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WEEKLY
Volume 4 Number 10
2 August 2009
A Good Heart
(Message delivered by Rev Hien Nguyen at the
Worship Service, 2:00 pm, Aug 2, 09)
Text: Rom 15:14
We have learnt about a loving heart, a
joyful heart, a peaceful heart, a longsuffering heart, and a gentle and
kind heart which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of
sinners who sincerely repent of their sins, humbly submit to the Lord
and His Word and enjoy God’s gracious work in their hearts day by day.
Today we are learning about a good heart. Do you and I really have a
good heart?
Almost everyone likes to be called, “a
good man, a good lady, a good boy, or a good girl.” Sadly, due to the
totally sinful, depraved and corrupt nature of human beings, they can
only try to appear good outwardly while their hearts are not so. God’s
Word confirms, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and
desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer 17:9). Who can know it?
Only those who are convicted by the Holy Spirit and God’s Word! Many do
not see nor believe that their hearts are that bad. They are deceiving
themselves and others by thinking that there is still something good in
themselves, and that they can improve themselves to be better and better
by their own efforts, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). They even
advise others, “You should only embrace positive thinking by believing
that you are good, you are important, you are smart, you are able, etc.
You should never think that you are bad, sinful, hopeless, helpless,
etc.” As a result, they fail to see that they need a Saviour to save
them from sins and transform their sinful hearts into good hearts. How
dangerous it is for a tuberculosis patient to think that he is healthy
and has no illness at all. Can his positive thinking cure him or make
him healthy? He is only deceiving himself and harming himself by
thinking that he does not need the doctor and medical treatment. Our
Lord Jesus Christ says, “They that are whole have no need of the
physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but
sinners to repentance” (Mark 2:17). No one is righteous before God
(Rom 3:10), so those who think that they are righteous do not need the
Lord to save them and transform their hearts. Dear friends, if you and I
think that we have a good heart, we only pray to the Lord to help us
live a good life and do good works, but fail to pray to Him to transform
our hearts. Then, what does a good heart mean? How can we have a good
heart?
Good and Goodness
The adjective “good” in Greek
agathós, does not only mean “good” but also “excellent,
distinguished, best, upright, virtuous, useful, profitable, beneficial”
(Zodhiates): “Good Master” (Matt 19:16), “good and faithful servant”
(Matt 25:21, 23), “good man” (John 7:12), “good part” (Luke
10:42), “good hope” (2 Thess 2:16), “good tree bringeth forth good
fruit” (Matt 7:17, 18), “good ground…honest and good heart”
(Luke 8:15), “good word and work” (2 Thess 2:17), “good… will
of God” (Rom 12:2), “good conscience” (Acts 23:1; 1 Tim 1:5,
19; 1 Peter 3:16), “good tidings” (1 Thess 3:6), “good gift”
(James 1:17), “good conversation/conduct” (1 Peter 3:16), etc.
Another synonymous term in Greek for
“good” is, kalos, denoting good persons “in reference to the
performance of duty, e.g., “the good shepherd” (John 10:11, 14);
“a good minister” (1 Tim. 4:6), “a good soldier” (2 Tim.
2:3), “good stewards” (1 Pet. 4:10); and
“constitutionally good without necessarily being benevolent” (Zohdiates):
“good ground” (Matt 13:8, 23); “good tree…good fruit” (Luke
6:43), “good seed” (Matt 13:24, 27), “good work” (1 Tim
3:1), “good doctrine” (1 Tim 4:6), “good profession” (1
Tim 6:12, 13), “good warfare” (1 Tim 1:18), “good conscience”
(Heb 3:18), “good conversation/ conduct” (James 3:13; 1 Pet.
2:12); “the good fight” (1 Tim. 6:12; 2 Tim. 4:7).
The Greek nouns for “goodness”
are agathōsúnē, which is translated as “goodness” (Rom
15:14; Gal 5:22; Eph 5:9; 2 Thess 1:11) and chrēstótēs,
which is translated as “gentleness” (Gal 5:22), “kindness”
(2 Cor 6:6; Eph 2:7; Col 3:12) and “goodness” (Rom 11:22).
Agathōsúnē is character energized, expressing itself in,
benevolence, active good. There is more activity in agathōsúnē
than in chrēstótēs. Agathōsúnē does not spare sharpness
and rebuke to cause good (agathón) in others. A person may display his
agathōsúnē, his zeal for goodness and truth, in rebuking,
correcting, or chastising. Christ’s righteous indignation in the temple
(Matt. 21:13) showed His agathōsúnē, goodness, but not His
chrēstótēs, gentleness (Zodhiates).
Then, a good person must be good,
honest and upright in God’s sight and God’s truth and do what is good to
himself and to others according to God’s Word, God’s truth and God’s
way, and it may be with his godly anger in rebuking or chastening. A
good person cannot just be gentle and inactive while he is supposed to
speak or to do something good for the Lord, for God’s Truth and for
others, “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not,
to him it is sin” (James 4:17).
The LORD Is Good
When the rich young man came to Jesus
and asked Him, “Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may
have eternal life?” (Matt 19:16). Our Lord Jesus Christ
wanted to check his knowledge about Himself as God, saying, “Why
callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if
thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matt 19:17). The
young man left and failed the test. He failed to see that Jesus is God
and failed to keep the first commandment as he did not want to leave
everything to follow God (Jesus Christ) when Jesus called him to follow
Him. Anyway, our Lord confirms that “there is none good but one, that
is, God” (cf. Ps 14:3; 53:3; Rom 3:10).
