Today, we begin a brand new message series entitle “The Good Life”. I think everyone wants a little of the good life. Here is our theme verse for the series.

Psalm 32:12-14

Psalm 32 CSB

Of David. A Maskil. 1 How joyful is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! 2 How joyful is a person whom the Lord does not charge with iniquity and in whose spirit is no deceit! 3 When I kept silent, my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was drained as in the summer’s heat. Selah 5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not conceal my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah 6 Therefore let everyone who is faithful pray to you immediately. When great floodwaters come, they will not reach him. 7 You are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with joyful shouts of deliverance. Selah 8 I will instruct you and show you the way to go; with my eye on you, I will give counsel. 9 Do not be like a horse or mule, without understanding, that must be controlled with bit and bridle or else it will not come near you. 10 Many pains come to the wicked, but the one who trusts in the Lord will have faithful love surrounding him. 11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones; shout for joy, all you upright in heart.

Psalm 34:12–14 CSB

12 Who is someone who desires life, loving a long life to enjoy what is good? 13 Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceitful speech. 14 Turn away from evil and do what is good; seek peace and pursue it.

Psalm

Most everyone wants to have a good time. Maybe your idea of a good life is having enough money to buy a tiger on a gold leash. Maybe your idea of a good life is rolling around in a chromed out Cadillac on some 20s. Maybe you just want a deed to a platinum mine and some Christmas ornaments bought from Tiffany’s. Maybe your idea of a good life is the simple life with having enough so you don’t have to struggle anymore. Maybe your idea of a good life is getting healthy or not being in pain anymore. What is your ideal? What do you think of when you think of the good life?

Most everyone wants to have a good time. Maybe your idea of a good life is having enough money to buy a tiger on a gold leash. Maybe your idea of a good life is rolling around in a chromed out Cadillac on some 20s. Maybe you just want a deed to a platinum mine and some Christmas ornaments bought from Tiffany’s. Maybe your idea of a good life is the simple life with having enough so you don’t have to struggle anymore. Maybe your idea of a good life is getting healthy or not being in pain anymore. What is your ideal? What do you think of when you think of the good life?

“Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC) was a Greek philosopher, a student of Plato, and teacher of Alexander the Great. He wrote on: physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology. His thought in multiple fields was considered definitive for millennia, and his work in ethics and politics is still widely influential today. He is one of the greatest philosophers in the history of western philosophy.

Aristotle stated that the good life consists in the possession, over the course of a lifetime, of all those things that are really good for us.

He named three areas:

1) bodily goods – health, vitality, vigor, and pleasure; 2) external goods – food, drink, shelter, clothing, and sleep; and 3) goods of the soul – knowledge, skill, love, friendship, aesthetic enjoyment, self-esteem, and honor.”

Is that really what having the good life is all about? What does the Bible say about living the good life? Before I became a pastor, I really thought the good life was all about having a good paying job, a wife, and some kids. I never had big dreams of wealth or visions of grandeur. My idea of a good life was living my life with my family in peace. What about you? Is the good life even possible? What does the Bible say about living the good life?

Open your Bibles to .

Open your Bi

One of the areas which majorly impacts our satisfaction in life is relationships. When it boils down, we really have two types of relationships. We have horizontal relationships, our relationships with other people, and we have a vertical relationship, our relationship with God. Jesus addressed how these two types of relationships work in .

Matthew 10:26 CSB

26 “Therefore, don’t be afraid of them, since there is nothing covered that won’t be uncovered and nothing hidden that won’t be made known.

Let’s stop at the word “them” for a moment. Who are “them”? I remember the old movie “Them”, which was about giant ants who attacked people, but that is not what we are talking about here. Who are “them”? “Them” refers to those who can hurt you physically, emotionally, and psychologically. “Them” are people. This is about our horizontal relationships.

There are people around us who can hurt us if they choose to do so. Some of you know this because you have already been hurt. You know the pain is all too real. You know the difficulties that you have had to deal with because someone had hurt you, maybe even betrayed you. I have been there and chances are that you have too. You have had people in your life who have hurt you or have the real potential to hurt you.

Look at what Jesus previously said about “them”.

Matthew 10:16–25 CSB

16 “Look, I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves. 17 Beware of them, because they will hand you over to local courts and flog you in their synagogues. 18 You will even be brought before governors and kings because of me, to bear witness to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they hand you over, don’t worry about how or what you are to speak. For you will be given what to say at that hour, 20 because it isn’t you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father is speaking through you. 21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. 22 You will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to another. For truly I tell you, you will not have gone through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. 24 A disciple is not above his teacher, or a slave above his master. 25 It is enough for a disciple to become like his teacher and a slave like his master. If they called the head of the house ‘Beelzebul,’ how much more the members of his household!

Matthew 10:16-

Brother will betray brother. Father will betray their children. Children will rise up against their parents. You will bear the hurts and scars from horizontal relationships. It will happen. Should it happen? Of course not, but Jesus said what they did to him, they will do to you. How should you respond to “them”?

Matthew 10:26 CSB

26 “Therefore, don’t be afraid of them, since there is nothing covered that won’t be uncovered and nothing hidden that won’t be made known.

Don’t be afraid of them. Why? This morning, as we talk about how we can live the good life, the Bible gives us three reason why we should only fear God and not fear people. Numerous times the Scriptures talk about the fear of God.

Proverbs 9:10 CSB

10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Proverbs 9:10 CSB

10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Proverbs 29:25 CSB

25 The fear of mankind is a snare, but the one who trusts in the Lord is protected.

Proverbs 29:25 CSB

25 The fear of mankind is a snare, but the one who trusts in the Lord is protected.

The Bible talks often about the importance of fearing the LORD. Some people have tried to reduce fearing the LORD to “showing respect”; however, the word used in both the Old Testament and the New Testament does not allow for such a reduction. In both the Old Testament and the New Testament, the word indicates the feeling you have when you are in the presence of greatness and awesomeness. It is more than just simple respect.

When I was in college, I was at a school in South Carolina. It was the year 2000 and the nation was in the middle of an election cycle. As I was walking down the sidewalk, I saw a man surrounded by a group of guys in black suits and ear pieces. I knew immediately who it was. It was George W. Bush. Normally, I am not a person who is at a loss for words, but he came up to me, asked me my name, and shook my hand. I had a feeling. This man was more powerful than I was and his position in life was higher than mine. I felt nervous and my palms were sweaty. He was just a man, but I recognized his position in comparison to mine. Have you ever had an experience like that when you recognized that you were in the presence of awesomeness and greatness?

Now,

Now, let’s take that and apply it to what we are talking about this morning. We aren’t to be afraid of any man. Why?

Matthew 10:26 CSB

26 “Therefore, don’t be afraid of them, since there is nothing covered that won’t be uncovered and nothing hidden that won’t be made known.

Matthew 10:26 CSB

26 “Therefore, don’t be afraid of them, since there is nothing covered that won’t be uncovered and nothing hidden that won’t be made known.

We aren’t to be afraid of them because only God knows everything.

Fear God

1. God knows everything. ()

Who will uncover everything? God will make everything known. Jesus has been appointed Judge of the world. He knows everything and there is nothing hidden that won’t be made known. This fact should cause us to pause. Jesus knows everything, even your motivations. He knows the thoughts and intents of your heart. He knows why you do what you do. No man can truly know these things, but to God, all things are open before him.

Brothers and sisters, if you live in the fear of God, realizing that he knows everything, this can give you confidence. When you are mistreated for doing right, don’t fear man. God sees and knows what is going on. When others are abusive and harsh toward you because they don’t like you for your faith, don’t fear man. God sees and knows what is going on. When others try to silence you because of your witness for the gospel, don’t be afraid of man. God sees and knows what is going on.

Look at verse 27.

Matthew 10:27 CSB

27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light. What you hear in a whisper, proclaim on the housetops.

Most of Jesus’ ministry was fairly private. There were several times where Jesus even told the person not to tell about what he had done. Now, he is telling those who follow him to be bold. Make known what God’s word says. Be brave in your gospel witness.

Be as public as possible in your witness.

Brothers and sisters, have we become so afraid of what man can do to us that we have let it affect our gospel witness? Are we afraid to lose our jobs, so we don’t give the life-saving gospel when the opportunity is right in front of us? Are we afraid to be black-balled and so we clam up when we have the gospel contained in us? It is time to repent of our silence. It is time to repent of failing to live gospel-centered lives. You can’t have the good life so as long as you live in fear of what man can do to you. Fear God because he knows everything.

This next verse is even more of a reason to take pause.

Matthew 10:28 CSB

28 Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Fear God only because he knows everything and

2. What God can do is worse than what man can do. ()

The worst that anybody can do to us only involves the temporary. People can hurt us physically, emotionally, and psychologically, but that is just temporary. Praise God that he hold our eternity in his hands.

The uncomfortable reality is that there is an eternal future for both the body and the soul. This is not a poplar or fun subject to talk about, but hell is a real place of torment, according to Jesus, not for just the soul, but also the body.

“Jesus doesn’t only reference hell, he describes it in great detail. He says it is a place of eternal torment (), of unquenchable fire (), where the worm does not die (), where people will gnash their teeth in anguish and regret (), and from which there is no return, even to warn loved ones (). He calls hell a place of “outer darkness” (), comparing it to “Gehenna” (), which was a trash dump outside the walls of Jerusalem where rubbish was burned and maggots abounded. Jesus talked about hell more than he talked about heaven, and describes it more vividly. There’s no denying that Jesus knew, believed, and warned against the absolute reality of hell.”

Why did Jesus warn of this terrible place? He warned of it because he didn’t want anyone to make the choice to go there.

2 Peter 3:9 CSB

9 The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.

God wants you to have the good life. Not only in this temporary situation, which is corrupted by sin and the curse, but an eternal good life. Have you made the decision to repent of your sins and follow Jesus? If not, in just a moment, I am going to talk to you about how you can start on the path of living the good life.

Fearing God only because he knows everything, because what God can do is worse than what man can do, and

3. God’s providence is all-encompassing. ()

Matthew 10:29–31 CSB

29 Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s consent. 30 But even the hairs of your head have all been counted. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

I really wish this was a promise about hair loss, but sadly it is not. Do you know what this means? This is incredible. Frankly, I have struggled with this concept previously in my life because the more I think about it, the more incredible it is. There are things of this life which seem of little consequence to anyone. There are things about which we can say, “Well, who cares? What does it matter?”

You see a squirrel run over in the road. You don’t stop to mourn the loss. Birds are killed everyday by our so-called “green power” windmills and no one cares. This morning, when you brushed your hair, or for some of us, what is left of our hair, you lost some more. Hopefully, you didn’t stop and cry about it. Things happen everyday and life goes on, but think about this and ponder this:

Things that seem of little consequence to us are still of interest to God.

Just saying that statement blows my mind. Things that seem of little consequence to us are still of interest to God. God’s providence is all-encompassing. Your private pain, your hurt, that thing you bury deep down that no one knows about, God knows and he cares. If God cares about a bird who is worth very little, if anything at all, then God cares about you because you are worth more than many sparrows.

Think about it. Who are you? If you have trusted in Jesus as your Savior, you are his child. You are his prized possession. You are his bride. You are his love. You are his masterpiece. You are his favorite. You are the apple of his eye. YOU ARE HIS!

The good life is not about fearing man, but rather it is about fearing God.

Proverbs 9:10 CSB

10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

The good life is not about fearing man, but rather it is about fearing God.

In closing, I told you that I would talk to you about how you start living the good life. I believe there are people here today who have never repented of their sins. I believe there are people here today who have never accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. Is that you?

Maybe you have tried to stop doing the bad and start doing the good; however, no matter how hard you try you just continued to fall short. You continue to fail. You need to realize that you can’t do it on your own. You can’t fix your relationship with God on your own. You can’t be made right with God by anything you can do. The Bible teaches us that the only way you are made right with God is by the grace of Jesus.

Maybe you have tried to stop doing the bad and start doing the good; however, no matter how hard you try you just continued to fall short. You continue to fail. You need to realize that you can’t do it on your own. You can’t fix your relationship with God on your own. You can’t be made right with God by anything you can do. The Bible teaches us that the only way you are made right with God is by the grace of Jesus.

That is why we call it the gospel, the good news. The good news is that God did something for us that we couldn’t do for ourselves. Jesus left heaven to come to earth. God took on flesh in the person of Jesus and lived a perfect life in every way. Without ever sinning, Jesus became the perfect sacrifice by dying on the cross for our sins and our offenses. He died in our place for the forgiveness of sins. On the third day, when the stone was rolled away, Jesus was not there. The tomb was empty. Jesus had risen from the dead, so that anyone, that includes you, who calls on the name of Jesus would be saved and forgiven. The amazing grace of God, no matter how bad you have been, no matter how dark your life is, no matter how many people you’ve let down, when you call on Jesus, he hears your prayer and he will forgive every sin and make you brand new.

This morning, if you are here and you know that you need God’s forgiveness for your sins; realize that you are not here by accident. Will you surrender your life to God and experience his forgiveness? Will you pray this prayer with me expressing that you are trusting in God’s ability to forgive you and save you?

“Heavenly Father, forgive me for my sins, make me new. I ask Jesus to be my Savior and to be the Lord of my life, first in every way. My life is not my own, I give it to you. Thank you for new life. In Jesus’ name, I pray.

Before we close this time of reflection, brothers and sisters, have you allowed the fear of man to affect you? Have you allowed the fear of man to silence your witness for the gospel? How you allowed the fear of man to paralyze you into shutting up when you should be sharing the hope of salvation? Brother and sisters, I urge you to repent of your silence and commit to being a light in the darkness of this world. You are the salt and light of the earth. Use this time of reflection and response to renew your commitment to be what God has called you to be in him, a gospel witness to a lost and dying world.

Our deacons will be coming forward to pray with you and for you. If you prayed to receive Jesus, please come and let us pray with you and celebrate your new life in Christ. If God is dealing in your heart and life right now, don’t let this moment pass.

As you stand and we sing together.

<after closing the time of invitation>

Perhaps you didn’t come forward for one reason or another, but you really do want to talk with us about what is going on in your life. Perhaps you need help, prayer, or you just want to know more about being a follower of Jesus. I would encourage you to do one of two things. After we are dismissed, just stay where you are. One of our deacons will come and talk with you and pray with you. The other thing you can do is check one of the boxes on the Connection Card. Put it in the offering plate as it passes. We will get in touch with you this week. You see, this church exists to minister to one another. We are here to support you in your walk with God.