THE LIVING WORD TRANSCRIPT
PROGRAM AIR DATE: 10-10-2021
LESSON TITLE: KINDNESS
WELCOME
JOSHUA ONCE PROCLAIMED TO GOD'S PEOPLE, "THEREFORE, BE VERY COURAGEOUS TO KEEP "AND TO DO ALL THAT IS WRITTEN "IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW OF MOSES, "AND LEST YOU TURN ASIDE FROM THE RIGHT HAND OR THE LEFT, "REMAIN FAITHFUL TO" WHO? GOD. WHAT A BEAUTIFUL CHALLENGE THIS IS TO US AS GOD'S FOLLOWERS, AND CERTAINLY ON THIS, THE LORD'S DAY, WHAT A CHALLENGE IT IS FOR US TO DO HIS WILL AND TO WORSHIP ACCORDING TO HIS NAME. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US AS WE DO APPROACH THE THRONE OF GOD AT THIS TIME. AND IT IS MY PRAYER THAT WE WILL ALL DO OUR VERY BEST THIS DAY AND EVERY DAY, THAT WE MIGHT ALWAYS ACCOMPLISH THOSE THINGS THAT ARE ACCORDING TO GOD'S PERFECT WILL, KNOWING THAT HE HAS AN ETERNAL PURPOSE. WON'T YOU ALSO DO YOUR PART THIS MORNING THAT ALL THAT WE DO MIGHT BE ACCORDING TO HIS WILL AND AS A PRAISE RECEIVED BY HIM IN ALL THINGS PLEASING. THEREFORE, THAT WE MIGHT BE KNOWN AS THOSE WHO ARE FAITHFUL AND THOSE WHO ARE ABLE TO SHOW OUR LOVE FOR HIM IN OUR FAITHFULNESS. AS WE DO THESE THINGS IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH, MAY WE BEGIN THIS MORNING BY SPEAKING WITH OUR GOD IN PRAYER. WILL YOU BOW WITH ME AT THIS TIME PLEASE?
PRAYER: OUR GOD AND FATHER IN HEAVEN, WE ARE SO THANKFUL FOR THIS DAY AND EVERY DAY OF LIFE. AND WE ARE THANKFUL FOR THE PRIVILEGE THAT WE HAVE TO BE CALLED YOUR CHILDREN AND TO BE SERVANTS IN YOUR KINGDOM. FATHER, WE THANK YOU AS WELL THAT WE HAVE THE PRIVILEGE TO NOT ONLY KNOW YOUR SON, BUT TO KNOW WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR US, AND THEREFORE, FATHER, HELP US TO LOVE YOU ENOUGH TO ALWAYS OBEY YOU AND TO OBEY HIS WILL, THAT WE HAVE FOUND IN THE SCRIPTURES, KNOWING THAT THERE'S GREAT REWARD IN THOSE WHO PROVE THEIR FAITHFULNESS. AND IN JESUS' NAME WE PRAY, AMEN.
NOW IT'S TIME TO JOIN IN OUR FIRST SONG OF THE MORNING, AND WE'LL BEGIN BY SINGING A SONG THAT HELPS US TO KNOW THAT WE'LL ALWAYS BE DELIVERED BY A LOVING AND CARING GOD. SO WON'T YOU JOIN IN WITH THE CONGREGATION AT THIS TIME AS WE SING TOGETHER, "HE IS ABLE TO DELIVER THEE."
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS
WHEN CONSIDERING OUR SERVICE TO GOD, WHEN WILL WE DO ENOUGH TO OUR GOD? AS WE READ EARLIER, GOD IS ONLY SATISFIED WHEN WE'RE DOING ALL THAT HE HAS COMMANDED, AND THOSE THINGS THAT ARE ACCORDING TO HIS WILL. I REMEMBER A SIMILAR THING THAT JESUS ONCE SAID IN JOHN CHAPTER 14 VERSE 15. THERE WE READ, "IF YOU LOVE ME, KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS." HERE WE FIND THAT A TRUE LOVE FOR JESUS IS SEEN THROUGH OUR OBEDIENCE TO HIS LAW. AND WE MIGHT WONDER HOW MUCH OF HIS LAW? WELL, THE SCRIPTURES AGAIN REQUIRE US TO DO NOTHING LESS THAN ALL THAT HE COMMANDS, BUT TO DO EVEN MORE THAN HE REQUESTS, TO SHOW HIM A LOVE THAT PROVES WE'RE WILLING TO DO ALL AND THEN SOME. WE MUST GIVE OUR ALL. WE MUST OBEY GOD. AND WE MUST FOLLOW ALL THAT HE HAS COMMANDED ACCORDING TO WHAT WE READ IN THE BIBLE, IF WE WILL TRULY BE PLEASING IN HIS SIGHT. IN ACTS CHAPTER 13 AND VERSE 22, WE ALSO READ ABOUT KING DAVID OF OLD. LUKE THERE RECORDS THERE FOR US THIS ABOUT THE GREAT MAN OF GOD. WE FIND ONE WHO DID ALL ACCORDING TO GOD'S WILL. NOW, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? IT MEANS THAT HE WAS STRIVING TO BE PERFECT. WELL, HE MAY NOT HAVE BEEN PERFECT IN THE SENSE OF WHAT WE THINK. HE HAD MADE MISTAKES, HE HAD SINNED. WE WELL KNOW THAT ABOUT DAVID. HOWEVER, WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT HE WAS STRIVING FOR PERFECTION OR COMPLETENESS IN RELATIONSHIP TO DOING ALL THAT GOD COMMANDED AND TO TRYING TO BE FAITHFUL IN HIS SERVICE. BECAUSE OF THIS, HE WAS FOUND AS A MAN OF GOD WHO WAS CONSIDERED TO HAVE DONE ALL OF GOD'S WILL, DESPITE THE FACT HE CERTAINLY HAD HIS SHORTCOMINGS. WELL, WE MIGHT ALSO ASK, JUST HOW IMPORTANT IS IT THAT WE GET GOD'S LAW RIGHT. JAMES HELPS US WITH THIS IDEA IN HIS BOOK IN CHAPTER TWO AND VERSE 10. THERE WE READ, "FOR WHOEVER SHALL KEEP THE WHOLE LAW "AND YET STUMBLE IN ONE POINT, HE IS GUILTY OF ALL." OH YIKES! THAT'S KIND OF SCARY, ISN'T IT? BECAUSE THE POINT THAT IS BEING MADE HERE IS THAT WE HAVE TO DO OUR VERY BEST. AND IF WE FAIL GOD IN A SINGLE AREA, WE MIGHT ACTUALLY BE FAILING HIM IN ALL AREAS. SO WE HAVE TO CONSIDER OURSELVES, WHETHER WE ARE TRUE TO GOD AND WHETHER WE ARE KEEPING THE WHOLE LAW OR NOT. OR PERHAPS, EVEN GUILTY OF BREAKING SOME OF THE LAW. SO LET ME ENCOURAGE US THIS DAY TO ALWAYS STUDY THE WORD OF GOD, TO LEARN ALL WE CAN, AND TO STRIVE TO OBEY EVERY PRECEPT AND EVERY COMMAND FROM OUR HEART. THEN AND ONLY THEN CAN WE TRULY KNOW THAT WE ARE RIGHT IN THE SIGHT OF GOD, AND THEREFORE, PLEASING IN HIS SIGHT. SO LET ME ASK YOU THIS MORNING, HOW COMMITTED ARE YOU TO KEEPING THE ENTIRE LAW OF GOD?
WELL, THIS MORNING, WE'RE HAPPY TO HAVE BROTHER TREY SULLINS WITH US AS OUR GUEST SPEAKER OF THE DAY. AS MANY OF YOU MAY REMEMBER, BROTHER TREY IS THE MINISTER FOR THE OMAHA CHURCH OF CHRIST IN OMAHA, ARKANSAS, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO HIM GUIDING OUR MAIN THOUGHTS FROM GOD'S WORD IN JUST A FEW MOMENTS. AS FAR AS OUR MAIN STUDY OF THE DAY, WE'LL BE CONTINUING OUR DISCUSSION ON JESUS. IN OUR SERIES, WHICH IS ENTITLED, "THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT." OUR SPECIFIC LESSON OF THE MORNING WILL DEAL WITH KINDNESS. SO PLEASE STAY WITH US THIS MORNING AND AFTER OUR NEXT SONG TOGETHER, BROTHER TREY WILL BE LEADING US IN THESE THOUGHTS FROM GOD'S WORD. BUT FOR NOW, LET ME ENCOURAGE YOU TO JOIN IN OUR SECOND SONG OF THE MORNING WITH THE CONGREGATION. THE NAME OF THE HYMN, "THE LAST MILE OF THE WAY."
