Fruit of the Spirit
Part 7 – Kindness
Rev Bruce A. Shields
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SERMON TIMELINE
1. Christ set us Free
2. Walking in the Spirit
3. Love
4. Joy
5. Peace
6. Patience
7. Kindness
INTRODUCTION
Today is Sunday. September 3rd, 2023
This week, we are looking at the Spiritual Fruit of Kindness, which means being merciful. Kindness is one of the fruits that works very closely with the fruit we spoke about last week: Patience.
Remember, Patience is not about learning to wait to get what you want. In fact, like most of the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit, it has nothing to do with you at all. It involves ministering to others in and out of the Body of Christ.
We discovered last week that the Spiritual Fruit of Patience is about God’s Grace and the time given to those who have not yet surrendered to the Lord. Like God, we show the Spiritual Fruit of Patience to those who are lost or spiritually immature while ministering and sharing the Good News in hopes they will repent.
Romans 2:4
“…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?”
God’s Kindness, tolerance, and patience lead to repentance!
Patience in holding back judgment. Tolerance, overlooking offense for the greater good, salvation, and spiritual growth. Kindness creates an environment of mercy to foster repentance and growth in others.
Romans 2:4 is the formula for saving the lost and growing the spiritually immature.
The Spiritual Fruit of Kindness, like Patience, is not about us; it expresses love from the Spirit of God toward others. Remember these crucial verses;
1 John 4:7-8 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
When I Corinthians 13 describes what love is, listen to the beginning of verse 4;
“Love is patient, love is kind…”
Patience and Kindness are the first two attributes of love listed in I Corinthians 13:4.
God is love, love is action, the action of patience and Kindness. As Romans 2:4 states, “…the kindness of God leads you to repentance…”
We will cover a few things today;
I. God’s Will
II. Our Calling to fulfill our Purpose
III. The Fruit of Kindness mixed with Patience
Today’s Topic: the Spiritual Fruit - KINDNESS
SCRIPTURE READING (Legacy Standard Bible)
Galatians 5:22-25 Crucify the flesh
“…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, Kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk in step with the Spirit.”
TODAY’S MESSAGE
I. GOD’S WILL
a. All are saved
i. God desires all sinners to be saved
1. 1 Timothy 2:4
2. 2 Peter 3:9
3. Matthew 23:37
b. Are all going to be saved?
i. Matthew 23:37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you did not want it. 38 Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! 39 For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
1. The Lord wanted Jerusalem to be saved. However, they killed the prophets and stoned anyone the Lord sent to them. They were left “desolate,” as Jesus says.
2. Jesus makes it clear, even God’s beloved Jerusalem, the Hebrews, and Israelites themselves, in Jesus’ own words, “…from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
3. God wants all to be saved and call on the Lord's name, but not all will.
ii. Romans 10:11-13 “For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes upon Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him, 13 for “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
iii. Unfortunately, not everyone will call on the only name that saves.
iv. However, this does not change what God wants. It does not change “why” He is patient with us and has not come to judge the world yet.
v. 2 Peter 3:8-10 “But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. 9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some consider slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be found out.”
1. Is it worth holding back Judgment Day if it means one more soul is saved for eternity?
2. He leaves the 99 who are His for the one who is lost.
3. Holding back Judgment Day to show mercy, Kindness, and patience to the lost who may repent is worth putting the coming judgment on hold.
4. Have no fear, though. As 2 Peter 3:8-10 states, “do not let this fact escape your notice…the Day of the Lord will come. The heavens and the earth will pass away. The earth and its work will be found out.”
5. Judgment Day will come, and all will be judged. There WILL be a day when God’s Patience will end because all who will repent will have repented.
6. To all those who thought they “got away” with their crimes, I assure you, you did not.
7. To those who lived their lives never paying their debt to society for the evils they committed, your payment for not repenting will be far worse.
8. I say enjoy your life to those who do not believe in Judgment Day, heaven, hell, or Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior. Eat, drink, be merry, for this is your heaven. Live it to the fullest you can because there will come a time when you will stand before the Lord, and He will say to you, “Away with you. I do not know you.”
a. And the memory of your life on earth will be your only solace for eternity, which I imagine will torment you as you realize you had an entire life to repent and call on the only name that saves.
c. What is God’s will for you in life?
i. God purposes you to fulfill His Will.
ii. That is your explicit Purpose.
iii. You become a Luke 5 disciple in the Kingdom when you call on His name.
iv. As you grow Spiritually and mature, you will eventually become a Matthew 28 disciple.
v. The entire time, serving the Lord in various ways, all working toward fulfilling the Will of God.
II. OUR CALLING TO FULFILL OUR PURPOSE
a. Our Purpose
i. Our Purpose in life is to fulfill the Will of God, which is that all are saved!
b. Our calling
i. It is how we specifically fulfill the Will of God in our life.
c. The three wills of God
i. You can look at this as if God has three wills.
1. Really, one will, with different steps.
ii. Basically, the Will of God is;
1. You call on the Name of the Lord and repent, becoming a disciple
2. You discover what Spiritual Gifts you have to serve the Body of Christ
3. You share the Good News with others so they, too, can call on the Name of Jesus
III. THE FRUIT OF KINDNESS MIXED WITH PATIENCE
a. Patience and Kindness, the dynamic duo
i. We have read a few verses where Patience and Kindness are used together.
ii. They complement each other in their work.
iii. One without the other may still accomplish its work; however, their being listed together tells me they are meant to work together to achieve more.
b. Mercy is an attribute of Kindness.
i. Patience, waiting for the lost or Spiritually immature to either repent and call on the name of the Lord or become more spiritually mature.
ii. Mix that with Kindness, showing mercy for their shortcomings, forgiving their offenses, and understanding they lack understanding.
iii. Having patience while creating an environment of mercy and Kindness, we are told in Romans 2:4, is the perfect environment to foster repentance and growth.
iv. Is this not what we want?
1. To understand our Purpose, using our calling to fulfill the Will of God.
2. To see that all are saved to the best of our ability.
3. We should desire for the lost to repent and call on the name of the Lord and the Spiritually Immature to learn and grow to maturity.
c. The meaning of the Spiritual Fruit of Kindness
i. Χρηστότης (chrēstotēs / khray-stot'-ace) Strongs #G5544
ii. The word is used for;
1. Goodness
2. Honesty
3. Uprightness
4. Gentleness
5. Mercy
6. Moral excellence in character or demeanor
CONCLUSION
Romans 2:4
“…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?”
Patience in holding back judgment. Tolerance, overlooking offense for the greater good, salvation, and spiritual growth. Kindness creates an environment of mercy to foster repentance and growth in others.
Romans 2:4 is the formula for Repentance and Spiritual Growth!
Next week:
Fruit of the Spirit Part 8: GOODNESS
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