We have spent eight weeks considering the fruit of the Spirit as it is described in Galatians 5:22-23. Remember, if you are a Christian you have at least some measure of all these qualities, which were demonstrated by Jesus during his life on earth. By grace, you should grow in all of them by the help of the Holy Spirit.
Here is a summary of each of the qualities listed in Galatians 5. As you review them, consider the following questions and discuss the answers in your men’s group:
! In which of the qualities do you need to grow the most?
! Have you seen growth in these qualities over the last 8 weeks?
! What will you do over the summer months to continue to grow in the fruit of the Spirit?
Love is the sum and source of all the other qualities. It 1) is practical, 2) involves doing unpleasant things, 3) requires humility to do tasks that are beneath you, or not worthy of your time and talents, and 4) is not always welcomed (but that shouldn’t keep you from showing it).
Joy is "the spiritual buoyancy that comes from enjoying the privileges you have in Christ." Joy keeps us from giving in to the sorrows of life. Sadness seeps into our lives regularly, but when you remember the privileges and promises that you have in Christ, the joy overwhelm the sadness.
Peace is inner confidence and trust in God's wise and good control of your life.
Faithfulness is being trustworthy, reliable, true to your word, doing what you said you would do, keeping your promises, being a person someone can trust and rely on, being loyal even when the pressure is on.
Patience is the quality of being long suffering, to be long-fused rather than short-fused. It means that it takes a lot to get your dander up to the point where you lash out with your hand, tongue, or in your heart and will.
Kindness is a thoughtful, considerate disposition that a believer has toward a person; goodness is the concrete expression of that kindness in deeds. To put it another way, "goodness is the outgoing expression of a kind spirit."
Meekness is a quality that is a blend of humility, gentleness, and courage or boldness. Meekness has been described as “a quiet strength.”
Self-control is the mastery of your self. It is the ability to stay on the mission that God has given you (to love God and love people for God's glory) and not be derailed by temptation.
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Monday, May 25, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Fruit of the Spirit: Self-control
In this men's ministry series we have been looking at the various character qualities that make up the fruit of the Spirit These are qualities that the Spirit produces and qualities that we ought to be prayerfully and purposely pursuing. This week we come to the last quality of the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23, the quality of self-control.
Self-control is the mastery of your self. It is the ability to stay on the mission that God has given you and not be derailed by temptation. What is the essential mission God has given you? To love God and love people for God's glory. That means a lot of different things in every area of your life—work, relationships, church, money, etc. The opposite of self-control is self-indulgence, which is getting distracted from the mission. Self-indulgence is turning off the road by taking the exit ramp of temptation into sin. Paul gives examples of this in 5:19-21 (sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these).
In Matthew 4:1-12 we see the self-control of Jesus when Satan tempted him in the wilderness. The three temptations were the first major challenge to Christ's mission; Satan tried to derail him, but Christ exerted self-control and stayed on course.
Matthew 4:1-11
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." 4But he answered,
"It is written,
"'Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
"'He will command his angels concerning you,' and
"'On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.'"
7Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'" 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9And he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." 10Then Jesus said to him, "Be gone, Satan! For it is written,
"'You shall worship the Lord your God
and him only shall you serve.'"
11Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
Recall the events leading up to Christ's temptations. 1) Christ had just been baptized and anointed by John the Baptist for his ministry as the great High Priest; 2) he was baptized with the Holy Spirit in full measure; 3) the Spirit led him into the wilderness to be tested. God was testing his Son, just as he had tested his son Adam in the Garden and tested his son Israel in the wilderness, so that he might learn obedience (Heb. 5:8).
As God was testing Jesus, Satan was also at work, tempting him to be self-indulgent and disobey his Father. Satan didn't want Christ to get to the cross; he wanted him to avoid the hard path of obedience and suffering that was his as the Messiah.
First temptation: Don't trust your Father Satan tried to persuade Jesus to use his power to avoid starvation instead of trusting his Father to give him food after the fast was over. He wanted Christ to use his divine power, rather than obey in his human strength as the representative of mankind.
Jesus responded with Scripture, quoting Deuteronomy 8:3. In effect, he said, Satan, my Father said a long time ago to the children of Israel and I say the same thing to you: man is not ultimately dependent on bread, but on Him, the creative and sustaining power of all things. He is the only indispensable source of man's life and well-being. Christ intended, no matter how hungry and weak he was, to maintain self-control and wait until his Father provided food for him.
