Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Well, good morning brothers and sisters. If I had not had the chance to meet you yet, my name is Cameron and want to welcome you to the Fruits of the Spirit and the Life of Christ equipping class.
[00:00:12] And when you came in, hopefully you picked up one of these study guides. This is going to serve as our roadmap kind of for this morning.
[00:00:21] We have just crossed into the halfway point of this class. And so for those that have been here since day one, my, my prayer is that you have been encouraged.
[00:00:30] And for those who this may be your first time joining, we welcome you. And it is also my prayer that you will be encouraged this morning and that you would come to love Jesus Christ more through what God has in store for us.
[00:00:44] And so briefly, I want to lay out for us what this class is and what this class is not.
[00:00:50] So this class is about how Christ emulates and embodies to perfection the entirety of the Fruit of the Spirit.
[00:00:59] This class is not a class solely fixated on self improvement by applying the various virtues of the Spirit. And this is going to be very important for us as we look at goodness and good works today.
[00:01:13] And so the goal of this class is to teach us to gaze at Christ. Well, this class is centered around us seeing the Savior, abiding in him and being transformed by his Spirit into His likeness.
[00:01:29] A few years ago, I had the opportunity to travel to Kitlea, finland. It's about 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle. And one night we went outside and we were met with the northern lights.
[00:01:45] And it was gorgeous. In that moment, I could only stand in awe of the beauty that that was before me.
[00:01:52] I watched the lights race across the sky, projecting various beams of colored light.
[00:01:58] And just as the northern lights were woven into the night sky, we're going to see threads of Christ's goodness woven through the scriptures, each projecting a beautiful beam of light for us to sit in awe of.
[00:02:12] As we look at goodness in the life of Christ, we must first learn to define what goodness means.
[00:02:19] Now, there are two ways in which goodness is viewed. There is the worldly way and there is the Christian way.
[00:02:26] And we're saturated with how this world determines what good is and what good is not.
[00:02:33] And if you Google the definition of good or goodness, you're met with a multitude of answers. And it can be really difficult to pinpoint one sentence to define it. And, and I've attempted to do that. I may not have done it well, but worldly goodness is positive, it's desirable, it's beneficial, or of high quality.
[00:02:55] It can be described as moral virtue or usefulness or just general excellence.
[00:03:01] It seems rather vast and multifaceted right now. If you have lived long enough, you know that what the world considers to be good almost changes overnight.
[00:03:15] One day, sobriety and abstinence are considered good, morally right, beneficial, and of high quality. But now alcoholism and sexual exploration are praised as good.
[00:03:28] In contrast to the shifting nature of worldly goodness, we Christians can define good as this.
[00:03:37] Goodness is the resolution to see that which is good.
[00:03:41] Do it simple, but let's break it down. To pursue godly goodness, we must first see that which is good.
[00:03:53] Where shall we turn but to the one who is perfectly good? Christ. Jesus Christ's goodness is his moral perfection expressed in action.
[00:04:06] Everything he does is righteous, true, just, and aligned with the will of the Father.
[00:04:12] His goodness is both intrinsic, meaning it is who he is, and active, meaning what he does.
[00:04:21] He does good because he is good.
[00:04:25] Now, you may be thinking, last week we talked about how Christ's kindness draws people towards repentance and restoration. So how is goodness and kindness different from each other?
[00:04:38] Kindness is this gracious disposition, while goodness is this active moral working for another's good.
[00:04:47] Christ's kindness draws sinners to himself, while Christ's goodness seeks after sinners.
[00:04:55] With this in mind, with this in sight, we can then do that which is good, which is imitate the perfect standard of good in Christ Jesus.
[00:05:07] Now, don't take how I define goodness as fact. What I say simply cannot be held as universal truth, because I can say that my good friend and fellow church member Josh Foster, his lemon pie is good.
[00:05:24] It's actually amazing.
[00:05:26] But my word is simply not enough to establish this universal standard that his lemon pie is good.
[00:05:34] Rather, you must come and taste and see.
