The Fruit of the Spirit is Kindness

Open with illustration:

Man comes into a little restaurant. Mean waitress said to him “What do you want?” He said Two eggs over easy and some kind words.

She rolled her eyes and walked away. Soon she returns with the greasiest most unsavory eggs you’ve ever seen. She plopped them on the table. He looked up and said “Where’s my kind words? She said, “Don’t eat the eggs.”

We need kindness in the world today. Not the world’s kind of kindness. We need God’s kindness. Let’s review what we’ve learned so far in this series:

The Christian life is lived by the indwelling Spirit of God who makes His home in us when we are saved.

The fruit of the Spirit is not one thing but rather a balance of divine virtues granted to us through the Holy Spirit.

The fruit of the Spirit is love.

The fruit of the Spirit is patience.

This morning we will discuss the kindness of God in the believer’s life.

1. God is kind to us.

A. In leading us to repentance.

Romans 2:4 says that the kindness of God leads us to repentance.

He was kind to let us live so long in sin. How long did you live in sin?

He was kind to bring us to our senses concerning our sin.

He was kind to show us what Christ did for our sins.

Have you ever had your heart broken? If you are saved you have. God broke your heart. After letting you live for years in sin He brought you to your senses, showed you the cross and led you to repentance.

B. In saving us.

Titus 3 says:

For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others, and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us,

Jesus told a parable about a man who owed a king a lot of money. Astronomical amount. So much it would have taken the average person 1000 lifetimes to earn the money owed. The man was about to be thrown into prison. He begged for his life. The King pardoned him. His debt was forgiven.

The fellow decided after that he wouldn’t be caught in that situation again. He went out and found a person who owed him 100 days wages. The man couldn’t pay. The fellow got so angry he grabbed the guy by the throat and said, “Pay me or go to prison!”

The debtor went to prison. Word spread back to the king. The king summoned the man he forgave back to him. He said to him:

You’re a wicked man!

I forgave you everything you owed me.

Shouldn’t you have forgiven your servant in the same way I forgave you?

What is the point of that story?

We all owed an astronomical debt. It was more than we could pay in 1,000 lifetimes. Through Christ God forgave our debt. If we are ever tempted to be unkind to someone, we should remember how kind God has been in saving us.

C. In the coming ages.

Even when you die God won’t stop being kind to you.

Ephesians 2:7 says God saved us:

so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Illustration:

Jennifer posted a pic of us standing in front of the golden gates of the Palace of Versailles. It’s a great picture. I made a joke about it being a pic of me and her before we go to heaven. I started thinking about heaven. I started thinking about how wonderful it will be to be with Jennifer in heaven. Scripture says a lot about the City of God. Imagine living there with those you love and the One you worship.

Imagine it folks! Heaven is God’s kindness expressed to you for all of eternity!

God isn’t just kind to you in this world. His kindness is fully expressed in the next world!

2. We should be kind to one another because God has been kind to us.

A. When considering our own behavior, we should first consider God’s character.

There is a human:

Love

Patience

Kindness

You can take all these characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit and live them out if you dumb them down. That’s what the religious leaders did to the Law in Jesus day. They had dumbed it down so they could meet the standard.

Our standard is not human kindness. We are to be kind in the way that God is kind.

Ephesians 4:32 says:

Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you.

What does the kindness of God look like?

It’s tenderhearted. It’s not harsh. It’s not cold.

It’s forgiving. It doesn’t hold on to sins or bitterness.

How does God treat you friend? What does His kindness look like?

Would we want God to treat us with the same level of kindness we treat others?

The kindness I extend is to be the kindness of God. It is supernatural. I cannot produce it on my own.

It is so much better to be like Christ than like myself!

B. Unkindness grieves the Spirit of God.

Sadly, we are good at justifying unkindness.

We’re too busy to be kind.

We’re too mad to be kind.

I remember when my children were young, and some act of unkindness was done to them. Children are often unkind. It would grieve me. To see your children treated unkindly hurts.

When you treat children of God unkindly think of their Father. It grieves Him.

It’s possible to grow hardened to our sin. We resist the Spirit so often we become dull to the correction of the Spirit. We may live for some time in unkindness. In your unkindness I challenge you to do something.

Try to pray.

Try to seek God in Scripture.

