a period known as the Judges. And Ruth, who is she?

She is a Moabite woman who married an Israelite husband. Her husband's family were Israelites, but they had come to sojourn in the land of Moab because of a famine.

Long story short, as chapter 1 opens, we quickly realize that all three of the Israelite men in the story, the father, Naomi's husband, and her two grown sons, all three men, die in a relatively short period of time.

And so that leaves behind this Israelite mother-in-law, Naomi, and her two Moabite daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth. Well, Naomi decides that God must be punishing her somehow.

I mean, it is strange that all three men die. Maybe she's being punished for leaving her homeland. So in her distress and her bitterness, she decides that it's time to head back home.

But when her two daughters-in-law try to come along with her, Naomi is resolute in not wanting this. And she tries very hard to dissuade them.

Here's what it says in Ruth, chapter 1, verses 9 through 11. The Lord grant that you may find rest, each of you, in the house of her husband.

Ruth 1:9–11

She's telling them she wants them to have other husbands. Then she kissed them. And they lifted up their voices and wept. And they said to her, No, we will return with you to your people.

But Naomi said, Turn back, my daughters. Why will you go with me? Naomi goes on to point out, she says, You know, even if I were to get married again back in Israel and have more sons for you, by the time they grew up, you'd be too old to have any children with them.

It's useless. Orpah sees the reasoning. And we're told in chapter 1 that after she gives her mother-in-law one last tearful hug, she does bid her farewell and she returns to Moab.

But Ruth does not. We're told that Ruth clung to Naomi. We ask ourselves why. Why? Is it because she just really loves her mother-in-law? What a unique relationship, right?

That you love your mother-in-law that much. That you just can't be away from her. Well, it's that, yeah. But it's more than that, too. Ruth knows that Naomi is too old to ever remarry.

And that because of this, she is in a very precarious situation as a helpless widow. She's completely dependent. And if she goes back to Israel, she will be completely dependent on any remaining kinfolk

who, by the way, might not take too kindly to her because she ran out on them during the famine. And so in this incredible act from Ruth of self-sacrificial kindness, she chooses to stay with Naomi.

She's basically taking upon herself the same desperate circumstances. The story goes on. The two return to Naomi's hometown in chapter 2. And Ruth gets busy doing what the poor could do to survive.

Gleaning in the fields. Which meant you would come behind the harvesters and you would gather up anything that they had missed so that you'd have enough to eat.

This is a situation that the law, Israel's law, allowed for. But we know from different things in the prophets and other places in Scripture that a lot of times they would be mean to these people.

They would exploit them. And so it's a little bit of a dangerous thing that a woman, a vulnerable woman alone, is doing. Well, she just happens to choose the field of a man named Boaz.

And Boaz happens to be a distant relative of Naomi. Naomi, he notices her out in the fields one day and he asks his workers about her. He's like, who's the young lady?

And once he hears her story, he instructs his men to look out for her. He even comes to Ruth and tells her, I think you should just stay right here in my fields.

Don't go anywhere else. I'm going to have my men watch out for you. He talks to Ruth and tells her that her kindness to Naomi has made quite an impact on him.

And he hopes that the Lord will bless her for her kindness. Imagine that. Receiving kindness from this man as a repayment for her kindness to Naomi.

But it doesn't stop here because if you know the rest of the story, once Naomi realizes whose field she's been working in, she realizes that because he's a distant relative, he can serve as a kinsman redeemer for her.

This means that Boaz could take Ruth on as his wife and then any heir that their union would produce would essentially be like Naomi's own grandson.

You say, well, that's nice. She just wants to have a grandson. No, in the ancient world, much more than that. What this would mean is that her property, her lands that she had left could return to her because there's now a male heir.

Without a male heir, a woman could not get that property. So there's a lot at stake. And Ruth is willing. Think about that. She lets go of her homeland, her family back in Moab, and she goes all in for the sake of her mother-in-law.

And when she approaches Boaz and indicates to him that she's willing to marry him for this purpose, to take care of Naomi, this is what Boaz says to her.

Ruth chapter 3, verse 10. He says this, May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first, in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich.

