A Manifestation Of Grace

You see, kindness for Mamie was about having someone to engage her in conversation. Think for a moment about your own life, the way you treat others…. the needy and the vulnerable. Finally, in concentrating on kindness; don’t worry about yourself. In being kind to others, I think you will find that your own fair share of kindness does not seem to matter so much.

Transition: Kindness and justice are important in glorifying God, and so is walking humbly with God.

III. WALK HUMBLY WITH GOD.

A. Has pride blocked your way in understanding what God would require of you? In Romans 12:3, Paul says that we should all “not think more highly of himself than he ought to think.” The man in the following story did not care about all the great things that he personally did for God. He just recognized all the great things that God did for him. A minister told this story.

ILLUS. Years ago I was standing by the deathbed of an old minister down in Alabama. The old man had been a preacher for fifty years. I saw his son, who also was a minister, kneel by his father’s bed.

“Father, you have preached for fifty years, and have done more good than any man I know.”

The old man, with feeble but distinct voice, said:

“Don’t tell me about that, son. Tell me about the blood of Jesus. Nothing but the blood of Jesus will do for a dying man.”

If a man who had preached for fifty years and who had lived a pure, straight life, in his dying hour had to rely upon the blood of Jesus Christ, don’t you ever think there is any hope for you aside from this atoning blood?

What can wash away my sin?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus

What can make me whole again?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus. —Bob Jones, Sr.

Transition: The three requirements of justice, kindness, and humility are not the only ways that we glorify God, but may contain a ‘kind of’ composition in glorifying God. In fact, these three things are reflected in Matthew 22: Jesus says, “Love the Lord thy God with all your heart, and with all thy soul, and all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it, Love your neighbor as thyself. Micah 6:8 has been called “the finest summary of the content of practical religion to be found in the OT.” Feinberg provides this summary: The piety that God approves consists of three elements: a strict adherence to that which is equitable in all dealings with our fellowmen; a heart determined to do them good; and diligent care to live in close and intimate fellowship with God.”

Conclusion: Why are we required, as slaves to a master; to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly? Because …. it glorifies God! In James 1:26-27, we are told; “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” When we do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God; we are a manifestation of His grace.