Overview
Rev. Jon Ryan examines “The Kindness of God” through Ephesians 2, Romans 2, Micah 6, 1 Corinthians 13, showing how love, kindness, david shape a believer’s relationship with God, daily choices, and service to others.
Transcript
Understanding The Kindness of God
The Kindness of God. If you take your Bibles and turn to Ephesians chapter 2, over the past couple of months we’ve spent a lot of time looking at grace and understanding more and more of what grace or the grace of God is. Building on this, I thought we could look at kindness.
Kindness in a real practical sense is one of the ways that we can share grace with one another. The dictionary definition or one of the dictionary definitions of kindness is to be benevolent in spite of ingratitude. I like that definition.
It’s where you’re nice to someone even if they’re not nice to you. It’s a much better way to live than to try to be vengeful and get them back and those kinds of things. Let’s look at Ephesians chapter 2 and in verse 4. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ.
By grace we are saved, and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. So as we go forward, God’s going to show us the riches, the depth of his grace through his kindness. That’s one of the ways it’ll be displayed is God certainly is benevolent in spite of ingratitude.
So many times in the Word of God and the Bible, we see people that to not walk with God, to not go in the direction that he had for them, the direction that would lead to the best result, and yet he didn’t just wipe them off the face of the earth. He was kind. He continued to be patient.
Go back a couple books here. We’re in Ephesians, go back Galatians, Corinthians, Romans chapter 2. And here I’m going to read this verse in the King James, but then I’m going to read it in the amplified version, which I love the rendering there. So Romans 2 verse 4 says, or despises thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance.
This is God’s love that leads us to repentance. Repentance is to change, to change the way you’re moving. As a parent, we can sometimes understand this.
The Biblical Foundation
Our children may be going in the wrong direction. And at times we may be inclined to get in their face and say, no, that’s the wrong way to go. And sometimes that’s really not going to work.
Maybe the better choice at times is to love them into changing. Here in this Romans 2 verse 4 in the amplified, we read, or are you so blind as to trifle with and presume upon and despise and underestimate the wealth of his kindness and forbearance and longsuffering and patience? Are you mindful or actually ignorant of the fact that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repent, to change your mind and inner man to accept God’s will? I love that, that that’s what God’s kindness is, is to lead us to make the appropriate change. We’re going to go back to the Old Testament.
If you go to Micah, Micah in the Old Testament, you probably haven’t been there for a while. Go to Psalms and Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Son of Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah. It’s about five, six books from the New Testament.
If you can find Micah, otherwise just listen, Micah chapter 6. And I’m going to read this verse also from the amplified because I love how it’s rendered here. Micah 6 and in verse 8, he has showed you, O man, what is good and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly and to love kindness and mercy and to humble yourself and walk humbly with your God. See, we’re to love kindness and mercy.
That means that’s what we want to practice, being kind to people, be being merciful. When somebody has done you wrong, we just don’t give them the deserved consequence. Instead, we just love them.
Go to 1 Corinthians chapter 13, and we’re back in the King James version. This is sometimes called the love chapter, and it has a lot of the characteristics and qualities of love. And in verse 4, as it begins to present what love is, the love of God, we read in 1 Corinthians 13, 4, charity, that’s the word that in this Corinthians, they’ve translated the word that other places has translated love, they put charity here.
So just you can substitute love. Love suffereth long and is kind. Love, this charity, love envieth not.
Love bonded not itself, is not puffed up, does not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil. So here’s some great characteristics or qualities of love, but the first two are love suffereth long or is patient, and love is kind. And that’s how we’re to be with one another.
Examples and Spiritual Lessons
We’re to be patient with each other. We’re to be kind. Be patient with yourself and kind with yourself.
Don’t be doling out punishment, whipping your back for making mistakes. Just realize God still loves you. Go to Titus, please.
1 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Thessalonians, Timothy, then Titus. Titus three and in verse four, but after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us. So again, it’s like God didn’t save us because of our works.
We did enough good works that we deserve to be saved. It was his kindness that motivated him to take care of us and giving us a brand new start. He washed away all the dirt and filth from us and says, you’re born again, and you get to start here and we can go forward.
And if we get ourselves dirty, we just say, God, thanks for forgiving me again. Thanks for what your son accomplished so that I can walk with you. And kindness is the basis of that.
