1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,560 So I hope you grabbed a note sheets bulletin on your way in 2 00:00:03,560 --> 00:00:06,280 this morning. As usual, there's a lot of 3 00:00:06,560 --> 00:00:10,960 passages there in the note sheets, so we'll be covering a 4 00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:12,280 good amount of ground this morning. 5 00:00:12,960 --> 00:00:17,120 And obviously today we're diving into an essential aspect of the 6 00:00:17,120 --> 00:00:22,680 Christian life, goodness. Goodness isn't just about being 7 00:00:22,680 --> 00:00:25,400 nice. In a world often marked by 8 00:00:25,400 --> 00:00:31,240 division, selfishness and a lack of integrity, goodness stands as 9 00:00:31,240 --> 00:00:33,240 a light. It's a witness to the 10 00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:37,000 transformative power of God at work in our lives. 11 00:00:37,800 --> 00:00:42,000 Goodness is a lifestyle. It's about living in such a way 12 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:46,320 that our choices, our attitudes in our relationships all point 13 00:00:46,320 --> 00:00:50,560 back to the nature of a loving, generous and righteous God. 14 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:53,840 Brendan, I think I'm going to make a change here. 15 00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:58,480 Is it OK if I ditch this mic and switch to this one? 16 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:03,920 OK, Because I feel myself already pushing pretty hard and 17 00:01:04,599 --> 00:01:09,680 so I don't want to completely lose my voice here. 18 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:14,640 So as we reflect, I guess that means I have to stand still. 19 00:01:20,160 --> 00:01:26,920 I don't make any promises, you know that the camera guys will 20 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:28,360 appreciate it though, if I stand still. 21 00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:31,520 I know. So as we reflect on this fruits, 22 00:01:31,960 --> 00:01:34,320 we'll first explore God's goodness and then we'll look at 23 00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:38,000 our own goodness. What's the purpose of it and 24 00:01:38,160 --> 00:01:40,960 what does it look like in our lives? 25 00:01:42,320 --> 00:01:44,880 Goodness is more than just doing good things. 26 00:01:44,880 --> 00:01:49,200 It's about becoming a reflection of God's heart. 27 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:53,680 When we yield to the Holy Spirit, He transforms us into 28 00:01:54,040 --> 00:01:57,680 people whose very presence brings the goodness of God 29 00:01:57,960 --> 00:02:00,800 wherever we go into this broken world. 30 00:02:02,560 --> 00:02:06,240 So let's pause for a moment of prayer to open our hearts to 31 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:10,280 receive and cultivate, cultivate this fruit in our lives, 32 00:02:10,720 --> 00:02:14,040 allowing God to shape us more into His image. 33 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:16,800 So let's take a moment to go before Him. 34 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:30,800 Father God, we submit ourselves under your rule and reign. 35 00:02:35,160 --> 00:02:42,880 God, we say we're here for you. Would you speak to us, teach us 36 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:48,360 from Your Word that we would be changed and transformed by the 37 00:02:48,360 --> 00:02:53,040 power of the Holy Spirit's working in US? 38 00:02:55,720 --> 00:02:58,120 I thank you for this time and the privilege of sharing Your 39 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:02,520 Word and God, I pray that you would empower me for these next 40 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:06,960 moments to bring Your Word. It's in Jesus name we pray these 41 00:03:06,960 --> 00:03:08,880 things. Amen. 42 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:23,400 Psalms 100 and six, 100 and seven, 118 and 136 all open with 43 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:26,080 the same phrase, and I know you could finish it if you weren't 44 00:03:26,080 --> 00:03:28,840 looking at it. Give thanks to the Lord, for he 45 00:03:28,840 --> 00:03:34,880 is good. Yes, God is good, and His 46 00:03:34,880 --> 00:03:39,600 goodness pervades all that He is and all that he does. 47 00:03:40,560 --> 00:03:44,120 Psalm 65, four said, Blessed is the one you choose and bring 48 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:48,560 near to dwell in your courts. We shall be satisfied with the 49 00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:52,160 goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple. 50 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:58,200 Satisfaction, true satisfaction is rooted in God's goodness. 51 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:02,920 He pours out blessings on His people who He has brought near 52 00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:06,360 to His presence. Then Titus three. 