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well as you all know we’re in the
fruitful sermon series talking about the
nine fruit of the Spirit our base
scripture for this entire sermon series
is found in Galatians 5:22 through 23 if
you have your Bibles you can go ahead
and turn there and get your smartphones
out something look at the scriptures if
not we’ll have them on the screen but it
says but the fruit of the Holy Spirit
but the Holy Spirit produces this kind
of fruit in our lives love joy peace
patience kindness goodness faithfulness
gentleness and self-control these are
the nine fruits of the spirit now there
are millions of things that God could
have pulled to become fruit of the
Spirit but these are the nine that he
felt most important for us to live out
of a godly lifestyle this morning I’m
gonna talk about one of those fruit that
you know honestly probably in the church
is a little bit more of like a step
fruit in a lot of ways right when you
talk about the fruit Spirit you’re going
to automatically know love joy peace
patience but the one I’m talking about
today is one that really doesn’t get as
much clouds or stage presence as it
needs this morning we’re going to talk
about the fruit of goodness okay two
people are excited
two people are excited about this we’re
gonna talk about the fruit of goodness
there we go so let me give you a basic
definition of what the fruit of goodness
is and then I’m gonna give you I’ll give
you a fancy definition for my fancy
folks and then I’ll give you a simple
definition of what it is okay our fancy
definition is goodness is virtue or
moral excellence and holiness our total
devotion to God in action the fruit of
goodness is not just something that you
have on the inside it is something to be
seen in action but it is twofold
now we all know good people people that
are just good people they may not
believe in Jesus Christ but they’re just
good people they don’t talk about people
don’t cheat they just are nice people
and that is a part of goodness moral
excellence being morally
excellent but that’s not the full
portion of what goodness is goodness is
also total devotion to God
so I’m morally excellent because of my
devotion to God that is the fruit of
goodness a simple definition of what
goodness is now that we’ve done the
fancy one a simple one is doing good
because God says so doing good because
God said so that is our simple
definition of what the fruit of goodness
is and let me explain that because
goodness is one of those words that
really is just the definition of it is
way more powerful than what we get it
usually in the weight of our everyday
language but goodness is not one of
those things that you just put in a
fancy little box put a cute little bow
on it
goodness is a lot more grimy than that
it’s a lot more gritty than that
goodness is being good when you don’t
feel like being good goodness is being
good to the people that really do not
deserve you being good to them goodness
is not being good when you feel good to
good people when it’s good weather good
hair day that’s not just goodness
goodness includes those days that you
wake up looking a little quick right and
then you’re not feeling well and your
emotions are low are over and there are
people at your office that you can’t
stand and you still have to be good to
them and the weather is bad outside
goodness is a little more gritty and
grimy than what we give it clouds for so
this morning we’re going to talk about
goodness and what it looks like not only
in our everyday lives and in the doing
the behavior of goodness but we’re going
to talk about the source of goodness and
we’re going to talk about our identity
how it’s linked to goodness okay here’s
the truth about goodness everybody is
attracted to good people everybody is
attracted to good people you can be
shady mix shady all day long but you’re
not gonna marry shady shady girl you
don’t marry the good girl you’re gonna
be shady make shady all day long but you
don’t what a crazy business partner
you’re gonna get the good business
partner that you can trust that has
integrity you may be shady McShea all
day long but that boy that was a nerd in
high school that’s the one that you want
to marry
because the truth is everybody is
attracted to goodness and good people
and the reason they’re attracted that is
because ultimately everybody is
attracted to God and God is good so this
morning I want you to take goodness out
of the step fruit category like the
fruit that’s really not that important
category and put it into the most one of
the most important fruit of the Spirit
that we have because goodness is what
attracts people to the God inside of us
now Amberly talked a lot last week about
you know the jerks they are in church
this is the truth when it comes to the
fruit of goodness
people don’t want to serve our God if we
aren’t good people if we aren’t out
doing good immaculate says let your