[00:05:38] John 1:45, 46 says, Philip found Nathanael and said to him, we have found him, of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
[00:05:53] Nathanael said to him, can anything good come out of Nazareth?
[00:05:57] Philip said to him, come and see.
[00:06:01] So I invite you. Don't take my word for it.
[00:06:05] Come with me. Taste and see that our Lord Jesus Christ is good.
[00:06:10] As you follow along with me in your handout, you'll begin with seeing the section Seeing Christ Fruit Goodness.
[00:06:20] And you will see that we'll be looking at a good teacher, a good shepherd, and a good friend.
[00:06:27] And then after that, we're going to jump into the fruit of goodness in us, where we will see what it looks like to be good teachers, good shepherds and Good friends, may we sit at his feet this morning and hear the words of Christ? And so would you turn with me in your Bibles. Or you can follow along on the screen to mark chapter 10.
[00:06:49] Mark chapter 10. We're going to be in verses 17 through 22.
[00:06:55] Mark chapter 10, 17 through 22. And this is where we will meet the Good Teacher, it says. And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?
[00:07:15] And Jesus said to him, why do you call me good?
[00:07:18] No one is good except God alone.
[00:07:21] You know the commandments. Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.
[00:07:31] And he said to him, teacher, all of these I have kept from my youth.
[00:07:37] And Jesus looked at him, loved him, and said to him, you lack one thing.
[00:07:44] Go sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. And. And come, follow me.
[00:07:51] Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
[00:07:57] Mark introduces us to this man who has a problem.
[00:08:02] He approaches Christ and he says, good teacher, I have a problem. How do I inherit eternal life?
[00:08:09] And rather than directly answering the question, Christ asked the rich man, why do you call me good?
[00:08:16] In this time period, the Good Teacher title was only referred to God.
[00:08:23] Jonathan Landry Cruz puts it best in his book the Character of Christ, where he says the title was not in use by Jewish people and never attributed to even the best rabbis because they believed goodness to be an attribute belonging only to God.
[00:08:40] And he goes on to say, by asking, why do you call me good?
[00:08:46] He, Christ is forcing the young man to reflect on his own perfection of who he was.
[00:08:54] The rich man's claim of who Jesus was, though unintentionally, was correct.
[00:09:01] However, this man had a false understanding of eternal life, of justification, and of salvation.
[00:09:08] In his mind, holding onto the Ten Commandments and being faithful in his works was all that would be needed for salvation.
[00:09:17] He wanted to find out, what else must I do?
[00:09:21] Because surely I'm close.
[00:09:23] Surely I'm just one step away from securing salvation, so what must I do?
[00:09:30] Funny enough, he calls Jesus Good Teacher, but does not know why.
[00:09:35] During my prep time, I remembered a song I grew up listening to titled King of My Heart by John Mark McMillan.
[00:09:43] And the chorus repeats the lyric, you are good over and over and over again.
[00:09:48] And I found myself listening to this song this week and saying, yes, I know you are good like you are good. But I began to ask myself, why?
[00:09:59] Why do I call you good?
[00:10:01] And so I ask you, do you call Jesus good? But can't give a reason as to why do you call Jesus good at all?
[00:10:13] And I'm asking you this question because I had to reflect on that myself this week.
[00:10:19] The word Christ uses in verse 18, good. Why do you call me good?
[00:10:24] Is the same root word used in Galatians 5, where Paul shares of the fruit of the spirit, goodness.
[00:10:32] A man's pursuit of goodness will always come up empty if he does not find himself before the one who is perfectly good. Good.
[00:10:42] The man was just one step away from salvation. Quite literally, he was standing before the man who would grant him salvation.
[00:10:51] The rich man stood before the Son of God, not realizing that Christ would be his means of salvation.
[00:10:58] But Christ does not abandon this man or lead him into this false thinking that works save, but rather teaches him.
[00:11:07] Inheriting eternal life is more than simply following the law, but rather giving up your life to be saved.
[00:11:15] Christ wants to hit at the heart. He wants the man to look past the visible and gaze into the invisible, into his heart.
