The Symphony of God's Kindness

Well, it's been a wonderful start to the Sabbath service so far. Let's continue with our sermon message today. The title of our sermon is The Symphony of God's Kindness. The symphony of God's kindness. And if you have your Bibles, let's open them together to Ephesians chapter 2. We're going to begin reading verses 1 through 13 in just a moment. Ephesians 2, and we'll begin in verse 1. The word is Christotus. Let me spell it for you. Kindness is the word we come to today. Christotus. C-H-R-E-S-T-O-T-E-S. Christotus. Kindness. The fifth aspect of the fruit of the Spirit. And in a moment, we're going to read that word here.

It comes to us here in Ephesians 2 and verse 7. And our objective today is simple. It is to throw ourselves into the depths of God's kindness today. And to be reminded how he has lavishly given us the riches of his grace in his kindness toward us. That's how kindness is going to be described here by Paul. It is the riches of his grace. So God's kindness is wonderful. It's vast. It's beyond measure. And perhaps some of us need that reminder today. You may have are in a season of life where this part of God's character may be dim at the moment.

Perhaps you've developed over time, because of that inaccurate view of God's kindness. Perhaps you may need to be reminded of God's kindness just simply because we look out on the world. And as we see all the different cruelties of the world, understanding God's kindness may be important to us today. So we're going to endeavor today to correct our view, perhaps, on God's kindness, maybe introduce it to us afresh today. So let's read about it. Ephesians 2, we're going to begin in verse 1. We see Paul here. He will reach his crescendo in verse 7. But let's begin in verse 1.

Ephesians 2, verse 1. Paul writes to God's people there in Ephesus, and he says, And you he made alive, who were dead in trespasses in sin, in trespasses in sin, in which you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, of whom also we were all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as others.

But, Paul writes, 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, that's God, might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and not of yourselves. It is a gift of God, not by works, lest we should boast.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Therefore, verse 11, remember that you once Gentiles in the flesh, who were 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 promise, having hope, having no hope, and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Let's stop there. What a wonderful passage here. The word is Christotus, kindness. Again, it does come to us here in verse 7. I believe it is kind of a crescendo here if you look at Paul's letter to the Ephesians. It's the crescendo of the first three chapters, I believe. It's the same word which we find in Galatians 5 verse 22 where the fruit of the Spirit is given. So right here from the beginning, let's understand this kindness which was shown to us here.

Christotus is a word. It's also translated loving kindness, even translated mercy, love, even can be translated loyalty or devotion. And I love this word. It is the beautiful grace of the Spirit which pervades God's character. And if you look at the essence of this word, Christotus, you will find it really necessitates the quality of love.

Like love, God's kindness is freely given. He gives it freely, not as obligatory, we could say. Christotus is the uninitiated, freely giving of kindness from one to another, simply out of love. And this word appears a few times in Scripture, but Paul really loves this word, and he uses it in different letters to whom he was writing. He really wanted to get this across to those to whom were in his care. So while here in Ephesians, it is, we could say, the most prominent place in which it's highlighted. Paul also used this very word when he was writing to Titus. Let's just see that for a moment. Keep your marker here in Ephesians 2. We'll come back, but turn over to Titus 3, verses 3 through 7 here.

Titus 3, verses 3 through 7, we see Paul once again writes of this word here. He's writing to Titus, endeavoring to reveal this quality of God's character to all of his readers. And look how he employs it here in his letter to Titus. Titus 3, let's begin in verse 3 and read through verse 7. Titus 3, verse 3, Paul writes, For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasure, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. Verse 4, but, just as same as he uses this turn here, he used in Ephesians, but, and listen to this, when the kindness and the love of our God, our Savior toward man, appeared, not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, which he poured out to us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by his grace, we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Let's stop there. Amazing here. So, Paul here in Titus explains that unlike God, our story does not begin with ourselves as kind people. No, apart from God, we were anything but, he explains, we were disobedient. And all these things there in verse 3, deceived, enslaved, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. Not a flattering picture here, but what he's describing is the human heart untouched by God's kindness here. So, this was the condition we were in. But then, in one of the most beautiful turning points in all of Scripture, Paul says, but when the kindness and love of our God our Savior toward man appeared, then everything changed from that point forward. Everything changed when God's kindness and love brought us a Savior. And Paul wants to make clear that this kindness and love, it appeared, and it did not appear by, as a result of our works, he says, in which we've done, but according to his mercy, he says. So, we notice carefully that our salvation began, our saving, that saving process began, not from justice, not even from God's sovereignty or might. No, salvation came to man as it emerged from this part of God's character. Kindness. Kindness appeared, Paul says. So, this means that our entire Christian life is founded upon the kindness of God toward us who were sinners. Before we obeyed him, before we sought him, before we loved him, he was kind to us. And that then changes everything, that understanding. We are not saved because we impressed him. We are not sustained because we performed for him. We are not loved because we are worthy. We are simply recipients of divine kindness, and that truth humbles us. It silences pride. It dismantles self-righteousness.

And so, when we truly grasp that the holy God from heaven has dealt kindly with us in rebellion, it reshapes how we live. It's that simple. And by the way, it reshapes how we live with one another as well. And so interesting to visualize what Paul describes here, the time in which it appeared, the time in which it appeared, kindness appeared. It showed up in history, he says. Again, verse 4, when the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared. And then if you go down to verse 6 here, whom he poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior. So the kindness appeared. So kindness was embodied in the appearing of Jesus Christ. It was manifest. Jesus Christ is and was kind. So this was the kindness of God as it appeared to us as Jesus Christ stepped onto this earth. And so every healing touch from Jesus, every forgiving word, every patient correction, every meal shared with sinners, all of it was Christotus in action. So to understand God's kindness is to understand the gospel itself. That's why it matters so deeply to us. And that's why Paul, you know, he not only wrote these beautiful words there in Titus, but it's really why he dedicated the first three chapters as they're organized for us in the letter to the Ephesian church. So let's turn back to Ephesians 2 here. And again, you will find that the first three chapters here, Paul's letter, he is just running away with himself as he looks to grasp just the right words to describe God's kindness here.

And when you begin to look deeply into the first part of Ephesians, you begin to see that many commentators themselves are just struck by how beautiful this letter is. One commentator wrote this about the beginning of Paul's letter to the Ephesians. He wrote, quote, The beginning of this letter to the Ephesians, it is like a symphony of salvation made possible through God's kindness and love toward us in Jesus Christ. So that's where I got the title from. Again, this part of Paul's letter to the Ephesians, it's like a symphony of salvation made possible through God's kindness toward us by sending us his son, Jesus Christ. I love that description there. And again, it's where this idea for this message came from. And so as the symphony plays, as Paul's words reach our ears, I believe you do have this crescendo in the music that is there in verse seven when Christotus is proclaimed and declared God's kindness in and through the sending of Jesus Christ.

Now, some of you who are musical, you may know something of great symphonies.

In my research, I discovered that a great symphony often begins with a single theme, and more and more instruments will join in, and it deepens, and the music swells, and it feels the hall with just this beautiful, the beautiful sounds. And so is, likewise, the kindness of Jesus Christ. You know, Jesus's good deeds, they weren't just scattered and random. I believe they were like a great symphony, each interaction a distinct instrument, each mercy a note in the grand orchestra of grace, the violins of a symphony, soft yet penetrating. They may echo the tenderness toward the broken when Jesus Christ received the little children and blessed them, the cellos of a great symphony, deep and resonant. They mirror the compassion of Jesus for the suffering. He reached out and touched the leper, healed him, and perhaps it was a touch that that leper hadn't received in years and years. That rich, low tone carries the warmth of a Savior, unafraid to draw near those who are in pain. What instrument do you think of next? The flutes, the flutes of a symphony, light and bright, we could say. They sound like the gracious words perhaps given to the woman at the well, lifting shame off of the well. The offering of living water, turning a wounded heart into witness.

The oboes, the oboes, steady and clear. They may resemble the kindness towards Zacchaeus, calling him by name, choosing to eat with him in his home, awakening repentance not through condemnation but through compassion. The trumpets, the trumpets, bold yet noble, proclaim his merciful defense of the woman caught in adultery, silencing the accusations with the sound of his voice, upholding holiness yet extending forgiveness. Neither do I condemn you, he trumpeted.

And perhaps beneath it all, the steady percussion keeps time, you know, like the consistent patience with his slow learning disciples, correcting, teaching, restoring, never casting them aside.

So each instrument alone, beautiful, but together they form this majestic harmony of his life. The symphony of Christ's kindness arose with a beautiful sound every day he walked on this earth, movement by movement, until it crescendoed at the cross, where mercy and sacrifice blend in the fullness of the expression of his kindness toward us. And I got to tell you, that music does not cease. That music is with us today through his spirit. And he invites us not merely to admire the symphony, but to join in it, to join in it. And so with Paul's help, he endeavored to somehow find just the right tone and volume, just the right notes, to express this to the Ephesian church at that time, to give them the understanding of God's kindness. So in the time we have left, I just want to outline and bring forth three beautiful movements of the symphony, which come as a result of God's kindness toward us. Again, you may find more, but here in Ephesians 2, I think there are what comes forth as three beautiful movements, which come as a result of God's kindness toward us. It's a great symphony. Number one in Paul's symphony, the symphony of kindness is, number one, is that God has made us alive in and through Jesus Christ.

So that's the number one beautiful movement in the symphony of God's kindness. Number one, God makes us alive with Christ. Aren't those words beautiful to our ears? Paul explains this in first addressing, you'll notice, the condition of men and women when we were without this appearing of the kindness of Jesus Christ. Paul says there, again, in chapter two, verses one through three, this is beautiful to our ears, he says, and he and you he made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which he once walked according to the course of the world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit, which now works in the sons of disobedience, a home we all once conducted ourselves in the lust of the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh of the mind, and were by nature the child of wrath, just as the others. Let's stop there. So again, Paul begins to address kindness here, and he first begins with the nature of our depravity without it. I don't think this is by chance.

With a little research, and again, those who are musical will understand this, you will find that, particularly in the Roman period music, the music of that time would take on a narrative, and often in the symphony it would begin with sounds that were dark, sounds which were brooding, and to the listener, often the symphonies of the romantic period music often begin in such a way where the listener might have the emotion of hopelessness come upon them. And this is where Paul begins his symphony here, as he begins to speak of God's kindness through Jesus Christ. And he says, our condition outside of the kindness shown through us in Jesus is far worse than we could ever know. And it's not that men and women aren't capable of good. They are, but it means that no part of our human nature is untouched from the fall of man. Our minds, our emotions, our conscience, our wills, all are tainted in the fall of man. So while we live physically, Paul is putting forth as he begins this symphony with the fact that we are all dead spiritually. This is one of the facts. Without the kindness shown to us through Jesus Christ. But then he says, verse 4 through 6, But, but, but God, who is rich in mercy because of the great love with which he loved us, verse 4, verse 5, even when we were, yes, we were dead in trespasses, that's true, well, he made us alive together with Christ, and by grace you have been saved and raised up together and made us to sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. And so this also mimics the romantic period music. Again, the symphony would begin slow and dark and brooding, but somewhere along the way the music would turn. The great conductor would lead the orchestra into a new direction. This is most shown in Beethoven's Symphony, number five. Let me play it for you right now. So see if you can hear Paul's words in the music of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, where Paul starts off dark and brooding, a little hopeless. And just like Beethoven's Symphony, it then will lead to the appearing of Christ, of the kindness of God, and the music changes.

Without hope.

Oh, kindness has appeared. It's the great symphony. Yes, dun dun dun. Paul begins, this is who you are without the appearing of God's grace. But then the great conductor summons the orchestra somewhere right there at the end, before the end of the story comes and says, no, there's kindness that has appeared. And just like Beethoven's Symphony, the whole sound changes in an instant. Kindness has appeared. You've been raised from spiritual death, and it is a resurrection power that turns death into life. How could this be only by the appearing of God's kindness to us? And just as God the Father has picked up the body of Jesus Christ, his crucified Son, to breathe life into him once again, out of pure kindness, he will raise us up. And raise us up, not only to life once again, but to actually sit together with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. So yes, the diagnosis of the human condition is dire. It's grave. It feels hopeless.

The divine diagnosis doesn't stop there. The story doesn't end there because God's kindness appeared.

So that's the first movement in Paul's symphony, as he reveals God's kindness to us. The symphony of God's kindness makes us alive in Jesus Christ. Well, next is the beautiful movement. There's a number two in the symphony of God's kindness. And I believe Paul explains to us here in Ephesians 2 and reveals that the second beautiful movement in the symphony of God's kindness, number two, makes God known to us. So that's number two. It's a beautiful result of God's kindness, is that his kindness makes God known to us. So first, we are made alive. That's music to our ears. But he doesn't stop there because once alive, how would we know this one? How would we bridge that the great gulf between man and God to know who he is? Well, again, one of the primary results of God's kindness is, in fact, that we are brought near to God to know him, to have this personal relationship with him. Paul begins this beautiful movement here in verses 11 through 13. If he's saying here in Ephesians 2, verses 11 through 13, you'll see once again Paul starts dark and brooding, like the great symphonies of old. He says, verse 11, Therefore, remember, Paul says, that you were once Gentiles in the flesh, who were called uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision made by the flesh by hands, that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens to the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope without God in the world.

But, but, he says, But now, in Christ Jesus, you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. The kindness appeared. The kindness appeared.

So, this beautiful second movement of this symphony is that he has made himself known to us. The kindness makes the Almighty God known to us through his son Jesus Christ by the appearing of that which manifests his kindness. And this is so beautiful, and it's a beautiful part of the symphony that so many don't know. You know, if you delve into man's logic and reasoning as it applies as he attempts to apply man's logic to God, often they will come to the misunderstanding that God can be known by and through our own initiative. There was one commentator that said, you know, God is nature, and then said, we are nature, so we can look in ourselves and find God within us. That's actually a pretty common, popular, mainstream, erroneous understanding. But the Bible says, not so. You know, there's no amount of investigation that you can do there's no amount of you're not able to be logical enough to meet God where you please. And in fact, there is no intellectual road to the knowledge of God. Did you know that?

Ultimately, there's no intellectual road to the knowledge of God. That doesn't mean if you're an intellectual that you'll never find God. What it means is the intellectuals and the non-intellectuals like myself, we will find God the same way. We will discover that relationship in the same way. It is only through the path of kindness that we may know Him. It is by His kindness in revealing Himself to you. It is only through His kindness that He will disclose Himself to you. And He discloses Himself and makes Himself known through the Word written, the Bible. And He makes Himself known through His Word living, His Son. Therefore, anyone who wants to come to the knowledge of God, the saving knowledge, He will only come by way of His kindness toward us. And then we may know the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. So, if you're struggling and have a deep desire to know God the Father, pray first that He would extend to you the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness and that you may discover Him through His Son Jesus Christ. The third and final beautiful movement in the symphony of God's kindness. This is the movement in which Paul sounds next. Number three, His kindness roots and grounds us in His love. That's number three. Beautiful music to our ears. His kindness roots and grounds us in His love. And this part of the symphony comes to us again and again throughout the first three chapters here. If you go back just one chapter, staying here in Ephesians, to chapter one verse nine. Excuse me, chapter one verse four. Just one verse here in verse one. And chapter one, excuse me. Chapter one verse four. Paul begins the sound of this note of how we are grounded and rooted in His love and God's love. Chapter one verse four. Just as He chose us, so there's the initiative kindness to us, that we may know Him. Just as He chose us in Him, that's Jesus Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy without blame before Him in love. Let's stop there.

So we see the different parts of the music here. And then if you turn forward into chapter three, we see that Paul just bowed beneath this aspect, this part of the music. Look at chapter three verses 14 through 19. You'll turn there.

Chapter three verses 14 through 19. This part of the symphony of God's kindness just overwhelmed Paul as he heard this beautiful music in his life. Chapter three verse 14, he says, 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 of the saints what is the width, length, and depth, and height, to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Let's stop there. This would have been a dramatic part if we would hear these words played out in beautiful music. The love of God. You know, the love of God. The love that God the Father has between Himself and His Son is the same love He has for you. It's the same love He shares for you. We won't turn there, but we know John 17, when He's praying before His crucifixion, John 17, He prays for His followers that they may know He and His Father are one, that the whole world may know that you have sent Me, He says, and that you have loved them as you have loved Me. Such kindness, God's kindness toward us, roots us and grounds us in this love. The vastness of it, the extensiveness of it, the incomprehensible nature of His kindness. Some of us here today need to understand and receive this, just as Paul did, this beautiful sound, the great symphony of God's kindness toward us. And so, when you look upon the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, you realize that the forgiveness and the relationship and the love offered to us was purely out of the kindness, and it was rooted in His love for us. The uninitiated free giving of kindness to one another, the Christotes.

So, from God's kindness, we have these three movements in the great symphony that Paul has given to us, revealed to us in this beautiful part of the fruit of the Spirit. And when it gets a hold of us, it fundamentally changes us. You know, if you think about who's writing these symphonies to God's people, Paul here, he was a direct receiver, recipient of the kindness of God through Jesus Christ. As we begin to move to a conclusion, turn over to Acts 9, if you will. Acts 9, verse 17. Acts 9, verse 17. Again, as we contemplate these beautiful sounds, the result of God's kindness is to fundamentally change us as it did Paul. And if you think about when Paul writes to Titus, when kindness appeared by grace, you can no doubt Paul was hearkening back to this moment here in Acts 9, verse 17. Ananias is sent to Paul. Paul had been struck down in blindness on the road of Damascus. Here in Acts 9, Ananias says, Acts 9, verse 17, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. And as you go on to read, you have at that moment the scales that were on Paul's eyes fall, and he receives sight, and he is baptized. So when Paul writes to Titus, he's hearkening back to the time in which kindness appeared to him. He was such an enemy to Jesus Christ and of God's people.

Nothing merited this appearing that happened to Paul on that road. But when it did, it changed everything. It changed everything.

So as we conclude, while our story does start off brooding and dark and hopeless, I pray that you can know afresh the moment when kindness has appeared in your life. Pray for it, that you'll know more of it, so that the symphony, the great conductor in your life, as he's playing this beautiful music, will call out and instruct the orchestra to begin a different note, a note of grace and love and kindness. So in the coming days ahead, throw yourself and be swept up into the great symphony of God's eternal kindness toward you in Jesus Christ. Throw yourselves into the depths of his beautiful kindness. Bow tonight that you may know and pray that your ears be filled with the great symphony of his kindness.