light so shine so that people will see
your good works and glorify your father
without our good works people will not
be able to see our God and glorify our
Father and so that’s why goodness is so
very important to us so what we’re going
to do is we’re gonna start off talking
about the source of goodness and point
number one and I’m going to tell you
straight up before we move any more for
okay
these points are super Elementary
they’re super basic okay but I’m not
basic okay the point is these are
foundational truths that we can apply to
our everyday life and a lot of times we
want to swim in the deep things but we
haven’t really grabs the foundational
things and so this morning we’re gonna
talk about some foundational super basic
stuff but everything that we need in our
everyday life so point number one is God
is good basic right okay but this is so
very important because I know we say it
all the time god is good all the time
and all the time that’s right one of the
truest cliches we say in church this is
the truth of God but I believe that as
believers oftentimes we question God’s
goodness oftentimes when life throws a
curveball or when something happens
that’s unexpected we question whether or
not our God is
good and the truth is if we want to ever
fulfill and walk out the fruit of
goodness in our lives we have to believe
in the source of goodness we have to
believe in God as the source of our
goodness and if we have trouble
believing that God is good how can we
ever be good how can we ever live our
goodness in our lives if the God that we
get the goodness from we don’t believe
that he’s good and so it is very
important to us before we move into
doing good and what doing good looks
like to really examine do we believe in
the source of goodness do we believe
that God is good even when life is bad
do we believe when life is good that God
is good even when we are bad God is good
and Psalms 119 and 68 it says you are
good and you do only good
it speaks above God’s identity and his
character you are good it is the essence
of who you are but you also only do good
his behavior lines up with his identity
much as with us our behavior always
lines up with our identity so our God is
good and the Scriptures talk about it
all over about how God is good but it’s
do we really believe it in our everyday
lives do we really believe it in how we
know whether or not we believe that God
is good is to ask ourselves how well do
I trust him how well do I trust God when
life is not going my way how well do I
trust God when I leave this building and
go to another one how well do I trust
God when my bills I don’t have enough
money to pay my bills how well do I
trust God in Psalms 37 and 3 it says
trust in the Lord and do good
that’s a compound in order for us to do
good we have to trust in His goodness
this morning we thank good good father
and everybody was engaged and involved
in that song and it is one of the truest
songs that we sing but do we believe
that when we leave
this building do we believe it in our
everyday life
all we have to do is look at our trust
factor how well do I trust God because
if I trust God I’m trusting in his
goodness and if I trust in His goodness
then now I can do good because it’s the
source of our goodness there are many
many many different words and names that
there are to describe God and we’ve
heard a lot of them before in church
Jehovah Jireh our provider Jehovah
Shalom our peace Jehovah sick new our
righteousness but there’s one that I
want us to focus in this morning and
that is jehova shamma and that means the
lord who is present or the lord who is
there how do we know that God is good
because he said he’ll never leave us nor
forsake us and he literally meant that
because God is so good that he knew we
would be powerless without him so he
decided to live inside of us that’s how
good our God is and the truth is this
have you ever okay so let me ask you
this have you ever gotten a toy for
Christmas and your parents didn’t
realize that there’s batteries that go
along and on the box it says batteries
not included
okay so I’ve had that before in my
household if that was the case it was
probably be a good four to six months
before you actually playing with that
toy because there was not take forever
to get those batteries they didn’t put
that in the budget you something saying
and so when we think about that when we
think about the fact that a toy has so
many different things that he can do it
and it can make noises were running
around whatever the case may be but
without batteries it’s powerless God
just like a toy without battery knew
that we would be powerless without him
so even though he is king of kings and
Lord of lords and sits on the throne of
heaven he decided to live inside of us
that’s how good our God is and here’s
the thing about it when God lives inside
of us that changes our identity when we
decide to receive salvation the Holy
Spirit God’s Spirit becomes alive on the
