Juicy Fruit: Goodness & Kindness - Pastor Denny Rodney Duron

Welcome to SC Church Podcast! We’re so glad you could join us. Today Pastor Denny Rodney Duron shared with us his message:

“Juicy Fruit: Goodness & Kindness"

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:07

What's our word of the year? Oh, it's a weak sauce. What's our word of the year? Harvest! And you cannot have a harvest without some juicy fruit, huh? Come on. Juicy fruit, taste the goodness of a spirit-filled life. And I can't get juicy fruit gum off my mind. Okay, and I'm gonna sing the juicy fruit song. Juicy fruit, the taste will move ya. It chews so soft, it gets right to ya. Juicy fruit, the taste, the taste, the taste is gonna move ya. Ow! Juicy fruit. Huh? Come on. You remember that? You remember? No, you don't. It's like from the 80s. Look up on like YouTube. I had to practice that. Like that took a while. You chew that gum and that song, they make it sound like the gum is gonna transform you from the inside out. Like it's a big deal. And honestly, that is what this series is about. Juicy fruit, the fruit of the spirit. It transforms us from the inside out. I want you to turn with me to Galatians 5.22. Galatians 5.22. It's our foundational verse. This is what the Bible says. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things, there is no law. Meaning there's not a law against having too much of these things. You can't have enough of it. And we've already covered many of them. We started with love. Love is foundational. You have to have the love of Jesus Christ to do anything. Can I get a big amen? Starts with love. And then we talked about joy, peace, and patience. And last week, Pastor Sarah preached on faithfulness. Put your hands together for Pastor Sarah. It's unbelievable. Man, it was good. Go listen to it again. And this week we're talking about goodness and kindness. Everyone say goodness and kindness. Goodness and kindness. How kind are you? How kind are you? Don't you wish there was like a test you could take to figure out how kind you are? Well, actually, there is. Take your phone out again. Take your phones out. Take them out, okay? This is a kindness challenge, and this is a test you can take. And it's a 30-day challenge. I really encourage you to take this. And I want to give you the biblical definition of goodness and kindness. Here's the biblical definition of goodness according to Vine's dictionary. Goodness is moral and spiritual excellence manifested in active kindness. So Mark 10 says, no one is good except God alone. Meaning we don't manufacture this goodness, we connect to God's love and his goodness flows through us. But goodness and kindness, well, they're connected. Here's the biblical definition of kindness with Vine's dictionary. Here it is: kindness is goodness in action, sweetness of disposition, gentleness in dealing with others, benevolence and graciousness. So biblical kindness, it's not weakness, it's strength in the posture of the Holy Spirit. And this fruit, well, this is what everybody else experiences. So everyone might not experience your worship life or your prayer life or your solitude, but they know how you treat them. They know if you're kind to them. So if love, joy, and peace, if it's truly fruit that's growing in your life, it will be seen by the goodness and kindness how you treat others. But here's the problem: the world has totally perverted the definition of goodness and kindness. The world says, only be kind if someone's kind back to you. Only be good to them if they believe like you and are like you and act like you. Only be kind if you get something in return. Friends, that's not goodness and kindness. That is a transaction. And a transaction is not the root of the love of Almighty God. So we're after what David is talking about. And David says this in the Bible. David says in Psalm, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. Follow me. Like everywhere you go, it's going with you. So if you walk into a room, well, goodness shows up with you. If you're in a conversation or a tough situation, mercy and kindness is pouring out of you. How many of you have seen that like you're in a room, and when someone walks in that room, sometimes you can like almost feel their spirit before they even say a word. Like they walk in the room and it's like the air is just sucked out of the room and it gets dark. Like, oh, it's like, what are they carrying in here? And then somebody walks in, and it's like someone turned the light on. They bring the party with them. You can feel what someone brings in the room with them. We got to bring goodness and kindness. So I just want to establish this. I'll say it one more time. You can put it on the screen. But love is the source, goodness is the nature, and kindness is the expression. So love is what God is, goodness is what you become, and kindness is what people experience. So love is really connecting to God, and that's our source. And then goodness, we're becoming good through the power of God. Kindness is really the action, us expressing it to others. And that's how we've got to live. But here's the truth. How many of you know our human default is not goodness and kindness? Our default is irritability and judgment and selfishness. What am I gonna get out of this? So, how how can we crush our human default and walk in the love of Jesus? Well, let's look at a story that Jesus gives us. How many of y'all have heard the Good Samaritan? Anyone in this place, the Good Samaritan? Well, I'm about to tell you, those that haven't heard it, turn with me to Luke 10, 30. Luke 10, 30. If you've heard it, listen to it like you've never heard it before for something new. Here is the story. But this man wanted to justify himself and asked Jesus, Who is my neighbor? In response, Jesus said, A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, they beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed on the other side. But a Samaritan, someone say Samaritan. But a Samaritan as he traveled, came where the man was, and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two dinari and gave them to the innkeeper. Look after him, he said, and when I return I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have. Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers? The expert in the law replied, the one who had mercy on him. And Jesus said this: Go and do likewise. The first thing I want you to see in this story is that the good Samaritan showed mercy. Everyone say mercy. Showed mercy. Goodness and kindness start with mercy. The Bible says this about mercy, Ephesians 2, 4. But because of his great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ, even when we were dead in transgressions. It is by grace you have been saved. So here's the thing before you can give goodness, you've got to receive the goodness and mercy of Jesus Christ. So without mercy, there is no goodness and kindness. In this story, there's three characters. And the first character is a priest. The priest is walking down the road and he comes upon this man and he looks dead. Now, if a priest were to touch a dead man, he's considered unclean and he cannot do temple responsibilities for God. So he moves to the other side and he walks past the man. Second person, a Levite. The Levite, well, they're in charge of the temple. So they're in charge of worship and the things of God. They're very punctual. They have to keep their schedule. He sees the man in his path. Man, if I stopped, well, that's going to mess up my schedule. So he moves to the other side and he passes by the man. Both men had religious reasons, reasons for God that they were passing by, but neither one of them had mercy. And when you don't have mercy, you justify walking past the need. You justify distance between the person that needs you more than anything. Jesus knows his audience. Jesus knows that he's speaking to a Jewish audience. And this Jewish audience that he's talking to, in their culture, the ones they thought highest of were the priest and the Levites, because those were the men of God. The ones they thought the lowest of were the Samaritans. So the Samaritan, to even say that name, well, it was like a cuss word to them. To be with them, they wouldn't even hang out with them or walk toward through their town. They wouldn't hang out with them. And who does Jesus make the hero of the story? A Samaritan. The Samaritan stops. The Samaritan has compassion. The Samaritan has mercy. Even though that person, the Samaritan's helping out, probably can't thank him or repay him. It's going to cost him a lot. He sees a need and he meets the need that's in front of him. That's real mercy. And real mercy, listen to me. It doesn't wait for a response, it doesn't need recognition. It moves in response to the need. The Bible says this in James 2.13. Because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. Hey, turn to your neighbor and say, Mercy wins. Tell them, mercy wins. Some of you need to practice some mercy in your life, especially while you're driving. I see you out there. Y'all are crazy drivers on the road. Someone cuts you off and it's like, no mercy, it's judgment day. You're going after them. Maybe they're trying to get somewhere. Maybe they have an emergency. Maybe that person's just an absolute terrible driver. I know some of those. I know some. I heard this story, and this person was at a red light, and there was someone in front of them. And the person in front of them at the red light, well, the light turned green, and the person, the person didn't go, they missed the light. And that just boils some of your hides in this place. You're like, I would lay on my horn. And then it turns green again, and they're not moving. Well, all of a sudden, the person in front of them jumps out of their car and starts screaming, I got an emergency, I need help. Their child had stopped breathing in the backseat. What they thought was just incompetence. Well, what they couldn't see inside of that car was an emergency. And as children of God, that's how we have to deal with people. It's not just about what's happening on the outside with others. No, how about we deal with mercy because on the inside, people are going through things you could never imagine. We got to operate in mercy. My dad, Pastor Denny, he does this better than anyone I've seen. And our congregation, you've seen my dad live, seen it out in the open. People, because of his line of work, people come against him. People try to slander him out in public and mess up the church or the school, and then they'll just they'll just leave sometimes. And then years later, that same person will go through crisis, and who do they call to help them? My dad, right? And my dad doesn't say, No, you were a jerk back then, forget you. No, my dad doesn't even bring up the past. My dad helps them in their time of need. Says, we're gonna get through this together. He operates in mercy. And I ask him, Dad, how can how can you do that? Like, how do you always do that? And and he said, son, whenever you do something for somebody, in order to get gratitude or a thank you from that person, you're losing. Says, I do everything unto God, because God said to do it. Said, bless those that curse you, do good to those that try to harm you. It's what God says. And then he said that God repays him, and a life abundant repaid from God is far better than what that person could ever do anyway. It's from God. You give and you forget. The Bible says this keep no record of wrongs. Love keeps no record of wrongs. Whew, that's a tough one, right? That's a tough one because whenever we get into situations, we just want to bring out the whole list of everything that no love keeps no record of wrongs. We operate in mercy, we operate in love. Why? Because God has given us so much mercy. Come on, somebody. God has been good to us, God has been kind to us, and if God has given us mercy and kindness, how can we not turn and give mercy and love and kindness freely? If God has been good to you and given you mercy, come on, put your hands together for Jesus. Come on, we can do better than that. Put your hands together for Jesus, for his mercy, his mercy. I'll tell you this: mercy, goodness, and kindness, it's not a feeling, it's an action, right? So goodness and kindness, they start with an action. It's not just a feeling. So it doesn't stay with the feeling, it moves into action. And I love that this book right here, it's an action-based book. Can I get an amen? Gotta move into action. Here's what the Bible says about it: Romans 12, 21. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Don't just feel good. No, we gotta do good. We gotta step into action. This story with the uh Good Samaritan, it's an action-based story. It's action. So he's got somewhere to be, he's on the road, he's got an agenda, but yet in the midst of what he's going to do, he sees a need and he pushes off what he's doing to meet the need. He uses what he has, his oil and his wine. He uses it on the man. And then the man's dirty. He picks him up. He gets dirty with the guy. And then he uses his money at the hotel. This is inconvenient. This is hard. This cost him a lot. Messed up what he was doing that day. And after, well, Jesus doesn't say, think about this. Jesus says, go and do likewise. This is who we're called to be. Go and do likewise. We gotta act like this. And when we do that, well, goodness steps in, and then kindness is a thing that starts moving. And when we could become this, well, we go from saying, hey, I'm gonna pray for you, I'll pray for you later on, to hey, let's stop and let's pray right now. It goes from, hey, someone else is gonna take care of that to, hey, I'm gonna step in, I'm gonna get involved right now. Because kindness, it's like kindness doesn't wait for the right moment or the stars to align. No, kindness, it makes a way and it starts moving immediately. I think about all of the ministries that we have at our church. Every single ministry that we have is because we saw a need and we moved into action to feel that need. So we have something called I Love West Shreeport. I Love West Shreep really is four times a year, and it's our biggest outreach for West Shreeport. What we do is we'll gather out in the front for you all of our yellow shirts, and then after we pray, we disperse to meet needs in action. That's what we're doing. So why do we give out food and water? Because there's a need of hunger in this side of town. Why do we pick up trash? Because we need to clean up this side of town. Why do we go to the police station and the fire station and give them gratitude cards and just encourage them because they need our thankfulness? They need to know we're appreciative. Why do we go and do nursing homes and encourage them and with students and kids and families because there's real needs and we're moving in action? And I love that this is a church of action, always has been. We have something called the Monkhouse Ministry. And the Monk House Ministry, it's a place in West Treeport that's really struggling. And it started four times a year with I Love West Treeport, but the group figured out well, the need is greater than