LESSON
BY TREY SULLINS
GOOD MORNING, AND THANKS AGAIN FOR BEING HERE WITH US. IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE ABLE TO STUDY GOD'S WORD WITH YOU AS ALWAYS, ESPECIALLY, ON THIS LORD'S DAY. WE'VE BEEN LOOKING OVER THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS, AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO SO AT THE FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT. JUST PREVIOUS TO THAT, IN GALATIANS CHAPTER FIVE, AS WE'VE ALREADY LOOKED A FEW TIMES, WE SEE HOW HE'S TALKING ABOUT THE WORKS OF THE FLESH. THE WORKS OF THE FLESH ARE THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE PACKED INTO US BY THE WORLD, AND EVEN SATAN HIMSELF TEMPTS US INTO THESE THINGS. AND WHEN HE DOES, IT LEADS US TO THIS SITUATION WHERE WE'RE ACTING IN WAYS THAT ARE BECOMING OF GOD. BUT, GALATIANS CHAPTER FIVE, THERE VERSE 22, HE MOVES OVER TO THE FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT. IT SAYS, "BUT THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT IS LOVE, "JOY, PEACE, LONGSUFFERING, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, "FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, SELF-CONTROL," AND THEN "AGAINST SUCH THERE IS NO LAW." YOU SEE, IT'S THOSE THINGS THAT ARE FROM GOD, AS WE'RE GOING TO SEE HERE, EVEN IN THIS STUDY, THAT WHEN THEY'RE PACKED WITHIN US, THAT WE ACT BECOMING OF A CHRISTIAN, ACT IN A WAY THAT IS BECOMING OF WHAT GOD WOULD HAVE US TO DO ON THIS EARTH. AND WHAT A GREAT THING IT IS TO STUDY THESE THINGS AND TO KNOW EXACTLY HOW HE WANTS US TO BE. AND SO THIS TIME, WE'RE LOOKING AT KINDNESS. IF YOU LOOK THERE AGAIN, AS WE JUST READ, IT SAYS, "BUT THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT, "LOVE, JOY, PEACE, LONGSUFFERING, "KINDNESS, AND GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS," IS THAT VERSE 22. THE WORD KINDNESS THERE IS KIND OF AN INTERESTING WORD, AT LEAST AS YOU GET OVER TO ENGLISH, BECAUSE IT'S KIND OF A WORD WHICH COULD BE TRANSLATED IN A FEW DIFFERENT WAYS. IN FACT, IN THE KING JAMES VERSION OF THE BIBLE, IT'S TRANSLATED AS GENTLENESS, USUALLY. IN THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION, IT'S TRANSLATED AS KINDNESS AS WE'VE JUST READ, EVEN. BUT THIS WORD ITSELF, IF YOU GO BACK INTO EVEN THE ORIGINAL LANGUAGE, PROBABLY THE WORD KINDNESS IS A BETTER RENDERING OF THE WORD. IT SHOWS US A LITTLE BIT MORE CLOSELY WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. BUT THE WORD KINDNESS, AT LEAST LOOKING AT IT FROM THE ORIGINAL LANGUAGE, KIND OF HAS TO DO WITH A GOOD MORAL CONSCIENCE, ESPECIALLY TOWARDS THOSE WHO WE ARE AROUND. AND SO WHAT WOULD YOU CALL THAT? KINDNESS. YOU WOULD CALL IT ACTING