As I came in this morning and heard people greeting each other, I heard a word being spoken quite a bit. “You’re looking good this morning.” “I feel good this morning.” “Everything is going good.” “I am doing good.” There seems to be a lot of good going around. But really, there isn’t. Jesus stated that only God is truly good (Mark 10:18)
I had an English teacher who would ask, “How are you?”
If I replied, “I am doing good.” she would ask, “What are you doing that’s good?” Or “I am feeling good.” would get the response “What does good feel like?”
Her point was that I was misusing the word “good” when I should have been using the word “well.” “I am feeling well.” or “I am doing well”
If you went to the dictionary, you would find 41 uses of the word “good” as an adjective and 6 uses as a noun. The Bible uses the words good and goodness over 600 times but they have three basic meanings in the Greek.
One meaning is “possessing a positive quality.” This word was used when Jesus said, “Only God is truly good.” Only God is able to possess the pure, positive quality of goodness.
Allow me to demonstrate what the pure, positive quality of goodness looks like. In my right hand, I hold a bottle of water, in my left a bottle of Coke. Let’s imagine that the bottle of water represents the goodness of God. The bottle of Coke represents the goodness of man.
On a hot day, we remember the commercials with polar bears and construction workers finding relief from the heat by drinking a Coke. We may find ourselves desiring a Coke when we know that water is better for us.
Goodness works the same way. We would rather walk in our own goodness as decided by us rather than the goodness of God. We make statements like “I might not be perfect but at least I am better than----.”
When you try to peer through a bottle of Coke, you find it impossible. Things are added to Coke to make it dark. But water is pure and can be seen through. Coke contains carbonated purified water, cane sugar, caramel, food acid, flavour, and caffeine.
Water is natural. It contains two hydrogen atoms to every oxygen atom. Life is dependent on water. Coke is dependent on water. Without water, there is no Coke.
God positive quality of goodness is pure. It’s not complex but simple. Man’s goodness is muddled with good deeds to bring recognition and self-advancement. It’s darkened by the sin in our lives. Like Coke has water included in the ingredients, we have the goodness of God within us. The goodness that we do possess is dependent on God. Without God, there is no goodness in us at all.
Coke cannot be found everywhere we go. We must go to an outlet for Coke products to obtain it. However, water is found everywhere. We find it underground, above ground, and falling from the sky. We can cleanse ourselves in water. Water causes things to grow. Water will pour down from the skies on us whether we deserve it or not. Cleaning with Coke will leave you sticky.
God’s goodness is all around us. It cleanses us and causes us to grow. Man’s goodness is often sought out and denied. Man’s goodness is often not easily obtained.
Now for those of you who are thinking “I drink Mountain Dew.”, it may not be as dark as Coke but it’s not as clear as water.
Attempting to have the appearance of God’s goodness but only making your goodness a little less murky will not work.
Adam was created with the positive quality of goodness. Remember when God created the heavens and the earth and all the plants and creatures and man, He said it was good. Man was created in God’s image. Man had God’s goodness. However, sin damaged the good things God created including man’s goodness.
Isaiah wrote, “All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
We have left God’s paths to follow our own.” (Isaiah 53:6) We began to search for the good life.
The term “the good life” is relatively a modern phrase. It was first used in the period between 1945 and 1950. World War 2 had ended and people were hungry for a more enjoyable lifestyle. Television began appearing in more homes along with commercials selling the good life. We saw people sipping on a cold beer having fun. Fred and Barney Flintstone smoking a cigarette talking about the good life.
The good life was a life abounding in material comforts and luxuries. People driving the fastest, sleekest car living the good life. Bigger homes, fancier clothes, and make-up to make you look younger than your age equals living the good life.
A life lived according to the moral and religious laws of one's culture became the standard for judging whether a life was good or not. No longer was God’s Word set in stone. What is right for me might not be right for you but what is wrong for you might not be wrong for me. Biblical principals no longer dictate truth but rather what is culturally acceptable.
Paul warned Timothy about people in the last days “They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good.” (2 Timothy 3:3) People will despise the positive quality of goodness seeking after their own selfish desires.
However, Ephesians 2:10 informs us “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
We had to be created anew through the death of Jesus in order to accomplish the results that the positive quality of goodness would achieve. Paul writes “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” (Romans 3:23) We cannot achieve goodness on our own. Even though we are forgiven of our sins, we still fall short of God’s standard for goodness.
History shows our lack of goodness. The daily news reflects our lack of goodness.
Even our children prove the lack of the positive quality of goodness. Has anyone given classes to their child on how to be selfish or how to lie? All of us are born with an innate tendency to do wrong. Even the Apostle Paul who wrote most of the New Testament and was a founding father of the early church faced this struggle.
“I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good (right, beautiful, fine, and excellent). So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
And I know that nothing good (positive quality of goodness) lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.” (Romans 7:15-19)
Most of us have heard enough sermons to know what is acceptable and not acceptable according to God’s Word. We know we should not gossip but we do. We know we should guard our tongue but we do not. We lie. We steal. We suffer from greed and pride. Often we feel guilty and swear we will change.
However Jeremiah 13:23 reminds us “Can an Ethiopian change the color of his skin? Can a leopard take away its spots?
Neither can you start doing good, for you have always done evil.”
