Romans: Law, Obedience, and Sanctification: Holiness and Obedience

Some Good Things

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: New Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2021-11-11

Synopsis: Pastor John Weaver expounds Psalm 84:11, emphasizing that God withholds no good thing from those who walk uprightly. He clarifies that 'good' refers to what is pleasant, excellent, and prosperous, and 'uprightly' means sincere, genuine obedience, not sinless perfection. The ultimate good thing is Jesus Christ, and because He indwells believers, they should exhibit three good things: praise and thanksgiving, zeal for God, and an established heart grounded in doctrine.

[John Weaver] Psalm 84 and verse 11. The title of the message is Some Good Things. Some Good Things. So notice if you would Psalm 84 and verse 11. For the Lord God is a sun and shield.

[John Weaver] The Lord will give grace and glory. No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. The truth is that everyone loves good things. It doesn't matter if it's food, jewelry, clothes, places, or activities. It seems as if most people are always interested in good things, good times, and good places. Another interesting thought is this. that good in all probability is defined in different ways by different people. I've heard individuals describe certain things as good that I would not necessarily have thought it to be good. I've even heard people say something like this, I've had a good time at the beach. Well, for me, a good time would be the mountains or the forest. I love trees. I love mountains. And I love animals. Now, I'm not against the beach.

[John Weaver] I enjoy seeing the sun come up, the sun set, and I enjoy those little sandpipers running up and down the beach. But one day of that will last me about 25 years. But you know, I'm just simply pointing out, people have different tastes and enjoy different things. And it's the same way, I think, with what you and I would call things, because for one individual, what he determines to be a good thing is not necessarily a good thing for someone else. For instance, there are those who suppose that a little, expensive, two-seater sports car is a good thing. Now, to me, a big, nice, comfortable pickup truck is a good thing, okay? My middle grandson had one of those little sport cars, two-seaters. And he was so proud of that thing, and he drove it to the house.

[John Weaver] And he said, Pop, he said, I want you to drive it. I said, thank you, son, but I really don't need to drive it. He said, well, Pop, if you're not going to drive it, at least sit behind the steering wheel and feel it and relax in that seat. I looked at him. I said, son, I don't mind sitting in that car. But if you can promise me that you can get me out in one piece, I'll be glad to sit in that car.

[John Weaver] And no, it was a good thing to him, but it certainly was not a good thing to me. See, being young and limber and flexible is a good thing. But when you get older, just being able to stand and sit and bend down occasionally is a good thing. So some people kind of smile when they hear that, and sometimes they laugh. But I've got news for you. If the Lord allows you to live to old age, you will understand clearly what I've just said. And if you live long enough, your time is coming.

[John Weaver] So beware, I can assure you. Now, when you look at Psalm 84 and verse 11, the Bible says, for the Lord God is a sun and shield. The Lord will give grace and glory. And then he says, no good thing. Will he withhold from them that walk up rightly? I want to take just a few moments and read to you what Matthew Henry said in his commentary, but he's actually commenting on verses 8 through 12, which we never read all of those verses, but here's what he said. In all of our addresses to God, we must desire that he would look at Christ, his anointed one, and accept us for his sake. We must look to him with faith, and then God will look with favor at the face of his anointed. We without him, that is without the Lord Jesus Christ, dare not show our faces.

[John Weaver] The psalmist pleads love for God's ordinances. Let us consider one day in God's courts better than a thousand spent elsewhere and deem the lowliest place in his service preferable to the highest earthly preferment. We are here in darkness, but if God is our God, He will be to us a sun to enlighten and enliven us, to guide and direct us. Here we are in danger, but He will be to us a shield to secure us from the fiery arrows that fly thickly around us.

[John Weaver] Though He has not promised to give riches and dignities, He has promised to give grace and glory to all those that seek Him in His appointed way. And what is grace but heaven begun below in the knowledge, love, and service of God What is glory but the completion of this happiness in being made like him and in fully enjoying him forever? Let it be our care to walk up rightly and then let us trust God and give us To give us everything that is good for us if we cannot go to the house of the lord We may go by faith to the lord of the house In him we shall be happy and may it and and be at peace that man is really happy whenever his outward circumstances be, or whatever his outward circumstances be, who trust in the Lord of hosts, the God of Jacob. And that's true.

[John Weaver] When you consider the fact that verse 11 says, no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly, you must understand that God's good things are truly and genuinely good things. So before I go further today, I want us to look at the latter part of verse 11, And I want to go over these words so that you will understand them. When he says no good thing, will he withhold from them that walk uprightly? First, consider the word good. It's the Hebrew word tobe, and it refers to that which is good, pleasant, agreeable, beautiful, and excellent. It also refers to wealth and prosperity in every area. In fact, this one Hebrew word is translated prosperity six times in our Bible, and three times it is translated as wealth. And there's another verse in light of this. The Bible says in Psalm 34 and verse 10, the young lions do lack and suffer hunger, but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. So the young lions, they suffer hunger. But he said, those that seek the Lord shall not lack for any good thing.

[John Weaver] So, when he says, no good thing will he withhold, he's talking about that which is agreeable, that which is excellent, that which is beautiful, that which is pleasant, and certainly he indeed is the giver of good things. Now, note if you would next in verse 11, he said, no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

[John Weaver] Now, the word withhold is the Hebrew word manah, and it is translated in our Bibles as withhold, keep back or restrain or deny. So literally he is saying no good thing will he deny, restrain, keep or hold back from them that walk uprightly. Now let me give you a good illustration of this. In Romans 8 and verse 32 the Apostle Paul gave us a tremendous truth. He said this, talking about God, he that spared not his own son but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things? Now listen to that. He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things? So this argument that the Apostle Paul is giving is an argument from the greater to the lesser. So what he is saying is this, if God has already given us his best gift, which is his only begotten son the Lord Jesus Christ how shall he not also with him freely give us all things so since God the father has given us his son to be our sacrifice to be our

[John Weaver] surety to be our substitute and to be our salvation Paul is saying if he's given us the best already it's nothing for him to give us the less or the lesser so obviously That is an argument. This is why he's saying, no good thing will he withhold from those that walk up rightly.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to note something about verse 11. Verse 11 is not what you and I would call a blanket promise. It's not a promise that just simply goes to everyone indiscriminately. No, there is a discrimination in this promise because he said in verse 11, no good thing will he withhold from them that walk up rightly.

[John Weaver] Now, the Hebrew word for the word uprightly is the word tomin. It refers to those who are without blemish, those who are whole, those who are complete, those who are sound, those who are upright, and those who are sincere. In fact, this same word is translated in our Bibles without blemish 44 times, and it is translated as perfect 18 times. I'm going to make a statement now. I'm going to come back and make this statement again just shortly. When the Bible says, no good thing will hold from them that walk uprightly, he is not talking about sinless perfection. That does not exist. Uprightness, according to the Bible, deals with genuineness, sincerity, honesty, truthfulness, above all obedience.

[John Weaver] So let me give you some scriptures. First of all in 2nd Samuel 22 and verse 24, David said, I was also upright before him and have kept myself from mine iniquity. I was also upright before him and have also kept myself from mine iniquity. What did David say? Well, I was tempted many times My flesh desired that which was wicked and wrong. But he said, I kept myself from mine iniquity. And what I've done, I was upright before him."

[John Weaver] In other words, I was obedient. I followed him. I obeyed him.

[John Weaver] Now, he said the same thing, basically, in 2 Samuel 22 and verse 26. He said, with the merciful, thou wilt show thyself merciful. And with the upright, thou wilt show thyself upright. And David said exactly the same thing. Psalm 18 verse 23, I was also upright before him and kept myself from mine iniquity. But I want you to listen to this one. In Psalm 94 and verse 15 the Bible says, but judgment shall return unto righteousness and all the upright in heart shall follow it. What are the upright in heart following? Righteousness, that which is right, that which is true, that which is just. So uprightness then has not Anything to do with perfection, as some people interpret it, but it does have to do with a consistent, constant obedience and following after God. That's why the Bible says in Proverbs 10 in verse 29, the way of the Lord is strength for the upright, but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity. So the way of the Lord, the way of obedience, the way of his word, the way of righteousness is our strength.

[John Weaver] To the wicked, it's the way of destruction because they don't want to obey anyhow. And so they will disobey God and they will end up being destroyed. So let me say this again. The upright are not those who are sinlessly perfect. There is no one that has ever, ever been sinlessly perfect except the Lord Jesus Christ. There's no man, not Abraham, not Isaac, not Jacob, not David, not the apostle Paul, not anyone. And so obviously this word upright then has to do with those who are genuine, who are sincere, who are following and endeavoring to bring their lives into conformity to the word of God by obedience. So the promise then, no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly, is to those who genuinely, honestly desire to obey him and please him.

[John Weaver] Now I've got to point out another truth before I go any further. And that is this, whenever we look for good things, we have to look to God and we cannot look to ourselves. It's interesting what the Apostle Paul said in Romans 7 and verse 18. Listen carefully. He said, for I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing. For the will is present within me, but how to perform that will I find not. He said, I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. So you've got to understand this principle. If there's anything in us that's righteous and holy and godly, if there are any desires to please and honor God, God had to put them there. Because by nature, there is not one thing in us that is good. So God is good, and there is none good but Him.

[John Weaver] Therefore any and everything that is good comes from him Let me explain this James 1 verses 16 and 17 Verse 16 is very short Do not err therefore my beloved brethren Donor he said don't make an error on this part Don't mess up on this truth. So he said do not err therefore my beloved brethren Every good gift and every perfect gift Cometh down from above from the father of lights with whom is no variable is neither shadow of turning So where does every good gift and every perfect gift come from and the answer is from God? With whom is no variable is neither shadow of turning So it is God then who is the giver of good things? He was the giver of good things in the Old Testament He's also the giver of good things in the New Testament. Let me just show you some things.

[John Weaver] I want you to turn in your Bibles, whole Psalm 84, but turn, if you would, to Deuteronomy chapter 26. Deuteronomy 26, and look, if you would, please, and let's begin reading there. Oh, let's begin reading at verse 9. This passage deals with the tithes, even the tithe of rejoicing. And here's what the Bible says in Deuteronomy 26 verse 9, And he hath brought us into this place, hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey. And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O Lord, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the Lord thy God, and worship before the Lord thy God, Now look, and thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee, and in thine house thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you."

[John Weaver] Did you notice what he said? Thou art to rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God gives you, you and your house. So it is God who gives good things.

[John Weaver] Now, if you would turn in your Bibles to the book of Joshua, chapter 21, just over a few pages, Joshua 21. I want you to look, if you would, at verse 48. Joshua 21 and verse 14, I'm sorry. Let's see. I think that's the right verse. It was Joshua 21. And I put 45, and that's correct. I was looking in the wrong chapter. So Joshua 21 verse 45, Joshua says to these people, there fell not out of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel, all came to pass. So all of the good things that God promised, not one thing failed, all came to pass. If you would turn to Joshua 23, Joshua is about to die. He is giving some instruction notice if you would He says in verse 14 and behold this day. I'm going the way of all the earth that is I'm going to die and You know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing if failed of all the good things Which the Lord your God spake concerning you all are come to pass unto you And not one

[John Weaver] thing hath failed thereof." Note, if you would, God made every good thing come to pass.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to tell you something. There are many good things that God has given us. But, He has also given us what I'm going to call the best good thing. And it may surprise you. I want you to turn in your Bibles to two passages. The first one is Jeremiah 33, and then I want you to turn to John chapter 1. So look in Jeremiah chapter 33, and we'll begin reading there with verse 14. Then we'll go to John chapter 1. Jeremiah 33, then John chapter 1.

[John Weaver] So watch if you would, please. Here it is. Jeremiah 33 verse 14. Thus saith the Lord of Hosts. Let's see. Verse 14, I was reading verse 12. Verse 14. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. Now note, if you would, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform that good thing What good thing is he talking about? Look in verse 15. In those days, and at that time, will I cause the branch of righteousness to grow up unto David, and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. So that good thing that is mentioned in verse 14 is the branch of righteousness from the root of David, which is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. So he is saying, I've promised the Messiah. I've promised that good thing, and I'm going to send it. Now, look in your Bibles to the book of John, chapter 1, and notice if you would please, verse 45 and 46.

[John Weaver] It's interesting. Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses, and the Law, and the Prophets, that would include Jeremiah, And the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? And Philip saith unto him, Come and see. So the good thing that God promised was his only begotten son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our salvation. Now, in light of this truth, that Jesus Christ is our good thing, Because of Him, there are a number of good things that should be in every one of us.

[John Weaver] I want you to look in Philippians 2, verse 13, and then Hebrews chapter 13, so I can set the stage for what I want to share with you. Look in Philippians 2, then we're going to go to the book of Hebrews chapter 13. Okay? Philippians 2 verse 13, the Bible says this, For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do his good pleasure. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do his good pleasure. So if God ever puts the to will in you, he will also put the to do in you. So anytime we will to do that which is right, holy, godly, obedient, then it is God who put it in us. He put the two will in us and then he also put the ability to fulfill that will. Now I want you to look in Hebrews chapter 13 and look if you would at verses 20 and 21. Remember now Jesus Christ is that good thing that God promised and because we have that good thing the Lord Jesus Christ in us there should be a number of other good things in us.

