Message #5: Grow the Fruit of Kindness & Goodness

Sermon Series – 2015

Message #5: Grow the Fruit of Kindness & Goodness

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Play “Try a little Kindness”

You probably didn’t think you were going to hear a little Glenn Campbell this morning. But listen to the words for a moment:

If you see your brother standing by the road
With a heavy load from the seeds he's sowed
And if you see your sister falling by the way
Just stop and say, you're going the wrong way

You got to try a little kindness
Yes show a little kindness
Just shine your light for everyone to see
And if you try a little kindness
Then you'll overlook the blindness
Of the narrow-minded people on the narrow-minded streets

Don't walk around the down and out
Lend a helping hand instead of doubt
And the kindness that you show every day
Will help someone along their way

Interesting words. Especially the part about: And if you try a little kindnessThen you'll overlook the blindnessof the narrow-minded people on the narrow-minded streets.

Today we our continuing our sermon series on “What’s growing in your Garden?” Your garden is your soul. In Galatians 5: 22 we read: 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. We have looked at love, joy, peace and patience. Today we are going to look at kindness and goodness. We are taking these two aspects of the Fruit of the Spirit together as we highlight our actions towards others around us. I would like to use a story from Scripture to highlight these two gifts. King Saul was the first king for God’s people in the Old Testament. He started out good but soon became evil. God then said that he would give the throne to David. David was a young boy and he served King Saul for awhile. But, Saul turned on David and tried to kill him. For a number of years, David was on the run. King Saul was then killed in a battle against the Philistines along with all of his sons except one. Afterwards, God set up David as king of his people. Then we hear this in II Samuel 9:

Now David said, "Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?" And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, "Are you Ziba?" And he said, "At your service!" Then the king said, "Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God?" And Ziba said to the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet." So the king said to him, "Where is he?" And Ziba said to the king, "Indeed he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar."

David sent for Jonathan’s son and he took care of him for the rest of his life. Notice the comment of David: "Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God?" David was reacting to the kindness of God towards him. This son of Jonathan could have been viewed as a threat to his throne. But, David received God’s kindness and he wanted to share that kindness with others.

Just like with love, joy, peace and patience, we realize that all of these gifts come from God. They are not products of our own strength or come from our own heart. They spring from the kindness our God has given to us. In Isaiah 54:10, God gives us this promise:

10Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed,

yet my unfailinglove for you will not be shaken

nor my covenant of peace be removed,”

says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

The word “unfailing love” refers to God’s kindness – his love in action. No matter what happens in life, no matter what disaster befalls us or no matter what loss we face – God is true to his covenant of love and peace. Just a few moments ago, you once again heard your Lord reaffirm his promise to you. “I forgive you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Words of love and mercy and kindness. This past week, we have not shown the kindness that God has shown to us. Consider the people we have failed to comfort, the lonely we have not befriended. We have passed by people in need of help and we considered our lives too busy to stop and help. But, consider this:

Video of “What would you do?”

We are the beggar and God is driving by. Does he stop? Yes, he stopped and he picked us up. He carried us to the cross. He set us at the foot of the cross and said, “Stay here, while I go up there and pay for your sins.” Then we saw him die. We wonder – did he really accomplish our salvation? As we walk away, we come to a tomb. The stone begins to roll away and there steps out our Savior. “I promised you that I would save you. I promised you that I would help you and be with you forever. Here I am.” There isn’t a day that Jesus fails to stand beside you with his arms of love and mercy. Why would you consider to show kindness and goodness? Because of this….

RedeemerTruth #1: The Fruits of Kindness and Goodness are a response to God’s Goodness and Kindness to me.

You have kindness and goodness in your heart because you have the Spirit. These gifts are included in the Fruit of the Spirit within you. Kindness and Goodness both refer to our relationship with people around us. Taken together, they point to an attitude of mercy and help. Goodness tends to be more general in its meaning while kindness is more specific. Let’s look at goodness first.

Titus 3: 8

8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

The word for goodness is defined as "uprightness of heart and life." It is goodness for the benefit of others, not goodness simply for the sake of being virtuous. So, it has both the willingness to help but also the right reason to help. What is this goodness? Most people decide what is right and wrong not based on what God has taught us, but on whatever mood, feeling or biased “research” they’ve experienced on the matter.

Goodness takes our virtue and excellence and models it to others in the action of love. It is doing the right thing even when it does not feel like we should. An example of this is Joseph. He was betrayed and sold as a slave, but he chose to make his situation good and help and treat others better than he needed too. But he said to his brothers: 19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

Why are we to be good? Because God is good to us. Psalm 86: 5 says: 5You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you. Because we are to serve a God of love and in so doing we are to love! Goodness is the application of love, whereas pride is the love of self. Therefore, we need to cleanse our hearts and our actions. James 4:8 encourages us to: 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Being good will help us be patient, kind, understanding and forgiving to others. It will be the fruit that helps us build each other up, build His Church, reach His community and restore relationships and seek the best in all we do. It is excellence in action! It is what builds great societies and its absence causes those same societies to collapse in debauchery. Therefore….

RedeemerTruth #2: The Fruit of Goodness is doing the right thing for the right reason.

Doing the right thing for the right reason leads us to ask, “What is the right thing?” The right thing is kindness. What is kindness? It is based on the mind-set described in Philippians 2:3-4:

3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humilityconsider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

In this section, Paul is speaking about following the same attitude of Jesus. That attitude was one of humbly giving of himself to others. Kindness is humbly giving of ourselves in love and mercy to others who may not be able to give anything back, who sometimes don’t deserve it, and who frequently don’t thank us for it. Basically kindness means a way of thinking that leads to doing thoughtful deeds for others.

