SERMON: PURSUING HOLINESS: KINDNESS

 

5 August 2012

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Matthew 7:7-12

Matthew 7:7-12 (NIV)
7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?
10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?
11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

-- Bob didn't go to church -- in fact, Bob hadn't gone to church in a long time -- he used to be an active member -- he used to be involved -- but, then, something happened -- and he just didn't go anymore
-- it wasn't that he didn't want to go -- he just couldn't – you see, ever since the stroke, Bob was unable to go to church -- or to go much of anywhere, for that matter -- he couldn't dress himself -- he couldn't feed himself -- he couldn't bathe himself -- he was, what the church bulletin called, home-bound -- stuck -- stuck within the walls of his home in his bed -- stuck within his own memories as he watched life pass by through the windows of his suburban home
-- but then three men in Bob's old church started reading a book together called "The Three Simple Rules : A Wesleyan Way of Living" based on the rules that John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, applied in his life: Do No Harm -- Do Good -- Stay in Love with God
-- and as they read and studied this book together, they learned how these three simple rules could be lived out in our day and in our times
-- and it inspired them to do something more than just go to church -- it inspired them to do something more than just get together once a week to talk -- they wanted to do more -- and as they searched for some way to live out this biblical mandate in their life, they remembered Bob
-- one day – not long ago – Bob was at home, just looking out the window as he always did, when he heard a knock on the door -- his wife answered the door and these three men from their old church stood there, asking if Bob could come outside and play
-- Bob's wife explained to them that Bob hadn't bathed that day -- that he wasn't dressed to go out -- that she just couldn't handle taking care of him fully by herself every day
-- no problem, they said -- and they went to talk with Bob -- and, with his permission, they bathed him -- they dressed him – they put him in a wheelchair -- and, for the first time in many years, they carried Bob outside where the sun could shine on his face -- where the wind could blow in his hair -- where he could meet and talk with his neighbors again
-- and every day after that, at least one of those men dropped by to see Bob -- to help him bathe – to help him get dressed -- to take him outside or to the mall or to a restaurant or to church

-- in fact, Bob's probably at a worship service in Covington this morning -- all because three men decided to quit playing church and to start being the church

-- that’s what this passage from Matthew is all about – it’s about more than just coming to church on a Sunday morning and going home – it’s about more than catchy slogans or bumper stickers or little Jesus fish on the back of your car – it’s about being real – it’s about being like Jesus – it’s about being the church

II. Kindness
-- this morning, we are continuing in our sermon series on pursuing holiness through the fruit of the Spirit as described in Galatians 5:22-23
-- so far, we have covered love, joy, peace, and patience -- this morning we are covering the next of these on the list – kindness

-- what is kindness? -- what do we mean when we call somebody kind?
-- in our culture, this word has gotten somewhat of a bad rap -- the last thing most of us -- especially us men -- like to be called is“kind” -- kindness is something that describes little old ladies -- kindness is something that we use to describe our mothers and our grandmothers -- it’s not something that most men and, for that matter, most women want to be called
-- in our day, we view kindness as being just nice and meek and mild -- we look at kindness as a synonym for “sweet” -- and people who are kind as being weak -- but that’s not the biblical view of kindness
-- the Greek word for kindness that we see in the New Testament means more than just having a sweet and caring character -- it also means “being useful” to others -- it implies action along with character
-- so, to be kind in the biblical sense means you put your faith into motion -- kindness is “salvation in action” [Source: Debbie Pruden]

-- just like in the true story that I opened this message with -- those men showed kindness to their friend Bob -- not only by caring for him and loving him but by taking action to make a difference in his life -- that is kindness personified -- that is what we’re looking at developing in our lives as we pursue holiness through this fruit of the Spirit
-- to be truly kind to another person, then, involves some form of self-sacrifice -- it means giving ourselves to another person -- serving them through our actions, just as those three men served Bob by taking care of him and inviting him into their lives -- and speaking the truth in love to help those around us turn and follow our Lord

-- that’s the point that Jesus was trying to make in this passage from the Sermon on the Mount -- just to refresh your memory over this passage, at this time in Jesus’ ministry, many people had started to follow Him -- to hear His teachings and to experience His miracles of healing and deliverance in their lives
-- Matthew tells us that when Jesus looked around at the crowd of people who was following Him, that He went up on a mountainside -- most likely a large hill that rises near Capernaum west of the Jordan River -- and once He made it to the top and sat down, the people gathered around Him to hear His teachings
-- this passage that we are looking at this morning is in the latter half of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount as He’s finishing up His instructions on how to live as citizens of the kingdom of God

-- look back at verse 7 again

Matthew 7:7-8 (NIV)
7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

-- Jesus is giving an insight into the character and nature of God -- that same character and nature that we are seeking to imitate and replicate in our own lives

-- what Jesus is saying here is that God wants to bless us -- God wants to give us what we need -- we just need to turn to Him -- ask Him -- seek Him -- and He will show His kindness to us

-- in the same way, if we are to be like Him -- if we are to be holy as He is holy -- then we need to be people who seek to bless others -- people who meet the needs of others -- people that others can turn to and trust in their times of need -- people who are kind

-- verse 9 again

9 "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?
10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?
11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

-- Jesus is saying here that it shouldn’t come as a surprise that God wants to bless us -- that God wants to show His kindness to us -- after all, if one of our kids came to us and asked us for something that they needed, wouldn’t we give it to them? -- if they came and asked us to help them, would we give them something that would hurt them?
-- no, we wouldn’t do that -- we wouldn’t think of doing that -- and God is so much more kind and so much more generous and merciful and holy than us -- if we ask Him to show His kindness to us in this way, then He will surely respond
-- and then Jesus -- just like He does throughout this Sermon on the Mount -- ramps it up and takes it a whole ‘nother level
-- instead of just being kind to those who love us -- instead of just being kind to those in our family -- Jesus gives us a command here that is greater than ourselves

