1183-The Fruit of the Spirit-Goodness#
1183-The Fruit of the Spirit-Goodness
(JP Text Group - Life Like an Eagle)
Luke 18:18-19:
18 A ruler asked Jesus, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.
Today we share the fruit of the Spirit - goodness.
Let’s start with a prayer:
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise you for preparing this wonderful time for us. You are a good Lord. You are the loving Father. Everything you give me is the best blessing. Today, Lord, during this time, we look up to you in your word, seeking your strength. May the Holy Spirit lead each brother and sister to know you more deeply. We are willing to open our hearts to receive your word! In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen!
What is goodness? The world calls it "kindness." Goodness, one of its meanings, is kindness. Our God is a good God. What is a good person? First, they have a heart that is compassionate towards others; second, they have the ability to provide for others.
For example, it is often said on television that there is a great benefactor in a certain area. Who is this person generally referring to? This person often helps others. For instance, during years of famine, when others had nothing to eat, this person would provide rice bought from their own home to everyone in the village.
Today we share the fruit of the Spirit - goodness, which is closely linked to the kindness we shared last time. Kindness is an action; Jesus was moved with compassion when he saw this person, which is an action, but goodness is a state of life. It is a life of abundance. This person is willing to give to others, help others, and show compassion to others.
Our God is good; He is a generous God. The original Greek word for goodness has two meanings: the first is kindness, and the second is generosity.
Brothers and sisters, this generation lacks goodness, as there is a lack of trust between people. It seems that everyone’s goodness is veiled and cannot be shaken off. Because people live in a long-term corrupt world, as lawlessness increases, people gradually lose their love.
Psalm 14:2-3
The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.
Brothers and sisters, is our God being too absolute? God says that there is not even one who does good in this world. Why? The previous verse says there is no one who seeks God, which we can understand, but the latter part says, “not even one who does good.” Does this mean that no one has ever done a good deed? Of course not! The goodness that God refers to here means giving without seeking return, without selfishness.
Some may say that many people do good deeds without selfishness! In fact, we do not know others' hearts. But we can know our own hearts. The goodness that people do is often conditional.
What is even sadder is that many people today believe there is no love without reason in this world. When some people help others, others will surely think, “What do you want me to do for you?” Why do people have such thoughts? It is because they do not feel that there is grace given freely in this world. So, brothers and sisters, in such a generation, we need to manifest God's goodness even more, as the people of this world need mutual help and encouragement, Amen!
Hosea 4:1: Hear the word of the Lord, O children of Israel! For the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land. There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land.
Our God is a generous God, and He is willing to bless us. However, people do not believe in God's grace and reject it. When God sent His Son Jesus into the world, people did not accept Him and rejected Him. This shows that people lack faithfulness, goodness, and knowledge of God.
When we mention the fruit of the Spirit - goodness, it is not the goodness of the world, but rather the unconditional, unpretentious love that comes from God. This kind of goodness cannot be found in the world. Because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Let’s share the first point, the Good God.
Psalm 25:8-10
Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right and teaches the humble his way. All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.
Because God is good and upright, He can guide people in the right way. He delights in fairness and justice. Such goodness has no selfishness; it is complete love. Goodness is His attribute. People can do some good deeds, but their giving is generally conditional and not the same for everyone. Only the Lord's goodness is the same for all; He is willing to bless everyone as long as they are willing to receive.
When people do good, they may calculate the pros and cons. If it is not beneficial to themselves, they may stop. But God is a good God; He always gives people opportunities to repent and is always willing to show His goodness to people. The Bible mentions a man named Jacob. When Jacob was young, he was very selfish, always thinking about gaining more benefits. He used his cleverness to scheme against his brother and deceived his father. Later, he had to leave home and flee to his uncle. On the way, God appeared to him.