[00:11:24] Like the prophets of old who desire to speak to the hearts of God's people, Christ is probing the man's heart to see if he truly wants eternal life.
[00:11:35] And those six words in verse 21 that says Jesus looking at him, loved him, speak to the heart of goodness Christ possesses.
[00:11:48] He seemingly looks at the man saying, if only you knew, if only you knew what it would cost to inherit eternal life.
[00:11:57] If only you knew that the one that you call good before you would go on to demonstrate the true cost of goodness on the cross.
[00:12:06] And just as Christ said in Matthew 13, 14, 15, you will indeed hear, but never understand, and you will indeed see, but never perceive.
[00:12:17] For this people's heart has grown dull and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts. In turn I would heal them.
[00:12:32] Oh how close this man was from truly understanding, but was blind, was blinded by his works to see his sinful heart and his need to be saved.
[00:12:44] Cruz continues regarding goodness and he says this self help pull yourself up by your bootstraps approach to the fruits of the Spirit, which say that you you just need to follow a few sets of evidence and cultivate these virtues on your own will be roundly aborted by a careful reflection of Jesus words. No one is good but God.
[00:13:11] If the one who has done good Works cannot be saved. How might one inherit eternal life?
[00:13:19] Romans 3:10 tells us, none is righteous. No, not one.
[00:13:25] Not one understands. No one seeks after God.
[00:13:29] Christ tells us in this passage. Mark 10, verse 27. With man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible.
[00:13:38] Eternal life is dependent on God alone.
[00:13:42] Through the goodness of God, one can be saved.
[00:13:46] Goodness begins and ends with God. We see this in creation. Genesis 1:1 and 2 write about creation and the creation of the universe and how God spoke it into being.
[00:14:00] And in the end of those verses he would go on to say that it was good.
[00:14:07] And how does this connect to Christ? John 1:1:5 says, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
[00:14:17] He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made in him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome.
[00:14:35] Would be through Christ that all things would be made. Thus we can conclude that the Son of God possesses the same perfect goodness of God the Father.
[00:14:47] In the same way that creation was made through Christ, so also is salvation given through Christ.
[00:14:56] Puritan Thomas Brooks once said, christ is the greatest good, the choicest good, the chiefest good, the most suitable good, the most necessary good. He is pure good, a real good and a total good, an eternal good and a soul satisfying good.
[00:15:18] We can call Christ good teacher because he is God.
[00:15:22] John 8:58. He says, Truly, truly, I say to you before Abraham was, I am John 10:30, I and the Father are one.
[00:15:34] John 14:9. Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
[00:15:40] Christ's ministry on earth is filled with acts of goodness that drew believers and unbelievers alike to Himself.
[00:15:49] His ministry was marked by teaching and preaching and performing miracles.
[00:15:55] John 20:30 says, Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples which are not recorded in this book.
[00:16:06] But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
[00:16:17] I like to think that of all the great things that Jesus did, that it would just fill up our Library of Congress and so much more.
[00:16:25] But yet we were given to us the Word of God, and we read him in the four Gospels.
[00:16:31] Thomas Watson once said, jesus has not only a few drops or rays, but is more full of goodness than the sun is full of light.
[00:16:42] This Jesus is not solely a good teacher, but we can see him as our good shepherd.
[00:16:49] Would you guys Turn with me to Ezekiel 34.
[00:16:52] Ezekiel 34. And we're not going to cover the full chapter, but I want to kind of set the scene for us and to establish the context.
[00:17:02] God is speaking to the prophet Ezekiel regarding the shepherds and leaders of Israel.
[00:17:08] Ezekiel 34.
[00:17:19] We're going to be in verses 4 through 6 to begin Ezekiel 34, verses 4 through 6.
[00:17:27] The weak you have not strengthened.
[00:17:29] The sick you have not healed. The injured you have not bound up the strayed you have not brought back. The lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them.
[00:17:41] So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts.
