Lesson 5
Patience, Kindness and Goodness
* NB: Object lesson materials - Clear jug, glass, a coloured liquid e.g. tea Revision From Previous Lesson
You cannot produce good fruit by your own will or striving. It is not even your
fruit you may be striving to produce. Fruit comes naturally through a
relationship with Holy Spirit. The more time you spend with Him the more you
will become like Him and bear His fruit. Not by your strength but by His. He is
the vine that causes you, the branches, to produce fruit. As you spend time with
Him, you will see love, joy and peace and all the other fruits of the Spirit
produced naturally within you.
Outcome of Lesson
1. You would have described what patience, kindness and goodness are
from your point of view;
2. You would have identified how Jesus lived out patience, kindness and
goodness;
3. You would have described an area that occurs in your life where you are
challenged in the areas of patience, kindness and goodness; and
4. You would have learnt how to be a person of incredible patience,
kindness and goodness.
Part I - God as our Vinedresser
Read John15:1-2
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. ​
2​
Every branch in Me that does not
bear fruit He takes away;[a
​​
] and every b
​ranch​
that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear
more fruit.
Good morning Holy Spirit
Lesson 5
The Fruits of the Spirit ­ Patience, Kindness and Goodness Q: How does God prune us? Can you give examples from your own life of
God doing this?
A: Have the group give their own answers.
An example - a heated argument with a friend or family member where you
walked away and a verse suddenly pops into your mind “A gentle answer
turns away wrath”, you realise you did not respond in gentleness and you
make a decision to be meek, go back, apologise and seek reconciliation.
It’s important to bring out that God’s pruning is done through relationship
and our part requires a yielding to His influence and direction.
God desires to see us bear fruit as His disciples. If we are not producing, He
is proactive in doing something to challenge us. He knows us personally
and knows what He has to do to bring out patience, kindness or goodness
in our life through everyday circumstances​
.
Object Lesson Have a glass half- filled with a coloured liquid e.g. tea. (The glass represents
you)
Have a jug of clear water. (The clear water represents the Holy Spirit)
Ask the question. ​
If I want to be filled with the clear water, what is my
next step - pour the Holy Spirit into the cup half filled with the stained
water? ​
(Show what happens) you get a stained diluted end result.
Empty half out again.
Ask the group what should I do now?
Empty the glass first then fill it with the clean water. 'Its no longer I that live
but Christ that lives in me' yield my will, my views, my selfishness, my pride
to the Holy Spirit and let Him fill me. Part II: Fruits of the Spirit ­ Patience, Kindness and Goodness Patience
Q: What does “patience” look like to you?
A: ​
Encourage group discussion - patience relates to suffering, it is the
capacity to accept or tolerate adversity (it could be delay, trouble or
suffering) without getting angry or upset.
Q: Looking at the life of Jesus, who was 100% influenced by the Holy
Spirit, how would you describe “patience” from His perspective?
A: ​
Encourage group discussion – ask participants for examples from
Scripture that they might know about. We witness the patience of Jesus in
Good morning Holy Spirit
Lesson 5
The Fruits of the Spirit ­ Patience, Kindness and Goodness His teaching, both to His disciples and to others. We witness His patience
when people doubted him, in the face of persecution, and in His
extraordinary suffering. Jesus’ patience draws a long list from the Scriptures
- here are a couple,
Read: Matthew 16:8-9 – bearing his disciples lack of faith
‘Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking
among yourselves about having no bread? Do you still not understand?”’
Read: Matthew 16:22-23 – bearing Peter’s rebuke that sought to
prevent God’s Will
‘Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall
never happen to you!” Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You
are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the
things of men.”
Q. When faced with frustrating or difficult circumstances do you have
this type of patience?
Kindness
Q: What does real “kindness” look like to you? Provide scriptures
A: ​
Encourage group discussion – kindness is being friendly, encouraging,
sympathetic and gentle with others, generous and considerate, courteous
and helpful. Kindness has many synonyms—love, service, and charity. I like
the word ​
kindness ​
because it implies action. It seems like something you
and I can do. Kindness can be shown in so many ways.
Even within that incredible moment of great suffering, a thief hanging
beside him “hurled insults at him” (​
Luke 23:39​
.) Jesus did not respond. The
second thief did and rebuked the first asking Jesus to speak to the Father
on his behalf. Jesus put aside his own suffering, and in kindness consoled
the thief saying, “today you will be with me in paradise” (​
Luke 23:43​
). The
last kind word spoken to Jesus was by a thief, the last kind act of Jesus was
to forgive the thief.
Jesus’ Kindness ​
-. The Gospels reveal how Jesus spent his ministry
searching for the weary, the sick, the poor, and the lonely, that he might
show kindness toward them.