[John Weaver] So he said in Hebrews 13 verse 20, now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant. Now look, look closely at verse 21. Because God has given us his son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and God has raised him from the dead, what is going to happen in us? make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. So since God now has given us His good thing, His Son, the Lord Jesus, and since we are indwelled by His Spirit, He is our head, we are His body, now He says, that God is going to make us perfect in every good work to do His will, working in us that which is well-pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. So, since we have the good thing in us, there should be other good things that stem from the Lord Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] So, what are some of the good things? I want to show you three of them. I want you to turn in your Bibles to Psalm 92. Remember now he said, no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. So here is a good thing that should be in every Christian, in every child of God. Number one, there should be in us the good thing of thanksgiving and praise. Notice Psalm 92 verse 1, it is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord.

[John Weaver] And to sing praises unto thy holy name, O Most High. Now look at verse 2. To show forth thy lovingkindness in the morning and thy faithfulness every night.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to pay close attention to the fact he said it's a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord. And to sing praises. Why? In order that we might show forth his lovingkindness in the morning and his faithfulness every night. This passage should have already made you think of another passage. You should already be thinking of Lamentations 3, 22 and 23. It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed.

[John Weaver] Because His compassions, they fail not. They are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness. Now I want you to notice carefully, he talks about showing forth the loving kindness in the morning and the faithfulness every night. So if the good thing, Lord Jesus Christ, is indwelling us, there should be this good thing of giving thanks and praise to the Lord. In other words, what he's talking about is this, every morning when you wake up, Before you ever get out of bed, you should be thanking the Lord that He has preserved you and protected you through the night and allowed you to awaken a new day because He's given you fresh compassions and fresh loving kindness and fresh mercies. And when you go to bed at night, you should be thanking the Lord for those compassions, those mercies, those kindnesses that has allowed you to live through the day. That's what He's saying. I want you to look in your Bibles to Psalm 33 in verse 1.

[John Weaver] Watch if you would now. Remember, no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. Okay? So, notice if you would please Psalm 33 and verse 1. Psalm 33. Look if you would please at verse 1. Here's what the scripture says. Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous. We're righteous because Jesus Christ is our righteousness. Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, for praise is comely for the upright." Praise is beautiful for the upright, that's what he's saying. Praise is excellent for the upright. Who are the upright?

[John Weaver] Those who are honest and genuine and sincere and obedient, those who are intent on following Him. You see, the Bible says in Psalm 147 in verse 1, Praise ye the Lord, for it is good to sing praises unto our God, for it is pleasant, and praise is comely." That is, it's beautiful, it's excellent. When you stop and think of all the multitudinous blessings that God has given unto us, it's not just morning and night that we should be praising Him, it's basically all day long.

[John Weaver] Listen to what Matthew Henry said again. It is a privilege that we're permitted to praise the Lord and hope to be accepted in the morning and every night, not only on Sabbath days, but every day, not only in public, but in private and in our families. Let us give thanks every morning for the mercies of the night and every night for the mercies of the day going out and coming in.

[John Weaver] Let us bless God just as he makes us glad through the works of his providence for us. and of His grace in us, and both through the great work of redemption, so let us be encouraged by this. Just as there are many who do not know the intentions of providence, nor care to know them, so those who through grace do so have all the more reason to be thankful. And if distant views of the great Deliverer so stirred believers of old, how should we abound in love and praise?"

[John Weaver] Now, that last sentence is very important. Because what he's saying is this, once you read the Old Testament and you begin to see how Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and all these others praised God and glorified Him, he said it should be more for us in the New Testament. Why? When you go back and read Hebrews chapter 11, the Bible says these all died in the faith having not received the promise. They had not received the fulfillment of the promise.

[John Weaver] They looked forward to the work of Jesus Christ. We are looking back on the finished work of Jesus Christ. We know that we have received the fulfillment of the promise. They didn't. They were looking forward. We look back to an accomplished fact, an accomplished reality. So he is saying that our praise should be far greater than the praise that is given in the Old Testament.

[John Weaver] Now let me just read some things to you. For as what David said listen if you would to Psalm 34 in verse 1 I will bless the Lord at all times his praise shall be in my mouth continually I'll bless the Lord at all times his praise shall Continually be in my mouth. You can praise the Lord while you're driving. I Praise the Lord for letting me live. I praise the Lord for help I praise the Lord for protection. I praise the Lord for any and everything that I can possibly even think of. You know, I'm just simply saying, that's what the Bible is saying. We should praise the Lord. Why? Because praise is comely for the upright. And if the good thing the Lord Jesus Christ indwells in us, then obviously we should indeed have praise and thanksgiving in our hearts. David said in Psalm 35 and verse 18, I will give thee thanks in the great congregation. I will praise thee among much people. In other words, David said, I'm not ashamed to praise the Lord.

[John Weaver] Doesn't matter who's around. And so we should never be ashamed either. And then in Psalm 35 and verse 28, he said to my tongue shall speak of my righteousness and of thy praise all the day long. So we should be praising the Lord. I love Psalm 40 and verse 3. The Bible says, He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praising our God. Listen to this. Many shall see it and fear and shall trust in the Lord. How about that? He's put a new song in my mouth, even praising our God. And then he said, many shall see it, not just hear it. They shall see it. They shall see it in my life. They shall hear it, yes, but they shall see it in my life.

[John Weaver] So the question is, how thankful are we? How appreciative are we? How often do we praise God? Do you know what the Bible says in Psalm 50 verse 23? Psalm 50 and verse 23, God said, whosoever offereth praise glorifyeth me. One of the ways that we glorify God is by giving him praise for anything and everything.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to listen to this. In Psalm 65 in verse 1, the Bible says, Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Zion, and unto thee shall the vow be performed. Now think about this. Praise waiteth for thee, O Lord, in Zion. Hmm. When you read Hebrews chapter 12, you read about the heavenly Zion. Read the book of Revelation, those 4 and 24 elders are always throwing their crowns at his feet and praising him and glorifying him. Yes. And it is true, it is very, very true that praise waits for God in Zion. But the question is this, do you have to wait until you get into heaven in order to give God the praise and the thanksgiving that he deserves?

[John Weaver] And the answer is no. And the fact of the matter is this, if you want to give him perfected praise in glory, then you better practice up here. You better get used to giving him praise and thanksgiving. So if the good thing of the Lord Jesus Christ dwells in us, there should be also the good thing of praise and thanksgiving unto God. Have you ever stopped to think about this? I think about it often. I think about it frequently. And that is, look at the grace and mercy of God when I believe and others do not. When I want to obey and others do not. When I want the truth and others do not.

[John Weaver] And then you have to come back to 1 Corinthians 4, 7 where the question is asked, who maketh thee to differ one from another? And what is thou that thou didst not receive? So everything that we have, God gave us. So there should be in us the good thing of praise and thanksgiving.

[John Weaver] Now, secondly, I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Galatians chapter 4, because I want to show you the second good thing that should be in us. Galatians chapter 4 and verse 8. There should be in us the good thing of zeal toward our God and his kingdom. Galatians 4, it's verse 18. Galatians 4 and verse 18, But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you. Now, note if you would what the Apostle said, But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, not only when I am present with you.

[John Weaver] In other words, I do not need to be there to encourage you, to pat you on the back, to give you directions, to tell you what to do. No, no, no. He said, you should be zealous in this good thing.

[John Weaver] Now, the Greek word for zealous there is the word zelo, and literally it means to burn with zeal. It means to boil over, to desire earnestly, to exert oneself, to strive after, and to earnestly pursue that which is good. So literally what he says in verse 18, It is good to be boiling over always in a good thing. It's good to be always exerting yourself and striving for the best in a good thing.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to turn, hold this passage, but I want you to turn to the book of John chapter 2. And if you look in John chapter 2, we'll begin reading there with verse 13 and read through verse 17. John 2 verse 13. Here's a good illustration of what it means to be zealous. John 2 verse 13, And the Jews' Passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

[John Weaver] And he found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting. And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables. And said unto them that sold doves take these things hence make not my father's house a house of merchandise And his disciples remembered that it was written the zeal of thine house Hath eaten me up Guess what? The word zeal is the word zeal.

[John Weaver] Oh And you can see in this passage, our Lord was boiling over. He was exerting himself. He was indeed striving after that which was genuinely right, true, and holy. And especially when he made that scourge of small cords, he literally drove them out of the temple. And the disciples then remembered, it was written, the zeal of thine house has eaten me up.

[John Weaver] Now, let me point out. one major problem that exists among Christians today, and that is this. Most Christians have no zeal for God. We don't. Instead of being heated up, instead of being boiling over and exerting ourselves, we're lukewarm. I want you to turn to Revelation chapter 3, and I want you to see what our Lord says to the church of Laodicea. Revelation chapter 3, and let's begin reading there with verse 14. Revelation 3 and verse 14. And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, These things saith the Amen, by the way the word Amen means verily, verily, truly, truly, so be it, so be it, and I want you to note that the word Amen is also one of the names of the Lord Jesus Christ. So when you say Amen to a preacher who's preaching, you're not just saying truly, truly, so be it, so be it, what you're doing is calling the Lord Jesus Christ to witness that what that man is saying is true. So, he says, unto the angel of the church of the laity I see, and write these things saith the Amen, the fateful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God, he tells the church, I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot.

[John Weaver] I would that thou were cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth. Now, if you're not cold, if you're not hot, then you're in between, you're lukewarm. And so he says in verse 16, so then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I'll spew thee out of my mouth. Now, if you look back in verse 15, he said, I would that thou were cold or hot.

[John Weaver] So that means this, our Lord had rather have someone who is either out and out against him or someone who's out and out for him than someone in between who can't make up his mind and hardly ever does anything anyway. Wow.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to note, here's where we are. Look at it in verse 17. Look what he tells this church. Because thou sayest, I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing. And know not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. You look at the average church and the average church building. Huge. Stained glass windows. padded pews, deep-throated organs, beautiful choirs.

[John Weaver] But they're dead as a hammer, most of them. Alice and I have often passed this huge church outside of Atlanta. You can see it as you go up north on 75. And I've often laughed. I'd say if I had one Federal Reserve note, for every brick in that building. Lord have mercy, I'd be an extremely wealthy man. It is a huge, huge building. I mean, it is unbelievable. And I've seen beautiful church buildings that are only used on Sunday morning. That's it. Well, he said, You say you're rich, you're increased with goods, and you say you have need of nothing. But note in verse 17, he says, you don't realize that you are wretched, miserable, and poor, blind, and naked. Now look at verse 18.

[John Weaver] He said, I counsel thee to buy me gold tried in the fire. and that thou mayest be rich, and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear, and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see." In other words, he said, you're blind as a bat. You think you've got it made and you have it. And then he says this in verse 19.

[John Weaver] As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Be zealous therefore, and repent. Zealous? Zelao. Be boiling over in repentance. Be striving after repentance. Exert yourself in repentance. You see, the truth of the matter is many people are zealous in wicked things. They're zealous in bad things. They're zealous in evil things. There are very few people that are really zealous in good things. We should be zealously affected toward God. Toward the Lord Jesus Christ, toward his law, toward his word, toward his kingdom, toward his work. And you see, the truth of the matter is this. Most people have no zeal. You stop and look at all of the enemies of Jesus Christ. Look at the Muslims. They have zeal. They may be wrong, but they're zealous. Look at the Jehovah's Witnesses.

[John Weaver] They come door to door on Sunday morning, catching all the back-slitting Baptists. I'm serious, but at least they're zealous. But Christians, no. And the fact of the matter is, everybody can scream their heads off at a ball game, and no one thinks anything about it. But you start standing up for Jesus Christ, and you start spouting Biblical principles and Biblical truth, And everybody will call you a nut job, and that you've gone off on the deep end, and that you're absolutely crazy and insane. That's it.

[John Weaver] But the Apostle said it's good to always be zealously affected in a good thing. And if the good thing the Lord Jesus Christ indwells us, then we should always be zealously affected in the good thing which relates to Him. So we need to be having us the good thing of praise and thanksgiving. We need to have in us the good thing of being zealously affected toward God and His Word and His work. But here's the third thing.

[John Weaver] I want you to turn in your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 13 and look, if you would please, at verse 9. Hebrews 13 and verse 9.

[John Weaver] Verse 8 says, Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is immutable. He's always the same. And then look at verse 9. In light of the immutability of Jesus Christ, be not carried away with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace, not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein. Here's the third thing. There should be in each of us the good thing of heart establishment. Our hearts should be established. He says, be not carried away with divers that is different and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace and not with meats.

[John Weaver] Now you have to remember that the book of Hebrews was written to people who were wanting to go back to the old emblems. types and symbols That's why he went on to say in verse 10 We have an altar which at which whereof they have no right to eat which served the tabernacle If you want to go back to the meats if you want to go back to the Old Testament sacrifices He said you have no right to the Lord Jesus Christ Because he is the fulfillment of all of those old types and emblems and symbols but he said We're not to be carried away with divers and strange doctrines.

