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Well, here we are in the series 
on the fruit of the spirits, and

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these are the marks that'll be 
shown in the life of the Christ 

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follower. 
Now remember, we don't simply 

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manufacture these virtues by by 
our own willpower. 

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I can't will patience into 
existence. 

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It's something that has to be 
grown inside of me. 

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I can't force myself to love. 
It's not actually love when it's

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forced, but love is the emotions
and actions that come from my 

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life surrendered to God's 
working. 

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Interestingly though, the 
majority of these fruits are 

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also attributes of God. 
These aren't simply qualities 

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God asked his followers to live 
out. 

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God himself is the actual 
embodiment of each of these. 

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God is love, God is joy. 
God is said to be peace. 

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He's he's patient. 
And that brings us to this week.

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God is kind. 
God is kind. 

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He is the epitome of kindness. 
Thinking back to our study a 

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couple months ago in Psalm 145, 
it is awesome to say that was a 

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couple months ago. 
Like here we are three months 

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in. 
It's like, wow, this is cool. 

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A couple months ago in Psalm 
145, verse 17 said the Lord is 

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righteous in all his ways and 
kind in all his works. 

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The word that's translated as 
kind is hesed, God's loyal, 

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steadfast love. 
The translators of the ESB tried

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to distill all that is 
encapsulated in God's hesed, 

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God's loyal love. 
They tried to distill it all 

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down to one word, and they said 
kindness is that word. 

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God's kindness is also shown in 
one of my favorite books, Hosea.

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Hosea was a prophet to northern 
Israel and his life became a 

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metaphor for God's relationship 
to his people. 

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As Hosea was told to marry a 
prostitute, Gomer, she 

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represented Israel in this 
metaphor. 

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Hosea 1111 verses one through 4.
Read it there on the screen. 

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When Israel was a child I loved 
him, and out of Egypt I called 

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my son. 
The more they were called, the 

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more they went away. 
They kept sacrificing to the 

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balls and and burning offerings 
to idols. 

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Yet it was I who taught Ephraim 
to walk. 

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I took them up by their arms, 
but they did not know that I 

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healed them. 
I LED them with cords of 

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kindness with the bands of love,
and I became to them as one who 

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eases the yoke on their jaws. 
And I bent down to them and fed 

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them. 
This was a a brief history 

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lesson for the people Hosea had 
been sent to. 

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God had delivered his people out
of Egypt. 

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He'd called to them, but they 
just ran farther away from him, 

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and they kept offering idle 
sacrifices. 

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Yet God, God still had 
compassion on them. 

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He cared for them, and in spite 
of their waywardness, he showed 

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them extraordinary kindness and 
love. 

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In the book of Titus, Paul told 
his young protege about the 

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impacts of God's kindness. 
Titus 3/4 through 5. 

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But when the goodness and loving
kindness of God our Savior 

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appeared, he saved us not 
because of works done by us in 

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righteousness, but according to 
his own mercy by the washing 

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every generation and renewal of 
the Holy Spirit. 

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It's God's goodness and kindness
that brought about our 

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salvation. 
It's not about anything we've 

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done. 
Self righteousness isn't 

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actually righteousness, but only
because of God's great mercy 

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He's given us His life. 
As we continue to examine 

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kindness this morning, we need 
to establish what Scripture has 

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in view when it talks about 
kindness. 

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So what kindness? 
Kindness is the is the quality 

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of being friendly, generous, 
considerate and treating people 

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with respect. 
Kindness is the quality being 

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friendly, generous, considerate 
and treating people with 

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respect. 
Kindness isn't attitude or 

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spirit that sees someone's need 
and is then motivated to help 

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them out. 
These needs could be physical, 

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emotional, social, or spiritual.
When we treat someone with 

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kindness, we see their need and 
respond with with with whatever 

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is necessary to meet that need. 
Whether it involves just being a

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friend, offering resources, or 
or being understanding of their 

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situation, we respond in a 
manner that is fitting to the 

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situation. 
The opposite of kindness is 

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someone behaving in a way that's
rude, self-centered, 

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disrespectful, or obviously 
violent. 

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I'm sure most of us have seen 
videos of the Karens, right? 

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These Karens as they're called. 
I don't. 

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Do we have any Karens in this 
place? 

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I don't. 
Oh yes, I'm sorry. 