[00:17:47] My sheep were scattered. They wandered all over the mountains and on every high hill.
[00:17:53] My sheep are scattered over all the face of the earth and with none to search or seek after them.
[00:18:00] This is the problem that the Lord gives us God's sheep. His people were scattered, injured, having become prey, are without a shepherd, without a leader to watch over them and protect them. And God says, behold, my people whom I love are without one to lead them.
[00:18:21] If you'll just skip down to verses 11 through 16, he says, for thus saith the Lord.
[00:18:29] Behold I.
[00:18:31] I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out.
[00:18:35] As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep. And I will rescue them from all the places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick dark.
[00:18:50] And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and will bring them into their own land.
[00:18:58] And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country.
[00:19:05] I will feed them with good pasture. And on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land.
[00:19:11] There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel.
[00:19:19] I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord.
[00:19:26] I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak and the fat and strong I will destroy.
[00:19:37] I will feed them. Justice God, the Father, Creator of all, will come and gather his lost sheep to himself.
[00:19:49] Take comfort of the goodness expressed in these words.
[00:19:55] He will lose not one.
[00:19:58] He will track them down, he will gather them to himself.
[00:20:02] He will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak.
[00:20:06] What a good God we have brothers and sisters. We do not serve this Far off distant gift God, who sits by his lonesome in the cosmos, but who is near, who hears the cries of his sheep and comforts them.
[00:20:25] He saw that it was right to care for his people, and so he did it perfectly, exemplifying our definition of goodness, the resolution to see that which is good and do it.
[00:20:39] He saw wandering sheep and saw it good to bring them back.
[00:20:44] He saw wounded sheep and saw it good to bind them up. He saw weak sheep and saw it good to make them strong brothers and sisters. He looks upon us the same way.
[00:20:57] Are you wandering, needing to be brought back?
[00:21:03] Are you wounded, needing to be healed? Are you weak, needing to be made strong?
[00:21:09] Your good shepherd is here with open arms to bring you in. Listen to his voice, for he calls after you.
[00:21:19] Matthew 9:36 says, when he Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd.
[00:21:31] Christ is the reality of Ezekiel 34.
[00:21:34] So turn with me to John 10 and 18 or 11 through 18 John 10:11 through 18.
[00:21:44] Here we're going to see and that Jesus becoming the good shepherd directly fulfills Ezekiel 34 and it's the proclamation that he is claiming the Davidic throne.
[00:21:56] He is the shepherd king who will gather his Father's people, bringing them to himself.
[00:22:04] John 10, 11, 18 it says, I am the good shepherd.
[00:22:10] The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
[00:22:14] He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.
[00:22:25] He flees because he has a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
[00:22:30] I am the good shepherd.
[00:22:32] I know my own, and my Father knows me, just as the Father knows me. I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep.
[00:22:42] And I have other sheep that are not of this fold.
[00:22:45] I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice.
[00:22:49] So there will be one flock and one shepherd.
[00:22:53] For this reason the Father loves me because I lay down my life that I may take it up again.
[00:23:00] No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.
[00:23:05] I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again.
[00:23:09] Discharged I have received from my Father.
[00:23:13] Jesus proclaims, I am the good shepherd, and I will lay down my life for my sheep.
[00:23:19] A good shepherd stands between the sheep and danger. He leads them with a rod and staff, as Psalm 23 tells us, a staff to be direct and a rod to correct.
[00:23:31] Jesus says, I know my sheep by name and they know me.
[00:23:37] I know all about them, for I spend all my time with them.
[00:23:42] A few days ago I saw a pretty funny video of a cow farmer sharing a very special skill that he had with all 400 plus milking cows.
[00:23:53] He shared that he knew each cow by number based on their backside.
[00:23:58] And the interviewer put him to the test and showed him the different cows from his herd. And the farmer knew each one by number.
[00:24:08] Why?
[00:24:09] Because he has spent so much time with them. He knew which cow it was based on the length of its tail, the color behind their legs, the shape of their hooves. A good shepherd knows each sheep individually, for none are identical.