Try to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

You will then see the Spirit is grieved. He is quenched. You will be dry and numb to the things of God.

You cannot be unkind and Spirit filled.

C. Unkindness will render us useless in the Body of Christ.

Look back at verse 15. That’s the context. The Galatians were not treating one another in a Christ like way. He warns them not to bite and devour one another.

Imagery is of dogs snapping at one another or animals who kill and feast on the flesh of their victim. He says if they are not careful, they will be consumed by one another.

He doesn’t mean they’re going to resort to cannibalism. He means that their effectiveness will be taken away if they don’t stop being so unkind to one another.

A church can consume itself. It can eat itself up one bite at a time.

3. Kindness is grace in action.

A. It is expressed by a heart that is concerned for others.

I read a story about a lady named Mamie Adams.

She always went to a particular branch post office in her town because the postal employees there were friendly. One Christmas she went to buy stamps. It was only a few days before Christmas, so the line was very long. There was a stamp machine in the lobby. Someone told Mamie she could save time if all she needed were stamps by going to the machine. There was no line at the machine. "I know," said Mamie, 'but the machine won't ask me about my arthritis."

I love that stanza in Just a Closer Walk with Thee that says:

In this world of toil and snares,

If I falter, Lord, who cares?

Who but Thee my burden shares?

None but Thee, oh Lord, none but Thee.

If you care about people, you’ll be kind. Is my heart moved by the trials of others?

You’ll wake up in the middle of the night and pray for them.

You’ll call them and ask how things are going.

You’ll send a text to check on them.

Kindness is expressed by genuine concern for others.

B. It costs very little to be kind.

I read a story Adrian Rogers told about a guy at his church. The man had been through horrible experiences and was broken. He decided to visit Pastor Rogers church. He left the church with a heavy heart. As he was waiting to get out of the parking lot a lady in a car next to him caught his eye. He did not know her. He ha never seen her before. She smiled and waved at him. He went home that night and battled the devil. Thoughts of suicide filled his mind. He didn’t want to go on. As he contemplated taking his own life an image came to his mind. It was the image of that woman smiling and waving. He told Pastor Rogers a smile saved his life. He thought someone cared.

That’s small, isn’t it?

What did that smile cost?

Jesus said, “Freely you have received, freely give!”

It’s easy to be kind folks! Anyone can be kind.

C. It is expressed through our speech.

Proverbs 31:26 says of the virtuous woman “The law of kindness is on her tongue!”

Proverbs 16:24 says Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.

Colossians 4:6 says Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt.

2 Timothy 2:24 says And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone.

There will be many things you say in this lifetime you regret. You will never regret words of kindness.

You’re not going to be on your deathbed saying:

I regret complimenting people.

I regret being nice to people.

I regret encouraging people.

Look at the end of verse 23 “against such things there is no law.” In other words, there is no verse in the bible condemning the fruit of the Spirit. It’s not a sin to be kind!

D. It is attractive.

If you are an unkind person don’t be surprised if people separate themselves from you.

Proverbs 22:24-25 says

Make no friendship with a man given to anger,

nor go with a wrathful man,

lest you learn his ways

and entangle yourself in a snare.

Unkindness will isolate you.

Kindness will transform you into salt and light for the Lord. I hope you want to see people saved. I hope you know that the way we treat people makes a difference in evangelism.

Kindness is an evangelistic strategy that works in every age and culture.

What is kind today will be kind in 100 years.

I’ll bet you can remember when a person was kind to you.

I want to tell you the story of Charlie. Charlie and his wife were in their 60’s and not in church. His wife broke her leg and was out of commission for some time. A local church took this opportunity to minister to them. They brought them meals. They cut their grass. They visited them. It made an impression. Charlie’s wife decided when her leg healed, she was going to visit that church. She did more than visit. She rededicated her life to the Lord. Charlie was saved and baptized. They became great servants in that church. Charlie even became a Sunday School teacher.

Charlie is the father of one of our church members, Sean Bush. Kindness attracted that family to the Lord.

The Bible says God draws us to Himself with cords of kindness.

Hosea 11:4 says

I led them with cords of kindness,

with the bands of love,

The fruit of the Spirit is kindness. The proof I belong to God is He is transforming me into a person who shares the kindness of Christ with others.

Are you saved today?

Are you producing kindness in your life?