Be Ye Kind!
Dorothy Dalton
Midland SDA Church
January 15, 2011
1 Cor 13: 1 to 8a
It is good to be in God’s house this morning, isn’t it? To be with God’s people, thinking about God’s truth. It is good to give thanks to Him for the things He has done, Right?
Prayer
Here we are starting another new year and like many of you I made a self assessment. First, I found that my future is shorter than what I have left behind. That made me sad. And when I evaluated the progress that I had made spiritually it also made me sad. For, I read verses like Matthew 5:24 “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” and in Leviticus 19:2 where Moses was told by God “Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel and say unto them. Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy. And Eccl 7: 20 tells me “There is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good and sinneth not.” So, what hope do I have? Discouragement would come easily except for what I read in Gen 17:1 “ Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram and said….walk before me and be thou perfect.” I am thankful that I still have some time and that it must be possible to be perfect. Because God would not have set an expectation that could not be met. And so I find comfort in 2 Peter 3:9 (NCV) “The Lord is not slow in doing what he promised---the way some people understand slowness. But God is being patient with you. He does not want anyone to be lost, but he wants all people to change their hearts and lives.” I have asked Charles McDonald to sing a song that goes along with the fact that we are a work in progress.
Song: “He’s still working on me” Charles McDonald
As I continued my study and self appraisal I was encouraged by 1 John 4: 7-8 (NAS) “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God….for God is love.” So, if God is love: that is easy, right? I love warm weather, my cat, desserts, my son, my friends, family and Jesus. Love is easy, right? But, what is this elusive perfection that I am expected to attain. “Perfection as defined in the dictionary as faultlessness, a perfect condition, without defect.[1] This seems impossible to me however, I do love Jesus and God is love. And In John 10: 30 (NEV) Jesus tells me “My Father and I are one.” Therefore Jesus is love. And so my search begins with that 4 letter word, L-O-V-E. And we will spend our time this morning looking at 1 Corinthians 13 and stories of Jesus to see if we can advance toward the perfection that we need.
I have chosen to focus on verse 4 “Love is kind,” and have titled this message “Be Ye Kind.”
I had scarcely begun working on this message when I received requests from three different people, wanting to give testimony to the kindness of Jesus. A young couple wanted to talk about how Jesus had been kind to them at their wedding. (John 2: 1-11) It seemed the wedding had gone a little long and they may have had a few more guests than anticipated and before they knew it, they were out of wine. Jesus was present at the wedding and when His mother informed Him of the problem, he dealt with it. (DA pg 144) tells us “He showed His sympathy with men and His desire to minister to their happiness.” He met their need by taking water and turning it into wine. It was His first miracle. It occurred in a small town called Cana in Galilee. People are still talking about the power of that miracle: how Jesus could turn water into wine. But, for this young couple, even more impressed then they were with the power of Jesus, they were impressed by the kindness of Jesus. That He would be so kind as to deliver them from social embarrassment.
And then there was another person who wanted to give testimony to the kindness of Jesus. (Luke 1: 1-10) His name is Zacchaeus. He was a sharp looking, short fellow, wearing a classy, Italian suit. He lives in a big house on the edge of town. But, “don’t let the big house fool you,” He said. “It is very empty. “No one has ever come to visit me, in my house. But, I don’t blame them; after all I built the house by skimming money off their taxes. So, why should they come and see me?” Yes, I lived in a big house; but, never had a guest until the day that Jesus came to town. He looked up at me sitting in a tree and said, “Zacchaeus, I’m coming to your house today.” Right there in the middle of town, where everyone could see and hear. He didn’t have to do that you know. He could have just talked to me on the side of the road, but that wasn’t enough. He knew how my house was empty and so He came to fill it up. That was very kind of Him. That was unbelievably kind!
