The Fruit of Holy Spirit – 6

The Fruit of Holy Spirit – 6

Subject: Walking in the Fruit of the Spirit - Goodness

By Rick Welborne

Galatians 5:22-26 (NKJV)
²²  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
²³  gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
²⁴  And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
²⁵  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.  

²⁶  Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

--We have already looked at the fruit of the Spirit…love, joy, peace, longsuffering, and kindness…tonight we will be looking at goodness. 

The Fruit of the Spirit - Goodness

Goodness – the state or quality of being good. Moral excellence, virtue. Kindness, generosity. Excellence of quality. The best part of anything. Essence or strength.

Biblical goodness - in man, goodness is not a mere passive quality, but the deliberate preference of right to wrong, the firm and persistent resistance of all moral evil, and the choosing and following of all moral good.

--From this Biblical definition of goodness I see three things I want us to look at. 

A Deliberate Preference of Right, A Persistent Resistance of all Moral Evil, and The Choosing and Following of that which is Good. 

1. A Deliberate Preference of Right. 

--It sounds like God expects us to make a willful choice to do what is right and what is virtuous in His sight…really what is in His Word. Paul says it like this. Look at the two translations.

Ephesians 5:7 (NKJV) ⁷  Therefore do not be partakers with them. 

Ephesians 5:7 (NCV) ⁷  So have nothing to do with them.

--If we will walk in righteousness and if we will have the fruit of the Spirit ‘goodness’ we will have to be deliberate in all of our ways and all of our choices. 

--As far as people who are choosing to do evil and to live contrary to God’s will and Word, we must not partake with them, we must have nothing to do with them. 

--Probably the thing that has been most difficult to understand as a pastor is seeing people who know better, partake, fellowship with, become partners with, participate with people walking in darkness. 

--If that is not enough, they try to convince me that God is okay with what they are doing because now is their time to be happy and to enjoy life. 

--Please show me in the Bible where God gives any of us a pass to live anyway we want to and have the audacity to think or believe God is okay with that. Come out from among them and be separate! 

Galatians 5:19-21 (NLT2)
¹⁹  When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures,
²⁰  idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division,
²¹  envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

--Maybe we should pause and ask this very important question…why or what would be our motivation to make a deliberate choice or to have a deliberate preference to do what is right?

Ephesians 5:7-8 (NKJV) ⁷  Therefore do not be partakers with them.
⁸  For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light…

--As a believer, do I really have to ask why I need to be deliberate about living for God. I did not go down a rebellious road, I didn’t smoke, drink, or do drugs. All of us are still in darkness until Jesus.

 Psalm 18:28 (NIV) ²⁸  You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. 

--So because I was once darkness and because God has turned my darkness into light, I should make a deliberate choice or have a preference to do what is right.

--God deserves all the glory and deserves for me to want to or prefer to follow Him instead of the things of this world. One brought me liberty and freedom while the other held me in chains of darkness. 

Psalm 37:3 (NKJV) ³  Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

2. A Persistent Resistance of all Moral Evil

Ephesians 5:11-12 (NLT2)
¹¹  Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.
¹²  It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret.

Resistance - the refusal to accept or comply with something; the attempt to prevent something by action or argument. Synonyms: opposition to · hostility to · aversion to · refusal to accept. The ability not to be affected by something, especially adversely.

--Verse 11 says take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness. In other words, we refuse to accept them or comply with them. We oppose them…we refuse to accept them.

--I am so afraid that the Church has bought into this idea of tolerance and hate speech. We are not to confront anyone with their evil ways. Ridiculous! The Bible says to expose them.

--Resistance to evil is not just doing the evil but also talking about evil and sin with great affection…¹² It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret.

--We have all heard people talk about their past with such longing that they sound like Israel when God brought them out of Egypt…they complained so much that God killed some with fire. They continued.

Numbers 11:4-6 (NKJV)
⁴  Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: "Who will give us meat to eat?
⁵  We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic;
⁶  but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!"