[John Weaver] It's a good thing that the heart be established with grace. Do you realize that many have heard in this particular area? Most Christians are doctrinally confused. They are wavering, vacillating and unsettled in their hearts and in their doctrine. Most professing Christians are often on up and down, here a while, gone a while, and they are so inconsistent and so ignorant as to the things of God that most have no testimony whatsoever."

[John Weaver] I had one man, I asked him how long he had been a Christian. His response was, 30 years off and on. I couldn't help but say it. I suppose it's been more often on too, hasn't it? Well, you know, the average Christian cannot define or defend the doctrine of justification by faith alone. The average Christian cannot define or defend the propitiation of Jesus Christ. The average Christian cannot define or defend the inerrancy and inspiration of the Bible. The average Christian cannot define or defend the doctrine of sanctification. The average Christian cannot define or defend the everlasting covenant. The average Christian cannot define or defend the doctrine of total depravity.

[John Weaver] The truth of the matter is most of them are absolutely totally ignorant. And the fact of the matter is a lot of professing Christians, they go from church to church and preacher to preacher, and from doctrine to doctrine, they have no idea what they believe or why they believe it. I've asked a number of people in times past, oh, why are you a Methodist? Or why are you a Baptist? Well, my mother and dad were raised in this church, and my grandparents were raised in this church. Really? That's the only reason?

[John Weaver] What does the Bible teach? I'm just simply pointing out the fact, how in the world can your heart be established when you are totally, completely ignorant and inconsistent? Let me show you. Look back in your Bibles very quickly to 1 Thessalonians chapter 3 and verse 13. 1 Thessalonians chapter 3 and verse 13. In fact, let's begin reading with verse 11. 1 Thessalonians chapter 3 verse 11.

[John Weaver] Now God himself and our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ direct our way unto you. And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another and toward all men even as we do toward you. To the end, here's the end of that, to the end he may establish or establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God even our Father the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints. Now how many Christians you know have their hearts established unblameably in holiness? Very few.

[John Weaver] Look in your Bibles if you would please to 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 16 and 17. In fact let's read verse 15. 2nd Thessalonians 2 verse 15 he says Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions or the ordinances which you have been taught, whether by word or our epistle.

[John Weaver] Now, our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God, even our Father, which has loved us and has given us an everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work. Then one more, if you will go to James chapter five, Hebrews James, James chapter 5, look if you would please at verse 8. James 5 in verse 8. The Word of God says, Be you also patient, establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord Jesus draweth nigh. Be you also patient, establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh."

[John Weaver] So let me ask you two burning questions. The first one is this, is your heart established? The second one is this, how do you get your heart established? What will it take to establish your heart? And the answer is this, It will take the grace of God, in the power of the Holy Spirit, through the exposition, explanation, and application of the Word of God. I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Ephesians chapter 4, and here it is spelled out black and white. Ephesians chapter 4, beginning there with verse 11.

[John Weaver] Here's what the Bible says, and he, that is the Lord Jesus Christ, gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastor-teachers. So the question is this, why did God give prophets initially? Why did he give some evangelists initially? And why did he give apostles initially? And why now does he give pastor-teachers? Here's why. Watch, verse 12, for the perfecting or the maturing of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till," watch that,"'till we all come into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect or mature man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.'" Why?

[John Weaver] that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the slight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive. But speaking the truth in love may grow up in him in all things which is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body fitly fitly joined together, and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working and the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying itself in love."

[John Weaver] But notice, if you would, he gave Pastor Teachers what? For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Till we all come together in the unity of the faith and in the knowledge of the son of god and to a perfect man Under the measure of the stature the fullness of christ that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro That is we are to be established in our hearts and established in our faith Now let me tell you something If your heart is not established in truth and in doctrine you are an easy prey for the flesh the world the devil and the cults. It's impossible for you to be established in your hearts if you're still a babe in Christ. It's impossible for you to be established in your hearts if you're still on the milk of the word. It's impossible for you to be established in your heart if you're still wavering and vacillating and becoming double-minded and are easily deceived.

[John Weaver] You cannot be established in your heart unless you're willing to listen and be taught. And you cannot be established in your heart unless you are a consistent and constant hearer of the Word of God and a dedicated reader and student of the Word of God. It's impossible. But if the good thing of the Lord Jesus Christ indwells us, We will not only have the good thing of praise and thanksgiving and the good thing of being zealously affected, we'll also have the good thing of an established heart. We will know doctrine. You cannot have your heart established without doctrine.

[John Weaver] So let me make a couple of applications. The first one is this. We must establish in our lives a pattern of praise and thanksgiving. We should be praising our Lord a minimum of morning and night. Before I ever get out of bed, when I awaken, the first thing I do is I thank the Lord for allowing Alice and I to live through the night. It's His compassions. It's His mercies. And when I go to bed at night, I thank the Lord for allowing me to live through the day and get through that day safely. I'm just simply saying we shouldn't only be praising him morning and night. We should actually be praising him all in between as well.

[John Weaver] And we have to learn to be appreciative and thankful for everything that he gives us. So a good illustration is if Steve walked up to me and said, Pastor, I really love you. Here's a million bucks. Would I thank Steve? Of course I would thank Steve. But I would also thank God who first gave it to Steve and then moved on his heart to give it to me.

[John Weaver] You see what I'm saying? God still gets the honor and God still gets the glory even though he used Steve to give it to me. So we've got to learn to be thankful and appreciative. You can look at it, if you would, turn to Psalm 103. Here's a good primer. A good primer. Psalm 103, beginning there with verse 1. I often quote this passage. Psalm 103, verse 1. Look what David says.

[John Weaver] Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul.

[John Weaver] Now look, and forget not all his benefits. Here's just some of them. Who forgiveth all thine iniquities? Who healeth all of thy diseases? Who redeemeth thy life from destruction? Who crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies? Who satisfies thy mouth with good things, so that thy youth is renewed like the eagles? I think I can be thankful for all of those things. And there's a multitude more as well. So we have to develop a pattern in our lives of being thankful and praising the Lord for that which he's done. Here's the second thing. We must develop in our lives a burning passion and zeal for truth and for our Lord and for his kingdom. We must become zealous in the things of God. Look at the world once again. Look at these stupid cities when their team wins the championship. They go crazy.

[John Weaver] They set cars on fire, tear up stores, tear up personal and private property. Well, they're just happy. Really? But the point I'm making is they can be zealous and they can cheer all about things like that. But you begin to say, hmm, we're on fire for the Lord Jesus Christ. We want to tell everybody about Christ. And now you are a nut job for sure. Listen to me.

[John Weaver] The world will tolerate zeal except in biblical Christianity. And I will even go further. Modern day Christianity and modern day churchism will tolerate zeal in everything except biblical Christianity. It does not want biblical Christianity. I like what Vance Abner said. Vance has been dead for years, but he still spoke the truth. He said, Most Christians have lived subnormal for so long that when one gets normal, everyone else thinks he's abnormal. And that's about the truth. We have to understand if we were like the first century Christians, we'd have already turned this world upside down. That's what the Bible said of them.

[John Weaver] And they were so much, so many fewer than we are. But we're not turning anything upside down, because we have no zeal. The third one is this. I want you to turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 7. I want to show you this. Remember the scripture said, no good thing will he withhold from those that walk uprightly. We must remember and we must make sure that our hearts are established in the faith, in doctrine, in duty, and that we're consistent in those things.

[John Weaver] And that we are genuinely sincere and honest and seeking to please Him and seeking to be obedient. If we really truly desire the good things of God and we walk uprightly, He will not withhold them from us. So look in Matthew 7, And let's begin reading with verse 6. Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast you your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet and turn again and wring you.

[John Weaver] So God's not going to do what he commands us not to do. Then he says this, ask and it shall be given you. Seek and you shall find. Knock and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, to him that knocketh it shall be open. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son asks bread, will he give him a stone? Of course not. If he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? Of course not. If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father, who is in heaven, give good things? to them that ask Him. And you have to remember, no good thing will He withhold from those that walk uprightly. If we want the good things, we must not only ask, but we must be upright.

[John Weaver] We must be honest and genuine, sincere and obedient to the best of our ability by His grace and by His mercy. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee this day. We thank You, first of all, Father, for the good thing of the Lord Jesus Christ. We're so thankful, Father, that He is the propitiation for our sins. And we're thankful, Father, that the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin. And we praise Thee. We're also thankful, Father, for the multitudinous blessings that you've given us. You've enabled us to live and move and have our being in thee. You've given us health. You've given us friends and family. You've given us, Lord, so many things. And we praise thee and we acknowledge that every good gift and every perfect gift cometh down from above, from the Father of life, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. We give thee praise. Help us, Father, to always be zealously affected toward thee, thy word and thy work and help us father to be established in our hearts and know thy truth so that we may not be deceived or waver with every wind of doctrine but may we stand fast in your truth in the name of

[John Weaver] Jesus Christ we ask and pray amen ♪ ♪ you

Some Good Things

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	n4CVcYYoQrg
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans: Law, Obedience, and Sanctification: Holiness and Obedience
Genre	Sermon
Date	2021-11-11
Dictation Name
Book	Book 135: Romans: Law, Obedience, and Sanctification - Volume 2 — Chapter 32
Source Timed Segments	87

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: Defining Good Things

People have different definitions of 'good things,' but God's good things are truly good. Psalm 84:11 promises that no good thing is withheld from the upright.

Psalm 84 and verse 11. The title of the message is "Some Good Things." Some Good Things. So notice if you would Psalm 84 and verse 11:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 84:11

"For the Lord God is a sun and shield."

"The Lord will give grace and glory. No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly." The truth is that everyone loves good things. It doesn't matter if it's food, jewelry, clothes, places, or activities. It seems as if most people are always interested in good things, good times, and good places. Another interesting thought is this: that "good" in all probability is defined in different ways by different people. I've heard individuals describe certain things as good that I would not necessarily have thought to be good. I've even heard people say something like this: "I've had a good time at the beach." Well, for me, a good time would be the mountains or the forest. I love trees. I love mountains. And I love animals. Now, I'm not against the beach.

I enjoy seeing the sun come up, the sun set, and I enjoy those little sandpipers running up and down the beach. But one day of that will last me about 25 years. But you know, I'm just simply pointing out, people have different tastes and enjoy different things. And it's the same way, I think, with what you and I would call things, because for one individual, what he determines to be a good thing is not necessarily a good thing for someone else. For instance, there are those who suppose that a little, expensive, two-seater sports car is a good thing. Now, to me, a big, nice, comfortable pickup truck is a good thing, okay? My middle grandson had one of those little sports cars, two-seaters. And he was so proud of that thing, and he drove it to the house.

And he said, "Pop," he said, "I want you to drive it." I said, "Thank you, son, but I really don't need to drive it." He said, "Well, Pop, if you're not going to drive it, at least sit behind the steering wheel and feel it and relax in that seat." I looked at him. I said, "Son, I don't mind sitting in that car. But if you can promise me that you can get me out in one piece, I'll be glad to sit in that car." And no, it was a good thing to him, but it certainly was not a good thing to me. See, being young and limber and flexible is a good thing. But when you get older, just being able to stand and sit and bend down occasionally is a good thing. So some people kind of smile when they hear that, and sometimes they laugh. But I've got news for you. If the Lord allows you to live to old age, you will understand clearly what I've just said. And if you live long enough, your time is coming.

Exegesis of Psalm 84:11

The Hebrew words for 'good' (tov) and 'withhold' (mana) are explained, showing God's provision. The promise is conditional on walking uprightly (tamim), meaning sincere obedience.

When you consider the fact that verse 11 says, "No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly," you must understand that God's good things are truly and genuinely good things. So before I go further today, I want us to look at the latter part of verse 11, and I want to go over these words so that you will understand them. When he says, "No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly," first, consider the word "good." It's the Hebrew word tov, and it refers to that which is good, pleasant, agreeable, beautiful, and excellent. It also refers to wealth and prosperity in every area. In fact, this one Hebrew word is translated "prosperity" six times in our Bible, and three times it is translated as "wealth." And there's another verse in light of this. The Bible says in Psalm 34 and verse 10, "The young lions do lack and suffer hunger, but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing." So the young lions, they suffer hunger. But he said, those that seek the Lord shall not lack for any good thing.

So, when he says, "No good thing will he withhold," he's talking about that which is agreeable, that which is excellent, that which is beautiful, that which is pleasant, and certainly he indeed is the giver of good things. Now, note if you would next in verse 11, he said, "No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly." Now, the word "withhold" is the Hebrew word mana, and it is translated in our Bibles as "withhold," "keep back," or "restrain," or "deny." So literally he is saying, "No good thing will he deny, restrain, keep, or hold back from them that walk uprightly." Now let me give you a good illustration of this. In Romans 8 and verse 32 the Apostle Paul gave us a tremendous truth. He said this, talking about God, "He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things?" Now listen to that. "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things?" So this argument that the Apostle Paul is giving is an argument from the greater to the lesser. So what he is saying is this: if God has already given us his best gift, which is his only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things? So since God the Father has given us his Son to be our sacrifice, to be our

surety, to be our substitute, and to be our salvation, Paul is saying if he's given us the best already, it's nothing for him to give us the less or the lesser. So obviously that is an argument. This is why he's saying, "No good thing will he withhold from those that walk uprightly." Now, I want you to note something about verse 11. Verse 11 is not what you and I would call a blanket promise. It's not a promise that just simply goes to everyone indiscriminately. No, there is a discrimination in this promise because he said in verse 11, "No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly."

