On Being and Doing Good

On Being and Doing Good 1. good: adj. With reference to moral character, disposition, or conduct. Morally excellent or commendable. sb. That which is good. 2. goodness: The quality or condition of being good. 3. Goodness is connected with righteousness and truth. EPH 5:9; 2CH 31:20-21. A. There is much in life that passes for good which is not good. B. If something is not right and true, it is not good. C. We are called to mature discernment of what is actually good. 1TH 5:21; HEB 5:14. 4. By nature none are good and therefore none do good. ROM 3:10-12; MAT 12:33-35. A. Christ gives us a new nature that we might do good. EPH 2:10; TIT 2:14. B. Goodness is a fruit of the Spirit (GAL 5:22) handicapped by the flesh. ROM 7:18-19. 5. A minister must constantly stress the need for believers to be always doing good. TIT 3:8. 6. Good is to be the constant rule of life. 1TH 5:15. A. We are to utterly hate evil and stick fast to good. ROM 12:9. (1) The more we abhor evil, the more prone we will be to cleave to good. (2) There is no middle ground between evil and good. (3) There is no synthesis of evil and good. (4) Evil does not bring about good. ROM 3:8. (5) It is Satan's lie that evil and good are compatible and both profitable. GEN 3:5. B. Our goodness should not be like the transient goodness of Ephraim. HOS 6:1-4. 7. A bishop must: A. “...be...of good behavior...” (1TI 3:2). B. “...have a good report of them which are without...” (1TI 3:7). C. be “...a lover of good men...” (TIT 1:8). D. be “...a pattern of good works...” (TIT 2:7). 8. Here are some reasons that underscore the importance of being and doing good: A. By doing good, we know we are of God and shall live with God. 3JO 1:11; JOH 5:28-29. B. Doing good is a sacrifice well pleasing to God. HEB 13:16. C. A good name is better than riches. PRO 22:1. D. Older women are to be teachers of good things, teaching younger women to be good, and this is so that the word of God be not blasphemed. TIT 2:3-5. E. Those who are full of goodness are able to admonish others. ROM 15:14. F. Doing good will improve the quality of your life. DEU 12:28; 1PE 3:10-12. G. You will not normally be in the way of harm if you do good. 1PE 3:13. H. God recompenses good to those who do good. EPH 6:8; PRO 11:27; 12:2. I. If you do not know how to do good, you are stupid. JER 4:22. 9. That which is good for the sons of men is that they fear God and keep His commandments. ECC 2:3; 12:13-14. A. What is good is what the Lord requires. MIC 6:8. B. God orders the steps of a good man in His word. PSA 37:23; 119:133. C. Applying the wisdom of Proverbs, we will walk in the way of good men. PRO 1:1-4; 2:10-11, 20. D. Observing and hearing all God's words one does what is good and right in God's sight. DEU 12:28. E. Thus, Josiah's goodness was “...according to that which was written in the law of the LORD” (2CH 35:26). 10. Ask yourself if you are good (not just expert or proficient) in whatever capacity you have been given to fulfill. Do you care whether you are good or not? On Being and Doing Good 7-7-13 Page 1 of 2 11. Following are things that characterize good men and women. A. A good man is a man of faith. ACT 11:24; HEB 11:2. B. Good people worship God. PSA 92:1. C. A good man draws near to God and trusts Him. PSA 73:28. D. A good man walks humbly with his God. MIC 6:8. E. It is good to strive for unity among the brethren. PSA 133:1. F. “A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion” (PSA 112:5). c/w MIC 6:8. (1) discretion: The action of separating or distinguishing; the action of discerning or judging; judgment; decision, discrimination. (2) A good man puts a difference between the holy and the profane, the clean and the unclean. EZE 22:26. (3) He is more concerned with doing what is right than doing what is popular, easy, comfortable or fun! G. A good man does not have respect of persons. PRO 24:23; 28:21; MIC 6:8. (1) To respect a person is to show partiality, especially on personal or improper grounds. (2) Right is right and wrong is wrong regardless of who did it. LEV 19:15. H. “A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children...” (PRO 13:22). He doesn't use it all up on himself. I. “It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD” (LAM 3:26). A good man is patient, at peace and trusts God. J. A good man faithfully uses that which is committed to his trust, even if it is little. MAT 25:21; 1PE 4:10. K. A good man restrains his appetites in the interests of others. ROM 14:21. L. A man who performs his service as to the Lord and not to men, does service with good will. EPH 6:5-7. M. Praying for all men “...that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty...” (1TI 2:1-3) is good in both cause and effect. N. It is good to take care of one's parents in need. 1TI 5:4. O. In all these, it is evident that a good man is not self-centered! 12. How right they were who said of our Lord, “...He is a good man...” (JOH 7:12). 13. Real satisfaction does not come in having our own way, but in being good people. PRO 14:14. 14. Consider the opposite: “Woe to them that call evil good, and good evil...” (ISA 5:20). A. This is perversion. B. Having abandoned the standard of absolute truth, morality is turned upside down; those who truly do good become despised and targeted. 2TI 3:3; ISA 59:14-15. C. There is still something called evil! It's just that another standard has been adopted. D. Devil worship (new age, neo-pantheism, neo-paganism) is considered enlightenment. The Bible believer is considered to be in the dark ages. E. Racket is considered music; smearing and pornography are considered art; freaks are considered beautiful; sex perverts are considered gay and superior. F. If you are tired of this topsy-turvy culture, well, God is tired of it also. MAL 2:17. 15. A minister who reminds you of these things is a good minister. 1TI 4:6. 16. The man who knows to do good but doesn't do it is condemned. JAM 4:17. 17. “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (HEB 13:20-21). On Being and Doing Good 7-7-13 Page 2 of 2