four times a year. So this group now meets every month, and every month they go to monkhouse, they feed people, they encourage people, they fellowship and they share the gospel of Jesus Christ. So many people have received Jesus because of all of your action. Put your hands together for the action. Come on. Not just feeling it, it's moving into it. And that's why Jesus said it this way. He said, Go, go, and do likewise. Not when it's convenient, not when it's easy. No, when we see it, God open our eyes to see the needs. Galatians 6 9, it says, Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we don't give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. There's our harvest language, there's our action language, and as our We lost a pillar of faith in the church. Our dear friend Randy knows what to be with Jesus. And when I think about the example of what I'm talking about today, moving into action, Randy was the MVP greeter out front. I'll tell you this that big smile, a big hug, he exuded the love of Jesus Christ. And when he said he was gonna do something, it wasn't just words. You could count on a phone call, that encouragement. He made a difference everywhere he went. And today he's looking down from heaven and saying, You gotta do the same thing. We gotta move into action. Put your hands together for this amazing man. Come on, let's honor the life of Randy Knowles. An amazing man. And I was on my phone and she was just sitting there, and she looked at me and said, Daddy, you make the weirdest faces when you're on your phone. She said, This is what you look like. This is you. And we just like started laughing. And we just had a good time together. But it so convicted me because here I am sitting with my seven-year-old, blind to the needs of my daughter that's right in front of me, investing in what it is my phone instead of investing in my daughter. I don't want to be that kind of dad. I want to be the dad that tells the extra story, that goes and jumps on the trampoline, that hangs out, that opens my eyes to the needs of my spouse, to my kids, to those that are my friends that are around me. And I'll tell you this open your eyes and ask Jesus to reveal how you can meet the needs in the context of your life. And I'll just encourage you. And Randy would say the same thing. One of the greatest ways for you to practically get involved, show up an hour early to church and start serving the church of Jesus Christ. We spend so much time serving our kids ball games and doing all these different things. We can take time. Serving the house of God will be the most fulfilling thing that you ever do. Another thing is maybe that waiter or waitress that you always eat at that restaurant, they're so faithful to you. Maybe this way you can give them a little bit extra money. Maybe pay for the person behind you in a drive-thru. They won't know it was you. Yeah, that's the whole point. Maybe you know, at your work when someone's struggling and they're down and out, or maybe at school when someone is having a tough time. Go sit with them and encourage them. See a need and meet the need in the context of your life. Why? Because we are Christians. That's what the Bible says to do. We're to be a light everywhere we go. Can I get a big amen? It isn't selective. God is telling us to do that. That is our identity. And the band can come up because this is my last point. Goodness and kindness flow from identity, who we are. It's not emotion. So Matthew 7.12. Honestly. This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. This is kind of the guiding force of my whole life, right here. The golden rule. How many of you know the golden rule right here? I'm gonna read it if you don't. Matthew 7.12. Do to others as you would have them do to you. Do to others as you would have them do to you. So this isn't just behavior, this is an identity verse. Because you can't treat people the right way if you don't know who you are. So this verse does not say treat people how you've been treated. No, it says treat people how you want to be treated. And you can't know how you're supposed to be treated unless you know who you are. You gotta know your identity. And the world has totally screwed this up. The world has said this. The world's definition of identity is find your truth that's unique and of itself to you. And once you find your truth, you live in your truth and you go for it. That's the biggest load of garbage that I've ever heard in my life. Because your identity, it has been written in this book. You are a child of Almighty God. You are forgiven and free. You have grace, you have the mercy of Almighty God, and you have a mighty future that says the best is yet to come as long as you are connected to Jesus Christ. That is who you are. And if you know your identity, well, you're not just responding to everything and just on the defensive all the time, like, oh, I'm reacting. No, you can live a life of responding through who you are, through the love of Jesus Christ. But a lot of us don't live like this. A lot of us live through our bias. What