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My heart goes out to all the 
women whose names are Karen 

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these days. 
But these, these, these, these 

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women are are rude to to other 
people and for seemingly no good

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reason. 
They're unkind. 

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They're insulting and demeaning 
to the people that they 

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confront. 
I'm sure unlike Karen is so in 

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the 90s there was the saying 
practice random kindness and 

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senseless acts of beauty. 
This was a bumper sticker you 

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would see all over the place. 
I'm sure many of you remember 

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this. 
It was a counter to news reports

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of random acts of violence and 
senseless acts of cruelty. 

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The goal was to spread joy by 
being kind to people who don't 

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expect it. 
It involved actions of some 

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sort. 
When I think of kindness and 

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scripture, my attention is drawn
to the Apostle Paul. 

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In Acts 28, Paul and a number of
prisoners had had been 

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shipwrecked and and they were 
finally brought to shore. 

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In Acts 28, two Paul says the 
native people showed us unusual 

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kindness. 
How did they do this? 

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They kindled a fire and welcomed
us all because it had begun to 

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rain and was cold. 
These were the native people 

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there. 
They they, they saw these 

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prisoners. 
These were prisoners, probably 

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people that they could easily 
cast aside and ignore. 

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But yet these people decided to 
show kindness to them. 

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They didn't simply wish them 
well. 

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Well, it's cold. 
It's rainy. 

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Hey, good luck dealing with 
that. 

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Figure out how you're going to 
build some shelter. 

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That's on you. 
No, they stepped into this 

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situation and brought them fire 
and did what they could to help 

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these prisoners warm up. 
They took action. 

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So kindness is the quality of 
being friendly, generous, 

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considerate, and treating people
with respect. 

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It's also a command. 
God requires kindness, He wants 

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us to to show the same hesed to 
others that He has shown to us. 

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Micah 6-8 says He has told you, 
O man, what is good and what 

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does the Lord require of you but
to do justice and love kindness 

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and to walk humbly with God. 
This is God's expectation for 

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his people. 
We're to humbly walk with him 

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showing justice and and some 
translations will say mercy and 

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kindness to others. 
OK, great, I'll be kind. 

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I can be kind to my friends. 
I can be kind to my family, 

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maybe even my Co workers if 
they're nice. 

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But what does Jesus say on the 
in the sermon on the mounts, 

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Matthew 5 verses 43 through 44, 
you have heard that it was said 

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you shall love your neighbor and
hate your enemy. 

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But Jesus says, I say to you, 
love your enemies and pray for 

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those who persecute you. 
This is where the rubber meets 

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the road right? 
Love your enemies. 

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I don't know about you, but this
isn't a natural inclination for 

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me to just naturally love 
somebody who I might be at odds 

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with and I'm opposed to. 
But Jesus called his followers 

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to love their enemies. 
We're also to show kind. 

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We are to show kindness to our 
enemies. 

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That's the next point. 
The people we least want to 

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extend kindness towards are the 
people that Jesus has called us 

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to extend kindness to. 
As we've looked at God's own 

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kindness and call to demonstrate
kindness, it's good for us to 

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consider what keeps us from 
kindness. 

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What are some of the barriers to
kindness? 

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As we do this? 
It's we can begin by looking at 

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Ephesians 4. 
There in Ephesians 4, we get an 

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idea of some of the virtues 
we're called to show in the body

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and and then we can understand 
the opposite of these virtues as

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being barriers to our kindness. 
Ephesians 4. 

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There on the screens. 
Verses one through 3. 

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I therefore a prisoner for the 
Lord, urge you to walk in a 

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manner worthy of the calling to 
which you have been called. 

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How do we do that? 
Verse 2. 

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With all humility and 
gentleness, with patience, 

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bearing with one another in 
love, eager to maintain the 

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unity of the Spirit in the bond 
of peace. 

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In reading these verses there 
there are two particular 

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qualities that that stand out to
me. 

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Humility and patience. 
These are key to maintaining 

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good relationships and an 
absence of these will inevitably

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lead us away from kindness. 
So the first barrier to kindness

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is pride. 
Pride keeps us in a place where 

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we only think of ourselves. 
Everything I do in life is 

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looking out for #1I prioritize 
my own needs and desires over 

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everything and everyone else. 
When I walk in, pride 

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compromises difficult if not 
impossible. 

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Exuding compassion is out of 
reach, and pride can lead to 

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lying, manipulation and holding 
grudges against others. 