--Careful, Christians, when you say that Jesus, the Bread of Life is not enough to satisfy the desires of your heart and you start looking back at the world desiring to go back. 

--It takes tenacity and fortitude to resist the evil of our day. We and our children, our grandchildren are being attacked from so many directions. Our advancement in technology has made us vulnerable. 

 James 4:4 (NLT2) ⁴  You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. 

--Many seem not to understand this principle of God but nevertheless it is true…God will help us through whatever we are facing but we have to work with Him. 

--It takes us humbling ourselves, resisting the devil, drawing near to God, having clean hands, having pure hearts, being broken and repenting…this is our part!

--God’s part…to give favor to the humble, to come close to you, and to lift you up! See how we work with God at resisting evil and drawing near to Him. As we do, He comes running!

3. The Choosing and Following of that which is Good. 

--The choosing and following of that which is good leads us to a place where we need to just Stop It! Video

--If you have been noticing we have referred back to the Apostle Paul in Eph. 5 again and again. Paul is showing us in these verses how to have the fruit of the Spirit…goodness!

--Goodness as a fruit of the Spirit is A Deliberate Preference of Right, A Persistent Resistance of all Moral Evil, and The Choosing and Following of that which is Good. 

Ephesians 5:14-20 (NLT2)
¹⁴  for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”
¹⁵  So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.
¹⁶  Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.
¹⁷  Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.
¹⁸  Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit,
¹⁹  singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.
²⁰  And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

--Paul is saying ‘Wake up!’ What a great message for the church! Christ will give you light that will lead you to goodness. Be careful how you live…don’t live like fools.

--Give thought to the will of God for you. Don’t be intoxicated by this world but be filled with Holy Spirit! Be a worshiper, Give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! Find goodness!

--Choose to be filled with Holy Spirit and to walk in the fruit of the Spirit – goodness!

Christmas - 2022 - 3

Christmas - 2022 - 3

Subject - God News for All of Us

By Rick Welborne

Luke 2:8‑14 (NKJV) 

8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 

9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 

10 Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 

11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 

12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." 

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 

14 "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" 

–The message to the shepherds--"Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 

–Whatever you are facing - do not be afraid - the message was to all people...you and me. We all face adversity and many of us are facing it right now.

–Christmas, Thanksgiving, and other holidays have a way of bringing out pain, our family dysfunction, or wounds that have been there for years.

–Verse 14 gives us a goal, a vision, and even a plan for our lives all because Jesus has come...Because He is Immanuel - God with us. When Jesus comes He makes a difference.

Luke 2:14 (NKJV) 14 "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" 

1. The God news is that Jesus wants us to have goodwill toward men.

–In other words we should be desiring good toward those we are around the most. Our family...our friends...our church. The ultimate test is how we treat these people.

–We should want good for our spouses and our families...God definitely wants us honoring those close. We pray for our unsaved loved ones and we should pray for our unloved saved ones.

Ephesians 5:21 (NIV) 21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 

–A big part of the Christmas story is goodwill toward people...toward our families...toward our spouses...that is exemplified in what we say to them and what we say about them.

–Life and death are in the power of the tongue...I must speak life...as Christians we all should...we are the example and we reap what we sow. These two verses together:

Proverbs 18:21‑22 (NIV) 

21 The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. 

22 He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD. 

2. The God news is that Jesus wants us to have peace on earth.

Luke 2:14 (NKJV) 14 "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" 

–Our goal should be peace for Israel and the middle east but also for our own families and our church.

Philippians 4:4‑8 (NIV) 

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 

5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 

7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable‑‑if anything is excellent or praiseworthy‑‑think about such things.
⁹  Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

–Let your gentleness be evident to all...the Lord is near...He is watching. The fruit of the Spirit:

Gal. 5:22‑23 (NIV) 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 

23 gentleness and self‑control. Against such things there is no law. 