Now, the Hebrew word for the word "uprightly" is the word tamim. It refers to those who are without blemish, those who are whole, those who are complete, those who are sound, those who are upright, and those who are sincere. In fact, this same word is translated in our Bibles "without blemish" 44 times, and it is translated as "perfect" 18 times. I'm going to make a statement now. I'm going to come back and make this statement again just shortly. When the Bible says, "No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly," he is not talking about sinless perfection. That does not exist. Uprightness, according to the Bible, deals with genuineness, sincerity, honesty, truthfulness, above all obedience.

So let me give you some scriptures. First of all in 2 Samuel 22 and verse 24, David said,

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 22:24

"I was also upright before him and have kept myself from mine iniquity. I was also upright before him and have also kept myself from mine iniquity."

What did David say? Well, I was tempted many times. My flesh desired that which was wicked and wrong. But he said,

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 22:24

"I kept myself from mine iniquity. And what I've done, I was upright before him."

In other words, I was obedient. I followed him. I obeyed him.

The Ultimate Good Thing: Jesus Christ

God's best gift is His Son, Jesus Christ, the 'good thing' promised in Jeremiah 33:14. Because we have Christ, other good things should flow from us.

Now, I want to tell you something. There are many good things that God has given us. But, He has also given us what I'm going to call the best good thing. And it may surprise you. I want you to turn in your Bibles to two passages. The first one is Jeremiah 33, and then I want you to turn to John chapter 1. So look in Jeremiah chapter 33, and we'll begin reading there with verse 14. Then we'll go to John chapter 1. Jeremiah 33, then John chapter 1.

So watch if you would, please. Here it is. Jeremiah 33 verse 14: "Thus saith the Lord of Hosts." Let's see. Verse 14, I was reading verse 12. Verse 14:

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 33:14-15

"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah."

Now note, if you would,

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 33:14-15

"the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform that good thing."

What good thing is he talking about? Look in verse 15:

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 33:14-15

"In those days, and at that time, will I cause the branch of righteousness to grow up unto David, and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land."

So that good thing that is mentioned in verse 14 is the branch of righteousness from the root of David, which is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. So he is saying, I've promised the Messiah. I've promised that good thing, and I'm going to send it. Now, look in your Bibles to the book of John, chapter 1, and notice if you would please, verse 45 and 46.

It's interesting. "Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses, and the Law, and the Prophets," that would include Jeremiah, "and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? And Philip saith unto him, Come and see." So the good thing that God promised was his only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our salvation. Now, in light of this truth, that Jesus Christ is our good thing, because of Him, there are a number of good things that should be in every one of us. I want you to look in Philippians 2, verse 13, and then Hebrews chapter 13, so I can set the stage for what I want to share with you. Look in Philippians 2, then we're going to go to the book of Hebrews chapter 13. Okay? Philippians 2 verse 13, the Bible says this:

Scripture Reading — Philippians 2:13

"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do his good pleasure."

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do his good pleasure. So if God ever puts the "to will" in you, he will also put the "to do" in you. So anytime we will to do that which is right, holy, godly, obedient, then it is God who put it in us. He put the "to will" in us and then he also put the ability to fulfill that will. Now I want you to look in Hebrews chapter 13 and look if you would at verses 20 and 21. Remember now, Jesus Christ is that good thing that God promised and because we have that good thing, the Lord Jesus Christ, in us, there should be a number of other good things in us.

So he said in Hebrews 13 verse 20:

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 13:20-21

"Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant."

Now look, look closely at verse 21. Because God has given us his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and God has raised him from the dead, what is going to happen in us?

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 13:20-21

"Make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen."

So since God now has given us His good thing, His Son, the Lord Jesus, and since we are indwelled by His Spirit, He is our head, we are His body, now He says, that God is going to make us perfect in every good work to do His will, working in us that which is well-pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. So, since we have the good thing in us, there should be other good things that stem from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Good Thing #1: Praise and Thanksgiving

Psalm 92:1 says it is good to give thanks. Believers should praise God morning and night for His mercies, and praise is comely for the upright.

"And to sing praises unto thy holy name, O Most High." Now look at verse 2: "To show forth thy lovingkindness in the morning and thy faithfulness every night." Now I want you to pay close attention to the fact he said it's a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord. And to sing praises. Why? In order that we might show forth his lovingkindness in the morning and his faithfulness every night. This passage should have already made you think of another passage. You should already be thinking of Lamentations 3, 22 and 23: "It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed.

Because His compassions, they fail not. They are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness." Now I want you to notice carefully, he talks about showing forth the lovingkindness in the morning and the faithfulness every night. So if the good thing, Lord Jesus Christ, is indwelling us, there should be this good thing of giving thanks and praise to the Lord. In other words, what he's talking about is this: every morning when you wake up, before you ever get out of bed, you should be thanking the Lord that He has preserved you and protected you through the night and allowed you to awaken a new day because He's given you fresh compassions and fresh lovingkindness and fresh mercies. And when you go to bed at night, you should be thanking the Lord for those compassions, those mercies, those kindnesses that have allowed you to live through the day. That's what He's saying. I want you to look in your Bibles to Psalm 33 in verse 1.

Watch if you would now. Remember, "No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly." Okay? So, notice if you would please Psalm 33 and verse 1. Psalm 33. Look if you would please at verse 1. Here's what the scripture says:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 33:1

"Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous."

We're righteous because Jesus Christ is our righteousness.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 33:1

"Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, for praise is comely for the upright."

Praise is beautiful for the upright, that's what he's saying. Praise is excellent for the upright. Who are the upright?

Those who are honest and genuine and sincere and obedient, those who are intent on following Him. You see, the Bible says in Psalm 147 in verse 1, "Praise ye the Lord, for it is good to sing praises unto our God, for it is pleasant, and praise is comely." That is, it's beautiful, it's excellent. When you stop and think of all the multitudinous blessings that God has given unto us, it's not just morning and night that we should be praising Him, it's basically all day long. Listen to what Matthew Henry said again: "It is a privilege that we're permitted to praise the Lord and hope to be accepted in the morning and every night, not only on Sabbath days, but every day, not only in public, but in private and in our families. Let us give thanks every morning for the mercies of the night and every night for the mercies of the day going out and coming in."

"Let us bless God just as he makes us glad through the works of his providence for us, and of His grace in us, and both through the great work of redemption, so let us be encouraged by this. Just as there are many who do not know the intentions of providence, nor care to know them, so those who through grace do so have all the more reason to be thankful. And if distant views of the great Deliverer so stirred believers of old, how should we abound in love and praise?" Now, that last sentence is very important. Because what he's saying is this: once you read the Old Testament and you begin to see how Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and all these others praised God and glorified Him, he said it should be more for us in the New Testament. Why? When you go back and read Hebrews chapter 11, the Bible says these all died in the faith having not received the promise. They had not received the fulfillment of the promise.

They looked forward to the work of Jesus Christ. We are looking back on the finished work of Jesus Christ. We know that we have received the fulfillment of the promise. They didn't. They were looking forward. We look back to an accomplished fact, an accomplished reality. So he is saying that our praise should be far greater than the praise that is given in the Old Testament.

Now let me just read some things to you. For as what David said, listen if you would to Psalm 34 in verse 1: "I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall be in my mouth continually." I'll bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. You can praise the Lord while you're driving. I praise the Lord for letting me live. I praise the Lord for help. I praise the Lord for protection. I praise the Lord for any and everything that I can possibly even think of. You know, I'm just simply saying, that's what the Bible is saying. We should praise the Lord. Why? Because praise is comely for the upright. And if the good thing, the Lord Jesus Christ, indwells in us, then obviously we should indeed have praise and thanksgiving in our hearts. David said in Psalm 35 and verse 18, "I will give thee thanks in the great congregation. I will praise thee among much people." In other words, David said, I'm not ashamed to praise the Lord.

Doesn't matter who's around. And so we should never be ashamed either. And then in Psalm 35 and verse 28, he said, "My tongue shall speak of my righteousness and of thy praise all the day long." So we should be praising the Lord. I love Psalm 40 and verse 3. The Bible says, "He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praising our God." Listen to this: "Many shall see it and fear and shall trust in the Lord." How about that? He's put a new song in my mouth, even praising our God. And then he said, many shall see it, not just hear it. They shall see it. They shall see it in my life. They shall hear it, yes, but they shall see it in my life.

So the question is, how thankful are we? How appreciative are we? How often do we praise God? Do you know what the Bible says in Psalm 50 verse 23? Psalm 50 and verse 23, God said, "Whosoever offereth praise glorifyeth me." One of the ways that we glorify God is by giving him praise for anything and everything.

Now I want you to listen to this. In Psalm 65 in verse 1, the Bible says, "Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Zion, and unto thee shall the vow be performed." Now think about this. "Praise waiteth for thee, O Lord, in Zion." Hmm. When you read Hebrews chapter 12, you read about the heavenly Zion. Read the book of Revelation, those four and twenty elders are always throwing their crowns at his feet and praising him and glorifying him. Yes. And it is true, it is very, very true that praise waits for God in Zion. But the question is this: do you have to wait until you get into heaven in order to give God the praise and the thanksgiving that he deserves?

And the answer is no. And the fact of the matter is this: if you want to give him perfected praise in glory, then you better practice up here. You better get used to giving him praise and thanksgiving. So if the good thing of the Lord Jesus Christ dwells in us, there should be also the good thing of praise and thanksgiving unto God. Have you ever stopped to think about this? I think about it often. I think about it frequently. And that is, look at the grace and mercy of God when I believe and others do not. When I want to obey and others do not. When I want the truth and others do not.

And then you have to come back to 1 Corinthians 4:7 where the question is asked, "Who maketh thee to differ one from another? And what hast thou that thou didst not receive?" So everything that we have, God gave us. So there should be in us the good thing of praise and thanksgiving.

Good Thing #2: Zeal for God

Galatians 4:18 teaches it is good to be zealously affected in a good thing. Jesus exemplified zeal, and Christians must be boiling over for God, not lukewarm.

Now, secondly, I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Galatians chapter 4, because I want to show you the second good thing that should be in us. Galatians chapter 4 and verse 18. There should be in us the good thing of zeal toward our God and his kingdom. Galatians 4, it's verse 18. Galatians 4 and verse 18: "But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you." Now, note if you would what the Apostle said: "But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, not only when I am present with you." In other words, I do not need to be there to encourage you, to pat you on the back, to give you directions, to tell you what to do. No, no, no. He said, you should be zealous in this good thing.

Now, the Greek word for "zealous" there is the word zelo, and literally it means to burn with zeal. It means to boil over, to desire earnestly, to exert oneself, to strive after, and to earnestly pursue that which is good. So literally what he says in verse 18: "It is good to be boiling over always in a good thing. It's good to be always exerting yourself and striving for the best in a good thing."

Now, I want you to turn, hold this passage, but I want you to turn to the book of John chapter 2. And if you look in John chapter 2, we'll begin reading there with verse 13 and read through verse 17. John 2 verse 13: "And the Jews' Passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem." "And he found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting. And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables. And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house a house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up." Guess what? The word "zeal" is the word zelo.

Oh. And you can see in this passage, our Lord was boiling over. He was exerting himself. He was indeed striving after that which was genuinely right, true, and holy. And especially when he made that scourge of small cords, he literally drove them out of the temple. And the disciples then remembered, it was written, "The zeal of thine house has eaten me up."

Now, let me point out one major problem that exists among Christians today, and that is this: most Christians have no zeal for God. We don't. Instead of being heated up, instead of being boiling over and exerting ourselves, we're lukewarm. I want you to turn to Revelation chapter 3, and I want you to see what our Lord says to the church of Laodicea. Revelation chapter 3, and let's begin reading there with verse 14. Revelation 3 and verse 14: "And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, These things saith the Amen," by the way the word "Amen" means verily, verily, truly, truly, so be it, so be it, and I want you to note that the word "Amen" is also one of the names of the Lord Jesus Christ. So when you say "Amen" to a preacher who's preaching, you're not just saying truly, truly, so be it, so be it, what you're doing is calling the Lord Jesus Christ to witness that what that man is saying is true. So, he says, "Unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God." He tells the church, "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot.

I would that thou were cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth." Now, if you're not cold, if you're not hot, then you're in between, you're lukewarm. And so he says in verse 16, "So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I'll spew thee out of my mouth." Now, if you look back in verse 15, he said, "I would that thou were cold or hot." So that means this: our Lord had rather have someone who is either out and out against him or someone who's out and out for him than someone in between who can't make up his mind and hardly ever does anything anyway. Wow.

Now, I want you to note, here's where we are. Look at it in verse 17. Look what he tells this church: "Because thou sayest, I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing; and know not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked." You look at the average church and the average church building. Huge. Stained glass windows. Padded pews, deep-throated organs, beautiful choirs.