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Philippians 2, three through 4 
Do nothing from selfish ambition

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or conceit, but in humility 
count others more significance 

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than yourselves. 
Let each of you look not only to

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his own interests, but also to 
the interests of others. 

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If if I count others as more 
significant, more important than

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myself, if I look out for for 
the interests of others, then 

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kindness is a logical step, 
right? 

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Another barrier to kindness is 
impatience. 

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Impatience. 
When impatience takes over, my 

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demeanor veers away from 
kindness. 

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I can become short, difficult, 
and grouchy. 

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Thank you for not saying Amen. 
An impatient attitude can can 

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lead to anger, bitterness and 
conflict in my interactions with

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others and when I become 
impatient, compassion and 

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understanding or out of reach. 
Looking at Abraham and Sarah at 

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75, Sarah was quite advanced in 
years as it pertains to 

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conceiving and bearing children.
Being barren was a shame in 

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their culture so so Sarah 
hatched her own plan to have a 

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child. 
If Abraham could impregnate her 

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her servants then then that 
would count as Sarah's child and

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and her shame would be removed. 
She was impatient and and she 

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took matters into her own hands 
and she gave Abraham her 

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servants Hagar. 
Abraham was able to get Hagar 

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pregnant but not without 
consequences. 

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There were strained 
relationships in the family. 

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Sarah thought she would find joy
in Hagar having Abraham's baby, 

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but the reality is that Sarah 
actually began to despise Hagar.

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The consequences for Sarah's 
impatience was tension and 

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division, causing Hagar to leave
the home and run away because 

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she was despised. 
Unfortunately, God heard her 

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crying and he met her there and 
and told her to return. 

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But impatience focuses too much 
on personal desires and in 

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timelines rather than 
considering the needs and 

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feelings of those around us. 
Impatience leads to poor choices

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and can cause irreparable damage
to relationships. 

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And impatience is exchanging our
trust in God for trust in people

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or things. 
Another consequence of our 

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00:16:38,920 --> 00:16:44,840
impatience is anger. 
Proverbs 1429. 

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00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:51,960
Whoever is slow to anger has 
great understanding, but he who 

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00:16:51,960 --> 00:16:59,320
has a hasty temper exalts folly.
When impatience occurs, we've 

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we've left the realm of 
understanding and entered into a

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territory that is largely devoid
of logic. 

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Sure, we may be able to 
rationalize things in our head 

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and and excuse away our angry 
response. 

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This happened so, So I have the 
right to respond like this, 

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00:17:18,520 --> 00:17:28,119
right? 
But that's not how other people,

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when they're looking from the 
outside, can look at the 

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situation and they realize this 
action did not need to elicit 

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00:17:38,840 --> 00:17:47,280
this angry, impatient response. 
When understanding has gone out 

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the window, kindness will soon 
make its exit. 

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00:17:56,240 --> 00:18:00,400
Ephesians 4 verse three said to 
be be eager to maintain the 

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00:18:00,400 --> 00:18:02,480
unity of the Spirit in the bond 
of peace. 

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Now kindness and unity in the 
body cannot be achieved when 

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there's selfishness. 
Selfishness is our next points, 

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00:18:15,200 --> 00:18:17,960
our next barrier. 
Charles Spurgeon once said 

223
00:18:18,120 --> 00:18:23,440
selfishness is as foreign to 
Christianity as darkness is to 

224
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light. 
The darkness of self 

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centeredness is the opposite of 
Christ and his gospel and it 

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00:18:31,120 --> 00:18:35,320
under undermines every aim in 
the Christian life. 

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I think you could say that that 
selfishness is the most 

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destructive disease of the human
soul. 

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Absolutely nobody on this planet
except for Jesus escapes this 

230
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disease, and there are countless
opportunities for selfishness to

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manifest itself in our lives. 
So how do we defeat the sin of 

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selfishness that that resides in
US? 

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I love how 2nd Corinthians 5 
verses 14 through 15 puts it For

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the love of Christ controls us, 
because we have concluded this, 

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that one has died for all, 
therefore all have died, and he 

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died for all, that those who 
live might no longer live for 

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themselves, but for him who for 
their sake died and was raised. 

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Jesus died so that we could live
in and for him. 

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Because of what he did, we're 
able to think outside of 

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ourselves and think about other 
people. 

