Fruit of the Spirit
Part 8 – Goodness
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
8. Goodness
INTRODUCTION
Today is Sunday. September 10th, 2023
This week we are examining the Spiritual Fruit and character of God, goodness.
This is not about “being a good person,” or being made good by God’s Spirit.
This fruit, like others, should be present in our lives so that others may witness and be blessed by God’s character of goodness.
Today’s Topic: the Spiritual Fruit - GOODNESS
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. Patience and Kindness
a. Remember what patience is and what it is for
i. A few weeks ago we discussed what patience is
ii. Spiritual Fruits are characteristics of God that we produce in our lives because we have God’s Holy Spirit
iii. These fruits serve a purpose, to fulfill the Will of God
iv. God’s character of patience is expressed in 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some consider slowness, but is patient toward you, not (causing/making) “willing” for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”
v. The fruit of patience we are supposed to have in our lives is to give or show mercy to those who are still sinning.
vi. The patience of God allow us time to repent.
b. Remember what kindness is and what it is for
i. Kindness works with patience
ii. God’s character of kindness is mercy, and tolerance working with patience
iii. Why? 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?”
iv. The combination of the character of God that is supposed to be present in our lives and spiritual walk, patience, kindness, tolerance, mercy, serve to fulfill the Will of God
v. Romans 2:4 is the “key,” or formula to drawing the lost into repentance and salvation.
c. They work together to fulfill the Will of God
i. Understanding that the fruits of the Spirit is the character of God, and the fact they serve to fulfill God’s Will, should make us realize they are not for us, rather, the lost and for the building up of the kingdom.
ii. The fruits of the Spirit, the Whole Armor of God and the Spiritual Gifts are all meant to equip us for service to God and His Kingdom.
iii. When we realize this, it makes it much more important that we keep in step with the Spirit of God, listen to Him, and watch that we do not quench the Holy Spirit and His work.
II. Our Purpose and Calling
a. The Will of God
i. God’s desire is that all are saved
1. 1 Timothy 2:4
2. 2 Peter 3:9
3. Matthew 23:37
b. Our purpose is to fulfill the will of God
i. Our purpose in the kingdom is to fulfill the Will of God
ii. Summarized in the Great Commission
iii. We are “made” capable by the Holy Spirit
1. Ephesians 4:8 “Therefore it says, “WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES, And HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN.”
iv. When Jesus died on the cross, we (humankind), were given grace (Ephesians 4:7), according to the measure of Christ’s gift (the cross).
v. The literal translation says He (Christ) led the captives (verb 3rd person singular)
vi. Of captivity (noun – place)
vii. This is when Jesus led all those who died before the cross and work of Christ, to heaven “When He ascended…”
viii. And He gave gifts to men.”
1. This is speaking of the work of Jesus at the cross not only making heaven available to the righteous, but giving the gift of the Holy Spirit to men.
2. With that gift of the Holy Spirit made available to us comes the Fruits (character of God,) the gifts (tools for serving) and the Whole Armor of God, because we are fighting a spiritual battle, and no one goes into battle without equipment.
ix. Our purpose is to fulfill the Will of God
c. Our calling is how we accomplish that
i. This is where each of us is unique
ii. Created different to serve Him differently
III. What is Goodness
a. ἀγαθωσύνη (a-gath-o-soo-nay, genuine goodness (especially as a personal quality), with stress on the kindly (rather than the righteous) side of goodness. Sometimes translated generosity. (Souter, A. (1917). In A Pocket Lexicon to the Greek New Testament (p. 2). Clarendon Press.)
i. This character of God means to be generous, and have an open heart
1. The world can cause our hearts to become callous
When we have shown love to someone, and they abused or misused it, or us, our hearts break. If it continues, we become cold, callous, unloving.
Not because those things happened to us, but because we choose to stop allowing fruit to appear in our lives. We quench the Holy Spirit and His work because we grow tired of the hurt and disappointment.
But how many times have we hurt and disappointed God? Yet, He remains loving, patient, merciful, kind and generous to us in too many ways to count, in hopes of bringing us to repentance and forgiveness.
2. Those who have taken advantage of our goodness can cause us to hesitate in being generous
3. However, we are called to do just that, and through the Spirit of God, regardless of the past, we can be both generous and have an open heart.
ii. Open-hearted is an adjective. “…expressing or displaying one's warm and kindly feelings without concealment.”
iii. In other words, don’t hold back your generosity and be open-hearted with others.
Patience, mercy, kindness, tolerance, and being genuinely generous and open-hearted is a formula for reaching the lost, and those who have strayed from the truth.
b. Is this fruit so YOU can look righteous?
i. None of the fruits are for you, rather, they are for enabling you to show the character of God to others in your spiritual walk.
ii. They are for enabling you to fulfill the will of God
c. Generous and Open Hearted Genuine Goodness
i. The fruit which draws in the lost to witness firsthand the character of God
ii. If people say they do not believe, or do not see God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit at work in the world today, it is not because Yahweh has failed, rather, that the Body of Christ (us believer’s) have failed to produce the fruit in our lives.
iii. When we fail to “keep in step” with the Spirit, or we allow our flesh to be our master once more, we fail the beautiful system God designed for bringing in the lost unto repentance and salvation.
CONCLUSION
Psalm 25:8-9
“Good and upright is Yahweh; Therefore He instructs sinners in the way. May He lead the humble in justice, And may He teach the humble His way.”
God is good, and we can show others His goodness through the Spiritual Fruit
Next week:
Fruit of the Spirit Part 9: FAITHFULNESS
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