Second temptation: Test God Satan tried to lure Jesus into creating an artificial crisis, a situation which would not happen in the normal course of obedience service to the Father. The crisis would manipulate the Father into showing his dependability. Christ responded with self-control, quoting from Scripture: "You shall not put the Lord God to the test." He was saying I'm not going to dive off to see if my Father will save me. He hasn't commanded me to do so. I would be testing and experimenting with my Father.
Third temptation: Worship me! Satan made one final attempt to derail Christ. As one author described the temptation, "Satan presented Christ with a vision of the world in which nations stood ready to abandon their idols and accept Christ as Lord ... Christ could win the world without pain—no weeping over Jerusalem, no crucifixion ...." All Jesus had to do was bow and worship Satan, acknowledging his lordship over mankind.
Christ knew that the road God had placed him on had a cross at the end of it, and he had to go all the way to the end. So, with utter self-control (unlike the first Adam), Christ, the second Adam, stood above the wilderness and cried, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written, 'Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.'" At that moment, Christ triumphed over temptation and the Tempter.
What do we learn about temptation and self-control?
1. Temptation is an invitation to take a detour and disobey God—to indulge your desires. It is an exit ramp. And sometimes when you get off on an exit, it's hard to get back on the road. By the time you do, your marriage may be gone, you may be enslaved to drugs, you may be in financial hardship, etc. Don't get off the road.
2. Temptation is inevitable. Jesus was full of the Spirit and led by the Spirit, and he had an absolutely pure heart, and yet he experienced temptation. Don't be naive to think that you are beyond temptation. Don't think it's strange that you experience temptation to do awful things. You are in spiritual warfare with the world, the flesh, and the devil. Testing and trials are the way to holiness and heaven.
3. Satan doesn't always tempt you with bad things; he tempted Jesus with bread, not booze; with safety, not sex; and with power. These were good things. Today, he tempts you to put good things in the place of first importance over God—things like friendship, family, respect, romance, financial stability, etc. If any of these things are of greater importance to you than God, they will control you. You will not have self-control, and eventually you will take the exit ramp of temptation away from God.
• If you live for human approval, people will control you.
• If you live for money or power, your greed will control you.
• If you live for pleasure, your physical desires will control you.
How do we grow in self-control, so that we are able to stay on the road?
1. You must know the Word of God well, so it is right there to counter the temptation when it comes.
2. The love of Christ for you must control you. You need to see that Christ was not just resisting temptation for himself, he was resisting temptation for you. As the second Adam, he set out to undo the results of the first Adam's fall by living a righteous life and then dying on the cross to pay the price for all the times that you lacked self-control and went off the exit ramp of temptation and into sin.
Christ loves you. That truth needs to be real to you; it needs to hem you in so that you stay on the road and fulfill your mission to love God and love others for God's glory. The Redeemer's Word and love for you must be like a video, constantly playing in your life, so that you stay on the road.
How will you respond?
Growing in self-control requires discipline. If you lack self-control, it is hard to exercise discipline.
1. Read the Word and meditate on the love of Christ for you. Do this regularly. How can your men's group encourage one another to do this?
2. In what areas do you tend to struggle most with lack of self-control? What do you need to do differently? How do you need to think differently?
Self-control is the mastery of your self. It is the ability to stay on the mission that God has given you and not be derailed by temptation. What is the essential mission God has given you? To love God and love people for God's glory. That means a lot of different things in every area of your life—work, relationships, church, money, etc. The opposite of self-control is self-indulgence, which is getting distracted from the mission. Self-indulgence is turning off the road by taking the exit ramp of temptation into sin. Paul gives examples of this in 5:19-21 (sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these).
In Matthew 4:1-12 we see the self-control of Jesus when Satan tempted him in the wilderness. The three temptations were the first major challenge to Christ's mission; Satan tried to derail him, but Christ exerted self-control and stayed on course.
Matthew 4:1-11
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." 4But he answered,
"It is written,
"'Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
"'He will command his angels concerning you,' and
"'On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.'"
7Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'" 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9And he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." 10Then Jesus said to him, "Be gone, Satan! For it is written,
"'You shall worship the Lord your God
and him only shall you serve.'"
11Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
Recall the events leading up to Christ's temptations. 1) Christ had just been baptized and anointed by John the Baptist for his ministry as the great High Priest; 2) he was baptized with the Holy Spirit in full measure; 3) the Spirit led him into the wilderness to be tested. God was testing his Son, just as he had tested his son Adam in the Garden and tested his son Israel in the wilderness, so that he might learn obedience (Heb. 5:8).
