The Fifth fruit: Kindness
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My grandma used to say "kill them with kindness...
...and if that doesn't work, kill them with whatever's handy".
She's set to be released from prison in 2049.
My grandma obviously had it wrong. What does kindness mean to you? The word kind in the English language means the stated of being kind or doing a favor. You will hear me constantly say that in comparison to the Biblical language the English language does a poor job of translating the true meaning that the Bible is trying to make. The Bibles translation of the word kindness is
χρηστότης (chrēstotēs), ητος (ētos), ἡ (hē): n.fem.; ≡ Str 5544; TDNT 9.489—1. LN 88.10 benevolence, usefulness (Ro 3:12+); 2. LN 88.67 kindness, provide something as an act of kindness (Ro 2:4; 11:22; 2Co 6:6; Gal 5:22; Eph 2:7; Col 3:12; Tit 3:4+; Ro 9:23 v.r. NA26)
I think that its no coincidence that the phonetic translation is Crestotes and it sounds so close to Christ. Today we will explore two aspects of Kindness, the first is Kindness is benevolent, the second is that Kindness is useful.
Today we will be in Philippians 2:1-11
1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Kindness is Benevolent
Kindness is Benevolent
1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Kindness is not just being nice to other people it is being nice and looking out for their better interest. The world will teach you that you can be nice to people. It does not matter what your motive is just be nice. We have all been there. We are not thinking about whats best for the other person but how we can look good while getting what we want. The Bible though calls us to not look for our own benefits but to count others as more important than ourselves.
In its January 25, l988 issue, TIME provided an insight on selfishness and its corollary, sharing. Speaking about the introduction of the videocassette recorder, the article said, "The company had made a crucial mistake. While at first Sony kept its Beta technology mostly to itself, JVC, the Japanese inventor of the VHS (format), shared its secret with a raft of other firms. As a result, the market was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the VHS machines being produced."
This drastically undercut Sony's market share. The first year, Sony lost 40 percent of the market, and by 1987 it controlled only 10 percent. So now Sony has jumped on the VHS bandwagon. While it still continues to make Beta-format VCRs [interestingly a higher quality technology] Sony's switch to VHS, according to TIME, will likely send Beta machines to "the consumer-electronics graveyard." Even in a cut-throat business, sharing has its rewards.
What does the Bible say about this concept of looking out for others and counting them as more important than ourselves?
24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.
13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.
7 Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, 8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, 9 and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
25 Whoever brings blessing will be enriched,
and one who waters will himself be watered.
9 Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed,
for he shares his bread with the poor.
21 If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat,
and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,
27 Whoever gives to the poor will not want,
but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.
11 And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”
The spirit of God in us will drive us to a spirit of benevolence. As a person who is filled with the spirit you will not consider anything your own you will see it as God’s and as something to help others. I love to see believers who give more than they can because they don’t worry about a thing knowing that God will provide for them. Where are you in this? Do you have a spirit of benevolence? Are you willing to see others needs as more important than yours? We must be willing to allow the Spirit of God to change us into this type of behavior. We must be willing to be the type of people who are always looking to the best of those around us no matter what that means for us. Without the spirit of God you cant truly look out for the best interest of others. It is the spirit of God that leads us to see ourselves as less important than our neighbors. Think about Jesus when he was in the garden. Remember his prayer to the Father? Father if there is any way please let this cup pass from me. This was a request from Jesus to God not to die on the cross Jesus did not want to have to die on the cross. But He did not on his own strength but because of the Spirit of God in Him causing him to humble himself and die on the cross because it was the best for all of us. Jesus filled with the Spirit was able to see himself as less important than anyone else. Are you filled with the spirit and ready to live as those around you are more important than you? Kindness is benevolent and it sees everyone around us as more important than us. We do not own anything and there should be nothing we have that is more important to us than the people that God allows us to impact. Kindness will drive us to be benevolent in nature but it will also drive us to be useful and to give things that are useful.
Kindness is useful
Kindness is useful
Have you ever recieved a gift that was completely useless? You know the gift that makes someone feel good that they gave you something but does not really do you any good at all? A gift that as soon as you get it you are looking for ways to re-gift? The fact is that many of us have given gifts or recieved gifts that are useless. It was more for the other person to feel good about themselves than it was for us to enjoy.
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Do you notice this in what Jesus did? He gave us something useful. Jesus did not just come here and do some nice miracles and do some good things then move on and feel good about himself and leave us all to die separated from the Father. He gave himself to give us something useful. The translation of the word Kindness in the Bible does not only call us to be benevolent but it calls us to give things that are useful. What good does it do anyone for us to make it look like we are doing something good for them and simply give them useless things? Most people in here would say its not good at all. But how many of us are willing to live that? We are willing to give people the left overs of what we have. Ill give this after I have gotten my use out of it. No the Bible tells us to give before we have gotten our use out of it. Give because others need it more than we do and they need it to be useful.
I really hope that I do not offend anyone in here but do you know what has been rated as the most useless gift? That’s right, fruitcake.
An American Express survey about Christmas gifts found that the fruitcake was chosen most often (31%) from a list of "worst" holiday gifts. It even finished ahead of "no gift at all." When asked how to dispose of a bad gift, 30% would hide it in the closet, 21% would return it, and 19% would give it away. This suggests that the Christmas fruitcake might get recycled as a gift for the host of New Year's party.
This survey showed that people would actually rather get no gift at all than a fruit cake. Are we giving the people God has called us to be a blessing to useful things? Or do we simply give the leftovers of things that we don’t want anymore? I find it so funny we spend so much of our time teaching our kids to share things because they will love how it makes them feel to see someone else happy with something but we will not share anything until we are no longer happy with it. The spirit of God will drive us to give people things that are useful. Jesus gave his life so we could have something useful. What does the Bible say about giving useful gifts?
7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
I need to take a moment here and tell you that I despise the videos of people doing things for others simply to get likes and subscribers. Make no mistake they have gotten their reward. The believer though will go through hoops to keep their gifts anonymous.
17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?
35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
14 Like clouds and wind without rain
is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give.
24 One gives freely, yet grows all the richer;
another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.
25 Whoever brings blessing will be enriched,
and one who waters will himself be watered.
15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
What type of Kindness do you show? Is it the type of kindness that the world teaches? Look nice, sound nice, do good things but don’t do it at the expense of yourself? Or do you follow the Kindness of the Bible that calls you to be Benevolent and to give useful blessings even if it costs you everything. Test the spirit you are living in and remember that the Fruits of the Spirit are the evidence of our lives being rooted in the faith in Jesus.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
These are the ways that we can bear witness with His spirit that we are His children. Are you living Biblical Kindness or just the worldly version of kindness. Let it be our prayer this morning to be more like Jesus willing to give it all to serve others. Lets pray.