241
00:19:52,440 --> 00:19:56,440
Generosity is one of the best 
ways for us to defeat 

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00:19:56,760 --> 00:20:00,600
selfishness. 
Generosity reflects God's nature

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00:20:00,600 --> 00:20:04,480
and helps us shift the focus 
from ourselves to others, and it

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00:20:04,480 --> 00:20:07,960
leads to greater fulfilment in 
life. 

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00:20:09,360 --> 00:20:12,240
There's a reason Dave Ramsey's 
Financial Peace University 

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encourages both Christians and 
non Christians to live 

247
00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:24,720
generously. 
You see, when when we live with 

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an with an open hand, as he 
calls it, when we live with an 

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00:20:29,040 --> 00:20:33,920
open hand, then this increases 
the fulfillment on our life and 

250
00:20:33,920 --> 00:20:38,880
it also increases our reliance 
and trust on God and His 

251
00:20:39,040 --> 00:20:47,080
provision. 
Pride and patience and 

252
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selfishness are significant 
barriers to us extending 

253
00:20:52,080 --> 00:20:57,920
kindness to others. 
So what does it look like for us

254
00:20:57,920 --> 00:21:04,880
to show kindness? 
1st, we demonstrate kindness in 

255
00:21:04,880 --> 00:21:09,240
our speech and in a word we can 
call this edification 

256
00:21:13,120 --> 00:21:17,480
edification. 
Words have meaning and and 

257
00:21:17,480 --> 00:21:20,080
power. 
We're all familiar with that old

258
00:21:20,080 --> 00:21:24,080
lie. 
Sticks and stones may break my 

259
00:21:24,080 --> 00:21:27,680
bones, but words will never hurt
me. 

260
00:21:29,040 --> 00:21:35,680
Our adolescent selves tried to 
believe those words, but our 

261
00:21:35,680 --> 00:21:42,440
more mature, seasoned selves 
understood the potential and 

262
00:21:42,440 --> 00:21:46,320
deep impact words can have on 
others. 

263
00:21:49,280 --> 00:21:55,320
Ephesians 429 reads. 
Let no corrupting talk come out 

264
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of your mouths, but only such as
is good for building up as fits 

265
00:22:00,360 --> 00:22:05,400
the occasion that it may give 
grace to those who hear. 

266
00:22:10,280 --> 00:22:15,000
Some words are more beneficial 
than others. 

267
00:22:16,760 --> 00:22:21,000
Putting someone down and 
berating them is the exact 

268
00:22:21,400 --> 00:22:27,200
opposite of kindness. 
The corrupting talk is talk that

269
00:22:27,360 --> 00:22:31,240
harms and destroys people. 
Instead, what we want to come 

270
00:22:31,240 --> 00:22:35,960
out of our mouths is language 
that builds up and imparts 

271
00:22:36,040 --> 00:22:41,800
grace. 
Language that imparts grace. 

272
00:22:41,800 --> 00:22:46,120
When our speech imparts grace, 
we're showing kindness. 

273
00:22:50,600 --> 00:22:53,840
I was recently talking with 
someone in our church who served

274
00:22:53,840 --> 00:22:58,920
as a teacher, this gentleman, 
and I'm sure everybody's like, 

275
00:22:58,920 --> 00:22:59,800
oh, I know who you're talking 
about. 

276
00:23:00,160 --> 00:23:02,840
There are several gentlemen in 
this church who served as 

277
00:23:02,840 --> 00:23:05,920
teachers. 
Take your pick. 

278
00:23:06,920 --> 00:23:10,120
This gentleman told me a story 
how he had unknowingly 

279
00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:13,160
completely changed a student's 
life. 

280
00:23:14,200 --> 00:23:18,440
The student, you see, had a bad 
morning and they decided after 

281
00:23:18,440 --> 00:23:20,680
school they were going to commit
suicide. 

282
00:23:22,880 --> 00:23:28,760
They went to school that day and
through a kind interaction with 

283
00:23:28,760 --> 00:23:36,280
their teacher, they felt valued 
and encouraged as this teacher 

284
00:23:36,280 --> 00:23:40,120
lifted them up. 
And when that happened, when 

285
00:23:40,240 --> 00:23:46,920
when life was spoken into this 
students, it completely changed 

286
00:23:47,080 --> 00:23:51,240
the course of their day and 
life. 