Ruth 3:10

That's a peculiar phrase. Last kindness greater than the first. What's he mean? What he means is, I know you could do better than an older fellow like me.

Lots of younger men are out there. But you've done this, this last kindness to both me personally, and more importantly to your mother-in-law, Naomi, and it is greater than the first, meaning that original act of kindness from Ruth in sticking with her mother-in-law

and coming back here to Israel. Think about that. Kindness. Kindness is, in this story, you could describe it like a chain reaction. Ruth's kindness prompts Boaz's kindness, which in turn prompts even greater kindness from Ruth,

and it leads to the ultimate act of kindness from Boaz, because what he does is he undertakes the legal action necessary to redeem Naomi's land, and he marries Ruth, thereby saving Naomi's family.

Because after they married, they would indeed have a little baby boy. His name would be Obed, and Obed would grow up and get married, and he'd have a boy named Jesse.

And Jesse would grow up and get married, and he would have seven sons, and the youngest of those sons was David, as in King David. This is the line of Christ.

What an incredible story about the amazing things that can happen because of kindness. So I share that with you, hopefully to kind of hook you that this is not a useless or unimportant virtue.

I hope to pique your interest in this topic, but I want to probe a little bit more deeply now, and I think maybe the best way to do this is, again, to offer you a series of questions.

I'd like to offer us four questions that will help us organize Scripture's teaching on kindness so that you and I can get a biblical perspective on kindness.

And let me start with this first question, number one. Question number one is this. What is the nature of kindness? Or I should say, what is the nature of biblical kindness?

Well, the Greek word is krestotes. I'm not sure that's going to mean a lot to you. It's usually translated kindness, but sometimes we find it translated goodness.

But the term describes a heartfelt disposition that seeks the well-being of others in action. So it's more than just a feeling. It's a heartfelt disposition, yes, but it works itself out in action.

I think sometimes it's easy to confuse kindness with just being polite. And don't get me wrong. I think being polite is important. I've tried to raise my children to be polite.

I think you should do the same. We want politeness. But I'm trying to tell you that kindness is more than that. Kindness is more than Midwestern cordiality.

We do pretty well in the Midwest, don't we? I remember the first time we visited England, my wife and I about 20-some years ago. We were there, and we were in some tough circumstances.

We basically, a couple of young kids that didn't know what they were doing. I didn't book a hotel. The night was, you know, getting late, and I was just going town after town after town.

I couldn't find anything. I was really worried. I didn't know where we were going to stay. I was going to sleep in the rental car. And I would go to these hotels, and I'd go inside and talk to just the nicest clerk.

They were so polite, and they had absolutely no interest in helping me. But they were so polite. They're cheerio. You know, they would say, sorry, can't help you.

Cheerio. Kindness is more than just politeness. Kindness is doing something about it. Kindness is a visible expression of care. It's service.

And I would argue that our kindness stands out most when it is shown in the midst of a concern or a problem. And I think a great biblical example that might help us understand the fundamental nature of kindness is one that we find back in the book of Genesis.

So if you want to turn there, you can turn to Genesis chapter 50, very end of the book. Some of you know the book of Genesis and know that the last third of the book deals with the story of the patriarch, Joseph.

Genesis 50 · chapter mention

Joseph, one of the brothers of Jacob, sons of Jacob, Joseph was betrayed by his brothers early in life as a teenager. They threw him into a pit, intended to kill him.

One of the brothers said, no, let's just sell him as a slave, which they do. They sold him as a slave into Egypt. And his story is that God was with him.

And Joseph rose by God's grace to be second in command over all of Egypt. And then later famine brought his brothers to Egypt to buy food. And Joseph encountered his brothers.

And in this incredible act of forgiveness, after testing them a little bit, he forgave them. He revealed his identity to them. And soon they went and got their aging father and brought him back to Egypt so that the people would live, what would be the people of Israel.

This family would live. They were saved. Happy ending, right? Well, at the end of the book of Genesis, in chapter 50, old father Jacob dies.

