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so pastor mike has you guys started in a
series called fruitful raise your hand
if you’re enjoying that series yeah it’s
I had the awesome opportunity to listen
to it online since I’m not here on
Sunday mornings and I mean he’s just you
guys have an incredible pastor really
you guys have an incredible pastor annum
he’s home snuggling with a newborn baby
and I don’t blame him that’s exactly
where I would be too and so um he’s
doing awesome job though he’s explaining
to you just but fruits of the spirit and
growing up in church I can remember like
hearing about the fruits of the Spirit
and it just sounded like a really
Christianese term and it was one of
those things that I was like that was
for like the older people like they
could operate in love and they could
have peace and like they could have joy
but like I was I was too cool to have
those things and so but I’m learning as
I grow and as I’m maturing my
relationship with God how important
those fruits truly are and I’m learning
that those fruits are how people
recognize me as a Christian and it’s how
people will recognize us as a Christian
and how we will draw people into the
kingdom of God because I’m you know it’s
really clear when you meet somebody
who’s not nice amen like how many of you
know Christians that are jerks I mean
it’s really sad to say but it’s like
yeah I know Kristen who’s a jerk and
they suck like we all know those people
that are like that and those are like if
that’s what Christianity looks like I
don’t want any part of it and that’s
what the world thinks too if they’re
gonna be hypocritical if they’re gonna
be judgmental if they’re gonna be rude
if they’re gonna be disrespectful if
they’re gonna be unkind I don’t want
anything to do with their right and so
we have to present and represent
ourselves differently to the earth in
order to draw people to him amen and
walking in those fruits takes nothing
but the holy spirit because there are
days when we don’t feel like being nice
amen I mean when you wake up and you’re
tired and you had to go get gas in your
car because you didn’t put it in the
night before and you didn’t wake up on
time to get your hair ready and your
makeup on or your clothes picked out and
you’re running late
and the dog needs to be let out and you
don’t have lunch this pack the last
thing that you want to do is be nice to
people right because you’re already
starting your day off on the wrong foot
how many of you can relate to that but
that’s how people recognize us and how
people know us and so Pastor Mike has
been calling this series fruitful and
when I look at that word fruitful I just
the first thing I did was I went all the
way back to the beginning where does
that word start when was that word first
used and I want all the way back to
Genesis and in Genesis chapter 1 verses
27 and 28 it says this God created man
in his own image male and female he
created them God blessed them and then
he said to them be fruitful and multiply
turn to your neighbor and say Bri
fruitful and multiply now in the church
that I grew up in and in the home that I
grew up in I always thought be fruitful
and multiply men get to having some
babies okay
bright you people when you gonna start
getting fruitful and multiply when you
haven’t you know the minute you get
married everybody wants to know when
you’re pushing out kids I mean that’s
it’s like the order you get the you get
married to get the white picket fence
you get the dog and then you start
pushing out the kids and so everybody
always says we’re gonna start
multiplying and having some babies and
and that’s great and I’m sure that
that’s part of it but then I have to
step back and question that can’t be all
that it means because how do you explain
to the barren woman who’s not been able
to get pregnant for 40 years why she
can’t have a baby and yet the Bible says
to be fruitful and multiply or how do
you explain to that to the woman who
like myself I’ve had one natural child
but I’ve lost three babies in the last
three years and you’re telling me to be
fruitful and multiply but my body can’t
so obviously God means something
different with that when he says be
fruitful and multiply and what he
genuinely means is exactly what Pastor
Mike shared with each one of you last
week and it’s the Great Commission in
Matthew 28 go into all the world and
make disciples of all nations baptizing
them in the name of the Father the Son
and the Holy Ghost and what that means
when we say to be fruitful and multiply
we are Rev
locating ourselves in the earth we are
duplicating who we are because we are
made in the image of God Genesis 1:27
and 28 says we are created in the very
image of God and we are to replicate and
multiply ourselves but just like I said
nobody wants a mean friend
nobody wants a mean Christian I mean we
we’ve got enough of those worldly people
who are mean right so we don’t need the
church to be rude so this morning I have
the pleasure of breaking down one of the
attributes for you Pastor Mike asked me
to take one and pick it and teach it to
you and that’s what I’m gonna get to do
