Identity In Christ: Made For Kindness

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Me

Many of you are like me in that you aren’t the sort of person who likes conflict.

You actually PREFER patience, kindness, and goodness.

On the whole, you are content in Christ.

You would rather that people just be kind and get along!

In fact, I joined the Marines in part because I felt TOO much that way. Like it was weakness rather than strength.

Crazymakers

Some of you though are the other way

You’re the crazymaker to the peacemaker

If the rest of the world is holding handings and singing “I’d like to buy the world a Coke...”

You’re standing in the corner singing Bah Humbug.

You see a dark cloud in everything

Us

Whether you’re the peacemaker dealing with the crazymaker

Or if you’re the crazymaker creating stress and trauma in the lives of others...

If you’re a bit of both...

Every now and then I just like a good fight to clear the air...”Which never actually DOES clear the air...”

Wherever you find yourself on that spectrum today, God has some things to say to us today.

Bible

Ephesians 4:32 ESV

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Jesus both accomplishes our salvation and gives a template for how our lives should reflect the love of God.

He is salvation, but he is more than salvation.

He is example but he is more than example.

He is both our salvation AND our example.

One of my favorite theologians, Johann Gerhard, put it this way...

Gerhard’s Sacred Meditations Meditation XXX: The Imitation of Christ

Let the passion of Christ be thy merit, but at the same time let His holy life be the model for thine. Thy Beloved is white and ruddy (Cant. 5:10); and so mayest thou be ruddy by the sprinkling of the blood of Christ, and white by the imitation of His life. How dost thou truly love Christ, if thou dost not love His holy life? “If ye love Me, keep My commandments,” says the Saviour (John 14:15, 23). Hence he who keepeth not His commandments loveth Him not.

Jesus spoke to the power of his witness in Matthew 22.

Matthew 22:36–40 ESV

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Love God. Love your neighbor.

How did Jesus love? With joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control

Here this...

If your life is not characterized by love, joy, or peace internally...

Or if your life is not characterize by patience, kindness, or goodness toward others.

If you don’t have those things, you can be absolutely assured that you are not modeling your life after that of Jesus.

Perhaps you’re modeling your life after news sources

Perhaps politicians.

Perhaps celebrities on TV shows

Perhaps the friend at the barbershop...

Or the colleague at work...

Whatever it may be, YOU have work to do with God, if you are brave enough for it.

Romans 2:1 ESV

Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things.

Some of the angriest, most bitter, frustrated, miserable people I have ever met are religious people of ALL faiths who hide their anger behind the veil of spiritual self righteousness.

“Of course I’m angry! I’m surrounded by so many sinful people, and I live in a sinful world!”

They hurt people and use spirituality to justify the abuse.

Very often, the anger is directed toward the people who love them most.

Jesus dealt with a lot of this...

Witness of Jesus

Matthew 27:29–31 ESV

and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.

Now, here’s the interesting thing...

It’s easy to look at the crowd and judge them.

Because we aren’t there.

And we imagine ourselves differently.

Perhaps some of us ARE different.

Here’s the test...

Think of someone you don’t like very much.

Could you imagine yourself in the crowd jeering at them in similar fashion?

If the answer to that question is yes, no matter the person, then you can be assured that you do not have patience, kindness or goodness.

You’re at least struggling with it, anyway.

Luke 23:34 ESV

And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.

This continues toward us after the cross...

2 Peter 3:9 ESV

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Jesus knew, that the words and actions of the people who crucified himrevealed a profound ignorance.

Their hearts were darkened because they were blind

They lived in darkness

On the other hand, the person whose heart truly has the nature of Christ, can extend the mercy, forgiveness, love, patience, kindness, and goodness of Jesus no matter the circumstance.

My father had a good friend was the head coach of a major sporting program.

Friend was suspended and vilified in the press and by the organization that removed him.

Went from saint to devil in a matter of moments.

My father stood by him, even through all of the negativity.

“Wayne, I know you’re a friend because you never shamed me, left me, or made it worse.”

My father’s loyalty in that moment witnessed Christ.

When my father died, “Your dad was a man who LIVED the love of God toward me.”

Galatians 6:2 ESV

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

You

If you struggle with judgement and anger.

If your heart is far from the patience, kindness, and goodness of God...

Firstly, you must spend time with the God of patience, kindness, and goodness.

Turn toward Christ, and in prayer and in meditation upon His Word, ask for revelation on why you struggle so...

Pay attention to what you’re paying attention to!

You can see the goodness of God in life almost as easily as you can see the evil you imagine.

Remain In God and He will...

Psalm 51:10 ESV

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Not right thoughts…We already have those.

A right Spirit.

A spirit that focuses on the model and character of Jesus

A spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and goodness...

A word to those who are peaceful and are faced with un-peaceful circumstances or people...

You have both the challenge and the privilege of being the Godly person in an ungodly circumstance.

Romans 12:17–21 ESV

Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

The real battle: Not becoming the evil that confronts you.

Not using worldly tools of anger, wrath, self justification, etc...

Matthew 5:39 ESV

But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Why? Because the other person might change?

Perhaps, but perhaps not...

No. Jesus tells us to not resist evil for one reason.

If we resist, we will take on the qualities of the evil itself.

Have you ever been peaceful, responded to evil, only to devolve into the very evil that stands before you?

The more attention you give to evil, the more it magnifies.

You will nourish whatever you give your attention to.

In every moment, there is the opportunity to recognize the presence of God.

Close your eyes

Grow silent

God is here.

God is ieverwhere

He is in the birds of the air and the lilies of the field.

He is in the humming of the electrical power

Understand that God is present to you in this moment and every moment.

And if the other person cannot see God, don’t turn your attention away from God in order to fight in the mud.

Don’t resist the devil with the devil’s tools.

Keep focused on the light of God, and the evil will not exist in you.

1 John 1:7 ESV

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.

And if the pother person will not see the light, we then, walk away and leave them to their devices.

Perhaps in your witness they will be swayed.

But perhaps not.

US

Imagine a church with a witness so strong that even in utter external evil, we continue to witness the light and love of God.

May we never forget that the salvation of Jesus Christ sits before us at every moment…right now.

Not in a distance, not with a journey, not with striving.

Right here. Right now.

Ephesians 3:21 ESV

to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.