True Goodness: A Reflection of God's Character

1) "Some people may appear larger. Larger than life through financial success or social status or educational development or material possessions. But once you get near them, they might surprise you by emitting a rotten stench, whether it's in the way of a bad attitude or a compromising lifestyle or a harshness towards other people. And what you discover is this, that as you get to know them better, the inside is very different from the outside. Their stench is more repellent than attractive. Now the fruit of the Spirit, on the other hand, has an incredible drawing power. When people see the fruit of the Spirit being cultivated in your life, it draws them not to you, but to Jesus." [44:34] (44 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


2) "Now, contrary to opinions, it is not feeling good, it is not looking good, it is not owning good. It is about being good and doing good. Since it's the fruit of the Spirit, we know that goodness can only come from God. Now, again, contrary to popular opinion, people think that people in the world are basically good. People are basically bad. Amen. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We are not good. Romans 3.12 says, There is none who does good, no, not one. You know what that word none means in Greek? That's right. It means nobody." [47:37] (44 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


3) "Goodness is not a... a matter of reason. It is a matter of revelation. Only God shows what is good because only God knows what good is. And so, in this scripture, we find the definition of goodness. Goodness is personal godliness lived out in a practical way. Now, there's three things we see here that the fruit of the spirit of goodness will cultivate in our lives. First, it will produce fairness. According to God himself, the first step of goodness is this. He has told you, O man, what is good and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice." [50:50] (36 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


4) "Now, biblically, the concept of justice involves three things, integrity, honesty, and a concern for the weak. And we can only cultivate these through a relationship with Christ Jesus. If goodness comes from God, you can only truly be as good as you can be through the power of the Holy Spirit. Now, does that mean that people that aren't Christians can't act good? Well, yeah, of course they can. There's lots of folks that don't know Jesus that do good things, but they're not intrinsically good. And ultimately, when they die, they're going to go to hell and be separated from God forever." [53:01] (38 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


5) "Our actions, our attitudes, and our deeds, they speak volumes to an unbelieving world. And the world expects people who call themselves Christians to be good, and to be godly. To do good, and to do godly things. A real thing, and not a cheap imitation. And if you're a child of God, you possess the fruit of the spirit, and the world will be able to see on the outside, what God is doing to you on the inside. Sometimes all we have to do, is simply do a good deed." [59:01] (27 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


6) "It's easy to forgive others, when we see God's goodness in everything. And we can find the goodness of God everywhere. And that man understood, the good life is a life that promotes forgiveness. Finally, the good life proceeds from faithfulness. We see the last line, is to, walk humbly with your God, friends, this is the real secret, and the real source of goodness. It is walking with God. You can only have a relationship with the Father, if you first have a relationship with the Son. You have got to know the Son, before you can come to know the Father. Walking with God is the secret." [01:04:32] (41 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


7) "You see, when you have a walk with the Lord, you are going to be spiritually sensitive to other people. When I have a conversation with people, and this is just something that I have cultivated over the years, Jesus is my primary focus. No matter what that conversation is about, I want it to go to Christ Jesus. You want to talk about the Ravens? I don't. But I'll sit and listen to you talk about the Ravens. You want to talk about the Orioles? I definitely don't. But I'm going to talk about the Ravens. I'm going to listen to you talk about the Orioles if it gives me the opportunity to talk about Jesus." [01:08:20] (37 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


8) "Goodness is not a matter of what you know nor what you do. It's a matter of what you are. If you're a child of God, you have the capacity to be good. To be godly. To be right. And to be righteous. You see, that is the fruit of the Spirit living in you. It is the fruit that you bear as you grow in Christ Jesus. It's not automatic. I wish it was. I wish it was. Because I would love to be just the goodest old guy in the world. But God is still chipping away at me. I'm still on my path of sanctification. And if you're a Christ follower, you are too." [01:10:33] (39 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)