Love kindness 

“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?” (Micah 6:8 ESV)

Love is kind

“Love is patient and kind.” (1 Cor. 13:4 ESV)

Our Lord and Savior shows us loving kindness 

“But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,  so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:4-7 ESV)

Kindness is a fruit of the Spirit

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness…” (Gal. 5:22 ESV)

Therefore…

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Eph. 4:32 ESV)

“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. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,  so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”(Phil. 2:1-11 ESV)

Quote:

“Have you ever noticed how much of Christ's life was spent in doing kind things?” - Henry Drummond

“Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, ...” (Col. 3: 12a NIV)

Jesus had compassion 

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd..” (Matt. 9:36 ESV)

“When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” (Matt. 14:14 ESV)

The Lord shows compassion with steadfast love

“As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.” (Psalm 103:13 ESV)

“But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” (Psalm 86:15 ESV)

Jesus explains compassion

“ Jesus replied, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.  So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?’ He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘You go, and do likewise.’” (Luke 10:30-37 ESV)

Therefore…

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.” (Zech. 7:9-10 ESV)

“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.” (1 Thess. 5:11-14 ESV)

Quotes:

“Compassion will cure more sins than condemnation.” - Henry Ward Beecher

“How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these.” - George Washington Carver

“No matter how low down you are; no matter what your disposition has been; you may be low in your thoughts, words, and actions; you may be selfish; your heart may be overflowing with corruption and wickedness; yet Jesus will have compassion upon you. He will speak comforting words to you; not treat you coldly or spurn you, as perhaps those of earth would, but will speak tender words, and words of love and affection and kindness. Just come at once. He is a faithful friend - a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” - Dwight L. Moody

“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” (Rom. 13:14 NKJV)

The phrase put on Christ means to figuratively clothe oneself with the Lord Jesus Christ to reveal the glory of God to the world. 

Put on the new self to be like God 

“…and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Eph. 4:24 ESV)

“and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” (Col. 3:20 ESV)

Therefore…

“For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” (Gal. 3:27 NIV)

“…lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.” (Eph. 4:22-24)

“Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him.” (Col. 3:9-10)

Quote:

“God wants to produce the character of Christ in our lives because he knows that the more we become like him, the more fulfilled we will be.” - Rick Warren

“When it comes to Christ, you’ve got to do the same. Call him crazy, or crown him as king. Dismiss him as a fraud, or declare him to be God. Walk away from him, or bow before him, but don’t play games with him.” -  Max Lucado

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor. 5:21 ESV)

Seek God’s righteousness first

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matt. 6:33 ESV)

Covered with His robes of righteousness 

“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” (Isa. 61:10 ESV)

Put on righteousness 

“I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my justice was like a robe and a turban.” (Job 29:14 ESV)

Faith is counted as righteousness

“And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness…” (Rom. 4:5 ESV)

Therefore: 

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24 ESV)

“And be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—“ (Phil. 3:9 ESV)

Quotes:

“Righteousness has to do with the vertical standard that God gives us to please Him. Justice has to do with the horizontal expression of that righteous standard in the lives of others.” - Tony Evans

“When I believe in Jesus, I am united to Christ. Therefore, what he did and achieved becomes mine by this union through faith alone. His righteous life is imputed to me. What Christ achieved is counted as mine.” - John Piper

Law abiding followers of Christ 

As Christians we should do everything we can to be law abiding citizens. 

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.” (Rom. 13:1-14 ESV)

“Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work…” (Titus 3:1 ESV)

“Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” (1 Peter 2:13-17 ESV)

So, do we obey the government no matter what?

Since God is the one who sets up governments, as the passage at top  clearly says, are we then supposed to blindly obey governmental authorities without question on everything they say, even if what they say may contradict what God condemns? The answer is no. The Bible never tells us to obey governments in contradiction to the revealed word of God. Peter and the apostles refused to obey when told not to preach in the Name of Jesus. 