287
00:23:55,040 --> 00:24:00,240
That's the power that we can 
have when our speech imparts 

288
00:24:00,640 --> 00:24:06,000
grace. 
Another category for 

289
00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:10,400
demonstrating kindness is 
compassion. 

290
00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:14,600
In our hearts we have 
compassion. 

291
00:24:16,360 --> 00:24:20,640
Ephesians 432 says be kind to 
one another, tender hearted. 

292
00:24:21,600 --> 00:24:24,760
The word tender hearted isn't 1 
that we use very often. 

293
00:24:24,760 --> 00:24:27,840
My natural inclination when I 
hear the word tender heart, it 

294
00:24:27,840 --> 00:24:31,680
is to think of someone who's 
who's just a pushover. 

295
00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:37,160
You can walk all over them. 
However, that's not what this 

296
00:24:37,160 --> 00:24:40,440
word means. 
There is a softness to it. 

297
00:24:40,440 --> 00:24:44,720
But tender heartedness means 
that that we are well 

298
00:24:44,720 --> 00:24:48,000
compassionate or we are tenderly
compassionate. 

299
00:24:48,320 --> 00:24:51,120
It means to have softness in our
hearts. 

300
00:24:54,160 --> 00:24:57,480
When compassion is present in 
our hearts, we can do as it says

301
00:24:57,880 --> 00:25:04,040
in Romans 12/15, rejoice with 
those who rejoice and weep with 

302
00:25:04,040 --> 00:25:09,640
those who weep. 
Compassion helps us understand 

303
00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:14,600
others needs and respond 
appropriately to that need. 

304
00:25:15,920 --> 00:25:20,520
When we have empathy, we're able
to step into whatever emotions 

305
00:25:20,520 --> 00:25:24,800
as someone is experiencing, 
whether they be sorrowful or joy

306
00:25:24,800 --> 00:25:29,240
filled. 
The next area for us to show 

307
00:25:29,240 --> 00:25:36,760
kindness is difficult as as it 
involves us being wronged. 

308
00:25:39,080 --> 00:25:43,280
We show kindness even in the 
midst of our hurts. 

309
00:25:44,560 --> 00:25:46,880
And how do we show kindness in 
the midst of our hurts? 

310
00:25:47,440 --> 00:25:53,920
Through forgiveness. 
Forgiveness is vital to the 

311
00:25:53,920 --> 00:25:59,720
health of our relationships and 
even to the health of our own 

312
00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:04,120
souls. 
Without forgiveness we we risk 

313
00:26:04,120 --> 00:26:09,920
becoming bitter. 
Picking up again at ephesians 

314
00:26:09,920 --> 00:26:15,360
432 be kind to one another 
tender hearted that it goes on 

315
00:26:15,360 --> 00:26:21,640
and says forgiving one another 
as God in Christ forgave you. 

316
00:26:23,960 --> 00:26:26,880
The Greek word for forgiving is 
carrizo. 

317
00:26:26,880 --> 00:26:31,680
My, It comes from that same 
Greek word that joy came from. 

318
00:26:32,720 --> 00:26:34,840
And I know you all remember this
word. 

319
00:26:34,840 --> 00:26:37,920
No, just kidding. 
Sometimes I don't even remember 

320
00:26:37,920 --> 00:26:39,160
what I preached last week. 
Sometimes. 

321
00:26:39,800 --> 00:26:45,280
No, that word was chorus. 
Chorus is the same word you may 

322
00:26:45,280 --> 00:26:51,560
recall for grace. 
So when we charisma someone, 

323
00:26:52,400 --> 00:26:56,560
we're gracing them. 
We are giving them something 

324
00:26:56,560 --> 00:27:00,960
that that they don't deserve. 
We're we're extending them 

325
00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:03,040
grace. 
We're extending them 

326
00:27:03,920 --> 00:27:10,400
forgiveness. 
When we forgive them, we can't 

327
00:27:10,400 --> 00:27:13,680
control the actions of others. 
But in choosing to forgive, we 

328
00:27:13,680 --> 00:27:18,080
establish control over our own 
responses, our own thoughts, and

329
00:27:18,280 --> 00:27:28,360
in our own actions. 
Real offences hurt when we've 

330
00:27:28,400 --> 00:27:31,600
been hurt. 
We can be tempted to hold on to 

331
00:27:31,600 --> 00:27:36,600
that. 
But what we need to do instead 

332
00:27:36,960 --> 00:27:40,800
is to take every thought captive
and and submit those thoughts to

333
00:27:40,800 --> 00:27:43,200
God. 
As we submit those thoughts to 

334
00:27:43,200 --> 00:27:47,600
God, we'll be driven to forgive 
and keep our and keep our hurts 

335
00:27:47,600 --> 00:27:55,920
from turning to resentment. 
So sometimes we're slow to 

336
00:27:55,920 --> 00:28:00,920
forgive, though, because we may 
have a sense that if I forgive 

337
00:28:00,920 --> 00:28:04,920
them, that means they don't have
to experience any consequences 

338
00:28:05,560 --> 00:28:07,360
from the wrongs that they've 
done. 

