Sunday Inspiration: Sunday, August 18, 2024
Fruit of the Spirit: Patience, Kindness, Goodness
There is a story in scripture about a leper who came to Jesus begging to be healed. The Bible says Jesus “stretched out his hand and touched him, saying,’I am willing. Be made clean!’ Immediately, his skin disease was cleansed (Matthew 8:3).
One of the empowering parts of the story is how the leper approached Jesus. He told Jesus, “If you choose, you can make me clean.” And Jesus responds, “I do choose.”
This story not only speaks to God's love for those whom the world considered untouchable but also about how Jesus chose at that moment to offer a solution to the problem.
As followers of Jesus, we choose how to respond to those around us. We choose to be beacons of light in a dark world and bringers of love and hope in a world filled with hate and hopelessness.
From what I read online, Christians today are choosing to let everyone know what they are against and use their faith as a weapon. Fear-mongering is the hand everyone plays when it comes to letting people know what they believe. Create enough division and a “us versus them” theology, and you can gain a following.
There are two ways to live in the world: We can choose to contribute to its problems or its solutions. The Apostle Paul begins Galatians 5 by saying, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5: 1). He then later says that we were indeed called to freedom but “do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” (Galatians 5: 13).
The entire law is summed up in “love of neighbor.” And then he says, “If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other” (Galatians 5: 15).
If we continue to be defined by who we are against and use our faith as a weapon, it won’t be long until we are indeed destroyed by one another.
I refuse to accept that as the way of Christ.
Last week, we began this new series on the Fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I invite you to say it with me: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
We explored the first three last week: love, joy, and peace. In our commitment to live out the fruit of the Spirit, we said, “I will walk in the Spirit, loving others by spreading joy and carrying peace in my heart.”
Today, we will reflect on the following three: patience, kindness, and goodness.
I want us to consider what each of these is and what it would look like for someone who might be faking it. I have in front of me two specific fruits. One is fake, the other is real, one is plastic, and the other is natural. Can you tell which one is which? Would you like to come and do a taste test?
As difficult as it is to figure out which fruit is real and which is fake, the same can be said about those who try to fake the fruit of the Spirit in their life.
Patience. I failed my first driver’s test attempt when I turned sixteen. Have I told you that story? I was so excited to get my license. I arrived early at the old state patrol office on Cleveland Hwy. I was confident I would be leaving there as a newly licensed driver in Georgia.
Do you want to hear how I failed? On the course behind the building, I came to a rolling stop at my first stop sign. I went across the median and turned left. The course instructor – I can still see her face after all this time – turned to me and told me to go back to the building. Once we were parked, she asked me if I knew what I had done wrong. I replied that I didn’t. She said we would have been involved in a head-on collision if we were on an actual road. I lacked patience. More than that, I tried to fake my way through by telling the instructor that she was mistaken.
Fake patience shows up through deliberate distraction. We all do it. We force ourselves to stay busy on meaningless tasks to avoid dealing with whatever is tempting our patience. We distract ourselves with binge-watching or mindless scrolling to divert our attention from whatever tests our patience.
In the letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul encourages the readers to live into what it means to be a follower of Jesus by being patient, “bearing with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2). Patience gives people grace to grow. In his first description of love in 1 Corinthians 13, the apostle Paul says, “Love is patient.” Love is not rushed. Love respects the journey that each person is on. It means not being quick to anger. Patience is resting in the confidence that God knows best.
The second fruit is kindness. Fake kindness shows up as manipulative kindness. It is doing something for someone that makes you look kind but doing it to get something in return. It can even be done to gain control or influence over someone. You can hear fake kindness when someone says, “Well, I did this for you,” or “I was nice to you.”
I was walking along a street in Atlanta one day with a friend, and a homeless man approached us. My friend gave the man a couple of dollars. I said to him as we walked, “You know that money will likely be used for drugs or alcohol.”
My friend replied, “You may be right. If he does that with what I gave him, it says something about his character. But knowing someone in need and choosing not to help when I can says something about my character.”
Throughout the Bible, God's kindness is highlighted as a central attribute of God’s character, and followers of Jesus are called to reflect this kindness in our relationships with others.
The Bible says, “As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience” (Colossians 3:12).
The third characteristic is goodness. Fake goodness shows up in a couple of ways. We see fake goodness in moral posturing. Moral posturing is about projecting the image of goodness but not caring about the virtue itself. The focus is on being seen as good more than actually being good.
Another way fake goodness shows up is selective goodness. It is when someone chooses to act uprightly with one group of people but does something different with someone else. It could also be when someone acts good in public but immoral in private.
In Matthew 7:16, Jesus says, “By their fruit, you will recognize them." A person portraying fake fruit won’t last forever. It is a life that lacks substance. Fake fruit requires a lot of work on our behalf to keep up the appearance. Genuine fruit is the work of the Spirit in us. It is letting the Lord be the master gardener of our soul.
I started this message by saying there are two ways to live in the world: We can choose to contribute to its problems or solutions. If you want to be someone who bears genuine fruit and lives an authentic life, you must pay attention to what fruit you are cultivating. Is it genuine, life-sustaining, or is it fake fruit?
To cultivate genuine fruit, we must be like the tree planted by streams of water. Genuine fruit comes from a heart that delights in God and seeks to live according to His ways. It’s about consistency in our walk with God, not just moments of outward piety.
The Psalmist declares that the person who delights in the Lord and lives by God’s direction is like “trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither” (Psalm 1:3).
Reflect on your daily interactions and how you show patience, kindness, and goodness. Are these qualities genuine and consistent, or do they sometimes feel forced or inauthentic? Let’s commit to living out the Fruit of the Spirit with authenticity. Examine your heart and ask yourself where you may rely on fake patience, kindness, or goodness.
Choose today to be more patient with a difficult person, show kindness without expecting anything in return, and pursue goodness in both public and private. Let your actions reflect the true nature of Christ. Amen.
Pastor Jamey
(Click Here to Watch the Worship Service from Gainesville First United Methodist Church, Gainesville, Georgia)
Discussion Questions
In what ways do we, as modern Christians, have the power to choose how we respond to the needs and challenges around us? How can we be beacons of light in a dark world?
The sermon contrasts genuine spiritual fruit with fake versions. How can you discern whether your patience, kindness, and goodness are authentic or superficial?
Patience was described as giving people grace to grow and not being quick to anger. How do you practice patience daily, and where do you struggle?
Kindness can sometimes be manipulative, with an expectation of something in return. How can we ensure that our acts of kindness are genuine and selfless?
The sermon mentioned moral posturing and selective goodness as examples of fake goodness. Have you ever encountered or been tempted by these in your own life? How did you respond?
The sermon challenges us to reflect on whether our faith is marked by who we are against or how we love others. How can we shift our focus to more effectively living out the love of Christ?
Prayer
Lord, we dedicate our lives to you, asking that today's words take root in our hearts and bear fruit. May we be like trees planted by streams of water, yielding fruit in season and with leaves that do not wither. Let our lives reflect Your patience, kindness, and goodness toward us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Benediction
May the Holy Spirit empower you to bear the true fruit of patience, kindness, and goodness in every interaction. May you walk in the freedom and fullness of the Spirit, living out your faith with authenticity and joy. Amen.