And that's when the brothers, they all become really worried. They're thinking, Joseph's only been nice to us because dad's been alive. And now the dad's out of the picture.

Our brother is going to have his revenge. He's going to give us what we deserve. But here's what Genesis chapter 50 records in verse 19. Check this out.

Genesis 50 · chapter mention

Genesis 50, verse 19. But Joseph said to them, Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about, that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

Genesis 50:19

So do not fear. I will provide for you and your little ones. Thus, he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. He spoke kind words to them, but more importantly, he reassured his brothers that he was going to continue to care for them.

He backed up his words with actions. He spoke kindly and he acted kindly by letting go of the past, by promising that he would continue to provide for them and their families, which he did.

We ask ourselves, did they deserve this? No. Were they entitled to the good graces of Joseph's kindness? Not at all. But Joseph showed them kindness anyway.

So that's a little bit on the nature of kindness, but as Joseph's own words mentioned, there is something that we might call the God factor in kindness, and I think this is a good place to go on to our next question.

So question number two. Question number two is, what's the source of this kindness? What is the source, or maybe we should say, who is the source of this kindness?

Again, if you're familiar with Joseph's story back here in Genesis, then you know that Joseph, he went through a lot. From his descent to being thrown down into a pit by his brothers, to being sold into slavery down in Egypt, to rising up the ladder in Potiphar's house first, only to, what,

be cast down again with a false allegation of sexual assault? You know what was happening the whole time as Joseph did this up and down? He kept his eyes focused on something, or again, on someone.

He kept his eyes focused on God. And we need to understand that that is how and why he could speak those words that we just read to his brothers.

He says, you meant this. I'm no fool. I know what you were trying to do. You meant to kill me. And when you didn't kill me, you meant to just be done with me.

But God meant this. I can see what you did, and I can also see what God was doing in it. You did that, but God was doing this. Joseph could see that because his eyes were on God.

He could see all the kindness that God was showing him personally. He knew what the psalmist writes about in Psalm 145, verse 13. Listen to this.

Psalms 145:13

It says, the psalmist writes, the Lord is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works. God himself is kind. The Lord was kind to Joseph.

And now, from that source, Joseph was able to be kind to his brothers. The New Testament has a lot to say about kindness. We're told that it's out of this virtue, this virtue in God, God's kindness, that he initiated the plan of salvation.

Here's what Paul says in Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians 2, verses 4 through 7. He says, but God being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ, by grace you have been saved,

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention Ephesians 2:4–7

and raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that, in the coming ages, he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

He's saying that God showed the immeasurable riches of his grace, and he did it out of his kindness toward us. God didn't need to do this act.

Joseph's brothers didn't deserve the kindness, and honestly, neither did any of us in the human race. As a matter of fact, if we're going to talk about what we deserve, we deserve something else.

But in his kindness, God gave us Jesus. He didn't owe us a Savior, but he gave us one anyway. Paul even goes on in the book of Romans to say that because God has been so kind, you know, you shouldn't presume on it.

You shouldn't presume on God's kindness. He says in Romans chapter 2 verse 4, or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness was meant to lead you to repentance?

Romans 2:4

You say, well, how does a person presume on God's kindness? by not repenting, by refusing the offer of his son, by rejecting Jesus, as in fact, in Paul's day, many of the Jewish people were doing.

And that's why Paul would go on later in the same letter in chapter 11 of Romans to offer this warning in Romans 11 verse 22. Note then the kindness and the severity of God.

Romans 11:22

Severity toward those who have fallen, but kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you will be cut off. We know that Paul was talking about ancient Israel manifested in modern day Jews of his day.

And if we learn nothing else from the book of Kings and our study through that, we know that that's exactly what happened is they did not continue in God's kindness and they were cut off as a people.

So the root and source of all kindness is in God. And when we come to him and we accept his offer of Christ, we know that we get the Holy Spirit.

And what happens when we get the Holy Spirit is we begin to produce the fruit of the Spirit. And wouldn't you know, but one of those fruits, as we mentioned earlier, is kindness.

Let me read that verse for us in Galatians 5 verse 22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

Galatians 5:22

Against such things there is no law.

