Tough Questions Week 2

For all Tough Question posts, click HERE. 

Week 2 of "How Do I Answer Tough Questions?  Conscience and DIscernible Issues?"  focused on "Conscience:  What is it?  Why is it important?"

HERE is the link to the lesson worksheet.  
HERE is the link to the Conscience Verses sheet.

This is why the graphic for the class is a Check Engine light.

We don't want to ignore our conscience like some might with a Check Engine light.
At the same time, there may be times when we have to get the Check Engine light recalibrated and fixed because it is not working correctly.  

The definition Naselli & Crowley give is "The conscience is your consciousness of what you believe is right or wrong." (Conscience:  What is it, How to train it, and Loving those who differ)

They go on to share three important truths about our consciences. First, "conscience produces different results for people based on different moral standards." No one's conscience is perfect.  Second, "conscience can change."  As an individual experiences life and learns, that person's conscience changes.  Finally, "conscience functions as a guide, monitor, witness, and judge."  The conscience is not Lord.

The conscience can be positive- blameless, clear, clean, pure, washed, sprinkled clean. 
The conscience can be negative - weak, wounded, defiled, encouraged to sin, evil, and seared.

 As we think about discernible issues, we must remember that "your conscience is not identical to the voice of God."  (61)

Resources

Podcast:  https://www.crossway.org/articles/podcast-mind-your-own-conscience-and-love-your-neighbor-andy-naselli-and-j-d-crowley/
Article:  12 Principles on How to Disagree with Other Christians
Article:  How Reliable Is Your Conscience?

A Prayer from Conscience (p. 116-117)

Father, we are finite and sinful people, and for a complex of reasons that you know far better than we do, we disagree with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ on all sorts of disputable matters.

1. Would you please give us grace to welcome those who disagree with us on various disputable issues?
2. Would you please give us grace to not look down on those who are stricter than we are?
3. Would you please give us grace to not be judgmental toward those who exercise more freedom than we do?
4. Would you please give us grace to be fully convinced of our positions in our own consciences?
5. Would you please give us the grace to practice our freedoms and restrictions for your glory and to assume that other believers are doing the same?
6. Would you please give us the grace to keep disputable matters in perspective, knowing that we will all someday stand before your judgment seat?
7. Would you please give us the grace to grace to not let our freedom destroy the faith of a professing Christian who is weaker on a particular disputable matter?
8. Would you please give us grace to build each other up in righteousness, peace, and joy?
9. Would you please give us grace to not flaunt our freedom or expect others to be as strict as we are?
10. Would you please give us the grace to live according to our conscience and experience your blessing?
11. Would you please give us grace to follow the example of Christ, who put others first?
12. Would you please give use grace to bring you glory by welcoming one another as Christ has welcomed us?

Lord, we are weak and selfish.  We need so much endurance and encouragement to live with our brothers and sisters in this way of peace.  You are the God of endurance and encouragement.  Please grant us to live in such harmony with one another and in accord with Christ Jesus that together we may, with one voice, glorify you, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  

Amen.

Tough Questions Week 1

For all Tough Question posts, click HERE. 

Week 1 of "How Do I Answer Tough Questions?  Conscience and Discernible Issues?" focused on Romans 14 and 15 and asked, "What have we been learning?"

This class originates from the last six sermons of our current Romans series and questions from the Spring 2024 Evangelism class.

HERE is the link to the lesson worksheet.  

The SERMON NOTEBOOK has six sermon review questions to help think about past sermons.
You can see the questions on this week's lesson sheet - HERE

 Most of the class time was spent reviewing the Romans's sermons on discernment.  Here are a couple of reminders from each of the sermons.

1.  Romans 14:1—4

Our unity should be based on Christ not our preferences.  The unity gives greater to Christ because we are focused on Him and not worldly preferences and desires.

 2. Romans 14:5—12

3. Romans 14:13—18

Remember, God rules.  We submit.

4. Romans 14:19—23

This peace and mutual edification take effort  We must pursue it (ESV).