[00:24:28] JC Ryle said this regarding the Good Shepherd.
[00:24:31] Like a good shepherd, Christ knows all his believing people. Their names, their families, their dwelling places, their circumstances, their private history, their experience, their trials.
[00:24:44] With all these things Jesus is perfectly acquainted.
[00:24:48] There is not a thing about the least and lowest of them which Christ is not familiar.
[00:24:54] The children of this world may not know Christians and may count their lives folly, but the good shepherd knows them thoroughly and wonderfully, says to them, and wonderful to say. Though he knows them, he does not despise them.
[00:25:10] Our God knows about us and does not despise his children, but loves us deeply.
[00:25:16] He cares for us and a way that the shepherd cares for his sheep. So also Christ cares for us.
[00:25:25] Has anyone seen the Amazon prime movie Sheep Detective?
[00:25:31] I would encourage you to watch it. It actually is a really good movie with Hugh Jackman. So it's about this shepherd that dies right at the beginning of the movie, and the sheep work together to solve his murder.
[00:25:46] And there are many moments in this movie where the sheep reflect back to who the shepherd was.
[00:25:54] They knew his voice, they knew his smell, they knew where he went, and they knew who he was.
[00:26:03] Do we know our shepherd this way?
[00:26:06] Do you know the voice of your shepherd?
[00:26:10] Have you drawn close enough to hear him clearly?
[00:26:15] Are you so far away where it is drowned out by the world?
[00:26:20] Come near, for your shepherd wants to care for you.
[00:26:25] Christ Jesus is not merely a good teacher and shepherd, but he is a good friend.
[00:26:33] Turn with me to John 15.
[00:26:38] John 15.
[00:26:44] We're going to be in verses 12 through 15.
[00:26:49] And it says, this is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you.
[00:26:56] Greater love has no one than this that someone would lay down his life for his friends.
[00:27:03] You are my friends if you do what I command you.
[00:27:07] No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends.
[00:27:14] For all that I have heard from my Father, I have made known to you.
[00:27:21] Before going to the cross, Christ looked upon his disciples with love and told them what perfect display of friendship they were soon to witness.
[00:27:32] A good friend lays down his life for another.
[00:27:37] There's no greater expression of love than that the Son of God, by whom all things were created, through whom man can be made right with God.
[00:27:48] This man, perfect in every way, saw it good to fulfill this statement by laying down his life for his friends.
[00:27:58] What sacrifice this must be.
[00:28:02] Christ tells his disciples, you are no longer servants, but friends, for I have made known to you all that the Father has revealed to me. Jesus brought the disciples in, chose to call them friends, and he extends that same invitation to us.
[00:28:18] He demonstrates his goodness in the ways that he prayed for his friends.
[00:28:24] Turn with me a page over just to John 17. And we're going to read portions of his high priestly prayer, beginning in verse 8, verses 8 and 9. For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you, and they have believed that you have sent me.
[00:28:48] I am praying for them.
[00:28:50] I am not praying for the world, but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.
[00:28:56] Skip down to verse 15.
[00:28:59] I do not ask that you come to take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.
[00:29:05] They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
[00:29:09] Sanctify them in the truth.
[00:29:11] Your word is truth.
[00:29:13] As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself that they also may be sanctified. In truth, I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word that they may be one. Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
[00:29:44] Verse 24.
[00:29:46] Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me, may be with me where I am to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
[00:29:58] O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I have made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known that the love with which you have loved me may win them and I in them.
[00:30:22] Christ saw it good to pray for his friends, so he did.
[00:30:27] His goodness was exemplified in the way he prayed. He prayed that his friends would know God deeper, dwell with him eternally and be strengthened for the trials ahead.
[00:30:40] Christ's goodness or demonstrates his goodness in the way that he forgave the criminal on the cross.
[00:30:47] Jesus Christ came down to this earth to lay down his life for his people. He came down to earth to be the all sufficient sacrifice for us.
[00:30:58] He came down to intercede between us and the Father, taking on the wrath of God and of the sins of man on the cross.
