Where is the Kindness?

We are approaching the time of the end. There are no questions about it. But at the same time, we're approaching the feast and the day of trumpets. And it's quite appropriate before the feast and before trumpets to look at some of the major prophetic events before Christ's coming.

But as I was thinking about this, I thought, well, it is important for us to know some of the prophetic events about to come. But for us, as Christians, I thought there's probably a more pertinent question than that. Because you can have all the knowledge. You can have all the knowledge. But if you don't have love, it's like an empty noise just ringing everywhere. And so my question to you is, where is the kindness?

Where is the kindness? In Matthew 24 verse 12, we are told that the world before Christ's coming is going to get more and more lawless, more and more wicked. There will be more and more iniquity. And as things go wrong, as things just are not jelling and we get frustrated, we end up having, let's just call it a short fuse. And we are easy, easily, just snap back. And when we snap back, we're not kind in words. And therefore, when it says, because iniquity is abounding, the love of many will wax cold.

Could one of the characteristics of that love waxing cold be that we are just losing a little bit of kindness when we speak to others? Do we sometimes just are just a little sharp? And maybe sometimes we look at ourselves and say, what have I said? I should have said it that way. And therefore, it is important for us to understand that, yeah, we can look at all these prophetic things and marks of the beast and when is the beast rising and all that.

But if you and I are not right with God in genuine, outgoing concern and love, what's the good of all the other things? And so, as a preparation for the feast, I am taking a different approach by looking at one of the characteristics that I'm just going to give an analogy to an American football. It's like a quarterback. It's like a quarterback in the field. It's a very key characteristic in outgoing love for others is when we talk kindly to other people. Because it's like you dishing out that ball and that through words could be offensive or could be constructive.

And so we have to be very careful how we exhibit this characteristic of kindness. As we look, for instance, at the fruit of God's Holy Spirit, and so let's turn to it at the fruit of God's Holy Spirit in Galatians chapter 5, and we start in verse 22. Galatians chapter 5 verse 22. We see there a list of five characteristics of the fruit of God's Holy Spirit. Namely, love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness and goodness, and then faithfulness, gentleness or meekness, as some Bibles put it, meekness, and self-control.

So we have here nine attributes, but right in the middle of it, right in the middle of it, is the one called kindness. There's four before and four after, but in the middle of it is the one called kindness. It's between long suffering and goodness. And so, what is kindness? What is kindness? The Greek word used here is Greek in the concordance 5-5-4-4, chrei storhais, or something like that, so apologies for my bad Greek. I'll improve it, maybe, but it is a word that implies excellence in character or demeanor in a moral sense, gentleness, kindness.

And when I looked at Expositor's commentary, it says, is the thoughtful insight the delicate tact the gentle ministering hand of charity? It's a delicate tact. It's a gentle ministering hand of outgoing concern. The Adam Clarke's commentary says, to this word, it says, often wanting in many who have a considerable share of Christian excellence. Often wanting, that means it's often not there in people that say they're Christians. Now, next to it, after kindness, in that list of nine characteristics, the next one is goodness. And it is important to put them side by side and compare them, because they are similar, but they're different.

The goodness, Greek word 19, agatousu nae, which means virtue of benevolence, is the honest, generous face, the open hand of charity, according to Expositors. So Expositors calls kindness the ministering hand, a gentle ministering hand, whilst it calls goodness an open hand. So you can see a subtle difference here, that one is more a gentle, delicate, tactful way, whilst the other one is an open hand of doing something. So there's a subtle difference. Adam Clarke puts it, goodness is not only to abstain from every appearance of evil, but to do good to whoever, to the utmost of our ability. And so goodness is an action of doing good, whilst kindness is a gracious, characteristic of tact.

It's, for instance, how we say or how we react to something that is said against us or done against us, whilst goodness is more towards acts of giving charity, of giving in outgoing concern. It is also interesting that just before kindness, the word or the attribute that is referred to is long suffering. So if you read those nine, those three in the middle, the first one of those three is long suffering.

Long suffering means, basically, that you have a long fuse before you burn, before you explode, before you react. God is long suffering. It doesn't say that He will not execute justice, but His long suffering is patient, waiting for us to repent, giving us time to repent, as we read in Romans 2. God's goodness is so that we could repent. He gives us time. Thank God He gives you and I time. Thank God.

