Faithfulness And Goodness: Overcoming Hypocrisy Series

It seems as if corruption and scandal is everywhere these days. Goodness and faithfulness are rare commodities in our day. If goodness and faithfulness were sold on the mercantile exchange in Chicago, their very rarity would cause their prices to soar to unprecedented heights. Scandals are everywhere you turn.

As the world prepares for the Olympics, many wonder if Russian athletes will even be allowed to participate. Numerous Russian athletes are banned from the Rio Olympics because of a state-sponsored doping scandal. Russian security services tampered with and altered sealed urine samples of its athletes. By some estimates, as many as one-third of the Russian athletes are banned from competition.

But corruption isn’t just limited to the athletic fields as top Volkswagen executives engaged in a massive fraud to sell diesel cars that violated emission rules, known as the “diesel dupe.” More than 500,000 diesel cars were sold in the US that contained software designed to cheat on emissions tests. In fact, the software could test when the car was being tested, and it activated equipment that reduced emissions. Volkswagen has agreed to pay $15 billion to settle claims in the United States and $50 million to Texas alone.

All this leaves us with a question, “Is there anyone who is good anymore?” Is there anyone who is faithful? We’re in a summer sermon series devoted to bringing the change into our lives that we’ve always longed for. So far in our study, we’ve looked at love, joy, peace, patience, and kindness. You may say, “Pastor, I don’t think I can take on anymore. I haven’t mastered love yet!” I can certainly understand this. Yet today, we look at how to develop goodness and faithfulness in ourselves and in others.

We will combine the two because goodness and faithfulness have to do with integrity. It’s a series devoted to advocating living life with the fruit of the Spirit: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23)

Kamran was a violent man who sold drugs and weapons in Iran. Yet, one day, a friend gave him a New Testament, and for five consecutive days, Kamran devoured it. He soon gave his life to Christ. Soon, his friends and family witnessed a transformed life. And where Kamran used to sell drugs and weapons, a church now met in his home. A radical transformation took over Kamran’s life. Those who have the Spirit of God living in them have a moral beauty that shines forth in a dark world. These are nine character qualities that are a result of the Holy Spirit taking over your life.

Today, I want to ask, “What are goodness and faithfulness?” What trips us up from becoming good and faithful? What are the obstacles that prevent us from being more faithful and more good? And what do we each need to do to see these qualities in our lives?

Today’s Scripture Passage

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;

6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. (Psalm 1:1-6)

1. A Rooted Life

The very first psalm deals with a profile in godliness or goodness. Did you should know our English word “good” comes from the Old English word God. Notice there’s a clear-cut distinction between the righteous man and the wicked man, as evidenced in verse 6: “for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish” (Psalm 1:6). You’ll notice the Bible calls a good man a tree firmly planted (verse 3). So here is the godly man, the good woman, or the faithful person. Please take a moment and note that the righteous person is described negatively and then positively. Note the order for the Bible describes what a good and faithful person is not before going to describe what the good and faithful is.

There are three things I want you to notice about the good and faithful man or woman of Psalm 1. And I want you to notice the good and faithful person’s resolve, their resources for goodness and faithfulness, and lastly, the result of a godly man. Another way to see this … the good woman doesn’t do certain things (verse 1)… … the good woman does do certain things (verse 2)… … and the good woman reaps the benefits of her goodness (verse 3).