Genesis 28:13-15
And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
Although Jacob's behavior was very bad, he was intent on grabbing all the blessings, God is a good God. He does not look at Jacob's behavior but remembers the covenant with Abraham. Because he is a descendant of Abraham, God is willing to bless him and promises that wherever he goes, God will bless him and will not leave him. This shows God's goodness. But how did Jacob respond to God?
Genesis 28:20-22
Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.”
Jacob was not grateful to God. Instead, he set conditions for exchange. If you are with me, bless me, give me food and clothing, and let me return safely, then I will acknowledge you as my God. From this, we see that Jacob's heart was not good, and he had no good deeds to boast about. It was only God's mercy that was willing to bless him.
Many people also seek God out of helplessness, like Jacob, setting conditions. They come to church and pray to God, saying, “As long as you heal me and make me well, I will believe in you.” Many people may have prayed such prayers, but many do not want to believe in God after receiving healing. Yet God still gives them opportunities to turn back as long as they seek Him; God is willing to bless them. Because God is a good God.
Hebrews 11:6, And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Anyone who comes to God in prayer must first believe that God is a good God. His goodness is not based on your actions or achievements, but because He is good in Himself, He is always willing to bless people. He is willing to give to those who call upon Him. Before you pray, you must first believe that God is willing to give to you because He is a good God, a generous God.
Let me give you an example from the Bible.
The miracle of the five loaves and two fish is well-known. When Jesus was preaching, there were five thousand men listening. As it was getting dark, the people were hungry. At this time, Jesus asked, “What do you have?” A little boy offered his five loaves and two fish to Jesus.
Jesus took the five loaves and two fish and did not eat them Himself; He wanted to use this food to supply the needs of everyone. This is the good Lord. Jesus took the loaves, looked up to heaven, and blessed them. This bread fed five thousand men, and there were twelve baskets of leftovers. In other words, not counting women and children, this bread multiplied at least five thousand times, Amen! This is our God; He is a generous God, He is a good God, and He is willing to bless what we have!
Many people misunderstand our God, thinking that going to church means having to give to God, which means losing something. In fact, everything belongs to our Lord; He does not lack anything. But God is willing to bless us after we offer our blessings. Just like the little boy's five loaves and two fish.
Psalm 50:9-15
I will not accept a bull from your house or goats from your folds. For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine. Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.
Everything is created by God; He does not lack anything. Instead, we are the ones who lack. God is a good God, willing to help us. When you offer money to God, He blesses you afterward and gives back to you. Whatever you offer into God's hands, He will always bless you and then give it back to you. Today, if you are lacking financially, when you give your tithe into God's hands, God will surely give you a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold blessing, without a doubt. But we give out of gratitude, not to gain more.
If you have a disease, pray to God, “Lord, please heal my body, for my body is also created by you. You are the Lord who is willing to bless!” When you fully believe, you will receive.
God blesses you not because of your good behavior, but because He is a generous God, He is a good God! He wants you to be nourished by the new grain, wine, and oil. So no matter what problems you encounter, just come before Him and pray! He is the God who is willing to listen to your prayers!
Today you should know that we are the same as the people of Israel; God will never abandon you. It is not because we behave well, but because He is a good God. Let me give you an example from the Bible. There was a man named Abraham, and his wife was Sarah. God told Abraham, “I will give you a son.”
They both waited for God's promise to be fulfilled, and after a long time, they saw no results. Finally, his wife became impatient and lost faith. She said, “You should have a child with my maidservant, and then we can fulfill God's mission!” This practice was quite normal at that time and not considered wrong. But it did not align with God's promise.
What happened because of this? When the maidservant Hagar became pregnant, she looked down on her mistress. In that era, it was extremely shameful for a woman not to bear children, and she lost her standing in the household. The maidservant Hagar felt that her time had come. As a result, conflicts arose in the household, and Abraham was caught in the middle, unable to please either his wife or his child. What to do? In the end, the mistress harshly dealt with the maidservant, and she had no choice but to run away.