Go to 2 Samuel in the Old Testament. 2 Samuel, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel. In 2 Samuel chapter nine, I think this is a great example of kindness.
This is an account here in this chapter, the King David. David, the great leader of God’s people, when he was first anointed or given the Holy Spirit, when Samuel the prophet came and chose him out from among his brothers, and he was chosen by God to lead God’s people. At the time, Saul was the king.
Faith in Action
Saul had been the first king of Israel. And Saul got corrupted in his leadership, listening to some of his counselors that didn’t have good intentions. They were directed by the adversary, God’s enemy.
And so Saul ended up pursuing after David. He became jealous of David and sought to kill him time and again. And yet David listened to God and he was able to stay alive and out of the clutches of Saul.
And eventually Saul died. And here, David had become a great friend of Saul’s son, Jonathan. And so David wants to do something kind for the progeny of Saul.
Even though Saul was trying to kill him, David recognized that he was chosen of God as the first king. And so there’s a point in 1 Samuel 22, when Saul is pursuing David and David had a chance to kill him, Saul was liberated into his hands, that David stepped up and said, Saul, why are you listening to men’s words who say that I seek your hurt? And Saul very sheepishly apologized that he shouldn’t be chasing after David. But then he went back to the company of these men that told him he needed to kill David.
So here Saul has died. And this is what David wants to do. We’re in 2 Samuel chapter nine, verse one.
And David said, is there yet any that is left in the house of Saul that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake? Jonathan was Saul’s son and David’s saying, Jonathan had also died in battle. And so David wants to take care of the family. And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba.
And when they called him unto David, the king said unto him, art thou Ziba? And he said, thy servant is he. And the king said, is there not yet any of the house of Saul that I may show the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet. So Jonathan, the son of Saul, who was very close in his relationship with David.
Matter of fact, in 1 Samuel 18, it says, Jonathan loved David. And so he has a son, but Jonathan has died and he’s got a son that’s crippled. He’s lame on his feet.
Walking in Love and Confidence
Verse four. And the king said unto him, where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, behold, he is in the house of Matre, the son of Amul in Lodabar. Then king David sent and fetched him out of the house of Matre, the son of Amul from Lodabar.
Now when Mephibosheth, that’s the son, that’s the son of Jonathan, that’s lame. When Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul was come unto David, he fell on his face and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth.
And he answered, behold, thy servant. And David said unto him, fear not, for I will surely show thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake. See, Saul’s family, Saul at the head of the family had pursued after David.
David as king didn’t have to do anything good to this family, but he’s being kind. In spite of the way he was treated, he wants to take care of this young man that’s crippled. And it goes on, and will restore thee all the land of Saul, thy father, and thou shall eat bread at my table continually.
David’s opening up his table, the king’s table. And Mephibosheth, you can eat at my table. And he bowed himself and said, what is thy servant that thou should look upon such a dead dog as I am? Then the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said unto him, I have given unto thy master’s son all that pertain to Saul and to all his house.
Thou therefore and thy sons and thy servants shall till the land for him. And thou shall bring in the fruits that thy master’s son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth, thy master’s son shall eat bread always at my table.
Now Ziba had 15 sons and 20 servants. So Ziba’s entrusted to take care of Jonathan’s son and to do all these things, till the land and bringing the fruit for him. Then verse 11, then said Ziba unto the king, according to all that my lord, the king has commanded his servant, so shall thy servant do.
Applying the Teaching in Daily Life
As for Mephibosheth, said the king, he shall eat at my table. That’s the third time it says that. He shall eat at my table as one of the king’s sons.
And Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Micah and all that dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of the Mephibosheth. So Mephibosheth dwelt in the Jerusalem where he did eat continually at the king’s table and was laying on both his feet. What a great description of being kind and just taking care of someone that didn’t deserve it, but just because David walked with the father.
Go to the back of your Bible, 1 Peter 3. Wow, we’ve got so many great examples of how we can live with one another, how we can take care of one another. In 1 Peter 3 9, well, let’s start verse 8. Finally, be all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful or merciful, be courteous, not rendering evil for evil or railing for railing, but contrawise blessing, knowing that ye are thereunto called, that you should inherit a blessing. Again, I’m going to read this to you in the amplified version.
