Walking in the Spirit: Part 6 Goodness

Add more kids were in here cuz they were going to sing a really good song about fruit of the spirit today, but I will do that another Sunday coming up, but the one that I have for this week in goodness. And you'll probably notice that I'm not taking these in the order that they are in the scripture in Galatians about for the spare. But part of that reason, is some of the fruit we're going to do, is they correspond with the different weeks of Advent in the theme, is the same as what some of the fruit are. So you'll see that when we get there, but this week is goodness.

And I thought, how do we Define something like goodness?

Yeah, I'm sure if we went around the room and got everyone's definition of goodness. There will be quite a few differences and how we would Define that word. One of the definitions. I liked. It said that goodness has to do with moral and spiritual Excellence. That is known by its sweetness, and act of kindness. I thought that was a pretty good definition of what goodness is. And they read a lot of different places in scripture talking about goodness, you know, Paul help to find the virtue of goodness when he observed in Romans chapter 5 verse 7.

He said very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person do for a good person. Someone might possibly Dare To Die. Do you ever heard that verse and just wondered? What are they really talking about? And why do they say that? You know, someone Wouldn't Die For A righteous person. But for a good person, They might.

I think the reason that verse is worded that way is because we all know all too. Well, that, you know, a Christian person can be morally, upright. But still not manifest that virtue of goodness. You know, morally they might be doing everything, right? But it just falls short of manifesting the grace of goodness. You know, this person might be very admired and respected for their high moral standards. And, you know, they might even have some friends who are good enough friends that those friends would say that, yeah, they would be willing to risk their life for them.

But the upright person who also has goodness.

You know, those are the sort of men and women that everyone respects that Everyone likes and most likely those people who are not only morally upright, but also exhibit the grace of goodness. They're more likely to have friends who are willing to be self-sacrificing. Because of their goodness. But you know, Paul knew that when he said these things in Romans chapter 5 that you know, his readers were going to want to know more about this character quality of goodness. It kind of the quality of the love that supposed to find Christians, you know, the love that is supposed to fill each and everyone of us. He knew that he would have to describe it in great detail. And if you read through, Romans. You hear a lot of that detail there?

But, you know, in that passage you, no farther than that chapter, when Paul reminds them of the greatest manifestation of God's love that. He talks about when it Says there. In the very next first. It says, for while we were still helpless. At just the right time Christ. Died for the ungodly.

So, if you think about that, while men were utterly helpless to bring themselves to God, he sent his only begotten son. Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins.

And he didn't even worry about the fact that at that point in time. We were all still trapped in our sins. We were all still totally unworthy. Of what he was going to do for us?

You know, when we were powerless to escape our own skin, our own sand when we were powerless to escape death when we were powerless to resist the enemy and everything that he throws at us when we were powerless to, please God in any way by our own virtue.

God went ahead and sent his son anyway to die for us.

You know, natural human love is pretty much always based on the attractiveness of the object that we say we loved, right?

You know, for some reason that thing appeals to us, it could be a thing. It could be a person. But we say we love it because for one reason or another that object is attractive to us.

And I think, unfortunately, a lot of times when we think about God, we think about his goodness. We think about his love. We try to Put that same attribute on him, that same limit on. God's love. You know, we think that God's love for us is dependent upon how good we are, how attractive we are to him.

But, you know, Jesus points out that in Matthew chapter 5 verse 46, there that even Tax Collectors who were the most despised people of his day and age. You know, even they love people who love them. Or people who can help them or benefit them in some way. He's trying to tell them that God's love is not that way.

And that's lucky for us. Just think about it. What? If God loved us, the way we loved him.

I don't think most of those would want that most days.

What if God only paid attention to us as often as we paid attention to him or what if God only spoke to us as often as we speak to him?

Or what if God only cared about what was going on in our lives? It's often. As we care about what he tells us in the Bible.

It's lucky for us. That that is not how God sees it. And he doesn't see it that way, because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. And, you know, that you think about it to love someone who's unlovable.

To me, that is a big part of the true definition of goodness. When someone's totally undeserving, totally.

unfit for us to love them for any other reason than we simply love them.

And you know, that's how God's immense love for us. Has been supremely demonstrating Christ dying for the ungodly. Before we even took a step towards him. He sent his son to die. For totally unrighteous undeserving and unlovable human beings.

And, you know, Paul contrast that with what he says there in verse 7, he contrasts that with the idea that, you know. We would barely be willing to die for a righteous person.

We might die for somebody who he thinks good. But if we just thought, well, they're righteous that we don't know.