–Look how all this fruit could help our families and our church.  Don’t say you are Spirit filled and you do not exemplify this fruit to your families. Jesus came to bring peace on earth but also peace to families:

Philippians 4:7 (NIV) 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

–The God news is that Jesus came to bring goodwill toward men and women but He also came to bring peace on earth.

–There is nothing more powerful on earth than a church that is led by Jesus, whose families are committed to Him and to one another...what goodwill and peace we can offer to a lost world.

3. The God news is that we should be giving glory to God in the highest - live for the glory of God!

1 Cor. 10:31‑33 (NLT) 31 So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 

32 Don’t give offense to Jews or Gentiles or the church of God. 

33 I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved. 

–Do everything...everything...for the glory of God...how your families, your church, the world! Don’t give offense to Jews or Gentiles...be gentle with your families.  

–Some of us need to stop being ourselves and start living as though Christ is in us...the hope of...listen to it...the hope of glory!

–What an event for these shepherds...the appearance of the angels and the announcement of Christ...wow!  How awesome it would have been to be there...

Luke 2:8‑11 (NKJV) 8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 

9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 

10 Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 

11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 

–These shepherds were able to see and experience the awesome glory of God and they could not wait to go and share what they had experienced.

Luke 2:15‑18 (NIV) 

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." 

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 

17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 

18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 

–They spread the word about the glory of God (Jesus Christ), shouldn’t we do the same.

–In such a messed up world shouldn’t we be sharing the God news...showing the world the goodwill we have toward our own families and everyone around us.

–Shouldn’t we be sharing the God news about peace that passes all understanding that starts with our families and spreads to the whole world (Missions).

–Wow, these shepherds had the privilege of experiencing the announcement of the birth of the Son of God...Immanuel...God with us...Jesus Christ and then to see Him in the manger.

–Again what about us...wouldn’t it be great for us to see the glory of God...maybe we will experience the God news of Jesus’ coming!

1 Thessalonians 4:13‑18 (NIV) 

13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 

14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 

15 According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 

16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 

17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 

18 Therefore encourage each other with these words. 

–Get ready for the glory of God again to show up...

1. Jesus will come from Heaven with a loud command (announcement)...again!

2. It will be declared by an angel (an archangel) again!

3. There will be a loud trumpet blast...a call from God to all believers!

4. Those who died in Christ gets the first face lift!

5. We who are still alive will be caught up (raptured) and join those who had died in Christ!

6. The shepherds saw the baby lying in the manger...we will meet Him in His glorified state!

7.  Glory to God in the highest...we will be with the Lord forever and forever!

Luke 2:13-14 (NKJV) 

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 

14 "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"

1 Corinthians 10:31 (NLT) 

31 So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Courage – 4

Courage – 4

Subject – Lion Chasers Trust the Infinite God

By Rick Welborne

2 Samuel 23:20-23 (NLT2)
²⁰  There was also Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant warrior from Kabzeel. He did many heroic deeds, which included killing two champions of Moab. Another time, on a snowy day, he chased a lion down into a pit and killed it.
²¹  Once, armed only with a club, he killed a great Egyptian warrior who was armed with a spear. Benaiah wrenched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with it.
²²  Deeds like these made Benaiah as famous as the Three mightiest warriors.
²³  He was more honored than the other members of the Thirty, though he was not one of the Three. And David made him captain of his bodyguard.

1. A Ridiculous Prayer

--As we read through Scriptures we see an infinite God Who can do anything but who is also concerned about everything in our lives.

--I have heard people say ridiculous things about situations in their lives. “Well, this problem I am having is too insignificant to bother God with it.” He loves you…bother Him! In 2 Kings 6 a ridiculous prayer.