But they're dead as a hammer, most of them. Alice and I have often passed this huge church outside of Atlanta. You can see it as you go up north on 75. And I've often laughed. I'd say if I had one Federal Reserve note for every brick in that building, Lord have mercy, I'd be an extremely wealthy man. It is a huge, huge building. I mean, it is unbelievable. And I've seen beautiful church buildings that are only used on Sunday morning. That's it. Well, he said, "You say you're rich, you're increased with goods, and you say you have need of nothing." But note in verse 17, he says, "You don't realize that you are wretched, miserable, and poor, blind, and naked." Now look at verse 18.

He said, "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich, and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear, and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see." In other words, he said, you're blind as a bat. You think you've got it made and you have it. And then he says this in verse 19. "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Be zealous therefore, and repent." Zealous? Zelo. Be boiling over in repentance. Be striving after repentance. Exert yourself in repentance. You see, the truth of the matter is many people are zealous in wicked things. They're zealous in bad things. They're zealous in evil things. There are very few people that are really zealous in good things. We should be zealously affected toward God. Toward the Lord Jesus Christ, toward his law, toward his word, toward his kingdom, toward his work. And you see, the truth of the matter is this: most people have no zeal. You stop and look at all of the enemies of Jesus Christ. Look at the Muslims. They have zeal. They may be wrong, but they're zealous. Look at the Jehovah's Witnesses.

They come door to door on Sunday morning, catching all the backsliding Baptists. I'm serious, but at least they're zealous. But Christians, no. And the fact of the matter is, everybody can scream their heads off at a ball game, and no one thinks anything about it. But you start standing up for Jesus Christ, and you start spouting biblical principles and biblical truth, and everybody will call you a nut job, and that you've gone off on the deep end, and that you're absolutely crazy and insane. That's it.

But the Apostle said it's good to always be zealously affected in a good thing. And if the good thing, the Lord Jesus Christ, indwells us, then we should always be zealously affected in the good thing which relates to Him. So we need to have in us the good thing of praise and thanksgiving. We need to have in us the good thing of being zealously affected toward God and His Word and His work. But here's the third thing.

Good Thing #3: An Established Heart

Hebrews 13:9 says it is good for the heart to be established with grace. Believers must be grounded in doctrine to avoid being tossed by false teachings.

Verse 8 says, "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever." He is immutable. He's always the same. And then look at verse 9. In light of the immutability of Jesus Christ, "Be not carried away with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace, not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein." Here's the third thing. There should be in each of us the good thing of heart establishment. Our hearts should be established. He says, "Be not carried away with divers," that is different, "and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace and not with meats."

Now you have to remember that the book of Hebrews was written to people who were wanting to go back to the old emblems, types and symbols. That's why he went on to say in verse 10, "We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle." If you want to go back to the meats, if you want to go back to the Old Testament sacrifices, he said you have no right to the Lord Jesus Christ, because he is the fulfillment of all of those old types and emblems and symbols. But he said, we're not to be carried away

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 13:9

with divers and strange doctrines. It's a good thing that the heart be established with grace.

Do you realize that many have heard in this particular area? Most Christians are doctrinally confused. They are wavering, vacillating and unsettled in their hearts and in their doctrine. Most professing Christians are often on up and down, here a while, gone a while, and they are so inconsistent and so ignorant as to the things of God that most have no testimony whatsoever.

I had one man, I asked him how long he had been a Christian. His response was, "30 years off and on." I couldn't help but say it. I suppose it's been more often on too, hasn't it? Well, you know, the average Christian cannot define or defend the doctrine of justification by faith alone. The average Christian cannot define or defend the propitiation of Jesus Christ. The average Christian cannot define or defend the inerrancy and inspiration of the Bible. The average Christian cannot define or defend the doctrine of sanctification. The average Christian cannot define or defend the everlasting covenant. The average Christian cannot define or defend the doctrine of total depravity.

The truth of the matter is most of them are absolutely totally ignorant. And the fact of the matter is a lot of professing Christians, they go from church to church and preacher to preacher, and from doctrine to doctrine, they have no idea what they believe or why they believe it. I've asked a number of people in times past, "Oh, why are you a Methodist?" Or "Why are you a Baptist?" "Well, my mother and dad were raised in this church, and my grandparents were raised in this church." Really? That's the only reason? What does the Bible teach? I'm just simply pointing out the fact, how in the world can your heart be established when you are totally, completely ignorant and inconsistent? Let me show you. Look back in your Bibles very quickly to 1 Thessalonians chapter 3 and verse 13. 1 Thessalonians chapter 3 and verse 13. In fact, let's begin reading with verse 11. 1 Thessalonians chapter 3 verse 11.

"Now God himself and our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ direct our way unto you. And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another and toward all men, even as we do toward you. To the end," here's the end of that, "to the end he may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints." Now how many Christians you know have their hearts established unblameably in holiness? Very few. Look in your Bibles if you would please to 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 16 and 17. In fact let's read verse 15. 2 Thessalonians 2 verse 15 he says, "Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions or the ordinances which you have been taught, whether by word or our epistle."

"Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God, even our Father, which has loved us and has given us an everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work." Then one more, if you will go to James chapter 5. James chapter 5, look if you would please at verse 8. James 5 in verse 8. The Word of God says, "Be ye also patient, establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Be ye also patient, establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh."

So let me ask you two burning questions. The first one is this: is your heart established? The second one is this: how do you get your heart established? What will it take to establish your heart? And the answer is this: it will take the grace of God, in the power of the Holy Spirit, through the exposition, explanation, and application of the Word of God. I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Ephesians chapter 4, and here it is spelled out black and white. Ephesians chapter 4, beginning there with verse 11.

Here's what the Bible says: "And he," that is the Lord Jesus Christ, "gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastor-teachers." So the question is this: why did God give prophets initially? Why did he give some evangelists initially? And why did he give apostles initially? And why now does he give pastor-teachers? Here's why. Watch, verse 12: "For the perfecting or the maturing of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till," watch that, "till we all come into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect or mature man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." Why? "That we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive. But speaking the truth in love may grow up in him in all things which is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body fitly joined together, and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working and the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying itself in love."

But notice, if you would, he gave pastor-teachers for what? For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Till we all come together in the unity of the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and to a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro. That is, we are to be established in our hearts and established in our faith. Now let me tell you something. If your heart is not established in truth and in doctrine, you are an easy prey for the flesh, the world, the devil, and the cults. It's impossible for you to be established in your hearts if you're still a babe in Christ. It's impossible for you to be established in your hearts if you're still on the milk of the word. It's impossible for you to be established in your heart if you're still wavering and vacillating and becoming double-minded and are easily deceived.

Applications and Conclusion

Develop patterns of praise, zeal, and doctrinal stability. God gives good things to those who ask and walk uprightly, as seen in Matthew 7:7-11.

So let me make a couple of applications. The first one is this: we must establish in our lives a pattern of praise and thanksgiving. We should be praising our Lord a minimum of morning and night. Before I ever get out of bed, when I awaken, the first thing I do is I thank the Lord for allowing Alice and I to live through the night. It's His compassions. It's His mercies. And when I go to bed at night, I thank the Lord for allowing me to live through the day and get through that day safely. I'm just simply saying we shouldn't only be praising him morning and night. We should actually be praising him all in between as well.

And we have to learn to be appreciative and thankful for everything that he gives us. So a good illustration is if Steve walked up to me and said, "Pastor, I really love you. Here's a million bucks." Would I thank Steve? Of course I would thank Steve. But I would also thank God who first gave it to Steve and then moved on his heart to give it to me. You see what I'm saying? God still gets the honor and God still gets the glory even though he used Steve to give it to me. So we've got to learn to be thankful and appreciative. You can look at it, if you would, turn to Psalm 103. Here's a good primer. A good primer. Psalm 103, beginning there with verse 1. I often quote this passage. Psalm 103, verse 1. Look what David says.

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul." Now look, "and forget not all his benefits." Here's just some of them: "Who forgiveth all thine iniquities? Who healeth all of thy diseases? Who redeemeth thy life from destruction? Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies? Who satisfies thy mouth with good things, so that thy youth is renewed like the eagles?" I think I can be thankful for all of those things. And there's a multitude more as well. So we have to develop a pattern in our lives of being thankful and praising the Lord for that which he's done. Here's the second thing. We must develop in our lives a burning passion and zeal for truth and for our Lord and for his kingdom. We must become zealous in the things of God. Look at the world once again. Look at these stupid cities when their team wins the championship. They go crazy.

They set cars on fire, tear up stores, tear up personal and private property. Well, they're just happy. Really? But the point I'm making is they can be zealous and they can cheer all about things like that. But you begin to say, "Hmm, we're on fire for the Lord Jesus Christ. We want to tell everybody about Christ." And now you are a nut job for sure. Listen to me.

The world will tolerate zeal except in biblical Christianity. And I will even go further. Modern day Christianity and modern day churchism will tolerate zeal in everything except biblical Christianity. It does not want biblical Christianity. I like what Vance Havner said. Vance has been dead for years, but he still spoke the truth. He said, "Most Christians have lived subnormal for so long that when one gets normal, everyone else thinks he's abnormal." And that's about the truth. We have to understand if we were like the first century Christians, we'd have already turned this world upside down. That's what the Bible said of them.

And they were so much, so many fewer than we are. But we're not turning anything upside down, because we have no zeal. The third one is this. I want you to turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 7. I want to show you this. Remember the scripture said, "No good thing will he withhold from those that walk uprightly." We must remember and we must make sure that our hearts are established in the faith, in doctrine, in duty, and that we're consistent in those things. And that we are genuinely sincere and honest and seeking to please Him and seeking to be obedient. If we really truly desire the good things of God and we walk uprightly, He will not withhold them from us. So look in Matthew 7, and let's begin reading with verse 6: "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet and turn again and rend you."

So God's not going to do what he commands us not to do. Then he says this: "Ask and it shall be given you. Seek and you shall find. Knock and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, to him that knocketh it shall be open. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son asks bread, will he give him a stone?" Of course not. "If he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?" Of course not. "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father, who is in heaven, give good things to them that ask Him?" And you have to remember, "No good thing will He withhold from those that walk uprightly." If we want the good things, we must not only ask, but we must be upright.

We must be honest and genuine, sincere and obedient to the best of our ability by His grace and by His mercy. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee this day. We thank You, first of all, Father, for the good thing of the Lord Jesus Christ. We're so thankful, Father, that He is the propitiation for our sins. And we're thankful, Father, that the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin. And we praise Thee. We're also thankful, Father, for the multitudinous blessings that you've given us. You've enabled us to live and move and have our being in Thee. You've given us health. You've given us friends and family. You've given us, Lord, so many things. And we praise Thee and we acknowledge that every good gift and every perfect gift cometh down from above, from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. We give Thee praise. Help us, Father, to always be zealously affected toward Thee, Thy word and Thy work, and help us, Father, to be established in our hearts and know Thy truth so that we may not be deceived or waver with every wind of doctrine, but may we stand fast in Your truth. In the name of

Jesus Christ we ask and pray. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

God's Goodness and Provision

Summary: God is the source of all good things, and He does not withhold them from those who walk uprightly.

Evidence: Psalm 84:11: 'No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.'

Conditional Promise of Uprightness

Summary: The promise of good things is for those who are sincere, genuine, and obedient, not sinlessly perfect.

Evidence: The Hebrew word 'tamim' refers to those without blemish, whole, complete, sound, upright, and sincere.

Christ as the Supreme Good Thing

Summary: Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of God's promise of a good thing, and through Him all other blessings flow.

Evidence: Jeremiah 33:14-15 and John 1:45-46 identify Christ as the promised good thing.

Praise and Thanksgiving as a Good Thing

Summary: It is good to give thanks and sing praises to God, which should be a daily practice for believers.

Evidence: Psalm 92:1: 'It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord.'

Zeal for God and His Kingdom

Summary: Believers should be zealously affected in good things, burning with passion for God rather than being lukewarm.

Evidence: Galatians 4:18: 'But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing.'

Doctrinal Stability and Heart Establishment

Summary: An established heart, grounded in grace and doctrine, protects against deception and spiritual immaturity.

Evidence: Hebrews 13:9: 'For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace.'

Key Arguments

Uprightness is sincere obedience, not sinless perfection

Summary: The Hebrew word 'tamim' means whole, complete, and sincere, not sinless. David was called upright despite his sins because he kept himself from iniquity.

Evidence: 2 Samuel 22:24: 'I was also upright before him and have kept myself from mine iniquity.'

God's gift of Christ guarantees all other good things

Summary: If God gave His best gift, His Son, He will freely give us all things. This is an argument from the greater to the lesser.

Evidence: Romans 8:32: 'He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things?'

Praise is comely for the upright

Summary: Praise is beautiful and fitting for those who are upright, and it should be continual, not just on Sabbath days.

Evidence: Psalm 33:1: 'Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, for praise is comely for the upright.'