inside of
we are adopted into the family of God
but that also means that we now adopt
the character of God it usually goes
against all of our history or that we
know or that we’ve done all of our
experiences but now we have the
character of God living inside of us so
it changes our identity in order for us
to live out goodness we have the number
one trust that God is good but we also
have to trust that you are good
point number two you are good now listen
I know this is going to take some
convincing for some people okay because
you is that kid that nobody wanted to
date their daughter you were that one
that nobody probably invited over to
play with their kids cuz she was always
in some trouble he was always in in
house whatever the case may be okay
maybe you’ve made some horrible mistakes
and really hurt some people maybe that
you really haven’t been there for people
like you needed to be but what I’m
telling you is when you are adopted into
the family of God you adopt the
character of God and now all of that
from the past is scratched and you are
good that’s how good our God is he
doesn’t say when he comes into our lives
he doesn’t make us do it on our own we
now have a helper living on the inside
of us and I believe that often times we
have a hard time holding on to God
saying that we’re good because we’re
trying so hard to be good enough for
somebody else trying so hard to be a
good enough mom a good enough wife a
good enough husband a good enough CEO a
good enough whatever that oftentimes is
hard for us to hold on to the truth of
God’s Word because we’re so worried
about what everybody else thinks of us
and that’s tiring I mean shoot that’s
too many people I don’t even got no kids
and I feel like that’s a lot of people I
mean why people you work with the church
I mean there’s just too much
we don’t have to focus on that because
we
we really find out who we are in God
even if other people don’t agree with it
it’s still the truth it’s still the
truth in Ephesians 2 in 10 it says we
are God’s masterpiece I love that he
created us anew in Christ Jesus so we
can do the good things he planned for us
long ago in other words for us to move
on and do good things in our life we
must believe that we are God’s
masterpiece that I’m a gift to everybody
that comes into contact with me that I
am good that I am enough that I am
worthy of love and I don’t have to
hustle for it because God freely gives
it to me
[Music]
we have to believe in the source but we
have to believe in ourselves God lives
on the inside of us I’m not good on my
own I’m good because goodness lives in
me so this morning I know I know that
there’s some people that’s like okay I’m
trying to you know feelings get what
you’re saying here okay I’m good I get
okay I’m not saying that you’re better
than anybody else I’m saying you’re no
less than anybody else this is a big
difference in that it’s a balance in
that knowing that I’m good but I’m not
better than you but I’m also not less
than you so I don’t have to tear myself
down and I don’t have to be around
people that will tear me down because
God created me as a masterpiece i
engraft school me and a friend went to
Europe and we got to see Mona Lisa and
when Mona Lisa journalism it’s
considered a masterpiece right it’s
behind a glass casing and then on top of
that it’s like five foot of rope around
her so you can’t even get close to her
because the truth is they know the worst
of Mona Lisa do you know you’re worse in
God do you know that you are so worthy
that he sent His only begotten Son to
die on the cross even if it was just for
you
you are good God created you good you
are a masterpiece and you are a gift to
those around you
not saying you’re better I’m saying
you’re no less I’m also not saying that
you’re good at everything okay
good at doing things doesn’t equate your
identity okay for instance I’m good but
I’m not necessarily a good cook
okay ask my husband it’s about three
dishes I can do okay and then after that
it’s chick-fil-a all day yeah all day
long okay
I’m also I’m good but I’m not
necessarily a good dancer okay yes I am
black and I am NOT a good dancer okay
I’m still working on the heel toe I
can’t even get that down right now so
I’m you know I’m still working on some
stuff okay I’m good but I’m not
necessarily good at being quiet okay I
grew up in a very loud house my husband
bless his heart I don’t know what to do
with me sometimes we are just two feet
away from each other and I am screaming
I’m just not good and being quiet okay
so my theme all right but that does not
mean that I am not good by my identity
my core the God in me I am good we don’t
have to be perfect to be good all we
have to do is have God living on the
inside of us we are good God created you
good David even knew him in Psalms 139
13 through 14 he said oh yes you shaped
me first inside then out you formed me
in my mother’s womb I thank you high god