53 00:04:06,360 --> 00:04:09,080 I mentioned this verse last week, but for a different 54 00:04:09,080 --> 00:04:11,360 reason. Titus 3-4 says, But when the 55 00:04:11,360 --> 00:04:15,600 goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He 56 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:20,320 saved us. It's the appearance of God's 57 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:25,840 goodness that made a way for our salvation. 58 00:04:28,640 --> 00:04:33,160 If I were to try to summarize God's goodness into a single 59 00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:37,280 word, I think it would be blessing. 60 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:43,880 God pours out His blessings on us through His character as well 61 00:04:43,880 --> 00:04:48,400 as through His actions. His character serves as the 62 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:52,280 basis for our faith. It's the foundation on which all 63 00:04:52,280 --> 00:04:57,320 other attributes are built. God is good. 64 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:00,440 That's a fact. And when that fact is 65 00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:04,080 established, we can look at all other aspects of God through 66 00:05:04,080 --> 00:05:10,000 that lens. Knowing God is good means that I 67 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:15,680 understand all of His actions to be good, even the actions and 68 00:05:15,680 --> 00:05:19,480 decisions that I don't understand or agree with. 69 00:05:20,960 --> 00:05:27,400 Knowing God is good allows me to trust Him and remember, even 70 00:05:27,400 --> 00:05:34,520 when our circumstances may change, God has not changed and 71 00:05:34,520 --> 00:05:39,880 God is still good. Goodness flows from God's 72 00:05:39,880 --> 00:05:43,200 nature, but that's not where goodness stops. 73 00:05:43,840 --> 00:05:46,960 We're examining the fruit of the Spirit here, so that same 74 00:05:46,960 --> 00:05:50,120 goodness is to be reflected in US, right? 75 00:05:51,040 --> 00:05:54,080 The question before us this morning is, what does it look 76 00:05:54,080 --> 00:05:58,600 like for God's goodness to be revealed in my life? 77 00:06:00,760 --> 00:06:05,000 First of all, a basic definition of goodness. 78 00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:10,560 Goodness is uprightness of heart and life. 79 00:06:16,200 --> 00:06:18,120 It's uprightness of heart and life. 80 00:06:19,960 --> 00:06:27,840 It is both holiness and virtue. Goodness is fueled by high moral 81 00:06:27,840 --> 00:06:30,800 character and the desire to be a blessing to others. 82 00:06:30,800 --> 00:06:36,800 It's not simply goodness just for the sake of showing myself 83 00:06:36,800 --> 00:06:40,400 to be virtuous. Virtue signalling, if you will. 84 00:06:41,160 --> 00:06:47,520 No, the primary word used here, agathosene, is goodness for the 85 00:06:47,520 --> 00:06:52,000 benefit of others. And and this goodness is 86 00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:58,400 directly related to benevolence. Someone with agathosene 87 00:06:58,440 --> 00:07:00,920 selflessly acts on behalf of others. 88 00:07:01,080 --> 00:07:03,720 They'll go the extra mile. And this goodness can be 89 00:07:03,720 --> 00:07:05,960 manifested in a million different ways. 90 00:07:07,040 --> 00:07:10,920 Giving to the poor, providing for our children, visiting the 91 00:07:10,920 --> 00:07:15,960 sick, volunteering to clean up after a storm, praying for an 92 00:07:15,960 --> 00:07:22,560 enemy, even confronting sin can be a demonstration of goodness. 93 00:07:25,120 --> 00:07:29,280 2nd Corinthians 98 tells us where this goodness comes from. 94 00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:36,360 It says God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that 95 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:40,800 having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may 96 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:47,160 abound in every good work. God is the source. 97 00:07:47,640 --> 00:07:51,520 He abundantly pours out His grace into our lives, and His 98 00:07:51,520 --> 00:07:56,000 grace then becomes our sufficiency. 99 00:07:56,360 --> 00:07:59,840 We've been equipped by God for the good works that He has 100 00:07:59,840 --> 00:08:04,480 prepared for us. I'd like to remind you that 101 00:08:05,720 --> 00:08:10,480 we're filled with grace and and out of grateful hearts for what 102 00:08:10,480 --> 00:08:15,440 we've received. We we do good works, not the 103 00:08:15,440 --> 00:08:18,120 reverse. We don't do good works in order 104 00:08:18,120 --> 00:08:22,320 to receive grace. That's not how God works and 105 00:08:22,320 --> 00:08:25,000 that's actually not grace if you're working for something 106 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:32,559 because grace is a free gift. So goodness is uprightness of 107 00:08:32,559 --> 00:08:38,240 hearts and life. Next, goodness is a witness to 108 00:08:38,240 --> 00:08:45,880 the world and it glorifies God. It's a witness to the world and 109 00:08:45,880 --> 00:08:48,720 glorifies God. Now some of you might be 110 00:08:48,720 --> 00:08:54,160 thinking, well, didn't Matthew 6 tell us, don't let your left 111 00:08:54,160 --> 00:08:55,920 hand know what your right hand is doing? 