Zeal is essential, not optional

Summary: The Greek word 'zelo' means to burn with zeal. Jesus exemplified this, and believers are commanded to be zealous and repent of lukewarmness.

Evidence: Revelation 3:19: 'Be zealous therefore, and repent.'

Doctrinal establishment prevents deception

Summary: Without an established heart, believers are tossed by every wind of doctrine. Pastor-teachers are given to mature the saints and bring unity of faith.

Evidence: Ephesians 4:14: 'That we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine.'

Scripture References

Psalm 84:11

Context: The main text: 'For the Lord God is a sun and shield... no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.'

Psalm 34:10

Context: Those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.

Romans 8:32

Context: If God gave His Son, He will freely give us all things.

2 Samuel 22:24

Context: David was upright before God and kept himself from iniquity.

Psalm 18:23

Context: David was upright before God and kept himself from iniquity.

Psalm 94:15

Context: The upright in heart follow righteousness.

Proverbs 10:29

Context: The way of the Lord is strength for the upright.

Romans 7:18

Context: In our flesh dwells no good thing.

James 1:16-17

Context: Every good and perfect gift comes from God.

Deuteronomy 26:9-11

Context: Rejoice in every good thing the Lord gives.

Joshua 21:45

Context: Not one good thing God promised failed.

Joshua 23:14

Context: All good things God spoke came to pass.

Jeremiah 33:14-15

Context: God will perform the good thing: the Branch of righteousness (Christ).

John 1:45-46

Context: Nathanael asks, 'Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?' referring to Jesus.

Philippians 2:13

Context: God works in us to will and to do His good pleasure.

Hebrews 13:20-21

Context: God makes us perfect in every good work through Christ.

Psalm 92:1-2

Context: It is good to give thanks and sing praises.

Psalm 33:1

Context: Praise is comely for the upright.

Galatians 4:18

Context: It is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing.

Hebrews 13:9

Context: It is a good thing that the heart be established with grace.

Historical References

Matthew Henry's Commentary on Psalm 84:8-12

Context: Weaver reads Matthew Henry's comments on looking to Christ, the privilege of praise, and trusting God for good things.

Vance Havner quote

Context: Weaver quotes Vance Havner: 'Most Christians have lived subnormal for so long that when one gets normal, everyone else thinks he's abnormal.'

Important Quotes

No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

Significance: The central promise of the sermon, emphasizing God's provision for the obedient.

He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things?

Significance: Paul's argument from the greater to the lesser, showing that God's gift of Christ guarantees all other blessings.

I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing.

Significance: Highlights human inability and the necessity of God's grace for any good.

Every good gift and every perfect gift cometh down from above, from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Significance: Establishes God as the unchanging source of all good.

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord.

Significance: The first good thing believers should cultivate: praise and thanksgiving.

But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing.

Significance: The second good thing: zeal for God and His kingdom.

For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace.

Significance: The third good thing: doctrinal stability and heart establishment.

Most Christians have lived subnormal for so long that when one gets normal, everyone else thinks he's abnormal.

Significance: A Vance Havner quote used to illustrate the lack of zeal in modern Christianity.

Discussion Questions

How do you define 'good things' in your life, and how does your definition align with God's definition according to Psalm 84:11?

Context: The sermon opens by discussing how people have different tastes and definitions of good things.

What does it mean to 'walk uprightly'? How is this different from sinless perfection?

Context: Weaver explains that 'uprightly' (tamim) means sincere, genuine obedience, not sinlessness.

Why is Jesus Christ called the ultimate 'good thing'? How does this impact your view of other blessings?

Context: The sermon identifies Christ as the promised good thing from Jeremiah 33 and John 1.

In what ways can you cultivate a habit of praise and thanksgiving morning and night?

Context: Psalm 92:1-2 is used to encourage daily praise for God's mercies.

What does it mean to be 'zealously affected' for God? How can you avoid being lukewarm?

Context: Galatians 4:18 and Revelation 3:15-16 are discussed regarding zeal and lukewarmness.

How can you establish your heart in doctrine to avoid being 'tossed to and fro'?

Context: Hebrews 13:9 and Ephesians 4:14 emphasize the need for doctrinal stability.

Why do you think modern Christianity often lacks zeal compared to the early church?

Context: Weaver contrasts the zeal of the first-century church with today's complacency.

How does the promise of Matthew 7:7-11 relate to walking uprightly and receiving good things?

Context: The sermon concludes by linking asking, seeking, and knocking with uprightness.

Applications

Develop a pattern of praise and thanksgiving

Summary: Believers should thank God every morning for the mercies of the night and every night for the mercies of the day, and praise Him continually.

Evidence: Psalm 92:1-2: 'It is a good thing to give thanks... to show forth thy lovingkindness in the morning and thy faithfulness every night.'

Cultivate zeal for God and His kingdom

Summary: Christians must be boiling over with zeal for good things, not lukewarm, and should repent of complacency.

Evidence: Galatians 4:18 and Revelation 3:19: 'Be zealous therefore, and repent.'

Establish your heart in doctrine

Summary: To avoid being deceived, believers must be grounded in grace and truth through consistent hearing and study of God's Word.

Evidence: Hebrews 13:9: 'It is a good thing that the heart be established with grace.'

Walk uprightly to receive God's good things

Summary: God's promise of good things is conditional on sincere, obedient living. Believers must ask, seek, and knock while walking uprightly.

Evidence: Psalm 84:11 and Matthew 7:7-11: 'No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T01:49:19Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T15:35:24Z