you’re breathtaking body and soul I’m
marvelously made I worship in adoration
what a creation do we have those
thoughts about ourselves like when the
kids aren’t acting the way we want them
to act do we still have those thoughts
about ourselves what a creation when the
husband or the wife decides to to nag
all day or only tell you what you’ve
done wrong can you still think of
yourself as what a creation
when you think of your creation that God
made in you does it make you worship Him
we are good and everything in society is
telling us do better get better you’re
not enough and I’m not saying that we
shouldn’t work on ourselves but what I
am saying is at your core do you believe
that you are a gift on this earth that
when God formed you in your mother’s
womb he’s looked at that and said what a
creation I am about to bless everybody
with this one coming to earth it doesn’t
matter how you got here
you don’t matter if your mom and daddy
wanted you here it doesn’t matter what
kind of childhood you had and what was
said to you and if they told you you
weren’t good enough and your teacher
told you you’ll never be nothing and
your momma told you you always act like
your daddy none of that matters none of
it because God is the only truth teller
and the truth is if we believe anything
other than we are good we’re believing a
lie and now we’re living out lies in our
life because other influences have told
us that we’re not good enough but I’m
here to tell you today you are good you
are good and here’s the thing about
identity identity changes our behavior
once we really figure out something
about ourselves it’ll change the way we
act I’ll never forget one day the first
time I heard guys say you are a gift to
me it was during a quiet time and I was
really kind of beating up on myself and
specifically I was talking to God about
me being a wife I’m a little bit of a
nag I’m loud you know some other things
I can work on and so I was talking to
God and I was like you know I just wanna
be bad Aaron am I really helping my
husband and like all this stuff and God
told me you’re a gift and I am not
kidding when I had that moment with God
where he told me you are a gift that day
it’s like all the NAG I had in me
couldn’t even come out because in my
mind at that point and I got some okay
at that point
lies if that’s who I really am then I
can live a different way my behavior
doesn’t have to be the way that it used
to be because I’m somebody different
than who I thought I was so now my
behavior can line up with that here’s
the thing about goodness being good
works in tandem with doing good when you
really believe that you are good and you
are a gift to those around you your
behavior will line up with it and so
point number three is do good this is
more of a charge than anything now as
you get to believe your behavior
identity in God eventually what’s going
to happen is the things that you do will
change but it’s about first starting
with identity a lot of times in church
we want to start with behavior change
the way you talk change the way you
dress change the way you and I’m not
saying that you shouldn’t but what I am
saying is that is temporary if you don’t
believe your identity has changed if you
don’t believe who you are has now
changed because you’ve come into Christ
so point number three is do good and I
want to read a passage of scripture
Romans 8:9 through 14 this is a little
bit longer of a pastor description but I
really want you to tune in to what God
is saying through these these scriptures
and this is a message translation it
says but if God himself has taken up
residence in your life you can hardly be
thinking more of yourself than of him
anyone of course who is not welcome this
invisible but clearly present God the
Spirit of Christ won’t know what we’re
talking about but for you who welcome
him and whom he dwells even though you
still experience all the limitations of
sin you are still a human you yourself
experience life on God’s terms it stands
the reason doesn’t it that if the alive
and present God who raised Jesus from
the dead moves into your life he’ll do
the same thing in you that he did in
Jesus bringing you alive and himself
when God lives and breathes
you and he does as surely as he did in
Jesus you are delivered everybody say
delivered delivered from that dead life
with His Spirit living in you your body
will be alive as Christ so don’t you see
we don’t owe this old what we don’t owe
this Oh do-it-yourself life one red cent
there’s nothing in it for us nothing at
all the best thing to do is to give it a
decent burial and get on with your new
life
God’s Spirit beckons there are things to
do and places to go the mrs. Bible just
gives it I mean just black and white
okay black and white in other words what
this passage is saying is that God’s
Spirit lives in you once you receive
salvation
God’s Spirit becomes alive in you and
because God’s Spirit has become alive in
you he has given you power over your old
lifestyle the Holy Spirit that literally
physically raised Jesus from the dead
now lives inside of you so he gets a
surely your old lifestyle your old scene
your old habits your history he gives
you power over all of that so in other
words bury the old life and get on doing
good that’s basically what this passage
is saying and here’s what I want to say
to you if you are a believer and you are
not living a spirit-empowered life you
are living beneath your privilege it is
possible to receive salvation to come to
church every single week and your
lifestyle never change it is possible
because that is when we don’t live a
spirit empowered life the Holy Spirit
inside of us gives us the ability and
the power to live beyond ourselves
beyond our history beyond our habits
beyond our hangups the Holy Spirit it
was is what gives us that power but if
we aren’t tapping into that and
you’re screaming help when we need help
the Holy Spirit is arrested until we
allow it to do that there is in second
Timothy it actually tells us to stay
away from people like this and believe
it or not we’ve all been these people at
one point or another but the second
Timothy tells us to stay away from those
who have a form of godliness but denied
the power thereof or in NLT version it
says they act religious but they reject
the power that could make them godly the
fruit of goodness will never ever be
activated in our lives until we tap into
the Holy Spirit that lives on the inside
of us because the truth is there are so
many things telling us that we are not
good and that God is not good if we flow
in that way then we’ll never be able to
produce the fruit of goodness in our
lives it’s when we look beyond our
situations say my God is good he created
me good and he lives on the inside was
inside of me so that I can do good that
we actually live out the fruit of
goodness in our lives personally um we
took a I was here and it was probably
maybe 2011 and we had a young adult
ministry here at this church called soul
fly and so fly took a trip to Baton
Rouge for a Leadership Conference one
year and I kind of just gotten on the
team the leadership team at that point
or whatever and we went to go to this
conference and there was a women’s
session that all the girls went to were
so giddy about it and at the end of that
session they had prayer and you could
come up and get prayer and so I was like
I’m gonna go up and get prayer because
at that time I felt like God told me
that like I had the gift of teaching and
I wanted someone to just cover it I’m
not really for sure what I was going up
for honestly because I don’t know what I
meant by them covering it but like I
just wanted to get a blessing you know
and so I went up to this lady’s
beautiful African lady and was just like
you know I just want a blessing over my
gift that God is giving me
and that’s really all I’m asking for
today and when I tell you that woman
started to read me like a book she
started telling me all the things in my
heart that were crooked and the crazy
thing is I grew up one of those good
kids right so I did everything my mom
and dad said dude I mean I just wasn’t
really attracted to weapons like that
and so I made my brother he must have a
thing for him I don’t know but that
wasn’t me I didn’t like physical pain so
I was a good kid and because of that
there wasn’t many people that came to me
and said hey you need to work on this
hey you need to check this so when I
went to this lady and got prayer and she
started reading like a book I was
talking about we stood here you know and
she wouldn’t want to tell me you’re
jealous you are just continued want
attention you are prideful I mean all of
these things that weren’t actually
really true but no one had ever said
them to me so it was like shocking at
the same time and so I was like okay you
know so after she’s done pray with me
I’m literally crying in a pool of Tears
I’m on my knees and she just walks away
like her in her armor Barry they didn’t
even try to lift me up or give me a
tissue y’all it was the saddest thing in
the world my friends came and got me and
I was like look my god just got in the
rig I’m going back to my seat and stuff
well that night when we went back to the
hotel I really felt like God was telling
me I need to have a conversation with my
best friend because my best friend was
one of those cute girls that could
always get him in any time other day
okay me on the other hand I don’t know
if that I was like I got in crazy or
whatever and so I had some jealousy
towards her and she was actually in a
relationship that seemed like it was
going towards marriage so we sat down
and I told her you know hey I’m jealous
I want to be free from this bah bah blah
whatever because this is a true the Word
of God says this we confess our sins to
God for forgiveness but we confess our
sins to one another for healing and so
even though I spent some time repenting
