Goodness | Ed Mahon

[0:00] So, for the past few weeks, we have been talking about the fruits of the Spirit. And of course, our scripture comes from Galatians 5 and 22.

[0:16] And I have the task tonight of bringing forth goodness. It wasn't what I was originally assigned to, but because of the storm and the way the schedule has changed, Pastor Mark was supposed to do this one, and I was supposed to bring in faithfulness the next week.

[0:42] But God is good, and we're going to move forward with this. I want to start out tonight. Barry, can you help me out? We're going to kind of do an open mic for a few minutes, because I'm kind of reverting back to my children's church days when I liked to involve the students when we were teaching.

[1:15] But I want to ask some of you, how do you personally define goodness? And what do you base that on?

[1:31] Barry, start us off. It's a setup. It's a setup. Goodness. Okay. Well, that reminds me of a scripture that says, there's none good but the Lord.

[1:47] But the Lord. Goodness. That's a pretty big word for me. That's my biggest patience. Okay.

[1:58] Let me see. Goodness. If I had to define goodness, I would say you can go back to being a kind person, what Pastor Landon taught on.

[2:14] People can look at you and be around you and deal with you on a daily basis or every week or every month. And they can form an opinion of how good of a person you are or how not so good of a person you are.

[2:33] Right. So that kind of reminds me of kindness. You know, to me, those two go hand in hand.

[2:45] Donna's next. How about one of you ladies over here from the Alabaster? Sure. So I guess goodness to me would have to be helping people find a way where there is no way.

[3:05] Tonight one of my coworkers showed up for the first time at Set Free. So that's a blessing. That's goodness. So praise God. Praise God.

[3:17] Anybody else? Anybody else? Maybe you just handed it off to me. Goodness. I guess goodness to me would just be like a revolving door, something that you can just come back to over and over and over again.

[3:35] Okay. Okay. Very. Goodness to me is like the reflection of your heart, which basically states that regardless you always do the next right step.

[3:50] Like it doesn't matter. Like the Bible says do everything unto the Lord, and he's going to provide for you regardless, you know. So as long as we seek in his face, everything else is going to fall in place in our lives.

[4:02] But as long as we're kind and have the mercy that God gives us to show kindness to others, that's where our goodness shines through our actions. It's more of an action instead of just the word.

[4:13] Very good. Very good. Very good. That was... Anybody else? I think in this last season, I've gone through a bit of a faith crisis, and I've been asking myself that question.

[4:33] And all that it boils down to for me is that whatever passes God's permissible will is good. Okay. It is working for the good of those that love the Lord and are called according to his purpose.

[4:48] Okay. So whatever it is that I'm going through will ultimately be good because he is sovereign and I'm not in control of that. Very good. Okay.

[5:02] I saw some hands go up. Okay. So one more question before we get into this. Okay. All right. One more.

[5:17] Yeah. Well, when you mentioned goodness, there's scripture come up, and it's in the Psalms, it's the 23rd Psalm and the 6th verse, and it goes a little bit like this.

[5:28] Goodness, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And it doesn't stop there. It says, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. You can't run away from the goodness of God.

[5:41] That's right. That is one of the benefits of being a servant of the Lord. It's his goodness is always there. You cannot be so far that he can't reach down and touch you.

[5:55] So I thank God for his goodness that's chasing me, and it's chasing you, and it's chasing whosoever will that will submit themselves to him. So that's just what kind of God we serve.

[6:07] He is goodness. Slow down and let goodness catch you. Yeah, don't run from goodness. Don't run from goodness. Thank you guys for that.

[6:22] So one of the challenges when I started studying this to bring it out was there's a lot of scriptures that talks about the goodness of God.

[6:43] But bearing the fruit of goodness, okay, bearing the fruit of goodness, that's more of our gifts, our fruit bearing.

[6:58] You can tell a person's work by his fruit. By his fruit. You know, so the word goodness is actually mentioned in Galatians 22.

[7:19] The Greek word for it, and I'm probably going to butcher this up, but it's agathosene. Agathosene. Agathosene. And it speaks more of, like one of the girls over here said, it speaks more of an intentional, purposely doing good.

[7:41] Okay? So, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. So, goodness and mercy is following me, God's mercy.

[7:52] But that's God's goodness and that's God's mercy. Okay? Our goodness, the fruit of our spirit, the fruit of goodness is an intentional act to do something right.

[8:12] God's mercy. It's to do something for someone even when you don't have to. Even when you don't have to. Kind of an example of that would be, you know, and my wife does this sometimes.

[8:27] We will be in a restaurant eating and she'll catch somebody and she said, I think we need to buy their dinner or breakfast or whatever meal that we're eating.

[8:39] It's not something that she has to do because obviously they can pay for their food because they're there. but it's an intentional act of, like Barry said, kindness.

[8:54] And it's easy to overlap those but if we look at all the fruits, it's very easy to overlap them all. Every one of them.

[9:07] They will all can be bottled up into one. One big fruit bowl if you will. A person who displays goodness is not like a person who is simply just.

[9:25] You know, being just is not necessarily being good. Okay? You know, and I can use the Father in this instance.

[9:36] He is a just God. Okay? He is a just God. He's a merciful God but He's just. He's going to judge us justedly by His Word.

[9:48] If we didn't accept this Word and accept Jesus for what He really is, our Savior, then He has no choice because He is just to give us the judgment of hell.

[10:03] God is not fair. He's got nothing to do with whether He's good or bad. He's just. You know, yes, He is good but He's just.

[10:15] Being fair is not good. It's not goodness. Being fair is not being good. God is not fair. Everybody okay?

[10:28] God is not fair. The person who displays goodness is the opposite of the person who is evil.

[10:43] The person who is evil begrudges everything that it has to give. Now that could go in all kind of directions here.

[10:58] You know. The rich man begrudgingly gives out to charities and typically the reason they're doing that is it helps them with their taxes.

[11:14] So He's not doing it out of the goodness or the kindness of His heart. He's doing it because He wants to. He has the love of money. Okay? You know, people quote that scripture wrong.

[11:27] You know, people say money is the root of all evil. That's not what God said. Somebody help me. What did God say? The love of money. The love of money.

[11:39] You know, there's a difference there. But a person who is good is open-hearted, open-handed, generous.

[11:51] It has been said that goodness is easier to recognize than it is to define. Sometimes it's easier to, like some of the examples I'm using tonight, it's easier to say what is not goodness than it is sometimes to define goodness.

[12:15] So goodness is kind of a tough little word to wrap around. We use goodness sometimes in place of God.

[12:32] Goodness knows why she went there. Right? Goodness knows why he did this.

[12:44] Goodness knows why they didn't do this. It's a simple substitution, but you're using goodness as God.

[12:59] In a world that is marked by strife and selfishness, the call to goodness serves as a beacon of hope. it beckons us to be agents of positive change, illuminating with acts of kindness and compassion as followers of Christ, we bear the responsibility of reflecting God's goodness to the world in desperate need.

[13:32] Our world is a mess. Our world is a mess. And what's troubling, and Pastor Landon has alluded to this, as Christians, Christians seem to compete with other Christians more than anything I've ever seen.

[13:57] You've got because I believe this way, you believe that way, you're wrong, you're right. I wish we would stop doing that and become one family of God.

[14:10] How much more could be accomplished if the church would reunite and not be divided? Division is a work of evil.

[14:27] Okay? It is a work of evil. when you start dividing, you know, what's the old saying? Divide and conquer. If the enemy can divide us, then he can conquer us.

[14:42] And that's what he works with us so much with, is division. I want to separate. I want to separate the question. I want this one fussing at this one. This is what I want to go on.

[14:53] I want this denomination to be against this denomination. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm getting sidetracked there. Y'all forgive me. But we need unity, especially in our church, more than we've ever needed before.

[15:13] But ultimately, the fruit of goodness is a testament to our relationship with God. As we abide in Him, His love flows through us, enabling us to be conduits of goodness in a world longing for grace and compassion.

[15:32] This world needs good. And how do we show good? How do we show good? A natural disaster typically pulls out the good in people.

[15:49] The outpouring to North Carolina with water and supplies and then we got Florida that got hit again. But why does it take something like that for people to try to be good?

[16:07] if you can't be good to me all the time, don't be good to me in my time of need.

[16:28] if you're not with me through the good times, why are you going to be with me through the bad times?

[16:40] goodness helps us spread good.

[16:59] Our fruit, this word just said the conduit, a conduit is something that something goes through, something goes through, a conduit, a conduit, there's conduit all through this building that the electrical wires are running through, it's a conduit, a conduit is a path, a path, and we should be the conduit.

[17:23] Our goodness, as God's goodness is following us, our goodness should precede us. Our goodness should precede us.

[17:43] I want to always strive to do the right thing. I want to be as fair as possible. I want to be as good as possible.

[17:55] Do I fall short from that sometimes? Yes, I do. But my wife sometimes accuses me of being fair to a fault.

[18:08] And I'll back that up with this. Most of y'all that's been here a while know that my job is, I'm an automotive technician.

[18:20] I've been for years and years and years. And I've done side work, but I would rather give you the whole job, the whole job, before I let you think that I cheated you.

[18:38] Before I would want you to think that I have cheated you, I just give you the whole thing. that's been the way I've done on my personal side of business.

[18:49] Now when I'm working for somebody else, I can't necessarily do that. But when it's me and it's my name on it, I want it to be looked at as it was done right, it was done fair.

[19:06] If you felt like it wasn't, I'll just give it all back. That's just the way that I've always done.

[19:17] I want to go to Ephesians chapter 5 and I'm going to start reading at verse 8.

[19:34] The pages are not separate. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light.

[19:51] In the Lord, walk as children of life. For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth, proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

[20:08] We were once in darkness, we were once blinded, but when we come to Jesus, we became light.

[20:20] In Matthew, it tells us, let your light so shine before men. Let your light. My light is not Barry's light.

[20:35] The word says, let your light. light. Why is it so important to let your light? Because Barry's story is not my story.

[20:55] Barry's testimony is not my testimony. Barry's, your testimony is not my testimony. Elder Lamar's testimony is not my testimony.

[21:06] what I've been through, you may not have been. So my light may help someone that's going through a similar situation that I went through.

[21:21] It gives me the ability to minister and possibly help somebody to go through that. folks that have in here that has dealt with addiction, that's overcome addiction.

[21:46] That's not my light. That's not my testimony. I did not, I was not addicted to any alcohol or any drugs. But I've been on the flip side of it.

[21:58] it's been in my life, my whole life. My mother was addicted. My brother was an alcoholic. My first wife was an alcoholic.

[22:11] And I got a son who's struggling with alcohol. I don't understand the addiction part of things. You do.

[22:22] I don't. But I do understand the other side. maybe I can help somebody that's on the other side of it, that has a friend, has a relative, that has an addiction.

[22:37] Because I can understand what they're going through. I can understand what possibly your spouses are going through. I can understand what your children are going through because I have been there.

[22:48] that is my way to show goodness to someone that I can help someone navigate something that they've never navigated.

[23:01] let's go back to chapter 2 Ephesians.

[23:20] It says this, for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

[23:38] Listen guys, that scripture tells me that there is some stuff that God has already ordained, good works that he has already ordained that we still need to do.

[23:53] It says before ordained, before ordained. It has already been established in heaven. You have got a good work that still needs to be done.

[24:04] We all do. You know, I've heard pastors stand up here and talk. Y'all, this small group can can actually reach more people than I can standing here.

[24:35] My responsibility as a church elder, pastor, minister, whatever title you want to put, is to equip you.

[24:49] is to equip you. It's a five-fold ministry. Our primary responsibility is to equip you to go and do ministry.

[25:09] So let me put a challenge out to you as we get ready to close. Think about just this small group here right now. What would it look like Sunday morning if each one of y'all brought one extra person?

[25:29] What would that look like? First off, it would double the sizes here now. And then you add that to the crowd that regularly comes.

[25:46] You see how God's multiplication works? If we worked on the principle of each one reach one and then continue that on, somebody said, woo, I like it, I like it.

[26:03] Think about that for a minute. If you let your light and your goodness shine and bring one person with you to church Sunday and then they bring a person, you bring another person, that's how we start evangelizing our area here.

[26:26] You know, we've often said, and it's true, we have a bigger footprint in the Dominican Republic than we do here. And that's because they understand the principle of evangelizing.

[26:40] they will go into villages, start a church meeting with just one or two people, and before long it has grown and they reach out to us and we take them in and actually make them part of set free.

[26:59] That's how we've accumulated 38 churches. And that's why I believe this church is always blessed because we do missions.

[27:15] And we don't do just missions overseas. We have people right here in our own neighborhood that help. We support the Alabaster House. We support Alex and Home of the Heart.

[27:29] We support Tonya Mays with her predestined loaves and fishes. We are very mission minded.

[27:44] And I think that's the life of the church. But now that I've talked about goodness for a little bit, has anybody had a change in what they thought goodness was?

[28:06] No? So what if I asked the question, if I asked you to name a person that amplifies goodness to you?

[28:25] Who would come to mind? Jennifer? Jennifer? Jennifer? Jennifer? Jennifer? So how was, so Jennifer is able to do that because Jennifer where y'all are at?

[28:59] She understands that. Somebody else? If I say name somebody that amplifies goodness to you, what would you, who would you say? hear me? They said to you, I would misunderstand me.

[29:28] Thank you.

[29:40] Thank you. God bless you. So let me, as I close tonight, let me... I just want to say one thing. My God always said about goodness.

[29:51] He made it all a few months in my life. And he always said, goodness, what do you know? You always follow me. You get away from me and all that. But something that I share with y'all life from today is how goodness is like rain.

[30:04] And God brings down. That's how I say. God brings down the same amount of goodness on every person, no matter who they are. And a lot of times we go to this life and we don't accept goodness.

[30:16] But it's not because God doesn't want good things. He will open up goodness to all of us. But it's like an umbrella. God's bringing down goodness. But we hold on to this umbrella that's self-imposed.

[30:29] And what we need to think about is how can we let go of that umbrella so that we can receive the goodness of God. And that umbrella can be different things. It can be. What sins are you holding on to?

[30:40] Maybe it's changed. Maybe you're walking around holding an umbrella of change. And that's keeping you from accepting all the goodness that God wants to rain down on you just like anybody else.

[30:53] That's good. That's a good point. Elder Ed, I've got something to share. Y'all thought that was God, didn't you?

[31:04] This is the Lord. This is the Lord speaking. Yeah. Yeah. Lord. I think a good person is going to be that person that turns the other cheek.

[31:26] That when you do bad, the opposite of good is bad. And when you do bad to a person, but in turn, they give you goodness.

[31:42] And if somebody steals from you, your goodness gives them your coat. And yet as humans, we want to return bad with bad.

[32:01] And I just had a very tragic situation happen at my house. And as I watched my neighbor's property burn to the ground, as a result of something that happened on my property, that neighbor came up to me and hugged me and said, Thank God that nobody got hurt.

[32:28] Things can be replaced. And he looked at me in the eyes and he said, And I believe that. Are you a believer? As his property was burning to the ground.

[32:44] And that to me showed goodness. When he could have showed me a lot of bad.

[32:56] It was an accident, but it was an accident that could have been prevented. Like all accidents, they can be prevented. Nobody intentionally does bad who are good people.

[33:12] But when that bad happens, a lot of people want to lay blame. They want to bring the bad up and put it under a microscope.

[33:24] And it takes a good hearted person to do the opposite and show goodness. To me, that's a good person.

[33:37] That shows the love of Jesus. And I sent him a text this morning thanking him of doing that. And he says, All I want to do is show my neighbors who Jesus is.

[33:55] That's a good person. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[34:17] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.