5. Romans 15:1—6

The strong brother must not just tolerate the weaker brother.  He must help him grow.  Verse 2 states "each of us is to please his neighbor."  The verse and surrounding verses this is done for the edification, building up, of others for the glory of God. 

6. Romans 15:7—13

Would you like Jesus to accept you in the measure you accept others OR in the way he did?

HERE is the Romans' Love Chart given in class.

For this class, and for handling discernible begin this class, there are four expectations.

1.  Prayerful.  Knowing we need the Lord's wisdom.

2.  Humble.  Knowing our goal in everything should be to glorify God, not win arguments.

3. Loving. Knowing the amazing love God has shown us through Jesus Christ should be reflected in how we interact with others.

4. Biblical.  Knowing the truth is found in God's Word, not this world's philosophies.

 

New Morning Mercies

Today, I am privileged to be at Cornerstone University's Church Ministry Fair.

In praying and thinking about this opportunity, I pray that students at Cornerstone or any other college will pursue opportunities to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ, personally and with other believers.

This morning, at Cornerstone, I want to let students know about Trinity Baptist Church and, even more than that, encourage them to get plugged into a Bible-preaching local church. Not just showing up on Sunday mornings but looking for opportunities to be encouraged and to encourage others.

The gathering together of believers reminds us that we are weak and were created for fellowship.

Forsaking the gathering together of believers demonstrates an independent, self-centered mindset.  

Also, each of us needs to seek ways to grow closer to Christ personally. 

This begins with being in the prayer and the Word. 
A help is Bible-centered books and devotionals that point us to Christ.

One devotional book that has been so helpful to me has been New Morning Mercies by Paul Tripp.

Here is the August 30th devotional that focuses on pride.

Grace smashes your pride, but it gives you more reason for confidence than you have ever had before. 

It is a statement of complete assurance and confidence, spoken by a man whose pride had just been smashed. 

Nebuchadnezzar was the arrogant king of the conquering nation of Babylon. He not only had devastated Judah and taken its people as his captive servants, but he had taken implements from the temple to be used as tools of idol worship, which he commanded everyone in his kingdom to render or face death. The extent of his pride is captured by these words: “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” (Dan. 4:30). But while the words were still in his mouth, he was dramatically humiliated by the One who alone has true glory and majesty. By the power of God, Nebuchadnezzar was “driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws” (v. 33). 

The pride of the king had been destroyed by the finger of God. We don’t know for sure how long Nebuchadnezzar was in that humiliated, animalistic state, but we do know that when he rose out of it and his senses returned, his choking arrogance had been replaced with confidence. Are you confused at the distinction? Well, read these words and compare them to what Nebuchadnezzar had said before: 

At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to me. My counselors and my lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the king of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble. (Dan. 4:36–37) 

Nebuchadnezzar was confident in the position and power he had been given, but the old pride had been broken. You can see this in the fact that what he once took credit for building, he now praised God for establishing. Nebuchadnezzar did not minimize or deny the power and splendor of his reign, but he did not say as he once would have said, “This is from me, about me, and for me.” You see, pride takes credit for what it could not achieve on its own, while confidence stands strong because it recognizes the power and presence of One greater. Only divine grace can lead you from one to the other. 

For further study and encouragement: Ephesians 3:7–8  

"Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,"

 

Self-Control

This final lesson in our summer Marks of a Christian study is on Self-Control.

Mark's notes from this morning's class.

Definition of Self-Control

“Self-Control is simply that important, impressive and nearly impossible and nearly impossible practice of learning to maintain control of the beast of one’s own sinful passions. It means remaining master of your own domain not only in the hunky-dory but also when faced with trial or temptation..” www.desiringgod.org/articles/self-control-and-the-power-of-christ by John Piper 

The Greek term "enkrateia," used in the New Testament, means "power over oneself."

Self-Control as a fruit of the Spirit: (Galatians 5:22-23)

Self-control is necessary because it is essential for Christian living and reflects Christian character.

The Biblical foundations of self-control are found in the Old Testament and New Testament.

