Mother’s day sermon – 2007

1) Gracious, kind, friendly, delicate, considerate, with a smile, willing to help.

2) All these qualities are related to something.

3) You may be thinking that they sound a lot like motherhood, and that would be true.

4) The Word of God relates them to something else.

5) From the portion of 1 Cor. 13 that was read we heard some qualities associated with love.

a) The second item on Paul’s list is a term translated word “kind.”

b) I want to introduce this word from an event from World War 2.

6) Solomon Rosenberg was taken to a Nazi prison camp. He was not alone.

7) His wife, two children, his mother and father were also sent with him.

8) This was a labor camp and the rules were simple: if you worked, you lived.

9) If you were to sick to work, you died.

10) One day Solomon watched as his weak parents were marched off for execution.

11) As sad as that was, he turned his attention to one of his children (David). David was a very frail child.

12) One day Solomon came back from his work and could only fine one of his sons, and it was not David.

13) His other son told him David had been taken. The father then asked about his wife – where was the mother?

14) When the soldiers came for David, the mom took his hand and said, “Let’s go together.”

15) A mother accompanied her son to his death and she was willing to die right along side him.

a) Unless something is drastically wrong, mothers are associated with kindness.

b) Today we want to relate the word kindness in 1 Cor. 13 to mothers.

16) The word Paul used means all the things described moments in my opening remarks.

17) One of the things we notice about the word “kind” in 1 Cor. 13 is that it is a verb.

a) Verbs describe action.

b) By saying “love is kind,” Paul means that those who have this quality demonstrate it.

c) If a person is friendly (one definition of the word translated “kind”), that is an action.

d) Most of us would prefer a mother who is friendly instead of unfriendly.

e) A second definition we gave for kind was “delicate.”

f) There are times in life when we want a delicate hand.

18) 20 years ago I was willing to donate blood and I did that whenever asked.

19) One day the bloodmobile came by and there was a nurse who was not delicate.

20) She ravaged my arm multiple times and it finally looked like it had been injured in an auto accident.

21) She was so rough I have never again donated blood.

22) Kindness includes the idea of being delicate and this is a great quality.

a) In today’s world, delicate is not always portrayed as a desirable quality.

b) Society has told women than can be just as tough as men.

c) Men and women with any sense realize the value of a woman who understands delicacy.

d) That is a commendable and Biblical quality.

23) Another of the definitions associated with kindness was “a smile.”

a) What child wants to come home and see his or her mother with a grim look on the face?

b) When someone has a look that is unwelcoming, people do not feel like approaching him or her.

24) Out of curiosity I called a local Wal-Mart this week; I warned the manager this was going to be an odd call.

25) She laughed and then said my questions were indeed out of the ordinary.

26) I asked her to tell me a little about Wal-Mart and kindness – do they have a “smile policy”?

a) In essence they do. A big part of Wal-mart’s corporate philosophy is the 10 foot attitude rule.

b) If a Wal-mart employee is within 10 feet of you, there is to be some type of recognition and greeting.

c) Too, having a positive attitude is stressed again and again to all Wal-mart employees.

d) Managers are supposed to help instill this information in employees by personal example.

e) Then the manager shared this point with me. If you every apply at Wal-mart for a job, smile.

f) In the interview process they pay attention to smiles. Friendliness counts at Wal-mart.

g) This giant corporation wants kindness from their employees.

27) God said “love is kind” (friendly, sociable, ready and willing to help).

28) Wal-mart probably paid a lot of money to figure out what has been in the Bible for a long, long time.

29) Mothers who demonstrate this quality will stand heads and shoulders above all others.

THE VERB KIND IS FOUND ONLY ONCE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, AND THIS SINGLE PASSAGE IS 1 COR 13:4.

a) This same basic word is also used as a noun and adjective.

b) In its adjective form we find it in Mt. 11:30.

c) Jesus said His “yoke is easy” (the same basic word in 1 Cor. 13:4).

d) If a mother applies the quality of kindness, she will in many ways be like the Lord.

2) In life most will find a kind woman to be a desirable woman.

3) A woman who is not kind will normally have few friends and lots of adversaries.