[00:31:08] It was there on that cross that goodness would be perfectly exemplified.
[00:31:14] There, nailed to the tree, goodness would die for me. It was on that cross where Christ demonstrated his goodness for his people and even the criminal on the cross.
[00:31:27] Luke 23:39:43 holds this account.
[00:31:32] And it says, one of the criminals who were hanging hanged railed at him, saying, are you not the Christ save yourself and us?
[00:31:42] But the other rebuked him, saying, do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?
[00:31:50] And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds. But this man has done nothing wrong.
[00:32:00] And he said, jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.
[00:32:07] And he said to him, truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.
[00:32:13] In a moment of great pain and suffering, both for the criminal and the Christ, an expression of faith is met. With open arms of grace.
[00:32:25] The criminal cries, remember me.
[00:32:29] No greater expression of love than this, that one would lay down his life for a friend.
[00:32:35] In a moment of great sorrow, Christ looked upon this man with love, with compassion, with goodness, and turned a criminal into a friend with these few words. Today you will be with me in paradise.
[00:32:51] Goodness perfectly displayed for all to see.
[00:32:56] Brothers and sisters, he saw it good to die so that you might live.
[00:33:00] His goodness was laid out for you on the cross.
[00:33:04] Oh, what unclean sinners we are. Like leopards cast outside the city of God. We were in need to be made clean.
[00:33:14] For all have sinned, all deserve the wrath of God.
[00:33:18] There's no one, no, not one. Only God above is good.
[00:33:25] And yet in his goodness he looked upon us with compassion and love and saw it good. To make us clean, all we must do is receive it.
[00:33:37] May we be like the lepers in Luke 5:12 13 and cry out, if you will make me clean.
[00:33:47] Ask, and it will be given to you with a heart of faith like that of the lepers in Luke 5. Christ will reach out his hand and respond, I will make you clean, so be clean.
[00:33:59] Calvin puts it this way.
[00:34:01] Now, while he could heal the leper by his word alone.
[00:34:05] He adds the contact of his hand to show his feeling of compassion.
[00:34:12] No wonder, since he willed to put on our flesh in order that he might cleanse us from our sins.
[00:34:19] So the reaching out of his hand was a sign and a token of his vast grace and goodness.
[00:34:28] Instead of offering sacrifices like the priest of old, Christ offered himself to be the full atoning sacrifice.
[00:34:37] Instead of scheduled intercessions by the priest of old, he intercedes for us before the Father. Constantly before us stands a resurrected Christ, one whom the grave could not contain him. The perfect priestly friend.
[00:34:56] This is Christ. This is the one that we get to call friend.
[00:35:01] Do you know Christ this way?
[00:35:04] Is he your friend? Have you comprehended your sinful nature and your uncleanliness?
[00:35:12] It is through knowing that you are dirty that you know that you must be made clean.
[00:35:18] Will you receive the goodness that he offers in salvation?
[00:35:24] As we seek to apply Christ's goodness? And that will be the next section for us, seeing Christ's fruit in us, let us, as John Newton puts it, give ourselves to the study of the Word and to prayer. And may the great Teacher make every scriptural truth food to our souls.
[00:35:44] To have that in mind as we dive into how do we practice goodness?
[00:35:50] And it's important to lay out a disclaimer that something we must keep in mind is that good works is not a means of our salvation, but rather the fruit of our salvation.
[00:36:02] Why is that important? Well, we must caution ourselves against the rich man's belief in Mark 10 to not see works as what gets us eternal life.
[00:36:14] Rather, we should press into the goodness of Christ and out of our love for him we do good works.
[00:36:24] Paul lays this out for us plainly in Ephesians 2, 8, 10, where he says for grace. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing.
[00:36:36] It is a gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
[00:36:43] For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
[00:36:53] It is by grace, through faith that we are saved, right? Not by something that we could do, but through Christ alone, created in Christ handy works of God's craftsmanship.