As God was testing Jesus, Satan was also at work, tempting him to be self-indulgent and disobey his Father. Satan didn't want Christ to get to the cross; he wanted him to avoid the hard path of obedience and suffering that was his as the Messiah.
First temptation: Don't trust your Father Satan tried to persuade Jesus to use his power to avoid starvation instead of trusting his Father to give him food after the fast was over. He wanted Christ to use his divine power, rather than obey in his human strength as the representative of mankind.
Jesus responded with Scripture, quoting Deuteronomy 8:3. In effect, he said, Satan, my Father said a long time ago to the children of Israel and I say the same thing to you: man is not ultimately dependent on bread, but on Him, the creative and sustaining power of all things. He is the only indispensable source of man's life and well-being. Christ intended, no matter how hungry and weak he was, to maintain self-control and wait until his Father provided food for him.
Second temptation: Test God Satan tried to lure Jesus into creating an artificial crisis, a situation which would not happen in the normal course of obedience service to the Father. The crisis would manipulate the Father into showing his dependability. Christ responded with self-control, quoting from Scripture: "You shall not put the Lord God to the test." He was saying I'm not going to dive off to see if my Father will save me. He hasn't commanded me to do so. I would be testing and experimenting with my Father.
Third temptation: Worship me! Satan made one final attempt to derail Christ. As one author described the temptation, "Satan presented Christ with a vision of the world in which nations stood ready to abandon their idols and accept Christ as Lord ... Christ could win the world without pain—no weeping over Jerusalem, no crucifixion ...." All Jesus had to do was bow and worship Satan, acknowledging his lordship over mankind.
Christ knew that the road God had placed him on had a cross at the end of it, and he had to go all the way to the end. So, with utter self-control (unlike the first Adam), Christ, the second Adam, stood above the wilderness and cried, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written, 'Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.'" At that moment, Christ triumphed over temptation and the Tempter.
What do we learn about temptation and self-control?
1. Temptation is an invitation to take a detour and disobey God—to indulge your desires. It is an exit ramp. And sometimes when you get off on an exit, it's hard to get back on the road. By the time you do, your marriage may be gone, you may be enslaved to drugs, you may be in financial hardship, etc. Don't get off the road.
2. Temptation is inevitable. Jesus was full of the Spirit and led by the Spirit, and he had an absolutely pure heart, and yet he experienced temptation. Don't be naive to think that you are beyond temptation. Don't think it's strange that you experience temptation to do awful things. You are in spiritual warfare with the world, the flesh, and the devil. Testing and trials are the way to holiness and heaven.
3. Satan doesn't always tempt you with bad things; he tempted Jesus with bread, not booze; with safety, not sex; and with power. These were good things. Today, he tempts you to put good things in the place of first importance over God—things like friendship, family, respect, romance, financial stability, etc. If any of these things are of greater importance to you than God, they will control you. You will not have self-control, and eventually you will take the exit ramp of temptation away from God.
• If you live for human approval, people will control you.
• If you live for money or power, your greed will control you.
• If you live for pleasure, your physical desires will control you.
How do we grow in self-control, so that we are able to stay on the road?
1. You must know the Word of God well, so it is right there to counter the temptation when it comes.
2. The love of Christ for you must control you. You need to see that Christ was not just resisting temptation for himself, he was resisting temptation for you. As the second Adam, he set out to undo the results of the first Adam's fall by living a righteous life and then dying on the cross to pay the price for all the times that you lacked self-control and went off the exit ramp of temptation and into sin.
Christ loves you. That truth needs to be real to you; it needs to hem you in so that you stay on the road and fulfill your mission to love God and love others for God's glory. The Redeemer's Word and love for you must be like a video, constantly playing in your life, so that you stay on the road.
How will you respond?
Growing in self-control requires discipline. If you lack self-control, it is hard to exercise discipline.
1. Read the Word and meditate on the love of Christ for you. Do this regularly. How can your men's group encourage one another to do this?
2. In what areas do you tend to struggle most with lack of self-control? What do you need to do differently? How do you need to think differently?
Monday, May 11, 2009
Fruit of the Spirit: Meekness
We are examining the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23. The fruit of the Spirit describes the kind of character and lifestyle you are to have as a person who has the Holy Spirit. If you are walking in step with the Spirit—that is, in step with his Word—you will have real love, joy, peace patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and the quality that we are looking at this week: meekness.