And you know, Paul isn't contrasting, a righteous person against a good person, but he simply using those terms to kind of mean the same thing to his point is that it's uncommon for a person to sacrifice their own life for anyone for any reason. You're even if we know that person has really high moral character.

It doesn't necessarily mean we would want to sacrifice our life for them.

And he says, you know, only a few people would give their life for someone who they know to be truly good. He's just using that to say that, you know, on top of the righteous person who, you know, Morley is up, right. This good person is someone that you actually know, you know, the life they live so, you know, they're good. There might be a little more of a chance. But you would willingly sacrifice their life.

but if you think about it, how many people would Even think of dying for someone who you knew was a wicked rotten scoundrel. That doesn't sound too. Appealing, doesn't. Or who would be willing to die for someone who, you know, pays absolutely no attention to. What you've tried to tell them what you've tried to teach them how you've tried to show them that you love them. none of us would but that is exactly what God did. While we were yet, sinners Christ died for us and it's that selfless, undeserved. Sort of love that completely goes beyond our comprehension. And when we talk about the goodness of God, I think it's beyond our comprehension very much. So in that same way,

You know, how can a just and holy God loved us while we were yet. Sinners?

Because the truth is God knows us better than we know ourselves. So even though we may think will he doesn't know about this in my life. He doesn't know about that. He only knows about what he sees on Sunday mornings, right? No, God knows everything. He sees everything and he loves us still. You're even when men openly hate God and do not have the least desire to give up their sins.

God's redeeming love is still available to them.

You know, those eyes looking through the Bible thinking of different stories to talk about goodness. You know, it's said that Joseph. Was a good man. You know, when he learns that Mary his bride-to-be was pregnant.

And he didn't know the whole story yet, you know, the angel hadn't appeared to him yet. He didn't know that. This baby was a Divine miracle. You and Matthew 119. It says because Joseph, her husband was faithful to the law and yet did not want to expose her to Public Disgrace. He had in mind to divorce her quietly.

You know, his first thought obviously was that he knew the child wasn't his. So obviously she had been unfaithful before they were even married. So his thought was, he was just going to quietly deal with the situation and not expose her to all the public things that he could have easily been perfectly within his rights. He just couldn't do that to her. Even if she had been unfaithful. She was still his beloved Marion. He didn't want to disgrace her in that way.

So since he was a good man of your not just good moral character because he followed all the rules, but he truly had a sweetness and a kindness to him. He was going to handle this. Seemingly bad situation in the most discreet way he could.

You know, he truly showed. What a good man was. In the passage, I had Bryce read to begin. You know, David's. Talking about the goodness of God, and if you read through the songs, I think it's very obvious that I think David might have had the best grasp. On what the goodness of God, really meant? There's so many times throughout the songs that he refers to God's goodness. And you know in that particular passage and Psalm 23 where talks about his goodness is, surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

You know, one another passage David confessed that if it wasn't for God's goodness and Psalm 27 verse 13, He said I would have despaired. Unless I had believed that, I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

the other side when I came across that passage this week, I thought

You know, it's versus like that. It's things about that of God's goodness that helped us get through a year like 2020. Come through here with so many unexpected things where seem so many things are just going crazy.

How much harder would that have been? Unless you didn't know about the goodness of God.

And how much harder would it have been to deal with all the things from covid-19 or all these things. We give prayer request for every week. If we didn't truly feel that God loved us. If we didn't trust his goodness.

And you knows we talk about the Fruit of the Spirit. I love towel, one commentator that I read this week, said that these fruit of the spirit are Graces. That the Holy Spirit provides.

They are Grace is that the Holy Spirit helps to manifest in our lives things that he brings into our life. I think not just to bless us. But the help us to be a blessing to others and to help us gain a deeper understanding of each of these qualities in God.

You'll later in the letter in Galatians, chapter 6, verse 10, you know? Paul is talking about that. You know, we have this opportunity to do good. So, you know, let us do good to all the people that we can't.

And then in Thessalonians and 2nd Thessalonians, chapter 1 verse 11 says, with this, in mind, we constantly, pray for you. Then our God may make you worthy of his calling. And that by his power. He may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your everyday prompted by faith. Faith.

He has remaining the Thessalonians. Hear that. When he lifted them up in prayer, he didn't just throw out some generic prayer saying, you know, Lord just make their faith stronger.