How about our next question? Question number three. Let's go on. Question number three is what is the value of kindness? What's the value?

Well, let's remember 2 Corinthians 6, that very first passage we opened with where Paul values kindness as a weapon. He says it's a weapon of righteousness.

How was it that he described it? A weapon for the right hand and for the left. Kindness as an offensive weapon and as a defensive weapon. Let's start with the defensive one.

How is kindness like a defensive weapon? Well, I think one of the more intriguing places in Scripture where we see this illustrated is in the book of 1 Samuel.

1 Samuel chapter 25. Again, if you'd like to turn there, you can. 1 Samuel 25 is a story from David's life. It's not a great time in his life.

1 Samuel 25 · chapter mention

It's a time when he was on the run from King Saul. King Saul wanted to take his life because Saul knew David had been anointed to be king. And David had been dodging Saul at every turn.

Fleeing everywhere. Even going down to the Philistines for a while. He and his loyal men were scrapping, just eating whatever they could find.

Samuel had anointed him king, but he's still running around and doesn't feel very kingly. And then what happens in 1 Samuel 25 is a very interesting thing.

It's almost so quick that you read right past it and you don't appreciate the significance. The first three words of the chapter. Verse 1. Now Samuel died.

That just struck me this week. You ever think about this from David's perspective? You've been anointed to be king and it hasn't happened? You've been running all over the place and somebody's trying to kill you with an army and the guy that promised you you're going to be a king that anointed you to be a king

just decides to go ahead and die. Imagine how David must have felt and I think that's important for what happens next in the chapter. David's a human being after all.

You think maybe he's a little frustrated? A little on edge? A little disillusioned? Well we go on in the chapter and we read of how he goes down to a place called Carmel and that there there's a rich man who lives a man named Nabal.

Nabal's got all these big herds of sheep and goats very well supplied. And David not only does he forbid his men from taking anything stealing anything from Nabal to eat.

His presence get this his very presence with his band of mighty men around him offers Nabal protection because David and his guys are around nobody else steals from Nabal either.

And really what David does is kind of a kind thing for Nabal. And then he sends word to Nabal and he politely very politely asked Nabal hey could we have some food for the guys?

We got a feast day coming up and I'd like to feed them proper. Would you be willing to give us a few animals? Nabal gets the request and he foolishly rejects it.

He sends David's men away and he says some very nasty very insulting things to David. And David hears back this insulting message and remember his state of mind.

And the first thing he says he looks at his men and he says strap your swords on. And he and about 400 of his men make a beeline for Nabal. They have the intention of going and killing every male in the household.

He is hot. He's angry. His kindness has been spurned. And he's literally on the war path. But on the way he gets intercepted not by a soldier but by a very lovely woman who also happens to be Nabal's wife.

Her name's Abigail. She's heard what's happened. And knowing the fool that her husband is by God's grace Abigail takes quick action to try to defuse the crisis.

She personally intercepts David and bows to him in honor. She's also brought along mules full of all these goods. She's got loaves of bread by the hundreds skins of wine clusters of raisins and cakes of figs.

And here's what we read in verse 23. 1 Samuel 25-23. When Abigail saw David she hurried and got down from the donkey and fell before David on her face and bowed to the ground.

She fell at his feet and said on me alone my Lord be the guilt. Please let your servant speak in your ears and hear the words of your servant.

And what Abigail goes on to do is she speaks some very wise words. She offers David a present. That's how she describes what she's brought. And she asks David for forgiveness.

She hasn't done anything wrong but she asks for forgiveness. And what effect does this have on David? He comes to his senses. He calms down.

He finds restraint. He even realizes that this would not have been righteous fighting that he was about to do. And he understands that the Lord has sent her to stop him.

This is what we read in verse 32. 1 Samuel 25 verse 32. And David said to Abigail Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel who sent you this day to meet me.

1 Samuel 25:32

Blessed be your discretion and blessed be you who have kept me this day from blood guilt and from working salvation with my own hand. For as surely as the Lord the God of Israel lives who has restrained me from hurting you unless you had hurried and came to meet me truly by morning there would not

have been left to Nabal so much as one male. Then David received from her hand what she had brought him and he said to her go up in peace to your house.

