The Symphony of God's Kindness

I forgot to mention one prayer request. Sue Hobbs is having trouble with her legs. Perhaps some neuropathy there, but she's going in for further tests. If you could just please pray for her. I spoke to her yesterday. If you know Sue, she's just so upbeat and positive. She says, I'm so sorry to bother you. I know she definitely would appreciate your prayers for her. I'll have some more prayer updates after the appointment to keep you updated on that. The title of our sermon study today is, The Symphony of God's Kindness. I invite you to open your Bibles with me to Ephesians 2. We're going to begin reading verses 1-13. Ephesians 2 verses 1-13. The word is Christotes. translated, kindness. I'll spell it for you just once. The word C H R E S T O T E S. C H R E S T O T E S. Christotes. Kindness, which we know is the fifth aspect of the fruit of the spirit, which we come to today. In our series, we are in a study series on the fruit of the spirit. In a moment, we will find that exact word, Christotes, here in verse 7 of our reading here in Ephesians 2. Our objective today is simple. It is to throw ourselves into the depths of God's kindness. And to be reminded of how He has lavished this upon us. The riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Jesus Christ. We're going to read those exact words in just a moment. And we will see today that God's kindness is wonderful. And it's vast. And it's absolutely lavished upon us beyond measure. It's like a mighty ocean in which He opens the floodgates in His loving kindness and love. And some of us here are here today. And perhaps we need to be reminded of this fact of God's kindness. Because over time, perhaps we've developed an inaccurate or perhaps a less-than view of this particular quality of God. Whether it be by difficulties in trial that's happened to us, difficulties in trial that's happened to our loved ones. And we have difficulty fully underestimating this part of God's character, His kindness. Especially when we look around at the different cruelties of this world. So today we're going to look to correct and even introduce afresh this beautiful grace of God's character. So let's begin our foundation, build a foundation here in Ephesians 2. Let's read together verses 1-13. So Ephesians 2 beginning in verse 1.

But God, who is rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved, and raised us up together and made us to sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. And here it is, verse 7. That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His Christotus, His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves it is a gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Therefore, verse 11, remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision made in the flesh by hands, that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, you who were once far off have been made near by the blood of Christ. So let's stop there. Well, again, the word is Christotus, here in verse 7 again. This word, of course, is found in Galatians 5, verse 22, where the list of the fruit of the Spirit is given. It's a rich, rich word. And at times it's translated loving-kindness, mercy, love, even translated loyalty or devotion. And so I just love this word. It's a beautiful grace of the Spirit, which pervades God's character.

And likewise, it is to pervade the nature of one of the sons or daughters of God. And if you look at the essence of this word, you find that it really necessitates the quality of love. Because Christotus, it is freely given to the individual, freely given to the other. In other words, done freely, not done out of mere obligation. It is uninitiated. It's the free giving of kindness to another. And while this word actually appears throughout Scripture, I chose this particular portion of Scripture here in Ephesians, because of what comes forth here in this letter from Paul. As he writes to the Ephesians, what the reader quickly realizes is that this is a letter which essentially celebrates this beautiful quality of kindness in our Heavenly Father. And in fact, with a close examination, you will find that the first three chapters in particular, which make up Paul's letter here to the Ephesians, you'll find in the first three chapters that Paul is really just running away with himself as he extols the wonder of God's amazing kindness and love toward us. And with these words in the first three chapters of this letter, Paul provides to us one commentator wrote, and puts it this way, quote, this letter is a symphony of salvation made possible through God's kindness and love toward us. Unquote. A symphony of salvation made possible by God's kindness and love toward us. And I like that description. And as this symphony plays here, I believe the crescendo is here in Ephesians 2 verse 7, where Ephesians 2 verse 7, we have declared to us God's Christotus, his kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. And with Paul's help, these believers here in Ephesus, they were coming to the awareness of God's kindness and the fact of his love for them since the beginning of time, before the hills stood in order, before the earth was ever breathed and spoken into existence. The everlasting God extended his kindness in setting his love upon us. And he had chosen them in Ephesus since the foundation of the world. And he's chosen you here today since the foundation of the world. This is his symphony of kindness. And look at how Paul begins this symphony here with these words found in this letter. I want to turn back just one chapter to Ephesians 1 and verse 3 through 6. I want you to look at this just for a moment. Back one chapter, Ephesians 1 verse 3 through 6. Listen to the music in these words here. Ephesians 1 verse 3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that he should be holy without blame, that we should be holy without blame before him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace by which he made us accepted in the beloved. So let's just stop there. And so in Ephesus, God's people were beginning to understand the immensity of this, the impact of this fact. And look at these words again. This chorus line, this symphony of his kindness, runs throughout this letter. Back in chapter 2 again, here is the chorus line. And you see it just like in a wonderful song. You see it repeated throughout. Chapter 2, verse 4 through 7. Chapter 2, verse 4 through 7. But God, who is rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved, and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. That in the ages to come, he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Wow! What a chorus line, you know.

So again, the first half of this beautiful letter to the Ephesians expounds God's kindness as Paul reveals to us what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. This is the powerful Christothes from our Almighty God. And just as Paul demonstrates, one thing we must understand about this fruit of the Spirit kindness is that the whole of the Gospel begins and ends with this particular part of the fruit of the Spirit, this particular part of God's character. Everything must start with this one aspect of God. And therefore, it's the reason. It is the motivation for us living out the Gospel. It is the reason. It's the motivation for us proclaiming the Gospel. All of it begins and ends with God's kindness. It is the awareness of God's kindness that fundamentally changes us in how we live and all that we do. Fundamentally changes us in how we must live and all that we must do. Okay? So again, Paul understood this. And it's why he structured this letter to the Ephesians in the way that he did. Because you'll notice that before Paul ever begins to urge the Ephesians to do certain things, he takes essentially three chapters as it's structured for us. Takes three chapters to ensure that they understand what God has done for them in Jesus Christ. In fact, you'll find that the first three chapters of this letter, that the verbs are almost entirely indicative. Again, the verbs in the first three chapters of this letter almost are entirely indicative. The indicative verb tense. I'm going to take you back to school for a moment. The indicative verb tense is one that makes a statement, a statement of fact. So in other words, these first three chapters are dedicated to statements of fact. Three chapters essentially explaining the facts concerning God's kindness and all that he has done in Jesus Christ. And then, and only then, does he move to the imperatives. The imperatives. Class. Sorry to have a little class lesson today, a school lesson. The imperative verbs, which are the commands or the orders, the reactions or the reactions to which the facts should produce. So you have the beautiful indicatives stated first, and then the imperatives naturally follow. And those imperatives begin almost immediately after the indicatives of the first three chapters. So in the structure of the symphony, Paul gives us the indicatives first, the statements of fact, and then and only then does he move to the imperatives, the commands, actions required in response to the facts. That's why in chapter four you'll notice for just a moment, notice chapter four verse one begins chapter four verse one, I therefore the prisoner of the Lord beseech you. Okay? So in other words, after that he goes on to make all these imperatives, all these commands to which are required now, that the indicatives, the facts, have been laid out. All right? So he says, I therefore beseech you. Beseech you on what? Well, I beseech you on the basis of all the beautiful indicatives that I just laid out for you. So again, in other words, Paul has taken three chapters to raise up, to celebrate God's kindness, his Christotes here. Three chapters to state this crescendo fact there in chapter two verse seven. Chapter two verse seven, this is the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us in Jesus Christ. These are the facts of his kindness. And then and only then does he say chapter four verse one, therefore I beseech you. You see? So very important regarding how the symphony of the gospel is structured and how it's proclaimed. It's always, it must always, be the indicatives first and then the imperatives. Why? Well, if we or if we outside of us, we don't allow others to understand what God's kindness has actually done, then the imperatives won't connect, will they? They won't resonate. And throughout church history, we've gotten this out of balance at certain times.

But here in Ephesians, Paul gets it just right, doesn't he? So we have this passage here, chapter two, and we see Paul lays out some of the facts here in our foundational passage of facts of God's kindness. And so in the time we have left, I want to outline and bring forth what are some of the beautiful indicatives, the wonderful statement of facts that Paul gives us here regarding God's kindness here in chapter two. These aren't all the indicatives, so I'll leave the first three chapters for homework for you, but we're going to go through three facts that come as a result of God's kindness toward us.

And they're fairly straightforward, but they mean everything to us. So, number one fact of God's kindness towards us, number one, His kindness makes us alive with Christ. Okay? So that's a fact, and the number one fact we want to talk about today. God's kindness toward us, number one, His kindness makes us alive with Christ. That's one of the beautiful indicatives.

And Paul begins to lay out this particular indicative as he first addresses the condition of men and women without God's kindness. We see that here in chapter two, verses one through three. This is the fact, Paul says, chapter two, verse one and three again. And you, He has made alive, you were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lust of the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as others.

So let's stop there. This is fact. So in addressing kindness here, Paul begins with the nature of our depravity without it. This is who we were. This is a fact of who we were without, outside of God's kindness. And it's far worse than often we're prepared to admit. We are dead. We were dead. We were dead because of our trespasses and sin.

It didn't mean that we or other individuals weren't capable of good. We are. Others are. It just means that there's no prior to God's kindness. There's no part of our human nature, our mind, our emotions, our conscience, our will. No part of us remained untainted by the consequences of our rebellion. And there are none who are alive, none who are truly alive, outside of God's kindness towards us in Jesus Christ. Paul is very clear. Outside of Christ, we are dead men, dead women.

You were dead. Like Adam and Eve, we've all taken of that which is forbidden. We're trespassers. We failed to live by his standards. We have failed to live by the relationship guidelines of our Creator. We were sinners. So prior to this kindness being extended to us personally, all that time that we were living physically, active in sports, commerce, academics, active in friendship and family, while we participated in those things and we were physically alive, make no doubt of this indicative, you were spiritually dead.

This is one of the facts. At the time we were without God's kindness shown to us in Jesus Christ. You and I were dead. Okay, this is one of the inindicatives. We must acknowledge that. Come to terms with that. Because without that acknowledgement, we might risk losing sight of the beauty and the grandeur of God's kindness. It is able to take something that is corrupt and dead, and God's kindness is able to make it something glorious and alive.

His kindness makes us alive with Christ. Paul here, beginning chapter 2, he reaches back back in eternity, way before we could get our head around it, brings it forward, and he says in these opening verses here, you know, you should remember that you were dead. He starts there. He starts with that indicative so that he could then contrast it with the immeasurable greatness of God's kindness. He starts to do that here in verse 4 through 6. Verse 4 through 6 again. But God, who is rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ by grace.

You have been saved and raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

So out of his kindness we've been raised from spiritual death, and it is a resurrection power that turns death into life. It is a power which is generated by his loving kindness toward us, that it might raise us from the dust of death to sit with him in the heavenly places.

You know, as God knelt down, if you will, and picked up the lifeless body of his Son, and out of and breathed life into him once again, it is out of pure kindness that he has and will raise us up.

And not only raise us up, but it's just lavished upon us, his kindness. Not only just raise us up, but raise us up to sit next to him together in the heavenly places. Let these words rest on you for a moment. You see, part of the problem in understanding this particular part of the fruit of the Spirit, kindness, and its application to us, part of the problem is just simply its familiarity with us, these things. So what Paul is trying to do is remind the Ephesians with these statements of fact regarding God's kindness, reminding them of their fatal condition without it. That's their diagnosis. It's grave. It's comprehensive.

And just know it's out of his kindness that we're even able to acknowledge this divine diagnosis. That's even out of his kindness, you know. It's only those who have had their eyes truly opened that are able to truly acknowledge this. That we've incurred the death penalty and we've died. It's only when our eyes are open to this divine diagnosis that it actually becomes a reality to us. And so in proclaiming God's kindness, we are to do what Paul does, to be prepared to tell seemingly well-heeled people that they're dead. Your problem, ma'am. Your problem, sir, is that you're dead. Now you might not come out right out of the gates with that. Ease them into it a little bit. But you can say, this is the condition I was in.

And God's kindness, God's kindness is the quality of God's character that your condition begins with and can begin to be fixed. So it doesn't start with, this is what you can do. So when you're talking to a man or a woman and you're informing them of their divine diagnosis, which is a grave one, you don't say, and this is how you can get yourself out of that condition. This is how you can make yourself alive. Wrong words. It starts with God's kindness. If it helps you in your mind, always think in the indicatives first. I'm going to give this individual facts and I'm going to start with his kindness. This quality of his character is the only reason we're here. Period. So it starts there.

And that is what Paul is pointing out to these people and it's uncomfortable to hear. But this divine diagnosis, it covers humanity. No exceptions, no exemptions, there's no escape. Only possibility of escape is made possible by God's kindness in Christ Jesus. So his initiative in extending his kindness has made us alive with Christ. That was number one. Number two indicative that we'll touch on today. There's more, but this is the second one that naturally comes here. Number two fact that comes as a result of God's kindness toward us is that his kindness makes God known to us. So that's number two.

His kindness makes God known to us.

If you think about it, how can a person actually even know God? How do you know God? How do you come to know God? You know, who is God? What is God? How can he be known? Well, again, one of the primary effects of God's kindness is in the fact that God's kindness brings us near to God. So we've been made spiritually alive, and then number two is we've been brought near to him. We've been the ability to know him. Paul explains that here in this passage verses 11 through 13 of Ephesians 2. So he continues with this particular indicative. This fact, Ephesians 2 verses 11 through 13, Therefore, remember, Paul says, that you, once Gentiles in the flesh, you who are called uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision made in the flesh by hands, that at that time you were without Christ being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of the promises, all the wonderful promises. You were strangers, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, you have want you who were once far off has been brought near by the blood of Christ. So let's stop there. So it's only in his kindness that he's made himself known to us. God, in his existence, in his being, in his essence, is beyond our natural experience here on earth. It's even beyond our speculative logic. All right? Not all in society believe that. I was reading this week, one contemporary review is God is included in nature and is part of nature. God's part of nature, this stated, and therefore we are part of nature and therefore, this commentary said, we can look inside of ourselves and somehow or another meet him there by looking inside of ourselves. Well, not so, says the Bible. It's not how it is. This is not simply an investigative matter. For example, you're intelligent enough, if you try hard enough, you can be logical enough, and you will finally meet God. No. In actual fact, there is no intellectual road to the knowledge of God. That stings intellectuals to say. If I say that to an intellectual, they can't take it. There is no intellectual road to the knowledge of God. Don't misunderstand me. That doesn't mean that if you're an intellectual, you will never meet God. Nor does it mean that you check your brain, at the door, come in. It's just a heart experience only. All throughout the Bible, countless times, it says, consider. Think about these things. It simply means that whether you're an intellectual or a non-intellectual, we will meet God in the same way. Because his essential being is not known in those ways. He is not known by investigation or mere speculation. It's only by revelation. Is he known? And so, therefore, it's only by the kindness of him revealing himself to you. It's only by his kindness that he will even disclose himself to you, you see.

And to those to whom he's extended this kindness at this time, he has made himself known through his word, written the Bible, and he's made himself known through his word, living Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, if anyone is to come to the knowledge of God, to a saving knowledge of God, it will come in his kindness as he calls you, opens your mind to discover him through his son and the power of the Holy Spirit. So, in other words, there is an invisible boundary between God and ourselves. We cannot access him on our own terms. In his kindness is the only way that he must cross the barrier to us. There is no knowledge of him except through God's kindness, which is extended to us through his son. We know him only by the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us in Jesus Christ. So, that's a beautiful number two indicative.

Number three, that brings us to the number three, and the final fact that we'll discuss today. There are more here in this letter, but number three fact that comes as a result of God's kindness towards us. Number three is his kindness grounds us in his love. That's number three. His kindness grounds us in his love, and I got to tell you it is a love for the ages. It's a love for the ages. This fact, this indicative, of course, comes again and again. It's scattered throughout these three chapters, this particular third fact. You'll find it here, of course, in chapter two, verse four. Again, Paul just can't help himself. He just he's just overflowing. Chapter two, verse four, but God, who is rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us, you will find this third indicative in chapter one, verse four. We can look at there for a moment. Chapter one, verse four, just as he chose us in him, in Christ, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. So again, his kindness, it grounds us in his love. And it just, as Paul's penning this letter, you can almost just tell it's just too much for him at certain times. And it just comes through in this symphony here that he's composing, you know. Look at chapter three, verse 14 through 19. Look at this for a moment. This fact that we're grounded in God's loving kindness, it just overwhelms him here, it seems. Chapter three, verses 14 through 19. Paul writes, For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might through his Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width, the length, the depth, the height, to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

I wonder if you know that today.

Did you know that God's desire for you, and Christ's desire for you, is that you would be filled with the fullness of God?

Verse 19 again, he wants you to know, this is what he hopes for you, and his longing for you, to know the love of Christ. It passes knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. You may have had some taste of that kind of love here on earth, perhaps for a spouse, perhaps for a child, and you could say, it goes beyond knowledge. I can't explain it. It's beyond knowing that I love them. I just love them. It just fills me. That's what Paul is speaking about here. It's the same love, his desire, is that the same love that God had for his Son is the same love that we can share in. That's another wonderful indicative in this. The love of the Father for the Son, for eternity, a love that's beyond comprehension, is the same love he has for you. The staggering statement, we can't turn there. You can look it up later, but John 17, this staggering indicative, this staggering, loving, beautiful indicative, when Christ is praying to the Father, he's praying to the Father that those followers, his followers then eventually all would come one day, that, quote, they might be one as he and the Father are one. And then he goes on to say in John 17, 23, that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me.

That's John 17, 23. Look that up later. That'll be a great boost for you. And so the motivation of the love of God for you, it is for you to know this love, Ephesians 3, 19, you know, to know this love. It's the same love that he had from all of eternity with his Son.

And God's desire for you is that you be filled to the fullness of it. That's the extent of it. That's the vastness of it. That's the incomprehensible nature of it, of his kindness. And perhaps this is the imperative of all imperatives, you know. It's the most beautiful. It's the most beautiful fact of God's kindness is that he would offer to open up that love to us.

And perhaps some of us here this afternoon are not feeling loved. Life breaks down that way from time to time. We understand that. But if you're in Christ, you are loved with an everlasting love. And there in Ephesians 2, 7, it is a love for the ages. It's a love for the ages.

These are the indicatives of God's kindness, these facts. So when you look upon the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, you realize this kindness is being offered to us freely. Christotus, the wonderful essence of this part of the grace of the fruit of the Spirit, is it's freely given. It's uninitiated. Freely given kindness from our Heavenly Father. Freely given to you. But costly to the Father and His Son, you see.

And that He bore our punishment, so that this kindness could be opened up to us.

So from God's kindness, we are made alive from death. From God's kindness, we're brought near to the Father, through the Son. And from God's kindness, we've been firmly grounded in His love. And so the reader of this letter from Paul, after reading the opening three chapters here, this is what fundamentally changes an individual. This is what fundamentally changes the individual to their core. And again, it is then and only then that Paul says, I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you.

And so these are the indicatives, and they are what bring us on our knees with open heart to the imperatives. To all the challenges of the imperatives. And they are challenging. To walk as God has commanded, it's challenging. But you see what brings us up and motivates us to the challenge. You see the wind that strengthens us.

To do all that we need to do, especially in the challenges that are facing us. To not compromise during the tests and the trials that we face.

Again, this is what fundamentally changes us. It absolutely fundamentally changes everything about us. Changes how we live. So, and it's no wonder that Paul conducts this symphony like he does. Because if you think about his life, you understand why this kindness has brought him to his knees. Why he has bowed his knees to this. Because he was an enemy, an arch enemy of Jesus Christ. He was committed to the destruction of the followers of Jesus Christ. You can almost hear him imagine him saying, I can't believe it. I was committed to the destruction of your children, Christ, you know, prior to this kindness that I didn't deserve. And then listen to him here now. He speaks of God's kindness through who? Through Jesus Christ. The very one who he used to persecute. Persecute. How does that happen?

Well, this is what happens when the grace of this Spirit gets a hold of an individual. And just like Paul, we're to be purveyors, we are to be suppliers, we are to be carriers, we are to be proclaimers of God's kindness to the end of the age. And when you're praying to God and how you can be better proclaimers of this, really think about it and ask God to just fill you with the fullness of the facts of his kindness. And that'll set you off. You'll be ready to go.

Well, we realize here when you read Ephesians 2.7, Ephesians 2.7, you realize that it is those to whom God has bestowed this kindness. It is through those individuals that God might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness in the ages to come. You see it there. I take this as a personal mandate. I hope you do too. Ephesians 2.7, he raised us up so that in the ages to come, he might show the riches of his grace and kindness, you know, through us.

Through us. How we live. How we're displaying all of the aspects of the fruit of the Spirit. Through us is how his kindness will be shown to the ages to come. You see, more so than any other grace of God, perhaps his kindness is what makes the most dramatic impact on our lives and it will be what makes the most dramatic impact on the lives of others. Because it takes us to a sacrifice and the giving over of a son. It's a dreadful scene. It's foolishness to people. But to us, when we look upon the exceeding riches of his grace, his kindness through us in Jesus Christ, it means everything. It means everything to us.

And perhaps the reason some of us today are not fully in Christ is on the account we've never come to this particular part of the fruit of the Spirit. His kindness reveals his love for us. It's a vastness. It's beyond measure. It's like a mighty ocean that opens the floodgates of his loving kindness toward us.

So if you want to get close to God, this is where you start.

Well, let's conclude. We didn't get to the imperatives, did we? Perhaps you can do that for homework in the second half of Paul's letter here. We will touch on a little bit of that in the next fruit of the Spirit goodness. So it's wonderful how the order of things are perfect. But just think in a moment about the imperatives, the imperatives that come from this kindness. I just want you to ask in the days ahead, how can God's Christotus, his kindness, how can that transform my life in a greater way from this point forward? You may be discouraged, overwhelmed, depressed, whatever it may be. Well, cast yourself, throw yourself off into the deep end of Ephesians chapter 1 through 3. Just throw yourself into it. Be swept up in the symphony of God's eternal loving kindness. And when you do, you'll see the depths of his kindness. You'll begin to read about in these first three chapters about how God elects, how he adopts, how he redeems, how he cherishes, how he provides, how he never quits. And bow your knees tonight and be filled with the symphony of God's kindness.