But, perhaps the most touching story was the story of woman, who had been sick for 12 years told in Matthew, Mark and Luke. She suffered from a hemorrhage, and had spent all her money on remedies and doctors only to be pronounced incurable and her hope was gone. But most of all it left her with no friends. You see the condition left her ceremonially unclean. She could not go into a house of worship. She could not even live with her own family. For 12 years she carried the stigma of this disease, until the day Jesus came to town. She had heard of the cures that Jesus performed and her hope was revived. He was going to the house of a prominent leader in the city, because the daughter of that leader was dying. .Hence the crowd was large and the crowd was in a hurry. People were pressing in on Jesus. But, she was desperate and had begun to despair, when He came near where she was. “The golden opportunity had come but amid the confusion she could not speak to Him…Fearful of losing her one chance of relief, she pressed forward saying to herself, If I may touch His garment, I shall be whole.”[2] As He passed she threaded her arm through the crowd until she could reach out and just touch the hem of His garment. And when she did, she knew in an instant the bleeding had stopped. Instantly her pain and feebleness gave place to the vigor of perfect health. And when she did, the crowd knew in that instant because the Savior had stopped. “Who touched me,” he said. The disciples questioned Him. “Who touched you? Everyone is touching you. There are people all around touching you!” “No, No! Who touched me?” He said. There is touching and then there is touching. And in just a moment the divinity of Jesus had healed the woman before the humanity of Jesus had seen the woman. That is how responsive Heaven is to our touch. And so Jesus stopped and he asked “Who touched me? The lady shrank back. A dozen years of social rejection will cause you to be timid surrounded by people. And Jesus asks, yet again, “Who touched me?” And finally she spoke up. She came shaking with fear and knelt down in front of Jesus. Then she told him the whole story. The whole story, I wondered. The whole story! Who could remember the last time this woman had the ear of somebody to hear her tell her story? But now, even with the daughter of the most prominent man in the village, in critical condition; with the people hurrying Jesus; with the disciples anxious to get there; Jesus stops everything and says, “no, I want to hear her story. I want to hear her whole story.” I want to know every detail; I want to know every problem. I want to know how long she has been sick, how many nights she has been awake, how lonely she has felt, I want to hear the whole story. How kind of Jesus. It was the power of Jesus that healed her body but it was the kindness of Jesus that restored her dignity. And if that was not enough for Him to stop everybody in the village to hear her story, She said, “As if he hadn’t done enough already---her eyes began to water---He called me daughter.” “Daughter” He said, “Be of good cheer.” Who could remember the last time she had been called daughter? “Your faith has made you well. Go in peace.” he said. (Her story is recorded in Matthew 9: 20-22; Mark 5: 25-34 and Luke 8: 43-48)
The kindness of Jesus:
kind enough to save a couple from social embarrassment
kind enough to have lunch with a crook and
kind enough to bless a weak “daughter”.
We think, often, and well we should, of the power and the passion and the devotion of Jesus. But, those who knew Him well and those who know Him well speak also of His kindness.
· Nehemiah declared, “You are God, ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abundant in kindness. (Neh 9:17 NKJV)
· David agreed, he said, “Your loving kindness is better than life” (Ps 63:3 NASB)
· Titus 3: 4 speaks of the kindness and love of God our Saviour (Titus 3:4 NIV)
· Paul is exuberant when he announces “Now God has us where He wants us, with all the time in the world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus.
· Saving is all His idea and all His work. All we do is trust Him and let Him do it! (Eph 2:7-8 Msg)
· But the sweetest reference to the Kindness of Jesus comes from the lips of Jesus, Himself, when in Matthew 11:30 He said, “Come to me, all ye who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you shall find rest for your soul. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
The word “easy” in this passage is the same word that Paul uses in 1 Cor 13 when he says, “Love is kind” In other words, Jesus is saying: “My yoke is kind.”