Meekness is a misunderstood quality. Many people think of a meek person as a person with no backbone, a pushover, a wimp. It doesn't mean that at all. Moses and Jesus were meek—but they were not wimps!
Moses was the meekest man on earth (Numbers 12:3). He went to Pharaoh and said, "Let my people go," and, in effect, told Pharaoh to give up his entire slave labor force, which was at the heart of Egypt's military and economic superiority, to give it up without remuneration, and to do it now!
Christ described himself as meek. In Matthew 11:28-30 he said, "Come to Me, all who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will refresh you. Put My yoke on you and learn from Me; I am meek and humble in heart, and you will discover refreshment for your souls. My yoke is easy to wear and My burden is light." But we know that Christ had tremendous strength and backbone.
What is meekness? The word is used to describe a wild, powerful horse that has been tamed and is now submissive to the rider. Meekness has been described as quiet strength. The Kid Zone, (our children’s after-school program) uses the definition that "meekness is being willing to give up my rights in order to put others first. Meekness waits for God to bring about justice." Meekness is a quality that is a blend of humility, gentleness and courage or boldness. We saw it last week in Luke 7:36-50, in the story of Jesus and the forgiven prostitute. Simon didn't approve of this woman; he wanted Jesus to reject her. But instead, Jesus paid attention to her, talked with her, and assured her of his forgiveness and her faith; He acted with humility, gentleness, and boldness. Jesus didn't treat her as beneath him, even though morally, she was. This is also how he treated Judas when he washed his feet, and the three disciples when they fell asleep in the garden.
Meekness is a quality that Jesus expects you to have in your relationships with others; it is much needed. The need for meekness is clear in Galatians 6:1-2.
Galatians 6:1-2
1 Brothers, even if a person is caught in some trespass, you who have the Spirit should restore him in a spirit of meekness, watching out for yourself so that you won't be tempted too. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill Christ's law.
You need to have meekness because you have the responsibility to restore those who have fallen into sin. Christians are susceptible to falling into sin, straying from God, and really messing up their lives. It happens more than it should, and it happens to younger and older Christians alike.
For example, believers may have marriage problems and need help; someone may fall into adultery; a person may become deeply depressed; others try to escape difficult circumstances through drugs or alcohol; and some get distracted by the world and simply drift away from God. You probably know someone in trouble. Perhaps you've been there yourself.
What does God want you to do when he puts a wounded Christian friend in your path? He doesn't want you to 1) ignore them, 2) gossip about them, 3) write them off, or 4) condemn them. Rather, God wants you to work to restore them.
In Bible times, the word restore was used by doctors about setting a bone. When a broken bone was set and healed, it would become useful again—restored. Also, fishermen would use the same word about mending their ripped nets. After the nets were mended they were useful again—restored.
When a brother that you know falls into sin and away from God, God wants you to go to him, extend your hand to pull him out of the swamp of sin that he has fallen into, and help him to become useful again in the body of Christ. He has God-given gifts to be used, and without him, the rest of the body suffers.
Isn't that the responsibility of the pastor and elders? Read the verses again: "you who have the Spirit ...." Some translations say "you who are spiritual" but that simply means "those who have the Holy Spirit," which means all Christians. Now, if you are stuck in sin yourself, obviously you can't help. But otherwise you should be willing and ready to go. (If you aren't successful at extricating the erring brother, then others must be enlisted, including the elders, but that is further down the road of church discipline.)
Where does meekness fit into your responsibility to restore a fallen brother? When you go to your brother in meekness, it means you go to him in humility. You go as one sinner to another, realizing you are no better than he is; but for the grace of God, you would be in the same place. In fact, because you know you are susceptible to falling into sin, you are very wise and careful in your effort to restore your fallen brother so you won't fall into sin with him. That is humility.
Along with humility, there is gentleness. You know that the way of the transgressor is hard; he is already beaten up enough from his sinful choices. A meek person doesn't kick a person who he is down. He is gentle in his speech and in his actions (2 Tim. 2:22; 1 Cor. 4:21).
In addition to the humility and gentleness, a meek person has courage or boldness. You need courage to go to an erring brother; it is just plain hard to do! You might be afraid of how he will respond to you. If it is a friend, you might be afraid he will end the friendship—but if you are meek, you go anyway, and you courageously speak the truth in love to your fallen comrade.
