Sermon Central
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Love Is Kind Series
Contributed by Jim Mooney on Feb 9, 2001 (message contributor)
Summary: Love is kind, in other words love looks for away to be condtructive not destructive.
LOVE IS KIND
TITUS 3: 4-7
1 CORINTHIANS 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
3:1 Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, 2 to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men. 3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
EPH. 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Message Truth: Relationships flourish when we learn to express kindness. Kindness is demonstrated through our actions towards others prompted by our own experience of God’s redemptive love.
LET ME ASK YOU A QUESTION. HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE EVER TAKEN LESSONS TO LEARN HOW TO DO SOMETHING OR IMPROVE AT SOMETHING YOU ALREADY KNEW? MOST OF US HERE HAVE TAKEN LESSONS OF SOME KIND TO IMPROVE OUR LIVES. HOW MANY OF US HAVE HAD LESSONS ON HOW TO BUILT BETTER RELATIONSHIPS? THAT’S WHAT THESE MESSAGE ARE ALL ABOUT. THROUGH THESE MESSAGES WE WILL LEARN TO IMPROVE OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD AND THEN IMPROVE OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH OTHER.
THE MOST IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIP THAT YOU AND I HAVE IS OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THROUGH FAITH IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. IF YOU HAVE NOT MADE JESUS THE LORD OF YOUR LIFE THEN YOU ARE STILL LOST AND IN YOUR SIN. A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD BEGINS WHEN YOU RECOGNIZE AND ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR NEED FOR HIM. WITHOUT THIS RELATIONSHIP YOU WILL NOT MAKE HEAVEN YOUR HOME. YOU WILL LEAVE THIS WORLD WHEN YOU DIE AND GO OUT INTO AN ETERNITY OF HELL WITHOUT CHRIST. IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THAT WAY. YOU CAN BE SAVED AND FORGIVEN OF YOUR SINS RIGHT NOW. GOD DESIRES TO HAVE A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU.
THEN YOU NEED TO LEARN TO BUILD YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHERS. YOU NEED TO BUILD YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THOSE WITHIN YOUR FAMILY, IN THE CHURCH AND ON THE JOB.
THE WAY YOU DO THIS IS BY LOVING PEOPLE THE WAY THAT GOD LOVES PEOPLE. GOD’S LOVE IS ACTIVE. THE LORD JESUS TALKED A LOT ABOUT LOVE, BUT HE DID MORE THAN TALK ABOUT IT HE LIVED IT.
I WANT YOU TO LISTEN TO THESE WORDS AGAIN THAT PAUL WROTE TO TITUS. TITUS 3:4-7 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
PAUL SAY’S THAT GOD SHOWED US KINDNESS AND LOVE. HE DID THIS BE WHEN WE DIDN’T DESERVE IT. THEN IN EPH. 4:32 PAUL TELL’S US THAT WE ARE TO BE KIND, COMPASSIONATE AND FORGIVING TOWARD EACH OTHER. THEN IN 1 CORITHIANS 13:4 HE SAY’S LOVE IS KIND.
LOVE TALKED ABOUT IS EASILY IGNORED, BUT LOVE DEMONSTRATED IS IRRESISTIBLE.
BEFORE YOU AND I CAN DEMONSTRATE KINDNESS WE MUST KNOW WHAT KINDNESS IS.
PHILLIPS TRANSLATION OF 1 CORINTHIANS 13:4 SAY’S "LOVE LOOKS FOR A WAY TO BE CONSTRUCTIVE."
LOVE LOOKS FOR A WAY TO IMPROVE ANOTHER PERSON’S LIFE, IT LOOKS FOR AWAY TO BUILD UP RATHER THAN TEAR DOWN.
ROMANS 15:2 Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.
ONE WRITER SAID THERE ARE 2 WORDS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT USED FOR KINDNESS.
1. ONE MEANS GOOD TOIL
2. THE OTHER MEANS TO FURNISH WHAT IS NEEDED.
TO GO A LITTLE DEEPER IT IS TO LOOK PASSED THE FAULTS AND FAILURES OF OTHERS TO SEE THEIR NEED AND WORK AT GIVING THEM WHAT THEY NEED.
THIS IS WHAT GOD DID FOR US HE LOOKED PAST OUR FAULTS, OUR FAILURES, OUR SHORT COMINGS AND OUR SIN AND SAW OUR NEED. THEN HE PROVIDED US WITH WHAT WE NEEDED.
THERE ARE 3 ELEMENTS THAT EACH OF US NEED TO GIVE IN ORDER TO SHOW KINDNESS TO OTHERS AND BUILD STRONGER AND BETTER RELATIONSHIPS. GOD GAVE EACH OF US THE SAME ELEMENTS. THEY ARE:
