Have you ever known anyone you would describe as “a good person?” A person is described as “good” based upon varying criteria. For some it means a person of integrity. For some it means a person who treats their neighbors kindly. For some it refers to a person of upstanding moral character.
American people have a major struggle with this concept of goodness. Public opinion polls reveal this. There is a growing tendency to believe that all good people, whether or not they consider Jesus Christ to be their savior, will live in heaven after they die on earth. In 1999 the public was almost divided on the matter: 53% agree, 40% disagree. This represents a significant change since 1992, when 40% agreed with this notion and 1994 when 46% agree. Half of all adults (51%) believe that if a person is generally good, or does enough good things for others during their life, they will earn a place in Heaven.
(SOURCE: From Barna Research Online…adapted from Brian Mavis contribution to Sermon Central)
Ill- Pastor James Kennedy came from such a background. In the 1950’s Dr. Kennedy was an Arthur Murray dance studio instructor. It’s hard to believe it now. Back then, Dr Kennedy was a drunk. He slept around. And he lived a very worldly life. When he started dating a Christian girl, she asked him, "Where do you go to church?" And he said, "Nowhere. You don’t have to go to church to be a good person." Then, with an air of arrogance, he said, "You can be a good Christian WITHOUT going to church!"
And the girl said, "No you can’t!"
Years later, Kennedy said, "That was the first time anyone had ever challenged my little pet saying. I was taken aback. And it made me rethink everything I believed."
A week later, Kennedy was asleep in a drunken haze. When he woke up, he heard a preacher on the radio. He got up to turn it off. But before he got to the radio, he heard the preacher say this: "Suppose that you were to die today and stand before God. And he asked you, "What right do you have to enter my heaven?’ what would you say?"
The question stopped Kennedy in his tracks. He sat back down on the bed and listened as Dr. Donald Barnhouse shared the gospel message. Right then and there, Kennedy completely surrendered his life to Christ.
The next day, as he was shaving, he kept looking at himself in the mirror and saying, "I’m forgiven! I’m completely forgiven! I’m going to spend eternity in paradise with Jesus!" He was so happy, so grateful. He decided right then and there, "I want what happened to me to happen to as many people as possible." He started going to church with his new Christian girlfriend. For the last 45 years, Dr Kennedy has shown his appreciation for Jesus Christ by living a life of loving service to Him.
(Adapted from Marc Axelrod’s contribution to Sermon Central)
So, what is a good man? We are going to use the life of Barnabus to define this term. In Acts 11:24 Barnabus was described as a good man. From this text we can learn how God defines "goodness.”
I. A good man is a Man of Faith.
A. One of the questions people struggle to answer is “Does goodness bring faith or is goodness a by-product of faith?” According to this passage goodness is a result of faith. Martin Luther once said “It is not good works which make a good man, but a good man who does good works.” The Bible says “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.“( Ps. 37:23 NKJV)
Ill- Dennis Prager, a nationally syndicated radio talk show host, wrote a very insightful column about goodness. He writes:
"No issue has a greater influence on determining your social and political views than whether you view human nature as basically good or not. In 20 years as a radio talk show host, I have dialogued with thousands of people, of both sexes and from virtually every religious, ethnic and national background. Very early on, I realized that perhaps the major reason for political and other disagreements I had with callers was that they believed people are basically good, and I did not."
He goes on to state the problems that arise from believing that people are born "good." The most notable went like this: "... if you believe that people are basically good, God and religion are morally unnecessary, even harmful. Why would basically good people need a God or religion to provide moral standards?"
When we come to communion we are agreeing with Dennis Prager. Man is not born good. Man needs God to make him good.
"For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
(SOURCE: SermonCentral Staff. Citation: Romans 5:6-8 (NASV). Dennis Prager, "If you believe that people are basically good." December 31, 2002.
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/dennisprager/dp20021231.shtml.)
B. Man’s evaluations are inadequate.
Ill- When he was arrested in February 2002 for dumping as many as 200 bodies in nearby woods, 28 year old Ray Brent Marsh, the operator of Tri-State Crematory told authorities that the incinerator had not worked for some time.
A spokesman for the company that made the incinerator said the Marshes had turned down all offers to service the unit since 1984. A two year recommended service call costs $795. The average cost to the family for a basic cremation is about $1,200. Operator costs are about $25 to cremate a body. What was the payoff for neglecting this small expense? Why did this happen for so many years?
No one really knows, but maybe what resulted in unbelievable negligence began during one busy month. “I need to get that fixed ASAP. Let’s be sure to take care of that tomorrow. Maybe next year we can afford it.”
The Marsh Family was known as a good family.
(Source: SermonCentral staff. Citation: CNN.com, February 20, 2002. © 2002 Cable News Network LP, LLLP.)
C. God is not impressed with our goodness. The Bible says “All our righteousness is as filthy rags.” (Is. 1:18 NKJV) No matter how good you may be it does not meet God’s standards. God is a Holy God. God is perfect.
Ill- Some folks think they are really good people. Let’s suppose that a person only sins 3 times a day. A sin in the morning, a sin during the day and a sin at night. Sounds like a pretty good person! Let’s think for a moment. If that person is saved at 10 years of age and dies at 80 years of age that person will commit 76,650 sins in their lifetime! Imagine nearly 80,000 sins and this is from the life of a "good person." The truth is that all have sinned (more than we would really like to know) and all need Jesus.
(Contributed to Sermon Central by Richard Wilson)
II. A good man is a Man who is filled with the Spirit.
Ill- Let me explain the Spirit’s work in this manner. If I took two balloons and laid one on a table and did nothing with it. That balloon would sit there forever. However, with the other balloon I blew it full of air from my lungs. After filling the balloon I released it with the valve open. That balloon would fly through the air because it is propelled by my air. A person without the Spirit of God will sit. A person who is filled with the Spirit will be propelled by the Spirit of God. Consider these three examples.
A. The Spirit enhances our character.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Gal. 5:22-23 NKJV)
B. The Spirit helps us with our struggles.
“Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” (Gal. 5:16 NKJV)
C. The Spirit inspires us in our service. “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ“ (Eph. 5:18 NKJV)
III. A good man bears fruit for God.
Ill- There was a military officer who happened to stop by an island in the South Pacific. The military officer discovered that the island was inhabited by cannibals. Cannibals are humans who eat other humans. One day he came cross an old tribal chief. He saw the chief reading the Bible in the language of the island people. The officer asked him, “What are you reading.? The old chief held up his Bible and said, “I am reading the Book that belongs to God.? “You’re out of date, aren’t you, old man? the officer asked. “In my country, we don’t believe in that Book anymore; it is a book of myths.? The chief thought this over carefully and replied, “You don’t believe this Book in your country.? “This book made me a good man.? “Before this Book came to my island, I ate people like you.? “This Book has changed me.? “Now, white man, you tell me you want me to throw away this Book and eat you?? I wonder if anyone can guess what the officer’s answer was.
(Contributed to Sermon Central by: Martin Kim)
That chief was bearing fruit for God.
Jesus said "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” A good man bears fruit for God.
Barnabus bore fruit in at least two ways. He encouraged others in the faith. His name means "Encouragement." Most everytime you see him in the scriptures he is encouraging someone.
Barnabus also helped extend the faith to others. After describing Barnabus as a “good man” the Bible says “And a great many people were added to the Lord.” I believe it was because of the contributions of Barnabus that many were added to the Lord.