Perhaps you can relate to Paul when he cries out “Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?” (Romans 7:24) I know I can relate to his sorrow. But in the next verse he answers his own question. “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.”
When we accept Jesus, we are “born again.” That means we are born into a new spiritual life and a new spiritual attitude. We even have a baby shower where we are given such gifts as salvation, righteousness, and justification. Through these gifts, God begins to work in us through the Holy Spirit to make us more like Jesus. He works to make our faith unfailing, our love greater, and our endurance stronger. Also He works to give us the desire and power to do what pleases him (Philippians 2:13). God is at work to first give us the desire to possess the positive quality of goodness and then the power to do so. However, according to Titus 3:14 “we must learn to do good.” So let’s begin learning.
1) To learn we need a classroom.
Hebrews 10:24-25 “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”
If I asked, “Why do you come to church?” how would you answer? Twenty-seven percent said they were forced by someone or it was expected of them. That is akin to going to school. As a child, you were forced to go by your parents and the system. After you reach, a certain age then you can decide whether to continue going to school or not. The latest statistics show that 32% decided not too. If you continue on to a higher degree of education then you must be self-motivated to attend.
Church is a classroom. As a child, you may have been forced to attend but as an adult, the choice is yours. An astonishing 70% of those between 19 and 26 choose to leave church and 34% do not return. Perhaps you at one time decided to drop out of church but you came back. Why?
The statistics show that 36% returned to learn more about God. They were seeking an understanding that would lend to them finding peace, joy, and fellowship.
Our classroom is an open classroom where we can motivate and encourage each other. Our classroom is a place where we can exhibit acts of love toward each other and anyone who enters. Most importantly, our classroom is the place where we begin to grow into the understanding of the positive quality of goodness and how it can reflect in our spiritual works.
2) To learn we need a book.
2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.”
We have a textbook like no other. All though it is true that men wrote the book, the author is God. As believers, we must accept that premise simply by faith. If He created everything then He can control man’s thoughts to insure that his word would be perfect.
Our textbook teach us what is true, God’s truth not the truth of the world. When we find that truth, we realize what is wrong in our lives. When we realize what is wrong in our lives we can recognize why we may be having some difficulty or lack of peace. Our textbook does not leave you abandon though. It teaches you to do what is right. When you learn to do, what is right then you begin to achieve the positive quality of goodness that God offers.
How many of you believe the Bible cover to cover? How many of you have read the Bible cover to cover? I can’t say I honestly have. I came close once. But how can I make the declaration that I believe the Bible cover to cover if I have never read it cover to cover. I do not have knowledge of every truth, every correction, and every promise in our text book. In 2014, I will change that and will be giving you an opportunity to do the same.
3) To learn we need to concentrate
Philippians 4:8 “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
In our classroom, you must pay attention. I have the notes. I had to pay attention to God as He directed me to prepare this sermon. If you have never prepared a sermon, you cannot realize how difficult it can be at times. It is difficult not allow your opinions or viewpoints to come into play. I needed to focus on what is true and right. I learned from this sermon what I needed to apply to my life as I prepared it.
You are the students. God has designed this teaching today for you. But it is your responsibility to give it your undivided attention. Your thoughts are to be fixed on what God is teaching you. Too often, we are inclined to hear a message and think, “I sure hope a certain person is listening.”
Rather than having our thoughts fixed on learning, our thoughts wander to what we need to do this afternoon, where are we going for lunch, or who’s going to win the football game. Standing up front, I see expressions on your face that inform me your thoughts are no longer on the teaching. I see yawns and closed eyes that signal you are succumbing to boredom.
The number one rule when in school was to take notes. It assisted you in paying attention. It gave you information to take with you when you left the classroom. It gives you instructions on how to obtain the positive quality of goodness that has been offered to you. The bulletins are given out each Sunday for you to take notes for your benefit.
4) To learn we need to apply what we have learned.
1 Peter 3:11 “Turn away from evil and do good.
Search for peace and work to maintain it.”
Learning is a daily experience. We learn something new everyday. And we apply what we have learned to our lifestyle.
After we leave our classroom, we carry with us the knowledge of what we have learned. If we have been in a class to aide us in our career, we must apply what we have learned in the workforce. The same is true here.
When we leave this building, we are going into the mission field. We must take what we have learned about the positive quality of goodness and let it illuminate the spiritual darkness around us. We are to turn away from Coke and drink water.
Goodness will always result in peace, that peace beyond understanding that I spoke of two weeks ago. It may take effort on our part to maintain it but it can be done.
5) To learn we need to have a goal.
Galatians 6:9 “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”
What is our goal for attending school? It is to one-day graduate. We desire to have that diploma that states we have accomplished something. As we strove to reach that day, we may have encountered frustrations and sleepless nights. Yet one day we walk across a stage and are handed a scroll that represents our hard work.
We have learned a lot today about the positive quality of goodness that God desires for us to possess. It will be a struggle at times to show the spiritual fruit of goodness. Paul states do “not get tired of doing what is good.” The meaning for “good” in Greek as it is used here means “beautiful, fine, and excellent.”
Paul is saying don’t get tired of doing what is beautiful, fine, and excellent. There is a reward for doing those things. It is a harvest of God’s favor, which we are fortunate to receive and in which we can rejoice. It is ours if we don’t give up.
