We Were Created To Do Good In The World!

Pastor Jim Lowe III

Sunday Morning,  9:30am Stream

05/22/22 (4th Sunday Message)

 

 

{All scriptures are NIV84 unless stated}

 

Today’s Title:

We Were Created To Do Good In The World!

 

Galatians 5:22-25

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

 

V.24

 

Those who belong to Christ have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.

 

If you have accepted Christ…you have DECIDED to live for him and not for yourself.

 

“I have decided to follow Jesus.”

 

This is called “living by the Spirit.”

 

“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”

 

In our example of the trees:

 

 Apple trees produce apples.

 

 Pecan trees produce pecans.

 

 Orange trees produce oranges.

 

We as believers produce fruit also.

 

Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control

 

This is what being a believer LOOKS like.

 

Today we’ll talk about Goodness

 

Goodness (Easton’s Bible Dictionary):

in man is not a mere passive quality, but the deliberate preference of right to wrong, the firm and persistent resistance of all moral evil, and the choosing and following of all moral good.

 

This isn’t a passive quality.

 

This is an active goal.

 

Goodness is the pursuit of what’s right.

 

Goodness is continuing to resist doing wrong.

 

Before we think of how impossible this sounds…remember that this goodness comes from God.

 

We Are Good Because Of God’s Love For Us!

 

Titus 2:11-14

11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

 

When we became believers God gave us a part of him.

 

The part of God each of us has helps us to live for him and not ourselves.

 

It allows us to live self-controlled and godly.

 

It allows us to turn away from evil things and live for God.

 

We are “made” good because of God.

 

Without him we are NOT good.

 

Psalm 16:2 (ESV)

2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” 

 

There is NOTHING good about me without God.

 

We might think we’re good.

 

But TRUE goodness comes from God alone.

 

Titus 2:14 {repeat}

14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

 

God gave himself for us…and THAT sacrifice has made us clean.

 

2 Peter 1:3-9

3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his OWN glory and goodness. 

 

God is Good…

 

His power has given us everything we need to live this life for him.

 

Verse 4

4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 

 

There is corruption in the world.

 

It teaches us to be selfish…and to think of only ourselves.

 

Those things go against the works God wants for us.

 

Verse 5

5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. 

 

Verse 5 says to add to your faith goodness.

 

Add to what you already believe goodness.

 

Verse 8 says if you exemplify that…it means you have a good understanding of what life with Christ is about.

 

Verse 9 says if you do NOT have it…it keeps you confused about what we’re here for.

 

Well what are we here for?

 

Ephesians 2:10

10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

 

We are God’s workmanship.

 

We are God’s creation.

 

We are God’s example…created in Christ to do GOOD WORKS.

 

Ephesians 2:10 (MSG)

No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.

 

“The good work he has gotten ready for us to do.”

 

The work we had BETTER be doing.

 

This is why we can do good works!

 

Because God Has Made Us Good, We Can Now Do Good Works!

 

Matthew 12:33-35

33 “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.

 

Because we are NOW Good…we can now do good works.

 

That’s what we were created for.

 

We were created to do GOOD WORKS.

“I Was Created To Do Good Works!”

 

We are not here for ourselves.

 

But even with what we were created for…we have a choice.

 

Live is choice driven…

 

Each Day We Have A Choice To Do Good In The World!

 

Amos 5:14-15

14 Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. 15 Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph. 

 

We have a choice.

 

We should seek good…not evil.

 

We should hate the things that are against God.

 

Maintain justice in the court…

 

{maybe a side note}

 

Favoring Justice Is Good, Favoring Injustice Is Evil!

 

The bible tells us that FAIRNESS is good.

 

We are to maintain fairness…

 

If we do…perhaps God will have mercy on us.

 

Make A Choice To Do Good In The World!

 

Micah 6:8

8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? 

 

Many people don’t pay attention to this…but the Lord requires us to do justice.

 

The Lord requires us to love kindness…

 

The Lord requires us to walk humbly with God.

 

Let’s talk about Esther.

 

She became central to protecting her own people from their own destruction.

 

She had become Queen through a lengthy process of randomness.

 

As Queen she found out of a plot to destroy all the Jews in the land.

 

All of them…

 

In Moses’ time it was all the young boys..

 

ALL the Jews in this land would be killed.

 

No one knew Esther (the Queen) was a Jew except her uncle.

 

She wasn’t sure if she could help her people…but this was said to her:

 

Esther 4:12-14

12 When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, 13 he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”

 

She is told that it’s possible not even she would survive if found out.

 

If she doesn’t speak out, God will go another route to deliver his people…

 

But what if all that happened for you was for THIS reason?

 

So Esther decides to risk her life for the sake of her people…who WERE to be destroyed.

 

Esther decides to do GOOD for others.

 

What If The Things We’ve Gone Through In Life Put Us In A Position To Help Others?

 

Would we do it?

 

Why Does God Want Us To Do This?

 

From last week:

 

Matthew 5:14-16

14 “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. 

 

WE are the light of the world.

 

Our light is to shine before others…

 

Our light will point others back to God.

 

3 Ways To Show God’s Goodness To Others:

 

3 Ways To Show God’s Goodness To Others:

1. Consider Others Outside Of Ourselves

 

From the story of Esther:

 

Think about others.

 

The evil thought would have been to consider only her life.

 

Maybe she would have made it…but at the cost of what??

 

Philippians 2:4

4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

 

How Much Stronger Would We As People Be If We Looked Out For Each Other’s Interests?

 

Yes some of us do this…but we need more of this.

 

What if God’s people worked to be “good” to one another?

 

3 Ways To Show God’s Goodness To Others:

2. Make Sure Others See The Love Of God On You

 

Life is really about helping others see the Goodness of God.

 

Matthew 5:16

16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

 

Can Others See God In You?

 

What’s the standard?

 

Not if we THINK we showed it…

 

Can others see it??

 

 

 

 

3 Ways To Show God’s Goodness To Others:

3. Surround Yourself With Others Who Practice Goodness

 

1 Corinthians 15:33-34

33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 34 Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.

 

People encouraging you to do the wrong thing could be the wrong people.

 

Stop sinning…

 

Come back to your senses.

 

Get Away From People Who Only Encourage You To Do The Wrong Thing!

 

What type of fruit do those around you bear?

 

Hebrews 10:24-25

24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

 

Find the people who help build you.

 

Let you ALL work together to show God’s goodness to his people.

 

{Recap:}

 

God is Good.

 

He is with us…which makes us good.

 

Because we are “good,” we can do good works.

 

Those works point others back to God.

 

We are NOT here for ourselves…

 

Let’s remove selfishness and spend more time showing “good deeds” to someone else!