AND TREATING OTHERS IN A WAY THAT'S GOOD, AND THAT IS GENERALLY SPEAKING THE WORD KINDNESS. WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THIS WORD KINDNESS, OF COURSE, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT CHANNELING GOD'S ATTITUDES AND GOD'S CHARACTERISTICS IN OUR LIVES, AND SHOWING THAT FORTH TO OTHERS. SEE, WE HAVE A TENDENCY AS PEOPLE, AND I KNOW THAT WE'VE ALL EXPERIENCED IN OUR LIVES, BUT A TENDENCY TO HAVE THESE SORT OF, ALMOST SELFISH OR BAD BEHAVIORS AT TIMES. I MEAN, EVEN AS CHILDREN ARE GROWING UP, WE HAVE TO TEACH THEM THINGS LIKE BEING POLITE AND THINGS LIKE SHARING AND THINGS LIKE DOING AS YOU'RE TOLD TO DO BY THOSE WHO ARE OVER YOU IN AUTHORITY. AND THOSE ARE CHARACTERISTICS THAT MUST REMAIN. BUT, THOSE THINGS THAT ARE ALSO, WHEN WE EXPRESSED THEM TOWARDS OTHERS, WHAT WE MIGHT CALL KINDNESS. AND WHEN WE SHOW THIS GOOD WILL, THIS GOOD MORALITY, THESE GOOD ATTITUDES TOWARDS OTHERS, THEN IT TELLS US AND TELLS GOD THAT WE'RE BEING KIND TO ONE ANOTHER. NOW, WHENEVER YOU THINK ABOUT KINDNESS, THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT PASSAGES THAT KIND OF SHOW US WHAT IT IS, BUT IT'S A GOOD THING WHENEVER YOU'RE STUDYING WORDS LIKE THIS, TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT THE WAYS IN WHICH THE BIBLE USES IT. AND SO IN ROMANS CHAPTER TWO AND VERSE FOUR, WE FIND SUCH A PASSAGE. NOW YOU'RE GONNA NOTICE AS WE LOOK AT SEVERAL OF THESE, THAT ACTUALLY THE WORD IN THE ORIGINAL LANGUAGE, IN THE ORIGINAL GREEK LANGUAGE HAS ACTUALLY BEEN TRANSLATED INTO SOME OTHER WORDS IN ENGLISH. NOTICE THIS ONE IN ROMANS CHAPTER TWO AND IN VERSE FOUR. IT SAYS, "OR DO YOU DESPISE THE RICHES "OF HIS GOODNESS, FOREBEARANCE, LONGSUFFERING, "NOT KNOWING THAT THE GOODNESS OF GOD "LEADS YOU TO REPENTANCE?" NOW THIS WHOLE SECTION OF ROMANS CHAPTER TWO AND EVEN BEFORE IT, WAS TALKING ABOUT HOW WICKEDNESS LEADS GOD TO A RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT UPON MAN. AND HE'S SAYING HERE, ACTUALLY IN THIS VERSE FOUR, BOTH OF THOSE WORDS GOODNESS ARE THE SAME ROOT WORD KINDNESS THAT WE JUST READ ABOUT IN THE BOOK OF GALATIANS. AND SO USING THE SAME WORD, HE'S TALKING ABOUT WHAT? HOW GOD SHOWS US THIS GOOD MORALITY, HOW GOD SHOWS US THESE GOOD ATTITUDES. AND SO YOU CAN SEE HOW THE WORD KINDNESS THERE FROM GALATIANS IS TALKING ABOUT THAT SORT OF WAY IN WHICH GOOD THINGS OR GOOD MORALITY IS PERCEIVED BY OTHERS, EVEN. GOD SHOWS US ALL OF THIS GOOD ATTITUDE, GOOD, RICH MERCY UPON US, THIS GOOD GRACE UPON US. AND PEOPLE HAVE STILL CHOSEN TO SIN. THAT'S WHAT HE'S TALKING HERE IN THIS TEXT. BUT YOU NOTICE AGAIN, IT'S REFERRING TO GOODNESS, IT'S REFERRING TO GOOD THINGS THAT WE MIGHT HAVE.