Clean Transcript

Some Good Things

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Psalm 84 and verse 11. The title of the message is "Some Good Things." Some Good Things. So notice if you would Psalm 84 and verse 11: "For the Lord God is a sun and shield."
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"The Lord will give grace and glory. No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly." The truth is that everyone loves good things. It doesn't matter if it's food, jewelry, clothes, places, or activities. It seems as if most people are always interested in good things, good times, and good places. Another interesting thought is this: that "good" in all probability is defined in different ways by different people. I've heard individuals describe certain things as good that I would not necessarily have thought to be good. I've even heard people say something like this: "I've had a good time at the beach." Well, for me, a good time would be the mountains or the forest. I love trees. I love mountains. And I love animals. Now, I'm not against the beach.
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I enjoy seeing the sun come up, the sun set, and I enjoy those little sandpipers running up and down the beach. But one day of that will last me about 25 years. But you know, I'm just simply pointing out, people have different tastes and enjoy different things. And it's the same way, I think, with what you and I would call things, because for one individual, what he determines to be a good thing is not necessarily a good thing for someone else. For instance, there are those who suppose that a little, expensive, two-seater sports car is a good thing. Now, to me, a big, nice, comfortable pickup truck is a good thing, okay? My middle grandson had one of those little sports cars, two-seaters. And he was so proud of that thing, and he drove it to the house.
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And he said, "Pop," he said, "I want you to drive it." I said, "Thank you, son, but I really don't need to drive it." He said, "Well, Pop, if you're not going to drive it, at least sit behind the steering wheel and feel it and relax in that seat." I looked at him. I said, "Son, I don't mind sitting in that car. But if you can promise me that you can get me out in one piece, I'll be glad to sit in that car."
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And no, it was a good thing to him, but it certainly was not a good thing to me. See, being young and limber and flexible is a good thing. But when you get older, just being able to stand and sit and bend down occasionally is a good thing. So some people kind of smile when they hear that, and sometimes they laugh. But I've got news for you. If the Lord allows you to live to old age, you will understand clearly what I've just said. And if you live long enough, your time is coming.
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So beware, I can assure you. Now, when you look at Psalm 84 and verse 11, the Bible says, "For the Lord God is a sun and shield. The Lord will give grace and glory." And then he says, "No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly." I want to take just a few moments and read to you what Matthew Henry said in his commentary, but he's actually commenting on verses 8 through 12, which we never read all of those verses, but here's what he said: "In all of our addresses to God, we must desire that he would look at Christ, his anointed one, and accept us for his sake. We must look to him with faith, and then God will look with favor at the face of his anointed. We without him, that is without the Lord Jesus Christ, dare not show our faces."
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"The psalmist pleads love for God's ordinances. Let us consider one day in God's courts better than a thousand spent elsewhere and deem the lowliest place in his service preferable to the highest earthly preferment. We are here in darkness, but if God is our God, He will be to us a sun to enlighten and enliven us, to guide and direct us. Here we are in danger, but He will be to us a shield to secure us from the fiery arrows that fly thickly around us."
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"Though He has not promised to give riches and dignities, He has promised to give grace and glory to all those that seek Him in His appointed way. And what is grace but heaven begun below in the knowledge, love, and service of God? What is glory but the completion of this happiness in being made like him and in fully enjoying him forever? Let it be our care to walk uprightly and then let us trust God to give us everything that is good for us. If we cannot go to the house of the Lord, we may go by faith to the Lord of the house. In him we shall be happy and be at peace. That man is really happy, whatever his outward circumstances be, who trusts in the Lord of hosts, the God of Jacob." And that's true.
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When you consider the fact that verse 11 says, "No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly," you must understand that God's good things are truly and genuinely good things. So before I go further today, I want us to look at the latter part of verse 11, and I want to go over these words so that you will understand them. When he says, "No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly," first, consider the word "good." It's the Hebrew word tov, and it refers to that which is good, pleasant, agreeable, beautiful, and excellent. It also refers to wealth and prosperity in every area. In fact, this one Hebrew word is translated "prosperity" six times in our Bible, and three times it is translated as "wealth." And there's another verse in light of this. The Bible says in Psalm 34 and verse 10, "The young lions do lack and suffer hunger, but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing." So the young lions, they suffer hunger. But he said, those that seek the Lord shall not lack for any good thing.
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So, when he says, "No good thing will he withhold," he's talking about that which is agreeable, that which is excellent, that which is beautiful, that which is pleasant, and certainly he indeed is the giver of good things. Now, note if you would next in verse 11, he said, "No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly."
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Now, the word "withhold" is the Hebrew word mana, and it is translated in our Bibles as "withhold," "keep back," or "restrain," or "deny." So literally he is saying, "No good thing will he deny, restrain, keep, or hold back from them that walk uprightly." Now let me give you a good illustration of this. In Romans 8 and verse 32 the Apostle Paul gave us a tremendous truth. He said this, talking about God, "He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things?" Now listen to that. "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things?" So this argument that the Apostle Paul is giving is an argument from the greater to the lesser. So what he is saying is this: if God has already given us his best gift, which is his only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things? So since God the Father has given us his Son to be our sacrifice, to be our
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surety, to be our substitute, and to be our salvation, Paul is saying if he's given us the best already, it's nothing for him to give us the less or the lesser. So obviously that is an argument. This is why he's saying, "No good thing will he withhold from those that walk uprightly."
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Now, I want you to note something about verse 11. Verse 11 is not what you and I would call a blanket promise. It's not a promise that just simply goes to everyone indiscriminately. No, there is a discrimination in this promise because he said in verse 11, "No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly."
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Now, the Hebrew word for the word "uprightly" is the word tamim. It refers to those who are without blemish, those who are whole, those who are complete, those who are sound, those who are upright, and those who are sincere. In fact, this same word is translated in our Bibles "without blemish" 44 times, and it is translated as "perfect" 18 times. I'm going to make a statement now. I'm going to come back and make this statement again just shortly. When the Bible says, "No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly," he is not talking about sinless perfection. That does not exist. Uprightness, according to the Bible, deals with genuineness, sincerity, honesty, truthfulness, above all obedience.
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So let me give you some scriptures. First of all in 2 Samuel 22 and verse 24, David said, "I was also upright before him and have kept myself from mine iniquity. I was also upright before him and have also kept myself from mine iniquity." What did David say? Well, I was tempted many times. My flesh desired that which was wicked and wrong. But he said, "I kept myself from mine iniquity. And what I've done, I was upright before him."
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In other words, I was obedient. I followed him. I obeyed him.
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Now, he said the same thing, basically, in 2 Samuel 22 and verse 26. He said, "With the merciful, thou wilt show thyself merciful. And with the upright, thou wilt show thyself upright." And David said exactly the same thing. Psalm 18 verse 23, "I was also upright before him and kept myself from mine iniquity." But I want you to listen to this one. In Psalm 94 and verse 15 the Bible says, "But judgment shall return unto righteousness and all the upright in heart shall follow it." What are the upright in heart following? Righteousness, that which is right, that which is true, that which is just. So uprightness then has nothing to do with perfection, as some people interpret it, but it does have to do with a consistent, constant obedience and following after God. That's why the Bible says in Proverbs 10 in verse 29, "The way of the Lord is strength for the upright, but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity." So the way of the Lord, the way of obedience, the way of his word, the way of righteousness is our strength.
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To the wicked, it's the way of destruction because they don't want to obey anyhow. And so they will disobey God and they will end up being destroyed. So let me say this again. The upright are not those who are sinlessly perfect. There is no one that has ever, ever been sinlessly perfect except the Lord Jesus Christ. There's no man, not Abraham, not Isaac, not Jacob, not David, not the apostle Paul, not anyone. And so obviously this word "upright" then has to do with those who are genuine, who are sincere, who are following and endeavoring to bring their lives into conformity to the word of God by obedience. So the promise then, "No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly," is to those who genuinely, honestly desire to obey him and please him.
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Now I've got to point out another truth before I go any further. And that is this, whenever we look for good things, we have to look to God and we cannot look to ourselves. It's interesting what the Apostle Paul said in Romans 7 and verse 18. Listen carefully. He said, "For I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing. For the will is present within me, but how to perform that will I find not." He said, "I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing." So you've got to understand this principle. If there's anything in us that's righteous and holy and godly, if there are any desires to please and honor God, God had to put them there. Because by nature, there is not one thing in us that is good. So God is good, and there is none good but Him.
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Therefore any and everything that is good comes from him. Let me explain this. James 1 verses 16 and 17. Verse 16 is very short: "Do not err therefore, my beloved brethren." Don't err. He said don't make an error on this part. Don't mess up on this truth. So he said, "Do not err therefore, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift cometh down from above, from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." So where does every good gift and every perfect gift come from? And the answer is from God, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. So it is God then who is the giver of good things. He was the giver of good things in the Old Testament. He's also the giver of good things in the New Testament. Let me just show you some things.
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I want you to turn in your Bibles, hold Psalm 84, but turn, if you would, to Deuteronomy chapter 26. Deuteronomy 26, and look, if you would, please, and let's begin reading there. Oh, let's begin reading at verse 9. This passage deals with the tithes, even the tithe of rejoicing. And here's what the Bible says in Deuteronomy 26 verse 9: "And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey. And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O Lord, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the Lord thy God, and worship before the Lord thy God." Now look, "And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee, and in thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you."
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Did you notice what he said? Thou art to rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God gives you, you and your house. So it is God who gives good things.
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Now, if you would turn in your Bibles to the book of Joshua, chapter 21, just over a few pages, Joshua 21. I want you to look, if you would, at verse 45. Joshua 21 and verse 45. Joshua says to these people, "There fell not out of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass." So all of the good things that God promised, not one thing failed, all came to pass. If you would turn to Joshua 23, Joshua is about to die. He is giving some instruction. Notice if you would, he says in verse 14: "And behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth," that is, I'm going to die, "and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that 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
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thing hath failed thereof." Note, if you would, God made every good thing come to pass.
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Now, I want to tell you something. There are many good things that God has given us. But, He has also given us what I'm going to call the best good thing. And it may surprise you. I want you to turn in your Bibles to two passages. The first one is Jeremiah 33, and then I want you to turn to John chapter 1. So look in Jeremiah chapter 33, and we'll begin reading there with verse 14. Then we'll go to John chapter 1. Jeremiah 33, then John chapter 1.
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So watch if you would, please. Here it is. Jeremiah 33 verse 14: "Thus saith the Lord of Hosts." Let's see. Verse 14, I was reading verse 12. Verse 14: "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah." Now note, if you would, "the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform that good thing." What good thing is he talking about? Look in verse 15: "In those days, and at that time, will I cause the branch of righteousness to grow up unto David, and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land." So that good thing that is mentioned in verse 14 is the branch of righteousness from the root of David, which is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. So he is saying, I've promised the Messiah. I've promised that good thing, and I'm going to send it. Now, look in your Bibles to the book of John, chapter 1, and notice if you would please, verse 45 and 46.
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It's interesting. "Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses, and the Law, and the Prophets," that would include Jeremiah, "and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? And Philip saith unto him, Come and see." So the good thing that God promised was his only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our salvation. Now, in light of this truth, that Jesus Christ is our good thing, because of Him, there are a number of good things that should be in every one of us.
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I want you to look in Philippians 2, verse 13, and then Hebrews chapter 13, so I can set the stage for what I want to share with you. Look in Philippians 2, then we're going to go to the book of Hebrews chapter 13. Okay? Philippians 2 verse 13, the Bible says this: "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do his good pleasure." For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do his good pleasure. So if God ever puts the "to will" in you, he will also put the "to do" in you. So anytime we will to do that which is right, holy, godly, obedient, then it is God who put it in us. He put the "to will" in us and then he also put the ability to fulfill that will. Now I want you to look in Hebrews chapter 13 and look if you would at verses 20 and 21. Remember now, Jesus Christ is that good thing that God promised and because we have that good thing, the Lord Jesus Christ, in us, there should be a number of other good things in us.
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So he said in Hebrews 13 verse 20: "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant." Now look, look closely at verse 21. Because God has given us his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and God has raised him from the dead, what is going to happen in us? "Make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen." So since God now has given us His good thing, His Son, the Lord Jesus, and since we are indwelled by His Spirit, He is our head, we are His body, now He says, that God is going to make us perfect in every good work to do His will, working in us that which is well-pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. So, since we have the good thing in us, there should be other good things that stem from the Lord Jesus Christ.
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So, what are some of the good things? I want to show you three of them. I want you to turn in your Bibles to Psalm 92. Remember now he said, "No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly." So here is a good thing that should be in every Christian, in every child of God. Number one, there should be in us the good thing of thanksgiving and praise. Notice Psalm 92 verse 1: "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord."
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"And to sing praises unto thy holy name, O Most High." Now look at verse 2: "To show forth thy lovingkindness in the morning and thy faithfulness every night."
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Now I want you to pay close attention to the fact he said it's a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord. And to sing praises. Why? In order that we might show forth his lovingkindness in the morning and his faithfulness every night. This passage should have already made you think of another passage. You should already be thinking of Lamentations 3, 22 and 23: "It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed.
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Because His compassions, they fail not. They are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness." Now I want you to notice carefully, he talks about showing forth the lovingkindness in the morning and the faithfulness every night. So if the good thing, Lord Jesus Christ, is indwelling us, there should be this good thing of giving thanks and praise to the Lord. In other words, what he's talking about is this: every morning when you wake up, before you ever get out of bed, you should be thanking the Lord that He has preserved you and protected you through the night and allowed you to awaken a new day because He's given you fresh compassions and fresh lovingkindness and fresh mercies. And when you go to bed at night, you should be thanking the Lord for those compassions, those mercies, those kindnesses that have allowed you to live through the day. That's what He's saying. I want you to look in your Bibles to Psalm 33 in verse 1.
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Watch if you would now. Remember, "No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly." Okay? So, notice if you would please Psalm 33 and verse 1. Psalm 33. Look if you would please at verse 1. Here's what the scripture says: "Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous." We're righteous because Jesus Christ is our righteousness. "Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, for praise is comely for the upright." Praise is beautiful for the upright, that's what he's saying. Praise is excellent for the upright. Who are the upright?
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Those who are honest and genuine and sincere and obedient, those who are intent on following Him. You see, the Bible says in Psalm 147 in verse 1, "Praise ye the Lord, for it is good to sing praises unto our God, for it is pleasant, and praise is comely." That is, it's beautiful, it's excellent. When you stop and think of all the multitudinous blessings that God has given unto us, it's not just morning and night that we should be praising Him, it's basically all day long.
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Listen to what Matthew Henry said again: "It is a privilege that we're permitted to praise the Lord and hope to be accepted in the morning and every night, not only on Sabbath days, but every day, not only in public, but in private and in our families. Let us give thanks every morning for the mercies of the night and every night for the mercies of the day going out and coming in."
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"Let us bless God just as he makes us glad through the works of his providence for us, and of His grace in us, and both through the great work of redemption, so let us be encouraged by this. Just as there are many who do not know the intentions of providence, nor care to know them, so those who through grace do so have all the more reason to be thankful. And if distant views of the great Deliverer so stirred believers of old, how should we abound in love and praise?"
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Now, that last sentence is very important. Because what he's saying is this: once you read the Old Testament and you begin to see how Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and all these others praised God and glorified Him, he said it should be more for us in the New Testament. Why? When you go back and read Hebrews chapter 11, the Bible says these all died in the faith having not received the promise. They had not received the fulfillment of the promise.
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They looked forward to the work of Jesus Christ. We are looking back on the finished work of Jesus Christ. We know that we have received the fulfillment of the promise. They didn't. They were looking forward. We look back to an accomplished fact, an accomplished reality. So he is saying that our praise should be far greater than the praise that is given in the Old Testament.
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Now let me just read some things to you. For as what David said, listen if you would to Psalm 34 in verse 1: "I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall be in my mouth continually." I'll bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. You can praise the Lord while you're driving. I praise the Lord for letting me live. I praise the Lord for help. I praise the Lord for protection. I praise the Lord for any and everything that I can possibly even think of. You know, I'm just simply saying, that's what the Bible is saying. We should praise the Lord. Why? Because praise is comely for the upright. And if the good thing, the Lord Jesus Christ, indwells in us, then obviously we should indeed have praise and thanksgiving in our hearts. David said in Psalm 35 and verse 18, "I will give thee thanks in the great congregation. I will praise thee among much people." In other words, David said, I'm not ashamed to praise the Lord.
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Doesn't matter who's around. And so we should never be ashamed either. And then in Psalm 35 and verse 28, he said, "My tongue shall speak of my righteousness and of thy praise all the day long." So we should be praising the Lord. I love Psalm 40 and verse 3. The Bible says, "He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praising our God." Listen to this: "Many shall see it and fear and shall trust in the Lord." How about that? He's put a new song in my mouth, even praising our God. And then he said, many shall see it, not just hear it. They shall see it. They shall see it in my life. They shall hear it, yes, but they shall see it in my life.
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So the question is, how thankful are we? How appreciative are we? How often do we praise God? Do you know what the Bible says in Psalm 50 verse 23? Psalm 50 and verse 23, God said, "Whosoever offereth praise glorifyeth me." One of the ways that we glorify God is by giving him praise for anything and everything.