2 Kings 6:1-7 (NKJV)
¹  And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, "See now, the place where we dwell with you is too small for us.
²  Please, let us go to the Jordan, and let every man take a beam from there, and let us make there a place where we may dwell." So he answered, "Go."
³  Then one said, "Please consent to go with your servants." And he answered, "I will go."
⁴  So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees.
⁵  But as one was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, "Alas, master! For it was borrowed."
⁶  So the man of God said, "Where did it fall?" And he showed him the place. So he cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and he made the iron float.
⁷  Therefore he said, "Pick it up for yourself." So he reached out his hand and took it. 

--The verb tense the apprentice uses tells you that as far as he was concerned the ax head was gone. He figured it was gone and he had no expectation that it would ever be retrieved. 

--Sometimes we want a little sympathy or mercy about a situation but we don’t expect a miracle. We all know with the density of iron that ax heads don’t float or do they? Maybe pray a ridiculous prayer.

--If I am Elisha, I feel bad for the guy who lost the borrowed ax head. Maybe let him borrow mine or run down to Ace and buy another one. We would never think to pray that the ax head would float.

--Remember this series is about courage…courage to face a lion in a snowy pit and maybe even the courage to pray a prayer that seems to be absolutely ridiculous.

--I am sure Elisha’s wheels are turning in his mind so he says to the apprentice, “Where did ax head fall?” What difference does it make? It’s gone but it fell at this spot.

--Though it is not recorded I am sure Elisha prayed a crazy prayer, received wisdom from God, cut a stick, and then throws it in the water. Something happens…iron floats. A miracle.

--When I was youth pastor here I must have lost my mind and decided to have a couple’s outing (adults) and take them down the Ichnetuckne river. We caravanned in several vehicles. A disaster.

--Everything that could go wrong went wrong. About half the cars went the wrong direction on the way to the river. It seemed like everyone forgot something. Couples were arguing. Why did I do this?

--Lennie Moser gets sick and throws up, two couples locked their keys in their cars, and when I thought it couldn’t get any worse…Pastor, my keys fell out of my pocket coming down the river. What?

--I am not sure how far our tubing trip was (about 5 miles I think) but the river was pretty deep and the chances of finding the keys…nope. We prayed a ridiculous prayer. Help someone find the keys!

--A few minutes after we had prayed the prayer a man walks up to us who just got out of the river and asked, “Did anyone in your group lose their keys? I have them!” Yes, yes, yes!

--I couldn’t wait for this wonderful outing to be over but we did learn something about God. Even though this situation and the ax head were not life or death, God is concerned about everything.

--God wants us to have the courage to pray a ridiculous prayer even if the lion is a kitten. So what does these two stories reveal to us about God?

Batterson – God is great not just because nothing is too big for Him. God is great because nothing is too small for Him either.

2. We Tend to Rank Prayers and Miracles

--Similar to the way a judge at a gymnastic competition ranks a routine based on the degree of difficulty, we rank our prayer requests the same way. 

--We have big requests and little requests. We have easy requests and difficult requests. But our thinking is all messed up. Why? To the infinite God all finites are equal.

--With God there is no big or small, easy or difficult, possible or impossible. When it comes to God, there are no degrees of difficulty. There are no odds with God. All bets are off. 

--What were the odds of Jesus feeding 5000 people with five loaves and two fish. Even if each piece of bread and each fish equaled a meal, the odds would be 5000 to 7. Insurmountable to the disciples.

John 6:7 (NIV) ⁷  Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!" 

--The disciples are trying to crunch the numbers and they still come up short by about 4,993 meals. Not possible as far as they are concerned. This is too difficult.

John 6:11-13 (NIV)
¹¹  Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
¹²  When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted."
¹³  So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. 

In God’s economy. 5 + 2 = 5000 with a remainder of 12.

--They actually end up with more than they started with after feeding 5000 people. God is glorified because He defied impossible odds and because there is no degree of difficulty for Him.

--It really does not matter like with Benaiah how many Moabites you are facing, how tall your Egyptian giant is, and the size of your lion is not your issue. The issue is this: How big is your God.

3. God, our Father.

--You may be thinking, even if God is great enough to do absolutely anything, why would He answer my prayer? Why would He do a miraculous thing through me?