is bias? Well, bias is a lens, a cloudy lens you see life through. Bias is your experiences, what you've been taught, your culture, your trauma, all these things, and it affects literally everything that you see, God, others, yourself. It affects everything. But somehow, what's miraculous in this story with the Samaritan is the Samaritan was able to look past the bias of his life. And he had plenty of reasons. What he'd been taught, what he'd experienced. Don't get involved. This is gonna be too messy, this is gonna cost too much. Walk past that person, my schedule, but yet, instead of the bias, well, he knew who he was. He said, Well, if I was beaten and left alone in a ditch, I would want someone to stop for me. I would want someone to help me, so I'm gonna be that person. I'm gonna stop and I'm gonna invest. That is who I am. And I'm telling you this. We've got to operate through who we are in Jesus Christ. So I'll just ask you, I'll ask you. What do you see first when you see a person? You judging them through the lens of your bias so they fit into everything that you're saying, and the thing is more important than the person to justify walking past the need because what you're standing for is righteous. No, you'll justify walking past the need, walking past the hurt every single time. But here's the thing: when we live life through our heavenly identity of Jesus Christ, well, it's not about the situation or the person, it's about who you are. God's given us so much. We gotta give it to others. And what's the result? Well, the result is this someone disrespects you, and you choose calm instead of reaction. That'd be nice, huh? Someone disagrees with you, you still treat them with dignity. That'd be nice. You say that's a weakness, that's passivity. No, I I would argue with you on that. I think responding through emotion, every little thing and lashing out, I feel like that's pretty childish. I feel like that's pretty weak. But the bit the greatest strength that you can operate in is this. No matter what room you walk into, no matter what situation you face, you're the same every single time because you're rooted in the love of Jesus Christ and his kindness and his goodness and his mercy, it spills out wherever you are. That's the greatest power posture that you can take. I'll tell you this. I've done this the wrong way, like many times. I've got in there and before the situation, I already defined the person and what's happening. I didn't listen one bit and just and just go ahead and leave. Just crush them. I regret that every single time. But I've also had moments where people are lashing out, and I say, Well, what's really going on on the inside? God, how can your love be evident? How can I give your goodness and kindness? Maybe it doesn't look good on the outside, but it plants a seed, and I never regret that. It's not about the person, it's about who you are and what you've been given and what you want to give freely. This entire story is honestly about identity. So Jesus tells a story to a lawyer because the lawyer asks at the beginning, he says, Well, who is my neighbor then? Like, who do I who do I have to be kind to? Who do I have to be good to? And Jesus responds with the story of the Good Samaritan. And Jesus is so incredible and so genius. It starts out with, okay, this is what you gotta do, but then Jesus totally flips the whole story. And the question is no longer, who is my neighbor? The question becomes, will you be a neighbor? Who are you? Will you be good and kind and merciful? Once again, when I when I think about this story, it reminds me of somebody. It honestly reminds me of uh my grandmother, Pastor Francis Duron. Can we put our hands together for Francis? Reminds me of her. This is who she is. The other day she got in a wreck and she's totally fine, she's good, but I was asking her about her wreck. Like, is your car doing all right? You about to go pick it up? And she said, Yeah, it's good. She said, and the person that I got in a wreck with, now we're friends. I said, I said, what? I said, tell me about that. And she said, Yeah, we got in a wreck and then started talking. So we went to the insurance place together and we filed together. And then after, well, we ended up going to lunch together. And then I invited her to church, so she's my church buddy now. And I said, that's the example. What situations or the world would say should divide when you operate in the love, the goodness, the mercy of Almighty God, it unifies the body of Christ. It unifies people around you. And we don't have to be limited by what we're going through. No, God can transform whatever you're facing. I want you to think about Jesus. Jesus is the best example of this. When Jesus had his three years of earthly ministry, I'd say Jesus had some things to do, right? Kind of Jesus was kind of a big deal, right? Kind of had a big mission to do, save the world. He had people surrounding him, and he always had places to go. But the greatest stories in Jesus' ministry is when Jesus is on his way somewhere, and someone from