[00:37:06] For good works, our hearts should desire to do good as it reflects the goodness of Christ our Savior.
[00:37:16] And I want us to look at this in three ways as good teachers, good shepherds and good friends.
[00:37:22] These will be practical application heavy ways in which we will take our biblical definition of goodness and apply it to our day to day lives.
[00:37:33] Now I can promise you one thing that practicing goodness will not be easy.
[00:37:40] But when we fixate our eyes on Christ, then our lives will demonstrate to the watching world that that Christ is worth pursuing.
[00:37:50] Our pursuit will not be perfect, but our pursuit of Christ does not guarantee a sinless life, but a sanctifying one.
[00:38:01] First, good Teachers I remember most of my teachers from grade school.
[00:38:07] I remember the grace I received when I made mistakes, the correction I needed when I acted out.
[00:38:16] I remember the words of wisdom that they gave me that have shaped me into who I am today.
[00:38:22] If we are to practice goodness, we must remember that we are being watched by a world and must act and teach the ways of Christ.
[00:38:32] We must be teachers of goodness to those around us and this plays itself out in how we talk to each other, talk to others, how we act in public and in private and in the way that we care for each other.
[00:38:47] Parents, grandparents, you are in the perfect position for this.
[00:38:52] To practice goodness in the ways that you teach your children and grandchildren.
[00:38:57] Are you instructing them in the ways of the Lord?
[00:39:02] Are you teaching them to walk in the fruit of the Spirit?
[00:39:07] Jerry Bridges writes in his book the Fruitful Life regarding goodness and good works, Good deeds should begin at home.
[00:39:15] If we were out doing good deeds for others while neglecting the needs of our spouse, parents or children, we are not practicing the grace of goodness.
[00:39:25] Married couples Are you practicing goodness in the way you love your spouse?
[00:39:32] Are you exemplifying the goodness of Christ and how you do chores around the house?
[00:39:38] Are you exemplifying goodness in the way you both love each other and talk to each other in public?
[00:39:46] Husbands, the way that you love your wife in public reflect the love of Christ to the watching world.
[00:39:53] Does it exemplify goodness?
[00:39:57] College students, youth in your friend circles, on your sports teams, whatever that may be?
[00:40:04] Are you sharing the goodness of Christ to those around you?
[00:40:09] When we think of good deeds and doing good works, we can sometimes attribute them with going out and feeding the homeless or volunteering at like a soup kitchen. But it can be much simpler, like cleaning your bedroom or your dorm or your apartment and showing goodness to those living with you.
[00:40:32] You may hate doing the dishes, but if there is a need in your household and you refuse to do it, how is that demonstrating the goodness of God?
[00:40:42] We can all grow in ways to demonstrate goodness in our lives.
[00:40:49] Good works point to the good teacher. So are we living in such a way that points to Christ our Savior?
[00:40:58] Next, how do we become good shepherds and what do I mean by this? How do we care for those under our care?
[00:41:09] Many of us have people under us.
[00:41:12] Bosses, you have employees.
[00:41:15] Elders, you have the congregation.
[00:41:19] Teachers, you have students. Parents, you have children.
[00:41:22] College students. I am sure that there are some that depend on you.
[00:41:26] Then they would be under your care. Older siblings, you have younger siblings.
[00:41:32] We are all called to shepherd those under our care with the fruits of the Spirit.
[00:41:39] So are you stewarding your time to be intentional with those under you?
[00:41:45] Do you know those under you?
[00:41:49] Do you know their needs, their wants, their sorrows and troubles?
[00:41:53] Our Good shepherd knows us, and in our times of need he comes to care for us.
[00:42:00] Do you imitate our Good shepherd in the way that you care for those under you?
[00:42:05] Do those under you know that you care for them?
[00:42:10] And this can look very differently for people.
[00:42:13] Bosses, you can take employees out to lunch and check on them.
[00:42:17] Teachers, you can reach out to parents and even ask good, intentional questions with your students.
[00:42:24] Parents, when was the last time that you took your child out to do something fun and then asked them how they're doing?
