Sermon Tone Analysis

iLove: Kindness

Thesis: Kindness is meeting someone’s needs with the resources available despite the cost

Goal: That God’s kindness for us would motivate us to be kind in return

Text: Topical

Introduction

Title Slide

!! A.   Review

!!! 1.

Last week, we kicked off the iLove series on relationships by looking at a list of virtues commonly called the “Fruit of the Spirit.”

These fruit are qualities essential to relationships: our relationship with God as well as with people

!!! 2.    Knowing that it takes more than a worship service and a Sunday morning message to grow spiritually, we’ve put together everything from scripture memory cards to recommended reading lists to adult education classes on relationships.

But, probably, the most important means we have of studying and applying these concepts is in our small group ministry.

Ask people who are doing the study to raise their hands.

!!! 3.    A new technology that we thought we would try – texting to an email – some of the questions:

!!!! a)     What if the hokey pokey really is what its’ all about?

!!!! b)     If the professor can make a radio out of a coconut on Gilligan’s Island, why couldn’t he fix the hole in the boat?

!!!! c)      When cheese gets its picture taken, what does it say?

!!!! d)     Do fish get thirsty

!!!! e)     Why do kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

I’m kidding!

Those come off of www.boston.com

– an article listing stupid questions in honor of “Ask a Stupid Question Day”

This idea of texting a question during the sermon is real – I’m open to your questions – we know that you are out there texting – we can see you – at least put your texting to good use.

!! B.   Last Week’s Topic

!!! 1.

I told you last week, how excited I was to be studying this fruit of the Spirit because these virtues are all different aspects of God’s love – like a prism that breaks color free from light, the fruit reveal the colors of God’s love

!!! 2.    Studying these fruit has also heightened my conviction that they are the greatest demonstration of our spiritual maturity.

!!!! a)     In Matthew 6 – Jesus said you could be fasting, praying and giving to the poor but not honoring God

!!!! b)     In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus said you could drive out demons and perform miracles and be unrecognizable to Him.

!!!! c)      In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul says you can practice supernatural spiritual gifts, possess tremendous knowledge, give away fortunes to the poor and die a martyr but still gain nothing.

!!!! d)     All throughout the bible, each one of these virtues is equated with God’s love.

Each one is also equated with Christ’s very character.

To pursue godliness, to truly become like Christ, spiritually mature, we need to grow this spiritual fruit in our relationships.

!!! 3.

Last week, we looked at Patience.

Transition: This week, we’re looking at Kindness – LET’S PRAY

!

I.      Surrender to God’s Kindness

!! A.   Defining Kindness

!!! 1.

Typical Kindness

!!!! a)     We like kind people, primarily because they do nice things for us

!!!!! (1)   Open a doors

!!!!! (2)   Carrying heavy parcels

!!!!! (3)   Say nice things to us

!!!! b)     These are good things but once again, our English translation of the term that Paul used is woefully inadequate.

Kindness as the bible uses it means so much more than doing some nice things.

!!! 2.    Biblical Kindness

!!!! a)     This is what I think he means by kindness:

Slide 2

Kindness is meeting someone’s need with the resources available despite the sacrifice involved.

!!!! b)     Paul’s term is more synonymous with words like “charitable and compassionate”

Think of the work that we’re doing in Malawi:

!!!!! (1)   This tiny village is overwhelmed by a tragedy that they can’t manage.

They don’t have the resources to meet their desperate need.

They had no one to help them.

!!!!! (2)   Our response to their need ($10K at year, $60K for disaster mitigation,  sponsorship of over 100 children, sending team across the globe to visit & encourage them) cost us quite a bit of sacrifice and is what Paul means by ‘kindness’

Transition: But when we think of God as being kind, He takes our definition in a direction we couldn’t imagine.

!! B.   God’s Kindness

!!! 1.    Listen to Christ’s description of kindness (it comes from your bible study)

 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?

Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them.

And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you?

Even ‘sinners’ do that.

And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you?

Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full.

Slide 3

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.

Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, (why) because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

(Luke 6:32-36 NIV)

!!!! a)     Christ’s description of kindness is an over the top demonstration:

In the larger context of this passage, He talks about giving away clothes, lending money freely, submitting to injustice and praying for our persecutors.

!!!! b)     I have a movie clip that demonstrates the kindness that Christ is describing:

The movie, “To End All Wars”, tells the true story of Scottish prisoners in a Japanese POW camp during WWII.

In this clip, a truck load of wounded Japanese soldiers is brought into the camp:

VIDEO CLIP

This is not simple kindness – but it is God’s compassion and charity.

Transition: How does God demonstrate this type of kindness?

Who are enemies, the ungrateful, the wicked that He loves with kindness?

!!! 2.    Let’s look back to last week

!!!! a)     Last week we said that God’s patience is the power He exerts to hold back His wrath in order to rescue our souls.

!!!! b)     We asked the question, “What makes God so angry?”

It’s a big question that we answered with a little word: “sin”, describing it as:

!!!!! (1)   Totally ignoring God, mostly ignoring God or rejecting Him outright

!!!!! (2)   Using Him to get what we want out of Him

!!!!! (3)   Making Him into what we want Him to be instead of accepting Him as He truly is

!!!!! (4)   Anything that uses people for our own gain, callously ignores their needs, cheapens their dignity and disregards their worth

!!!!! (5)   For the most part, sin is mutiny – saying to God, “I don’t want you, need you nor will I follow you.

I want to be in charge of my own destiny – like we have the power to do that

!!!! c)      I also said God held back His anger against sin for centuries as He waited through human history for Christ to come – then He poured it out on Christ as they found the means to bring justice and compassion together

!!! 3.    Here’s the issue for today: how did God bring justice and compassion together?

– His kindness – think of the definition:

!!!! a)     meeting someone’s need – what’s our greatest need?

!!!!! (1)   Our greatest need is to take care of that sin.

Sin has

!!!!!! (a)   deformed and corrupted our nature – we have to be healed in order to reach our full potential as humans

!!!!!! (b)   amassed a great deal of injustice that needs to be addressed

!!!!!! (c)   broken down our relationship with God beyond our repair

!!!!! (2)   sin has us messed up that we are

!!!!!! (a)   the enemies that oppose His work and His ways

!!!!!! (b)   the ungrateful who receive His gifts daily without any appreciation

!!!!!! (c)   the wicked that hurt, deceive, manipulate, control and wound

!!!!! (3)   We are the enemies that God has chosen to love

Transition: that’s our need but what is the resource God has to meet it?