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Love Is Kind

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 & Mark 10:13-16

I. Jesus is kind to you in His caring deeds.

A.  In Mark 10, parents were bringing their children to Jesus to receive His blessing. But the disciples rebuked the children for coming to Jesus. They thought the children were a waste of Jesus’ time. But Jesus showed active kindness to the children by touching each one of them and blessing them. Jesus also showed active kindness to a leper in Mark 1:40-42. To touch a leper would make you unclean, but Jesus touched and healed the leper anyway.

B.  A final example of Jesus’ kindness is seen in the story of Jesus feeding 4,000 hungry people in Mark 8:1-3. The people were in a remote place with no markets to get food. They were in the Decapolis (Mark 7:31). He fed all these people by a miracle so they would not faint on their way home. The bulk of the crowd was probably not God’s chosen Jewish people. They were probably Gentiles. But Jesus was actively kind to people of a different religion.

II. Jesus is kind to you in saving you.

A.  Titus 3:4-6: “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior.” Christmas is about the appearance of the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior, Jesus Christ, who saved us by His mercy.

B.  What does Jesus intend to happen to you because of His kindness? Romans 2:4: “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” Why is Jesus kind to you? It is not so that you can keep on sinning! Jesus shows you undeserved kindness so that you might repent of your sin, turn away from sin, and receive His merciful gift of salvation by faith.

III. Jesus is kind to you in showing you mercy.

A.  Luke 6:35-36: “But love your 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 is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” Who is God kind to? The ungrateful and the evil. Neither the ungrateful nor the evil deserve the kindness of God. But God actively does good to the ungrateful and the evil every day. God gives such people food and clothes and jobs and water and heat and cars and homes every day.

Application:
Who might I intentionally show kindness to? Is there someone unexpected who I could bless? 

Sources:
The Gospels of Mark and Luke, the letters of Titus, Romans, and 1 Timothy
“Love Came Down at Christmas” by Sinclair Ferguson

Sermon Discussion Questions

1) What is the difference between kindness and niceness? What are some other examples in the Bible of Jesus actively showing kindness to people who did not deserve His kindness?

2) What is the connection between Christ’s kindness and your salvation? Did Christ primarily show kindness to those who deserved it or toward those who did not deserve it?

3) What makes it possible for us to show kindness to the ungrateful and the evil? If Jesus could show kindness to the Apostle Paul, could he not also show kindness to the people you know who are far away from God?