with you this morning Galatians 5:22
says this that the fruit of the Spirit
is love joy peace patience kindness
goodness faithfulness gentleness and
self-control
and I would love to say that I’m really
holy and I have that memorized because
I’m so holy but let me tell you why I
haven’t memorized because I have a
toddler at home well she’s 5 now so
she’s not so much a toddler and when we
were going through the terrific twos and
threes with her um I would become very
very annoyed with her I mean let’s just
be real right kids can be can all the
parents say Amen and if you don’t have
parent guess what you were annoying to
your appearance so I don’t I mean we
love our children like I love my baby
but um but I would get so frustrated
with her and I didn’t want to call her
you know I didn’t want to say to her how
I really felt you know like how my flesh
felt about her I didn’t want to belittle
her or crushed her spirit and so instead
of saying you know you are the most
annoying right now I’m like you have
that fruit of the Spirit is love joy
peace I just kind of said she was help
control and she was like okay mom and I
was like so I would just yell this to
her over and over again because it was
like I was gonna make her be lovely and
I was gonna make her be kind I was gonna
make her be peaceful and so now to this
day she can say mom I have the fruit of
the Spirit and it’s left joy peace
patience kindness goodness faithfulness
gentleness and self-control
bless her little heart but I’ve decided
to put the word in her because I
realized what I’m sewing into her is
what she’s also going to speak and the
same is true in each one of our lives
whatever we speak to ourselves is the
thing that comes out of our lives
amen the things that we speak around the
people around us that’s what comes out
the things that we declare over our
situations that’s what takes place the
power of life and death is in our time
and so this morning I want to break down
the attribute kindness and you know when
we say the word kindness we
automatically think oh that’s such a
nice word I’m so kind gives you these
warm fuzzy feelings and a lot of times
we even like think about kindness and we
think that that makes a person weak when
we think about the word kindness we
think weak because that means you’re
getting walked on you’re getting stomped
on you’re getting told what to do how to
do it when to do it and where to do it
but kindness is actually the complete
opposite of weakness it’s not weak it’s
being strong it’s knowing when to shut
your mouth when you need to shut your
mouth it’s knowing when to not show up
when you don’t need to show up it’s
knowing when to show up when you need to
show up it’s knowing when to be
sensitive in a situation when you need
to be sensitive and that takes nothing
but the Holy Spirit only the Holy Spirit
can create that fruit of kindness in us
because it allows us to be sensitive to
the situations and sensitive to the
voice of the Holy Spirit so kindness if
you and look at Matthew 7 16 it says
that people will know us by our fruit
and if you can’t exhibit that simple
fruit of kindness then how would you
ever be able to say that there’s a God
who loves you and you need to come meet
him if you’re at your workplace and
you’re I know people in my sphere of
influence right now but they are
complete jerks at their job place like
I’ve heard people tell me they are jerks
at work and yet they come to church and
they’re Jesus hallelujah and they get to
work and they’re a complete and total
jerk to their boss and to their
employees and I’m thinking those two
things can’t come out of the same mouth
there has to be a difference in what we
say in how we act in the Bible does say
that we will be known by our fruit and I
think that sadly we live in a culture
right now where we are more impressed
with what people do than who people are
and let me give you an example of what I
mean when we start dating for those of
us who’ve dated and been through all
that whoo hot mess of dating when you
date and you meet somebody and you go
home and you tell mom and dad about that
person or you tell your girlfriends or
you tell your on to your uncle about
that person you do not walk up and say
oh my gosh he has so much goodness and
kindness and she’s so lovely no you’re
like he makes money he has a Jo B thank
you Jesus okay that’s what your mom is
really concerned about is can he pay the
bills and I think about you know
whenever we meet each other when we’re
out in public in our culture when we
introduce ourselves to each other what’s
the first question we ask each other
what do you do
it’s just our culture to ask what do you
do and so in our culture unfortunately
we are more concerned with what the
other one does then who we are on the
inside what we’re producing what kind of
fruit we’re growing like Pastor Mike
said we have a choice whether to bear no
fruit some fruit much fruit or be
fruitful and I don’t know about you but
I desire to be fruitful kindness is a
rare quality so much so that when it
happens it makes the news today like how
sad is that
that when someone is kind or does a kind
thing it’s on the news now how many of
you have been in a Starbucks uh brahms
and McDonald’s you’ve been through a
drive-through and you’ve been the
recipient of someone who’s paid for your
drink or your ice cream or whatever
raise your hand okay awesome can you
guys come park in front of me next time
because I have not been the recipient of
that but
have been I’ve been able to bless the
car behind me and what I find so
interesting about kindness is it creates
a ripple effect that usually it’ll go on
for a cute a few cars until car number
you know the red Honda like is a jerk
and decides he doesn’t want to pay for
the I mean I don’t know how that I don’t
know how do you stop that thing but
somewhere along the lines companies like
mmm-hmm ain’t doing it not today and so
they decide not to pay for that person
Starbucks but what I realize is kindness
creates a ripple effect if one person
does it then somebody else follows suit
okay and that’s how God created the
spirits to operate in us is that when
one of us does it then we kind of all
follow in and do it together corporately
and kindness is humbly giving of
ourselves in love and mercy to others
and the thing about kindness is we have
to be willing to give kindness by the
power of the holy spirit to those who
may never even give us back anything in
return we have to be willing to give of
it knowing they may not return that
favor at all we also have to be willing
to do it to those who simply don’t
deserve it we have you willing to be
kind to those people who are just jerks
and we also have to be willing to be
kind of those people who don’t ever say
thank you because there will be lots of
people who will not say thank you a
while back we had a lady that I knew and
knew her really well and she was just me
I mean I’m just gonna say it nicely she
was such a jerk and everything about her
was rude everything she did was rude she
was rude to my face she was rude behind
my back she was rude to everybody but
specifically for me and like I mean I
like made this woman million-dollar
spaghetti and took it to her house and
I’m thinking you should at least say
thank you and repay me for the favor
right no so her birthday came about and
I knew it was her birthday and I was
praying not about her cuz I don’t pray
for her but um
you know praying for myself and y’all
don’t even don’t even act like this
fight y’all can be holy that’s fine you
got it you gotta stand perform too
and so I was praying I was being really
holy and I was praying and the Lord said
to give this woman her birthday present
I said huh a birthday present
God said yeah I want you to bless her
with the birthday presents her birthday
I was like all right I know exactly what
I’m gonna give her no kidding so I had
in the closet now don’t say anything
till I get this out of my mouth because
I know all y’all judgmental I had in the
closet of old bottle unused old bottle a
bath and Bodyworks like country apple
lotion like from the 1990s you know
those old-school sins come on now it was
brand-new and never been used and I was
like fine you want me to give her a
birthday revolution you have some
country Apple to put on that stank
attitude she’s gods
[Applause]
so the Lord and all his goodness said no
you’re to give her money now I’m huffing
at God but are you really sure like
she’s such a jerk like I mean she’s like
number one jerk in the whole world are
you sure he was like yeah I want you to
be a blessing to her I want you to show
her kindness and I want you to give her
money for her birthday so go to the ATM
got my ATM card out a pension in my coat
and I was like gonna get her $20 I was
like film reel holy I was like man I am
being a blessing today girl gonna go get
her some Brahms of Starbucks she got $20
right so I’m punchin in the code the
Lord says $200 I said Jesus that’s not
you that is the devil
I hear him rolling around like a lion
seeking whom he may devour and I will
take him out $200 you know how hard I’ve
worked for $200 the Lord said yes you
are to give her $200 obedience is better
than sacrifice so $200 put it in my card
put it in my gift bag put it in my
tissue paper and I mean I’m like I mean
this is gonna change her day like she’s
gonna be so nice to me we’re never gonna
have these problems ever again because I
mean if I’m giving you $200 by God used
to be nice to me right so I got my
president wrapped up all pretty walk
straight up to her take it to her
hand it to her she takes it
No thank you no see you later
I mean Nessa I got nothing do you guys
see I kept that under wraps nothing I
got nothing from her nothing and I was
so angry in that moment because I was
like God how dare you embarrass me like
this here I’m obedient to what you’ve
told me to do and I’ve exhibited
kindness to this woman who clearly did
not deserve your kindness and now you’re
gonna ask me to give her my hard-earned
money and then she’s not even gonna say
thank you you said yes I want that fruit
to work in you and that’s what kindness
looks like sometimes unfortunately
sometimes it will be repaid somebody
will purchase your Starbucks somebody
will buy your groceries at Walmart and
sometimes they won’t even say thank you
but you have to choose no matter what
they do that you will follow him that
you will listen to his voice that you
will be obedient no matter the cost
literally no matter how much the $200
cost you I think about Jesus and the
woman at the well in John and he’s
talking to this woman who he should have
been talking to culturally anyways it
was Jew and Samaritan and he basically
calls out all of her goods but he
doesn’t in a perfect kind fashion he
says there I I can give you the water
that never runs dry I am the living
water and she says you know he says to
her you she’s I’m gonna go home to my
husband he’s like he’s not your husband
you’re basically living with him and
you’ve been with five other guys that
were your husband’s and the one they
were just checking up with now is not
even your husband and he calls out all
of her goods right there and yet he does
it in such a loving way in such a kind
way the way that he is and what that
shows me is that in this world we’re
going to have the opportunity to talk to
people about their issues I mean cuz we
all got issues right I mean they sing
songs about issues there’s issues and
we’re gonna have those opportunities and
it’s how we respond to those issues and
it’s how we come at people about their
issues
it requires kindness it doesn’t require
blasting them on social media
it doesn’t require blasting them in
front of everybody it just there’s kind
in Jesus’s words there’s kindness in the
way that he goes to people so I want to
share with you a few truths about
kindness the first one is that kindness
is always fashionable turn your neighbor
and tell your neighbor kindness looks
good on you
and really all that word fashionable
means is that like you’re on fleek you
know you’re on point I mean you got your
swag I mean whatever you want to call it
like kindness is fashionable it’s not
uncool to be kind it’s actually cool to
be kind and the thing about kindness is
it doesn’t cost you a lot I mean now if
God tells you to give $200 I’m sorry but
it’s in in essence it doesn’t have to
cost a lot because what I’ve learned is
that the value of a spoken word in
someone’s life can literally make all
the difference in their lives
that some people just need a word of
encouragement they need it you know
about old school handwritten note like
hey you’re doing a really great job I
really appreciate you type thing
sometimes people just need to know that
they’re valued and that they’re
important and for you and I to instill
that into somebody else costs us
absolutely nothing and yet means life or
death for them I was reading the story
the other day about a boss who went into
his office and he took time to go into
every single cubicle and thanked each
employee individual individually and he
pointed out something positive about
each one you know like I really like the
way you stapled those papers like man
that’s a good staple job you know
something like I don’t really know what
he said but he encouraged each and every
single cubicle and then he the next day
he comes back to work and there’s a
package a present sitting on his desk
and it’s wrapped very nice and he opens
it up and he reads the card and he calls
the gentleman in it was from one of the
employees that he had and he opens it up
and it’s an Xbox and he was like what’s
the cool way to me an Xbox and he’s like
well I know your wife won’t let you get
one cuz you’re like 43 and that’s not
cool for 43 year old men to have Xboxes
but I wanted you to have an Xbox he’s
like man that’s so cool thanks you know
why’d you do this and he was like I’m
gonna be really honest with you the day
before you came into my cubicle and you
told me how good of a job I was doing I
had gone and bought a gun and I was
planning to go home that night and shoot
myself and kill myself
and he said so instead I took the gun
pawned it off got the money and bought
you the Xbox instead because you saved
my life and that’s literally just the
power of our words like we literally
have the power of life and death on our
tongue the book of Proverbs said and we
speak life or death into a situation so
it’s always fashionable and it really
truly in most instances costs you
nothing to be kind it costs you nothing
to walk up to a complete stranger and
say look really nice today I’m gonna
forget one time I was in Walmart and my
daughter was having one of her terrific
two meltdowns and you may have seen me I
was at the Sand Springs Walmart
and she was pleading those of those
produce bags that you put the produce in
the clear bags what do they called
produce bags produce bags and she had
one and she was playing with it over her
head and I’m so bad and I didn’t think
anything of it because she was being
quiet I mean she was still breathing I
[Applause]
feel like I feel like I should have
rehearsed this story in my head so she
was breathing she was happy she was
contented she says you know the bag
armed off her head right and like she
was totally content and she wasn’t
crying anymore and she wasn’t throwing a
fit and I was like I’m a plus mom right
and till some really rude hateful lady
stopped me in Walmart and she was like
oh my god did you know that your
daughter could die like that and I was
like an honest-to-god bat had never
crossed my mind like that sounds like
ruck not rocket science right like she
could suffocate and die but I was like
she’s just enjoying herself and she’s
being quiet and
didn’t occur to me but in that moment I
felt soomi’s she made me feel like 2
inches tall and I was like okay and I
was art I mean like wouldn’t your
daughter’s already having a meltdown and
you’re in Walmart with people wearing
unicorn pajama pants it’s like you’re
already not in a good place right and so
I might you know grocery shopping and
I’m just like I’m a horrible mom guy I
was trying to kill my dog I can’t Nyree
thinks I’m gonna go DHHS is gonna be
called on me and in sight I mean I was
in jail already in my mind okay cuz with
me it’s like one way or the other and so
I’m like pushing her and I’m just you
know and she’s crying cuz I’ve taken the
bag away from her she just want to put
the bag over her head and so I’m pushing
her and this woman walks out to me and
she goes ma’am and I was thinking I know
the back of suffocate and kill her like
that’s what I wanted to say and she goes
ma’am
can I just tell you’re doing a really
good job you’re a really great mom I was
like I like tears or even though my face
but in that moment that was what I
needed to hear and that cost that woman
nothing nothing so imagine if every
morning when we woke up if we set out in
our mind to find one person two people
five people ten people whatever and you
said one genuinely kind thing to
somebody what would that create what
would that look like because we live in
a culture right now or we don’t even
value people’s lives like one week from
tonight is when that shooting happened
in Las Vegas and when that man or
whatever conspiracy theory or whatever
tragically took fifty nine people’s
lives so it’s evident that we don’t even
value you the human race anymore so we
need that kindness we need that love we
need that compassion so that we can
actually value the life of another human
being
so remember kindness is always
fashionable in first Thessalonians 5:11
it says therefore encourage one another
and build each other up without
encouragement life will feel pointless
and burdensome we can be overwhelmed by
their very real pains of our lives and
sometimes we just need people to come
along and tell us
struggles are worth it because think
about all the things that you’ve been
through in your own life if we all went
through and we all made a list of
everything that we’ve been through how
helpful would it have been if you had
somebody come along and say your
struggles are worth it it doesn’t make
sense right now you may not understand
what you’re going through right now but
it’s worth it it’s not meaningless it
has value to it because see what I’ve
learned in my life is 90% of what we go
through in our lives have zero to do
with us zero but yet as a selfish
culture it’s easy to think why me how me
how could they do this to me why are
they talking about me why they treat me
like that
why didn’t he show up why didn’t she
show why didn’t they do that it’s so
easy to say why me why me why me why me
but when we get those fruits of the
spirit inside of us and we let the Holy
Ghost cultivate those things in us we
began to see outside of ourselves and we
begin to see the people that God has in
our lives to equip and to reach amen the
second thing that I want to share with
you is about kindness is that our
reaction to a situation literally has
the power to change it like whatever the
situation is that’s happening to us are
our attitude towards it the words that
come out of our mouths the way we act
towards that situation can change it and
our reaction can either create a riot or
it can create a revival I mean we’ve
seen in our culture and in this and in
this city alone that when things happen
and people don’t like it it creates a
riot right well what upon the opposite
and instead of retaliating against the
things that we don’t like and
retaliating against the things that we
don’t believe in we instead decided to
create a revival what if we changed our
attitude towards the situation and up
welled out of us that kind of spirit
amen
I want to show you the best way that I
can visually show you how this looks is
with these three situations right here
so I have in case you can’t see I’ve
carrots I have an egg and then I have a
cup of coffee and the same three things
have happened to all three of these
things sitting on this plate all three
of them have endured boiling water I put
the carrots in boiling water and I
boiled the carrots I put the egg in
boiling water and I boiled the egg and
then the coffee beans were ground into
coffee grains mixed with boiling water
to make a cup of coffee
are you processing so this is what
happens to us when we encounter the
boiling water the situation’s the
adversities the pain the trials the
tests the tribulations the ugly people
at work the ugly lady that I had to give
