Fruitful Kindness
Fruit Bearing • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Greetings…
We continue here today examining the expectation God has for his children to be “Fruit Bearing” children.
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
Lately we have been focusing on a specific fruit we are to bear, the “Fruit of the Spirit” and examining each characteristic of that specific fruit.
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.
Up to this point we have looked at “love, joy, peace, and patience” which means today we are going to focus on “Fruitful Kindness” today.
The Word Kindness
The Word Kindness
Defining The Word.
Defining The Word.
Our specific word for kindness/goodness here in Galatians 5:22 means…
“uprightness/goodness of character & mind”
This word deals with more than…
Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words Good, Goodly, Goodness
merely goodness as a quality, rather it is goodness in action, goodness expressing itself in deeds
Another word translated as “kindness” is found in Acts 24:4 and 2 Corinthians 10:1.
Acts 24:4 (ESV)
4 But, to detain you no further, I beg you in your kindness to hear us briefly.
2 Corinthians 10:1 (ESV)
1 I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!
This word is means, “fairness & impartiality” and is often used in the case of an offender seeking such from one who is to administer justice to them.
The last word found translated as “kindness” is from Acts 28:2 and Titus 3:4.
Acts 28:2 (ESV)
2 The native people showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold.
Titus 3:4 (ESV)
4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared
This word means, “a love for alleviating the suffering of man.”
Summary
Summary
When we put God’s word together and see God’s use of the idea of what it means spiritually to bear the fruit of kindness we see someone that is…
Seeking to alleviate the suffering of his fellow man by actively demonstrating goodness toward people by being fair & impartial.
In other words, the motivation to be kind is to seek to stop the suffering one is currently in or could potentially find themselves in.
So with that in mind let’s examine this idea of kindness from the motivation of…
Alleviating Suffering
Alleviating Suffering
God Wants This With Man.
God Wants This With Man.
God has always sought to alleviate our suffering through several different avenues.
God seeks to alleviate man’s current or potential suffering through natural means.
Acts 14:17 (ESV)
17 Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.
4 I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them.
God seeks to alleviate man’s current or potential suffering through sending leaders to them to.
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Hebrews 13:20 (ESV)
20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant
Obviously God sought to alleviate man’s most impactful suffering wherein sin and spiritual death are concerned.
Titus 3:4–5 (ESV)
4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.
Considering God is our great example we too are to bear the fruit of this kindness with each other as well.
Man Should Want This Too.
Man Should Want This Too.
We too are to show kindness by alleviating our fellow man’s current or potential suffering through benevolence.
10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.
1 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.
We too are to show kindness by alleviating our fellow man’s current or potential suffering through being there emotionally.
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
25 Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.
We are to show kindness by alleviating our fellow man’s current suffering through forgiving them when they sin and seek forgiveness.
14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
Summary
Summary
When our goal as Christians is to seek to alleviate the current and potential suffering of our fellow man, especially the household of faith, we will then understand what it means to “show loving kindness to all.
Conclusion
Conclusion
This biblical kindness is unusual or strange to this sinful world.
When God’s people demonstrate this kindness, it will have an impact on people’s lives and we may then, by bearing the Fruit of the Spirit in being fruitful in kindness, be able to help win their soul to God.
The reality is we will not always have a fondness for everyone, but as Samuel Johnson once noted…
Kindness is in our power, even when fondness is not.
Invitation
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
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.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.