--Well, when you come right down to it God is more than just a powerful miracle worker, more than the absolute infinite God, He is our Father. Pastor Mark…our good good Father!

--When my kids were younger I loved watching them when they didn’t know I was. I loved watching them play, I loved watching them playing sports. I loved watching them as they slept.

--I would watch them because I was concerned about them, I watched them to make sure they were doing what I told them to do, sometimes I watched them because I was just so proud of them.

--Like a loving parent, our Heavenly Father loves watching over His children. He’s even scrapbooking.

 Malachi 3:16-18 (NIV)
¹⁶  Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name.
¹⁷  "They will be mine," says the LORD Almighty, "in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him.
¹⁸  And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not. 

--Please do not dismiss this simple truth…God is a proud parent and you are the “Apple of His eye!” I believe He celebrates our accomplishments.

--I really believe our Heavenly Father celebrates when we are willing to allow Him to defy the odds in our lives. No matter the giant or giants, the lions, or what enemy attacks us. 

--He celebrates when we trust Him and when we believe He is the infinite God who can do anything in our lives that needs to be done. 

Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV)
¹⁷  The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." 

--Please trust me on this, God was a lot more excited about Benaiah chasing and killing the lion than Benaiah was.

--Can’t you just see God up in heaven elbowing one of His angels and saying, “Did you see what my boy Benaiah just did?

--Lion chasers defy the odds and make their Father proud.

Matthew 6:9-10 (NKJV)
⁹  In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
¹⁰  Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 

The Fruit of Holy Spirit – 5

The Fruit of Holy Spirit – 5

Subject: Walking in the Fruit of the Spirit - Kindness

By Rick Welborne

Galatians 5:22-26 (NKJV)
²²  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
²³  gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
²⁴  And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
²⁵  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.  

²⁶  Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

--We have already looked at the fruit of the Spirit…love, joy, peace, and longsuffering, tonight we will be looking at kindness which will be one of the most important. 

Kindness -  the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. Synonyms: kindliness · kind-heartedness · warm-heartedness · tender-heartedness · goodwill ·

Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary – Kindness - An attribute of God and quality desirable but not consistently found in humans. Yet human imitation of God's kindness does not come naturally. In fact, ultimately no one is kind. It is only as the fruit of God's Spirit that kindness can be a consistent part of the believer's experience.

Romans 3:10-12 (NKJV)
¹⁰  As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one;
¹¹  There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.
¹²  They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one." 

--I love Jensen Franklin’s transparency about his difficulty with being kind especially in the environment of the home. He said that when he was single, kindness did not seem to be an issue.

--He said that he did not turn into some kind of monster or anything like that, but married life was so different than being single. It was not just him anymore. 

--When you see the person you have fallen in love with just a couple of times a week and you are anticipating the day you get married…kindness seems so wonderful and so easy.

--How many of you have ever heard, you really do not know someone until you live with them. No longer can you hide your feelings are your little pet peeves…everything is out in the open.

--The man you thought was your prince charming has all kinds of bad habits that you never knew he had from belching, to leaving the toilet seat up, and leaving toothpaste all over the sink. Just clean it up!

--You can’t hide the fact that you are in a bad mood, your impatience is on display, your lack of interest is obvious to the person before you. It is definitely different when you get married.

--If that is not enough to put a damper on kindness…start having kids and bringing them into the relationship. This little gift from God pees, poops, and screams for seemingly no reason. 

--He’s colic, he’s cutting teeth, he’s hungry…he’s whatever and you do not know what the whatever is because he can’t talk yet. Please do something with that thing…put a plug in it.

--It’s your turn to get up with him…no, I got up last time. No, you slept last time while I got up and rocked him for two hours. But I’m tired…I’m tired too! 

Ephesians 4:30-32 (NLT2)
³⁰  And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.
³¹  Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.
³²  Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. 

--How many of you know that we need supernatural power from God to be able to put on kindness the way God wants us too? 