IF YOU LOOK OVER, EVEN TO ROMANS CHAPTER THREE, ROMANS CHAPTER THREE VERSE 12, IT SAYS, "THEY HAVE ALL TURNED ASIDE "AND HAVE TOGETHER BECOME UNPROFITABLE. "THERE IS NO ONE, OR NONE WHO DOES GOOD, NO NOT ONE." THIS QUOTE FROM ANOTHER PASSAGE IS BASICALLY REFERRING TO A SIMILAR THING, HOW PEOPLE IN GENERAL HAVE CHOSEN IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS TO DO EVIL. BUT IT'S THAT WORD GOOD AGAIN THAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT. NO, NOT ONE, NONE WHO DO GOOD. AND IN MANY CASES, THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE WILL OFTEN CHOOSE, NOT TO DO THOSE THINGS THAT GOD HAS SAID. BUT REMEMBER, WHAT WE'RE MAINLY FOCUSING ON HERE IS THAT WORD. THIS IS ANOTHER WAY IN WHICH THAT SAME WORD KINDNESS IS USED OVER HERE IN ROMANS CHAPTER THREE VERSE 12 AND TRANSLATED GOOD HERE IN THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION ANYWAY. IF YOU WANT TO LOOK AT ANOTHER PASSAGE, WE HAVE ROMANS CHAPTER 11. AND ACTUALLY THIS PASSAGE USES IT THREE DIFFERENT TIMES WITHIN THE SAME EXACT PASSAGE. BUT ROMANS CHAPTER 11, AND THERE IN VERSE 22 OF THIS PASSAGE, IT SAYS, "THEREFORE CONSIDER THE GOODNESS AND SEVERITY OF GOD "ON THOSE WHO FELL SEVERITY, BUT TOWARDS YOU GOODNESS," THERE'S NUMBER TWO, "IF YOU CONTINUE IN HIS GOODNESS, "OTHERWISE, YOU ALSO WILL BE CUT OFF." AND AGAIN, THAT SAME WORD BEING USED, ALTHOUGH TRANSLATED GOODNESS. BUT IT'S SHOWING US SOMETHING VERY SIMPLE. THIS WORD WE'RE TALKING ABOUT FROM GALATIANS REFERS TO THOSE GOOD ATTITUDES OF MORALITY THAT COME FROM GOD, THAT ARE SHOWN TOWARDS OTHERS. IN GENERAL, WE CALL THAT KINDNESS, USUALLY IN OUR ENGLISH TODAY. THERE'S A FEW MORE PASSAGES WE COULD LOOK AT. COLOSSIANS CHAPTER THREE VERSE 12, WE'LL LOOK AT HERE AFTER AWHILE. BUT YOU ALSO HAVE THERE TITUS CHAPTER THREE VERSE FOUR, WHICH ACTUALLY TRANSLATES IT AS THE WORD KINDNESS AS WELL. AND SO WE'LL LOOK AT THAT ONE VERY BRIEFLY, TITUS CHAPTER THREE AND IN VERSE FOUR SAYS, "BUT WHEN THE KINDNESS "AND THE LOVE OF GOD OUR SAVIOR TOWARD MAN APPEARED." AND YOU'LL NOTICE THAT'S BASICALLY USING IT IN THE SAME WAY THAT THESE OTHER PASSAGES USED THE WORD GOODNESS, BUT HERE THEY TRANSLATED IT TO KINDNESS. IT'S INTERESTING SOMETIMES HOW THE TRANSLATORS OF DIFFERENT VERSIONS AND TRANSLATIONS DECIDED TO PICK THIS WORD OVER THAT WORD, BUT OVERALL IN THE ORIGINAL LANGUAGE, IT'S THE SAME IDEA. YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THOSE GOOD ATTITUDES, THOSE MORALLY GOOD ATTITUDES EXPRESSED TOWARDS OTHERS. NOW, NOTICE ONE THING THAT WE'VE SEEN AS WE'VE BEEN TALKING AND READING THESE DIFFERENT VERSES. NEARLY ALL OF THEM REFER TO THE GOODNESS OR THE KINDNESS OF WHO? GOD. THAT'S AN IMPORTANT DETAIL WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT AND YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS THIS KINDNESS MEAN? IT'S REFERRING TO THOSE GOOD ATTITUDES FROM GOD. IT'S NOT THINGS THAT WE'VE MADE UP, IT'S NOT THINGS THAT I CAME UP WITH UP ON MY OWN. I DIDN'T STAY UP LAST NIGHT THINKING, "WELL, HOW CAN I DEFINE KINDNESS?" WE JUST LOOK AT GOD AND GOD SHOWS US WHAT KINDNESS IS. GOD SHOWS US WHAT THIS FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT IS.