This is really a story all about kindness. David's kindness foolishly spurned and then David's rage being diffused by a simple act but very well timed act of kindness.

I think that's what I would call kindness as a weapon. Nobody drew a sword on David or a shield but what Abigail did is she brought a defensive weapon of righteousness with her kindness.

You could say she brought a weapon in the left hand with all of those bread and cakes and figs and she diffused a very volatile situation and brought healing.

I don't know about you but I can put myself in David's spot. I mean I've never been so angry I wanted to go kill everybody but I've been angry.

You know what really gets a person like me is when I feel disrespected. That makes me really hot my wife can tell you. I can take a lot of things but if I feel like somebody's disrespecting me I identify with exactly how David feels.

How dare. I wonder could there be a situation in your life or maybe some of you right now are in some kind of crisis and you need a defensive weapon of kindness to diffuse the situation.

I remember years ago I was trying to get a recommendation letter for a doctoral program. I needed one from a seminary professor and I picked the guy and I spoke with him and I followed that up with an email and then I spoke to him again and then I emailed him again and the deadline was getting closer

and there was nothing from him and I kept emailing and finally I started calling and leaving voice messages. The deadline was fast approaching I was kind of freaking out and then one day he found me on campus and boy did he lay into me.

He was very upset he chewed me out he said this is bordering on harassment you're going to give yourself a heart attack and he just kind of gave me an earful and I walked away from that and I was worried about what kind of a reference am I going to get now and someone said to me I don't remember who it was

somebody said oh I know what you should do take him to lunch I remember thinking that's silly he's going to see right through that take him to lunch I mean he's I'm a poor seminary student he's a wealthy seminary professor they're not really that wealthy but anyway I can't afford to take him for lunch but there was

a sandwich shop off campus you know we could walk to it and so I said alright I'll do it and so I called him up and I said alright doctor so and so can I buy you lunch can we go over and get a sandwich and boy did that radically change the relationship a dumb sandwich

it it was like I became his best friend and he must have written me a good recommendation because I got into the program a defensive weapon of kindness diffusing a situation okay let's talk about if we understand what a defensive weapon kindness as a defensive weapon is what is

kindness as an offensive weapon what does that look like and for this one I'm going to share with you a modern day story not one from scripture but I think you'll like this and maybe you're familiar with it it's the story of a woman named Rosaria Butterfield Rosaria Butterfield wrote a book years ago titled The Secret

Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert and in the book she tells the story of how she went from radical lesbian English professor to committed Christian Butterfield at the time before she was saved viewed all evangelical Christians as poor

thinkers judgmental meanies downright scornful people she says and she once decided she would publish a critique of Christians in her local newspaper what a nice thing to do right so great writer that she is English professor she writes this scathing critique of

Christians publishes it in the local newspaper in New York where she lived and got a huge number of responses she talks about how she placed two empty boxes on her desk in each corner and one box she says was for the fan mail you know people egging her on yeah those Christians and the other was for the hate mail

and she got a lot of mail she talks about how one day she got a very surprising response in the form of a two page letter from a local pastor in town here's what she says she says it it was a kind and inquiring letter it had a warm

and civil tone it asked me some very probing questions she just she says she couldn't figure out which box to put it in is it hate mail or is it fan mail because it was so nice to me it sounds like fan mail but it's from the enemy

so she says she left it right in the middle of her desk for a week for seven days it just sat there eventually she couldn't stand it and she went on to contact the local pastor and soon she struck up a friendship with him and his wife they started to ask her over for dinner

regularly started to converse with her answer her questions and out of a burgeoning new friendship grown out of a simple act of kindness some kind words she eventually came to Christ she got saved and she's now a pastor's wife and a

very well known Christian author what's the value of kindness I say it's a weapon it's a weapon of righteousness for both of our hands for the right and for the left well before we finish I want to get to our last question and we'll finish with this one question number four

it's a probing question because I'm going to ask you to think about your own life now question number four where is kindness the most important and hardest to show where is kindness most important and hardest to show

again I'm going to go back to a story from David's life second Kings chapter 19 because we're going to find that for David at this moment in his life it was hardest for him to offer kindness when he was experiencing a very all encompassing emotion and that emotion was grief