Vine’s Biblical Dictionary – Kindness – willingness to serve someone – to be good – to be gracious – to be kind. 

Luke 6:31-36 (NKJV)
³¹  And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.
³²  But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.
³³  And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.
³⁴  And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.
³⁵  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.
³⁶  Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

1. Kindness can be as simple as the golden rule.

Golden Rule – Do unto others as you would have them do you.

--Kindness is treating others the way you want to be treated. Pastor, what if they are not treating me right? Wrong question! Jesus said for you to treat them the way you want to be treated.

--When we treat those who are mistreating us the way we want to be treated (kindness)…we are showing them the love of Christ and we are showing them supernatural kindness. 

--Rude people do not know what to do when we show usual kindness to them. It is truly a glimpse of the love Jesus had for us when He went to the cross. Watch this:

Luke 23:32-35 (NKJV)
³²  There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death.
³³  And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.
³⁴  Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." And they divided His garments and cast lots.
³⁵  And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God."

--It is amazing to us that Jesus would pray such a prayer for those who would falsely accuse Him, who would humiliate him by putting Him between criminals, stripping His clothing, mocking Him.

--What would His kindness have Him to pray? Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do. Our reaction to them would probably be much different. One of anger and retaliation. 

--Jesus was showing us a way of kindness that is so opposite our human nature but so much like His life and sacrifice for each of us.

2. Kindness is not about saving ourselves.

Matthew 27:41-43 (NKJV)
⁴¹  Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said,
⁴²  "He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.
⁴³  He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, 'I am the Son of God.' " 

--"He saved others; Himself He cannot save.” Is that a true statement? Of course, it is not a true statement. Jesus had the power and the ability to save Himself at any moment. 

--Remember early in Jesus ministry when those who would do Him harm came to take Him by force and hurt Him but the Bible says that He walked right through the middle of them undetected. He could have done that.

--Remember when He was in the garden and they came to arrest Him and they asked Him if He was Jesus? When He answered, I am He? They fell to the ground because of His great power. Watch this:

Matthew 26:51-53 (NKJV)
⁵¹  And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.
⁵²  But Jesus said to him, "Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.
⁵³  Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?

--A legion of angels could have been 6000 angels so 12 legions of angels could have been 72,000 angels. Jesus could have had them at His disposal but His kindness said no. Two angels destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. 

--The truth is, Jesus did not come to save Himself, He came to save others. When you find yourself in a challenging situation, who are you trying to save?

--Are you trying to save your reputation or your pride when you are under attack or do you show kindness and try to save others? We say we want to show them Jesus but we act like the devil. 

--One of the toughest ways of exemplifying kindness is when we are under attack by others and we make the choice to keep silent and not to react or, even worse, over react.

3. Kindness is following Jesus’ model.

Philippians 2:1-11 (NKJV)
¹  Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,
²  fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
³  Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
⁴  Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
⁵  Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
⁶  who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
⁷  but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
⁸  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
⁹  Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
¹⁰  that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
¹¹  and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

--Because you love Jesus and because you love people you show the fruit of the Spirit ‘Kindness’ by being and acting like Jesus did when He was here on this earth. So much is in these verses.

1. To show kindness, let nothing you do be done out of selfish ambition or by being conceded. 3

2. To show kindness, humble yourself and esteem others better than yourselves. 3

3. To show kindness, don’t only look out for your interests but the interests of others. 4

4. To show kindness, have the same mind that Jesus had. 5

5, To show kindness, stop worrying about your reputation and become a bond servant. 7

6. To show kindness, humble yourselves, take up your cross, and die to yourselves. 8

7. Showing the fruit of kindness is allowing God to exalt you and Him taking care of your name. 9

Courage to Get Out of the Boat - 8

Courage to Get Out of the Boat - 8

Subject: Our Greatest Example of Getting Out of the Boat

By Rick Welborne

Matthew 14:22‑33 (NKJV) 

22 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. 

23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. 