“But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29 NASB)

We are to obey governments unless they violate Scripture

Governments are run by people and often become corrupt. In the Old Testament, God sent the Israelites to destroy certain nations. You could say technically, that God had set up those various governmental systems that he told the Israelites to destroy. This was because they had deserted God, were worshipping idols and were sacrificing their children to them. When governments tell you to do things the Bible clearly condemns, you must resist. For example, if a government were to declare that we must kill all people with Down's Syndrome, or kill all Asians, or murder Jews, as Hitler and his Nazis did, we would not.  

Therefore…

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” (1 Tim. 2:1-2 ESV)

Quotes:

“Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.” - Jim Elliot

“Wicked men obey from fear; good men, from love.” – Augustine

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 NIV)

 As followers of Jesus…

We must dedicate ourselves to prayer, to the service of our Lord, to His authority over our lives, and to the ministry of evangelism. 

 Live by the first and greatest commandment 

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. (Matt.22:37-39 NIV)

 Be laborers for Jesus

“And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Matt. 9:35-38 ESV)

Go and make disciples for Jesus

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt. 28:18-20)

Bring the good news

“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Rom.10:9-15 NIV)

Overcome evil with good 

“On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom 12:20-21 NIV)

Therefore…

“God ‘will repay each person according to what they have done.’ To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.” (Rom. 2:6-10 NIV)

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” (1 Peter 3:15-16 NIV)

“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” (Gal. 6:10 NIV)

Quotes:

“Let every man abide in the calling wherein he is called and his work will be as sacred as the work of the ministry. It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular, it is why he does it.” - A.W. Tozer

“As I look back over fifty years of ministry, I recall innumerable tests, trials and times of crushing pain. But through it all, the Lord has proven faithful, loving, and totally true to all his promises.” – David Wilkerson

“There are three stages in the work of God: Impossible; Difficult; Done.” - Hudson Taylor

“...LORD, how they have increased who trouble me!... But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head...” (Psalm 3:1, 3, NKJV)

Straighten up and raise your heads

During the writing of this, the news is filled with many disturbing images of violent protesting and riots happening in major cities across the nation. People causing trouble seem to be everywhere on every side. But, as the passage above says, God is your “shield” and “the One who lifts your head!” In fact, Jesus said that when you see troubling things in the world (happening as the signs of the end times), you should “straighten up and raise your heads” because you know your redemption is near!

“Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:28 ESV)

Therefore…

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isa. 41:10 ESV)

“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:13 ESV)

Quote:

“Such are the conditions prior to Judgment Day. We need to learn from this and not fret when we see these things happening, but say: Christ predicted beforehand that the world would become so savage, coarse, greedy, and so on. Well then! That's the way it is, and it is even going to get worse.” – Martin Luther

The Bible teaches that there is to be a resurrection of both the saved and the lost; the saved unto the resurrection of eternal life and the lost unto the resurrection of damnation and eternal punishment. 

The dead will be raised imperishable

“Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 15:51-57)

Death and Hades will give up the dead and they will be judged

“Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. (Rev. 20:11-15 ESV)

Therefore…

“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9 ESV)

“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done.” (Rev. 22:12 ESV)

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” (2 Cor. 5:10 ESV)

“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (1 Cor. 15:58 ESV)

Quote:

“Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”– Apostle Paul (1 Cor 1:7-8)

“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10 KJV)

The human condition: All have sinned and come short of God’s glory and and are lost

“When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.” (Rom. 5.12 ESV)

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Rom. 3:23 KJV)

“All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way...” (Isa. 53:6 NASB)

Sin brought death, but Jesus is the answer 

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 6:23 NIV)

“I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.” (John 8:24 ESV)

Therefore…

“…Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved..." (Acts 16:31NIV)

“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Rom. 10:9 NIV)

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…” (John 1:12 ESV)

“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5.13 NIV)

 Quote:

“The purpose of the Bible is simply to proclaim God’s plan to save His children. It asserts that man is lost and needs to be saved. And it communicates the message that Jesus is the God in the flesh sent to save His children.” - Max Lucado