3rd Midweek Advent Service December 18, 2002
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Be Prepared for Christ’s Coming with Goodness
I. Goodness according to God’s standard
II. Goodness displayed in our lives
Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ;
Have you been a good little boy or girl? This is the question that most children hear from Santa Claus and others at this time of the year. How one answers that question supposedly determines the quantity and quality of gifts that will be received. Since most of us, children and adults alike, probably think that we have been good, we would expect to receive some decent things for Christmas.
However, what is important is how other people would answer this question for us. Do our parents think we have been good? Do our spouses think we have been good? Do our children think we have been good? Do our bosses think we have been good? Do our customers think we have been good? The number and quality of gifts we receive depends more upon how these people answer the question about our being good or not.
Tonight we especially want to hear God’s answer to the question. Does he think we have been good? Judging from the value of his gift to us, his own Son, It would appear that he answers this question favorably. But at the same time, the necessity of his having to give us this gift leads us to conclude that he answers this question in the negative. Goodness is what God wants to see in our lives, as a fruit of the Spirit. True goodness is what our God can give us through Christ, our Savior. Keeping this in mind, let us BE PREPARED FOR CHRIST’S COMING WITH GOODNESS.
1. Goodness according to God’s standard.
The first thing that we need to do is determine what is good according to God’s standard.
When Santa asks children whether or not they have been good, his question is based upon human observation. People usually conclude that they are good on the basis of comparison. Children think they obey their parents as well as or better than other children do. So they think they are good. Husbands or wives think they treat their spouses as well as or better than others do. So they think they are good. We often use such comparisons in our dealings with others. Since we treat our teachers, workers, bosses, friends, relatives, customers, and others as well as or better than they treat us or others treat them, we think that we are good.
In other words, to be good by human standards doesn’t mean that we have to be perfect. Since it only means that we be as good as or better than others, most of us feel that we pass the test and are good. Also, most others would probably agree with our assessment and say that on a scale of one to ten, we fall somewhere between five and nine, and thus are good enough to deserve something good for Christmas. Our behavior maybe hasn’t earned us diamonds, but at least we will get something gold plated. Judged on the basis of human standards, we have displayed enough goodness to warrant something being placed under the tree.
But how do we stand if we are judged on the basis of God’s standards? His standards are far different than the world’s. He doesn’t evaluate goodness by comparing us with other people. He says simply that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). In an even more clear condemnation the Psalm writer says, “There is no one who does good” (Psalm 14:1).
God’s standard of goodness is based on one thing and one thing only, and that is his own holiness and perfection. If we are to be good in his eyes, then we are told to “Be perfect. . . as your heavenly Father Is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). Regardless of how good we might appear to be by the world’s standards, we don’t live up to God’s standards of goodness. We don’t deserve any gift from him for Christmas.
But the good news of Christmas is that God gave us a gift anyway. In fact, he gave us the greatest gift that we could possibly receive. He gave us his Son, our Savior. The gifts that we receive from others might be very nice, but eventually they will break or wear out or go out of style. In fact, by next Christmas most of what we receive this year will rarely or never be used, worn, or played with anymore. God’s gift is different. It comes with a lifetime guarantee—in fact, with an eternal lifetime guarantee. The forgiveness that the Savior earned will never cease to be needed in this life. His victory over the devil will never be reversed. The Savior’s suffering, death, and resurrection will never go out of style.
All this is true, not because of our goodness, but because of our Savior’s goodness. He was able to fulfill God’s standards of perfection for us. From birth to death, Jesus never sinned. He then further showed his goodness by enduring the agony of hell on the cross so that others wouldn’t have to face that punishment. He then topped off his goodness by rising from the dead to assure all who believe in him the same resurrection to eternal life.
We might get some fabulous Christmas gifts from others, but nothing can compare to the real reason we celebrate Christmas. God gave us the gift of his one and only Son—the perfect gift for us all.
2. Goodness displayed in our lives.
It is because of this gift that we can now begin to display goodness as a fruit of the Spirit.
As we look at the characters that took part in the first Christmas, we don’t see any perfect examples of goodness. Even though some would make Mary sinless, the Bible doesn’t picture her in that way. She talked about her humble state and need for a Savior. God didn’t choose Mary to be the mother of the Savior because she was so good. She was a believer, but she wasn’t without sin. The same could be said about the other characters involved with the first Christmas. Joseph, the shepherds, and all the rest were not chosen to take part in the story of Jesus’ birth because they were so good. Jesus came to save them from their sin, not to reward them for their goodness.
We Christians today fit into the same category. As sinners we gather to worship our newborn Savior and King. We know that Jesus wouldn’t have had to come to earth if we were good enough to save ourselves. He came to earth to be good—to be perfect—in our place. Through God’s love, mercy, and grace our lack of spiritual goodness is forgiven due to what this Child born In Bethlehem’s manger did for us. Christ came to be perfectly good for us. And his goodness God credits to you and me through faith in the gospel. It is not our own goodness, but Christ’s goodness for us.
Have we been good little (or big) boys and girls? The answer according to God’s standards is clearly no. By ourselves, we are sinners; and as sinners we fall short of God’s glory. “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).
So then, how can we talk about “goodness” as a fruit of the Spirit? We are talking about “goodness” in regards to our sanctification, not justification. We are talking about what God’s Spirit does in us after we are brought to faith and saved by grace, not before. Our coming to faith and being saved was and is completely the result of God’s goodness. After the Holy Spirit brings us to faith and makes us new creations, then, out of gratitude for what God has done for us, we display goodness as a fruit of the Spirit.
As sinful human beings we won’t be perfect in this life, but that doesn’t mean we don’t try to display goodness according to God’s standard and with his Spirit’s help. We especially want to display God’s goodness to others by directing them to the manger at Bethlehem and then to the cross at Calvary for the forgiveness of sins.
Yes, Christmas is a good time to remind us of the need to display goodness to others. Just as our Savior was good to us even though we didn’t deserve it, we are to be good to others whether they deserve it or not. Our intentions always need to be to “do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers” (Galatians 6:10).
Cultivate the Spirit-worked desire to do good to your family, friends, neighbors, strangers, and especially to all fellow Christians. Then ask God to give you the ability to carry out those desires motivated by his goodness to you in Christ. The greatest good that we can do for others is to make them aware of the goodness of the Child whose birth we celebrate this month. After all, keeping Christmas is good, but sharing It with others is even better. Amen.
