The kindness of God
Matthew 5:38-48 New Living Translation (NLT)
38 “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’[a] 39 But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. 40 If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. 41 If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile,[b] carry it two miles. 42 Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.
43 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’[c] and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies![d] Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. 46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47 If you are kind only to your friends,[e] how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. 48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Let’s pray….
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I remember being perfect once (Joking)
A couple of years ago I was newly married I went to my first movie that Ariel picked, without my input, I was trying to be a good husband.
Cinderella
One thing that struck me about Cinderella is this theme of the movie that kindness is powerful.
Look at your neighbor and say: “Kindness is powerful”
Now say something nice to your other neighbor
Have you ever been having a bad day and someone in a shop is kind to you?
You know, you walk into the store and someone genuinely smiles and says hi
when you make a mistake and you expect to be beraated but you are met with an empathetic kindness
Kindness can comletely change a persons day
“that person restored my faith in humanity”….
Kindness can completely shift a situation.
When tension is high, people are angry, a kind word can completely diffuse that anger.
Proverbs 15 says a kind answer turns away wrath.
I know that if I have upset Ariel, rather than say sorry over and over, after apologising once I’m better off to do or say something genuinely kind.
The other thing about kindness is that it often doesn’t cost us too much.
Other forms of love can be very costly. But kindness is often very easy.
“Hey you know the other day when you did that thing, yeah I was really proud of you, I think you did a really good job”
Hey, you look really beautiful today….
Kindness can diffuse a situation
Let me ask you this:
“What’s your reputation?”
Make a decision tonight to become known as a kind person.
Jesus tells a story of a kind person, and in the story it’s not the christian who displays God’s heart of kindness, but a smaritan, the enemy of the people of God.
Luke 10:25-37 New Living Translation (NLT)
25 One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?”
27 The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”[a]
28 “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!”
29 The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road.
31 “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 32 A Temple assistant[b] walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.
33 “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. 34 Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins,[c] telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’
36 “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.
37 The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.”
Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”
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Kindness in powerful, but It doesnt make us powerful.
It makes us vulnerable
kindness itself ministers something more than human to people. More than the expected human response.
Kindness ministers God’s heart to people.
The Bible shows that God is kind.
All throughout the bible this is how God reveals himself to people
This phrase or description of God is echoed throughout the old testiment - in multple psalms, Exodus, Numbers, Nehemiah, the prophet Joel and Jonah.
They all say this description about the Character of God
-Gracious and compassionate
-Slow to anger
-Abounding in steadfast love
The rofit Jonah even gets angry with God about his kindness, God tells Jonah to walk through the city of Ninevah and prophecy Judgement and doom, if they don’t turn from their sin. The people respond amazingly with national repentance and so God relents and chooses to be kind.
Jonah 4:2 New Living Translation (NLT)
2 So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people.
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So we know that God wants us to be kind to others,
and we know that God’s heart towards humanity is kind,
but you need to know that God also looks to you with kindness.
Let’s have a look at this psalm together:
The Psalm is a genuine prayer written down by a person. and he’s saying this to God
Psalm 25:7-10 New Living Translation (NLT)
7
Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth.
Remember me in the light of your unfailing love,
for you are merciful, O Lord.
8
The Lord is good and does what is right;
he shows the proper path to those who go astray.
9
He leads the humble in doing right,
teaching them his way.
10
The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness
all who keep his covenant and obey his demands.
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(MSG)
7
Forget that I sowed wild oats;
Mark me with your sign of love.
Plan only the best for me, God!
8
God is fair and just;
He corrects the misdirected,
Sends them in the right direction.
9
He gives the rejects his hand,
And leads them step-by-step.
10
From now on every road you travel
Will take you to God.
Follow the Covenant signs;
Read the charted directions.
Can i have the band up?
Let’s stand
1. Make it your mission to become a kind person.
2. If you don’t know him tonight you might relate with this one last story:
There was a Woman with issue of blood
Called out “unclean unclean” she couldn’t be in contact with people otherwise they would be made unclean and would need to wash.
Ashamed and embarrased but she saw Jesus, He was kind to those that society rejected
He was also powerful to cleanse and heal
She shouldn’t of touched a rabbi, but she understood that he was no normal rabbi.
So she reached to him, she believed that he was both powerful and kind. She believed that his purity was more powerful and potent than her uncleanness
His clean-ness, couldn’t be marked by her uncleanness.
and her faith in him, in his power, in his purity, and her faith in his KINDNESS made her well.
Tonight if you don’t know him, know that his purity will cleanse you of your sin and your shame, he will make you clean,
so you can reach out to him
no matter how dirty you are, he will will make you pure, and he is kind.
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