WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.419 Real joy is not dependent on circumstances. It 00:00:03.419 --> 00:00:05.599 can be a steady source of strength, no matter 00:00:05.599 --> 00:00:08.240 what you're facing. Discover how joy is more 00:00:08.240 --> 00:00:10.900 than a feeling, it's a way of life. Order your 00:00:10.900 --> 00:00:13.539 copy of The Strength of Joy by Dean and Jeffrey 00:00:13.539 --> 00:00:16.640 Forrest, now available on Amazon and Kindle. 00:00:18.079 --> 00:00:21.309 Welcome to Elation Church. We had some difficulty 00:00:21.309 --> 00:00:24.289 yesterday with our audio and video, and we did 00:00:24.289 --> 00:00:27.969 not want you to miss out on this series on spiritual 00:00:27.969 --> 00:00:31.870 growth. So we are re -recording it to make it 00:00:31.870 --> 00:00:34.390 available to you if you've been following our 00:00:34.390 --> 00:00:37.270 series. So I would like to welcome you to week 00:00:37.270 --> 00:00:40.929 number five in our series on spiritual growth. 00:00:41.640 --> 00:00:44.939 Let's jump right in. 1 Corinthians 2 .14 says 00:00:44.939 --> 00:00:48.280 this, The natural man does not receive the things 00:00:48.280 --> 00:00:51.100 of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness 00:00:51.100 --> 00:00:55.299 to him, nor can he know them, because they are 00:00:55.299 --> 00:00:59.600 spiritually discerned. That tells us that there 00:00:59.600 --> 00:01:02.359 is such a thing as a natural person. Let's continue 00:01:02.359 --> 00:01:06.109 reading 1 Corinthians 3 verses 1 through 3. It 00:01:06.109 --> 00:01:08.329 says this, And I, brethren, could not speak to 00:01:08.329 --> 00:01:11.209 you as spiritual people, but as to carnal, as 00:01:11.209 --> 00:01:15.230 to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not 00:01:15.230 --> 00:01:18.109 with solid food, for until now you were not able 00:01:18.109 --> 00:01:21.209 to receive it. And even now you're still not 00:01:21.209 --> 00:01:24.769 able, for you're still carnal. For where there 00:01:24.769 --> 00:01:27.989 are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are 00:01:27.989 --> 00:01:31.609 you not carnal and behaving like mere men? Or 00:01:31.609 --> 00:01:36.129 we could replace it with natural men. So in these 00:01:36.129 --> 00:01:38.329 verses, we see that there are basically three 00:01:38.329 --> 00:01:41.870 types of people. The first type of person is 00:01:41.870 --> 00:01:44.670 a natural person. Now, that's a person who is 00:01:44.670 --> 00:01:47.310 not born again. They're not a Christian. They're 00:01:47.310 --> 00:01:50.609 unrenewed. And all they have to live life by 00:01:50.609 --> 00:01:57.549 is their soul or their sensual nature. Now, all 00:01:57.549 --> 00:02:01.069 they can live by is what feels good or what seems 00:02:01.069 --> 00:02:04.700 right in their own eyes. And then we're introduced 00:02:04.700 --> 00:02:09.039 to a carnal person. A carnal person is a Christian, 00:02:09.120 --> 00:02:12.900 but they're still living like the natural person. 00:02:13.000 --> 00:02:15.699 They're still living according to their flesh. 00:02:15.840 --> 00:02:19.259 They are an immature Christian and they remain 00:02:19.259 --> 00:02:23.219 to live at a childhood level because they do 00:02:23.219 --> 00:02:27.620 not feed on the word of God and grow. Then we 00:02:27.620 --> 00:02:30.520 see the third type of person. That's a spiritual 00:02:30.520 --> 00:02:35.719 person. born -again believer, a Christian who 00:02:35.719 --> 00:02:40.000 is led by the Spirit of God through the Word 00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:43.840 of God. They are regularly growing by receiving 00:02:43.840 --> 00:02:47.319 the Word of God and by walking in the Spirit. 00:02:48.099 --> 00:02:51.479 So the series is on spiritual growth, and we 00:02:51.479 --> 00:02:53.659 have to understand these three types of people 00:02:53.659 --> 00:02:57.180 before we can figure out where spiritual growth 00:02:57.180 --> 00:03:02.939 occurs. 