Goodness
Q: What does “real goodness” look like to you?
A: ​
Encourage group discussion - is moral excellence, to be desired and
approved, to be pleasing and welcoming. Jesus teaches us that goodness is
from within, that it is a matter of the heart.
Good morning Holy Spirit
Lesson 5
The Fruits of the Spirit ­ Patience, Kindness and Goodness Read: Luke 6:45
"The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the
evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the
overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.”
In the time that Jesus lived, as in ours, goodness was considered to be
largely a matter of obedience to certain laws, an outward conduct
conforming to the accepted pattern. For example, the Pharisees
meticulously obeyed all the laws and traditions of their fathers, and they
laboured to keep every little rule. But Jesus said they neglected mercy and
truth, the weightier matters of the law, which are of the heart. Out of their
narrow, religious activities they were endeavoring to weave some sort of
garment of goodness to cover an unchanged heart. But real goodness lies
within. Jesus stands before us and simply asks, "Show me your heart."
Let’s consider the commandment “Thou shalt not kill”. ​
Old Testament law
condemned the act​
. Jesus says, " ...It was said by them of old, Thou shalt
not kill... But I say unto you that whosoever is angry with his brother without
a cause shall be in danger of the judgement..." (Mat. 5:21,22). ​
Jesus
condemned the attitude​
. The old law prohibited the deed, but Jesus
prohibited the desire.
The old forbade the murder, but Jesus forbade the anger out of which
murder is born. One strikes at the fruit. The other goes back to the root. So
we need to examine what is in our heart. Is there resentment, hostility,
desire for retaliation, bitterness, lack of forgiveness and love? Jesus warns
that out of this spirit murder comes. They are qualitatively the same. They
differ only in degree. So He asks, "Show me your heart." He penetrates
within.
Q: Looking at the life of Jesus, who was 100% influenced by the Holy
Spirit, how would you describe “goodness” from His perspective?
A: ​
Encourage group discussion – ask participants for examples from
Scripture that they might know about. Jesus teaches us that goodness is
grounded in two basic virtues, humility and love. This is the soil out of which
all goodness grows, and, without this base, real virtue does not take root.
Humility is the opposite of pride.
Micah 6:8​
ESV
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God​
?
Luke6:27-35
27 ​
“But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, ​
do good to those who hate you​
,​
28 ​
bless
those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.​
29 ​
To him who strikes you on
Good morning Holy Spirit
Lesson 5
The Fruits of the Spirit ­ Patience, Kindness and Goodness the ​
one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold
your tunic either. ​
30 ​
Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your
goods do not ask ​
them back. ​
31 ​
And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them
likewise.
32 ​
“But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those
who love them. ​
33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to
you? For even sinners do the same. ​
34 ​
And if you lend ​
to those from whom you hope to
receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much
back. ​
35 ​
But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your
reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and
evil.
Part III: Self Reflection
Q: Describe an area in your life that occurs where you are challenged in
patience, kindness and goodness.
Encourage group discussion – look out for responses that have to do with
our own effort.
Q: Understanding that patience, kindness and goodness are His fruit
through you, what would you do to change that?
Encourage group discussion – reiterate the message, we need to get to
know the Holy Spirit, spend time with Him. “We need to be yielded,
surrendered, it is no longer I who lives, but Christ who lives in me.”
Conclusion
Jesus said, "If a man remains in me and I in him," that you will be fruitful without realizing it – you will manifest the characteristics of the Spirit, the
fruit of the Spirit, the quality of life that is like Jesus. When that happens,
additional benefits will come - answered prayer, a glorifying of the Father
through the demonstration of discipleship, a deepening of the experience
of love, and joy made full. What a wonderful relationship our Lord taught us
here by this lesson of the vine!
Lesson Feedback
Has understanding that God is our vinedresser helped you understand your
role in relationship with the Holy Spirit and how we are to bear His fruit?
Practical Application
Identify and engage in a relationship that you have found troubling in your
life and apply the fruits of patience, kindness and goodness. Be fully
yielded in humility and love - allow the Holy Spirit to work through you.
Good morning Holy Spirit
Lesson 5
The Fruits of the Spirit ­ Patience, Kindness and Goodness Perhaps you can provide a testimony in the next lifegroup meeting to
encourage others.
Prayer
Our Father, we know that your work with us is ongoing so that we are ever
capable of producing more fruit. I pray that all of us here in Your vineyard
will be so fruitful that we provide witness to others in this world who will
desire to understand what causes such growth. We give thanks in the name
of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Good morning Holy Spirit
Lesson 5
The Fruits of the Spirit ­ Patience, Kindness and Goodness