Genesis 16:9-11
The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her.” The angel of the Lord also said to her, “I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.” And the angel of the Lord said to her, “Behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because the Lord has listened to your affliction.” (Ishmael means God hears.)
Although all three of them were wrong, God is a good God. He did not neglect Hagar because of their mistakes but gave her a way to return. God heard her prayer.
Brothers and sisters, this is our God; He is a good God. So do not worry that your prayers will not be heard. Today, through Jesus Christ, who accomplished the work of redemption for us on the cross, all your sins have been paid for. Today, God especially hopes that you will pray to Him; He is willing to bless you.
In the Old Testament, the people of Israel only needed to turn back to God, and God would immediately show them mercy. The Bible records these events not to show how rebellious the Israelites were, but to show you how good our God is! The entire Bible does not tell us how bad people are or how corrupt they are, but to tell us that God is a generous God, a good God! Thank the Lord, so when you read the Bible, you must look at it from this perspective.
In today’s text, a ruler asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.”
A few years ago, there was a sister who had not yet believed in the Lord. She watched an animated movie called "The Prince of Egypt," which won an Oscar. It is an older film that tells the story of the Israelites' exodus from Egypt.
After watching it, that little sister said, “Your God is so cruel! To let His people come out, He destroyed other people's homes and wiped out their people. What a cruel God!” How would you respond? Later, I told her, “Why don’t you read the Bible? The movie is not accurate.”
As a result, she really listened. Guess which books she read? Exodus and Joshua, and it got worse. Exodus talks about how Pharaoh of Egypt did not listen, and God sent ten plagues upon them. What does Joshua talk about? The Canaan land inhabited by seven nations of Canaan, and God cleared out the seven nations of Canaan, even more thoroughly than in Egypt.
After watching, she said, “Wow, your God is so cruel! To give His people a place to live, He wiped out the indigenous people. How do you respond? Is God still a good God?”
First, you must determine one thing: our God is a good God, full of mercy, love, and grace. Later, I will explain to you why God does such things. When that person raised this question, where is the standard of good and evil? It is within themselves. She believed that God should not do such things, right?
When people have different standards for discerning right and wrong, the conclusions will be completely different. So when did the standard of good and evil for people begin to change? It was in the Garden of Eden. Before Adam and Eve sinned, what was their standard? The word of God was the standard. Everything God created was good, including the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which was also good, right?
Let me give you an example. There is a knife forged by a certain blacksmith that cuts through iron like mud. Is this knife good? The key is whose hands it is in. If it is in the hands of a chef, he can make delicious dishes. If you give it to someone with bad intentions, they will do evil. Brothers and sisters, different standards of good and evil produce different results.
Before Adam and Eve sinned, God said everything was good, and they believed it. But the serpent tempted them, saying, “Your God is not the standard; He is not good to you. Why does He not let you eat this? If you eat it, you will be able to discern good and evil yourself. Don’t let God be your standard; you should be your own standard.”
As a result, they both ate. After eating, they made themselves the standard for good and evil. So when God came to hold them accountable, He said, “Adam, have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” Adam replied, “It’s not my fault; it’s the woman you gave me.” Do you see? He immediately thought he was right, and the woman next to him was wrong. And the woman also learned to discern good and evil; she said, “It’s not my fault; the serpent deceived me.”
Shifting responsibility, so today, the reason for the constant conflicts between people is that there is one reason: because they think they are right. People use their own standards of what they think is right to judge others' right and wrong, resulting in many problems.
And the person who raised that question did not use God's standard to view the world; they used their own standard to measure the situation. As long as we clarify the problem, you will understand. First, you must know that God is a good God. Secondly, God will never wrong anyone, Amen! God is an absolutely just God.
Now, when God made a covenant with Abraham, Abraham divided the sacrificial animals in half. Abraham sat in the middle, which is the meaning of making a covenant. At that time, Abraham fell into a deep sleep, and God passed through the sacrifices with fire and made a covenant with Abraham.
