Kindness | Pastor Adam Peterson

Good morning, Rise Church family. I am so grateful to be with you via the power of technology. Come on, let's go. I know I'm not in the room, but I'm so grateful that we can have this time together. And then I look forward to seeing every single one of you back at Rise Church next Sunday. Pastor Rebecca and I cannot wait to be back together with you. Aren't you grateful that God's word is more powerful than anything? And even though I'm not in the room right now, God's word can still speak and transform your life. And so come on, let me give a special shout out to everybody who is in the room this morning. Come on, thank you for being in God's house. Thank you for making it a priority. I pray that God encourages you as you encourage one another. And then let me give a shout out to everybody that's watching online, wherever you are joining from this morning. Thank you for being here with us. And then come on, everybody, help me welcome together the men and women who are watching in correctional facilities. We say it every single Sunday, but you are our church family, and we are so, so grateful for you.

Well, today we are continuing week nine of our series. Come on, Juicy Fruit, and we're in week nine, but we got one more week left. So make sure you're back in person as we close out this series next Sunday. Galatians chapter five is where we have been just kind of living in this series and it says that the Holy Spirit of God, the moment we call on Jesus to come into our lives, man, he gets to work because there are some things that he wants to change in us, and there are some holy things that he wants to produce in us. And Galatians chapter five says it like this, that the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. And I don't know about you, but I want the Holy Spirit to produce every single one of these things in my life because when he does that, he makes me more like Jesus, and that is what our world needs. We've been saying this the last couple weeks of the series, that fruit grows, all of those nine things, that that fruit grows from a life that is rooted in Jesus, a life that stays connected to Jesus, and the deeper the root, come on, somebody, the sweeter the fruit. And so the more we walk with God,

the more we stay lockstep with God, the more we follow after him, surrender our lives to him, the more that fruit can be produced in us. And so we just need to be honest with ourselves. Is that fruit being produced in us? And if it is, then that means it's because we're walking with him, but if we're missing some of those fruits, it's because we might not be walking with the Lord the way that he is calling us to. And so today we wanna talk about the last fruit of this series. If you've missed any of the weeks, go online. We've got a YouTube page, we've got an app you can download, you can watch all the messages, but today we're gonna be talking about the fruit of kindness, kindness. I love kindness. I love being around kind people. It might be my favorite quality about a person. When I drove my kids to school, I've shared this story with you before. When they were younger, I would make them repeat this every single morning on the way to school. We would say, we are Petersons, we are kind. And if you talk to people that are not followers of Jesus, maybe they're far from God, they don't believe in God at all, they would probably still tell you that kindness is a good thing to have

in our lives and in society. I came across a couple quotes. The first one says this, choose being kind over being right, and you'll be right every time. I don't really know who Richard Carlson is, but I agree with him. Come on, kindness is some of the best things that we can do in our relationships with others. Here's another one that says, in a world where you can be anything, be kind. Come on, Claire, say it a little louder for the people in the back. And then here's one more right here, be kind. For everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. Here's the reality, I love that the world is just getting caught up and in alignment with everything that God has been saying since the beginning of time. And so what we're gonna do this morning is we're gonna look at how God showed his great kindness to us. We're gonna look at how Jesus was probably the kindest person in the entire world and how he interacted with people and how he showed his kindness to us. And then we're gonna look at our own lives and say, God, how can we show kindness to others? Let's start in God's word, Ephesians chapter four. It says this, it's a pretty bold statement.

It's a pretty right in your face statement that you need to get rid of. There are some things in your life that God's looking at you going. You do not need that in your life. As a follower of Jesus, that does not belong in your life. You need to get rid of all bitterness, all rage, all anger, all harsh words, all slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Can I get a good amen? Amen. And so this is what we're saying here. Man, God, I don't want that in my life. I want the fruit of your spirit in me. And then Paul goes on to say this instead, meaning when you get rid of all of these other things, God has a better way for you to live. Instead, be kind. Well, who are we gonna be kind to? Everybody. We're gonna be kind to each other. We're gonna be tenderhearted. We're coming back to that word. Forgiving one another, just as God, through Christ Jesus, has forgiven you. Maybe you've heard somebody say, or maybe you've even said this before, well, I'll be kind to them when they're kind to me. I know my kids have said that statement before, and this verse actually tells us the exact opposite.

No, you actually don't need to wait for them to be kind to you. They might not ever be kind to you, but through the power of God, you can still be kind to them. How was God kind to you? It says through Jesus Christ. That's how he was kind to you. So guess what? That's how you're gonna be kind to others. You don't have it, so you need to do it through Christ Jesus. Him doing it through you. His power at work, the Holy Spirit, producing that kindness in your life, and it's gonna come, watch this, from a tender heart. Notice this. Kindness is not a personality issue. You can't just go, well, that's just my personality. I'm not really a people person. No, no, no, no, no. Jesus loves all people and is kind to all people. If you're a follower of Jesus, you don't get to make that excuse based on your personality. It's also not an issue of trying harder. It's not like, well, I'm gonna try to be a kinder person. I'm gonna do my best. No, no, you don't have it in you. Kindness is a heart issue,

meaning we need God himself to come in and do some surgery. We need the Holy Spirit to produce what only the Holy Spirit can, that kindness from God on the inside of us. We don't want a hardened heart towards people. We want a tender heart towards people, and only God can do it. And so, Father, we say, less of us and more of you. If you look up the word kindness and you try to define it in the Greek and Hebrew and even in Webster's Dictionary, you're gonna get so many definitions, but to boil it down, it's this and really so much more, but it's somebody that's generous. Don't you love being around generous people? Generous people are always typically kind of kind people. Somebody that is considerate, and they're thinking about other people. They're caring. They truly care about others. And then I love this last one. It's compassion, but it's not compassion that just sits around. It is compassion in action, meaning I'm not gonna wait for a moment of kindness. I'm going out to show kindness to people. Jesus modeled this better than anybody else. He was the kindest person ever. There was a moment where Jesus had been ministering all day.

The Bible says he was tired. He was just trying to get away by himself, and here comes this other crowd that wanted to be around him, and it says he looked at them, he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. There was another moment where Jesus was teaching thousands of people. It was getting around dinner time. He could have sent them home. Instead, he chose to miraculous provide food for them. Another moment, some lepers called out to Jesus, and they wanted to be healed. The only problem was leprosy was contagious, and if you got around lepers, you got what they have. Instead, Jesus goes, I'm going to them, and he touched them. Instead of Jesus getting what the lepers had, the lepers got what Jesus had, and he brought healing to them, even on the cross. Jesus spoke these words of kindness. Father, forgive them because they don't know what they're doing. It was compassion in action. I found this quote from Mother Teresa. Come on, she said this. Kind words can be short and easy to speak. It doesn't have to be complicated, but their echoes are truly endless, meaning you will never know the power of one kind word

that you speak into somebody's life. You will never know what it does for them, not just. in the present, but for the rest of their life. So we're gonna look at a moment where Jesus had an interaction with a woman and he showed kindness to her. John chapter eight, it says, "'Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives. "'But early the next morning, "'he was back again at the temple. "'A crowd soon gathered and he sat down and he taught them.'" Let's keep reading. "'As he was speaking, the teachers of the religious law "'and the Pharisees brought a woman "'who had been caught in the act of adultery.'" Come on, it's about to get serious. "'They put her in front of the crowd. "'Teacher,' they said to Jesus, "'this woman was caught in sin. "'She was caught in adultery. "'The law of Moses says, stone her. "'The law of Moses says, throw rocks at her "'until we kill her. "'What do you say?'' Oh, this is so good, classic Jesus. "'They were trying to trap him "'into saying something they could use against him. "'But Jesus stooped down "'and wrote in the dust with his finger.'"

Meaning Jesus didn't even respond to him. He was like, I'd rather just doodle in the dirt right now because I know what you're trying to do. Jesus was fully man, but remember this, he was also fully God, which means he's all knowing and he knew they were trying to trap him. Now, I may be 100% wrong on this and I probably am, but it is my personal opinion that Jesus had his own trap that he was setting for those guys as well and really for this woman. Because the Bible tells us clearly in John chapter eight that Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives. Now, the Mount of Olives was a place where he would go often to get alone with himself, to get alone with his father, God, to spend time in prayer. And it says this, that early, early the next morning, he was back again at the temple, which tells me two things. He got up early to go to the temple. He could have stayed at the Mount of Olives, he could have gone anywhere else, but he got up early to get to the temple. And it's my personal belief, this is not in the Bible, but it is my personal belief that he got up early to get to the temple because he knew there was a woman waiting on him there who didn't deserve it, but was desperately in need of kindness. And there was nobody else on the scene that day that was prepared and ready to show this woman kindness.

Matter of fact, they were ready to kill her, but there was one man who was ready. There was one man who was prepared to give to this woman what nobody else was gonna offer her. And the same is true for you. Jesus offers you something no one else can. Let's pick back up in the story. It says, they kept demanding an answer. Jesus was drawing in the dirt. So then he finally stood up again and he said, all right, let's kill her, let's do it. You're right, the law of Moses says this is what should happen, let's do this. But one quick thing, let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone. Then he stooped back down because he wasn't done doodling in the ground and he wrote in the dust. Let's keep reading, when the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest until, catch this, only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Let's read on. It says, then Jesus stood up again and he said to the woman, where are your accusers? Didn't even one of them condemn you? No, Lord, she said. And Jesus said, neither do I. What is he doing in that moment? He is showing this woman kindness.