339
00:28:09,760 --> 00:28:12,320
But that is not what it means to
forgive someone. 

340
00:28:14,080 --> 00:28:18,320
You may or may not have it in 
your power to release someone 

341
00:28:18,320 --> 00:28:22,640
from from justice for for the 
wrongdoings. 

342
00:28:23,160 --> 00:28:28,000
Choosing to release the person 
isn't saying there's no 

343
00:28:28,000 --> 00:28:30,760
consequences. 
That's not what you're saying. 

344
00:28:31,920 --> 00:28:39,040
Sin has consequences, offences 
will have consequences. 

345
00:28:39,640 --> 00:28:43,640
Forgiving someone is choosing to
say I'm not going to hold this 

346
00:28:43,640 --> 00:28:48,560
offence against you and I am not
going to allow this offence to 

347
00:28:48,560 --> 00:28:57,120
control me. 
Forgiving somebody is saying I'm

348
00:28:57,120 --> 00:29:02,880
not going to hold this against 
you and I'm not going to allow 

349
00:29:02,880 --> 00:29:06,440
this to control me and to make 
me bitter. 

350
00:29:10,520 --> 00:29:15,040
In church culture, unforgiveness
is a leading cause of conflict 

351
00:29:15,040 --> 00:29:19,520
and division. 
When people don't demonstrate 

352
00:29:19,520 --> 00:29:22,800
forgiveness and choose to hold 
on to past hurts, then they 

353
00:29:22,800 --> 00:29:26,720
start driving a wedge between 
themselves and and other people.

354
00:29:31,120 --> 00:29:36,560
If we hold on to a grudge, then 
we're allowing that offence to 

355
00:29:36,560 --> 00:29:41,440
take control of us, rather than 
taking control of that offence 

356
00:29:41,440 --> 00:29:46,240
and releasing it. 
Over the years, I've heard of 

357
00:29:46,760 --> 00:29:54,600
many petty offences that at a 
moment's notice, can be pulled 

358
00:29:54,600 --> 00:30:03,640
up from the garbage disposal and
hurled at somebody, pulled out 

359
00:30:03,640 --> 00:30:07,520
of the resort recesses of our 
minds, and then thrown back at 

360
00:30:07,520 --> 00:30:13,800
somebody. 
I myself have been on that end. 

361
00:30:19,760 --> 00:30:30,960
So why, why do we forgive? 
Verse 32 said As God in Christ 

362
00:30:31,080 --> 00:30:43,560
forgave you, the biggest offence
is not how somebody has treated 

363
00:30:43,560 --> 00:30:49,400
me. 
The biggest offence of all is 

364
00:30:49,400 --> 00:31:00,080
how I have treated God, the holy
Almighty God. 

365
00:31:03,480 --> 00:31:15,880
But he forgave me. 
He forgave us, the soul we can 

366
00:31:15,880 --> 00:31:21,080
then the hurts, the hurts and 
offenses we've experienced may 

367
00:31:21,080 --> 00:31:24,520
be valid, right? 
But we're following God's 

368
00:31:24,520 --> 00:31:29,360
example. 
When we choose to forgive, it's 

369
00:31:29,520 --> 00:31:32,560
it's an appropriate response to 
Christ's love and His 

370
00:31:32,560 --> 00:31:35,000
forgiveness being poured into 
our hearts. 

371
00:31:35,320 --> 00:31:39,920
We forgive others because He's 
already forgiven us. 

