Thesis
Drawing from 2 Samuel 9, Pastor Bill shows that biblical kindness — the Hebrew word chesed — is far more than being cordial or polite. It is an active, covenant-rooted pursuit of mercy and provision of grace toward people who cannot repay us and may not deserve it. Just as David sought out Mephibosheth to bless him for Jonathan's sake, God seeks us out in our brokenness and seats us at His table because of Jesus. When we regularly experience that kindness at the Lord's table, we are empowered to express it in our most difficult relationships.
Key points
- 1
Biblical kindness (chesed) encompasses all of God's positive attributes — love, covenant faithfulness, mercy, grace, and loyalty — and goes far beyond the culture's low-bar standard of being cordial.
- 2
Kindness pursues mercy (withholding deserved punishment) and provides grace (giving unearned blessing) — both are active choices, not passive feelings.
- 3
David showed chesed to Mephibosheth — someone who was a potential threat, could offer nothing in return, and had no claim on David's generosity — mirroring how God loves us.
- 4
David's humility before God reveals that he understood he received God's kindness not because he earned it, but purely because of who God is.
- 5
God's kindness — not fear, threats, or guilt — is what turns us from sin and changes us from the inside out.
- 6
Communion is meant to be a regular seat at the King's table where we remember God's mercy and grace, are changed by it, and are then empowered to extend it to others.
- 7
When we experience God's kindness regularly — sitting with Him in His Word and in community — we are equipped to show that same kindness in our hardest relationships, including marriage.
Outline
The Kindness Problem
Pastor Bill observes that kindness is declining in both the US and the UK, and that the culture's definition of kindness is a far lower bar than what Scripture calls us to. He introduces the big idea: kingdom people are kind people.
Setting the Scene: David Seeks Mephibosheth
Pastor Bill provides background on David's rise to the throne and reads 2 Samuel 9:1-13, in which David actively seeks out Mephibosheth — Jonathan's crippled son — to show him kindness.
Defining Chesed
Pastor Bill unpacks the Hebrew word chesed, explaining that it wraps up all of God's positive attributes — love, covenant faithfulness, mercy, grace, and loyalty — and represents acts of devotion that go beyond duty.
Kindness Pursues Mercy and Provides Grace
The sermon's single key point is developed: kindness means choosing to withhold deserved punishment (mercy) and then actively giving unearned blessing (grace). Pastor Bill applies this to marriage and family, with a brief pastoral disclaimer about not staying in abusive situations.
Why David Did It — and What It Points To
David acted not because Mephibosheth was useful or lovable, but out of covenant loyalty to Jonathan and gratitude for God's own kindness. Pastor Bill draws the parallel to the gospel: God loves us because of Jesus, not because we've earned it, and His kindness is intended to change us.
Sitting at the King's Table
Pastor Bill connects communion to the image of Mephibosheth eating regularly at David's table, arguing that regular, dependent fellowship with Jesus is what produces kindness in us and empowers us to express it to others.
A Mother's Kindness — Illustration and Call
Pastor Bill shares a vivid childhood memory of stealing candy and his mother responding with mercy and grace rather than punishment, then taking him for ice cream anyway. He uses this to illustrate what God's kindness looks like and leads the church into communion.
Memorable moments
kindness pursues Mercy and provides Grace
Kingdom people show kindness to those who can't return it. Matter of fact, that's what makes it kindness, is you're doing it when someone is not giving you anything back
God's kindness changes us. And our kindness, God will use in other people's lives to change them as well
if you have a hard time expressing it in your relationships, it's probably because you're not sitting at the king's table regularly
Billy, I told you to trust me. I said, no, Candy, because you were so good. And I love you so much, I was planning to bring you to get an ice cream anyways. All you had to do was trust me and wait
don't you see how wonderfully kind, same thing, tolerant and patient God is with you. Does this mean nothing to you? Can't you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin
Application
Pastor Bill's challenge is straightforward: stop waiting for the other person to deserve it. Kindness — real, biblical chesed — is something you pursue and choose, especially toward people who cannot pay you back and may have earned something worse. Start with whoever is hardest to love: your spouse, your kids, a difficult coworker. But you won't be able to sustain it on willpower alone. The key is sitting regularly at the King's table — in His Word, in prayer, in communion — letting the reality of God's mercy and grace sink in until it changes you. When you truly grasp that God has already shown you the ultimate kindness in Jesus, extending that kindness to others stops being a burden and starts being the most natural thing in the world.
