Kindness/Goodness
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Kindness and Goodness
Kindness and Goodness
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZrlDT3k84U
Lets talk about the kindness and goodness of God.
Quick overview of the Fruit of the Spirit, and it’s singular nature, as opposed to the plurality of the acts of the flesh.
The Fruit of the Spirit
24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
Joh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w77zPAtVTuI&t=7s
24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
LIFE IN THE SPIRIT OCCURS AFTER DEATH IN THE FLESH
Positional Sanctification has already happened.
You have been saved from sin’s penalty
You are being saved from sin’s presence
One day you will be saved from sin’s power
There is a dying of the flesh that occurs at each stage here as well.
Death of your fleshly condition that separates you from God
Daily death of the flesh that is the precursor to life in the Spirit
Death of our earthly bodies and complete freedom from it’s power
All of the attributes of the fruit of the Spirit are really attributes of God’s nature, stemming from love.
Kindness
God’s kindness is found all through scripture. What are some examples of kindness you can think of?
Here is one of my favorites. David has been firmly established in his throne after years of running from Saul, and fighting Israel’s enemies. God had given David rest on all sides, and we see David resting in God’s blessing. Saul had spent the greater part of his reign trying to kill David, and David would have had every right and reason to wipe out the line of Saul in order to fully establish his kingdom. However...
1 Then David said, “Is there yet anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David; and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.” 3 The king said, “Is there not yet anyone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?” And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet.” 4 So the king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel in Lo-debar.” 5 Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar. 6 Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and prostrated himself. And David said, “Mephibosheth.” And he said, “Here is your servant!” 7 David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul; and you shall eat at my table regularly.” 8 Again he prostrated himself and said, “What is your servant, that you should regard a dead dog like me?” 9 Then the king called Saul’s servant Ziba and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson. 10 “You and your sons and your servants shall cultivate the land for him, and you shall bring in the produce so that your master’s grandson may have food; nevertheless Mephibosheth your master’s grandson shall eat at my table regularly.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. 11 Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant so your servant will do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table as one of the king’s sons. 12 Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica. And all who lived in the house of Ziba were servants to Mephibosheth. 13 So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate at the king’s table regularly. Now he was lame in both feet.
Mephibosheth probably thought David was going to kill him. David personally killed thousands of men and had directed the death of virtually anyone who had come against him.
DAVID SHOWED GOD’S KINDNESS
What does this tell us about the kindness of God?
1. It is undeserved (Mephibosheth had done nothing for David)
2. It is an extension of love. (It was for the sake of Jonathan, who was dead, that David did this.)
David loved Jonathan and showed kindness for his sake.
4 Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?
Goodness
What are some examples of the goodness of God in scripture?
Goodness in scripture is easy to find, but hard to define. Goodness doesn’t simply mean being good. It’s about the fact that God is a promise keeper.
8 The Lord is gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. 9 The Lord is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works.
8 The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.
Psalm 145
19 And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” 21 And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, 22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.” 1 The Lord said to Moses, “Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. 2 Be ready by the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to me on the top of the mountain. 3 No one shall come up with you, and let no one be seen throughout all the mountain. Let no flocks or herds graze opposite that mountain.” 4 So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first. And he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and took in his hand two tablets of stone. 5 The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. 6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”
Exodus 33:19-34:
God’s glory is His goodness. Jesus was overflowing with this constantly. A helpful way to think about it could be to imagine a newborn puppy. You have the power to destroy the puppy but instead you nurture it and bring it into adult doghood. It is the same with Christ. Christ has the power over the angels, and could wipe out the universe with his breath if he wanted. Instead we see him weeping over the suffering of his beloved, teaching children, and healing men and women who had been tormented by disease and demonic possession for decades.
The kindness of God, and the goodness of God are good things for us to desire. But don’t try to pursue them in and of themselves.