[00:42:33] How are you supposed to shepherd your child if you don't know what they're going through?
[00:42:39] College students, you spend a bulk of your free time with your friends. So are those moments spent used to build one another up in Christ, doing good unto others, or are they times that reflect Christ poorly?
[00:42:55] Older siblings Are you friends with your younger siblings?
[00:43:00] And I know this may seem like an irrelevant question, but I can tell you, growing up, my siblings and I were not close.
[00:43:08] I'm the oldest of five.
[00:43:11] And because, and by God's grace, we are now best friends, my brothers and sisters know that they can call me for anything and I would do anything for them because they're under my care. In a way.
[00:43:26] When was the last time that you called your siblings and asked how they were?
[00:43:31] And this doesn't necessarily only apply to younger people, but older adults. Do you still demonstrate goodness and the goodness of Christ in your relationship with your siblings?
[00:43:45] Deeply knowing those around you allows you to shepherd them well, drawing them closer to the goodness of Jesus and strengthening their relationship with God.
[00:43:58] All these questions draw us to our final point for good friends.
[00:44:04] How are we to be good friends with those around us?
[00:44:09] In Bridges book, he goes on to quote George Bethune, and he says, true goodness is not merely impulsive, but rational and considerate.
[00:44:22] It will therefore pause and be at some trouble to inquire what service and how best may it be rendered.
[00:44:31] Goodness should be willing to give time and thought and patience and even labor, not mere money and kind words and compassionate looks.
[00:44:43] King David cries in Psalm 142:4 look to the right and see there is none who takes notice of me.
[00:44:53] No refuge remains to me. No one cares for my soul.
[00:44:59] Do you know someone like this?
[00:45:01] Or are you this person, saying this every night in your prayers?
[00:45:08] May it not be said of us brothers and sisters that we should go through life alone, shackled by loneliness, that we don't see the goodness around us.
[00:45:19] May it be said by the watching world that UBC cares for its own.
[00:45:25] And I don't think I need to belabor the reality that this has been a very trying season for all of us.
[00:45:33] But have you checked in on your friends?
[00:45:37] Have you asked how they're doing?
[00:45:39] Have you sat to just listen, to hug them when they cry?
[00:45:45] For our elders who desire to shepherd us well, who call us friends, have you reached out to pray for them, to bring them a meal, to lovingly express your thankfulness for them?
[00:45:58] They are not perfect, but nor are we so may our friendship with one another be centered around the Perfect One, Jesus Christ.
[00:46:09] May it be said of us, Romans 15:14 that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another.
[00:46:22] Church Will we be marked by Galatians 6:10 Let us do good to everyone and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
[00:46:32] When we use our gifts and talents for God's people, He is pleased.
[00:46:39] Let us be marked by the good we do for others inside and outside the church, for it reflects the goodness of Christ Jesus Christ the way he was the good teacher, shepherd, and friend.
[00:46:55] Let us have the resolution to see that which is good and do it and to Close Stephen Charnock says this In God's giving Christ to be our Redeemer. He gave us the highest gift that it was possible for divine goodness to bestow.
[00:47:18] As there is not a greater God than Himself to be conceived, so there is not a greater gift for this great God to present to his creatures.
[00:47:28] And though he could create millions of worlds for us, he cannot give a greater Son to us.
[00:47:35] When God intended in redemption the manifestation of his highest goodness, it could not be without the donation of the choicest gift, as when he would ensure our comfort, he swears by Himself, because he cannot swear by greater.
[00:47:54] So when he would ensure our happiness, he gives as His Son, because He cannot give a greater being equal with himself.
[00:48:06] Had the Father given Himself in person, he had given one first in order, but not greater in essence and glorious perfections.
[00:48:16] The wounds of an almighty God for us are a greater testimony of goodness than if we had all the other riches of heaven and earth.
[00:48:28] After we close in prayer, we're going to have some time to break up into small groups and go through the questions on your handout. Then we'll come together and sing the doxology.
[00:48:38] Pray with me.