1 Thessalonians 5 .23 It gives us some 00:03:02.939 --> 00:03:05.840 very important information. It says this, Now 00:03:05.840 --> 00:03:09.120 may the God of peace make you holy, set you apart 00:03:09.120 --> 00:03:13.740 in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul 00:03:13.740 --> 00:03:17.500 and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus 00:03:17.500 --> 00:03:21.840 Christ comes again. Here we see that man is a 00:03:21.840 --> 00:03:25.479 three -part being. There are not only three types 00:03:25.479 --> 00:03:29.800 of people, but every person is a three -part 00:03:29.800 --> 00:03:34.560 being. We are a spirit. We are a spirit being, 00:03:34.719 --> 00:03:37.699 and that's what separates us from every other 00:03:37.699 --> 00:03:41.060 living thing on the earth. We are made in the 00:03:41.060 --> 00:03:45.319 image of God, and God is spirit. So we are spirit 00:03:45.319 --> 00:03:50.800 beings, we have a soul, and we live in a body. 00:03:51.719 --> 00:03:55.060 Now, our spirit comes alive at salvation. We 00:03:55.060 --> 00:03:58.780 become alive unto God. We are united with Christ. 00:03:59.039 --> 00:04:03.120 We are made right with God. We are complete in 00:04:03.120 --> 00:04:10.919 Christ at salvation. But our soul doesn't automatically 00:04:10.919 --> 00:04:15.879 become transformed and renewed when we accept 00:04:15.879 --> 00:04:19.620 Christ, right? Our thought life stays the same. 00:04:21.550 --> 00:04:24.589 Often it takes a while. Our feelings stay the 00:04:24.589 --> 00:04:28.329 same. Now, we are a spirit being, but we have 00:04:28.329 --> 00:04:32.329 a soul and our soul is comprised of our mind, 00:04:32.370 --> 00:04:35.930 our thought life, our will or our desires and 00:04:35.930 --> 00:04:39.730 our emotions and feelings. And the difference 00:04:39.730 --> 00:04:45.310 between a carnal Christian and a spiritual Christian 00:04:45.310 --> 00:04:50.759 is spiritual growth. that takes place in the 00:04:50.759 --> 00:04:54.639 soul because our spirit is already complete in 00:04:54.639 --> 00:04:57.860 Christ and righteous and connected with God, 00:04:58.060 --> 00:05:01.660 right? But that spiritual growth takes place 00:05:01.660 --> 00:05:05.819 in our thought life, in our desires, and in our 00:05:05.819 --> 00:05:10.240 emotions. So that's the difference is spiritual 00:05:10.240 --> 00:05:15.930 growth of the soul or the lack thereof. Now, 00:05:15.949 --> 00:05:19.509 spiritual maturity is not measured by how long 00:05:19.509 --> 00:05:24.129 you've been a Christian. Unlike our natural bodies, 00:05:24.370 --> 00:05:27.949 you don't grow spiritually just with time automatically 00:05:27.949 --> 00:05:33.230 without any input on your part. So maturity is 00:05:33.230 --> 00:05:35.769 not measured by how long you've been a Christian, 00:05:35.910 --> 00:05:39.810 how often you attend church or worship services, 00:05:39.990 --> 00:05:44.379 or even how much scripture you can quote. So 00:05:44.379 --> 00:05:48.019 where does spiritual maturity take place? Well, 00:05:48.079 --> 00:05:51.240 Jesus said in Luke chapter six, verses 43 and 00:05:51.240 --> 00:05:56.500 44, he said this, a good tree does not bear bad 00:05:56.500 --> 00:06:00.360 fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit for 00:06:00.360 --> 00:06:06.819 every tree is known by its own fruit. Now, Jesus 00:06:06.819 --> 00:06:09.300 wasn't giving us an agricultural lesson, just 00:06:09.300 --> 00:06:12.019 telling us about fruit trees. No, he's talking 00:06:12.019 --> 00:06:17.170 about people. And every person is known by the 00:06:17.170 --> 00:06:23.230 fruit that is manifest in their lives. So spiritual 00:06:23.230 --> 00:06:28.850 growth is measured by spiritual fruit being evidenced 00:06:28.850 --> 00:06:32.310 in our lives by spiritual fruit or the fruit 00:06:32.310 --> 00:06:35.670 of the spirit increasing, constantly increasing 00:06:35.670 --> 00:06:40.089 in our lives. That's where spiritual growth is 00:06:40.089 --> 00:06:43.949 measured. Now, in this series, we need to remember 00:06:43.949 --> 00:06:46.509 that the fruit of the Spirit is not a measuring 00:06:46.509 --> 00:06:50.709 stick for judging other people. We're looking 00:06:50.709 --> 00:06:54.149 at spiritual fruit as a level of spiritual maturity 00:06:54.149 --> 