Dear friends, do you and I see that
the Lord our God alone is good so that we may give thanks and praise to
Him and put our trust in Him? Truly, God is “the good LORD” (2
Chron 30:18), the Lord Jesus Christ is “the good Shepherd” (John
10:11, 14), and “Good Master” (Matt 19:16-17), and the Holy
Spirit is the “good Spirit” (Neh 9:20). The phrase, “the LORD is
good” has at least 7 occurrences: “O taste and see that the LORD is
good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him” (Ps 34:8). “For
the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to
all generations” (Ps 100:5). “The LORD is good to all: and his
tender mercies are over all his works” (Ps 145:9). “The LORD is
good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him”
(Lam 3:25). “The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble;
and he knoweth them that trust in him” (Nah 1:7) and in Psalm 135:3
and Jeremiah 33:11.
Dear friends, have you and I seen and
tasted the Lord’s goodness? After God had created the heaven and the
earth, everything in it, and mankind, “God saw every thing that he
had made, and, behold, it was very good” (Gen 1:31). Then, we must
see that everything bad and evil in this world is from Satan and sinful
human beings due to the Fall of Adam and Eve. We should not blame God
for anything. The Psalmist gave thanks to the Lord for His goodness and
mercy when he saw God’s creation and God’s loving care and salvation for
mankind and for His people (Ps 136). How can mankind survive without the
light, the sun, the moon, the air, the water, the food, etc? Many are
enjoying God’s goodness but fail to give thanks to Him and worship Him
and this makes the holy and righteous God angry, “because that, when
they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful…
Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served
the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen”
(Rom 1:21, 25).
We must praise and thank the Lord our
God that His goodness, love and mercy never cease and that He has not
left this sinful world alone. He did and does good to His sinful and
rebellious creatures by planning and performing His salvation for them
through His only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who came into this
world to die for their sins and rose again for the justification and
salvation of those who repent of their sins and receive the Lord Jesus
as their Lord and Saviour. It is serious for those who despise God’s
goodness, “despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance
and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to
repentance?” (Rom 2:4).
Truly believing that the Lord our God
is good, we must also believe that what He has given us is good: His
Word (the Holy Scriptures), His will, His doctrine, His salvation, His
gifts, His work, His way, His timing, etc.: “not one thing hath
failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning
you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed
thereof” (Joshua 23:14), and “If thou put the brethren in
remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus
Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine,
whereunto thou hast attained” (1 Tim 4:6), and “Every good gift
and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of
lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning”
(James 1:17). Do you and I truly trust in our good Lord and His good
Word?
How to Have a Good Heart
Knowing that human heart is sinful,
depraved and corrupt, we shall need the Lord and His good work in us so
that we may have a good heart before the Lord.
Commit Our Hearts to the LORD with
Full Submission:
After repenting of their sins and receiving the Lord Jesus as their
Saviour, many fail to commit their hearts and lives to the Lord and
submit themselves to the Lord and His Word. Their minds, hearts and
lives still belong to them and they still think, say, and do what they
like. Then, how can they have a good heart? Our Lord, even our Creator,
is able to remould us and transform our hearts and lives when we are in
His hands like the clay in the Potter’s hands. There is no other way.
Have you and I truly committed our hearts and lives to the Lord and His
Word to enjoy His good work in us? “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… For it is God which worketh in you both
to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Phil 1:6; 2:13) and “All
scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good
works” (2 Tim 3:16-17), and “And we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called
according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28).
Let the Good Lord Control Our Hearts
and Direct Our Lives:
God commands us, “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with
good” (Rom 12:21), but “I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,)
dwelleth no good thing” (Rom 7:18), then where can you and I obtain
good to overcome evil? Our hearts cannot be good without the presence of
the good Lord. This means we have to keep a constant living fellowship
with the Lord moment by moment like the branches to the Vine (John 15:5)
and let His good life and nature manifest through us, “Always bearing
about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of
Jesus might be made manifest in our body” (2 Cor 4:10), and “For
the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth”
(Eph 5:9). We do need our Lord’s love to overcome hatred,
selfishness, envy, vengeance. We do need His holiness to overcome sins,
temptations and worldliness. We do need His humility to overcome pride
and arrogance. We do need His power and strength to do God’s will and
God’s Word, to serve Him, to do good to others, and to fight a good
fight of faith. Only by God’s grace and goodness can we live a good life
and be a blessing to others.
Conclusion
Dear friends, many do not have a
“good conscience” which is washed by Jesus’ blood and tuned up to
God’s Word, so they think that they are good, even “call evil good,
and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that
put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter” (Isa 5:20). Many just
blindly regard “scholarly” textual critics as good men and regard us as
“narrow-minded and foolish” people or even heretics who believe that our
good Lord has perfectly preserved His good Word for us to read and obey!
How can they have a good heart while doubting our God’s power and
goodness and arrogantly criticising God’s good Word? “A good man out
of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things” (Matt
12:35). We have to commit and submit ourselves to Him and His Word and
let Him and His Word control us and direct us moment by moment so that
we may have a good heart with a good conscience and be good children of
God, “good and faithful” servants (Matt 25:21, 23), “good”
ministers (1 Tim. 4:6), “good” soldiers (2 Tim. 2:3), and
“good stewards” (1 Pet. 4:10). May the Lord fill us with His
goodness, “that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all
knowledge, able also to admonish one another” (Rom 15:14). Amen.
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