THE OTHER THING THAT SO POWERFUL ABOUT THIS, COLOSSIANS CHAPTER THREE, VERSE 12, AS WE JUST SAID. THIS IS SO IMPORTANT FOR US TO STUDY AS WE KNOW THE FRUITS OF THE SPIRITS, BECAUSE THESE ARE THINGS THAT WE OUGHT TO HAVE WITHIN OUR LIVES. COLOSSIANS CHAPTER THREE VERSE 12, I WANT YOU TO NOTICE HERE THE FIRST FEW WORDS OF THIS PASSAGE. AND WE'LL ALSO POINT OUT WHICH OF THESE WORDS IS THAT SAME WORD KINDNESS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT FROM THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT. BUT GALATIANS, OR COLOSSIANS, RATHER, CHAPTER THREE VERSE 12. IT SAYS THERE, "THEREFORE AS THE ELECT OF GOD, "HOLY AND BELOVED, PUT ON TENDER MERCIES, "KINDNESS, HUMILITY, MEEKNESS, AND LONGSUFFERING." NOW YOU'VE PROBABLY ALREADY GUESSED WHICH WORD IT WAS, IT'S KINDNESS AGAIN IN COLOSSIANS 3:12. BUT THOSE FIRST FEW WORDS, DID YOU NOTICE THEM? IT SAYS AGAIN, "THEREFORE, AS THE ELECT OF GOD, "HOLY AND BELOVED, PUT ON" THESE THINGS. NOW THIS PASSAGE IS SHOWING SOMETHING VERY SIMPLE. IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE A CHILD OF GOD, IF YOU WANT TO BE AS IT SAYS THE ELECT OF GOD. THE ELECT OF GOD IS TALKING ABOUT THAT GROUP OF PEOPLE WHOM GOD HAS CHOSEN, CHRISTIANS OF THIS EARTH. IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE A PART OF THAT GROUP, WHAT DO YOU DO? PUT ON KINDNESS. THAT MEANS SHOWING THIS GOOD, MORAL EXCELLENCY TOWARDS THOSE IN THE WORLD. IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE MUST DO AS GOD'S PEOPLE, AND SOMETHING THAT IS A NECESSITY FOR US, IF WE'RE GOING TO BE WHAT GOD WANTS. OVER IN THE BOOK OF LUKE CHAPTER SIX, THERE IN VERSE 35, THERE'S ONE GREAT PASSAGE WHICH SHOWS US THIS KINDNESS, AND ACTUALLY SHOWS US AS WELL THAT SORT OF RECIPROCATING NATURE OF IT, HOW WE WITNESS THIS FROM GOD AND THEN EXPRESS IT BACK OUT TOWARDS OTHERS. THAT'S AGAIN, LUKE CHAPTER SIX, THERE VERSE 35. IN JESUS' OWN WORDS, NOTICE WHAT HE SAYS, "BUT LOVE YOUR ENEMIES, DO GOOD AND LEND, "HOPING FOR NOTHING IN RETURN, "AND YOUR REWARD WILL BE GREAT, "AND YOU WILL BE SONS OF THE MOST HIGH. "FOR HE IS KIND TO THE UNTHANKFUL AND EVIL." THE FIRST FEW PARTS OF THAT ARE TALKING ABOUT US, ARE THEY NOT? IT SAYS, OR JESUS SAYS THERE, "BUT LOVE YOUR ENEMIES, DO GOOD, LEND "HOPING FOR NOTHING IN RETURN, "AND A REWARD WILL BE GREAT." THAT'S WHAT WE DO, AND THEN WHAT WE GET. BUT WHY DO WE DO THOSE THINGS? THE LATTER PART OF THAT VERSE MAKES IT PRETTY CLEAR, "FOR HE IS KIND TO THE UNTHANKFUL AND EVIL." BECAUSE GOD DID IT FIRST.