4) When we study this word another passage comes to our attention; it is found in Lk. 6.

a) This passage also uses the word “kind” in its adjective form.

b) In this text we read about God.

c) We also read about the need to love our enemies.

d) The information we want comes from the end of verse 35 – READ.

5) God is “kind” to the unthankful.

6) “Kind” is the basic word we have in 1 Cor. 13:4.

7) This passage is certainly appropriate for a day when people are thinking about mothers.

a) How many mothers are asked to be kind when someone is unthankful or unkind to them?

b) Raise a child and both a mother and father will find times when there is thanklessness.

c) Even in the adult years a child may not be thankful.

d) Great mothers (and fathers) work to still be “kind” when there is not thankfulness.

e) A reason for acting in this manner is that God functions in this same way.

8) The quality we are looking as has been defined as “being sweet to all.”

9) Back in the Old Testament (Prov. 19:22) a writer said, “kindness makes a man attractive.”

10) Attraction is a strange thing.

a) For some, attraction may be related to how tall someone is or is not.

b) Attraction may be based on weight, eye color, hair color, age, ethnic background, or something else.

c) A quality that is almost universally attractive is kindness.

d) A mother who is kind has one of the best traits anyone can possess, and it is an attractive trait.

11) Quite often on days such as this attention is given to the final chapter in Proverbs, Prov. 31.

12) There the writer spoke of the “worthy woman.”

13) Do we recall what he said in the 26^th verse of this chapter?

14) The “law of kindness is on her tongue.”

a) There is the type of tongue that speaks rashly and makes cutting remarks (Prov. 12:18).

b) Then there is the type of speech that is like honey (Prov. 16:24).

15) Anyone who is kind with their speech and actions can expect good things.

16) Certainly this will not be true in every instance.

17) There will be times when goodness is rewarded with evil.

18) Kindness does offer many advantages.

a) Consider the story of Lydia in Acts 16.

b) It was a Sabbath day (Acts 16:13), and some women were gathered for prayer.

c) Paul was one of the men who spoke to these women.

19) Have we ever considered that these women could have been unkind to the apostle?

20) They could have said, “This is our group. It is our time together and you are not welcome.

21) “Go find another group of people to bother.” These women were kind.

22) That kindness led to something. Verse 14 says God opened this woman’s heart.

a) How did God do that? If it were supernatural, Paul would not have been needed.

b) Paul presented the gospel and that message made an impact in the life of a woman.

c) Kindness is one quality that will let the gospel come into a person’s life.

d) Meanness and stubbornness can be traits that keep the gospel from taking root.

23) Lydia was then baptized (verse 15). In Acts 16 Luke does not explain the reason for the baptism.

24) Early in his book he does tell us why people were baptized.

25) Acts 2:38 says people were baptized to become Christians.

26) Peter told people on the Day of Pentecost, “repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins.”

27) This woman did that. After she became a Christian, her attitude towards kindness did not change.

28) Verse 15 says she invited the guests into her house.

29) Not only was there an invitation, Luke says she “constrained” these men to come and stay.

30) A woman’s kindness helped her find God and salvation.

31) Kindness is a wonderful quality and it is demonstrated in so many ways.

32) One illustration of this is found in Rom. 16:18.

a) Paul said there were false teachers who used “fair” speech.

b) Paul knew of people who would talk and sound so kind.

c) They would appear to be so good, so loving, so compassionate, so considerate, so beautiful.

33) Paul’s point was, “all that kindness is fake. It is lying flattery.”

34) People can be kind but they do not mean it. Kindness is sometimes an act; only a show.

35) We find cases where people are deceived time and time again and that is so sad.

a) With the word used in 1 Cor. 13:4, there is no sense of deceit.

b) Kind means kind; good, helpful, cheerful, willing to help, delicate and friendly.

c) No one will display these qualities at all times in their lives, but this is the goal.

36) This is the standard that God has given for His people in 1 Cor. 13.

37) When mothers demonstrate this trait, they need to be recognized.

38) Fathers are under this same obligation, and kindness will make them great dads.

39) Even children can learn and apply this trait in their lives.

40) Kindness does not need to be limited to adulthood.

41) There are those who do well with kindness and they are not Christians.

42) We see this illustrated from the life of Lydia in Acts 16.

43) How much better it is to be kind as a Christian. Today we have that opportunity.