-- verse 12

12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

-- this is a verse that we all know -- even if didn’t grow up in church -- we all know this verse -- the “Golden Rule” -- do unto others as you would have them do unto you
-- now a lot of people get this verse wrong -- they take it out of context -- they divorce it from the overall teaching that Jesus has been giving and make it all about themselves -- for instance, when I started grade school, I got the sage advice from my parents, “If you want to get a Valentine’s card from someone, you have to give them one first” -- in other words, “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” -- and that’s exactly the way it worked -- you made sure that every kid that gave you a Valentine card got one in return the next year
-- we do that with presents, too, don’t we? -- while we might not say it, when we give a gift, we kind of expect to get something in return -- and if we get a gift, we kind of feel obligated to respond in kind
-- just last week, I got an unexpected gift from a coworker -- believe it or not, we just found out we share the same birthday -- and that morning, he came in and gave me a birthday present -- I was surprised and blessed by this, but I felt like I should do something for him -- I should go out and get him a gift too -- after all, this verse says, “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” -- if somebody gives you a gift, then you're supposed to get them a gift, right?
-- when you approach this verse in this manner, you’re going against the heart of what Jesus was teaching -- we’re making this verse all about us and not about the other person
-- that’s what happens when you take a verse out of context -- that’s what happens when you do things -- even Godly things -- with a wrong motive

-- look back at verse 12 again

12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

-- did you notice that little word in there at the start of the verse? -- some Bibles say, “Therefore” -- some say, “So” -- others say, “Because”
-- so let me ask you my favorite Bible study question on verses like this -- what is “therefore” there for? -- why does this verse include that word? -- because that little qualifier -- whether it’s therefore or so or because ties this verse to the teachings that went before it
-- what this means is that Jesus didn’t just give us the Golden Rule in passing -- He gave it to us in the context of God blessing us and showing His kindness to us -- and now He’s telling us, in essence, “go and do likewise” -- therefore, because God has blessed you and answered your requests, you go and meet the needs of others in every way -- in everything

-- not just your family -- not just those you love and care about -- but everyone you meet -- do for them what you would have God do for you -- be for them the hands and feet of God -- be for them the voice of God -- serve them and show God’s kindness to them

-- notice that I said this was God’s kindness -- it’s not ours -- it’s not something that we can do -- that’s why it’s a fruit of the Spirit -- being kind to others -- doing unto others as we would have them do unto us -- is not something that we can do in our own strength

-- we can’t love someone like God loves, unless we allow Him to love through us -- in the same way, we can’t show kindness to someone like God would, unless we let Him direct our actions and our thoughts and our attitudes

-- “doing unto others” is amplified kindness -- it’s faith with feet -- it’s hope with hands -- it’s salvation in action
-- this ain’t your grandma’s kindness -- this isn’t what we normally think about when we hear that word -- what we are talking about are intentional acts of loving kindness -- and what this looks like in our lives today is getting your hands dirty by going out and being the church to someone else
-- just like those three men taking care of their friend Bob -- this is what Jesus is talking about -- this is what we should be striving for in our life as we pursue holiness and seek to become more like Jesus in every way

III. Closing
-- so, how do we do this? -- how do we get past the point of being selfish and self-centered and move to the place where we are doing unto others from the heart?
-- well, first, we have to be open to the Holy Spirit within us -- we have to let Him lead -- we have to let Him work through us -- we have to let Him control our eyes and our ears and our hands and our hearts so that we might see the needs of those around us -- we might hear the cries of their hearts -- we might love them as Jesus loves them
-- and, second, we need to try -- there’s a bumper sticker that you might have seen that says, “Do Random Acts of Kindness” -- that’s not what Jesus wants us to do -- He wants us to be intentional -- to do intentional acts of kindness -- to serve others in His name
-- and, in order to do that, we’ve got to try and try and try again -- this means doing more than just coming church on Sunday mornings -- it means that we get outside these walls and into the world around us and we touch lives where ever we are and by whatever means are required

-- let me close by sharing with you a story from a friend of mine -- he is a bivocational pastor and, of course, is always short on time -- always running here and there -- he made arrangements to eat lunch with his wife and daughter at a McDonalds near his job
-- when he got done eating, he didn’t even have enough time to wait on his wife and daughter to get finished with their meal -- so he ran on out the door while they were still eating
-- as he went out the door, there was this guy sitting on the curb of the restaurant, obviously homeless, and the guy asked him if he could help get him something to eat -- my friend reached in his pocket and pulled out a dollar and handed it to the guy -- and without another thought, he ran out to his car and left
-- that night when he got home, his daughter was waiting for him -- she was so excited to tell him what had happened -- you see, as his wife and daughter left that restaurant, they saw that same homeless guy -- and he made the same request to them
-- but rather than just throwing money at the man and hurrying along, they carried him inside, and bought him a meal and sat with him while he ate -- feeding his body and his soul at the same time -- showing the kindness of Christ to another person simply because that was what Jesus had done for them
-- my friend -- as good a man as he is -- as good a pastor he is -- thought more about himself and his busy schedule that day than the person that God had placed in his path
-- his family, on the other hand, lived out the message that Jesus is giving us in these verses
-- do unto others as you would have them do unto you -- show kindness to others because of the kindness that God has shown to you

-- as I said, the kindness that we are being called to show is not of this world -- it is a supernatural kindness that only comes as we yield ourselves to the power of God and seek to become more like Him in all our ways
-- this type of kindness is a fruit of the Spirit -- and it is a quality we must develop if we want to be holy as God is holy -- if we want to be the people that He has called us to be
-- let’s pray