In the wisdom literature, especially Proverbs much is written about self-control.

Proverbs 25:28: “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.”  

Proverbs 16:32: “Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self - control than one who takes a city.”

• 
  

Jesus is the ultimate model of self-control.

Luke 4:1-13: Jesus resisted the devil's temptation in the wilderness, exemplifying perfect self-control through reliance on God, the Holy Spirit, and the Word of God..

Matthew 26:39: In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus submitted to God's will over His own desire, demonstrating ultimate Self-control even in the face of suffering.

In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Paul writes

Peter emphasizes self-control in an effective and productive life (2 Peter 1:5-6).

When taking a practical look at self-control, it is important to consider areas that require it, strategies for developing it, its challenges, and its rewards.

The class looked at these areas.

• ________ and _______________ (James 3:2-10)
• Emotions, Particularly Anger (Ephesians 4:26-27; Proverbs 16:32)
• Physical Desires (1 Corinthians 6:18-20)
• Financial Stewardship (1 Timothy 6:6-10)

These strategies for developing self-control

• Prayer and Reliance on the Holy Spirit (Philippians 4:6-7)
• Accountability Within the Christian Community (James 5:16)
• Meditating on Scripture (Psalm 119:9-11)
• Fasting as a Discipline for Spiritual Strength (Matthew 6:16-18)

Here are some, but not all, challenges to self-control

• Temptation and the Flesh
• Understanding the Battle Between the Flesh and the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-17)
• Recognizing Common Temptations (1 Corinthians 10:13)
• Overcoming Weaknesses
• God’s Provision of Grace and Strength (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
• The Role of Repentance and Renewal (1 John 1:9)

The Rewards of Self-Control are eternal.

• Spiritual Growth and Maturity
• Becoming More Like Christ (Romans 8:29)
• Bearing Fruit in Every Good Work (Colossians 1:10)
• Peace and Stability in Life
• Avoidance of Destructive Behaviors (Proverbs 25:28)
• Living a Life of Integrity and Honor (Proverbs 4:23-27)

Self-control is a lifelong journey. Hebrews 12:1 - 2 talks about persistence and perseverance in the Christian Walk. God's continued within us builds trust, according to Philippians 1:6.

B. Encouragement to Self-Control

Final Exhortation to Practice Self-Control as Part of a Godly Life (2 Timothy 1:7)

Assurance of God’s Help and Grace (Titus 2:11-12)

“Watch your self-control,  be Christ-Controlled!”

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Additional Notes from The Fruitful Life

Self-control is "controlling one's self and governing our desires."

Bethune writes that self-control is "the healthful regulation of our desires and appetites, preventing their excess."

Self-control is necessary because we are at war with our own sinful desires.

Some Bible verses about self-control are James 1:14, 1 Peter 2:11, Ephesians 4:22.

Self-control is an essential character trait of the godly person that enables obedience to the will of the Lord Jesus.

More than sound judgment is required.  Inner strength is also essential.

Self-control is the exercise of inner strength under sound judgment that enables us to do, think, and say the things that please God.

Self-control of the body should be aimed primarily at three areas of physical temptation:  gluttony, laziness, and sexual immorality or impurity.

Most of us tend to overindulge in the food God has so graciously provided for us.

God's standard for sexual self-control is absolute abstinence outside of marriage

2 Corinthians 10:5
Philippians 4:8

People seldom fall suddenly into gluttony or immorality.  These actions are savored in the mind long before they are enjoyed.  The thought life is our first line of defense in the battle of self-control.

Proverbs 16:32

The emphasis is the struggle for self-control shou

The beginning of self-mastery is to be mastered by Christ, to yield to his Lordship.

True spiritual self-discipline holds believers in bounds but never in bounds.  Its effect is to enlarge, expand, and liberate.

Yes, That Verse On That Day

Yes, on Josiah's move-in day at the University of Michigan, we read a devotional on Jeremiah 29:11.

This is the verse Josiah shared as his favorite verse in football and basketball.  If you know about Josiah's football and basketball seasons this year, you will understand how we pray he will remember and live out the devotional below.

