"Relaunch 2015"
pt. 6 - I Will Be Good
Galatians 5:22-23
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Introduction: I want to welcome you this morning to part 5 of a new sermon series based on the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5. This series is all about life change and what God wants to do in our lives if we will let Him. Make no mistake my friends; the goal of God in salvation is Christlikeness. God wants to change us into the image (icon -- exact replica) of His Son in character, conduct and personality.
Let me also remind you that we can translate the first few words of verse 22, "The fruit of the Spirit..." to read "...the fruit that the Spirit produces..." This morning I want to you to ask yourself this question as we begin; "If I was a better person and displayed more goodness in my life and testimony would it make a difference in my life?" Would it make a difference in my family life? Would it make a difference in my Christian testimony? The answer to all of these is yes it would!
First let's consider:
What is goodness? Now I want you to know that I have studied this word long and hard and consulted no less than ten different translations and including the Greek text and I have come to the conclusion that the goodness is translated.........you guessed it, are you ready? Drum roll please, it means goodness! Now on the surface this word is a whole lot like the word gentleness which we studied last week, in that it isn't a word that we would normally associate with life change but take my word for it dear friend, being a good person in the biblical sense of the term results in a radical life change. This word is an active not a passive word. God wants us to develop the capacity for well-doing. The Holy Spirit is working in and through us to do good things for God and for others.
Next, I would like us to look at:
I. Goodness and the Truth
a. The misconception about good works
I want to deal with an issue right out of the gate this morning that is tremendously important. Now hear this: We do not do good works in order to go to heaven! That is what Hindu's believe and that is what Muslim's believe and that is what Jehovah's witnesses believe and that is what Buddhist's believe but that is not what Jesus taught and not a single one of the NT writers taught that your good works will get you to heaven. Jesus met a young man in Matthew 19 and made it perfectly clear than good works don't get you to heaven.
Mat 19:16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
The Apostle makes it plain in Ephesians also that our good works get us to heaven.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Galatians 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
b. The manifestation of good works
The second important truth about works is that if we have been genuinely saved we will do good works.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
In the book of James we have a greatest treatise on the relationship between faith and works found anywhere in the Bible.
James 2:14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
c. The mandate for good works
Psalms 34:14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
37:3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
Please notice that the emphasis here and in many other passages is not on being good but doing good. You cannot not separate the two principles. Even Jesus did good works. We have Him for an example of how we are to behave.
Acts 10:36 The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)
37 That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached;
38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
II. Goodness and Our Testimony
No one has more to say about doing good than James in the New Testament. In James 1:22 we read "Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." James is saying that what we hear, what we understand, what we know, must be put into practice in our experience as believers! We don't need to just think of what people need and how nice it would if they had it, but James says to do it.
James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
a. Our motivation for good works
Hebrews 13:15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
1 Peter 2:12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. ESV
The implications of these two verses are plain. The first motivation for good works is pleasing God. That ought to be the goal and aim of our lives, to please Him. Second, we should be motivated to do good so that men can see those good works and glorify God.
b. Our manner in good works
How we do good works is just as important as why we do them.
Matthew 6:3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
Matthews 23:5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
c. Our mission in good works
Matthew 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
III. Goodness Displayed Tangibly
a. The saints
One of the things that I believe is praiseworthy about our church is the way that our church family takes care of each other. There is seldom a week that goes by but that I hear of some act of kindness on the part of a member of our church on someone's behalf. There have been countless situations where our First Church family members have stepped in to help each other. This is biblical and is something that brings honor and glory.
Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
b. The sinner
If our life is characterized by doing good works even those who are enemies of the faith cannot fail to be impressed. Floyd Wolfanbarger
Matthew 5:38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.
41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
c. The Sovereign
One of the fundamental truths about God is that God is good and that He does good things, even for those who may not love or worship Him. For instance it "...rains on the just and the unjust..." This text illustrates the truth that God is good and He does good things for everyone!
As a matter of fact one of the areas that Satan uses in his attempts to deceive is to seek to convince men that God is not good. We can see this in two OT passages. In Genesis when Satan approaches Eve in the form of a serpent he convinces Eve that because God has forbid this first couple from eating the fruit from the Tree of Life that he is withholding good from them and Eve believes him. Second, we have the case of Job. Do you remember that Satan is an "accuser of the brethren?" He suggests that the reason that Job serves God is because of God's blessings on Job and that if these blessings were removed that Job would curse God. The suggestion is clear, that God is not good when He allows bad things to happen to good people. By the way, Satan still uses that same tactic today.
Conclusion:
What are some tangible ways that we can do good?
#1 We display God's goodness by being forgiving.
#2 We can display God's goodness by being morally pure.
#3 We can display goodness through graciousness.
Rober Keller writes: "It is the good person, the gracious soul, the generous heart who helps the down-trodden".
#4 We can display goodness through generosity. One translation of 1 John 3:1 says, "How great is the love that the Father has lavished on us." God is good because He gives and He gives because He is good.
And He keeps on giving and giving and giving again!
John Wesley is quoted as saying: "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can."
But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives He will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control' (Galatians 5:16-17 & 23 TLB). Is living like this really possible? Yes, but you must do four things:
1) understand that you're a target for the enemy and protect yourself with God's Word and prayer
2) get angry with sin - don't put up with it: '...let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles...' (Hebrews 12:1 NIV)
3) be continually filled with the Holy Spirit. Without it, you lose every time
4) stand in God's strength, not your own. How? By exercising your choice to obey Him rather than going for the easy option
All believers have God in their heart - but not all believers have given their whole heart to God! The question is not, 'how can I have more of the Holy Spirit?' It's 'how can the Spirit have more of me?'