112 00:08:56,680 --> 00:09:00,680 Yes, it does say that, but but here's what Jesus is getting at 113 00:09:00,920 --> 00:09:03,720 in the Sermon on the Mount. He was cautioning people, 114 00:09:04,360 --> 00:09:07,960 especially the Pharisees. He was cautioning them against 115 00:09:08,280 --> 00:09:12,160 doing their deeds in order to be seen by others. 116 00:09:13,240 --> 00:09:16,880 Performing your good deeds in order to receive recognition is 117 00:09:17,160 --> 00:09:22,720 pride and it's vanity, and this is not what Jesus wants. 118 00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:29,440 In fact, earlier in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 516, 119 00:09:29,440 --> 00:09:35,400 Jesus said in the same way, let your light shine before others 120 00:09:35,520 --> 00:09:38,960 so that they may see your good works and give glory to your 121 00:09:38,960 --> 00:09:44,240 Father who is in heaven. Our good works will will be 122 00:09:44,240 --> 00:09:49,480 visible to others around us. That's when you do something 123 00:09:49,480 --> 00:09:52,440 good. Often it's visible to others. 124 00:09:52,560 --> 00:09:54,440 The key here though, is our motive. 125 00:09:55,880 --> 00:09:58,360 When we let our light shine, we're not doing it for 126 00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:04,680 ourselves, but rather we shine the light back on Jesus. 127 00:10:06,280 --> 00:10:09,480 Goodness points back to God and not to ourselves. 128 00:10:09,800 --> 00:10:14,120 As our goodness is viewed by others around us, it causes them 129 00:10:14,120 --> 00:10:19,480 to wonder what is it that is working inside of us? 130 00:10:20,640 --> 00:10:24,280 As people wonder and are amazed at what God is doing inside us 131 00:10:25,320 --> 00:10:32,920 that brings glory to God. The next points, Goodness also 132 00:10:32,920 --> 00:10:42,320 benefits others and ourselves. Goodness is a benefit to others 133 00:10:42,720 --> 00:10:50,080 and ourselves. So are we being self-serving 134 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:55,040 when we do good things? Well, that's actually between 135 00:10:55,040 --> 00:10:59,200 you and God. I can't tell you that's whether 136 00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:05,800 you're trying to serve your own purposes, but you can examine 137 00:11:05,800 --> 00:11:10,640 yourself and, and, and determine what are my motives in doing 138 00:11:10,640 --> 00:11:13,640 good? Do I do good in order to help 139 00:11:13,640 --> 00:11:17,240 other people? Or am I doing good in order to 140 00:11:18,400 --> 00:11:22,240 draw attention to myself and and get them to think that I'm 141 00:11:22,240 --> 00:11:25,400 wonderful and great and do all these good things? 142 00:11:27,840 --> 00:11:32,480 Proverbs 11/25 reads. Whoever brings blessing will be 143 00:11:32,480 --> 00:11:36,520 enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered. 144 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:42,480 So how does our own blessing of others serve to bless us? 145 00:11:42,840 --> 00:11:44,760 There are a few ways that this happens. 146 00:11:44,760 --> 00:11:46,840 And I wish I would have given you room to write. 147 00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:50,960 But you see, I have to turn in the sermon note sheet on Friday, 148 00:11:50,960 --> 00:11:55,200 and there's still a lot of work when I turn in the sermon note 149 00:11:55,200 --> 00:11:56,400 sheet. There's still a lot of work that 150 00:11:56,400 --> 00:12:00,240 happens when I turn it in. So. 151 00:12:01,600 --> 00:12:04,320 Yeah. But OK, so how does our our 152 00:12:04,320 --> 00:12:07,360 blessing others bless us? First of all, when we bless 153 00:12:07,360 --> 00:12:11,680 others, we are releasing control from the objects and the money 154 00:12:11,680 --> 00:12:16,000 and the resources that can hold us in their grip. 155 00:12:17,480 --> 00:12:22,400 I'm controlling my resources, not allowing my resources to 156 00:12:22,400 --> 00:12:28,240 control me. Another thing, benevolence 157 00:12:28,240 --> 00:12:30,640 reorients my perspective on what I have. 158 00:12:32,720 --> 00:12:36,880 When I give more freely of my resources, I adopt the 159 00:12:36,880 --> 00:12:42,960 perspective that I have plenty in life and God has given me all 160 00:12:43,160 --> 00:12:47,400 that I need. Which leads us to my third 161 00:12:47,400 --> 00:12:49,440 thought. When I bless others, it 162 00:12:49,440 --> 00:12:53,000 increases my faith and trust in God. 163 00:12:56,120 --> 00:13:03,000 Now, conversely, the person who acts in a miserly, stingy manner 164 00:13:03,920 --> 00:13:10,240 is always in need. They see someone's need, but 165 00:13:10,480 --> 00:13:14,440 they'll just turn away from it. This person never has enough. 