Welcome to Redemption Church in Plano Tx. I am glad you are here! My name is Chris Fluitt and I love the Lord and I love His Church. A special Hello to everyone watching this online.

We took the month of October and gave you the scariest words in your Bible. That was a fun series called Scary Words.

Now we are going to come back to our series called Vibe Check.

You can find all 6 previous weeks of this series on our website redemptionplano.com

What is a Vibe?

Vibranium

No, I am not talking about the metal deposit that is found in the nation of Wakanda.That is Vibranium… a strong metal from a meteorite used in the Marvel Comic universe.Captain America’s shield is made of Vibranium… but that is not what a vibe is.

Vibe – A person’s emotional state, felt by others; The tangible atmosphere created by the disposition of our being.

Who you are can be felt when you walk into a room. This is vibe. We need to be aware of our vibe.

Vibe Check

As Christians, it is not enough to carry our belief inside our heart. The vibe of the living God is meant to be shed abroad by the Holy Spirit in our heart (Romans 5:5). Our good works should flow out of our heart, and people should see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven (Matthew 5:16). When you walk in a room the room ought to feel the life of Jesus that resides in you.

• The worst vibes come from the flesh.
• The best vibes come from the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22 (NIV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

I want to remind you that these fruit are to be IN US and FOR US.

 

Fruit of the Spirit

Love, Joy, Peace – Heart

Patience, Kindness, Goodness – Relationships

Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self Control – Battles

We have discussed Love, Joy, and Peace – the vibes that should reside in your heart.They are IN YOUR HEART and FOR YOU HEART.A healthy heart has love, joy, and peace.

The last time we were in this series we were in that middle section. Fruit IN YOUR RELATIONSHIPS and FOR YOUR RELATIONSHIPS. We spoke last about forbearance/patience Today I want to talk to you about the vibe of Kindness.

Patience, kindness, & goodness are Godlike vibes. If you want to be like God you need these vibes.

Impulse of God

If God could grow kindness in us, we would be more like God.

Kindness – To deliberately try to produce increase for someone else.
Opposite motive is Jealousy & Envy.

Kindness will try to boost, bless, & build others for their benefit.

• Boost others with encouragement.
• Bless others with gifts.
• Build others with time & wise instruction.

Have you experienced God’s vibe of kindness in others?

Can you think of someone who has boosted you with encouragement?
Can you think of someone who blessed you with a gift?
Can you think of someone who built you up with timely conversations.

Did you recognize God’s vibe of kindness?
They were not just being nice. THEY WERE BEING LIKE THEIR FATHER IN HEAVEN.

The world needs kindness!Let us pray today that God’s vibe of kindness would be “vibing” throughout the world.

Kindness says “I want to make life better for others, because God has made life better for me.”

I want to treat people the way God has treated me.

OFFERING AND SERVING?

I think a great modern day example of kindness is Mr. Fred Rogers who took his message of being a neighbor to children to television from 1968 to 2001.Here is a memorable clip of Mr. Fred Rogers and a young man named Jeff Erlanger.

It’s You I Like

Fred Rogers and Jeff Erlanger

There is such a God message on display in that video.

God wants you to know “It’s You I like.”

It’s not about your past… the color of your skin… it’s not about the bad or good you have done… it’s not about fame or riches… It’s you.

I believe God longs for us to be filled with a kindness that looks into the eyes of others and says “it’s you I like.”

This vibe of the Spirit working in you is the true answer for racism and prejudice.
This vibe of the Spirit working in you is the answer for hunger & poverty.
This vibe of the Spirit working in you is the answer for war, depression, abuse, loneliness…

There is a problem in the world right now that the Spirit working in you could solve.

Kindness is not about you.
Kindness is about others.

Sometimes we can do good from the wrong motivation. Sometimes we do good so that we can be seen doing good and gain some level of reward for being seen.Sometimes we can do good so that when we need a favor we can ask people we have helped and perhaps hold our good deed over them.

The Spirit’s fruit of kindness does not work this way.We need a kindness that is not self centered but centered in others.

There is a story I would like us to look at from the Old Testament. It is found in 2 Samuel 9.It would be great for you to turn to this often over looked story.

While you turn to 2 Samuel 9 I will give the context of the story.

David is King of Israel, but it was a difficult journey to the throne.There was a previous king named Saul who literally tried to kill David.Saul treated David as an enemy.

Fast forward, and now Saul has died in battle and David is king of Israel.Often when a new king came into power they would have all the previous kings family killed to eliminate anyone who could ever claim a right to the throne.

2 Samuel 9:1-4* (NIV) 1 David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”

2 Now there was a servant of Saul’s household named Ziba. They summoned him to appear before David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” “At your service,” he replied.

3 The king asked, “Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?” Ziba answered the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet.”

4 “Where is he?” the king asked.

#1 Kindness will appreciate

2 times in the first 4 verses David remembers the kindness that others had shown him.

Verse 1 – Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?

David remembers and appreciates the kindness of a friend named Jonathan.

Verse 3 – Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?

David remembers the kindness of God.

I have noticed that the least kind people are the lest appreciative people.

The truth is that God and others have been so kind to us, and that ought to be enough motivation for us to practice kindness.

David goes and looks for someone to be kind towards.
I think we should be like that!Let’s go find someone to show kindness!

2 Samuel 9:4*-7* (NIV) 4* Ziba answered, “He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.”

5 So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house of Makir son of Ammiel.

6 When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor. David said, “Mephibosheth!” “At your service,” he replied.

7* “Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan.

#2 Kindness resists hate

Before David is someone he could have viewed as his enemy.As King, David had the power to kill Mephibosheth. David had hurtful memories of what Saul had done to him, and he could have viewed Mephibosheth through the lens of this painful past.

Kindness chooses to look at people differently.
Kindness chooses not to hate but to love, not to curse but to bless, not to tear down but to build up.

2 Samuel 9:7*-10 (NIV) 7* I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.”

8 Mephibosheth bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?”

9 Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul’s steward, and said to him, “I have given your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family.

10 You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master’s grandson may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table.”

#3 Kindness will elevate

The kindness of David went past remembering and appreciating the kindness of Jonathan and God.
The kindness of David went beyond letting go of bitter thoughts.
Kindness MUST go beyond a mental exercise. Kindness needs to ACT!

So David does something!

David restores Mephibosheth.Mephibosheth had very little and was living in hiding, fearful that he would be assassinated, but David in his kindness elevates Mephibosheth.David elevates the grandson of Saul to the place of his own table.David treats Mephibosheth as one of his own family.

The kindness of David elevates Mephibosheth above what Mephibosheth thought about himself. Mephibosheth refers to himself as a “dead dog.”

The last verse of the chapter reveals a little more about Mephibosheth.

2 Samuel 9:13 (NIV) 13 And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table; he was lame in both feet.

Mephibosheth was disabled. As a baby he had been dropped in the hurry to take him into hiding after the death of Saul.

Society has a way of looking down on those with disabilities.

Fred Rogers and Jeff Erlanger pic

Kindness looks past everything as sings “It’s You I Like.”

Mephibosheth went from feeling like an hated outcast, to a favored son, all because of kindness.

Mephibosheth didn’t have to earn David’s kindness.

Christians, does this word have to earn your kindness, or is the Spirit producing it freely within you?

#1 Kindness will appreciate.
#2 Kindness resists hate.
#3 Kindness elevates.

And finally…

#4 Kindness won’t wait

 

Kindness is not something we should procrastinate.

We miss so many moments to show kindness. Often it is not that we refuse to show kindness, it is that we put it off for a later day, a day that never comes.

Is your vibe kindness?
How could you better live out the fruit of the Spirit right now?

Let’s not procrastinate. Let’s act now.

Because kindness won’t wait… that means God won’t wait to show you his kindness today.

Here his voice today…

It’s you I like…not your past…

It’s you I like… not what you have to offer…

It’s you I like… even when you are weak…

It’s you I like…