The Greek word for “kind” has the meaning of useful, which makes it clear that biblical kindness involves action. The Apostle John wrote in I John 3: 18: 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

Of course, the emphasis on deeds over mere words does not mean words are unnecessary. Action includes words. Encouraging words of comfort, courtesy, compliments and even correction can be heartwarming acts of kindness.

What to say and not say should be guided by awareness of the sensitivities of others. We must help people heal from their emotional wounds rather than rubbing salt in those wounds. Sadly, when people know what “buttons to push,” they often use that insight to further hurt eachother.

I often have talked to my daughters about the need to look beyond themselves. It is not hard to be selfish. We are inherently selfish. We have to work at kindness. Paul says in Galatians 6: 10: 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Each of us has to ask ourselves, “How much do I look beyond myself to help others?” Oh, how easy it is to become so busy in our lives that we pass by those who are hurting. How easy it is to delete the email from Pastor asking for help. “Oh, someone else with more time will help. I am too busy.” Oh, how many times I have heard even Christians in this family say to me, “Pastor, I can’t help. I have too many of my own things to do.” We even cloak our selfishness and self-centeredness in “righteous reasons.” “I have to take care of my own family.” “I have to take care of the house God gave me.” Peel back the excuses and, so often, we see hearts of selfishness.

God has not called us to have an attitude of selfishness. He has called us out of the world of the unbeliever and self-centeredness. He has called us into his family and we bear his name and his image. If our Lord could have the attitude of selflessness, of looking beyond himself to the needs of others, so we can have that same attitude.

To some of you, I can encourage you to work at acts of kindness right now because your heart has grown in God’s love. Others of you have to grow before you can be kind. We have to grow in our acts of kindness and being willing to be inconvenienced.

Let this be in our minds and attitudes…

RedeemerTruth #3: The Fruit of Kindness is looking beyond myself to the needs of others with time and talents and treasures.

Someone once pondered about the “dash” on a tombstone between the year of birth and year of death. That dash represents the years of living. What will that “dash” represent in your life? It will state that you were here on this earth. But is that all? What do you want to represent. We are the children of God and we want our “dash” to represent this….

Play video of “I was here.”

The amazing point is that we sometimes will not even know what God can do with our acts of kindness and goodness. Many have contemplated that more people are won over for Christ by our works of love than by words. Don’t get me wrong, words are important. But, as John pointed out, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

Both patience and kindness are bound in the one quality - love. Those who provoke us may never notice patient love, but patient love may reveal itself in acts of kindness so that even our provokers are positively impressed. Kindness is such a rare quality these days that when someone is kind, it has a good chance of making the news!

God has some interesting words for us in Ephesians 2: 8-10

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

Now, we as good Lutherans have memorized these passages and call them great passages concerning our salvation. These passages summarize for us the chief teaching of the Lutheran Christian Faith that we are saved by grace alone through faith in Jesus. Our Savior did it all for us. But, do you remember the verse that comes right after that? Our Lord continues…

10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Yes, we are not saved by good works. But that doesn’t mean that we should avoid good works. No, we embrace them. In fact, we were recreated in God’s image to do good works. Every day God has set before us deeds of kindness and goodness. There is a sign that says, “Commit random acts of kindness.” For the Christian, the opportunities to be kind and good are not random. God has already set them up today for you. The question is not, “Are there deeds of kindness to do today?” No, the question is, “Will I see the opportunity and will I seize the opportunity to do good today?” “Will I look beyond myself to see the love and joy of being kind and good to others?”

We even take it one step farther. “Will I be kind and good to those who will never pay me back?” In warning us of the works of the Pharisee, Jesus said this in Luke 14:

12 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

In the movie, “Pay it Forward,” a seventh-grader begins a project in which he encourages people to do something good and kind for someone else and then that person is to do something kind and good for the next person. Ephesians 2 is telling us to pay it forward. God has done something good and kind – in fact – he has done the kindest and best thing for us – he died for us. He gave us love and forgiveness. We cannot pay him back. But, verse 10 tells us to pay it forward. Pay forward the kindness of God. Pay it forward to those who can’t pay us back. Pay it forward not expecting any repayment because it is our privilege to love another.

This is your….

RedeemerTruth #4: The Fruits of Kindness and Goodness are helping others without need for payback.

In Galatians 5, God tells us: 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

The way it is written in the original language gives the idea that this is to be repetitive and continuous action. This vary factor signifies that none of us have "arrived" spiritually. All of us are flawed, deficient and weak in some respects. As we develop these virtues, we must be kind and forgiving toward our brothers on the basis of Christ's example of love and kindness to us. The enabling power of God's Spirit is already within us, or this exhortation would be in vain.

Again, it is important to be reminded that kindness and goodness are acts that we choose to do. It is a commitment on our part. We need to humble ourselves and see the need of a brother or sister or the needs of the church. God calls upon us here not merely to act but to do it with love.

Kindness is something that we must develop, and we can do it because God has already enabled us by His Spirit. This fruit is especially sweet tasting and a major factor in producing unity.

When God speaks of kindness and goodness, he often associates the concepts of forgiveness and generosity.

In Isaiah 63 we read:

7I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord,

the deeds for which he is to be praised,