Before reading this devotional, I encourage you to take out your Bible.  Don't open up an app or website.  Get a physical Bible and use it while reading this devotional from 100 Bible Verses Everyone Should Know By Heart

Jeremiah 29:11

 “For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

Here’s a verse you often see on wall plaques. It’s sometimes inscribed in beautiful calligraphy or printed over soaring pictures of eagles. It’s found on coffee mugs and decorative plates. But few people have studied its context. 

Jeremiah 29 is a letter Jeremiah sent to displaced Jewish captives who’d been dragged from their homes and resettled in refugee camps in Babylon. Other prophets were claiming God would perform a miracle and deliver the nation of Judah as He’d done in the past. Jeremiah’s message was the opposite, saying in effect: “The Lord will not save us this time. Our sins have so alienated us from Him that only judgment is left. And yet even the judgment of God is merciful. It may take seventy years, but God will reestablish our nation, and His ultimate plans are undeterred. His purposes are stubborn things and will win in the end.” It’s in this context we find verse 11. 

Here’s a simple study guide for the passage, which will aid in understanding and memorizing the key verse. After giving the background in verses 1–3, Jeremiah advises the exiles: 

1. Make the best of things (vv. 4–6). Settle down, decide you’re in for the long haul, go on with life, and make the best of it. Build houses. Plant gardens. Get married. Have children. Be hopeful. Don’t give up. You may not be where you want to be, but make the most of where you are. Don’t spend your years wishing that something had or hadn’t happened. Don’t be consumed by things you cannot change. Just settle down and do the best you possibly can where you are. 
2. Pray where you are (v. 7). Pray for the nation in which you’re "exiled." Pray for the shalom of the country where you’re located. Lift up your surrounding circumstances by prayer. 
3. Beware the wrong voices (vv. 8–9). Don’t listen to false hope or ungodly messages. 
4. Take the long view (v. 10). At this point, Jeremiah gives his famous prophecy that after seventy years, God would bring the captives of Judah back and restore the nation of Israel. Our long-term prospects are always better than our immediate conditions. 

Get hopeful about God’s plans (v. 11). This is our key text, our memory verse. 

Seek the Lord above all (vv. 13–14). The next couple of verses remind us that since God has plans to prosper us and to give us hope and a future, we must seek Him with all our hearts. 

Verse 11 is a powerful promise to claim when you are “in exile.” God thinks about you personally and is planning for you. . . . You need not fear the future.61—Warren Wiersbe 

What great truth is found in Jeremian 29 not just verse 11.

Gentleness

One side of the lesson sheet contains a self-examination designed to help you evaluate your gentleness.  However, this is not the ultimate evaluation tool.  Be sure to read the Bible, pray for your spiritual growth, and talk to others as you consider growing in gentleness and the other Marks of a Christian.

Gentleness does not stand alone.
Gentleness is rooted in humility.
Gentleness is loving.
Gentleness does what is necessary to make peace.
Gentleness is selfless.
Gentleness is kind.
Gentleness is good.

These bolded words sound like other Marks of a Christian.

Here are some verses on gentleness:

Who is Jesus in Matthew 11:29?

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

 

How should I speak according to Proverbs 15:1?

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger 

How should I live according to Philippians 4:5?

Let your gentle spirit be known to all people.  The Lord is near.

Gentleness is difficult for us to understand and live out because of several misunderstandings.

First, we need to understand the definition of gentleness.  Gentleness is NOT a lack of power; it is the proper use of power.

Second, we misunderstand the God of the Bible.  Many people think that God in the New Testament is gentle and that God in the Old Testament is judgmental and angry.  This is not true.  God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  His mercy is seen in both the New and Old Testament.  Think about examples of this.  God's holiness and righteousness are seen in the New and Old Testament.

With all these and other Biblical truths about gentleness, Bridges shares the following thoughts about the gentle Christian. 

The Gentle Christian will actively seek to make others "restful in our presence."