You know, he was praying for their spiritual growth for real spiritual growth. He was praying for these virtues, these Graces these fruit of the spirit. He was praying that each of these things would become evident in their lives. But these things will become so evident in their lives that it wouldn't just in bless them. It would bless everyone around them that it would draw others to Christ because of the things they saw in these Believers lives. Do you know really it's what he's telling them is that they should see that when he's praying for them. He's praying that they would be able to embody all the things that they read about.

In the Old Testament, all the character and qualities of God in the New Testament, the character and virtues. They see, in Christ that they would be able to do these things in such a way that it would bring honor to the name of Christ.

You think about it? God take centers where they only of death and makes them worthy of his kingdom. By giving Christ's righteousness to us.

so, when he looks at us, he doesn't see the Centers that we are the dirty Fallen part of his creation. Because of what Christ did on the cross when he looks at us. He sees His one and only son. The unblemished lamb that he sent as a sacrifice for us. As we become more, like Christ, would become more, and more deserving to Bear the name Christian.

And as we become more and more worthy to bear that name, we become more and more worthy of our calling.

but you know is sadly is the case and every church for many Believers, you know, the Thessalonian Church wasn't exactly walking in a manner worthy of their calling and that's why he has come to them to talk about this and second Thessalonians chapter 3, verse 6 Just now we command you brother in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you keep away from every brother who leads and unruly life and not according to the tradition, which you received from it. Or in 2nd Thessalonians chapter 3, verse 11. Where it says, where we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life. Doing no work at all, but acting and I love this translation for this acting like busy body. I love it that the word busybodies is in the Bible somewhere. Not that any of us have ever known any Christian busybodies, but you know, just to let us know that they exist.

Have you ever thought about that that even though?

He came to this church. He knew they were struggling. He knew the people of this church. In this community were struggling. He's still coming and reminding them that because of what Christ did for you on the cross.

God still loves you. God Can Make You worthy of the calling, he's placed on your life. He's pointing out to them. That the problem was that they were all trying to do it based off of their righteousness, off of their goodness off of their Traditions that they had established in their local church, and it just wasn't working. It was always falling short.

So Paul prayed for them and he told them very specifically what he was praying for. He told him, I'm praying that every good thing. Every good idea, everything that God plants in your heart and in your mind, that is good and that will honor him. I'm praying that God will help you be able to do it.

And then it goes on with the lessons in both of these books to teach them the way God's going to do it is through these qualities and these virtues in your life.

You knows I thought about that. I thought, I don't know if I have ever prayed.

The God would bring about all of the good. Longings of someone's heart. You know, will pray a lot of times for people that God would do his will with in their life.

But what if we got a little more specific there? What if we started praying that God would help people to actually walk out? The good things, any plants in their hearts and their minds. And many of us no doubt at many times have been in one situation to another and thought. Oh, well, I probably should do this. But we don't. For who knows what? Reason? There's a million different excuses.

You know, what? If we started praying, Lord, help me to carry out every good thing you put in my mind today. Help me to resist, the bad things that don't bring you glory help me to do the good things that do.

I think it would change the way that we live our lives from day today.

Psalm 21 verses 2 and 3 David rope. You have given him his heart's, desire, and you have not withheld, the request of his lips. For you, meet him with the blessings of good things. You said a crown of fine gold on his head.

You know, it needs you know, David saying that God gave him what he asked for.

Because God saw, it was good. God gave him what he asked for because God knew his intentions and that that thing was not just going to be used for his benefit, but for truly good intentions. Something that yeah, it may benefit the individual doing it, but it's meant to bless others. It's meant to bring God glory in whenever the things were asking for fall in line with that.

God is always sure to deliver. Psalm 37 verse for David wrote, delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.

You'll just make sense that if we Delight in the things that we know, God Delights in. We should know that God's going to walk with his God's going to help us accomplish those things.

When we make God's agenda, our agenda, he's going to bless us as we move forward on those things. Psalm 138 verse 8, says the Lord will accomplish what concerns me. you know, God's going to accomplish the things that

he has put in your heart that he's putting your mind. Those good things. God is going to help you accomplish them. If your focus is in the right place. John chapter 15 verse 7. Says, if you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. Now, that doesn't mean if you say Lord, please give me a mansion in Hollywood. That God can tell pull that sounds good. You go. If you say God, I really need a new truck. Not going to happen.

But if you ask God to bless things that you're doing so that you can continue to reach others for Christ that he can help you.

And God always seems to make a way. in first, John chapter 5 verses 14 and 15, it says This is the confidence which we have before him. That if we ask anything according to his, will he hears us? If we know that he hears us and whatever we ask, we know that we have the request which we have asked from him.