But we need to have the same attributes. In other words, don't explode, don't have a short fuse, but react in kindness and do acts of goodness. But today I'm focusing on kindness. Now, I want you to do a little exercise by writing down these nine attributes in your notes. But I want you to use three lines. On the first line, put love, joy and peace. On the first line, love, joy and peace. On the second line, which would be then, therefore, the middle line, you write long suffering, kindness and goodness.

And on the third line, you would write then the last three, faithfulness, meekness and self-control. So, basically, you end up with a little square of those nine attributes in three different lines. And there are three in each line. Now, sometimes I like to picture things. I like to picture things. So, because this is a fruit, I think of it like a fruit. And a fruit has, inside a fruit, a pup, for instance. Like if it's a peach, or whatever fruit, or different types of pups. And I would call that third line of faithfulness, meekness and self-control, which are inner characteristics of that fruit. And then, in my analogy of the fruit, I'll put the middle line, which is the part of the fruit that you interact with it, and you eat and you enjoy. That is the relationship layer in which is long suffering, kindness and goodness. It's that part where you relate with the fruit. And the top layer, which is the first line that you wrote those three, which is love, joy and peace, is the outcome of that fruit. The outcome. If you have a core being of yourself that you are faithful to, yes is yes, your no is no, that you are meek, in other words, you are gentle, you are teachable, you are humble, and that you have self-control, you are going to then, in your interrelationship with other people, you're going to be long suffering, you're going to show kindness and goodness. And the outcome of those, the final outcome, is like the skin outside of the fruit, is love, joy and peace. So it's just a way for me to visualize these nine attributes of the fruit of God's Holy Spirit, because it's one fruit, but it's got all these attributes. As you can see, kindness is smack bang in the middle.

That was an analogy I gave like a quarterback, and if you are a fan of soccer instead of American football, the ball is like in the middle, playing in the middle of the game and passing the ball around to the midfielder and passing it, positioning it to the extremes or whatever. So it's that sort of analogy. Now, if you look at it a slightly different way, and if we start from the left, you could say, if your whole body, if your whole energy is fightfulness and commitment, and if your heart, your attitude of your heart is one of humility and meekness, and if your mind, you have self-control, then in interpersonal relationships with your whole body, because you're faithful, you are going to suffer long. Fightfulness is going to lead to that long suffering, because your humble is going to lead you to be kind. You're humble and meek. You're going to be kind to people. And if you have mental self-control, you are going to control your mind to do good things to others. And the final outcome is you love God with all your heart and with all your mind. And those are just a way that I draw a picture just to help me think about it. But when we then look at 1 Corinthians 13, which is the left chapter, 1 Corinthians 13, which is the left chapter, and it starts by saying, if I can talk all languages, I just am like a sounding brass. If I can understand all prophecy and understand all miracles and mysteries and all knowledge, and I have all the faith, but I have not love, I have nothing. And I can give everything to the poor, everything.

And even I give my own life and a body to be burned, but if I don't have love, it profits me nothing. And look at what it says next. Love suffers long and is kind. Love is long suffering and is kind, as kindness coming out through his words. In this expression, Adam Clarke's commentary says, it says it is tender and compassionate in itself, in other words, and kind and obliging to others. So true love suffers long, and so inerrant in itself is tender and compassionate and kind in obliging to others. That's that kindness that's coming through. It's mild, gentle and benign. If called to suffer inspires the sufferer with the most amiable sweetness and the most tender affection, it's also submissive to all dispensations of God and creates trouble to no one.

One of the things that has disturbed me is I've seen men, or let's just say people, that are faithful to God and sometimes say things that hurt, that are unkind.

And sometimes when I see that, it hurts me deeply. And I'm not talking about they talking about me. I'm talking about they talking about somebody else.

And when I get through that, it is like I'm unclean, just hearing faithful people sometimes saying things, and it is as if I want to vomit.

And sometimes I have to wonder, am I like that? I really have to wonder. And we all have to say, hey, are we snapping back or are we acting in ways that are unkind to others? Because if we look in the context of Matthew 24, before Christ's coming, iniquity will abound and the love of many will wax gold. And there's going to be a tendency for us, as true Christians, to be impacted by so much evil around us that our fuse gets short and we snap.

But we've got to rely on God and trust God. And so I'm not talking about something that is easy to apply.

I'm talking about something that is very difficult. In fact, there's a problem that says, He that rules his spirit is better than he that rules the city. So if you and I can have the self-control and humility to exercise that in a way that is kind to others, maybe that is a test ground to see whether we are capable to rule. Because He that rules his spirit and out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. So maybe that's an asset test to God to see whether we are ready to rule when Christ comes. Because maybe there are some of us that maybe they're not ready when Christ comes. And you and I want to be ready. And so that's why it is important to look at this.

And Christ talking to a lawyer, and we read that in Luke chapter 10, Luke chapter 10 verse 25. Starting in verse 25. And he goes on through to verse 37. That's the parable of the good Samaritan. And there's this lawyer that came to him and says, Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? Put it in a different way. What shall I do to be in God's kingdom? And then Christ says to him, what does the law say? Seeing that you are a lawyer, what does the law say? And he says, well, love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. In a sense very similar to what I was drawing at with all your body, with all your heart, and with all your mind. These build up to that fruit of God's early spirit. And then Christ said, well done. Says that in verse 28. And he says, do this and you will live. In other words, you'll be in the kingdom. You'll be in the kingdom. But then he says, trying to justify himself, says in verse 29, Ah, but who's my brother? And then Jesus gave him the parable that we know very well, the parable of the good Samaritan. The interesting thing about that parable is the priest and the Levite kind of walked away.

In today's analogy, I would say it's the minister and maybe the deacons that walked away. In today's analogy, I'll put it that into today's terms. But the Samaritan, which was a so-called non-Christian, an unconverted Christian, he's the one that went out and helped that man. And then Christ said, who is, was the real brother? And he says, the one that was not a Christian. And he says, well, go out and do likewise. In other words, show acts of kindness and goodness.

You see, so one of the things that we see in that parable is also that there was no ulterior motives from this person to do that. He had no ulterior motives. Just go, help him. He had genuine, outgoing concern for that individual. Put him into, you know, Motel 8 or whatever he is, into a place there and pay the bills. And he says, okay, he tried to help him, bought him a few things. And he says, okay, you stay there and he'll come and if you need a bit more money, I'll cover it up. So there was no ulterior motives. It was just genuine, clean intent.

And I think this is a very important point. Now Paul, in his Gospel to Romans, he addresses this point of when people do things wrong to us, don't retaliate.

So the example of the Good Samaritan was not even somebody doing the wrong part. It's just somebody didn't know and he showed concern.

But where the rubber really meets the road is when somebody does something wrong to you or says something wrong to you, how you and I, how do we react? So let's go to Romans 12. Romans 12.

This is a very insightful chapter. And it starts by saying, present your bodies a living sacrifice because that is what's good and acceptable to God. Now what is this living sacrifice? This is genuine, outgoing, concerned love. This is when we get offended and we don't eat back as an example. As an example, obviously there are other examples, but that's one example. And he goes on and says, don't think highly of yourselves. Be humble. And then in verse 9 he says, let love be without hypocrisy. A boy worries evil, cling to what is good. So there's no hidden agenda and is genuine. It's not fake. And then in verse 10, be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, filial love, in honor giving preference to one another. And where does that start? That starts around. Between husband and wife, between parents and children, and children and parents, and then extended family, and obviously in the church. But where the rubber really meets the road is at home. And God is watching. So be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another. So we need to show kindness and goodness, one towards another, and particularly in church, and then to those outside in the world. And look at verse 13. Verse 13, distributing to the needs of the saints given to hospitality. In other words, help out. With is a need. It does not mean that now the person does not have to work, and now you become the life support system. That's not the intent. Although sometimes some people think that's what it means, particularly when you're on the receiving end, I've seen people expecting that. And it is very hard for a person that is giving to try and show that that is not what it's meant. But we have to, when there's an emergency, help out with those needs. And to give attention, and particularly give time, because hospitality means time. Yes, it's opening up your home, and maybe it's just a glass of water, but it's time. You're giving them time. And so that is very much appreciated when it's done. And I know Kathy and I, Kami'a, we really always received great hospitality from all of you, and we really appreciate that. So thank you. But then it continues, verse 14, bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse. That ties to long suffering. You see, because if they are being unkind to you, that means you need to have a long fuse. You need to be long suffering, like God is long suffering. And then it continues. The point here is, are we, when we attacked, are we immediately defending and retributing? You see, people persecute us, and sure, they're doing something wrong. And I'm not saying that we can't defend ourselves by no means. But there is a time, and you've got to look at every specific case in its merits, but there is a time when we have to accept wrong unjustifiably. There's a time when we don't have to. You look at the example of Paul, there was a time when he said, hey, I'm a Roman citizen. You are beating me unjustifiably. So there was a time when he could defend himself. But there was another time where he was stoned and he just walked away. But he had courage, and he came back and still preached the gospel there. But the point is, as we read here in verse 15 and 16, rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. You and I need to feel for others when they struggle in their own situations, positive and negative. We need to have empathy for other people and for their different needs and health issues and concerns. Be of one mind, of the same mind, towards another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Associate with the meek and teachable and humble. And so that requires to have quite a considerable amount of empathy for other people.

Empathy means we understand their emotions, we share with them their emotions positively or negatively. But also, when people are attacking us or saying something which is unkind to us, are we thinking about why are they saying that? Why are they saying that? I've seen in cases where some people have been very unkind to others. They've been very unkind with words. And then they came to the church and then they repented. And now they are kinder. But the people that they were unkind to in the past remember the old man and they now continue being retributing to those people that unkindness, which they, in the days of pre-conversion, they did to others. So in a sense they're reaping that. And these other people are saying, well, why is he kind now? I don't believe it because, you know, Leopard doesn't change his spots, quote-unquote. So I am going to hit back before he hits at me because I think there's something else in here. You see, so we need to understand why are some people being unkind to us. I mean, that's just one example. I'm not saying all the examples are like that, but it's just one example. We need to have a little bit more understanding why some people sometimes react the way they react towards us. It might have been our faults in the past, as some of the examples I gave, but it might not be. It might be a thousand and one other things. It might be because those people that are being unkind to us, they would abuse those children. They were completely maltreated, violated, whatever it is, those children, and that created some sort of defense that they now, anybody that tries and gets near them, they hit back. It's like you got a big scar, and every time you touch that scar, it's painful and you hit back. So, one of the things we need to really keep in mind is to have understanding and try to have understanding why other people are reacting that way. Keep your finger there in Romans because we're going to come back to it. But let's just look at Proverbs, and the first one that I want to look at is Proverbs 4, verse 5-7. Proverbs 4, verse 5-7. Get wisdom, get understanding.

You see, if people are being unkind to us, why are they reacting this way? Because if we try and get that understanding, we may then understand, we may be wise to see why they're reacting this way, and maybe, therefore, we could talk to them with different words that are kind, but would not create that native reaction from them. Just a way of thinking, of applying this combination of kindness and goodness in a constructive way.

Continuing reading verse 5.

You know, listen to this advice. This is good advice. Do not forsake her, for she'll preserve you. In other words, love her and she'll keep you. In other words, love wisdom. Love wisdom and understanding, and this will help you.

Wisdom is the principle thing. Therefore, get wisdom, and in all you're getting, get understanding. Now, you know, it's kind of a building block. You start with knowledge, then you have understanding, then you have wisdom, and then beyond that, you've got character. So, but, you know, this wall is full of knowledge, but that's not wisdom. You know, you've got a lot of knowledge. You can Google or whatever it is, you get a lot of knowledge, and knowledge shall increase. Yes, knowledge has increased, but wisdom has not increased. But we need to get that key to wisdom, which is understanding. You see, you take the knowledge, and with discernment and understanding, you get that wisdom. And that is very important, because it says, do not forget it, do not turn away from it, and it will preserve you. I'll never forget when I was a young adult in South Africa. One day, I was with another friend in the church, and I reversed the car out of the garage, and there was a bike coming, and there was a lot of space. So I reversed the car, and then I waited for the bike to go past. And all I know is that bike then stopped next to me and started shouting and screaming at me. Yeah, you kind of drove in front of me, whatever, and really started insulting me and this and that.

And I remember the proverb, and all I said is, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I'm sorry.

And he walked away. I mean, he drove away.

That's Proverbs 15, verse 1. Proverbs 15, verse 1. A soft answer turns away wrath. That guy was ready. He was ready, basically, out of his motorbike. He was ready to open the door and throttle me, and there'll be no more George afterwards. But, you know, I didn't give a harsh word. Say, hey, I didn't do anything. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I'm sorry. I misjudged. Sorry, whatever. I apologize. And then he walked away. The other member that was with me, the other young adult that was with me in the car, he said, George, I was ready to get up and punch that guy in the nose because he did nothing wrong. But you taught me a lesson today. Proverbs 15, verse 1. It is an amazing thing. Humility, gentleness, kindness can turn things around. Can turn things around.

Please, I didn't give that story to most of anything that I did better. It's just I'll never forget. I have not always acted that way. So I wish I had always acted that way. But it's just a lesson that's stuck in me. And it's just a wonderful proverb to keep in mind.