How do you grow in meekness? Meekness grows in the heart of a believer who is aware of his own sinfulness and is grieved by it. This awareness of sin fosters humility and gentleness.
Meekness grows also in the heart of a believer who knows he is loved and forgiven by Christ, who was condemned in his place. Since a believer is loved, forgiven, and accepted by the Father, he knows that God is for him and with him, so he has the courage to do the work of restoring his erring brother.
Finally, meekness grows in the heart of a believer who is learning to love his neighbor as himself. Love is other-centered, so the believer who loves his fallen brother will overcome his own fear and, instead of giving in to it, find the courage and gentleness to try to rescue that brother.
How will you respond?
Discussion: "Meekness is a quality that is a blend of humility, gentleness and courage." Which of these qualities do you most need to strengthen?
Do you know someone who is caught in sin and has fallen away from God, or is drifting away? Perhaps it's a family member or someone at work. God is asking you to go. Jesus said, "Love one another as I have loved you." Jesus loved you by bearing your burden of sin on the cross and dying for it. He didn't stand by and watch you suffer under the burden of your sin. He bore it so that you could be freed from sin and able to love him and others. So like Jesus, you go, and go with meekness.
Are there specific situations where you need meekness? Pray together with the men in your group for God to help you grow in meekness.
Meekness is a misunderstood quality. Many people think of a meek person as a person with no backbone, a pushover, a wimp. It doesn't mean that at all. Moses and Jesus were meek—but they were not wimps!
Moses was the meekest man on earth (Numbers 12:3). He went to Pharaoh and said, "Let my people go," and, in effect, told Pharaoh to give up his entire slave labor force, which was at the heart of Egypt's military and economic superiority, to give it up without remuneration, and to do it now!
Christ described himself as meek. In Matthew 11:28-30 he said, "Come to Me, all who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will refresh you. Put My yoke on you and learn from Me; I am meek and humble in heart, and you will discover refreshment for your souls. My yoke is easy to wear and My burden is light." But we know that Christ had tremendous strength and backbone.
What is meekness? The word is used to describe a wild, powerful horse that has been tamed and is now submissive to the rider. Meekness has been described as quiet strength. The Kid Zone, (our children’s after-school program) uses the definition that "meekness is being willing to give up my rights in order to put others first. Meekness waits for God to bring about justice." Meekness is a quality that is a blend of humility, gentleness and courage or boldness. We saw it last week in Luke 7:36-50, in the story of Jesus and the forgiven prostitute. Simon didn't approve of this woman; he wanted Jesus to reject her. But instead, Jesus paid attention to her, talked with her, and assured her of his forgiveness and her faith; He acted with humility, gentleness, and boldness. Jesus didn't treat her as beneath him, even though morally, she was. This is also how he treated Judas when he washed his feet, and the three disciples when they fell asleep in the garden.
Meekness is a quality that Jesus expects you to have in your relationships with others; it is much needed. The need for meekness is clear in Galatians 6:1-2.
Galatians 6:1-2
1 Brothers, even if a person is caught in some trespass, you who have the Spirit should restore him in a spirit of meekness, watching out for yourself so that you won't be tempted too. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill Christ's law.
You need to have meekness because you have the responsibility to restore those who have fallen into sin. Christians are susceptible to falling into sin, straying from God, and really messing up their lives. It happens more than it should, and it happens to younger and older Christians alike.
For example, believers may have marriage problems and need help; someone may fall into adultery; a person may become deeply depressed; others try to escape difficult circumstances through drugs or alcohol; and some get distracted by the world and simply drift away from God. You probably know someone in trouble. Perhaps you've been there yourself.
What does God want you to do when he puts a wounded Christian friend in your path? He doesn't want you to 1) ignore them, 2) gossip about them, 3) write them off, or 4) condemn them. Rather, God wants you to work to restore them.
In Bible times, the word restore was used by doctors about setting a bone. When a broken bone was set and healed, it would become useful again—restored. Also, fishermen would use the same word about mending their ripped nets. After the nets were mended they were useful again—restored.
When a brother that you know falls into sin and away from God, God wants you to go to him, extend your hand to pull him out of the swamp of sin that he has fallen into, and help him to become useful again in the body of Christ. He has God-given gifts to be used, and without him, the rest of the body suffers.