Genesis 15:13-17
Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward, they shall come out with great possessions. As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.
When the Israelites left Egypt, it had been over four hundred years. At that time, the people of the seven nations of Canaan were full of sin. Since God is an absolutely just God, He must bless the good and punish the evil. What kind of life were the people of the seven nations of Canaan living? That is to say, around 2500 BC, people lived in chaos, already suffering from various strange diseases, and there were idols everywhere. If God allowed the Israelites to live among such people, in a few years, this group of people would cease to exist; they would all become just like them because these people were beyond saving and did not want to repent.
If you read Joshua, you will find that the Israelites just wanted to pass through their city, saying, “I want to drink your water, and I will pay you.” Those people immediately set up their armies to fight against them, and you will know what kind of people they were. And our God, He is good; He does not want anyone to perish, but for this group of people, after their sins were full, God had to execute judgment. If He did not judge, it would not be fair.
Today, the reason God no longer judges us or punishes us is that Jesus Christ has already borne all our sins. So in God's eyes, you are now pleasing to Him, not because of how good your behavior is, but because He is a good God. Today, He is willing to pour out His generosity and all His blessings upon you, completely because of Jesus Christ. Thank the Lord!
This is God's standard; God's standard of justice has never been lowered. Why must Jesus die? Because the wages of sin is death, and Jesus died for us. Why are we justified? Because Jesus Christ rose from the dead, we are justified. Everything God has done for us shows His goodness.
Let’s share the second point, the Lack of Goodness.
This generation is a generation lacking goodness. Many religions talk about how it doesn’t matter what you believe, as long as it encourages people to do good and be good. But what is the difference between us and other religions? Our God is goodness itself; other religions teach you how to do good using your own strength and standards. But we are different; we use God's power, the power of Jesus Christ. Amen! If you use your own standards, you will feel that those people do not deserve help, while you prefer to help those you find more agreeable. This is human nature.
But using the standard of Jesus Christ, He is willing for everyone in the world to receive salvation and healing. Because He is a good God. If we use our own standards, you will hold grudges against those who have hurt you in the past, your family, your colleagues, and you will find it hard to let go. This is not the fruit of the Spirit and is of no benefit to us.
Let me give you an example from life, using a sister as an example. For instance, a certain sister was hurt by a man in a relationship, and later she concluded that there are no good men in the world. But is it true that there are no good men? Because she was hurt, her heart closed off to this matter, leading to prejudice. Why do people have such thoughts? It is because they lack the goodness that comes from God.
Let’s read Romans 7:18 together: For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.
I believe you are the same; no one who believes in the Lord is willing to deliberately sin, deceive others, or do evil. But you find that although your heart is willing to do good, it does not always result in good. Just like we said, we may have good intentions to help others, but sometimes our words can hurt others, and our good intentions can lead to bad outcomes. As a result, it can make others even sadder. Sometimes, we truly want to do good, but because we lack goodness within us, our actions can turn into evil. What should we do at this time? We need to rely on the grace of Jesus Christ. If you lack goodness, pray to the Holy Spirit, and He will give it to you.
So you can pray to the Heavenly Father, “Lord, I want to bear the fruit of goodness.” Do not rely on yourself; rely on the power of the Holy Spirit. When you encounter situations, you should first come before God and pray with the Holy Spirit. God's word is our standard for discerning right and wrong. Many times, we find that when conflicts arise, we easily jump to conclusions about right and wrong. In fact, sometimes people only see the surface, and many things are unknown to them. Therefore, misunderstandings arise between people.
Today, if your husband often annoys you, or if your relationship with your children is not good, or if your relationship with your colleagues is not good, if you look at these people through Jesus, you will be able to accept them because they do not know God, and there is no goodness in them. It is normal for them not to do things that benefit them. Because there is no goodness of God in their hearts, what you should do at this time is to show them compassion, Amen!