Again, I’ll start in verse 8. Finally, all of you should be of one and the same mind, united in spirit, sympathizing with one another and loving each other as brethren of one household, compassionate and courteous, tenderhearted and humble, never return evil for evil or insult for insult, scolding and tongue lashing and berating one another, but on the contrary, blessing, praying for their welfare and happiness and protection and truly pitying and loving them. For know that to this you have been called, that you may yourselves inherit a blessing from God, that you may obtain blessing as heirs, bringing welfare and happiness and protection. What a great description of how to live with each other, to be kind, to not be exchanging, well, he did me wrong, so I’m going to do him wrong and that kind of worldly attitude, but to just be merciful, pitiful and kind towards one another.
Look at 2 Peter, the next book, 2 Peter chapter 1. Here’s a great description of how to live. Peter wrote these books, 1 and 2 Peter, at the very end of his life. As a matter of fact, in the next chapter, in chapter 2, it says he’s about ready to die.
And so this is like his last words as he’s going to die, God’s given him this great opportunity to write a part of the Bible. And in 2 Peter chapter 1 in verse 5, well, let’s look at verse 4, whereby, 2 Peter 1.4, whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature. That’s God’s nature.
We can, as we read the word, these promises, we can take on the nature of God, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience, and to patience godliness, and to godliness, brotherly kindness, there’s the kindness, and to brotherly kindness, charity, or love. For if these things be in you and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So maybe in the weeks ahead, we can look at these seven aspects that Peter says to build into the repertoire of your life, these brotherly kindness, and love, and patience, and temperance, and knowledge, and virtue, all these things that it’s really worth investing in your life in this way. Let’s close in Ephesians chapter 4. Ephesians chapter 4. We started in Ephesians 2, where we saw that God and his kindness and his grace has given us his gift of Holy Spirit. And here in Ephesians 4, at the very end of this chapter, Ephesians 4, verse 32 says, And be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
A Life Shaped by God’s Word
So we’re to be kind and tenderhearted towards each other. And when they wrote the word of God, when they wrote the Bible back centuries ago, there were no chapters. They weren’t put in until the 14th century.
So we would keep reading here from verse 32 to the next verse, Ephesians 5, 1. Be therefore, well, the therefore is connecting. Be kind and tenderhearted and forgiving. Therefore, be therefore followers of God as dear children.
And the word followers could be interpreted imitators. We’re to be imitators of God as dear children. As God is kind and merciful and gracious, we are to be kind and merciful and gracious.
And it says, And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor. That’s how we’re to walk, that a great example of being kind to the uttermost, Jesus Christ gave his life, laid down his life, because he loved us. Because God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should have everlasting life.
We can walk with the kindness of God in evidence and manifestation day by day. Gracious Heavenly Father, we are so thankful for your love, for your goodness, for your kindness towards us, that you so desire to take care of us. And you’ve given us the greatest example of all, your only begotten Son, that we can see how to walk with you.
We have these great examples throughout the word of your kindness, and people like David, extending that kindness to others. Thanks that that can be what we’re known for, Fathers, that as we move through life, that people see the kindness wherewith we conduct ourselves and where we love one another. Thank you for continuing to take care of us and provide for us those opportunities to be kind one to another.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Key Takeaways
- Thanks that that can be what we’re known for, Fathers, that as we move through life, that people see the kindness wherewith we conduct ourselves and where we love one another.
- I love that, that that’s what God’s kindness is, is to lead us to make the appropriate change.
- So here’s some great characteristics or qualities of love, but the first two are love suffereth long or is patient, and love is kind.
- And David said, is there yet any that is left in the house of Saul that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?
- And the king said, is there not yet any of the house of Saul that I may show the kindness of God unto him?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main message of “The Kindness of God”?
Rev. Jon Ryan examines “The Kindness of God” through Ephesians 2, Romans 2, Micah 6, 1 Corinthians 13, showing how love, kindness, david shape a believer’s relationship with God, daily choices, and service to others.
Which scriptures are central to this teaching?
The teaching draws especially from Ephesians 2, Romans 2, Micah 6, 1 Corinthians 13, 1 Samuel 22.
How can believers apply this teaching?
So here’s some great characteristics or qualities of love, but the first two are love suffereth long or is patient, and love is kind.
Scripture References
Ephesians 2; Romans 2; Micah 6; 1 Corinthians 13; 1 Samuel 22; 1 Samuel 18
This text was prepared from the teaching audio or source document. Please verify scripture references against your own Bible.