166 00:13:14,440 --> 00:13:17,720 Even when they shouldn't have a care in the world, they're still 167 00:13:17,720 --> 00:13:21,480 consumed by accumulating and hoarding resources. 168 00:13:23,120 --> 00:13:26,960 One such person was J Paul Getty. 169 00:13:29,320 --> 00:13:34,520 J Paul Getty back in the 60s was the richest man in the world. 170 00:13:35,720 --> 00:13:40,320 He was an oil tycoon whose net worth soared into the billions, 171 00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:44,840 and that was in yesteryear dollars, not even current 172 00:13:44,840 --> 00:13:50,160 dollars. He had everything that money 173 00:13:50,160 --> 00:13:55,960 could buy, including a beautiful German Shepherd, apparently a 174 00:13:55,960 --> 00:13:58,760 little inside secret. Our household has this thing 175 00:13:58,760 --> 00:14:02,680 about German shepherds because we have a dog that masquerades 176 00:14:02,680 --> 00:14:09,000 as a German Shepherd, but we say that she's broken. 177 00:14:11,560 --> 00:14:15,640 She's only 40% German Shepherd but there's also a quarter pit 178 00:14:15,640 --> 00:14:20,720 in there so her ears do this thing and if her ears pointed up 179 00:14:21,560 --> 00:14:26,960 then all would be right. But no, we love her. 180 00:14:27,040 --> 00:14:35,800 She's fun and dumb. But he had everything money 181 00:14:35,960 --> 00:14:41,720 could buy, multiple estates, priceless art, and businesses 182 00:14:41,720 --> 00:14:46,400 all around the world. But despite all his wealth, 183 00:14:46,920 --> 00:14:53,120 Getty was famously stingy. Even in his dying days, he 184 00:14:53,120 --> 00:14:56,200 lamented the medical bills that he was receiving. 185 00:14:57,760 --> 00:15:01,120 His stinginess was most illustrated in one particular 186 00:15:01,120 --> 00:15:07,480 story. In 1973, one of Getty's 187 00:15:07,480 --> 00:15:11,320 grandsons was kidnapped in Italy, and the abductors 188 00:15:11,320 --> 00:15:15,080 demanded a ransom of $17 million. 189 00:15:15,480 --> 00:15:18,840 They were not messing around, $17 million. 190 00:15:19,440 --> 00:15:22,360 At first, Getty refused to pay, he said. 191 00:15:22,640 --> 00:15:28,080 I have 14 other grandchildren. If I pay 1 penny now, then I 192 00:15:28,080 --> 00:15:31,800 will have 14 kidnapped grandchildren. 193 00:15:32,720 --> 00:15:38,000 OK, he has a point, but that's not where it stops, as after the 194 00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:42,240 kidnappers cut off the boy's ear and sent it to a newspaper. 195 00:15:43,160 --> 00:15:51,480 Yet he finally agreed to pay, but only 2.2 million because 196 00:15:51,480 --> 00:15:56,080 that was the amount that he could get the maximum tax 197 00:15:56,080 --> 00:15:59,440 deduction on. And then? 198 00:16:00,400 --> 00:16:05,240 And then 2.2 is certainly not 17, right? 199 00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:09,880 He loaned the rest of the money to his son. 200 00:16:10,280 --> 00:16:15,800 The grandchild's father loaned the rest of the money to him at 201 00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:22,280 a rate of 4%. It's sad. 202 00:16:24,440 --> 00:16:30,480 Can you imagine a man with all the money in the world? 203 00:16:30,480 --> 00:16:36,440 It's his heart was completely bankrupt with greed. 204 00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:43,400 He'd gained the whole world, but his legacy became a warning, not 205 00:16:43,400 --> 00:16:46,960 a model to live by as he certainly didn't understand the 206 00:16:46,960 --> 00:16:51,240 value of benevolence and goodness in one's life. 207 00:16:54,320 --> 00:16:57,480 So goodness is a witness to the world and glorifies God. 208 00:16:57,880 --> 00:17:00,560 It's also a benefit to others and ourselves. 209 00:17:01,360 --> 00:17:03,760 As we continue on through this message, we're going to dive a 210 00:17:03,760 --> 00:17:07,680 little deeper into that definition of a brightness of 211 00:17:07,680 --> 00:17:13,359 heart and life. So a brightness of heart, I 212 00:17:13,359 --> 00:17:19,839 would say this is goodness in our attitude, goodness in our 213 00:17:19,839 --> 00:17:22,640 character, in our in our inner being. 214 00:17:24,560 --> 00:17:28,000 It's the general disposition with which we approach life, in 215 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:35,440 both of its highs and it's lows. Are you generally a good person 216 00:17:36,520 --> 00:17:38,080 or are you generally a bad person? 217 00:17:39,760 --> 00:17:43,880 I do hope that nobody here says, well, generally, no, I'm really 218 00:17:43,880 --> 00:17:45,680 bad. I'm an evil person. 219 00:17:49,120 --> 00:17:51,760 I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that your 220 00:17:51,760 --> 00:17:55,960 presence here this morning is a strong indicator that you're 221 00:17:55,960 --> 00:18:00,920 probably a decently good person. Sure, you may have some growth 222 00:18:00,920 --> 00:18:04,440 edges, but otherwise you're upright in character. 