When you have a conflict with others and feel like getting angry or saying something inappropriate, give yourself ten seconds to think about how Jesus would treat this person. By giving yourself a moment to think, you will find that in those few seconds, your anger will dissipate because God has poured His goodness into your heart, Amen! Thank the Lord! We must use God's standard as our standard and see this world through the eyes of Jesus Christ.
Let’s share the third point, Pursuing Goodness.
You must first pursue goodness, and God will be willing to give it to you. The source of goodness is not in people, but in God. This is the fruit of the Spirit. As long as you are willing, God can help you bear the fruit of goodness, Amen! This goodness is not for your own sake or for others to see, but to change your life, allowing the life within you to reflect God's virtues.
Luke 6:45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
A person's behavior is related to their heart, so you need to pursue goodness, and your actions and words will change.
Let’s read a passage from 1 Thessalonians 5:15-18 together:
15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
You must be careful not to repay evil for evil. Whether dealing with each other or with everyone, always seek to do good. This is not something you can do just once; you must always pursue goodness. If you cannot do it, it’s okay; first, you need to have a heart that seeks! The Holy Spirit will lead you and give you that ability.
Today, how do we pursue goodness? We must pray without ceasing. When others attack you, you should pray to God; when others slander you, you should pray to God; when you are wronged by others, you should pray to God. Because every time you pray to God, He will pour down His goodness upon you, give you His joy, and comfort you.
Give thanks in all circumstances. What does “all” include? First, good things; second, bad things. Many of us can be grateful when good things happen, saying, “Thank you, Lord! This is wonderful!” But when bad things come, we say, “Lord, why? Why did this disaster fall on me instead of him?” But God says you should give thanks in all circumstances. God can turn your situation around; He makes all things work together for your good. Thank the Lord!
Let’s look at another passage; we will read Psalm 15:1-4 together:
1 (A Psalm of David.) O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? 2 He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; 3 who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend; 4 in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the Lord; who swears to his own hurt and does not change.
This is what we need to learn and pursue. Walk blamelessly, do what is right, and speak the truth.
Do not slander with your tongue. The tongue is the smallest member of the body, yet it can tear a family apart. Do you believe that? This tongue can turn people against each other. In the church, we are also very afraid of such things, where someone spreads discord and negative news, damaging everyone's faith.
Do not do evil to friends; you must treat your friends well. If they are in need, you must help them.
Do not join in slandering your neighbor. It is very scary to follow the crowd because you do not know what the truth is. If someone says he is bad, you also say he is bad. Who is your neighbor? Your brothers and sisters are your neighbors. Thank God! This is very important. Do not casually slander your brothers and sisters. When someone says that someone did something wrong, you should stop this from happening so that the discord ceases. Any matter can be communicated face to face.
What should you do? Respect those who fear the Lord. A person who fears God has God's standard, not their own. Therefore, the standard of good and evil, right and wrong for each of us is God, not ourselves. When conflicts arise, go back to the Bible and see how God handles the situation, Amen! Instead of following the crowd, saying he is wrong, he must be wrong, that is not necessarily true. It really is like that, so we must understand that God is a good God, and His standard is the absolute standard.
What does the last sentence say? He swears to his own hurt and does not change.
He would rather suffer loss than change because he knows that my God is a good God, and He will bless him. Such blessings cannot be taken away by others. He will keep everything in his hands. Today, if I give, God will give back to me. This is also the principle of our offering. God hopes we will be generous people because our God is generous, Amen!
Let’s pray together:
Heavenly Father, we especially thank and praise your grace. Lord, you are the essence of goodness. May the Holy Spirit dwell in my heart, guiding us to live out goodness and treating those around us with honesty. May your word become the standard of my life, helping me to give thanks in all things and see your goodness.
We are willing to be generous in helping others. Let us become vessels of blessing, just as God blessed Abraham. Let me also be a blessing to others. Lord, may the Holy Spirit help me to bear the fruit of goodness within me, allowing me to live out the glory of Christ. Thank you and praise the Lord. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen!