Introduction

• Our faith can’t just be a sideshow or a hobby.
• Your faith should make you different!

Kindness

• Being helpful and supportive
• Acting out of sympathy
• Voluntarily answering a need
• Being gentle and forbearing
• Usually not a big sacrifice

Examples of kindness

• Drawing water for a stranger – Genesis 24:18
• Ruth taking care of Naomi – Ruth 3:10
• Recovery of Saul’s body – II Samuel 2:6
• Anointing Jesus – Matthew 26:10
• Helping shipwreck victims – Acts 28:2

The power of kindness

• Kindness is an attribute of God
  • Psalm 100:5
• It is the example of Christ
  • Christ had all power on earth (Acts 10:38) and He used it to show kindness.
• We are called to embrace it
  • Deuteronomy 22:1-2
  • Proverbs 19:22; 31:26
  • Isaiah 58:6-7
  • Micah 6:8
  • Luke 3:11
  • Acts 9:36
  • Galatians 5:22-23
• It has the power to effect good

What does kindness do?

• It draws people together
• It engenders good will
• It shows the better way
• It defeats malice
• It draws us closer to God
• Matthew 5:16; Romans 12:21; Luke 6:35

Conclusion

• Showing kindness to others is central to our faith.
• It bears all the blessings, power, and goodness of God’s spirit.
• It is how we exercise His power.

Parent and child, continued:

Exercise tough love, continued

Ephesians 6:1-4

• Ephesians 6:1 – “for this is right”
  • This should relieve us of any guilt in asking our children to obey.
  • We want to get beyond mere obedience with our children. They need to obey with the proper attitude. We are trying to teach them how to serve God.
• Ephesians 6:2 – “Honor your father and mother”
  • Proverbs 1:8; 19:26
  • Both parents should be respected. Not just one!
• Ephesians 6:4 – “do not provoke your children to anger”
  • Ephesians 5:18
  • This is a not-but passage. Sometimes are children will be angry with us because they don’t like our decisions as parents. The emphasis here is on not causing them to be angry unnecessarily, driving them away from God.
  • Colossians 3:20-21
  • Ephesians 4:26, 31 – Anger itself is not necessarily sinful, but it can get that way if we don’t control it.
• Ephesians 6:4 – “bring them up”
  • This phrase is translated from the same word as “nourished.”
  • If, as a parent, you see something that needs correcting, speak up and do something about it!
  • I Kings 1:5-6 – David had never crossed Adonijah to correct him!

Introduction

• I Peter 2:12

React to events like a Christian

• Matthew 5:13-16
• Matthew 5:10-12 – Christians react differently to events.
• Acts 5:40-41 – They rejoiced after being beaten! They were happy to be persecuted for the sake of Christ.
• Philippians 1:12-14 – Good was coming out of Paul’s imprisonment.

Admit to past sin

• Galatians 1:23-24 – People glorified God because of the change they saw in Paul.
• I Timothy 1:13-15 – Paul’s life was an example of how Christ came to save sinners.

Say things that bring out the spiritual side

• Titus 2:7-8
• Every day is an opportunity to put something spiritual in someone’s mind.
• Acts 9:1; Romans 1:7 – Paul’s speech changed when he became a Christian.
• I Peter 4:11

Invite someone to learn about Jesus

• John 4:7-30, 39-42 – The Samaritan woman was one of the most effective personal workers in the New Testament. All she did was say, “Come see!”

• Hebrews 10:1-27
• Hebrews 10:1-4 – Under the Law of Moses, sins were remembered every year and the debt was rolled forward. When Jesus came, the debt was paid in full, never to be charged again.
• Hebrews 10:5-10 – Animal blood could never accomplish what Jesus’ sacrifice was able to do. The message of the Old Covenant was that Jesus was coming to take away sins. He took away the first covenant so He could establish the second. Note that in verse 10, “will” is God’s will – it’s not referring to a legal will and testament. It’s simply saying that Jesus came to do God’s will.
• Hebrews 10:11-14 – See Romans 15:25. The last enemy Christ will destroy is death.
• Hebrews 10:15-18 – The verse quoted here is Jeremiah 31:31-34. Jeremiah prophesied that God would make a new covenant with man.
• Hebrews 10:19-25 – Let us be sure that we are encouraging others to good works (Ephesians 2:9). As Christians, we should not be constantly complaining. In verse 25, the word translated “forsaking” means “abandonment.” The purpose of assembling is to encourage each other to love and good works (Colossians 3:16).

Introduction

• Titus 1:1

The journey may surprise us

• Genesis 37:2-11, 28, 36; 39:20; 40:14, 23; 41:1; 46:29-30 – There was nothing obvious about how Joseph’s story would work out!
• I Corinthians 10:13 – How will God keep this promise in various circumstances? It could be something we don’t expect. It could be through external factors or through my own practice and training.

Some promises have conditions attached

• Genesis 12:5-7 – God made this promise to Abram while he was standing in the land of Canaan! See Acts 7:5.
• Joshua 23:14-16 – The land promise was contingent on them continuing to serve God.
• Colossians 1:21-23 – The promise of salvation has conditions!
• Hebrews 3:1-14; 4:1, 11 – Stay faithful! Don’t fall away.

God can work out the details

• Genesis 17:19
• Genesis 22:2 – Abraham trusted God to work out the details.
• Hebrews 11:17-19
• I John 5:14

Conclusion

• God’s word is a solid foundation. Let us be thankful for His promises!