Sermon Notes, July 24, 2016
Rev.
Garry McGlinchy
The third sermon in Pastor Garry’s
sermon series on the fruits of the Spirit, based on Galatians 5:22-23 was
titled “The Fruits of the Spirit: Patience, Kindness and Goodness.” All of these, patience, kindness, and
goodness, are based on love, on how we treat each other.
Jesus told the story of the Good
Samaritan (Luke 5:10-37), in which we find examples of what patience, kindness
and goodness are, and what they are not.
The priest in the story, a religious leader on his way to serve his
once- or twice-yearly duty in the temple who couldn’t afford to help the man
who was beaten because he would be ceremonially unclean and unfit for duty if
he touched someone in that condition. He
passed by, leaving the man alone. The
Levite, another religious leader, followed his example, and passed by the man
without helping also. These are examples
of what patience, kindness and goodness are NOT. If you are a follower of Christ, you are the
religious leader, priest, rabbi, or pastor of your home. They are watching you, as the Levite watched
the priest. Coincidences don’t just
happen: you are where you are for a reason.
The Samaritan, on the other
hand, is an example of what these virtues ARE.
He stopped to help. He probably
had a schedule to keep, but he stopped anyway. He treated the man’s injuries and bandaged
them, put the man on his donkey, and took him to an inn. This is an example of kindness and goodness. The next day the Samaritan gave money to the
innkeeper to take care of the injured man, and promised to pay him the rest
when he returns. This was not a quick
fix: it is an example of patience. We
have people in our lives who are spiritually hemorrhaging; God put us in their
lives to bandage their wounds and nurture them to spiritual health. Jesus said that in everything, we are to do to
others what we would have them do to us; this sums up the law and the prophets.
(Matthew 7:12)
How are we to treat others? Read Ephesians 4:17-5:20 this week. Here are
some things we are to do: verse 25 says to put off falsehood, verse 26 says not
to sin in our anger, verses 29 says not to let unholy talk come out of your
mouth, verse 30 says not to grieve the Holy Spirit, verse 31 says to get rid of
bitterness, rage, anger, brawling and slander, and verse 32 says to be kind and
compassionate to each other, forgiving as God forgives us. Paul showed kindness and goodness, even in
his letter-writing. James 3 advises us
to control our tongues.
Are we patient? We are to
control our reactions. How? It goes back to our own relationship with our
Creator. Start your day with God, and it
will be easier to follow His commands.
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