your nose very repentant after that
prayer I needed to go and confess this
to my friend so we can work through it
so anyways after that I felt like God
healed me
I was set free it was wonderful move on
a couple of months later after that a
few months it was her day of engagement
now of course she didn’t know she was
get engaged but I knew that and this
engagement was going to happen at a
major church is it something on the
hometime mouth okay it was amazed to
heard she’s been about to happen and I
was coordinating that major church is in
and so I woke up that morning and I am
not kidding a feeling that I had not
felt in months of jealousy was
overwhelming me I mean I woke up and was
like so discontent no joy just really
down about the whole days I’m like she’d
like to move on another season of life I
ain’t even got nobody looking my way you
know I went all the way back to the
thing that I really believed that God
healed me from and so as I’m laying
there in bed I have a to-do list out the
wazoo so many things I needed to do to
make sure that that event was gonna go
well and I laid there and what usually I
would allow to have its way with me and
jealousy I couldn’t do it anymore
I laid in that bed I’m not kidding and I
said God I have a lot of stuff to do
today like I have a you know my to-do
list you know my thoughts are far off so
you know what I got to do today but I
will not get out of this bed and act
like I’m okay when I’m dealing with
something on the inside of me I want to
be free from this feeling because I’m
not gonna go and let jealousy have its
way with me again and I’m not kidding in
a matter of minutes it’s like a spirit
of peace and contentment began to come
over me I am not kidding I’m laying in
that bed y’all and I told if I don’t
care if this takes all day I’m across
somebody saying hey I’m not gonna make
it to the event tonight cuz I’m not
gonna allow myself to live a life
without being spirit empowered I want to
live beyond me jealousy had had his way
with me for years before then and to do
whatever I wanted to do with me had me
depressed had me sad whatever the case
may be and I said no longer any happen
to no more not today
and that’s exactly what we have to do in
our lives almost on an everyday basis
it’s live beyond ourselves to live out
the fruit of goodness
don’t let the things of your past and
mistakes and what people say be able to
tell you who you are and what you can do
God tells us who we are he empowers us
to do what we can do in him and that day
was one of the few days that I can
remember like a monumental day in my
life what a shift happened in my mind
where I realized I don’t I don’t have to
live that way right I know that that’s
normally what happens
I know normally when were jealous we
just let it do what I want to do but I
don’t have to live that way and you
don’t have to live that way because God
created you good god is good he created
you good and you can do good I really
hope that I’m speaking some to somebody
today they’re like maybe you need to go
apologize even though it’s not your
fault
you know maybe you need to go tell the
truth to somebody you’ve been lying to
whatever the case may be God is saying
I’ve empowered you to do that the Holy
Spirit literally physically raised Jesus
from the dead
your sin is nothing for him your ways
are nothing for him your thoughts are
nothing for him but it’s about us
tapping into that spirit that lives on
the inside of us being good and doing
good work in tandem you can’t believe
one without doing the other if you
believe you’re good it changes your
behavior to do what’s good and this
morning somebody you know you may be
struggling a little bit because you feel
like I have been doing good I’ve been
doing a lot of things really well but
it’s not necessarily going my way in in
Galatians 6 and 9 it says let us not
grow weary of doing good for in due
season we will reap if we do
not give up I don’t know what kind of
harvest you’re looking for in your life
I don’t know if you want a healthy
marriage maybe you want to thrive in
business maybe you just want some joy
and some peace some contentment in your
life I have no idea what the harvest is
that you’re looking for in your life but
what I do know is that we only get their
harvest from continuing to do good do
good okay don’t look good keep doing
good okay they don’t receive it keep
doing good okay I don’t feel like it
today keep doing good because if you
continue to do good and you don’t give
up there’s a harvest waiting for you and
it’s not our motivation it’s not why we
do good but it is a promise in God’s
word that we can stand on so this
morning as we talk about the fruit of
goodness it’s you know maybe it moved
from step fruit category for you to
really important through I hope so
because the truth is goodness is what we
all are here for to be lights in this
world so that people will see our good
works and glorify our Father