We are in the middle of a series, um, that really talks about relationships and it's a, a series that Pastor John started on the, the fruit of the spirit and, and he asked me to speak this morning on um the spirit-filled goodness, goodness. Um, and the title of the message for me was kind of, it, it just came to me and it was sort of simple. Can't you just be good? Hasn't any, have, have you ever used that term with anybody or has anybody ever used it on you? Can't you just be good? Um, it. We know how to be good, don't we? We, we really do. Um, it's interesting to me. Has anybody here ever gotten a speeding ticket? Wow, a lot of you, um. Yeah, me too. More, more than one. I, I, I would like you to imagine you're going down the 51 heading to the stadium downtown and you look in your rearview mirror, you're in the fast lane, and there's these lights flashing. Some of you don't have to imagine very hard, but, uh, get that picture and you go, wow, he's after somebody. I better move over into the next lane and let him go by. And so you move over and he pulls in behind you. Still flashing. Go, wow, he's really chasing somebody. I better move over again and you move over into the slower lane, and he moves there and he's right behind you, and you go, oh no, I think it's me. And, and you pull off the road and he pulls in behind you and he walks up to your car. And he says, you know, you were speeding, right? Imagine that your answer is, Officer, that's not even possible. I couldn't have been speeding. I don't have a speedometer. Think right now what his response might be. Well then I guess I have to let you go. You think that would be it? No, it probably would be, well, now I have another thing to give you a ticket for. And so we'd get a ticket for both. I'm convinced. That the fruit of the spirit, the series that we're in, is really a spiritual speedometer of how in step we are with the Holy Spirit. I don't talk to many people who say they're followers of Jesus or they're, they're Christians who don't say they want to be filled with the Spirit, but when you ask them, what does that mean? They have a tough time answering and they, well, you know, I, I, I guess, you know, it's, I'm a little more, I'm a little bit, I'm a little. And the fruit of the spirit. Is our speedometer. We can look at those things, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. We can look at those things and, and we get a quick picture. Of how we are doing and being filled with the Spirit, allowing him to be in control of our lives. And, and as I mentioned, Pastor John has asked me if I would speak on goodness. Pastor Dave did a phenomenal job last week helping us understand kindness, that it's doing something beautiful for others. I've had some of you come to me and say, do you know what, I, as I left last Sunday, I had an. Opportunity to, to see that in action. Somebody did something beautiful for me and I've had others of you say, um, that, that you stepped out and tried to do something beautiful for someone so, so Pastor Dave, you touched people's lives and they, they said, well I'm gonna be different. A couple of weeks ago, I went, we, we had a birthday party for, uh, one of my granddaughters and, and we were gathered in a restaurant. There was 11 or 12 of us and my 4 year old grandson. Uh, wanted to sit by Grandpa, so he comes down and he hops up in the chair next to me and knowing that I was gonna speak on this, I thought I gotta create an illustration for my sermon. So children and grandchildren are really good for that, um, and, and I looked at him and I said, OK, today I need you to be good. And he looked at me. And I said, do you know how to be good? And he bright smile, yeah. We know how to be good, don't we? We know how to be good. We, we might not have understood the nuances of kindness, but we understand good. And, and good when it's talking about like all the other elements of the fruit of the spirit, this is about relationships. It's about relationships with, with others. It good doesn't have anything to do with, I, I, I, I have a child who's a good athlete or, or I'm good at math or you make a good pizza. It doesn't have anything to do with that. It all has to do with relationships. And and that's the area where the fruit of the spirit is demonstrated. It's in our relationships with others and, and we have already learned in this study that it was the fruit of the spirit is described in the book of Galatians and the church, churches of Galatia were struggling in relationships. They were having a tough time connecting with each other and being. Loving, joyful, kind, good, all of those characteristics. They were having a trouble doing that with each other. In fact, here's how, here's how crazy it got at one time. Peter came to visit the church and he was sitting and eating with everybody. He'd get up from one table and go to another and sit down and go and sit down at another, and he interacted with everybody and it was such a cool spirit. And, and then Group from the Jerusalem Church. The very, very, very religious legalistic Jewish church. Came to visit when Peter was there. And Peter slid himself away. From the table with the Gentiles and went over. And sat down with the Jews and he wouldn't have anything to do with the Gentiles. And Paul got up. And walked over and Paul tells us in the book of Galatians that he got up into Peter's grill. And let him know that he was a hypocrite. Uh, do