THERE'S SO MANY PASSAGES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT WHICH TALK ABOUT THAT. EPHESIANS CHAPTER TWO, ROMANS CHAPTER TWO, MANY OTHERS WHICH TALK ABOUT THE FACT THAT EVEN WHEN WE WERE DEAD IN TRESPASSES AND SINS, GOD LOOKED AT US WITH THIS MORAL EXCELLENCY, GOD SHOWED US HIS GREAT MORALITY AND EXPRESSED TO US THIS UNMEASURABLE GRACE AND MERCY, THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO SEE HIS GOOD CHARACTERISTICS AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO WHAT HE SAYS TO RECEIVE THOSE BLESSINGS OF SALVATION FROM HIM. IT'S HIM WHO FIRST SHOWS US HOW TO BE KIND. IF GOD WASN'T KIND IN THIS WAY, THEN CERTAINLY WE WOULDN'T KNOW HOW TO DO IT EITHER. BUT BECAUSE HE SHOWS US THAT LOVE, BECAUSE HE LOVES US ENOUGH TO SHOW US THAT KINDNESS, WE CAN DO IT IN OUR LIVES. AND THAT'S BASICALLY THE WHOLE THING WE WANT TO REMEMBER. WE NEED TO BE KIND. IN APPLICATION, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? AS WE'RE GOING THROUGHOUT OUR DAILY LIVES, IT MEANS EVERYTHING FROM BEING GOOD TO THOSE RANDOM PEOPLE THAT WE SEE THAT WE DON'T EVEN KNOW, SAYING HI TO PEOPLE, OPENING DOORS FOR PEOPLE, SMILING POLITELY, ALL THOSE LITTLE THINGS. ALL THE WAY UP TO EVEN THE BIG THINGS THAT WE CAN DO IN THIS LIFE, HELPING THOSE WHO ARE IN NEED, BEING THERE FOR OUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS AND BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST, DOING EVERYTHING OUT OF OUR WAY, EVEN, TO BE THERE WHEN OTHERS NEED US. AND EVEN WHEN OTHERS HAVEN'T EXPRESSED THAT THEY NEED US, BUT WE CAN SEE IT, THEN WE GO AND HELP AS WELL. KINDNESS, GOODWILL, GOOD EXCELLENT MORALITY TOWARDS THOSE IN THE WORLD. THAT'S WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT HERE. IF WE HAD THE TIME, WE'D KEEP LOOKING AT ALL KINDS OF EXAMPLES OF PEOPLE WHO SHOWED THIS EXACT KIND OF KINDNESS. IN ACTS CHAPTER NINE, YOU HAVE THERE THE ACCOUNT WITH DORCAS. IN THE BIBLE THERE, IT TALKS ABOUT THIS WOMAN, BEGINNING AROUND VERSE 36 OF ACTS NINE, WHOSE NAME WAS DORCAS. AND SHE PASSED ON FROM THIS LIFE, BUT THE COMMUNITY SEEMS TO HAVE GATHERED TOGETHER, BECAUSE SHE WAS SUCH A GREAT WOMAN, WHO WENT AROUND MAKING ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT THINGS FOR PEOPLE AND HELPING THEM IN THE AREAS THAT THEY NEEDED IT. BECAUSE OF THAT, AFTER HER PASSING, THEY CAME TOGETHER AND ASKED FOR HELP THAT SHE MIGHT BE RAISED FROM THE DEAD. IN THE END, THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED. AND THE COMMUNITY WAS THANKFUL. THE BIBLE EVEN SAYS THAT MANY BELIEVED BECAUSE OF THIS EVENT. WE COULD LOOK AT OTHERS LIKE THE ACCOUNT THERE WITH RUTH. ALL THE WAY BACK IN THE BOOK OF RUTH IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. HER MOTHER-IN-LAW WAS TELLING HER TO GO OFF AND MAKE A LIFE FOR YOURSELF, BUT SHE SAID, "NO, I'M GONNA STAY WITH YOU AND HELP YOU "AND DO WHAT YOU NEED FOR YOU." SHE TOOK CARE OF HER MOTHER-IN-LAW, SHOWING KINDNESS. WE HAVE TO BE PEOPLE LIKE THAT, KINDNESS TO ALL AS GOD WOULD HAVE US TO EVERY SINGLE DAY.
CLOSING COMMENTS
LET ME THANK YOU AGAIN FOR CHOOSING TO BE WITH US THIS DAY IN THIS OFFERING TO GOD. AND I HOPE AND PRAY THAT OUR TIME TOGETHER HAS BEEN AN ENCOURAGEMENT AND A BLESSING TO US ALL. AND WE INVITE YOU BACK EVERY LORD'S DAY MORNING AT 7:30 AS WE COMMIT OURSELVES TO THIS WORSHIP BEFORE THE VERY THRONE OF GOD.
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FURTHERMORE, WHAT A GREAT EXAMPLE WE HAVE OF WHAT WE NEED TO BE IN OUR DAILY LIVES, AS WE LOOK TO THE LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF. THEREFORE, MAY WE ALL STRIVE TO BE LIKE CHRIST, AND TO SHOW FORTH THE KINDNESS OF GOD TO ALL THE LOST AND THE DYING OF THIS WORLD.