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Intro
Last week we continued in verse 12 of Col. 3 at the first thing that Paul tells believers to put on.
Compassionate hearts.
I gave us some challenge questions with that.
You don’t have to respond but how did you do?
Did you give any thought to how could put on a compassionate heart throughout the week?
Did you have an opportunity to show compassion to someone in the church?
Did you have an opportunity to show compassion to someone I know that doesn’t know Jesus?
Did you have an opportunity to show compassion to a stranger?
My point in these questions, these challenges, is not to make us feel bad or to become compassionate people, but to point us to Jesus.
The purpose is to become more like Christ.
To have the impulse of Him rather than the impulse of the flesh.
We are moving through this verse slowly, so that we can see the importance of intentionally putting these traits on in our lives.
At the same time though, I don’t want us to get the idea that it is putting these things on that makes us righteous.
Or that putting these things on will get us to heaven.
To get to heaven is not our ultimate goal.
Heaven, while the place where Jesus is, is a wonderful place, but not because of its location.
It is wonderful because of its proximity to Christ.
He goes before to make a place.
No matter what we do, we will never get there on our own.
Our goal is to be with Christ.
The only way we get there is through faith in His work on the Cross.
That He died for our sins, took the blame for us.
The ultimate act of kindness as we will see.
Having a relationship with our Lord and Savior is what really counts.
Growing in Christ is not for the purpose of becoming a better person.
That is a result for sure, but it is not the purpose.
Growing in Christ is a process.
We will grow in Christ when we put on the kindness that He modeled.
By way of reminder I would like us to read together Colossians 3:1-13
Paul’s charge, put on kindness.
This is the second virtue in the list that Paul is instructing believers to put on.
Put on kindness.
A lot of times we view kindness as something that is unimportant or underrated.
We equate it with being nice or pleasant, as though it’s mainly about smiling, getting along, and not ruffling feathers.
It seems a rather mundane virtue.
This type of kindness though is not the kindness that Paul is telling the Colossians to put on.
It is not like he is talking to a bunch of children.
Did anyone’s mom ever say to them, guys why don’t you just get along, be nice to your brother, be nice to your sister.
Has anyone as a parent said to their children, why can’t you just get along?
We in our finiteness associate kindness with being nice.
To be kind in our minds is often to simply be nice, smiling and being civil with one another.
This is not what Paul is telling his readers to put on.
Paul is telling them to put on true, biblical, Christlike kindness.
Put on the kindness that will transform your life.
So what does this look like?
What is this kindness that Paul is calling for us to put on?
If this virtue is to replace old parts of ourselves, we need to know what it is and what it looks like in order that we might grow in our relationships with Jesus.
To begin with some definitions.
a: of a sympathetic or helpful nature
b: of a forbearing nature: GENTLE
c: arising from or characterized by sympathy or forbearance 〈a kind act〉
uprightness in one’s relations with others, uprightness
the quality of being helpful or beneficial, goodness, kindness, generosity
Kindness has to do with a helpful nature and gracious acts.
If kindness ends there though, we are no more than good people.
A Christian’s kindness is more than just good and gracious acts.
Kindness is in fact a characteristic of God.
We can see examples of this especially in the Psalms.
God’s kindness in the Old Testament.
Look at the kindness of God, the great shepherd present in this psalm.
The Lord provides, even when we may not like it or think we need it.
Look at verses 1-2.
The Lord is kind in His comfort.
He is present in times of trouble.
The Lord is the great shepherd.
A second Psalm I would like to look at is Psalm 145
Look at the words here used to describe God.
Merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love.
Good to all, merciful.
The Lord is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.
Verse 14 begins the description of some of those works.
The Lord upholds all who are falling, He provides, He satisfies desires, He is near to those who call on Him in truth.
The Lord preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.
Kindness is part of God.
His kindness is shown throughout scripture.
We see examples of God’s kindness in the lives of Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Ruth, and David, the writer of the two Psalms we looked at.
God’s kindness is shown in ways that we would consider both ordinary and extraordinary.
God’s kindness shown in the New Testament.
Probably the most significant display of God’s kindness is fully fleshed out in the New Testament.
God’s kindness unto salvation.
God’s kindness is intended to lead to repentance, that change of direction, not rejection.
It is believers who can truly celebrate God’s kindness.
His kindness is seen in his deliverance of believers from affliction, fear, and trouble into salvation.
God’s kindness is such that we did nothing to bring it about.
It is part of Him.
If you can go home today, and look in the mirror and say, wow, I am saved.
You have certainly experienced God’s kindness.
God’s kindness toward us in Jesus is a gift from Him.
God’s kindness doesn’t end with salvation though.
Can you think of another place that kindness is mentioned in the New Testament?
God’s kindness, the attribute that is within Himself, is actually manifested among believers.
Paul teaches in Galatians 5 that kindness is a fruit of the spirit.
Part of the struggle in the Galatian church was a spirit of unkindness towards one another.
This caused disunity and hurt in the church.
Kindness is grown in believers by the Holy Spirit.
Kindness that is shown in and by God’s children promotes unity, togetherness.
God is growing his children into the image of His son.
Our response then is to put it on as we have put off the old self and put on the Son.
Human imitation of God’s kindness does not come naturally.
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