372
00:31:43,320 --> 00:31:46,720
The categories of kindness we 
have so far edification, 

373
00:31:46,720 --> 00:31:53,280
compassion and forgiveness. 
And lastly, I hinted at this a 

374
00:31:53,280 --> 00:32:00,320
little bit earlier, We can be 
generous generosity with our 

375
00:32:00,320 --> 00:32:05,120
actions. 
This means in the in the sharing

376
00:32:05,120 --> 00:32:09,680
of our resources. 
This certainly does not strictly

377
00:32:09,680 --> 00:32:14,920
mean financial resources, though
financial resources are included

378
00:32:14,920 --> 00:32:17,000
in this. 
We have all sorts of resources 

379
00:32:17,000 --> 00:32:21,080
at our disposal. 
Our time, abilities, gifts, all 

380
00:32:21,080 --> 00:32:24,960
of these things are our 
resources that we can be 

381
00:32:24,960 --> 00:32:30,320
generous with. 
Hebrews 1316. 

382
00:32:30,640 --> 00:32:34,240
Do not neglect to do good and to
share what you have, for such 

383
00:32:34,240 --> 00:32:41,000
sacrifices are pleasing to God. 
According to this verse, sharing

384
00:32:41,000 --> 00:32:44,280
with others pleases God, and 
demonstrating kindness through 

385
00:32:44,280 --> 00:32:51,360
generosity is at God's heart. 
One of the great conundrums of 

386
00:32:51,360 --> 00:32:57,520
Scripture is Israel's stark 180 
from being oppressed in Egypt to

387
00:32:57,520 --> 00:33:01,960
becoming the oppressor later on,
after the kingdoms had split 

388
00:33:01,960 --> 00:33:04,080
into the northern and southern 
kingdoms. 

389
00:33:05,800 --> 00:33:09,880
You'd think they had would have 
vowed to have have never want to

390
00:33:09,880 --> 00:33:19,160
be like the Egyptians, right? 
But the sins snuck in and and 

391
00:33:19,160 --> 00:33:23,640
they morphed over time into 
becoming the oppressor. 

392
00:33:25,360 --> 00:33:29,760
And so God called for them to 
stop and, and this was one of 

393
00:33:29,760 --> 00:33:33,520
the topics that many of the 
prophets addressed. 

394
00:33:33,520 --> 00:33:38,840
And then Zechariah 7, nine 
through 10 says, thus says the 

395
00:33:38,840 --> 00:33:42,640
Lord of hosts, render true 
judgments, show kindness and 

396
00:33:42,640 --> 00:33:47,480
mercy to one another. 
Do not oppress the widow, the 

397
00:33:47,480 --> 00:33:52,160
fatherless, the sojourner, the 
poor, and let none of you devise

398
00:33:52,160 --> 00:33:54,960
evil against another in your 
hearts. 

399
00:33:58,080 --> 00:34:02,360
These verses show us kindness to
the vulnerable. 

400
00:34:07,040 --> 00:34:10,000
Scripture refers to these four 
classes of people. 

401
00:34:10,400 --> 00:34:14,400
They're often grouped together 
no less than 40 times. 

402
00:34:15,800 --> 00:34:20,719
God said stop oppressing them. 
Don't plan evil against these 

403
00:34:20,719 --> 00:34:23,280
people. 
And I think it's easy for us to 

404
00:34:23,280 --> 00:34:26,920
sit here and think, oh, surely 
they weren't really like 

405
00:34:26,920 --> 00:34:30,120
actually oppressing people. 
You know, these are people who 

406
00:34:30,120 --> 00:34:32,880
were just down on the luck, 
having a hard time. 

407
00:34:33,880 --> 00:34:36,360
But no, there were actual 
systems in place. 

408
00:34:36,600 --> 00:34:40,520
They were actually oppressing 
the poor and widows. 

409
00:34:43,440 --> 00:34:46,080
They were engaging in actual 
oppression. 

410
00:34:49,520 --> 00:34:53,920
Even today, these classes of 
people can experience great 

411
00:34:53,920 --> 00:34:57,840
injustice. 
Now, there are some systems in 

412
00:34:57,840 --> 00:35:01,880
place to help with those 
injustices, but unfortunately, 

413
00:35:01,880 --> 00:35:06,320
we live in a society that often 
doesn't want to be concerned 

414
00:35:06,320 --> 00:35:17,280
with someone else's problems. 
As Christians, we're called to 

415
00:35:17,280 --> 00:35:22,640
see these groups of people and 
demonstrate generosity to them. 

