Sermons
Nourished By Kindness
Series: TurbulenceNOURISHED BY KINDNESS
Sermon By Terry Siverd / September 20, 2020 / Cortland Church of Christ
This morning we want to visit another significant sub-topic addressed in book of Proverbs: KINDNESS.
ACTS OF KINDNESS should never be underrated. There is something quite marvelous about genuine random acts of kindness. An act of kindness need not be random or haphazard in order to qualify as genuine, every act of kindness has value. The fact that many acts of kindness are pre-planned doesn't make illegitimate or unauthentic. In Eph.2:10, the apostle Paul declares, We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. In Gal.6:9-10, Paul writes: And do not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity,let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. When Peter entered Cornelius' home, he told them about Jesus - - how He went about doing good (Acts 10:38).
In speaking of random act of kindness, I don't mean at all to minimize the impact of a well-thought-out deeds of kindness. As Christians, all of us ought to be thinking-in-advance about how we can be kind to others. In this sense, we all charged to participate in premeditated acts of kindness. Nevertheless, with that having been said, there is something truly beautiful about acts of kindness that are not prearranged - - acts of goodwill that simply flow spontaneously - - without any calculation.
In our daily readings in Proverbs we've encountered exhortations to kindness scattered here and there. Early on, in Prov.3:3-4, we read: Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. As a result you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man. Prov.3:27 urges, Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. Prov.12:25 (NEB) states, An anxious heart dispirits a man, but a kind word fills him with joy . Prov.19:22 records, that which is desirable in a man is his kindness... Prov.31:26 extols the virtues of a woman about whom it is said - - the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
One particular text that we want to focus on this morning is Prov.11:17 which reads: the merciful man does himself good, but the cruel man does himself harm (NASV). My sermon title for today comes from the Living Bible paraphrase of this passage - - Your own soul is nourished when you are kind; it is destroyed when you are cruel. The New Century Version reads, kind people do themselves a favor, but cruel people bring trouble on themselves.
Generally speaking, WHEN WE DO GOOD, WE FEEL GOOD.
Someone has said, “I've never worked so hard, but I've never felt so good.”
This quote reminded me of the testimonies of several youth-retreat campers (from the Falls) who had gone on a summer mission trip to Haiti a few years back. In sharing acts of genuine kindness they had worked diligently in the midst of a severely poverty-stricken community. They returned home exhausted but they felt sooo good. As I recall they came home with basically the clothing on their backs, having joyfully given away the bulk of their belongings.
YOUR OWN SOUL IS NOURISHED WHEN YOU ARE KIND!
I've been communicating with my old college roommate, Rick Murphy, quite a bit lately. Murph, as I affectionately call him, has been seriously ill over the last several weeks. This past week he is much improved he asked me to thank you for your prayers. He conveyed his heart-felt gratitude for simple acts of kindness in the form of others praying for him. Kindness is more than just the absence of cruelty. Kindness stands down indifference. Kindness is love in action, regardless of the size of the good deed done. This sermon and my renewed contact with Murph over the last few years has caused me to re-visit the past. I've always been a “practical joker”, as Murph would quickly confirm if he shared with you some stories from our time together at Harding University. He might tell you about “the Bird” or “the Cobb” or “the Tank”. And I could tell you about “the fire-cracker” (a joke others played on me). I am sincerely hopeful that years of playing practical jokes on my buddies doesn't disqualify me from being considered kind. I'm confident that Murph knows this - - I once helped save his sister, Beegie, during a monster snowstorm.
But on a more serious note, kindness is an indispensable Christian virtue. It paves the way for the sharing of the glorious gospel of Christ Jesus. We've all heard that saying, “People don't care how much you know unless they know how much you care.” Kindness is what I call a gateway virtue - - it opens the door for good things to come. It also beautifies our communal walk in the Lord - - who wants to be part of a church void of kindness? As Paul admonished, we are to be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other,just as God in Christ has also forgiven you (Eph.4:32). In 1Cor.13:4, Paul reminds us - - love is patient (and) LOVE IS KIND.
True biblical love cannot be fully exemplified without the proliferation of kindness.
Dispensing the kind of kindness that the Bible promotes comes with “no strings attached”. In other words, God's call for us to be kind to others does not hinge on whether they've been kind to us. In Lk.6:35 Jesus calls for us to love (y)our enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Kindness knows no barriers. In reading from Proverbs, I was struck how God's directive for us to be kind is so encompassing. Prov.12:10 states, A righteous man has regard for the life of his beast, but the compassion of the wicked is cruel. In this text righteousness or kindness is juxtaposed with cruelty. My brother-in-law rescued a pit bull, Bucky. He is one of the most-loving dogs you could ever meet. Pit-bulls have a history of being abused. The thought of training a dog to fight turns my stomach. Being a dog-lover, the specter of leaving a dog to freeze to death without food, water & shelter sickens me. In the revelation of the mind of God, this thread of kindness which ought to be woven into our humanity is so far-reaching that it includes how we treat our “beast” of burden. I've heard of farmers who sometimes smack their mules between the eyes with a two by four to get their attention. I don't think I could do it. Deut.25:4 states a God-give law for the ancient people of Israel - - you shall not muzzle the ox while he treads the grain.
I think the turbulence of the last year has opened wide the gates for this delicious virtue called kindness. In case you've not noticed, there is a lot of anger going on in our world. We may be hampered in our normal church outreach, but kindness can sometimes do its best work in a negative environment. With these wise words from Proverbs urging us onward, let us resolve to BE KIND TO OTHERS.