What did he say? That you can throw rocks at her, but only those who have never sinned. Guess who had never sinned? Jesus. So if anybody could have thrown stones and rocks at her and killed her, it could have been Jesus. But in that moment, he chose to show her kindness. Neither do I. Now go and sin no more. Now I want you to hear this very clearly. Kindness is not silent. Jesus spoke up on behalf of this woman and kindness is not weakness and kindness is love. is not a free pass to just do whatever you want. Kindness is compassion in action. I love you too much to let you stay the way you are. He looked at the woman and he said, I'm not gonna condemn you even though I could. I'm gonna show you love. I'm gonna show you grace. I'm gonna show you mercy. I'm gonna show you kindness. But now I'm about to speak the truth to you because the truth is also kind. And we don't hold back the truth. And there's a lot of people that wanna sweep the truth away these days, but we speak the truth. We hold to the truth of God's word

because this book is kind and it's good for us. Go and sin no more. If you're here this morning and you think that God's mad at you, he's not mad at you, he loves you. He wants to shower kindness on you, but he also wants to be kind and loving to you. And he wants to tell you, don't keep falling back into that sin. Don't keep going back to that lifestyle because he's got something better for you. So thank you, God, for the kindness that you show us and the kindness that sets us free. I wanna speak directly to everybody that's in the room, everybody that's watching online. That was a story, an interaction with Jesus and a woman, but here's what God's word says to all of us specifically. At one time, at one time, this is talking about our life before our relationship with Jesus. And maybe you're here today, maybe you're watching online in the correctional facilities and you don't have a relationship with Jesus. You've never called upon him as Savior and Lord in your life. I'm so glad you're here. I'm so glad you're watching. Jesus loves you. He wants a relationship with you. Call out to him today. Today is the day of salvation.

Before Jesus, he says, at one time, you too were foolish. You were disobedient. You were deceived. You were enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy. We were being hated and people hated us. We were hating one another. Then there was so much junk in our lives, so much sin in our lives. We were jacked up people before Jesus. But there is good news, and Titus goes on to say, but when the, come on, kindness and the love of God, our Savior, appeared, he saved us through his kindness, not because of righteous things that we had done, not because we were good, but because he's good. That's the kindness of God, because of his mercy. He saved us. How did he do it? By washing away our sins, that free gift of salvation is available, and giving us brand new life. How? By the power of the Holy Spirit, that same Holy Spirit that wants to produce this beautiful fruit in our lives. This is the reality of God. This is the God that we serve, and this is the kindness that can transform your life, and the goal as a follower of Jesus, the calling on your life,

the purpose that you are to live out is to receive that kindness, that free gift of God, that love, grace, and mercy, to receive that kindness. Let it transform you, and then say, all right now, God, keep working in me. Keep producing it through me, so that I can take the kindness that you've shown me, and I can give it away to others. Let me close with just a couple verses here. First Corinthians 13 says simply this, love is kind. Love is kind, meaning when I show love to somebody, I am showing kindness to them. Kindness is coming out of my life when I choose to love somebody who is angry at me, somebody who is rude to me, somebody who annoys me, frustrates me, to my kids when they don't respect me, to my spouse when they don't listen to me. Love is kind. That's the kindness that God showed you when he loved you, and it's only possible through him for you to be able to do that to others. And then Galatians 6.10 just simply says this, we should do good to who? Everyone, which is just another way of saying, we should be kind to everyone, everyone that we come in contact with, every person that crosses our path, why? Because everybody's walking through something difficult,

and you never know what a kind word can do for them. That means simply this, if God puts somebody on your heart for you to text, somebody that you're in relationship with. Text them call them whatever you want to do. It's because probably in that moment They need a kind encouraging word from you. They need it from God, but God is choosing to use you So let me just share this in closing something We've done over the past in our church is we've had something that we call kindness cards and the card is simply One side it says this hey an act of kindness to show you God loves you and on the back And so do we now we're giving God all the credit, but we're also letting them know Hey, we got some pretty kind people and we care about people too And then it's got all our information our address our Sunday morning times our website and what we're gonna do I believe we're gonna have our ushers or our greeters somewhere out in the lobby Just handing these cards out to you. You can grab one. You can grab five. You can grab 20 Don't take more than you're gonna use. We need to be able to pass them out to everybody You know what? I'm saying, but here's what we're gonna challenge you with this week to a complete stranger Maybe even a co-worker Maybe somebody you're in relationship with to go out of your way and now you're not just gonna hand them the card You're gonna do something kind for them Maybe even today you're gonna go out to lunch and you're gonna have a waiter or a waitress that serves you and maybe they weren't Kind to you. Maybe they weren't a great waiter or a waitress, but you know what you're gonna do today You're gonna be generous you're gonna have kindness in action You're gonna leave them a bigger tip than you should a bigger tip that just blesses them And then you're gonna put a small card just go and I'm showing you a little bit of kindness Hey, you didn't deserve it today. You didn't really work hard maybe but I don't have to say that I'm just gonna let you know God loves you Because I'm a follower of Jesus I Love you, too. We want the kindness of God in Our lives would you stand to your feet right now?

What I want to do is close in prayer and then we're gonna close in worship together But right now I just want us to hold our hands out like this and I want us to get grateful in this house This morning I want us to get grateful online and I just want to have a moment of prayer where we just thank God for his kindness In our lives. Come on. Would you pray with me right now God? Thank you that you are overly kind to us. You are Abundantly kind to us your kindness has no end and your kindness was displayed When you sent your son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins We didn't deserve it We couldn't earn it But you gave it to us freely and we are so grateful for it. Thank you God for your kindness We've received it and now by your power We choose to give it away Holy Spirit as we walk with you, would you continue to produce? kindness in us Amen. Amen. Amen