But let's continue now with Romans chapter 12. Because in Romans chapter 12, I stopped halfway in verse 16. Because the latter or the last sentence or phrase of verse 16 says, Do not be wise in your own opinion. In other words, be humble. Be humble. And you know, there are many opinions, and this wall is full of people, full of opinions, very opinionated. But the truth is God's. God is truth. And that is the opinion that counts. And we just have to be humble. Because God's opinion is, in verse 17, repay no one evil for evil. That is God's counsel to us.

That's what he says. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men, kindness and goodness. If it is possible, it's not always possible, but if it is possible, as much as it depends on you, live peaceably with all men. You see, the outcome of kindness and goodness is joy and peace. Live peacefully with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather, but rather give place to wrath. In other words, leave the vengeance on God's hands.

Leave the vengeance in the hands of him that is a faithful judge. And he knows what to do at the right time, or if that person repents, he will forgive. And that's okay. That's okay.

So he says, for it is written, vengeance belongs to God, his mind. I will repay, says the Lord. Vengeance is God's. In other words, we have to forgive. And my being, a good example of forgiveness, is not wanting revenge. To revenge.

I mean, forgiving does not mean forgetting, but forgiving means I don't want to do the same thing back to him. You forgive, and you leave it on God.

And so, basically, this is a good definition of forgiveness. We have to forgive. We have to let go and leave the vengeance on God. Therefore, verse 20, if your enemy is hungry, feeding, if he's thirty, give him a drink. For in so doing, you will heap calls of fire on his head. And that means he's got nothing against you, and the judgment is from God. And the ultimate judgment, if he does not repent, is the lack of fire. And so, verse 21, do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

You know about what we call the Lord's Prayer or the Model Prayer, and says, forgive those that trespass against you. And if you can't forgive, you read that in Matthew 6. If you can't forgive, then the Father won't forgive you either. We have to forgive. A very, very encouraging scripture is in Titus chapter 3, starting in verse 3. Titus chapter 3 verse 3.

For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. That is the old man. That's how we wear.

But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior towards man appeared, what is the kindness? The kindness. Yeah, is that word again? The kindness of God and the love of God our Savior, when the kindness and the love of God the Father our Savior towards man appeared. Who is that that appeared? It's Christ. Christ is the kindness of God towards us and His love towards us. He is sent as His only beloved Son.

And Christ came, as we read in verse 5, not because of what we've done of righteousness, but because of God's mercy. He opened up the door for us to be saved, and through Christ He then gave us the capability of the regeneration of God's Holy Spirit and of the renewing of our minds with God's Holy Spirit, which God poured on us. He poured on us abundantly through Jesus Christ, because it's Jesus Christ, the one that, quote-unquote, baptizes us with the Holy Spirit after the baptism of water. So, it is very encouraging, because the kindness of God towards us, it's the same kindness that we have to have towards others. We were sinners as we read in Titus 3, verse 3, but He still showed kindness towards us. Are we able to show kindness towards others when they are maybe hurtful towards us? We need to be like the Father, and like His kindness and love towards us. He sent us His only Son, not because of what we've done, but because of His kindness, and then through that, He gives us His Holy Spirit, which has got this fruit with these nine characteristics, in which right in the middle of there is kindness towards others in how we do and how we say things.

We need to put on this new man, brethren. We need to put on. And as we meditate about this before the feast and before trumpets, and specifically before Christ's coming, this is a characteristic that we have to apply so that our love does not get called. In Luke 21, verse 36, we read, Watch therefore and pray. Watch what? Watch yourself. Watch myself. Because in verse 34 it says, Take heed of yourselves. So watch ourselves and pray, that you and I may be counted worthy. It's not that I say, I'm there and I'm going to be the S.O. No, no. It's that God may count you and I worthy. Well, it says to escape all these things. And even more than that is to stand, to be there at Christ's coming, to stand before the Son of Man when He comes. In other words, to be in that first resurrection or to be amongst those that are of Christ at His coming, that are being transformed, those that are still living and are all there at Christ's coming.

And so, watching ourselves, and particularly because out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, watch how we speak and say things to others in kindness is a very important attribute that we have to prepare ourselves before the feast, before trumpets, but really before Christ's coming. And so, as love waxes cold and people take offense easily because they have a short fuse, they are not long suffering, and then they quickly lash back. We have to be careful that you and I, as time draws closer and closer, we are not pulled into this vicious circle, this vortex of love waxing cold. And so, let us be careful that we don't fall into this dangerous pit.