416
00:35:26,520 --> 00:35:30,560
When we step into a situation 
and help to bear the burdens of 

417
00:35:30,560 --> 00:35:37,240
others, we're showing kindness. 
For us in this body, that can 

418
00:35:37,240 --> 00:35:44,000
mean paying special attention to
the needs of our many widows. 

419
00:35:47,120 --> 00:35:51,320
Some people will find themselves
called to adoption or making 

420
00:35:51,320 --> 00:35:54,080
their home available as a safe 
family. 

421
00:35:55,600 --> 00:36:00,080
World Relief is a great way to 
to help show generosity to 

422
00:36:00,440 --> 00:36:08,960
immigrants and refugees. 
And as a church, we're able to 

423
00:36:09,280 --> 00:36:13,560
provide financial assistance to 
those who might be down on their

424
00:36:13,560 --> 00:36:15,760
luck and need need a helping 
hand. 

425
00:36:17,280 --> 00:36:21,600
And some of you I know will 
engage with that on occasion as 

426
00:36:21,600 --> 00:36:25,800
well. 
But generosity is a great way 

427
00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:29,600
for us to show kindness to the 
vulnerable. 

428
00:36:33,720 --> 00:36:38,680
As we close this morning, 
consider what steps you need to 

429
00:36:38,680 --> 00:36:44,440
take in kindness. 
I'd like to remind you, don't 

430
00:36:44,440 --> 00:36:49,080
take all that I said this 
morning and say I'm going to do 

431
00:36:49,120 --> 00:36:55,800
every single point. 
Not to be rude, but you'll 

432
00:36:55,800 --> 00:36:58,680
probably fail. 
There's a lot there. 

433
00:37:00,600 --> 00:37:07,720
Pick one thing. 
What is your next step? 

434
00:37:08,560 --> 00:37:11,480
The best thing for you to engage
in? 

435
00:37:13,400 --> 00:37:16,520
It's so that you can become 
friendly and generous, 

436
00:37:17,080 --> 00:37:20,640
considerate and treat others 
with respect. 

437
00:37:23,240 --> 00:37:26,400
As you get a grip on one thing, 
then you can move on to the 

438
00:37:26,400 --> 00:37:28,680
next. 
Let the Holy Spirit continue to 

439
00:37:28,680 --> 00:37:33,520
do His work in you. 
I myself look at this list and 

440
00:37:35,320 --> 00:37:39,920
it's easy to feel overwhelmed 
when I look at the the barriers.

441
00:37:39,960 --> 00:37:43,640
Pride and patience, selfishness,
that's me. 

442
00:37:50,480 --> 00:37:54,000
But press into God and let Him 
do His work in you. 

443
00:37:57,200 --> 00:38:00,720
We're the body of Christ and we 
want to walk in unity and love 

444
00:38:00,720 --> 00:38:04,280
extending God's kindness 
everywhere we go. 

445
00:38:06,200 --> 00:38:10,800
We need to be people who have 
traded hostility for 

446
00:38:10,800 --> 00:38:20,920
helpfulness, offense with 
forgiveness, and brokenness with

447
00:38:20,920 --> 00:38:24,600
compassion. 
When we walk in these virtues, 

448
00:38:24,760 --> 00:38:30,640
the body will be built up into 
the body that God desires us to 

449
00:38:30,640 --> 00:38:34,280
be. 
Let's bow our heads and close 

450
00:38:34,320 --> 00:38:46,770
our eyes. 
God, this morning as we conclude

451
00:38:46,770 --> 00:38:55,240
this message, my prayer for all 
of us is that you would give us 

452
00:38:55,240 --> 00:38:58,200
a vision of of how best to step 
forward. 

453
00:39:00,520 --> 00:39:04,160
What's that one area that we 
need to address? 

454
00:39:07,720 --> 00:39:11,240
How can we be edifying? 
How can we show compassion? 

455
00:39:11,240 --> 00:39:15,440
Is there an area where I need to
forgive someone? 

456
00:39:19,080 --> 00:39:23,760
Do I need to be more generous? 
God, would you reveal your will,

457
00:39:23,760 --> 00:39:28,040
your desire in our hearts this 
morning? 

458
00:39:33,470 --> 00:39:39,230
Make us kind. 
Grow this fruit in us. 

459
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We thank you that we have the 
Holy Spirit to lean into, to 

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rely on. 
So we say, Holy Spirit, come 

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fill me up. 
Empower me for your service. 

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Make me like Jesus. 
It's in his name we pray. 

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Amen.