Now, an ancient farmer would not read that expression with a puzzled expression like I do. He understood that, because many times, perhaps, he had trained an ox by yoking the younger ox to a more mature ox with that wooden harness that would be set over their shoulders yoking them together. The more mature ox, however, would be the only one upon whom the straps would be tightened. The other ox would feel no burden because the belt would hang loose. And so the older one would do the work and the other would have the easy yoke. And Jesus says, “Now, my yoke is easy. I come along side you and I pick up the burden and carry it. I will walk with you anywhere you go through life. I will carry the weight for you. I will carry your sin, your regrets, I will carry your shame, I will carry your anxieties and worries.” I wonder if even this morning you can begin to think of some ways that God is carrying some burdens that maybe you didn’t even know He was carrying? Have you been through those phases in your life when you think I should really be stressed out, but I feel peaceful? “A peace that passes understanding.” (Phil 4:7) Could it be that Jesus is coming and lifting that yoke? He will if you let Him! Maybe some activities that should leave you confused, all of a sudden you have clarity: is it that Jesus is coming and lifting that yoke of confusion from you? How often do we thank Him for His kindness? Luke tells us “He is kind even to people who are ungrateful and full of sin.” (LK 6:35 NIV)
He is the model of kindness”. We gain a lot in understanding kindness if we look, not just at the “Man of kindness”, but also if we look at the definitions of kindness. The World Book dictionary defines kind as doing good; friendly, sympathetic; gentle, humane. Ephesians 4:32 admonishes us; be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another. The word that Paul uses here in 1 Cor 13 when he says love is kind is really a note worthy word. It means : “To be considerate; one who is ever seeking to reveal by word and deed an understanding sympathy for, and appreciation of, the struggles and difficulties of others. The idea is that under all circumstances of life, whether harsh and provoking, painful or sorrowful, love is mild and gentle.” [3] It is interesting that this word was sometimes used to describe food that was both tasty as well as healthy. Wouldn’t you love to find something like that! J But that usage makes sense. Isn’t kindness good and good for you? The same word described here as tasty and useful. So, a person who is kind, is nice and helpful, skillful, thoughtful and practical, good and good for you, able, skilled, trained, has something they can bring to your life in a practical and kind fashion. That’s what kindness is. Doesn’t Jesus fit this description? Willing to listen to the saga of a sick woman, able to go into the kitchen of a busy wedding celebration and stir things up, or step into the house of someone that no one else will visit. He knows how to say or do the right thing, fix the right or wrong thing. He knows how to be kind.
Now that you begin to understand what the word means, couldn’t you add your testimony to the testimony of those three groups, as well? Hasn’t he helped you out of a few jams? Hasn’t God been kind to you? The Bible says, “whoever is wise will observe theses things and they will understand the loving kindness of the Lord.: (Ps 107:43 NKJV) Hasn’t He come into your house? Hasn’t He heard your story?
You see it is the power of Christ that dies on the cross for our sins, but it is the kindness of Christ that has Him do so with love in His heart. It is the Omnipotence of God that created the world, it is the kindness of God that makes it so beautiful. How majestic of God that he gave us a body; how kind of Him that He gave one that laughs____ and it cries. How mighty of God that He could suspend the stars; how kind of God that He have them rotate in seasons. How strong of God that He dug out the oceans, but how kind of God that He gave us a sunset and a sunrise. He didn’t have to do that. But, our God is very kind.
That may be a part of the understanding of God that we often miss. It may be that neglected virtue of God that is often overlooked. It is easy to hear about God and leave out some of the key parts of his characteristics and His attributes.
We’re kind of like the man 92 years of age who went to the doctor. The doctor checked him out. The next day the doctor saw him walking down the street with a beautiful young blonde. And the doctor walked up to him and said, “You must be feeling better.” The 92 year old man replied, “I’m just doing what you said!” The doctor said, “What’s that?” The old man said, “You, said to get a hot momma, and be cheerful.” And the doctor said, “That is not what I said! I said, you have a heart murmur, so be careful!” It is not uncommon for those of us with hearing problems to misunderstand simple instructions; how much greater the tragedy of misunderstanding the kindness of our God.
It is easy, however, to miss out on some of the messages of God and one area that we don’t want to be hard of hearing in: is understanding the kindness of God. Jesus is the man of kindness! Remember Jesus said, “I and my Father are one!” May God, our Father, help you this morning to see Him as a man of kindness, also. To be kind is to be useful in someone’s life. It is really a little more than being nice. A little more than just being pleasant. It’s taking a wench in your hand, it is writing a check, it is being kind. The Bible says, “Whoever is wise, will observe these things and they will understand the loving kindness of God.” (Psm 107: 43 NKJV) Now that you understand a little more about the kindness of God, I wonder if I could urge you to think about the kindness of your own heart.
You see the motivation of kindness is to create kindness in our heart, as well. Paul said, “Do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness, and tolerance and patience? Not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance.” (Rom 2: 4NASV) The kindness of God leads us to repentance? Repentance from what? Repentance from rebellion; repentance from sin; but, also repentance from unkindness. How can we who have been treated so kindly; treat others with unkindness? Love, Paul writes, if you really love, you are kind!
There is a sense in which all this talk about kindness may sound sort of wimpy. We like to think about more noble virtues like courage, or devotion. You may attend seminars on strategizing and team building I have never heard of or attended a seminar on kindness. The apostle Paul might urge us to have one though; because, right on the top of the pyramid he says love is first patient and then kind.
As we close this message I want to challenge you to raise your kindness quotient. Think for just a few minutes about the people with whom you live; with whom you deal. Think about your family, start with those who live under the same roof, as you. When was the last time you did something kind for your family? Get a blanket, clean off the table, wash the dishes or put them into the dishwasher; all without being asked! When was the last time you were simply, kind? What about your school or work place? Is there someone in your arena of service or education, who like the woman with the hemorrhage is overlooked by everyone else? Maybe a shy student, or grumpy employee, maybe someone who doesn’t speak the language well; maybe they just don’t fit in. How could you be kind to them? What about your acts of kindness in public? You may not like what I am about to ask you. But, when someone in traffic needs to cut in and you have moved to the correct lane for the construction and you are in that long line waiting to make the turn and then somebody comes along with their blinker on looking from car to car…who’s going to let me in. who’s going to let me in?______ That’s where the rubber of Christianity meets the road of reality!
How are your acts in public? Your neighbor’s trash can rolled out into the street. You know they would be humiliated to know their trash was all over the sidewalk. Would you be kind enough to pick it up? In church, you know perhaps the neediest person you may meet all week is standing in the foyer or seated in the row behind you. Paul says, when we have an opportunity to help anyone, we should do it! But we should give special attention to those in the family of believers. (Gal 6:10) And here is a challenge! What about your enemies? (The boss who fired you, the spouse who left you, the teacher who failed you) Paul (Eph 4:32 NKJV) says, be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another even as God in Christ forgave you. Jesus said, “Love your enemies do good to those who hate you and bless those who curse you. If you love only the people who love you, what praise do you get. Love your enemies, do good to them and lend to them without hoping to get anything back. Then you will have great reward and you will be the children of the most high God, because He is kind even to people who are ungrateful and selfish. Show mercy just as your father shows mercy. (LK 6: 27-28; 32, 35-36 NIV)
Kindness at home; kindness in public; kindness at church; kindness with your enemy; pretty much covers everyone, don’t you think? Well, almost! And yet there is one other person, who needs your kindness. Who would that be? Yourself! Yourself! We are so hard on ourselves, aren’t we? Nobody knows all of our mistakes, more than we do! And nobody reminds us of them on a more regular basis, than we do. We are so hard on ourselves! You see we are hard on ourselves because we not only know what we didn’t do, we know also what we wanted to do but never did. You see somebody in a nice position or respected place in society and you remember I use to have that dream. We are hard on ourselves. We know the things we did and we know the things we didn’t do and those secret thoughts that no one else knows. We know those times our mind wonders down the trail of accusations, before we can retrieve it and bring it back. We know the times we have lusted or coveted and complained because our prayer was not answered as we wanted. And so we are hard on ourselves. But God knows every thought you have ever had., every mistake you have every made, every dream that has never been realized. That has not diminished his kindness one bit! Not one day has he said, Dorothy, for all those times you have really messed up, you don’t get a sunrise today, I think I will diminish your air supply, just a little bit! I’m going to reduce some the power of the cross in your life. He doesn’t do that! He knows us better than anyone else and He continues to shower us with His kindness!
I wonder if God would have you look at yourself and say I have made some mistakes, I have stumbled a time or two but, I know God loves me., the Bible tells me so (Numbers 23: 19 NIV) “God is not a mortal that he should lie, not a man the he should change his mind, has he not spoken, and will he not make it good? I accept His love and I’m going to be kind to myself! I’m not going to beat myself up because of memories of yesterday’s failures. God has forgiven them and I’m going to forgive myself. I’m not going to beat myself up with anxieties about tomorrow, I’m going to be kind to myself and especially to those in my circle of influence.
We give you thanks Father, for being a kind father
We give you thanks Jesus, for being our example of kindness.
And all the church said, Amen.