the crowd would cry, Mercy, have mercy on me, Jesus. And Jesus would stop and he would find them. Stop where he's going and have a moment to heal and open their eyes or go to a leper, and everyone says, No, they're unclean. And Jesus would put his hands and pray for them over and over again. It would take time, it was a distraction. He would stop for them. And I'm telling you, that's our story. If you're a Christian in this place, Jesus Christ stopped for you. He gave you mercy, he's given you goodness, he's given you kindness. That is our story. How can we not have it overflowing to the ones around us? It's not about the thing, it's about the person every single time. And when we live like that, well, something different follows us. And that's what I'm gonna ask you. What is following you in your life? What is following you? It's fear and anxiety and heaviness and confusion and hurt. Is it following you into every single room? Because if your identity is in Christ, here is your promise. Surely goodness and mercy will follow you all the days of your life. But it starts with identity in Jesus Christ. Stand with me. I want to give you the chance to connect your identity with Jesus like never before. And I'm praying that this will follow you everywhere you go. Bow your head. Today, if you say I do have some heaviness, I have some things following me in every single room, and I'm sick of it. I'm confused. Say I'm burdened by what's going on in this world, what's going on in my family, what's going on in my job, what's going on in my body. Say I just can't take it, and I just I don't have any hope and trust right now. If you say, I am heavy, you say I want to make sure. If today you want to make sure, you're saying I don't know if my identity is in Christ. If you want to make your identity in Christ, give Jesus your life today, or rededicate your life so this goodness and mercy follows you. Today, today is your day. You say, I want to give Jesus my life. I want to make sure. Don't wait. Today is your day. Raise your hand right now if you say, I want to give Jesus my life. Come on, raise your hand right now. Say, I want to give Jesus my life. I'll give you a second longer. Thank you, Lord. Don't wait. Say, I want to give Jesus my life. Raise your hand so I can see it and put it down. Thank you, Lord. Everyone repeat after me, Jesus. Come into my life. I believe in you, Jesus. I believe you died on the cross and rose on the third day. I want to serve you. I want to walk towards you. Thank you for your mercy. Thank you for your goodness and kindness. I want it to follow me everywhere I go. Live this heaviness. Give me your love. Give me your peace. Continue in this moment. Just bow your head right now. I want to pray for you. Today, if you say that that is me, I have this heaviness. If that is you, I just I want to pray for the heaviness of the Lord. If you say, I'm ready for this heaviness to lift, and I want this mercy, goodness, and kindness to follow me every room that I walk into. Raise your hand. I just want to pray for you. Say, I'm ready for the heaviness to lift, and I want this to follow me. Come on, raise your hand. God, I thank you for every hand that's lifted. Lord, I pray for these situations that are confusing and the things that we don't understand. I speak your love in the name of Jesus over every single person. God, do what we cannot do, what only you can do. So, Lord, I pray that we connect to you. The fruit of the Spirit will grow in our spirits and it will be overflowing in everything that we do. God, give us your love. Give us your peace and your patience, your kindness, your goodness. Help it to grow inside of us. God, thank you for every situation. First of all, meet them right where they are. God, heal their situation. Everyone just take a deep breath and breathe it out. God, we accept this right now. In the name of Jesus. Everyone say, I accept it, Lord. God, we accept this. God, give us your goodness and kindness, your love. Everyone, lift your hands. Sign of surrender. Come on, focus on Jesus. God, we love you. We thank you. Thank you that you've been so good to us, Jesus. God, we remember when we were in despair that it was impossible. Thank you for saving us. God, I want mercy and goodness and kindness to follow us everywhere we go. Come on, let's worship together. Let's give God our best.

SPEAKER_00 39:52

Thank you for connecting with us today. The first step to a new life in Christ is receiving the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. If you have never received Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, repeat this prayer after me. Jesus, I believe you died on a cross and rose again for me. I ask that you come into my heart and be the Lord of my life. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Whether you committed your life to Jesus for the first time today or are already on your journey of faith, we would love to stay connected with you. Please visit scchurch.com and follow SC Church on all social media platforms. And remember, the best is yet to come.