15. kindness

Welcome to Grace

Welcome to Grace

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mothers womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.Psalm 139:13-14

https://i.vimeocdn.com/video/568500675_1280x853.jpgGalatians 5:22 - Kindness

Introduction

Heres a strange thing.There are values and there are qualities in this world that most people, most of the time, value and think of as important.They certainly SAY these things are really good and really important qualities.But you try DOING those things especially in the workplace and it can be an utterly different story.Outside work or the world of commerce or wherever you spend your time, most people will set kindness at a significant value.But you try DOING that in the world you inhabit and youll find theres a PRICE to pay for that.And thats the way it is.This is a thing of great importance and significant value, but you DO pay a price for it.For the Christian its MORE even than that it is a leading characteristic of our God and it is the fruit of His indwelling Spirit that grows on us as we walk with Him (so long as we DO walk with Him), as well as being part of the living sacrifice we make in following Him in view of His mercy.Now that is how it works, because its in the Old Testament that we first encounter kindness as an attribute of God And the LXX translates using the same word we have here

Galatians 5:22 - Kindness

Introduction

So Strongs Concordance goes like this:

1) moral goodness, integrity 2) benignity, kindnessSo much for a dictionary definition hard to distinguish from at least the next word and possibly several others in this list! So then, as with many words you need to look at how it actually gets used in Scripture


Introduction

Kindness in the Old Testament LXX:

https://i.vimeocdn.com/video/568500675_1280x853.jpgThe Old Testament shows us God is kind.Now, that may come as a bit of a surprise, but the OT show us the God Who is both the righteous Judge of the ends of the earth and also kind.In the Psalm book the songs of the spiritual experience of Gods OT people Gods kindness is a constant theme, so


Introduction


Psalm 25:7 ff.

Do not remember the sins of my youth
and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
for you,Lord, are good.

8Good and upright is theLord;
therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
9He guides the humble in what is right
and teaches them his way.
10All the ways of theLordare loving and faithful
toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.
11For the sake of your name,Lord,
forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

Theres no loss of the sense of Gods justice.Theres no loss of the psalmists responsibility to God for his own sin.He is loving and faithful to those who live as His covenant people.Now that awareness of the loving kindness of God the word is Hesed () is going to grow and develop but at this point it is clearly lovingkindness Gods covenant love for His people.So also in Psalm 31:19


Introduction


Psalm 25:7 ff.

Psalm 31:21
Praise be to theLord,
for he showed me the wonders of his love
when I was in a city under siege.

https://i.vimeocdn.com/video/568500675_1280x853.jpgThat word Love there is the word for Gods Covenant Love () which works out as kindness God relates lovingly to His covenant people which works out as He shows covenant faithfulness and kindness to them.But its not just in the poetry of the Old Testament, you find it also in places like Jeremiah 31:11


Introduction


Psalm 25:7 ff.

Psalm 31:21

Jeremiah 31:11
This is what theLordsays: You say about this place, It is a desolate waste, without people or animals. Yet in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are deserted, inhabited by neither people nor animals, there will be heard once more11the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings to the house of theLord, saying,

Give thanks to theLordAlmighty,
for theLordis good;
his love endures for ever.

That word loving kindness, covenant love occurs again here and it describes Gods kindness, the outcome of His love, towards His people.In all these cases the LXX translates that covenant love of God towards His people as kindness.As you can see, it is often very specific, very tangible, very tangible and often arises against the background of enduring human sin and failure.


Introduction


Psalm 25:7 ff.

Psalm 31:21

Jeremiah 31:11

Kindness in the New Testament-

https://farm8.static.flickr.com/7262/7468051580_170e1549fb.jpgThis word occurs in the New Testament seven times.Its used to describe the goodness of things, then doing good to people actively.


Introduction


Psalm 25:7 ff.

