THE
FRUIT OF GOODNESS
2 Chronicles 18:1-19:4; Galatians 5:18-26 INTRODUCTION
TO 2 CHRONICLES 18:1-19:4 A. One of the high points of the Old Testament was the Davidic Kingship. After King David, everything in Israel began going downhill. 1. Solomon married many women making alliances with other nations. This led Solomon the wisest of all men, into the most foolish of sins – idolatry (1 Kings 11). 2. After Solomon the kingdom was divided into 2: North and South. a. The northern kingdom was called Israel. b. The southern kingdom was called Judah. i. Scripture doesn’t record a single good king in the north. ii. About 8 of the 20 kings of Judah were good. B. 2 Chronicles 18 records an ungodly alliance made between the northern king (Ahab) and the southern king (Jehoshaphat) (2 Chron.18:1). C. Ungodly Ahab wants to go to war but godly Jehoshaphat wants to inquire of God’s prophet first in order to find out the will of God. D. God’s word is good even when it contradicts what we want to do! God’s word is good even when it contradicts what we think is good! 1. There are few people today who inquire of the LORD’s good will. 2. While there are a few people who inquire of God’s good will, there are even fewer people who obey it. I. THE ORIGIN OF GOODNESS
1. That which is good conforms to God and the standard of His Word. 2. That which is evil does not conform to God and the standard of His Word. B. The good news of the Gospel is that God did not leave us to die in our sins, but has provided a redeemer (Gen.3:15). IV. APPLICATION A. There are billions of people who think that they are going to heaven on the basis of their good works. But most never stop and ask the question, “Do my good works measure up to what God has said is good”? Therefore, we need to stop and ask them the question! (cf. Matthew 5-7) 1. We aren’t saved by our good works (Galatians 2:16). 2. We are saved through faith in Christ to do good works (Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 2:11-14). B. The standard of the world’s goodness is not the standard of God’s Word, which means that being good is impossible apart from God’s grace. “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20) QUESTIONS FOR
SABBATH DISCUSSION & MEDITATION Take what you have learned this
morning and make it into a prayer.
Thank God for His many kindnesses in your life. Pray that God would give you a mindset of
kindness toward your friends and even those alienated from you. What passages were read from
the Bible today?
What is biblical
goodness? What did God declare of His
creation in Genesis 1? It is
_____________. What evidences in creation do
you see of God’s goodness? (see Acts 14:17) Would you agree that
everything God created is good? When do the things of
creation become “bad”? In what sense is God good to
all people? What/who is the source of all
good? Where does evil come from
(hint: tree of the knowledge of good and evil)? Are non-Christians “good”? Why will our good works in
Christ often lead to the wrath or ridicule of the world? In what ways have you or are you suffering
for doing good? Have you ever felt ashamed or
embarrassed for doing good? Explain. |