Yeah, there's some up all of these passages that I've just read. You know, it basically means that when our will comes in line with God's will when we stopped just seeking after what benefits us, but when we truly begin to seek after what God wants for our life, how God wants to use us.

When all that we're working for is to make sure that our agenda helps to achieve God's agenda.

We can know that God's going to get her done. He is going to make sure it happens.

You know, in contrast James warns us about having selfish agendas and James chapter 4 verse 3. It says, when you ask you do not receive because you ask what's wrong motives. That you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

You know, there's the difference.

You know, if you ask for that mansion in Beverly Hills, you know God's like no, I think you're good without that.

But if you said Lord, I need a building with this many rooms in this part of town to Howell's widows and children.

Guess what? He could make that same building with the same square footage, is that Mansion happened easier than you believe it?

But it's totally because of different motives. It's because of, you know, we're not doing it just so that our life can be more enjoyable so that we can live more comfortably. If we were doing it to show God's goodness to others and that is our whole motivation and it makes all the difference.

You know, all too often because of that. Sometimes people get this idea that will of God's not going to give me everything I want. Then. You know God's just as Cosmic killjoy who doesn't want us to have any fun in life anymore. But that's not the case. I mean, we know from all the verses we just read and other things we reading scripture that, you know, God is generous and God is gracious. Beyond what we can imagine.

You in Psalm 107 verse 9 the psalmist wrote that God has satisfied. The Thirsty soul and the hungry Soul he has filled with what is good.

You know, when we hunger and thirst for his righteousness. He's going to give it to us.

David said in Psalm 145 16, you open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.

As I've said again and again today, those whose desires are in tune with God's. Can be confident. That God is going to fill their heart. With all the Graces they need with all of his loving-kindness and his goodness that he can provide us with. To enable us to achieve those things.

And then as it says, then we will indeed be glad. All of our days.

And, you know, so I thought about, you know, communion. You're really what we're celebrating when we celebrate communion of coursework remembering. What price did for us on the cross. But another big part of that is we are celebrating the goodness of God. We are remembering what Christ did for us on the cross. We're remembering. You know what it meant when we were baptized and Born Again out of our old, selfish life into new. There's so many things that we can tie to communion. And as we come today, you know, I want to saw Liz. You know, I always say that, you know, we should take a moment and examine our hearts. Bisbee actually read what it says in scripture about communion. Now, you're better off to not do communion. If you aren't right with God, and that's why I always tell us to take a moment to examine our hearts because we need to make sure we're in the right place with God, but also today, as we prepare to take me to. what I want us to do is When I pray, I'll pause for a minute. And I want all of us to just thank God for his goodness. And the grace that he's showing each of us.

So as we bow in prayer here, just take a moment to examine your own heart. First of all, to make sure you're right with God, but then also to thank him for his goodness. Let's pray.

Heavenly father as we come to you today Lord. We thank you so much.

For the many Rich blessings that you have provided us. Lord, for the grace, you have shown us. Or what your sign accomplished by. Dying in our place on the cross.

And Lord, I pray that.

as we take a moment to examine our own hearts Lord, that we won't just be thinking about,

all the things that might be stressing us out or causing us to worry right now Lord, but instead of that as we examine our hearts Lord. Help us to focus. On your goodness.

The Lord to see all the ways that you've blessed us all the ways that you have provided for us to learn all the ways. Did you are going to lead us to whatever it is? We might be going through. Lord, all the ways that you can use this. Lord, how we can be a part of accomplishing. Your will. Sweeney's next moments, I pray that you will help us all.

To express our gratefulness for your goodness.

Most gracious, Heavenly Father, you are so good. That really? There are no words to express the extent of your goodness.

Lord, I pray that as we take communion today that we will be reminded of that. Lord that as we go throughout the days and weeks ahead that you will help us all to see your goodness and action word to be your hands and feet and showing the goodness of God to others. Play the song, your most. Holy name. Amen.

So if you can take your wonderful little pre-filled cups, if you don't have any, there's a basket up top in the balcony, on that side is balconies at the back and the other sides. Rogers got one. He's coming around. He can help you. Marty heard half the top row up there, open their bread part.

That's hard to do it quietly and discreetly. All right, and it when you tear that off. But, you know, on the night that Jesus was betrayed. He took the bread and having given. Thanks. He broke it and said, This is my body broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me?

The same way after the supper. He took the cup. And after having bless the cup.

He said this cup is the New Covenant for my blood. Do this whenever you drink it and remembrance of me.

Drink and know that you are washed clean by the blood of Christ.

Please pray with me and Scott and Connie come up, deleted. Have.