my two hundred dollars to what if three
things happens to us as people see on
the outside this carrot looks like a
normal carrot but because it’s been a
put in the boiling water it’s been put
into the fire what happens is when it’s
broken it becomes soft and not have zero
strength to it it’s unusable at that
point and then some of us we’re like the
egg we look good on the outside
everything looks perfect on the outside
but then inside our heart is so hard a
stony heart is what the Bible calls it
that when conflict arises when people in
our lives are mean to us or or
disrespectful or they judge us or
whatever the case may be on the outside
we look fine but on the inside we’ve
hardened our hearts to them and in the
third situation is what happens to this
coffee
whenever the boiling water hits the
grounds and hits the grains
it creates an aroma a pleasing aroma for
those of you who like coffee and that
coffee becomes flavorful and it becomes
aromatic and it’s pleasurable to the
senses and we have a choice as believers
when we encounter these situations we
can become like
the carrot that once it’s burned and
boiled it loses all of its strength we
can become like the egg that looks good
on the outside but truly is hard all on
the inside or we can we can release the
illumination of the flavour of the holy
spirit because you see we have the
ability to talk like Jesus walk like
Jesus act like Jesus smell like Jesus
because you will smell where you’ve been
I mean think about it when you’ve been
to a bonfire what are your clothes smell
like they smell like fire so if you’ve
been in your prayer closet and you’ve
been praying and you actually been
spending time in the Word of God and
you’ve actually been asking God give me
love joy peace patience kindness
goodness faithfulness gentleness and
self-control you’re gonna smell like
love joy peace patience kindness
goodness faithfulness gentleness and
self-control but if you’ve been
wallowing in yourself you’re gonna come
out smelling like yourself and let me
tell you something it doesn’t smell good
his fragrance is what smells good his
fragrance is what leads people to him we
have that choice amen
one of the things that kindness when I
think about the word kindness other than
it being just it seems like a really
simple word but kindness really has to
do with your heart it’s a heart issue
truly and one of the things that I think
keeps us from being kind to one another
is the issue of unforgiveness I think we
we genuinely get so hurt and so offended
by people that it affects our ability to
be kind and I’m not just talking about
to the person who’s hurt you I’m talking
about to everybody else because once
you’ve been burned you naturally put up
a wall towards everybody else because
you don’t want to feel that pain again
amen
can they may say I’ve been there before
and so what happens whenever we when we
choose to harbor this unforgiveness and
instead of operating in that kindness is
it basically creates a wedge and that’s
what this piece of wood is I’m just
gonna use it to symbolize the wedge so
work with me on this okay and when we
hold
this unforgiveness two things happen
number one your hands are completely
tied up and unable to bless anybody
because they’re full of this I have no
open hand to extend to you to encourage
to you to exhort you to build you up to
lead you to Jesus to walk you into the
doors of this church because my hands
are tied
there’s a wedge in them the other thing
the Bible says that if you do not
forgive men their sins he cannot forgive
you your sins so here’s what happens we
come to church and we think you know
it’s all good I’m working on love joy
peace patience kindness goodness
faithfulness gentleness and self-control
and we get into worship and we’re asking
God to move and do things and you’re
worshiping Jesus hallelujah and all the
time this wedge is blocking God from you
the whole time God can I need you to
forgive me I need you to move I need you
to heal and easier to bless my finances
I need you to do this and all the time
there’s this wedge that that heart issue
of unforgiveness has created and what
happens is it blocks our ability to be
kind to another person because we’re
afraid of that pain again it’s real we
remember what that feels like and it
hurt I want to read to you out of the
message version Luke chapter 6 and
they’re gonna have it on the screen for
you Luke chapter 6 verse 29 says this to
you who are ready for the truth I say
this love your enemies let them bring
out the best in you and not the worst
when someone gives you a hard time
respond with the energies of prayer for
that person if someone slaps you in the
face stand there and take it if someone
grabs your shirt
gift wrap your best coat or $200 and
make a present of it if someone takes
unfair advantage of you use the occasion
to practice the servant life no more tit
for tat stuff live generously
and Luke 6:35 338 it says this I tell
you this love your enemies help and give
without expecting a return you’ll never
I promise regret it live out this God
created identity the way our Father
lives toward us generously and
