Peeled 5 - Kindness

Week 5 of our Series Peeled.
This week Pastor Jason Mayo shares on the Fruit of Kindness.

Intro

a.     We are examining the Fruit of the Spirit and discovering characteristics of a life changed by Christ.

b.     Here’s what we know about fruit, fruit is never grown overnight, it must be cultivated.

c.     Picture your life like a piece of fruit. When you are peeled is the fruit sweet or sour?

d.     We are peeling back the layers of the Fruit of the Spirit.

e.     Many say “fruits,” however there are not 9 “fruits” of the Spirit, the Fruit of the Spirit has 9 characteristics, 9 layers if you will.

f.      These Fruit taken together make up the character of Christ.

g.     Some people try to pick and choose their way through the Fruit of the Spirit. Many pray and ask God to “give” them the fruit of the Spirit. Gifts are given. Fruit is cultivated.

Galatians 5:22-23 NLT But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

h.     The Fruit of the Spirit is a description of the character qualities found in Christ.

We tell our kids to be kind!

i.      Do they even know what that means?

j.      Do we show them or tell them what it means?

k.     Do we know how to explain it in a way that our kids understand and that we remember as adults to always live with kindness?

What is Kindness?

l.       A kind deed: favor; the quality or state of being kind.

m.    Doing things for others 1. Because it’s the right thing, 2. Without expecting anything in return.

n.     Greek: chrēstotēs – involves sincere and active consideration for others. It includes not wanting to hurt anyone or cause anyone pain.

o.     Of the 17 times the word is used in the new testament, eight times it describes the character of God, whose kindness leads us to repentance, who out of His incomparable riches and kindness gave us salvation in Christ. Ephesians 1:7

p.    In English the word kind comes from the root word “kin” which originally meant to treat others as though they were kin.

q.     I think that really puts into perspective Matthew 22:39 where Jesus says the 2^nd greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as you love yourself.

r.      It also puts into perspective:

Ephesians 4:32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

God’s Kindness

s.     Throughout the Bible God is described as having kindness.

Psalm 145:17 The Lord is righteous in everything he does; he is filled with kindness.

Romans 2:4 Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?

t.      We see that God is full of Kindness and his kindness is obviously intended to encourage, uplift and save us.

u.     He also wants us to have the same kindness towards others.

Christian.

v.     The word Christian means to be Christ Like.

w.   If this is the case, we know that Jesus, who is the Christ, is also God, so we are to be like God as well.

x.     If this is true, we also need to not only have, but show the same Kindness that God has shown to us.

Titus 3:3-5 3 Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. 4 But—When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, 5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.

y.    An unkind person is hostile and punitive or indifferent.

z.     They reduce life to a set of rules and if you keep the rules everything will be just fine but if you don't obey the rules I don't have to have mercy upon you.

aa.   Kindness does not reduce life to a set of rules.

bb.  Kindness shows compassion even to those who break the rules.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words!

cc.   When we say we are Christ like, we should also be doing our best to show His characteristics in our life.

1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud

dd.  In Paul’s description of love, he gets 4 words into his description and tells us love is Kind.

ee.   In other words, love treats others as if they were kin.

ff.    When we love others, it should also be flooded with joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control.

gg.   In every characteristic we should have from God, the Holy Spirit should always be cultivating the fruit of the spirit in our lives.

hh.  Each layer of the fruit of the spirit can be traced back to what I believe is one of the greatest character traits, His LOVE for us!

The Challenge.

ii.     When we claim to be and call ourselves Christians we cannot pick and choose which part of the fruit we want to have cultivated, we must allow the Holy Spirit to cultivate each part in our lives.

2 Timothy 2:24 A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people.

jj.     Sometimes, He is able to cultivate some parts easier than others because we all have our strengths and weaknesses.

kk.  When we allow the Holy Spirit to cultivate the Fruit of The Spirit in our lives, we begin to reflect Christ in more areas of our lives than we realize.

Philemon 1:7 Your love has given me much joy and comfort, my brother, for your kindness has often refreshed the hearts of God’s people.

ll.     If we took out ‘your’ at the beginning of that scripture and put your name in, would the scripture remain true as we read it?

mm.                 As difficult as it is, we have to get to a point in our lives that each and every time we face anything, we must stop and think before we respond or react so that the Kindness the Holy Spirit is cultivating in our life is never dimmed or hidden and we always reflect the heart of God.

Proverbs 3:3 Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart.

2 Corinthians 6:6 We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love.