The Gentle Christian will demonstrate respect for the personal dignity of the other person.

The Gentle Christian will avoid blunt speech and abrupt manner instead seeking to answer everyone with sensitivity and respect.

The Gentile Christian will not feel threatened by opposition or resent those who oppose them.  Instead, they will gently instruct.

"We often think we are standing on principle when in reality we may be only insisting on our opinion."

We need to ask ourselves, "Am I trying to make my point and push my preference rather than make peace.

We really need to consider what Romans 14:19 and 20 say.

While there are many areas where each person needs to grow in gentleness, I mentioned two areas where gentleness needs to be considered and lived out in class.

In politics

We must understand that our savior will not be elected into power through a political process.

In their book How Can I Love Church Members with Different Politics? Jonathan Lee and Andy Naselli share that when non-Christians talk about politics, much of the emphasis is on what they think.  Christians must remember our political conversations have a higher authority.  We must first consider what God thinks and says about the matter. 

They go onto write that there are whole-church issues and Christian-freedom issues.  Whole-church issues should be explicilty Biblical and clear.  At the same time you may have Biblical convictions about Chistian-freedom issues but you also understand the role these beliefs play churchwide.  

In parenting

"Gentle Parenting" is not Gentle Parenting.

There is a current trend called "Gentle Parenting." 

The Gospel Coalition article "Is Gentle Parenting Biblical?" offers two unbiblical concepts in this school of thought.

First, "bad behavior is caused by feelings produced by environmental and external factors."  One proponent of Gentle Parenting writes, "I truly do believe that we are all good inside." And "When you're confident in your child's goodness, you believe in their ability to behave 'well' and do the right thing." 

The second problem is downplaying and, in some cases, eliminating the role of rewards and punishment.

Much of Gentle Parenting focuses on the child.

Proper, Biblical, Gentle Parenting considers the child, loves the child, and wants what is best for the child.  The difference is who determines the best.  Is it the child through his/her feelings or God through His character and His Word?

ADDITIONAL NOTES from The Fruitful Life by Jerry Bridges:

The profile of gentleness, as it should appear in our lives, will first include actively seeking to make others feel at ease and "restful in our presence."

Gentleness will demonstrate respect for the other person's personal dignity.  Where necessary, it will seek to change a wrong opinion or attitude by persuasion and kindness, not by domination or intimidation.

Gentleness will also avoid blunt speech and abruptness, instead seeking to answer everyone with sensitivity and respect.  It is ready to show consideration to all.  Gentle Christians do not feel they have the liberty to "say what I think and let the chips fall where they may."

Gentile Christians will not feel threatened by opposition or resent those who oppose them.  Instead, they will seek to gently instruct.

Synonyms - yieldedness, reasonableness, big-heartedness, geniality, considerate

"What is the right thing to do in this situation?"

Not confused with "If it feels right, do it," which is self-centered and focuses on carnal desires.

Ask, "What is best for this person?"

We often think we're standing on principle when, in reality, we may be only insisting on our opinion.

Ask others:

• Are we dogmatic and opinionated, blunt, and abrupt? 
• Do we seek to intimidate/dominate others by sheer force of personality?
• Do people feel uneasy because they think we are silently judging weaknesses and faults?

Ask the Holy Spirit:

• To make use aware of specific situations in which we fail.
• Identify specific.  Don't just think in generalities.

 

Prayer adapted from A Prayer for Growth in Gentleness

Dear Lord Jesus, no one is more gentle than you.  No one is as welcoming of sinners, as kind to the broken, or as understanding of the struggling as you.

Gentle me,

When I am behind slow drivers who stay in the fast lane,

when I face both fair and unfair criticism.

when I think things that are obvious to me ought to be obvious to everybody else

when people invade "my" space—as though I have some inalienable right to an uninterrupted life

when I'm too tired to engage those who really need me to listen.

when the vacation gets cut short by a crisis

when friends keep making the same mistakes and foolish choices

when the restaurant sends me home with the wrong takeout order

when Satan starts condemning me for things I actually did, but things for which you already paid my debt.

when I start debating theology rather than loving the people who see things differently

when I can't "fix" the people you never gave me to fix

when the care I just fixed needs fixing again.