graciously even when we’re at our worst
our Father is kind so you be kind don’t
pick on people jump on their failures
criticize their faults unless of course
you want that same treatment don’t
condemn those who are down the hardness
can boomerang be easy on pp-people and
you’ll find it a lot easier give away
your life you’ll find life given back
but not merely given back given back
with bonus and blessing giving and not
getting is the way because generosity
begets generosity and when I think about
you know I when I share that story with
you about having to give that a birthday
present to that woman giving our
kindness to other people like I said
means we may not get anything back in
return and Jesus is very clear and is
worried about that that we may have to
give without getting anything in return
because he is easy to give to the people
who are actually nice and bless us right
those are the people that it’s really
easy to be nice to to give the
compliments to to write the letters to
to buy their lunch to pick up their tab
those are the people it’s easy to be
nice to but those aren’t the ones that
are causing you to step out of that
comfort zone those aren’t the ones that
are causing that that gift of the Holy
Spirit to rise up in you to have to
operate because that requires you to
step out of yourself out of your flesh
out of what you want and do what God
wants and do what he’s saying
and that’s hard to do sometimes the
third thing that I want to share with
you about kindness is that the thing
that the Bible says in Romans 2:4 is
that his kindness is what leads people
to repentance
it’s not his harshness it’s not his
rudeness
it’s not his intimidation it’s not his
manipulation if you think about how you
came to the saving knowledge of Jesus
Christ
it was because somebody told you or you
read that he was a good loving kind God
the best way that I can show you that is
there’s a story in the book of Hosea
and when I think about this story it’s
probably one of my favorite Bible
stories and for those of you who love
reality television you know you love The
Bachelor you love bachelor in paradise
bachelor in China bachelor in Japan I
mean wherever the bachelor goes he’s got
15 girls going with him so you don’t
need me to go but there are some of us
that really like that reality television
so not judging if you like reality
television but let me tell you if you
want some reality open up the Bible
because there’s murder there’s theft
there’s rape there’s adultery there’s
cheating
there’s backstabbing there’s prison I
mean it’s all in there you got it all
and one of my favorite stories in the
Bible is that book of Hosea and Gomer
Hosea marries a prostitute named Gomer
he knew she was a prostitute and God
told her to marry God told him to marry
her so he did and he married her and
after being married and having three
children she decided she wanted to go
back into prostitution so she left him
and went back into prostitution see I
told you the Bible is really good it’s
like a reality TV show it’s like The
Bachelor really so he goes back she goes
back into prostitution and the Lord
tells Hosea go find Gomer and he said
she’s she’s in a whorehouse like is that
is that yes
go find Gomer and bring her back and so
I don’t know what that looked like
because the Bible doesn’t give us a lot
of details on how that looks but I’m
envisioning in our modern day culture
this poor man going from brothel to
brothel to brothel looking for his wife
not for a stranger but for his wife and
he goes in and I think about you know
the sex slave industry and I’ve seen the
movies and I’ve seen where they depict
you know what that looks like and I
think about a woman standing on a
pedestal naked and barren and chained
and being bit off to the highest bidder
and I wonder to myself did Hosea walk in
and see Gomer on that pedestal chained
and naked and watching other men bid on
her
and so when he sees his wife and he says
that’s her he tells the owner I want
that woman and the owner says you must
pay to have her Hosea says but she’s
mine she’s already my wife he says if
you bought if you want her you’ll have
to pay the price for her so Hosea says
how much the man tells it how much any
pace in order to get his wife he had to
pay for something that was already his
and to me this is a beautiful picture of
how our relationship with Jesus is we
are already his we were already his from
the beginning of the world
and yet he the Satan said to him you
will have to pay a price if you want her
you will have to pay the price if you
want your bride back so he said how much
and the man’s venom he tells him you’ll
have to give your life so he says I’ll
send my son and he sends his son and his
son dies on a cross for our sins and
restores us back to righteousness and
it’s a beautiful picture of how his
kindness because what husband would go
into a brothel
after brothel after brothel looking for
his wife knowing that she slept with God
knows who and scaring all kinds of
whatever diseases to bring her back home
to himself but it’s what Jesus does with
you and I his kindness is what leads us
to repentance