Psalm 31:21

Jeremiah 31:11


Gospels

https://farm8.static.flickr.com/7262/7468051580_170e1549fb.jpgThe first mention of the kindness of God in the NT arises in Luke 6:35 where a major element in the OT understanding of Gods kindness is fundamentally and very significantly transformed

Luke 6:32-36

If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.33And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.34And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full.35But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Now THAT Is - in that culture - quite SCANDALOUS grace.To suggest that God is kind to the ungodly would be seen as making God Himself guilty by His association with them, as He showed kindness to the ungodly.But theres the big change.That was the era of Law- this is the era of grace, Gods unmerited favour, contrary to what is deserved, shown not because of anything in the OBJECTS of this kindness, but because of something that exists in the One showing kindness.And THAT is what this fruit of the Spirit is, which grows in those living in fellowship with the Spirit of God.


Introduction


Psalm 25:7 ff.

Psalm 31:21

Jeremiah 31:11


Gospels

Paul

Romans 2:4

Ephesians 2:7

Titus 3:4

https://farm8.static.flickr.com/7262/7468051580_170e1549fb.jpgIn Paul this term gets most of its Biblical use.Its only used three times elsewhere but Paul uses it much more enthusiastically In Romans 2:4 we learn that Gods kindness leads sinners towards repentance not His judgement roared over them but His kindness shown to them in spite of themselves.It is the fruit of Gods Spirit at work in a life to grow this kindness shown to people in spite of them, and that kindness is a thing that leads people towards repentance.It feeds on Eph. 2:7s incomparable riches of Gods grace, shown against the background of our lost-ness and sinfulness, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.That thought FEEDS human kindness when its grown as the fruit of His SpiritAnd its against a similar background in Titus 3:4 that after describing our previous lost state Paul declares But when the love and kindness of God our Saviour appeared, He saved us.Jerry Bridges: It seems the Bible goes out of its way to portray the kindness of God in stark contrast to mans total undeservedness.If we are to become godly, growing the fruit of the Spirit, we must learn from Him to be kind to the godless and to the utterly underserving.Because THAT is what characterises HIS kindness.You see, we are naturally inclined to show kindness when we will gain by it, and we are naturally inclined to show kindness to those with whom we have some natural affinity family, friends and likeable neighbours that you MIGHT describe as our kind of people.We tend to be kind to our kind.But God shows HIS kindness to those who are most despicable.And THAT (Colossians 3:12) is what we are to put on as a garment.
Therefore, as Gods chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
but not as a legalistic duty, not as a work of the flesh, but as a fruit of our experience of God the fruit of the life lived in the Spirit.
Theres a fascinating hint of this already in the Gospels, in a very famous passage of Scripture


Introduction


Psalm 25:7 ff.

Psalm 31:21

Jeremiah 31:11


Gospels

Paul

Kindness as the fruit of the Spirit

https://farm8.static.flickr.com/7262/7468051580_170e1549fb.jpgNow, obviously, its here in this list of the Fruits of the Spirit which weve been looking into while we consider the Christians experience of God.But the way Jesus calls us to go for this fruit is really interesting, and it looks like this

Matthew 11:28-30

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Yoke_china.jpgThe yoke is used to carry burdens.The weight of discipleship to the Law was acknowledged to be a heavy weight to bear, but Jesus is saying that His yoke is (by contrast) EASY.Hows that?Because the Law was unkind to us but God in Christ and through the Gospel has been kind to us when we deserved the opposite of that.Because He has been kind to us we are inspired to be kind.
Because His Spirit has taken up residence in those He has actually saved the power to show kindness the way HE has shown kindness does not come from us but from Him our neurons send the signal, His bionics shift the weight.
(Im not sure thats a complete analogy, but its getting there!)And thats why this big challenge to be kind to those who utterly dont deserve it the way He is utterly kind to those who utterly dont deserve it is not a heavy but a kindly challenge.


Introduction


Psalm 25:7 ff.

Psalm 31:21

Jeremiah 31:11


Gospels

Paul

Kindness as the fruit of the Spirit

Conclusion

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Yoke_china.jpgSo now we need to be very careful with this.What the world we live in tells us about kindness is that it is laudable but too costly if you do too much of it and too much of it seems often to be not much at all.What the Scriptures teach us is that what feels like too much of it is exactly whats been done for us, and that if we ARE believers, keeping in step with the Spirit, this thing kindness will grow on us as the fruit of our relationship with God and NOT as the burden of regulation.And THAT is the experience of the people of God.Have you a deep DESIRE to be that kind of kind?

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15. kindness

Spiritual