Isn't that the responsibility of the pastor and elders? Read the verses again: "you who have the Spirit ...." Some translations say "you who are spiritual" but that simply means "those who have the Holy Spirit," which means all Christians. Now, if you are stuck in sin yourself, obviously you can't help. But otherwise you should be willing and ready to go. (If you aren't successful at extricating the erring brother, then others must be enlisted, including the elders, but that is further down the road of church discipline.)
Where does meekness fit into your responsibility to restore a fallen brother? When you go to your brother in meekness, it means you go to him in humility. You go as one sinner to another, realizing you are no better than he is; but for the grace of God, you would be in the same place. In fact, because you know you are susceptible to falling into sin, you are very wise and careful in your effort to restore your fallen brother so you won't fall into sin with him. That is humility.
Along with humility, there is gentleness. You know that the way of the transgressor is hard; he is already beaten up enough from his sinful choices. A meek person doesn't kick a person who he is down. He is gentle in his speech and in his actions (2 Tim. 2:22; 1 Cor. 4:21).
In addition to the humility and gentleness, a meek person has courage or boldness. You need courage to go to an erring brother; it is just plain hard to do! You might be afraid of how he will respond to you. If it is a friend, you might be afraid he will end the friendship—but if you are meek, you go anyway, and you courageously speak the truth in love to your fallen comrade.
How do you grow in meekness? Meekness grows in the heart of a believer who is aware of his own sinfulness and is grieved by it. This awareness of sin fosters humility and gentleness.
Meekness grows also in the heart of a believer who knows he is loved and forgiven by Christ, who was condemned in his place. Since a believer is loved, forgiven, and accepted by the Father, he knows that God is for him and with him, so he has the courage to do the work of restoring his erring brother.
Finally, meekness grows in the heart of a believer who is learning to love his neighbor as himself. Love is other-centered, so the believer who loves his fallen brother will overcome his own fear and, instead of giving in to it, find the courage and gentleness to try to rescue that brother.
How will you respond?
Discussion: "Meekness is a quality that is a blend of humility, gentleness and courage." Which of these qualities do you most need to strengthen?
Do you know someone who is caught in sin and has fallen away from God, or is drifting away? Perhaps it's a family member or someone at work. God is asking you to go. Jesus said, "Love one another as I have loved you." Jesus loved you by bearing your burden of sin on the cross and dying for it. He didn't stand by and watch you suffer under the burden of your sin. He bore it so that you could be freed from sin and able to love him and others. So like Jesus, you go, and go with meekness.
Are there specific situations where you need meekness? Pray together with the men in your group for God to help you grow in meekness.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Fruit of the Spirit: Kindness and Goodness
We are in the midst of a study on the fruit of the Spirit. Each week, from a different passage, we've looked at one facet of this jewel that is produced, ultimately, by the Holy Spirit. This week we will examine two closely-related facets of this beautiful jewel: kindness and goodness.
Kindness is a thoughtful, considerate disposition that a believer has toward a person; goodness is the concrete expression of that kindness in deeds. To put it another way, "goodness is out outgoing expression of a kind spirit."
The words "kindness" and "goodness" don't appear in our passage, but Christ and the Sinful Woman clearly and beautifully display them. Simon the Pharisee displays the opposite. Remember, love is the sum and source of the other qualities that make up the fruit of the Spirit, so when love is present, some measure of the other qualities is present also. Wherever real, Spirit-wrought love is found there will be kindness and goodness, and that is what we find in this story.
Luke 7:36-50
36 One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table. 37 And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, 38and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. 39Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner." 40And Jesus answering said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he answered, "Say it, Teacher."
41"A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?" 43Simon answered, "The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt." And he said to him, "You have judged rightly." 44Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little." 48And he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." 49Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, "Who is this, who even forgives sins?" 50And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
To understand this story, we have to know some of the customs of that day. This was probably a nice home constructed around a central courtyard where formal meals were served. The guests were reclining around a table on low couches, their feet extended away from the table. As the host, Simon should have shown the following courtesies to Jesus: place his hand on Jesus' shoulder and give him the kiss of peace on the cheek; have his sandals removed and his feet washed; anoint Jesus with a touch of olive oil. Since none of these kindnesses was shown, so Simon showed himself to be a rude and unkind host.
Another custom was that visitors would come in off the streets and sit around the courtyard wall to observe the happenings and, perhaps, even carry on conversation with the guests. Typically, a lot of folks were coming and going. One such visitor was the woman in our passage. Luke calls her a "sinner." Either she was married to a prominent sinner, or she herself was notorious for some sinful lifestyle. Many believe she was a prostitute. Whatever the reason for her status as a sinner, she was not welcome in the Pharisee's home. You can imagine the shock and the whispers, "Oh, look who's here! Can you believe her audacity, to come in here?"
