Bearing Fruit: Kindness

Introduction

Alright yall if you have your Bibles go ahead and flip to our main passage that we have been studying.

Galatians 5:22–23 ESV

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.

We have looked at this passage as a whole and then in each week we have taken a deeper dive into the individual fruits.

So we have tackled love, joy, peace, and last week Pastor Michael taught us on Patience.

So this week we move on to kindness.

I want to start tonight off with a confession.

As your youth pastor I want to be honest with you guys. I want you to know that I am not perfect and that honestly I dont know everything there is to know about God and about his word.

and one of the things that I never really thought about was Gods kindness.

Until a few months ago when I was sitting with a brother in the Faith.

He was going through some suffering in his life and in his ministry and he was sharing these stories and hardships yet he kept saying over and over that God was showing immense kindness to him.

and that really hit me and made me start to think about Gods kindness to me.

and when I think of Christs kindness I think of how he has never failed me.

That I have failed him plenty.

I dont deserve to be loved by him.

Yet he has never failed me once.

one of the greatest stories of Gospel Kindness is a story from the life of a man named Polycarp.

Polycarp

Polycarp was a pastor in the early church. And on February 23 155 he was killed for his faith in Jesus.

He was tortured by the Roman authorities and lit on fire. And he could have avoided it all by recanting and denying his faith.

The story of kindness though comes a few days before his death.

Polycarp had been warned about his pending arrest so he fled to the country side.

but one friday night he was tipped off about the arrival of the roman guards to arrest him.

So he left his room and he met the guards at the door.

He talked with them and greeted them.

He ordered for all of them to be given a meal and a drink. In his final hour of freedom he served the very people who were there to arrest him.

In his death and in this story Polycarp shows us what Courage and Boldness is. But he also shows us what Kindness is.

Kindness in the World

Kindness is probably the easiest fruit of the Spirit to overlook.

Because the World has little glimpses of kindness.

Non believers can be kind. and do kind things.

but for us as believers kindness must be in abundance in our life.

The Christian life is a life of never ending kindness.

One author says it this way “kindness is to the Christian what Salt is to the Ocean”

Kindness should be in every part of our life. In all that we do.

but we struggle to define what kindness is. What is kindness?

Theres a temptation for us to say that kindness is just the absence of meanness.

that if we are not mean, not rude, not overbearing. Then that must mean that we are kind.

But I think a better definition of kindness is the presence of compassion and generosity towards others.

Kindness is the presence of compassion and generosity towards others

Someone who is kind is helpful, useful, lovingly working for the well being of others.

We could say that goodness is the light of God shining within the heart but that kindness is the light of God shining from the heart.

Kindness exist for the benefit of others.

So we are kind not for ourselves but for other people.

Kindness doesn't really benefit us.

other than the feeling we get when we see our kindness positively impact those around us.

so with this in mind we look at God as our first example of kindness.

God is perfect in his kindness.

Gods kindness was not for himself. His kindness was for his creation. His people.

Romans 2:4 says

Romans 2:4 “4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”

God shows his kindness to us. He shows us compassion and generosity.

In our sin. He could have and probably should have judged us. Yet because of his kindness we have a opportunity for repentance.

Something hit me this week when preparing for this message.

everything that we say of God’s grace can be said the same of his kindness.

Because without Gods kindness you wouldn't have experienced Gods grace.

We often define Grace

as Gods Riches at Christs Expense.

Well if God wasnt Kind he wouldnt have sent Christ.

There would be no grace without Gods kindness

Ephesians 2:7 “7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

God shows us his grace because of his kindness.

Paul goes even further with Titus telling Titus in Titus 3:4

Titus 3:4 “4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,”

Because God is Good and Kind he sent a Savior

We can see Gods kindness is his plan to save you.

In loving kindness Jesus came, my soul in mercy to reclaim, and from the depths of sin and shame, through grace he lifted me. Charles H Gabriel

So we know that God is kind but what about us?

Isnt the fruit of the Spirit for us as believers?

So how are we supposed to be kind?

Romans 11:22 “22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.”

We have been given the Kindness of God so that we can be kind to others.

And for believers there are two ways we show kindness that points people to Jesus.

Kindness Serves

Think about the story Jesus tells about the man beaten by robbers and left for dead on the side of the rode.

The religious guy comes and he sees this man lying in the ditch and he goes to the other side of the road.

Then another guy came. He was a levite. He was born in to the religious life. He grew up knowing the right and wrong ways to treat others.

and then there was the samaritan. The one who didnt have the right qualifications. But the one who saw the man, had compassion. and showed kindness by serving him until he was well.

Jesus tells this story. and then he tells the people to Go and Do like wise.

Heres the whole point.

Your theology can be really good. You can know all the answers about God.

But if you dont live as Jesus has called you to live it doesnt matter.

Jesus tells us our theology is only as good as our actions.

Go and do like wise.

Show kindness through service.

Billy Graham “The highest form of worship is the worship of unselfish Christian service. The greatest form of praise is the sound of consecrated feet seeking out the lost and helpless.”

Kindness Evangelizes

we defined kindness as the presence of compassion and generosity towards others.

Can you say that you are kind when there are loved ones that you care deeply about who dont know the Gospel and you havent said a word?

I think of the story shared by Shane Pruitt in his book calling out the called.