Part 1 

Introduction: I said this is in the first message on the fruit of the Spirit.  I needed to be transparent.  When I reviewed these virtues of the fruit of the Spirit against the real me, I see the further that I need to come to be all that the Lord wants me to be.

      Love is the color of the fruit, and joy is the bloom and peace is the skin, then longsuffering was the flavor of the fruit.  Flavor is a virtue fruit possesses, but which others must taste if it is to be realized and praised.  Since longsuffering is the flavor, then gentleness is the distinctive flavor of the fruit.  Goodness is also the distinctive flavor of the fruit.  I illustrated this truth with this.  When I was a child, we live near a wooded area.  Grapes grew wild.  When they would ripen, you could eat them but they did not have the same flavor as grapes you buy in a store.  In fact, we have a grape that is grown in this area that many people love but I am not one of them.  My favorite grape is a white grape.  If we had a blind tasting test, I believe I could pick out a white grape over others because of the distinctive flavor.

      It is the desire of every true believer to be like the Lord Jesus.  If you have no desire for this, then it is a very strong possibly that you have never been saved.  Oliver Green called this passage in Galatians chapter five, the Holy Ghost fruit basket. 

      One of the preachers in the groups that I subscribe on email is Al Hughes.  He liked the fruit of the Spirit like some fruit.  I thought you all would like to see this.

1. LOVE = Strawberry (succulent and sweet – known as the “sweetheart fruit,” especially when coated in chocolate). Mandrakes (Song of Solomon 7:13) Also Passion Fruit of course

2.  JOY= Cherries (Life is like a bowl of cherries). Also grapes—Fruit of the vine; comes in bunches and different colors; easy to eat.

3. PEACE = Olive (an “olive branch” is a token of peace)

4.  LONGSUFFERING = Raisins last for a very long time. You could buy a box of raisins and checked the label. It may have an expiration date is Feb. 2009!  Also coconut—takes a lot of abuse and almost impossible to break.

5. GENTLENESS = a PEACH— “Gentle as a peach.”

6.   GOODNESS = Apples (best all around fruit—“Apple a day” is GOOD for you)

7.   FAITH = Oranges (always available and dependable)

8.   MEEKNESS = Pomegranate (used as an ornament in Exodus 39:24-26); an ornament of a meek and quiet spirit (1^st Peter 3:4). Also a Banana (yielding rights—gives up its protective skin to benefit another)

9. TEMPERANCE = Lemon (full of flavor, but must be used with restraint)

      Today we will be looking at this virtue of the fruit of the Spirit.  Before we do, let’s see what the meaning of goodness.  Jeremiah 4:22

“For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.”

  It is not just "good" but "good-NESS". Too many times we know how to do evil - but to do GOOD? Well, we need a lot of help! Goodness is the act of "Being good" or "righteousness".  And it is even more than that!   It is doing good out of a good heart.  We did not do that naturally.  We would not have a good heart outside of the Lord Jesus changing our heart.

                                                Romans 3:12

“They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”

      This is echoed many times in the scriptures but we don’t have the time to explore this.  Goodness is the good things we do for another person.  We have several other good Bible words that relate to goodness.  Benevolence is a good Bible word.  We know that kindness is a good word for goodness and the same with hospitality.

      But the reality of the meaning of GOODNESS is much like GODLINESS.  Godliness is "being LIKE God".   Goodness is "being GOOD like God".  Without God as our standard, we would not have any sense of whether we are doing any good at all!

   So if you want to break down goodness in the simple terms, Goodness is: Doing right and living godly and separated from sinful activities.

      Let’s down look at some additional thoughts on this subject of goodness.

I.  THE PLACEMENT OF GOODNESS

      As I said just a few minutes ago, you don’t naturally have goodness.  You may have goodness in your life but not in the Biblical sense that is true and genuine.  It takes a miracle from the Lord to establish goodness into the heart of a person.

                              Jeremiah 17:9

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

      I know that I have said this many times but that phrase “desperately wicked” means incurably sick.  It is incurably sick with sin.  Only the Lord can change a heart.

                              Ezekiel 36:26

“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.”

      It begins at Salvation and no sooner.

                              Philippians 1:6

“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ”

      All the "good works" that a person did were wasted before salvation occurs! I am sure that Brother Nicodemas was a good person that did some good things.  But he was confronted with the truth that he needed to be born again.  The Holy Spirit comes along, and places in me GOODNESS. Ephesians 2:8-10

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

   We are Christ's handiwork in the new birth.  We were saved from our sins.  We are now enabled to do GOOD WORKS - to be kind, and to do GOOD things, instead of evil things, and selfish things!

II.  THE PURPOSE OF GOODNESS

      Before proceeding any further, I want make sure that when we do works of goodness with the purest of motives, then we are like the Lord.  Jesus had no secret, hidden agenda when He did the things he did.  I was reading an article about the Secret Service and some of the folks that they guard.  The article said that one of recently past presidents would do nice things on occasion for his Secret Service detail but there was always some hidden agenda behind his doing these nice things.  You can read the Gospels over and over again and will never find such an accusation against the Lord Jesus.

      So that we can be good towards others - again, this fruit is not for us! This virtue of the fruit of the Spirit is manward.  It is so that Christ can be good through us to others.  It is to overwhelm the two natural works of the flesh that we normally struggle with in our lives.  They are strifes (contention).  Strife seems to be more and more the word of lots of organizations including churches.  The other word is seditions.  This is the desire to take over, or to take charge of as in seeking revenge.  These two always ends up in fights and seeking to overthrow the controls in our lives.

      But the Lord gave us the fruit of Goodness so that we could conquer evil, not with force but with Goodness. Romans 12:19-21

“Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.  Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.  Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”

   This is similar to what we seen in longsuffering.  But each virtue of the fruit of the Spirit is involved with the other virtues.

      We ought to have as part of the goals in life as believers that God get the glory.  It will soon be evident that any goodness that we have, or good things that we do, actually are not of us - but are of God!

      Goodness is to have an active role in the life of a believer.  Let me give you several thoughts along this line.

1. It is to prove what is good. Romans 12:2

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

      The Greek word “prove” used here is commonly applied to metals, to the operation of testing, or trying them by the severity of fire and such. Hence it also means to explore, investigate, determine. This is its meaning here. The sense is, that such a renewed mind is essential to a successful inquiry after the will of God. Having a disposition to obey him, the mind will be prepared to understand his precepts.  So you are proving that which is good.

2. It is the choosing what is good. Romans 12:9

“Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.”

      If you are going to cleave unto that which is good, you have to choose it first.  The word rendered “cleave” in our King James Bible is to denote, properly, the act of gluing, or uniting firmly by glue. It is then used to denote a very firm adherence to an object. There it means, that Christians should be firmly attached to that which is good, and not separate or part from it. The good here referred to is particularly that which pertains to benevolence—to all men, and especially to Christians. It should not be occasional only, or irregular; but it should be done constantly.

3. It is the overcoming evil with good.   

                              Romans 12:21

      “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”

      This is the subduing or vanquishing of evil by doing good to others. Show them the loveliness of a better spirit; the power of kindness and benevolence; the value of an amiable, Christian deportment. So doing, you may disarm them of their rage, and be the means of bringing them to better minds. This is the noble and grand sentiment of the Christianity. Nothing like this is to be found in the heathen classics; and nothing like it ever existed among pagan nations. Christianity alone has brought forth this lovely and mighty principle; and one design of it is to advance the welfare of man by promoting peace, harmony, and love. The idea of overcoming evil with good never occurred to men until the gospel was preached. It never has been acted on except under the influences of the gospel.

                  4. We will follow after and hold fast what is good.  

                                                1^st Thessalonians 5:15-21

“See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.  Rejoice evermore.  Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.  Quench not the Spirit.  Despise not prophesyings.  Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”

      One preacher calls this the prescription for fine Christian living and it really is.  Once again, you cannot follow that which is good if you don’t know what is good.  You will not know what is good without reading and studying your Bible.  It is your most reliable source of knowing this.  If you don’t read your Bible, then your definition of choosing, following what is good is shallow at best and probably carnal in nature. 

Conclusion: There is much more to explore here but we will look at them next time.  But before we finish I want to give one additional verse of scripture that shows the reason why goodness should happen through us. Matthew 5:16

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

      When the Lord is glorified through what we have done, it is Him that did through us.  A person who never does good things so that the Lord may be glorified is most likely not saved.  You would be surprised how the small of what we think is kindness really gives the Lord the greatest glory.  That may be the secret.