May your nearness generate much quicker repentance on my part when my first reaction might be agitation, frustration, whining, or worry.

Make me gentle by the gospel and for your glory.

So very Amen, I pray, in your kind and loving name.

Goodness

Class notes from Drew Ford

Notice that GOODNESS is one evidence of the fruit of the Spirit - not worked up from within us but developed by the Holy Spirit in our lives as we submit to Him.

Goodness in man 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.

M.G. Easton writes that the Goodness of God is the "perfection of his character which he exercises towards his creatures according to their various circumstances and relations (Ps. 145:8, 9; 103:8; 1 John 4:8).  Viewed generally, it is benevolence; as exercised with respect to the miseries of his creatures it is mercy, pity, compassion, and in the case of impenitent sinners, long-suffering patience; as exercised in communicating favor on the unworthy it is grace.  Goodness and justice are the several aspects of one unchangeable, infinitely wise, and sovereign moral perfection.  God is not sometimes merciful and sometimes just, but eternally infinitely just and merciful.  God is infinitely and unchangeably good (Zeph. 3:17), and his goodness is incomprehensible by the finite mind (Rom. 11:35, 36). 

What characteristics of the works of the flesh are opposites of GOODNESS?  ALL of them.

Good and kind have distinct meanings:
Good refers to something morally right or beneficial.
Kindness refers to being considerate and compassionate towards others.
While both come from places of compassion, the distinction lies in where these acts are felt and by whom.

Unlike our English usage of GOOD as a BASE or OK level that is exceeded by BETTER and BEST – God's usage in the Bible gives us GOOD as the Highest level of character and moral virtue.

God's goodness appears in two things: giving and forgiving.  (Easton)

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 Additional Notes from The Fruitful Life

Goodness is the activity calculated to advance that happiness.

Goodness is kindness in action

Goodness involves deliberate deeds that are helpful to others.

Acts 10:38 - Jesus went about doing good.

Ephesians 2:8 - 10

• created to do good works
• these good works were prepared in advance

Most of our opportunities for good deeds are in the course of our daily lives.

The challenge is to be alert for these opportunities and see them not as interruptions or inconveniences but as occasions for doing the good works God has planned for us.

Doing Good @ Work

We should think of our vocation not as a necessary evil to pay the bills, nor even as an opportunity to become rich but as the primary path of our Christian walk wherein God has planned good deeds for us to do.

If we are to grow in the grace of goodness, we must have the right attitude about our vocation.

Doing Good @ Home

Galatians 6:10

Somehow it seems more spiritual to babysit some other lady's children for free than to help mom with dishes after dinner.

 Doing Good to ALL people

• Pray, "Lord wh"what will you have me do?"
• DO IT

"rue goodness is self-sacrificing, not only of money but time also.

We will always be too busy to help others unless we really grasp the importance God puts on our doing good deeds for others.

True goodness does not look to the recipient or even the results of its deeds for its reward.  It looks to God alone and finding His smile of approval.  It gains the needed strength to carry on.

Consider your gifts, your talents, your vocation, and your circumstances as a special trust from God with which to serve Him by serving others.

Remember that you are responsible not for doing all the good that needs to be done in the world but for doing what God has planned for you.

All of us can administer the kind or encouraging word to do the little, perhaps unseen, deed that makes life more pleasant for someone.

PRAYER

Acknowledge your need for His divine grace to enlarge your soul and enable you to look beyond yourself to the concerns and needs of those around you. 

Kindness

Class notes from John VanTongeren's KINDNESS lesson.

Sanctification is a spiritual journey. The Westminster Catechism defines sanctification as "the work of God's free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God and are enabled more and more to die unto sin and live unto righteousness." In Galatians 5:16, Paul says, "walk by the spirit." This walk has a sense of continuing on, not a one-time thing.   e verb "led" in verse 18, and the two verbs "live" and "keep in step" also have this ongoing nature.