2 Kings 19 · chapter mention

the situation was this his son Absalom had led a rebellion and had basically taken the kingdom from David David almost lost his life but in a heroic act it's an amazing story David recovered his kingdom he wanted to have Absalom his son spared

but in the fracas his general Joab had killed him and David was devastated David even as he regained his palace went in and mourned and wailed and shut himself up in there loudly wailing and everybody outside knew it

and just like that on what should have been a great day for rejoicing all over the city for a great victory suddenly everyone in the city felt ashamed they felt like they'd done something wrong second Samuel chapter 19 verse 3 and the people stole into the

2 Samuel 19:3

city that day as people steal in who are ashamed when they flee in battle the situation was deteriorating fast general Joab knew it he knew that if David persisted in his grief like this making all of his faithful heroic men feel like losers

feel like bad guys he knew that the kingdom could slip away fast and he was slipping away fast he goes in and he says David you're hating the men who have done so much for you and you're loving the one Absalom who hated you he knew the king could lose it all lose his kingdom again

and I imagine him taking David and shaking him by the shoulders and here's what he said in verse 7 2 Samuel 19 7 now therefore arise get up go out and speak kindly to your servants for I swear by the Lord if you do not go not a man will stay with you this night and this

will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now and all it would take was a kind word from David a kind and generous word of thanks and appreciation to his men some simple

kindness Joab knew was all it would take to heal and save the day and it did sometimes it's an emotion like grief that's in our life that prevents us from showing kindness but you know sometimes it's another emotion a different emotion sometimes for some of us it's

irritability or frustration or disappointment anger you know what else sometimes I think it's an over familiarity with the people who are closest to us in our lives that makes it hard for us to be kind

you know David took for granted all those loyal men who had been like family with him they'd been living with him fighting for him and they were the ones who really loved him and yet he finds somehow hard to show them the kindness and I wonder sometimes if that can be true in our own lives struggles like this happen

in our own homes with those closest to us is it hardest for you to be kind toward your wife or toward your husband as a parent do you struggle to show God's loving kindness toward your kids it's great you provide for them it's great they have a

bed and food and school and all that but are you kind some situations are hard to be kind in sometimes you have a neighbor who's really annoying sometimes you have a very thoughtless co-worker sometimes you have a difficult boss or supervisor

sometimes you have a really difficult student or from what I hear students parents whatever your crucible is for where it's hard to show kindness remember is still worth showing it's incumbent upon you as a believer because of the amount of kindness

that's been shown to you by God so wherever your crucible is maybe it's on the road with other drivers maybe it's at a sporting event I mean how many stories of sporting events do we hear that there's just not much kindness maybe it's at your apartment complex or in your neighborhood or in your workplace

remember that kindness can be your weapon it's a defensive weapon and sometimes it's an offensive weapon but it all starts with its source in God you know that's why Paul in the place in his letters where he is most

direct and clearest in telling us to be kind what's he attached to it the gospel let me read it for you and we'll close with this Ephesians chapter 4 verses 31 and 32 let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you

Ephesians 4:31

along with all malice be kind to one another tender hearted forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you amen would you bow your heads with me and stand as we pray the team is going to come and we'll

sing a final song father we know that trying to grow in virtues without the spirit is very very difficult to impossible and so lord we surrender to your spirit lord some of us need much growth in this area

of kindness and others of us father are doing doing pretty well but we still need to grow deeper lord help us in whatever struggle in whatever situation i think it's safe to say for all of us there's probably some moment or some person or some scenario where it's hard to be kind so we pray for your help

we know that we have it we thank you that you have your spirit living in us lord and most of all we thank you that we have received and experienced your kindness to us that you lavish the riches of your grace upon us in your great loving kindness in jesus we

thank you and we praise you and we pray this in the name of our savior in jesus name amen quark so so as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as

as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as