24 But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. 

25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 

26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. 

27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." 

28 And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." 

29 So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 

30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" 

31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" 

32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 

33 Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God." 

–Tonight I want us to look at our greatest example of courage and willingness to get out of the boat...Jesus Christ. None of us would ever have the privilege to get out of the boat if it were not for Jesus.

1. Jesus stepped out of the boat when He stepped out before the foundation of the world to save us.

1 Peter 1:17‑21 (NKJV) 

17 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; 

18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 

19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. 

20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you 

21 who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. 

–The decision had already been made. It had been ordained since the beginning of time that Jesus would step out of the boat (out of heaven) to save us. What kind of King lays all His glory aside to save others?

Romans 5:6‑8 (NKJV) 6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 

7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  

2. Jesus stepped out of the boat when He entered the city of Jerusalem knowing what fate awaited Him.

--During His triumphant entry into the city of Jerusalem people waved palm branches and shouted for Him. Listen to Jesus after Mary sister of Martha anointed Jesus feet with costly perfume.

–She was saying...the most uncomely part of Jesus (His feet) was more precious than anything beautiful about man...He is worthy of our worship!

John 12:7‑8 (NKJV) 7 But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. 

8 For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always." 

–Jesus knew He was stepping into the city to die for the salvation of mankind. The crowd cried:  "Hosanna! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' The King of Israel!" 

–Truly their King was stepping into what God had planned for Him...how tough it must have been to know they would soon be crying “crucify Him!” How quickly things can change. 

3. Jesus stepped out of the boat when He submitted to the will of God.

–I hope you see how Jesus was tested like us and how difficult it was for Him to get out of His boat...humanity.

Hebrews 2:18 (NKJV)                                                                                                                                           18 For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted. 

Hebrews 4:14‑15 (NKJV) 

14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 

15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 

–Was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin...see His struggle...He not only was facing the pain and suffering thru His abuse but also becoming sin for us.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV) 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 

Matthew 26:38‑39 (NKJV) 

38 Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me." 

39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." 

–Matthew says he was sorrowful, deeply distressed, exceedingly sorrowful even to death.

Luke 22:44 (NKJV) 44 And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 

–Doctors indicate that this is the most extreme stress a person could be under. What was He saying? I am struggling to get out of the boat but, Father, if You want me to...I will!

4. Jesus stepped out of the boat by not reverting back to His divine power.

–Never under estimate what Jesus could have done:

Mark 15:29‑31 (NKJV) 

29 And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, "Aha! You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, 

30 save Yourself, and come down from the cross!" 

31 Likewise the chief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save. 

–When we are faced with the trial of our lives we have a tendency of reverting to whatever brings us comfort. Jesus simply submitted to the will of the Father even in His pain. They did not take Jesus’ life.

John 10:18 (NKJV) 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father."  

–You see, the Bible says Jesus could have used His position as Son and His divine power to escape or crush…

John 10:39 (NKJV) 39 Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand. 

Matthew 26:53 (NKJV) 53 Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? 

John 18:5‑6 (NKJV) 5 They answered Him, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus said to them, "I am He." And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. 

6 Now when He said to them, "I am He," they drew back and fell to the ground. 

Philippians 2:5‑8 (NKJV) 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 

6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 

7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 

5. Jesus stepped out of the boat by His death, burial, and resurrection!

Luke 24:1‑7 (NKJV) 

1 Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. 

2 But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. 

3 Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 

4 And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. 

5 Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? 

6 He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, 

7 saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.' " 

–“Why do you seek the living among the dead?   He is not here, but is risen! 

Acts 2:22‑24 (NKJV) 

22 "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know‑‑ 

23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; 

24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. 

–So why stay in your tomb...your boat?

Romans 8:11 (NIV) 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. 

–The Spirit of God can bring you out of your tomb or your boat!

Ezekiel 37:12‑14 (NKJV) 

12 Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. 

13 Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. 

14 I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it," says the LORD.'