As we continue discussing the fruit of the Spirit, we need to remember that the goal of fruitfulness is to grow in our devotion to God and in our likeness of Him in our character and conduct. It is not a one-time act.

The evidence of God's work is the inevitable fruit of transformed behavior (John 3:10 and James 2:14-17).

Kindness is an inner disposition created by the Holy Spirit that causes us to be sensitive to the needs of others. It is expressed as a tender, gentle concern for others that actively seeks ways to serve them.

Kindness is a superpower. He comes from God, who has the power to change someone's world for the better.

At the same time, we are commanded to be kind (Romans 11:22; James, 1 Peter 2:3; Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:12)

Some KINDNESS questions to consider:

• Why should you be kind to the ungrateful?
• How has God been kind to you?
• If kindness is a virtue or character trait of God given to all believers at the time of salvation, why are there non-believers who are kind?
• What is the difference between being nice and being kind?

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Additional Notes from The Faithful Life

"Apart from God's grace, most of us naturally tend to be consumed by our responsibilities, problems, and plans. B t the person who has grown in the grace of kindness has expanded his thinking outside of himself and his interests and has developed a genuine interest in the happiness and well-being of those around him."  

"The Bible goes out of its way to portray the kindness of God in stark contrast to man's total undeservedness."

Luke 6:35

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

Romans 2:3 - 4

So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?  Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

Ephesians 2:6 - 7

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

Selflessness

Notes from Sangjin's class

For Kid's Note, go HERE

Definition:  To pursue selflessness means placing the well-being of others before your own needs and desires.

In The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness, Tim Keller describes the human ego with the following four conditions:

• empty - when we try to put something in the middle of what was meant for God, it is going to be too small
• painful - when we are hurt, snubbed, irritated 
• busy - always drawing attention to itself - busy trying to fill the emptiness
• fragile - anything that is inflated is in imminent danger of being deflated

We don't need to be trained on how to be self-centered.  
We do need to be saved and sanctified to be God-glorifying and selfless.

In 1 Corinthians 4:4, Paul does not care what the Corinthians think or even what he thinks. He only cares what God thinks. Paul has reached a point where he does not think of himself anymore. This is selflessness.

Here are two quotes to help you understand what selflessness is.
"A truly gospel-humble person is not a self-hating person or a self-loving person, but a self-forgetful person."  Keller
"You don't need to interpret everything in relation to yourself,"  Ortlund

The church is a God-designed place to live a selfless life.

• Be committed to your church.  R. Kent Hughes writes, "Your commitment [to the church] must go beyond attendance and membership.  You must readily give yourself to serving her with your talent, however humble the task my be.  Church is not simply for your benefit, but for what you can give to others through your commitment to it."
• Prayer for our church leadership.
• Prayer for one another using the church directory and the church app.

Points of application:

• We must look away from self and to Christ.
• We must re-live the Gospel each time we read/pray/meditate on the Scriptures.
• We must re-live the Gospel every time we are at church and gather with our brothers and sisters

Resources: 

• The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness by Timothy Keller - Christianbook.com  |  Audiobook on Hoopla
• Humility by Gavin Ortlund - Crossway  |  Audiobook on Hoopla  | Ebook on Hoopla

Additional Notes:

Verses to consider:

• Proverbs 18:1: 
• An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends and, against all sound judgment, starts quarrels.
• Philippians 2:3 – 4:
  
  
• So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy,
  complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord, and of one mind.
  Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
  Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others.
  
  
  The contrast...
• Selfish ambition or conceit (selfish) - - humility (selflessness)
  Not only your own interest - - the interests of others.

Look at Book video teaching on Philippians 2:3 and 4 

You Are Never Too High to Serve (Philippians 2:3)  

True Humility Ends in Glory (Philippians 2:3 - 4)

 James 3:16:

• For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

Some practical examples to consider

What does selflessness look like...

In my family?

In my church?  https://drodgersjr.blogspot.com/2017/10/how-are-you-planning-to-walk-into.html