223 00:18:05,120 --> 00:18:11,160 Typically, bad or evil people don't find themselves sitting in 224 00:18:11,160 --> 00:18:15,800 a church service. Now, as we talk about character, 225 00:18:15,800 --> 00:18:19,280 I think we can learn something from the world a botany. 226 00:18:20,360 --> 00:18:23,760 This is highly complex here, so I hope you can track with me. 227 00:18:24,880 --> 00:18:29,720 If I have an apple tree, what kind of fruits is the apple tree 228 00:18:29,720 --> 00:18:33,000 going to produce? A what? 229 00:18:37,080 --> 00:18:41,000 You always have one, right? An apple? 230 00:18:41,480 --> 00:18:46,400 If I live down South and I have an orange Grove, what kind of 231 00:18:46,400 --> 00:18:50,200 fruit is it going to produce? Oranges. 232 00:18:51,880 --> 00:18:54,360 If I have a tomato plant, what do I do with it? 233 00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:56,840 Well, actually I ripped that sucker up and give it to someone 234 00:18:56,840 --> 00:19:04,960 else who can enjoy it. Luke 643 through 45. 235 00:19:06,320 --> 00:19:10,600 For no good tree bears bad fruits, nor again does a bad 236 00:19:10,600 --> 00:19:15,840 tree bear good fruits. For each tree is known by its 237 00:19:15,840 --> 00:19:18,920 own fruits. For figs are not gathered from 238 00:19:18,920 --> 00:19:22,200 thorn bushes, nor grapes picked from a Bramble Bush. 239 00:19:23,080 --> 00:19:26,760 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces 240 00:19:26,760 --> 00:19:31,680 good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil. 241 00:19:32,840 --> 00:19:37,240 For out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks. 242 00:19:38,560 --> 00:19:40,040 This isn't rocket science, right? 243 00:19:40,600 --> 00:19:42,240 It's logical. It makes sense. 244 00:19:42,240 --> 00:19:45,080 The apple tree gives us apples. The orange tree gives us 245 00:19:45,760 --> 00:19:48,640 oranges. Even the tomato plant yields the 246 00:19:48,640 --> 00:19:52,240 right fruit. And yes, tomato is fruit, 247 00:19:53,120 --> 00:19:58,080 botanically speaking, because it does have seeds, making it a 248 00:19:58,080 --> 00:19:59,800 fruit. That's weird to me. 249 00:20:00,760 --> 00:20:03,280 But yeah, it is considered a fruit. 250 00:20:04,520 --> 00:20:08,480 So the fruit that's produced is consistent with the character of 251 00:20:08,480 --> 00:20:13,080 that tree or plant. No, the apple tree does not give 252 00:20:13,080 --> 00:20:18,920 us pears, Jeremy, It gives us apples. 253 00:20:20,360 --> 00:20:23,600 We don't go to thorn bushes looking for grapes. 254 00:20:24,320 --> 00:20:29,720 No, the thorn Bush's character is not not such that it produces 255 00:20:29,720 --> 00:20:36,200 the the fruit of the vine. Goodness begins in our hearts 256 00:20:36,320 --> 00:20:42,160 attitude and posture. If the heart isn't properly 257 00:20:42,160 --> 00:20:48,840 oriented, then goodness will not likely follow. 258 00:20:51,040 --> 00:20:55,960 In First Timothy, Paul begins by addressing false teachings, 259 00:20:56,440 --> 00:20:59,160 teachings that straight from the truth of the gospel and had 260 00:20:59,400 --> 00:21:04,760 caused people to run headlong into different myths and novel 261 00:21:04,760 --> 00:21:09,200 ideas. As a response to these 262 00:21:09,200 --> 00:21:14,800 teachings, Paul said in First Timothy 15, the aim of our 263 00:21:14,800 --> 00:21:19,120 charge is love, the issues from a pure heart and a good 264 00:21:19,120 --> 00:21:28,080 conscience and a sincere faith. His aim was love, but not just 265 00:21:28,080 --> 00:21:32,720 any love, love characterized by inner purity, moral integrity 266 00:21:32,920 --> 00:21:37,200 and genuine belief. These qualities are the 267 00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:39,640 foundation for the Christian's life. 268 00:21:41,280 --> 00:21:44,160 So this logically needs us, leads us to the next point. 269 00:21:44,920 --> 00:21:49,040 After looking at goodness and attitude, we have goodness in 270 00:21:49,040 --> 00:21:53,840 action. This I would characterize as the 271 00:21:53,840 --> 00:21:57,200 uprightness of life. The Christians godly good 272 00:21:57,200 --> 00:22:02,320 character leads to a visible demonstration of uprightness of 273 00:22:02,320 --> 00:22:05,600 life. Their goodness is put into 274 00:22:05,600 --> 00:22:11,680 action as it doesn't only exist in some theoretical place deep 275 00:22:11,680 --> 00:22:13,120 in the heart of the Christ follower. 276 00:22:13,120 --> 00:22:16,960 No goodness has to come out of our hearts. 277 00:22:16,960 --> 00:22:21,080 It has to make its way out into visible demonstrations and 278 00:22:21,080 --> 00:22:26,960 actions. So how do we do this? 279 00:22:28,600 --> 00:22:34,200 Well, first of all, we can look for opportunities to to serve, 280 00:22:34,920 --> 00:22:38,640 to speak life, and to help others. 281 00:22:42,120 --> 00:22:46,160 This means we're continually on the lookout for opportunities. 282 00:22:46,720 --> 00:22:49,680 How can I serve? How can I speak life to someone? 283 00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:53,040 How can I show benevolence and lend a helping hand? 284 00:22:54,400 --> 00:22:58,560 This often necessitates stepping outside of my comfort zone. 285 00:23:01,880 --> 00:23:08,160 The United States as well as the Western Church have become 286 00:23:08,160 --> 00:23:13,520 enamoured with comfort. We're driven by a desire to be 287 00:23:13,520 --> 00:23:18,560 comfortable, and we highly value leisure, pleasure, and fun above 288 00:23:18,560 --> 00:23:25,440 nearly everything else in life. This desire for comfort means I 289 00:23:25,720 --> 00:23:28,240 I loathe any sort of discomforts. 290 00:23:28,480 --> 00:23:32,800 For example, going a night without AC is practically 291 00:23:32,840 --> 00:23:37,520 unimaginable to me. However, I will say for many 292 00:23:37,520 --> 00:23:43,920 years I've driven vehicles that did not have AC and and I'm only 293 00:23:44,120 --> 00:23:49,760 just now getting an upgrade to AC in the vehicle here in the 294 00:23:49,760 --> 00:23:51,760 next couple weeks. Maybe. 295 00:23:52,120 --> 00:23:55,720 Depends on how the learning how to drive a stick shift goes with 296 00:23:55,720 --> 00:24:01,600 Mica and then he can be the driver of a car without AC. 297 00:24:01,680 --> 00:24:05,880 We have faithfully handed that on to both kids. 298 00:24:05,880 --> 00:24:10,960 Aria grew up with a car without AC and Micah will be doing the 299 00:24:10,960 --> 00:24:16,760 same. But comfort creates in US and 300 00:24:17,080 --> 00:24:21,800 unwillingness to move beyond ourselves, to think outside of 301 00:24:21,800 --> 00:24:24,720 ourselves when we're comfortable. 302 00:24:25,000 --> 00:24:27,840 Spiritual complacency is the byproduct. 303 00:24:29,840 --> 00:24:36,440 Try witnessing to to the affluent person, generally 304 00:24:36,440 --> 00:24:40,680 speaking, they're convinced that they don't need Jesus because 305 00:24:40,680 --> 00:24:46,560 they have everything they want. They can buy everything that 306 00:24:46,560 --> 00:24:50,600 they need. The drive for comfort, even it 307 00:24:50,600 --> 00:24:53,840 impacts us here inside the church walls. 308 00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:59,240 Engaging in deeper discipleship is out of vogue because it asks 309 00:24:59,240 --> 00:25:04,760 something of us. It takes extra time to invest in 310 00:25:04,760 --> 00:25:08,160 other people and to make myself available. 311 00:25:10,600 --> 00:25:15,920 As Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it, engaging in discipleship costs 312 00:25:15,920 --> 00:25:20,040 us something. Otherwise, we're engaging in 313 00:25:20,040 --> 00:25:25,040 cheap grace, receiving forgiveness without true 314 00:25:25,040 --> 00:25:28,920 repentance and life change. That's what cheap grace is. 315 00:25:30,800 --> 00:25:34,680 It's important for us to castaway our comforts and pursue 316 00:25:34,680 --> 00:25:39,760 true discipleship, giving up so we can gain all that there is to 317 00:25:39,760 --> 00:25:44,920 be had in Christ. In order for us to be 318 00:25:44,920 --> 00:25:48,360 benevolence, whether with our time, our money, or other 319 00:25:48,360 --> 00:25:54,840 resources, we have to be intentional the majority of the 320 00:25:54,840 --> 00:25:56,400 time. We don't just fall into 321 00:25:56,400 --> 00:26:00,400 benevolence, We're not usually coerced into benevolence. 322 00:26:00,400 --> 00:26:04,840 It it happens when we see a need and we step in to help fulfill 323 00:26:04,840 --> 00:26:09,520 that need. The prophet Amos was called to 324 00:26:09,520 --> 00:26:11,520 speak to the northern Kingdom of Israel. 325 00:26:12,600 --> 00:26:16,160 God was unhappy with his people and and he had planned to punish 326 00:26:16,160 --> 00:26:19,120 them. They were doing evil and God 327 00:26:19,120 --> 00:26:22,200 wanted them to give up their evil ways and get right with 328 00:26:22,200 --> 00:26:28,080 him. Amos 514 says seek good and not 329 00:26:28,080 --> 00:26:34,640 evil that you may live. God's word to his people was be 330 00:26:34,960 --> 00:26:39,960 intentional, seek out good, look for opportunities to do good to 331 00:26:39,960 --> 00:26:44,960 people and not evil. His call was for them to turn 332 00:26:44,960 --> 00:26:49,920 away from the evil ways that were popular in their time and 333 00:26:49,920 --> 00:26:53,400 instead look for ways to demonstrate righteousness and 334 00:26:53,400 --> 00:26:57,200 goodness to their fellow Israelites. 335 00:27:00,560 --> 00:27:02,960 Also, as we look for opportunities to help others, 336 00:27:02,960 --> 00:27:08,040 it's important to clarify that goodness isn't out of 337 00:27:08,040 --> 00:27:11,320 compulsion. It's it's voluntary. 338 00:27:12,560 --> 00:27:16,600 If you're forced into something, then it's not actually goodness. 339 00:27:16,600 --> 00:27:20,960 If you're forced into it, then that's more of a tax or or a 340 00:27:20,960 --> 00:27:23,960 punishment, a penalty, if you will. 341 00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:29,400 When Paul wrote his second second recorded letter to the 342 00:27:29,400 --> 00:27:33,240 Corinthians, Paul wrote a number of letters to the church at 343 00:27:33,240 --> 00:27:37,400 Corinth, 1st and 2nd Corinthians, or maybe about half 344 00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:42,880 of what he wrote to that church. When he wrote the letter 2nd 345 00:27:42,880 --> 00:27:46,200 Corinthians, he explained to them how the churches in 346 00:27:46,200 --> 00:27:49,960 Macedonia had sought to give to the church in Jerusalem. 347 00:27:51,640 --> 00:27:55,120 This was something the members in the church had desired to do. 348 00:27:56,320 --> 00:27:59,640 The church in Macedonia had heard about the needs in 349 00:27:59,640 --> 00:28:03,560 Jerusalem, and so then the church in Macedonia spent a year 350 00:28:03,880 --> 00:28:08,280 compiling their resources, collecting their funds in order 351 00:28:08,280 --> 00:28:12,000 to send them to Jerusalem. Were they rich? 352 00:28:13,560 --> 00:28:18,080 No, far from it. In fact, 2nd Corinthians 8 two 353 00:28:18,080 --> 00:28:21,760 tells us they were deeply impoverished. 354 00:28:24,600 --> 00:28:29,920 And 2nd Corinthians 8, verses 3 and 4 says, For they gave 355 00:28:29,920 --> 00:28:34,880 according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their 356 00:28:34,880 --> 00:28:39,680 means of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the 357 00:28:39,680 --> 00:28:42,920 favor of taking part in the relief of the Saints. 358 00:28:44,680 --> 00:28:48,800 They didn't have the means to give, but still gave even beyond 359 00:28:48,800 --> 00:28:51,720 what we would think would be reasonable. 360 00:28:53,200 --> 00:28:58,080 They literally begged Paul to be able to participate in this good 361 00:28:58,080 --> 00:29:01,640 act. They weren't content to let 362 00:29:01,640 --> 00:29:06,520 their brothers and sisters in Jerusalem suffer, but they want 363 00:29:06,520 --> 00:29:08,600 to help them out as much as they possibly could. 364 00:29:10,160 --> 00:29:13,880 This is what it's like to be intentional and to seek out 365 00:29:14,200 --> 00:29:19,360 opportunities for goodness. They didn't have to give to the 366 00:29:19,360 --> 00:29:21,440 Jerusalem church. They could have just sat on 367 00:29:21,440 --> 00:29:24,400 their resources. But the Holy Spirit was working 368 00:29:24,400 --> 00:29:28,280 then in them, bringing about the fruits of goodness and 369 00:29:28,280 --> 00:29:35,120 generosity. I do want to say I think it's 370 00:29:35,120 --> 00:29:40,120 worth mentioning that some people naturally excel here. 371 00:29:41,440 --> 00:29:46,320 There's a spiritual gift of acts of service as well as a love 372 00:29:46,320 --> 00:29:50,560 language called acts of service. People who have this as part of 373 00:29:50,560 --> 00:29:54,680 their natural makeup are are more in tune to seeing 374 00:29:54,680 --> 00:29:58,760 opportunities to demonstrate goodness and to step in and show 375 00:29:58,760 --> 00:30:01,800 benevolence. This is just part of who they 376 00:30:01,800 --> 00:30:07,280 are. But that doesn't let the rest of 377 00:30:07,280 --> 00:30:13,000 us off the hook. If we're not naturally inclined 378 00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:17,240 towards acts of service, then we need to have our eyes open so we 379 00:30:17,240 --> 00:30:21,240 can see the opportunities to serve, so we can see the 380 00:30:21,240 --> 00:30:24,560 opportunities that God has placed before us. 381 00:30:27,560 --> 00:30:34,040 The last points for our message this morning is overcome evil 382 00:30:34,840 --> 00:30:39,280 with good. We overcome evil with good. 383 00:30:47,150 --> 00:30:51,870 This isn't natural. Our natural inclination when 384 00:30:51,870 --> 00:30:58,910 we're hurt is to lash out. But Romans 12/21 says do not be 385 00:30:58,910 --> 00:31:02,830 overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. 386 00:31:04,000 --> 00:31:07,240 The church in Thessalonica was experiencing significant 387 00:31:07,520 --> 00:31:11,840 persecution and this was causing them to waver a bit in their 388 00:31:11,840 --> 00:31:15,080 faith. What would happen if they died 389 00:31:15,080 --> 00:31:19,840 before Jesus returned? Would they still get to 390 00:31:20,520 --> 00:31:25,600 experience the resurrection? Would they get to go to heaven? 391 00:31:27,240 --> 00:31:28,920 What? What would life be like? 392 00:31:29,120 --> 00:31:31,880 Their faith was waning and they needed to be supported and 393 00:31:32,120 --> 00:31:37,560 reminded of God's plan. Near the end of his first letter 394 00:31:37,560 --> 00:31:42,920 to the church in Thessalonica, Paul said, See that no one 395 00:31:42,920 --> 00:31:48,440 repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one 396 00:31:48,440 --> 00:31:55,320 another and to everyone. This was counter to what the law 397 00:31:55,320 --> 00:32:01,000 said, Exodus 21 verses 23 through 25 reads. 398 00:32:01,680 --> 00:32:05,880 But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for 399 00:32:05,880 --> 00:32:10,000 eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for 400 00:32:10,000 --> 00:32:13,840 burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. 401 00:32:15,240 --> 00:32:17,640 And of course, this is where that famous saying an eye for an 402 00:32:17,640 --> 00:32:21,320 eye comes from. Now, principles of retribution 403 00:32:21,320 --> 00:32:26,360 likely existed before Moses recorded it in the law, but 404 00:32:26,800 --> 00:32:31,280 Moses recording it brings a bit of clarity to the principles of 405 00:32:31,280 --> 00:32:35,480 justice. I think you could say that the 406 00:32:35,480 --> 00:32:41,440 idea here is to is to minimize the punishments, to make sure 407 00:32:41,440 --> 00:32:47,320 that the person who is handing out the punishments, the penalty 408 00:32:47,760 --> 00:32:50,960 isn't going too far. It's tempting to want to be a 409 00:32:50,960 --> 00:32:56,080 vigilante and enact justice with our own hands. 410 00:32:57,400 --> 00:33:01,080 If we do that, then we can become blinded by our own 411 00:33:01,080 --> 00:33:06,640 emotions or even by rage, and there's there's a risk of going 412 00:33:06,640 --> 00:33:11,720 too far. So God's desire and having Moses 413 00:33:11,720 --> 00:33:19,000 write this down was to, in a sense, make the punishment fits 414 00:33:19,200 --> 00:33:24,880 the crime. Now, I'd initially planned to 415 00:33:24,880 --> 00:33:27,800 use Luke chapter 6 here. You see it listed there in your 416 00:33:27,800 --> 00:33:30,400 notes. But I actually decided that I 417 00:33:30,400 --> 00:33:34,080 like better how Matthew records these thoughts in the Sermon on 418 00:33:34,080 --> 00:33:37,280 the mounts. There, Jesus flipped the notion 419 00:33:37,280 --> 00:33:39,960 of an eye for an eye on its head. 420 00:33:41,960 --> 00:33:48,000 Jesus says you have heard that it was said, an eye for an eye 421 00:33:48,000 --> 00:33:52,120 and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, do not resist 422 00:33:52,120 --> 00:33:56,960 the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the 423 00:33:56,960 --> 00:33:59,000 right cheek, turn to him the other also. 424 00:33:59,320 --> 00:34:03,800 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have 425 00:34:04,560 --> 00:34:09,920 your cloak as well. With this in the background, 426 00:34:09,920 --> 00:34:12,840 Paul was able to tell the Thessalonians. 427 00:34:12,880 --> 00:34:19,560 He says see that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always 428 00:34:19,560 --> 00:34:23,120 seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 429 00:34:26,800 --> 00:34:35,480 Repaying an eye for an eye is completely natural, but when the 430 00:34:35,480 --> 00:34:41,520 Holy Spirit is transforming us and changing us, then doing good 431 00:34:41,520 --> 00:34:52,679 to others becomes more innate. As we close today, I want to 432 00:34:52,679 --> 00:34:58,520 remind you that goodness isn't something we manufacture on our 433 00:34:58,520 --> 00:35:03,280 own. It's not just about doing good 434 00:35:03,280 --> 00:35:08,800 deeds or trying to be a better person, but true goodness is the 435 00:35:08,800 --> 00:35:12,000 result of a life surrendered to the Holy Spirit. 436 00:35:12,440 --> 00:35:15,920 This flows from a heart that's been transformed by the grace of 437 00:35:15,920 --> 00:35:17,960 God. The world doesn't need more 438 00:35:17,960 --> 00:35:23,200 people who look good on the outside and needs people who are 439 00:35:23,200 --> 00:35:29,160 full of God on the inside, People whose goodness is not 440 00:35:29,160 --> 00:35:32,920 performance, but rather a demonstration of the Holy 441 00:35:32,920 --> 00:35:39,840 Spirit's transformative power. So let's the goodness of God 442 00:35:39,840 --> 00:35:41,480 overflow from your life this week. 443 00:35:43,360 --> 00:35:46,960 Be the hands that help, the words that heal, the the hearts 444 00:35:47,520 --> 00:35:54,240 that gives, not because you're trying to earn something, but 445 00:35:54,240 --> 00:35:59,960 because you've already received everything in Christ. 446 00:36:01,960 --> 00:36:03,440 Bow our heads and close our eyes. 447 00:36:14,560 --> 00:36:21,560 This morning, as we've examined this goodness, we've looked at 448 00:36:22,080 --> 00:36:28,040 our attitude, our character. We've looked at our actions. 449 00:36:32,640 --> 00:36:37,440 God, I pray that you would open our eyes to see opportunities 450 00:36:37,440 --> 00:36:45,120 around us to extend goodness, to grow and exhibits this fruit of 451 00:36:45,120 --> 00:36:51,000 the Spirit to serve people, to speak life into people's lives 452 00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:55,960 and to help others to overcome evil with good. 453 00:37:02,510 --> 00:37:11,720 Would your Holy Spirit do amazing things in US, transform 454 00:37:11,720 --> 00:37:16,400 us by your power working. It's in Jesus name we pray, 455 00:37:17,760 --> 00:37:18,120 Amen.