you see the tension in the relationships in that church? I, I don't know. Has anybody ever in this room ever had a difficult relationship with a person? A couple of you. And for those of you who never have had a difficult relationship with someone, it's coming. It just is. But we know how to be good, don't we? You and I know how to be good. And so the question is, well, what are the nuances of good and how do I, how do I understand goodness a little bit better, you know, goodness is, is very simply this, goodness is acting for the benefit of another. You got that? It's pretty simple. We know what that is. We know when we're in a relationship, in a conversation, or in a behavior with someone. Is this good for them? We just know it. So we don't need more information about goodness. We just have to ask the question. Why do I behave sometimes in ways that are not good towards others? What would cause me not to do that? And, and there's two really unacceptable answers, and then we'll talk about 3 real answers. But the unacceptable explanation, one of them is the devil made me do it. Now, you might not use exactly those words. I've had Christians use those words. But normally it's, well, I, I mean there's such a spiritual battle. It, it, it's just, you know, uh, a, a spiritual struggle going on, and I just, I can't, it's just too much for me and I just gave in. Um You know what, don't use that anymore. It's, it's not biblical. You, you don't get to use that and say, I, I didn't have any choice. In fact, in First John 4:4, here, here's what John wrote. You dear children, by the way, that's you, dear children, if you're a follower of Christ, are from God and have overcome them because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. Did you get that? We are taught. That when the Holy Spirit is in us, when we are being controlled by the Spirit, Satan doesn't have the power to cause us to do something that we don't want to do, doesn't have the power because he who is in us is greater than he who's in the world. You buy that? Because if you do, don't ever use that as an excuse again. Here's another one I hear Christians use. I'm only human. Maybe some of you are going, oh, yeah, I've used that. Uh, a version of that in the group that I hang out with is, I'm only Norwegian. You know, you expect me to be good. I'm a Norwegian. We just get so out of control and we party like cra oh no, that's the Italians, um, well, whatever we blame it on some kind of ethnic background or something like that and we say, you know what, I don't have any choice. It's just the way I was raised. It's just the way I am naturally, and we don't get to use that one anymore. So if you're here and you have a friend who uses it, you can share with them. No, you don't get to use that one anymore. You got to find a different one because the Bible tells us this. It says, therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a. No. That, that's kind of tongues, but here, we'll try it again. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come. You don't get to use, but that's the way I was. You get it? You understand? There, there's certain things that we don't get to use. They're just excuses. They're, they're not explanations, they're excuses. So if those are the excuses, then we have to look at, then what are the real reasons that sometimes I behave badly, poorly towards another. What, what is going on? Here's a real explanation. We plan Not to be good to another person. Have you ever planned not to be good to another person? Have, have you ever Maybe you were just driving in the car and you knew that there was gonna be an argument coming and so you started developing your ammunition and you were thinking of a bunch of cool things that were not good and you were gonna share those not good things. With this person. And you said, and I'm going to win this argument. Well, Nate up here did that one time and he would like to explain what that was like. I do do my own laundry. Thanks, thank you. I think that's what it deserves. My mom, my mom did my dad's laundry growing up, so I thought all wives do husband's laundry. And I've always done my own. And to be honest, I felt it had been forgotten about over these past 17 years. The sacrifice I was making that other husbands didn't have to make. One day, I was like driving home and it popped in my head and I was like, all right, I'll bring that up. I mean, I didn't bring it up that day, you know, I was like, there, I'm sure there will be a time where we'll be in some fight. I'll be losing this fight. And then I mean I just come, I'm like I do my own laundry. She's like, fight's over. in. I forgot how good I got it. So I sit on it for like 6 months, like a long. We finally get in a fight. I don't remember what the fight was about nothing. I don't know. It wasn't laundry. I remember that. So, I'm losing this fight. It's on my head, I'm like, this is it. I mean, I honestly, I was sad to see it go. That's how good I felt. I felt bad for her. I mean. I was like, she thinks she's winning this fight. I'm about to drop a bomb on her right now. So just out of nowhere, I just go, I do my own laundry. And I mean, I said it like they don't make them like this no more. I was shocked that it started a 2nd fight I never saw coming. That There's, there's humor in that. Oh, but the humor is because there's a little bit of truth in it. There's times in our lives that we plan. We plan not to do good. Uh, you know, the Bible has an answer for that. It tells us this. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs that it may benefit those who listen. So then next time you, you got going through your head, oh, I can say this is a, you know, you know, when she says or he says, you know, I can say, yeah, but remember the time that I don't get to say that I'm going to choose not to say that because that. is not the natural result of being filled with the spirit. In Romans 4:19, it said, Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. There's the picture of being filled with the spirit. Can we be the ones who, when an argument is going on, And there's going to be things that we debate on, things that we don't agree on. In our homes, at work with our kids. But can we be the one Who chooses to build the other person up. You know, We disagree on this, but I am so grateful for you because of, and we list a couple of things. Which one is more likely to bring about harmony? Which one is more likely to be good? And, and yet we get to the place that we choose. We choose to do the thing, the very thing that is not good. Uh, there's a second reason that sometimes we do things that are not good, and that is because we're angry. That our anger is the opposite of being filled with the Holy Spirit. You know, I mentioned to you that I, I, I've pastored. In, in Arizona here for 40 years, 14 of the years where as a senior pastor in a small church and then I became convinced people like Dave Reno, um, convinced me. That planting a church, uh, is one of the best ways to reach new people for Christ. And so I made the commitment to plant a church and so I left the church that I was in and, and I moved to Minnesota because Dave is really good at and I'm really bad at asking people to support you and so I said what I need to do is I need to have a job and I moved to Minnesota because my, my father owned 4 grocery stores up there and I knew I could get a job in the store and I did and I was put in charge of one of the stores. And we had a bunch of employees, 108 employees, and uh I got along really well with all of them except One guy He was just an irritant. He was bad to the other. Um, the other employees, he, he would talk harshly and rude and, um, to vendors. He, he was just not a nice person. He ran a great department. The people came from other stores to see his department because it was so well done. But he was just not a good person. And, and I just, the anger just kind of steamed in me. And, and I set up a reward system for our department heads and I said, do you know what, if you excel, if you, you do a work in this area, I'm going to give you a $100 bonus. There'll be 5 areas so you can get $500 bonus every quarter when inventory comes out. And so I, I planned all of that and, and the five areas, I don't remember all of them, but it had to do with sales and profit margins and cleanliness, and one of them was. Team spirit. How well did you fit in with the team? And, and this guy in 4 of the areas excelled. And, and when I came to the team thing, I said, man, you got an F in it. And he said, there's no pleasing you, Dan. And I said, I didn't score you. Your teammates scored you. This is the people who work with you. And, and you should want to say, I, I want the people I work with to see me as a team player. But instead he got up. And he walked off the job. And he was gone and he left a large department in chaos and now the other department heads had to come in and spend a lot of time keeping that going while we look for a new person for that department. About two weeks later, um, he called my father and said, I want my job back. And my dad came to me and said, I told him that it was going to be up to you, but Dan, I think you should hire him again. And I'm thinking, I just got rid of a problem. I said, well, here's the deal. If he'll go and apologize to the other department heads that he put all this work on, which I knew he wouldn't do, um, he can have his job back. And he did it He went and apologized to everybody. And so I hired him back. About 3 weeks later, he was in my office and we were talking and he was unhappy with me and he, he said, I think I'll just quit. And here's the point of the story. My response to him. was self- controlled. A bit of joy But the thought that came to me was, and I told him. I said, you already played that game. And discover that nobody in the whole wide world wants you. So just get back to work. There was nothing good about what I said. It all came out of anger in me. It was just destructive. It was not helpful. It certainly wasn't beneficial. And I have a feeling that Some of you here are saying you are really a rotten person, and you're right. Others of you are going, I've done that. I did it this week. I was planning to do it later in the week. But, but you're angry and there's something that hasn't been right, and you want to get it out and it needs to be resolved. But don't let our anger control us. Does that make sense? If our anger is controlling us, we know that the Holy Spirit is not controlling us. They don't, they just don't work together. And so if I want my life to be controlled by the spirit, then I can look at the fruit of the spirit and I can say, are these the things that come out of me? Here's what God's word says about that. Be still, Psalm 37. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him. Do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath. Do not fret. It leads only to evil. A passage that I think many of us should put on our refrigerators, in our offices, maybe in our cars is James 1:19-20. My dear brothers, take note of this. Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. If we want God's desires in our life. Then we can't be controlled by anger. It just doesn't work. And, and so you may be here and you go, I've always been an angry person. We've already dealt with that. If you're in Christ, you're a new creation, you don't get to use that. And our goal is to be filled with his spirit, filled with his spirit. There, there's a 3rd 1. Explanation And it's that we've been hurt by another person. I guarantee in a group this size, there are many of you who are here. who have been hurt by someone. And if you explained it to me, I would go, you know what, I know why you're hurt. Man, that was a hurtful thing to happen to you. I, I can understand the pain that you're going through. Here's the deal, we do not want to live out our pain into the lives of others. There's a saying, many of you have heard it, Hurt people hurt people. Or hurt people are filled with the spirit and goodness comes out. But you may be here and you're hurt. You, you're carrying a hurt. That you've carried for many years. It may have come from your father or grandfather, from your mother. Something a teacher said to you or did to you. Something a boss wants something you went through, but there's a hurt in you that is controlling your life. It's turning you into a bitter person that you don't want to be. The joy is just sucked out of your life. The things that are described as the fruit of the spirit, you don't see, but you can identify. The hurt And you're letting that hurt. Control your life. Friends, that's not where you wanna be. We want to be filled with God's spirit. Listen, listen to all the passages where God speaks about this. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion, and the God of all comfort who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble. Do you get, do you get what that means? It means the pain that you're experiencing because of the hurt you've been through. You cannot allow it to fester and ferment in your life and turn into bitterness. And bad treatment of others. Or you can look at it and say, Lord, I need your comfort. I need your healing and as you begin to experience that, can I tell you something? God does a miracle. Here's the miracle. God allows your hurt. He allows you to use your hurt to touch the life of another who was hurt the same way that you were hurt. Some of the greatest ministries in the world have begun by people who felt God's comfort in an area and they started a ministry in that area to help other people. God comforts us so that we can be a comfort to others. Here's another passage in 1 Peter 5:10, and the God of all grace who called you to His eternal glory in Christ after you have suffered a little while will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast. Psalm 147, he heals the broken heart and binds up the wounds. He doesn't say, hey, just ignore the problem, just ignore the hurt. He said, no, God heals our hurts. That's his desire for us. In Ephesians 4, be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ Jesus. God forgave you. And Colossians finally bear with each other and forgive one another. If any of you has a grievance against someone, forgive as the Lord forgave you. I had a person come to me this week filled with bitterness. Towards his family. And he says, no, when they're willing to come and ask for forgiveness, do you realize the power you're giving to that person? To say I'm putting all of the power of my joy in your hands, and when you're willing to come and ask for forgiveness, then I will give you, I'll bestow my forgiveness, and I'll allow joy to be in my life again. It doesn't work that way, friends. When we are controlled by the Holy Spirit. The joy of the Lord is what naturally comes out of us. It's the result of that. I'm gonna, I'm gonna Show you something This one shocked the first service. They couldn't even believe it happened. So you pay attention. I'm going to cut the orange And I'm going to squeeze it. Orange juice. Surprised. No, Dan, that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. That obviously what comes out of a cut squeezed orange is orange juice. Friends What naturally Needs to be coming out of the life of a person who is filled with the spirit when we are cut and when we are squeezed. Is the fruit of the spirit. Because we will be cut. We will be squeezed And so I shared that with you just to help you. Understand that this is not whip yourself into some kind of Emotional thing where I'm gonna be good. You don't need to be a little bit better. A little bit more patient, a little kinder, a little gooder. You don't need to be those things. We need to be filled with his spirit. Do you understand that? Let's pray. Father, I thank you for a group of people who even as they stand here right now, Lord, their desire is to have you fill them. As they go out of here, allow them to be new creatures. Allow them to understand that they aren't just human. They are filled with your spirit. And so use us now to make a difference in our homes, in our businesses, in our neighborhoods, in our families. Lord, use us for your glory. It's in your name we pray. Amen.