00:06:58.529 because we're seeing it as a mirror for honestly 00:06:58.529 --> 00:07:04.850 evaluating ourselves. So this series is a self 00:07:04.850 --> 00:07:09.730 -examination because you and me, both of us, 00:07:09.750 --> 00:07:14.560 everybody, is still a work in progress. None 00:07:14.560 --> 00:07:19.480 of us have arrived. So spiritual fruit, what 00:07:19.480 --> 00:07:22.180 is the fruit of the Spirit? Maybe you've memorized 00:07:22.180 --> 00:07:26.680 Galatians 5 .22 and 23, but let's take a look 00:07:26.680 --> 00:07:29.259 at 5 .22 because that's as far as we're getting 00:07:29.259 --> 00:07:32.100 this week. It says this, the fruit of the Spirit 00:07:32.100 --> 00:07:38.279 is love, joy, peace, patience, and kindness. 00:07:39.040 --> 00:07:42.300 And it continues, but that'll be in future weeks. 00:07:42.519 --> 00:07:45.120 Now, in week number one, we talked about the 00:07:45.120 --> 00:07:47.279 fruit of the Spirit being love. And then week 00:07:47.279 --> 00:07:48.879 number two, we talked about the fruit of the 00:07:48.879 --> 00:07:51.759 Spirit is joy. And then peace and then patience. 00:07:51.980 --> 00:07:55.879 This week, we're going to be talking about kindness. 00:07:56.779 --> 00:07:59.660 Now, that word kindness in the Koine Greek is 00:07:59.660 --> 00:08:04.240 krestates. And here's what it's translated as 00:08:04.240 --> 00:08:07.569 according to the Strong's Concordance. It's often 00:08:07.569 --> 00:08:10.230 translated in our English Bible as kindness, 00:08:10.329 --> 00:08:13.889 obviously, but it's also translated as gentleness 00:08:13.889 --> 00:08:17.769 and goodness. I found that interesting because 00:08:17.769 --> 00:08:21.389 gentleness and goodness are also fruit of the 00:08:21.389 --> 00:08:24.370 Spirit, but we'll be looking at their definitions 00:08:24.370 --> 00:08:29.990 in future weeks. So kindness, gentleness, goodness. 00:08:30.610 --> 00:08:34.559 I found something in Helps Word Studies. that 00:08:34.559 --> 00:08:36.840 really spoke to me and I wanted to share it with 00:08:36.840 --> 00:08:40.519 you when I looked up that Koine Greek word and 00:08:40.519 --> 00:08:44.080 I found this. Listen to this. It says, kindness 00:08:44.080 --> 00:08:50.820 is a spirit -produced goodness which meets the 00:08:50.820 --> 00:08:56.580 need and avoids human harshness. I think I'll 00:08:56.580 --> 00:09:01.279 read that again. Kindness is a spirit -produced 00:09:01.279 --> 00:09:06.100 goodness which meets the need and avoids human 00:09:06.100 --> 00:09:10.639 harshness. See, we need to understand that biblical 00:09:10.639 --> 00:09:16.600 kindness is deeply powerful because it reveals 00:09:16.600 --> 00:09:23.080 the character of God. God himself is kind. As 00:09:23.080 --> 00:09:26.559 a matter of fact, it was God's kindness that 00:09:26.559 --> 00:09:32.009 transformed us and caused us to change, change 00:09:32.009 --> 00:09:37.169 direction in our lives. Romans 2, 4 says this, 00:09:37.309 --> 00:09:42.490 don't you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, 00:09:42.730 --> 00:09:47.309 and patient God is with you? Oh, I'm going to 00:09:47.309 --> 00:09:50.529 stop right there. So we need to recognize and 00:09:50.529 --> 00:09:55.950 see that God is wonderfully kind, tolerant, and 00:09:55.950 --> 00:09:58.769 patient with us. We need to realize that, that 00:09:58.769 --> 00:10:02.350 his mercy is new. every morning. And the verse 00:10:02.350 --> 00:10:05.690 goes on to say this, does this mean nothing to 00:10:05.690 --> 00:10:12.470 you? Can't you see that his kindness is intended 00:10:12.470 --> 00:10:18.850 to turn you from your sin? Another translation 00:10:18.850 --> 00:10:23.950 says it's the kindness of God that leads us to 00:10:23.950 --> 00:10:27.590 repentance, that leads us to turning, that leads 00:10:27.590 --> 00:10:32.539 us to change. It's actually the kindness of God 00:10:32.539 --> 00:10:37.480 that produces that in our lives. See, the kindness 00:10:37.480 --> 00:10:42.340 of God changes people. Some people think that 00:10:42.340 --> 00:10:45.980 transformation only comes through harshness and 00:10:45.980 --> 00:10:50.600 condemnation. But scripture says that it's God's 00:10:50.600 --> 00:10:54.980 kindness that leads people towards genuine repentance. 00:10:56.559 --> 00:10:59.500 Now, don't get me wrong. Kindness is not compromise 00:10:59.500 --> 00:11:05.620 because God still speaks truth. He still corrects. 00:11:05.620 --> 00:11:10.820 He still convicts, but he doesn't do it harshly 00:11:10.820 --> 00:11:14.659 or under condemnation. That's not God. Condemnation 00:11:14.659 --> 00:11:19.039 does not come from God. God's conviction and 00:11:19.039 --> 00:11:24.220 correction and truth flow through his kindness. 00:11:25.519 --> 00:11:29.860 to lead us for life change and transformation. 00:11:31.580 --> 00:11:37.460 Kindness grows in us when we remember how much 00:11:37.460 --> 00:11:40.679 mercy we have received from God, how much kindness, 00:11:40.799 --> 00:11:44.179 how God has shown his kindness to us. That should 00:11:44.179 --> 00:11:50.419 cause kindness to grow in us. Kindness is actually 00:11:50.419 --> 00:11:55.259 love made visible. Listen to Ephesians 4 .32. 00:11:55.399 --> 00:11:59.860 It says this, Instead, be kind to each other, 00:12:00.000 --> 00:12:04.320 tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as 00:12:04.320 --> 00:12:08.759 God through Christ has forgiven you. So like 00:12:08.759 --> 00:12:13.379 God is forgiving and merciful, we need to put 00:12:13.379 --> 00:12:16.679 on the same thing. We need to be Christ -like 00:12:16.679 --> 00:12:22.250 in our kindness, in our everyday lives. Because 00:12:22.250 --> 00:12:25.730 one of the clearest evidences of spiritual growth, 00:12:25.950 --> 00:12:30.830 listen, is how you treat people, how I treat 00:12:30.830 --> 00:12:34.850 people. That is an evidence of spiritual growth. 00:12:35.450 --> 00:12:38.450 And I'm not talking about just in church or just 00:12:38.450 --> 00:12:43.250 publicly, just when life is easy, but in everyday 00:12:43.250 --> 00:12:48.649 moments. See, anyone can act kind when they're 00:12:48.649 --> 00:12:51.610 in a good mood. When life is going smoothly, 00:12:51.750 --> 00:12:55.309 when everybody else is treating us well, it's 00:12:55.309 --> 00:13:00.269 easy to be kind. But supernatural fruit or spiritual 00:13:00.269 --> 00:13:04.809 fruit becomes really evident and is revealed 00:13:04.809 --> 00:13:08.629 during those times when we're under pressure. 00:13:09.889 --> 00:13:14.370 See, kindness is love expressed practically. 00:13:15.730 --> 00:13:20.259 To walk in the... supernatural kindness of God, 00:13:20.360 --> 00:13:23.559 the spiritual fruit of kindness, here's what 00:13:23.559 --> 00:13:25.700 it's going to do. It's going to affect how we 00:13:25.700 --> 00:13:31.399 speak. It's going to affect how we respond. It's 00:13:31.399 --> 00:13:36.940 going to affect how we handle frustration. See, 00:13:37.019 --> 00:13:42.519 sometimes small acts reveal the greatest character. 00:13:44.039 --> 00:13:46.120 I mean, I want you to think about it. How do 00:13:46.120 --> 00:13:51.399 you express kindness in just an easy way, in 00:13:51.399 --> 00:13:55.240 small acts? What does that look like? Well, here's 00:13:55.240 --> 00:13:59.279 some suggestions. What about if you prefer other 00:13:59.279 --> 00:14:02.740 people so you hold the door for somebody else 00:14:02.740 --> 00:14:04.820 instead of just walking in, letting it slam behind 00:14:04.820 --> 00:14:07.759 you, and then the person, you know there's somebody 00:14:07.759 --> 00:14:10.679 coming behind you, but you're so selfish. See, 00:14:10.779 --> 00:14:14.590 selfishness is opposite of kindness. But sometimes 00:14:14.590 --> 00:14:17.230 we're so selfish, we don't even acknowledge the 00:14:17.230 --> 00:14:19.389 people around us. We're just in our own little 00:14:19.389 --> 00:14:22.330 bubble, our own little world. So what about expressing 00:14:22.330 --> 00:14:24.490 kindness by just holding the door for somebody, 00:14:24.549 --> 00:14:28.929 letting them enter the room before you do? What 00:14:28.929 --> 00:14:34.210 about speaking respectfully? Speaking in a way 00:14:34.210 --> 00:14:38.250 that it shows that we respect other people, even 00:14:38.250 --> 00:14:43.159 our co -workers. You know, our bosses, our employees, 00:14:43.299 --> 00:14:48.200 our family members. Speaking respectfully is 00:14:48.200 --> 00:14:51.440 one way we can show kindness. What about showing 00:14:51.440 --> 00:14:53.840 patience? I know we talked about patience last 00:14:53.840 --> 00:14:56.639 week, but what about showing patience? Showing 00:14:56.639 --> 00:14:59.820 patience to other people is an expression of 00:14:59.820 --> 00:15:05.580 kindness. What if you're in a restaurant and 00:15:05.580 --> 00:15:08.480 the waitress isn't? You don't think they're doing 00:15:08.480 --> 00:15:10.120 the greatest job. Well, you don't know what's 00:15:10.120 --> 00:15:12.299 going on in their life. You don't know how exhausted 00:15:12.299 --> 00:15:14.940 they are, how many hours they've worked, what 00:15:14.940 --> 00:15:17.539 they've gone through, the harsh customers that 00:15:17.539 --> 00:15:19.779 they've had to deal with. Well, why not just 00:15:19.779 --> 00:15:23.840 show them some patience? That's showing kindness. 00:15:25.039 --> 00:15:29.200 What about responding gently instead of aggressively? 00:15:31.320 --> 00:15:34.940 That's showing kindness to other people. When 00:15:34.940 --> 00:15:38.440 we're always aggressive in our words and attacking 00:15:38.440 --> 00:15:41.279 and harsh in our words, we're not being kind. 00:15:42.559 --> 00:15:45.779 As Christ followers, we should respond gently 00:15:45.779 --> 00:15:49.799 instead of aggressively. We need to understand 00:15:49.799 --> 00:15:54.539 that kindness is not weakness. It actually takes 00:15:54.539 --> 00:15:59.929 more strength to do these things. So kindness 00:15:59.929 --> 00:16:03.429 is not weakness. It is strength under control, 00:16:03.509 --> 00:16:08.370 under the control of the Holy Spirit. Proverbs 00:16:08.370 --> 00:16:12.789 15 .1 says this, A gentle answer deflects anger, 00:16:12.990 --> 00:16:19.289 but harsh words make tempers flare. So when we 00:16:19.289 --> 00:16:23.789 respond gently or kindly instead of aggressively, 00:16:24.049 --> 00:16:27.169 what we're doing is we're diffusing the situation. 00:16:28.139 --> 00:16:31.000 Because if someone else is speaking harshly to 00:16:31.000 --> 00:16:34.039 us and all we do is speak harshly back, all we're 00:16:34.039 --> 00:16:39.139 doing is putting gas on the fire to the anger 00:16:39.139 --> 00:16:43.860 that is taking place in the other person. So 00:16:43.860 --> 00:16:48.080 kindness is actually strength. It's a strength 00:16:48.080 --> 00:16:53.019 governed by the Holy Spirit. Because anyone can 00:16:53.019 --> 00:16:56.809 react harshly. Anyone can lose their temper. 00:16:56.950 --> 00:17:01.330 Anyone can respond aggressively. But kindness 00:17:01.330 --> 00:17:08.089 requires spiritual maturity. And kindness is 00:17:08.089 --> 00:17:11.509 going to stand out, especially in the world that 00:17:11.509 --> 00:17:16.289 we live in today. Right. We're living in an increasingly 00:17:16.289 --> 00:17:20.849 aggressive culture. People are easily offended. 00:17:21.660 --> 00:17:24.700 People are constantly angry. People are quick 00:17:24.700 --> 00:17:28.420 to criticize. People are quick to attack. I mean, 00:17:28.440 --> 00:17:31.079 you can see the harshness online where you're 00:17:31.079 --> 00:17:33.559 hiding behind a computer and all these harsh 00:17:33.559 --> 00:17:37.400 words just flow all the time. And there's impatience 00:17:37.400 --> 00:17:41.059 everywhere, especially driving on these roads 00:17:41.059 --> 00:17:44.579 here in Florida. You can see all of these things 00:17:44.579 --> 00:17:49.119 in action just driving to the store or driving 00:17:49.119 --> 00:17:53.930 to work or driving back home. Titus 3, verses 00:17:53.930 --> 00:17:59.210 3 through 5 says this, Once we too were foolish 00:17:59.210 --> 00:18:03.529 and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves 00:18:03.529 --> 00:18:08.329 to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full 00:18:08.329 --> 00:18:15.250 of evil and envy, and we hated each other. Now, 00:18:15.329 --> 00:18:20.160 it's saying that We used to be just like everybody 00:18:20.160 --> 00:18:22.579 around us, but in Christ, there's been a change, 00:18:22.660 --> 00:18:26.000 right? In verse four, it says this, but when 00:18:26.000 --> 00:18:30.619 God, our savior revealed his kindness and love, 00:18:30.779 --> 00:18:35.359 he saved us. Not because of the righteous things 00:18:35.359 --> 00:18:38.380 we had done, but because of his mercy, he washed 00:18:38.380 --> 00:18:42.980 away our sins, giving us a new birth and a new 00:18:42.980 --> 00:18:48.880 life through the Holy Spirit. So we're different. 00:18:49.579 --> 00:18:52.599 In Christ, we are different. We shouldn't behave 00:18:52.599 --> 00:18:56.279 like the culture and the world that we live in. 00:18:57.000 --> 00:19:00.559 We should be different. And part of being different 00:19:00.559 --> 00:19:05.900 is being kind, walking in supernatural kindness. 00:19:07.000 --> 00:19:09.819 Because sometimes the greatest sermon to other 00:19:09.819 --> 00:19:12.980 people and the greatest witness to other people 00:19:12.980 --> 00:19:17.079 is not a sermon from church. People remember 00:19:17.079 --> 00:19:22.900 how believers make them feel. That's what's important. 00:19:23.700 --> 00:19:27.839 Are we kind or are we harsh? People are going 00:19:27.839 --> 00:19:31.299 to remember how we make them feel. And many people, 00:19:31.319 --> 00:19:34.740 it's sad to say, many people have rejected the 00:19:34.740 --> 00:19:38.859 church and even reject Christianity because they 00:19:38.859 --> 00:19:44.319 encountered religious people. Who did not have 00:19:44.319 --> 00:19:46.859 the spiritual fruit of kindness in their lives. 00:19:48.720 --> 00:19:52.240 So how can we see that we are growing in this 00:19:52.240 --> 00:19:55.019 kindness? You can see that you're growing when 00:19:55.019 --> 00:19:57.940 your words become softer than they used to be. 00:19:58.519 --> 00:20:02.500 When your reactions become gentler than they 00:20:02.500 --> 00:20:07.240 used to be. When your compassion for people deepens. 00:20:08.200 --> 00:20:11.400 When your forgiveness becomes easier. You become 00:20:11.400 --> 00:20:16.930 a more... merciful, and forgiving person. And 00:20:16.930 --> 00:20:19.710 your treatment of other people changes. That's 00:20:19.710 --> 00:20:22.589 how you can see that you are growing spiritually 00:20:22.589 --> 00:20:26.890 in the area of kindness or in the fruit of kindness. 00:20:28.549 --> 00:20:33.390 Ultimately, the goal of spiritual growth in the 00:20:33.390 --> 00:20:36.829 life of the believer, the ultimate goal is to 00:20:36.829 --> 00:20:42.119 become more like Jesus. That should be our goal. 00:20:42.220 --> 00:20:44.619 That should be where we're heading. Every day 00:20:44.619 --> 00:20:49.420 we should desire to walk and to talk and to live 00:20:49.420 --> 00:20:52.819 more like Christ than we did the day before. 00:20:54.299 --> 00:20:57.740 Colossians 3 .12 tells us this. Since God chose 00:20:57.740 --> 00:21:02.900 you to be the holy people he loves, you must. 00:21:03.380 --> 00:21:09.170 It doesn't say you need to consider it. It says 00:21:09.170 --> 00:21:14.009 you must clothe yourselves with tender heart 00:21:14.009 --> 00:21:20.789 and mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and 00:21:20.789 --> 00:21:25.990 patience. So God is telling us as his followers, 00:21:26.130 --> 00:21:31.710 as followers of Christ, we need to put on something 00:21:31.710 --> 00:21:35.279 every day. Whether it's before we get out of 00:21:35.279 --> 00:21:37.880 bed or before we go to breakfast around our family 00:21:37.880 --> 00:21:41.359 members or before we leave our houses, we need 00:21:41.359 --> 00:21:45.980 to be clothed in something. We need to be clothed 00:21:45.980 --> 00:21:52.140 in kindness. And it's not optional. He says, 00:21:52.160 --> 00:21:58.440 since you are a child of God, you must clothe 00:21:58.440 --> 00:22:03.000 yourself in all those other things. Kindness 00:22:03.000 --> 00:22:05.140 is right there in the middle, and that's what 00:22:05.140 --> 00:22:09.119 we're focusing on today. And we need to remember 00:22:09.119 --> 00:22:12.079 that kindness is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. 00:22:12.819 --> 00:22:15.539 It's the fruit of the Holy Spirit. See, since 00:22:15.539 --> 00:22:20.759 God is kind and operates in kindness for our 00:22:20.759 --> 00:22:24.200 transformation and change and repentance, it 00:22:24.200 --> 00:22:27.920 makes perfect sense. that he would desire to 00:22:27.920 --> 00:22:31.559 cultivate and manifest this same characteristic 00:22:31.559 --> 00:22:40.319 in his people. John 16 verses 13 through 15 gives 00:22:40.319 --> 00:22:45.819 us insight on how spiritual growth occurs and 00:22:45.819 --> 00:22:49.460 continues. It says this, and this is Jesus speaking, 00:22:49.619 --> 00:22:53.700 and he's speaking. In this text, he's going to 00:22:53.700 --> 00:22:56.140 be speaking about the Father and the Holy Spirit 00:22:56.140 --> 00:23:01.279 and himself. And it says this, but when he, the 00:23:01.279 --> 00:23:06.019 spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into 00:23:06.019 --> 00:23:09.980 all truth. He will not speak on his own. He will 00:23:09.980 --> 00:23:13.440 speak only what he hears and he will tell you 00:23:13.440 --> 00:23:18.259 what is yet to come. He, the Holy Spirit, will 00:23:18.259 --> 00:23:23.000 glorify me, Jesus, because it is from me that 00:23:23.000 --> 00:23:26.059 he will receive what he will make known to you. 00:23:27.140 --> 00:23:32.240 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That 00:23:32.240 --> 00:23:35.440 is why I said the Spirit will receive from me 00:23:35.440 --> 00:23:41.839 what he will make known to you. See, God, the 00:23:41.839 --> 00:23:46.529 Holy Spirit, takes hold. Of the things of God. 00:23:47.650 --> 00:23:52.549 The things that God has for you and for me. He 00:23:52.549 --> 00:23:55.650 takes hold of it and then he declares those things 00:23:55.650 --> 00:23:59.809 to us. He intensifies those things to us. He 00:23:59.809 --> 00:24:04.410 makes those things known to us. He connects us. 00:24:05.430 --> 00:24:08.609 The Holy Spirit of God. The Bible says in Corinthians, 00:24:08.730 --> 00:24:11.930 don't you know that your body is the temple of 00:24:11.930 --> 00:24:14.759 the Holy Spirit? He comes to take up residence 00:24:14.759 --> 00:24:20.200 inside of us at salvation, not just to seal us 00:24:20.200 --> 00:24:22.660 until the day of redemption. Like the Bible says, 00:24:22.799 --> 00:24:27.460 he connects us to the things that God has for 00:24:27.460 --> 00:24:33.079 us. And that's why the fruit that needs to be 00:24:33.079 --> 00:24:36.000 evident in our lives is called fruit of the spirit 00:24:36.000 --> 00:24:39.440 because he's taking those characteristics of 00:24:39.440 --> 00:24:43.549 God. and causing them to grow and increase in 00:24:43.549 --> 00:24:48.650 our lives, but it takes our participation. See, 00:24:48.730 --> 00:24:52.049 spiritual growth is not about more self -dedication. 00:24:52.130 --> 00:24:55.190 It's not about more self -determination. Well, 00:24:55.269 --> 00:24:57.430 I'm going to be nice and I'm just going to figure 00:24:57.430 --> 00:25:00.410 out how to be nice and work myself and use my 00:25:00.410 --> 00:25:04.430 human ability and thoughts. I've got to be nice. 00:25:04.630 --> 00:25:08.670 I've got to be nicer. It's not about self -determination. 00:25:08.670 --> 00:25:12.849 It's not about self -effort. Let me tell you 00:25:12.849 --> 00:25:15.250 how it's going to increase in your life because 00:25:15.250 --> 00:25:20.609 spiritual fruit growing begins when we abide 00:25:20.609 --> 00:25:24.690 in Christ. Jesus said, I'm the vine, you're the 00:25:24.690 --> 00:25:28.650 branches, and if you abide in me and my word 00:25:28.650 --> 00:25:31.990 abides in you, then you're going to produce much 00:25:31.990 --> 00:25:37.259 fruit. Right? So it starts out with abiding. 00:25:37.279 --> 00:25:39.200 And I'm not talking about visiting. I'm not talking 00:25:39.200 --> 00:25:43.460 about just going to church once a week. I'm talking 00:25:43.460 --> 00:25:49.279 about living with Christ. Every moment, every 00:25:49.279 --> 00:25:53.640 day, you are abiding. You're not visiting. You're 00:25:53.640 --> 00:25:58.200 abiding in Christ. It's also going to come from... 00:25:58.440 --> 00:26:01.599 acknowledging the indwelling presence of the 00:26:01.599 --> 00:26:04.819 Holy Spirit who is in you. We have to acknowledge 00:26:04.819 --> 00:26:10.140 him. We're abiding in Christ and we're acknowledging 00:26:10.140 --> 00:26:14.019 the Holy Spirit who is in us to lead us and guide 00:26:14.019 --> 00:26:16.900 us. The Bible tells us to walk in the Spirit. 00:26:17.000 --> 00:26:22.359 That means to, you know, do life with the Spirit 00:26:22.359 --> 00:26:26.190 of God. And not only acknowledge his indwelling 00:26:26.190 --> 00:26:29.130 presence and walk with him, but also yielding 00:26:29.130 --> 00:26:32.390 to his leading because he's always directing 00:26:32.390 --> 00:26:37.190 us and guiding us in our everyday lives, especially 00:26:37.190 --> 00:26:41.390 in our relationships and interactions with other 00:26:41.390 --> 00:26:45.049 people. Now, if we never acknowledge him, we're 00:26:45.049 --> 00:26:48.009 not going to be spirit led. We're not going to 00:26:48.009 --> 00:26:51.589 yield to him. So we're obviously not going to 00:26:51.589 --> 00:26:56.089 grow. in spiritual fruit or grow spiritually 00:26:56.089 --> 00:26:59.609 or be spiritually mature because it doesn't just 00:26:59.609 --> 00:27:04.230 come from self -effort. And here's what I want 00:27:04.230 --> 00:27:07.289 you to realize. The measure of our kindness to 00:27:07.289 --> 00:27:10.670 others, especially in challenging situations, 00:27:11.289 --> 00:27:15.789 is a good measure of our spiritual maturity. 00:27:17.009 --> 00:27:19.349 I don't know if you did this when you were growing 00:27:19.349 --> 00:27:21.849 up, but my parents had a doorpost in the house. 00:27:22.299 --> 00:27:24.400 Especially during my formative years. I mean, 00:27:24.440 --> 00:27:27.200 it kind of quit later when I got in high school 00:27:27.200 --> 00:27:29.660 and about to go to college. But as I was growing, 00:27:29.819 --> 00:27:32.299 there was a doorpost in the house and they would 00:27:32.299 --> 00:27:36.200 mark me every year. Right around time when school 00:27:36.200 --> 00:27:39.119 started. They'd write my name and write the date. 00:27:39.460 --> 00:27:42.700 And I could look back and see how much I had 00:27:42.700 --> 00:27:47.359 grown by seeing those markers on the doorpost. 00:27:49.039 --> 00:27:54.900 Listen. The markers of our spiritual maturity 00:27:54.900 --> 00:28:00.660 and spiritual growth. You can do it by marking 00:28:00.660 --> 00:28:04.319 your love. How much are you walking in love? 00:28:05.299 --> 00:28:11.599 By marking your joy. How much joy do you have 00:28:11.599 --> 00:28:14.839 in Christ, in the Holy Spirit? How much joy are 00:28:14.839 --> 00:28:18.359 you living in? Is it evident in your life? How 00:28:18.359 --> 00:28:24.849 much peace? Is in your life. How much patience. 00:28:25.450 --> 00:28:30.990 Are you walking in. And how much kindness. Is 00:28:30.990 --> 00:28:33.430 kindness a descriptor of who you are. And how 00:28:33.430 --> 00:28:37.029 you relate with other people. Well if it is then. 00:28:37.769 --> 00:28:43.799 You're growing. Spiritually. If not. I think 00:28:43.799 --> 00:28:47.119 it reveals a lack of abiding in Christ and acknowledging 00:28:47.119 --> 00:28:50.339 the indwelling presence of the spirit and walking 00:28:50.339 --> 00:28:54.319 with the spirit of God on a daily basis and yielding 00:28:54.319 --> 00:29:00.279 to his leading. Let's pray together. God, I thank 00:29:00.279 --> 00:29:02.160 you for your word. I thank you for your truth. 00:29:02.240 --> 00:29:05.160 And God, I pray that your truth would be planted 00:29:05.160 --> 00:29:08.599 in our hearts in such a way that it changes us 00:29:08.599 --> 00:29:15.950 and transforms us. and works in us so that we 00:29:15.950 --> 00:29:21.650 can grow spiritually and just continue to grow. 00:29:22.910 --> 00:29:27.210 And your spiritual fruit would continue to be 00:29:27.210 --> 00:29:29.730 evidenced in our lives and continue to increase. 00:29:30.990 --> 00:29:35.569 Thank you that we're not on our own, but that 00:29:35.569 --> 00:29:40.809 you are our helper. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.