Why did she come? She was grateful! She had met Jesus before, she had heard the good news about how she could be cleansed of all her sin, and that's what had happened to her. So she went to Jesus and stood at his feet. The tears began to flow from her eyes onto his dusty feet. The tears kept flowing and flowing; then she fell to her knees, unbound her hair (a no-no for a Jewish woman), and wiped the tear-drenched feet of Jesus. The text says she repeatedly kissed his feet and then she took an alabaster vial of expensive perfume and anointed Jesus' feet.
Can you picture this woman? She was unashamedly crying, her nose was running, her hair was a mess. She was a wreck. But what she did was truly an act of goodness, flowing from a heart of kindness and love for Jesus, and out of the kindness of his heart, Jesus welcomed her goodness, which was given to him without any concern for what Simon and the others would think.
Simon the Pharisee, however, didn't like what he witnessed at all. He sat there and complained to himself. He assumed that if Jesus knew who the woman was he would have sent her away.
Jesus confronted Simon with a parable about two debtors who couldn't repay their debts. Simon understood that the debtor who was forgiven the most would love the most. Then Jesus drew the comparison, point by point, between Simon and the sinful woman. Simon didn’t wash Jesus’ feet, but the sinful woman washed his feet and wiped them with her hair; Simon didn’t give Jesus the kiss of peace, but the woman hadn’t stopped kissing his feet since she came in; Simon didn’t anoint his head with oil, but she anointed Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume.
Jesus drew the conclusion for Simon: The woman is the 500 denarii debtor. She recognized “her sins are many,” and because she was forgiven fully, she displayed such love and kindness to me. But the reason you don’t have any love for me and have been everything but kind is that you don’t recognize your sin, and you have never been forgiven. What a powerful blow to this religious conformist!
Jesus affirms the woman’s faith. Your sins have been forgiven (your love for me has made that clear); your faith has saved you. Then he sends her on her way.
Here are powerful and challenging truths:
Great love, kindness, and goodness flow from the realization that you have been forgiven a great debt by Jesus. If you appreciate the extent of your sin—and on the other hand know the extent of Christ’s love for you in forgiveness—you will love much. Acts of goodness flow from a heart mellowed with kindness.
Sometimes we don’t have a strong sense of our sinfulness because we don’t look below the surface. Outwardly, you may look pretty good, but what about the pride, selfishness, lust, bitterness, impatience, etc.? When you become aware of some of your heart attitudes, your sinfulness becomes apparent.
Being kind and doing good things are evidence of your faith, not the cause of it, and give one assurance of his faith. Notice in v. 50, Jesus says to the woman, “Your faith has saved you.” In v. 47 he says, “…her many sins have been forgiven, for she loved much ….” In other words, the evidence of her having been saved and forgiven was her great love and kindness.
Our world needs to see and experience your kindness and goodness. In many respects, you live in a harsh world. You hear of horrendous crimes regularly; you hear of political infighting and scandals; you hear of harshness, meanness, and spite everywhere. As those who have been shown the kindness and goodness of Jesus, we must follow in his steps and show kindness and goodness to others.
How will you respond?
Do you know someone who is an example of kindness and goodness? How can you imitate his or her example?
Can you think of times in the last week that you have been unkind? How have you fallen short ? How could you have behaved differently?
With the men in your group, discuss specific ways you can show more kindness and goodness to others—your spouse, your family, your co-workers, your neighbors.
Kindness is a thoughtful, considerate disposition that a believer has toward a person; goodness is the concrete expression of that kindness in deeds. To put it another way, "goodness is out outgoing expression of a kind spirit."
The words "kindness" and "goodness" don't appear in our passage, but Christ and the Sinful Woman clearly and beautifully display them. Simon the Pharisee displays the opposite. Remember, love is the sum and source of the other qualities that make up the fruit of the Spirit, so when love is present, some measure of the other qualities is present also. Wherever real, Spirit-wrought love is found there will be kindness and goodness, and that is what we find in this story.
Luke 7:36-50
36 One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table. 37 And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, 38and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. 39Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner." 40And Jesus answering said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he answered, "Say it, Teacher."
41"A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?" 43Simon answered, "The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt." And he said to him, "You have judged rightly." 44Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little." 48And he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." 49Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, "Who is this, who even forgives sins?" 50And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
To understand this story, we have to know some of the customs of that day. This was probably a nice home constructed around a central courtyard where formal meals were served. The guests were reclining around a table on low couches, their feet extended away from the table. As the host, Simon should have shown the following courtesies to Jesus: place his hand on Jesus' shoulder and give him the kiss of peace on the cheek; have his sandals removed and his feet washed; anoint Jesus with a touch of olive oil. Since none of these kindnesses was shown, so Simon showed himself to be a rude and unkind host.
Another custom was that visitors would come in off the streets and sit around the courtyard wall to observe the happenings and, perhaps, even carry on conversation with the guests. Typically, a lot of folks were coming and going. One such visitor was the woman in our passage. Luke calls her a "sinner." Either she was married to a prominent sinner, or she herself was notorious for some sinful lifestyle. Many believe she was a prostitute. Whatever the reason for her status as a sinner, she was not welcome in the Pharisee's home. You can imagine the shock and the whispers, "Oh, look who's here! Can you believe her audacity, to come in here?"
Why did she come? She was grateful! She had met Jesus before, she had heard the good news about how she could be cleansed of all her sin, and that's what had happened to her. So she went to Jesus and stood at his feet. The tears began to flow from her eyes onto his dusty feet. The tears kept flowing and flowing; then she fell to her knees, unbound her hair (a no-no for a Jewish woman), and wiped the tear-drenched feet of Jesus. The text says she repeatedly kissed his feet and then she took an alabaster vial of expensive perfume and anointed Jesus' feet.
Can you picture this woman? She was unashamedly crying, her nose was running, her hair was a mess. She was a wreck. But what she did was truly an act of goodness, flowing from a heart of kindness and love for Jesus, and out of the kindness of his heart, Jesus welcomed her goodness, which was given to him without any concern for what Simon and the others would think.
Simon the Pharisee, however, didn't like what he witnessed at all. He sat there and complained to himself. He assumed that if Jesus knew who the woman was he would have sent her away.
Jesus confronted Simon with a parable about two debtors who couldn't repay their debts. Simon understood that the debtor who was forgiven the most would love the most. Then Jesus drew the comparison, point by point, between Simon and the sinful woman. Simon didn’t wash Jesus’ feet, but the sinful woman washed his feet and wiped them with her hair; Simon didn’t give Jesus the kiss of peace, but the woman hadn’t stopped kissing his feet since she came in; Simon didn’t anoint his head with oil, but she anointed Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume.
Jesus drew the conclusion for Simon: The woman is the 500 denarii debtor. She recognized “her sins are many,” and because she was forgiven fully, she displayed such love and kindness to me. But the reason you don’t have any love for me and have been everything but kind is that you don’t recognize your sin, and you have never been forgiven. What a powerful blow to this religious conformist!
Jesus affirms the woman’s faith. Your sins have been forgiven (your love for me has made that clear); your faith has saved you. Then he sends her on her way.
Here are powerful and challenging truths:
Great love, kindness, and goodness flow from the realization that you have been forgiven a great debt by Jesus. If you appreciate the extent of your sin—and on the other hand know the extent of Christ’s love for you in forgiveness—you will love much. Acts of goodness flow from a heart mellowed with kindness.
Sometimes we don’t have a strong sense of our sinfulness because we don’t look below the surface. Outwardly, you may look pretty good, but what about the pride, selfishness, lust, bitterness, impatience, etc.? When you become aware of some of your heart attitudes, your sinfulness becomes apparent.
Being kind and doing good things are evidence of your faith, not the cause of it, and give one assurance of his faith. Notice in v. 50, Jesus says to the woman, “Your faith has saved you.” In v. 47 he says, “…her many sins have been forgiven, for she loved much ….” In other words, the evidence of her having been saved and forgiven was her great love and kindness.
Our world needs to see and experience your kindness and goodness. In many respects, you live in a harsh world. You hear of horrendous crimes regularly; you hear of political infighting and scandals; you hear of harshness, meanness, and spite everywhere. As those who have been shown the kindness and goodness of Jesus, we must follow in his steps and show kindness and goodness to others.
How will you respond?
Do you know someone who is an example of kindness and goodness? How can you imitate his or her example?
Can you think of times in the last week that you have been unkind? How have you fallen short ? How could you have behaved differently?
With the men in your group, discuss specific ways you can show more kindness and goodness to others—your spouse, your family, your co-workers, your neighbors.
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