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Now I want you to listen to this. In Psalm 65 in verse 1, the Bible says, "Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Zion, and unto thee shall the vow be performed." Now think about this. "Praise waiteth for thee, O Lord, in Zion." Hmm. When you read Hebrews chapter 12, you read about the heavenly Zion. Read the book of Revelation, those four and twenty elders are always throwing their crowns at his feet and praising him and glorifying him. Yes. And it is true, it is very, very true that praise waits for God in Zion. But the question is this: do you have to wait until you get into heaven in order to give God the praise and the thanksgiving that he deserves?
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And the answer is no. And the fact of the matter is this: if you want to give him perfected praise in glory, then you better practice up here. You better get used to giving him praise and thanksgiving. So if the good thing of the Lord Jesus Christ dwells in us, there should be also the good thing of praise and thanksgiving unto God. Have you ever stopped to think about this? I think about it often. I think about it frequently. And that is, look at the grace and mercy of God when I believe and others do not. When I want to obey and others do not. When I want the truth and others do not.
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And then you have to come back to 1 Corinthians 4:7 where the question is asked, "Who maketh thee to differ one from another? And what hast thou that thou didst not receive?" So everything that we have, God gave us. So there should be in us the good thing of praise and thanksgiving.
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Now, secondly, I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Galatians chapter 4, because I want to show you the second good thing that should be in us. Galatians chapter 4 and verse 18. There should be in us the good thing of zeal toward our God and his kingdom. Galatians 4, it's verse 18. Galatians 4 and verse 18: "But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you." Now, note if you would what the Apostle said: "But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, not only when I am present with you."
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In other words, I do not need to be there to encourage you, to pat you on the back, to give you directions, to tell you what to do. No, no, no. He said, you should be zealous in this good thing.
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Now, the Greek word for "zealous" there is the word zelo, and literally it means to burn with zeal. It means to boil over, to desire earnestly, to exert oneself, to strive after, and to earnestly pursue that which is good. So literally what he says in verse 18: "It is good to be boiling over always in a good thing. It's good to be always exerting yourself and striving for the best in a good thing."
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Now, I want you to turn, hold this passage, but I want you to turn to the book of John chapter 2. And if you look in John chapter 2, we'll begin reading there with verse 13 and read through verse 17. John 2 verse 13: "And the Jews' Passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem."
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"And he found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting. And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables. And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house a house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up." Guess what? The word "zeal" is the word zelo.
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Oh. And you can see in this passage, our Lord was boiling over. He was exerting himself. He was indeed striving after that which was genuinely right, true, and holy. And especially when he made that scourge of small cords, he literally drove them out of the temple. And the disciples then remembered, it was written, "The zeal of thine house has eaten me up."
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Now, let me point out one major problem that exists among Christians today, and that is this: most Christians have no zeal for God. We don't. Instead of being heated up, instead of being boiling over and exerting ourselves, we're lukewarm. I want you to turn to Revelation chapter 3, and I want you to see what our Lord says to the church of Laodicea. Revelation chapter 3, and let's begin reading there with verse 14. Revelation 3 and verse 14: "And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, These things saith the Amen," by the way the word "Amen" means verily, verily, truly, truly, so be it, so be it, and I want you to note that the word "Amen" is also one of the names of the Lord Jesus Christ. So when you say "Amen" to a preacher who's preaching, you're not just saying truly, truly, so be it, so be it, what you're doing is calling the Lord Jesus Christ to witness that what that man is saying is true. So, he says, "Unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God." He tells the church, "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot.
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I would that thou were cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth." Now, if you're not cold, if you're not hot, then you're in between, you're lukewarm. And so he says in verse 16, "So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I'll spew thee out of my mouth." Now, if you look back in verse 15, he said, "I would that thou were cold or hot."
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So that means this: our Lord had rather have someone who is either out and out against him or someone who's out and out for him than someone in between who can't make up his mind and hardly ever does anything anyway. Wow.
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Now, I want you to note, here's where we are. Look at it in verse 17. Look what he tells this church: "Because thou sayest, I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing; and know not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked." You look at the average church and the average church building. Huge. Stained glass windows. Padded pews, deep-throated organs, beautiful choirs.
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But they're dead as a hammer, most of them. Alice and I have often passed this huge church outside of Atlanta. You can see it as you go up north on 75. And I've often laughed. I'd say if I had one Federal Reserve note for every brick in that building, Lord have mercy, I'd be an extremely wealthy man. It is a huge, huge building. I mean, it is unbelievable. And I've seen beautiful church buildings that are only used on Sunday morning. That's it. Well, he said, "You say you're rich, you're increased with goods, and you say you have need of nothing." But note in verse 17, he says, "You don't realize that you are wretched, miserable, and poor, blind, and naked." Now look at verse 18.
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He said, "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich, and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear, and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see." In other words, he said, you're blind as a bat. You think you've got it made and you have it. And then he says this in verse 19.
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"As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Be zealous therefore, and repent." Zealous? Zelo. Be boiling over in repentance. Be striving after repentance. Exert yourself in repentance. You see, the truth of the matter is many people are zealous in wicked things. They're zealous in bad things. They're zealous in evil things. There are very few people that are really zealous in good things. We should be zealously affected toward God. Toward the Lord Jesus Christ, toward his law, toward his word, toward his kingdom, toward his work. And you see, the truth of the matter is this: most people have no zeal. You stop and look at all of the enemies of Jesus Christ. Look at the Muslims. They have zeal. They may be wrong, but they're zealous. Look at the Jehovah's Witnesses.
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They come door to door on Sunday morning, catching all the backsliding Baptists. I'm serious, but at least they're zealous. But Christians, no. And the fact of the matter is, everybody can scream their heads off at a ball game, and no one thinks anything about it. But you start standing up for Jesus Christ, and you start spouting biblical principles and biblical truth, and everybody will call you a nut job, and that you've gone off on the deep end, and that you're absolutely crazy and insane. That's it.
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But the Apostle said it's good to always be zealously affected in a good thing. And if the good thing, the Lord Jesus Christ, indwells us, then we should always be zealously affected in the good thing which relates to Him. So we need to have in us the good thing of praise and thanksgiving. We need to have in us the good thing of being zealously affected toward God and His Word and His work. But here's the third thing.
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I want you to turn in your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 13 and look, if you would please, at verse 9. Hebrews 13 and verse 9.
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Verse 8 says, "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever." He is immutable. He's always the same. And then look at verse 9. In light of the immutability of Jesus Christ, "Be not carried away with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace, not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein." Here's the third thing. There should be in each of us the good thing of heart establishment. Our hearts should be established. He says, "Be not carried away with divers," that is different, "and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace and not with meats."
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Now you have to remember that the book of Hebrews was written to people who were wanting to go back to the old emblems, types and symbols. That's why he went on to say in verse 10, "We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle." If you want to go back to the meats, if you want to go back to the Old Testament sacrifices, he said you have no right to the Lord Jesus Christ, because he is the fulfillment of all of those old types and emblems and symbols. But he said, we're not to be carried away with divers and strange doctrines.
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It's a good thing that the heart be established with grace. Do you realize that many have heard in this particular area? Most Christians are doctrinally confused. They are wavering, vacillating and unsettled in their hearts and in their doctrine. Most professing Christians are often on up and down, here a while, gone a while, and they are so inconsistent and so ignorant as to the things of God that most have no testimony whatsoever.
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I had one man, I asked him how long he had been a Christian. His response was, "30 years off and on." I couldn't help but say it. I suppose it's been more often on too, hasn't it? Well, you know, the average Christian cannot define or defend the doctrine of justification by faith alone. The average Christian cannot define or defend the propitiation of Jesus Christ. The average Christian cannot define or defend the inerrancy and inspiration of the Bible. The average Christian cannot define or defend the doctrine of sanctification. The average Christian cannot define or defend the everlasting covenant. The average Christian cannot define or defend the doctrine of total depravity.
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The truth of the matter is most of them are absolutely totally ignorant. And the fact of the matter is a lot of professing Christians, they go from church to church and preacher to preacher, and from doctrine to doctrine, they have no idea what they believe or why they believe it. I've asked a number of people in times past, "Oh, why are you a Methodist?" Or "Why are you a Baptist?" "Well, my mother and dad were raised in this church, and my grandparents were raised in this church." Really? That's the only reason?
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What does the Bible teach? I'm just simply pointing out the fact, how in the world can your heart be established when you are totally, completely ignorant and inconsistent? Let me show you. Look back in your Bibles very quickly to 1 Thessalonians chapter 3 and verse 13. 1 Thessalonians chapter 3 and verse 13. In fact, let's begin reading with verse 11. 1 Thessalonians chapter 3 verse 11.
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"Now God himself and our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ direct our way unto you. And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another and toward all men, even as we do toward you. To the end," here's the end of that, "to the end he may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints." Now how many Christians you know have their hearts established unblameably in holiness? Very few.
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Look in your Bibles if you would please to 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 16 and 17. In fact let's read verse 15. 2 Thessalonians 2 verse 15 he says, "Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions or the ordinances which you have been taught, whether by word or our epistle."
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"Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God, even our Father, which has loved us and has given us an everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work." Then one more, if you will go to James chapter 5. James chapter 5, look if you would please at verse 8. James 5 in verse 8. The Word of God says, "Be ye also patient, establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Be ye also patient, establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh."
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So let me ask you two burning questions. The first one is this: is your heart established? The second one is this: how do you get your heart established? What will it take to establish your heart? And the answer is this: it will take the grace of God, in the power of the Holy Spirit, through the exposition, explanation, and application of the Word of God. I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Ephesians chapter 4, and here it is spelled out black and white. Ephesians chapter 4, beginning there with verse 11.
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Here's what the Bible says: "And he," that is the Lord Jesus Christ, "gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastor-teachers." So the question is this: why did God give prophets initially? Why did he give some evangelists initially? And why did he give apostles initially? And why now does he give pastor-teachers? Here's why. Watch, verse 12: "For the perfecting or the maturing of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till," watch that, "till we all come into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect or mature man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." Why?
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"That we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive. But speaking the truth in love may grow up in him in all things which is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body fitly joined together, and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working and the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying itself in love."
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But notice, if you would, he gave pastor-teachers for what? For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Till we all come together in the unity of the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and to a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro. That is, we are to be established in our hearts and established in our faith. Now let me tell you something. If your heart is not established in truth and in doctrine, you are an easy prey for the flesh, the world, the devil, and the cults. It's impossible for you to be established in your hearts if you're still a babe in Christ. It's impossible for you to be established in your hearts if you're still on the milk of the word. It's impossible for you to be established in your heart if you're still wavering and vacillating and becoming double-minded and are easily deceived.
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You cannot be established in your heart unless you're willing to listen and be taught. And you cannot be established in your heart unless you are a consistent and constant hearer of the Word of God and a dedicated reader and student of the Word of God. It's impossible. But if the good thing of the Lord Jesus Christ indwells us, we will not only have the good thing of praise and thanksgiving and the good thing of being zealously affected, we'll also have the good thing of an established heart. We will know doctrine. You cannot have your heart established without doctrine.
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So let me make a couple of applications. The first one is this: we must establish in our lives a pattern of praise and thanksgiving. We should be praising our Lord a minimum of morning and night. Before I ever get out of bed, when I awaken, the first thing I do is I thank the Lord for allowing Alice and I to live through the night. It's His compassions. It's His mercies. And when I go to bed at night, I thank the Lord for allowing me to live through the day and get through that day safely. I'm just simply saying we shouldn't only be praising him morning and night. We should actually be praising him all in between as well.
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And we have to learn to be appreciative and thankful for everything that he gives us. So a good illustration is if Steve walked up to me and said, "Pastor, I really love you. Here's a million bucks." Would I thank Steve? Of course I would thank Steve. But I would also thank God who first gave it to Steve and then moved on his heart to give it to me.
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You see what I'm saying? God still gets the honor and God still gets the glory even though he used Steve to give it to me. So we've got to learn to be thankful and appreciative. You can look at it, if you would, turn to Psalm 103. Here's a good primer. A good primer. Psalm 103, beginning there with verse 1. I often quote this passage. Psalm 103, verse 1. Look what David says.
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"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul."
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Now look, "and forget not all his benefits." Here's just some of them: "Who forgiveth all thine iniquities? Who healeth all of thy diseases? Who redeemeth thy life from destruction? Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies? Who satisfies thy mouth with good things, so that thy youth is renewed like the eagles?" I think I can be thankful for all of those things. And there's a multitude more as well. So we have to develop a pattern in our lives of being thankful and praising the Lord for that which he's done. Here's the second thing. We must develop in our lives a burning passion and zeal for truth and for our Lord and for his kingdom. We must become zealous in the things of God. Look at the world once again. Look at these stupid cities when their team wins the championship. They go crazy.
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They set cars on fire, tear up stores, tear up personal and private property. Well, they're just happy. Really? But the point I'm making is they can be zealous and they can cheer all about things like that. But you begin to say, "Hmm, we're on fire for the Lord Jesus Christ. We want to tell everybody about Christ." And now you are a nut job for sure. Listen to me.
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The world will tolerate zeal except in biblical Christianity. And I will even go further. Modern day Christianity and modern day churchism will tolerate zeal in everything except biblical Christianity. It does not want biblical Christianity. I like what Vance Havner said. Vance has been dead for years, but he still spoke the truth. He said, "Most Christians have lived subnormal for so long that when one gets normal, everyone else thinks he's abnormal." And that's about the truth. We have to understand if we were like the first century Christians, we'd have already turned this world upside down. That's what the Bible said of them.
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And they were so much, so many fewer than we are. But we're not turning anything upside down, because we have no zeal. The third one is this. I want you to turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 7. I want to show you this. Remember the scripture said, "No good thing will he withhold from those that walk uprightly." We must remember and we must make sure that our hearts are established in the faith, in doctrine, in duty, and that we're consistent in those things.
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And that we are genuinely sincere and honest and seeking to please Him and seeking to be obedient. If we really truly desire the good things of God and we walk uprightly, He will not withhold them from us. So look in Matthew 7, and let's begin reading with verse 6: "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet and turn again and rend you."
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So God's not going to do what he commands us not to do. Then he says this: "Ask and it shall be given you. Seek and you shall find. Knock and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, to him that knocketh it shall be open. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son asks bread, will he give him a stone?" Of course not. "If he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?" Of course not. "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father, who is in heaven, give good things to them that ask Him?" And you have to remember, "No good thing will He withhold from those that walk uprightly." If we want the good things, we must not only ask, but we must be upright.
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We must be honest and genuine, sincere and obedient to the best of our ability by His grace and by His mercy. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee this day. We thank You, first of all, Father, for the good thing of the Lord Jesus Christ. We're so thankful, Father, that He is the propitiation for our sins. And we're thankful, Father, that the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin. And we praise Thee. We're also thankful, Father, for the multitudinous blessings that you've given us. You've enabled us to live and move and have our being in Thee. You've given us health. You've given us friends and family. You've given us, Lord, so many things. And we praise Thee and we acknowledge that every good gift and every perfect gift cometh down from above, from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. We give Thee praise. Help us, Father, to always be zealously affected toward Thee, Thy word and Thy work, and help us, Father, to be established in our hearts and know Thy truth so that we may not be deceived or waver with every wind of doctrine, but may we stand fast in Your truth. In the name of
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Jesus Christ we ask and pray. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T01:49:19Z

Some Good Things

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

Pastor John Weaver expounds Psalm 84:11, emphasizing that God withholds no good thing from those who walk uprightly. He clarifies that 'good' refers to what is pleasant, excellent, and prosperous, and 'uprightly' means sincere, genuine obedience, not sinless perfection. The ultimate good thing is Jesus Christ, and because He indwells believers, they should exhibit three good things: praise and thanksgiving, zeal for God, and an established heart grounded in doctrine.

Introduction: Defining Good Things

People have different definitions of 'good things,' but God's good things are truly good. Psalm 84:11 promises that no good thing is withheld from the upright.

Psalm 84 and verse 11. The title of the message is "Some Good Things." Some Good Things. So notice if you would Psalm 84 and verse 11:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 84:11

"For the Lord God is a sun and shield."

Exegesis of Psalm 84:11

The Hebrew words for 'good' (tov) and 'withhold' (mana) are explained, showing God's provision. The promise is conditional on walking uprightly (tamim), meaning sincere obedience.

So let me give you some scriptures. First of all in 2 Samuel 22 and verse 24, David said,

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 22:24

"I was also upright before him and have kept myself from mine iniquity. I was also upright before him and have also kept myself from mine iniquity."

What did David say? Well, I was tempted many times. My flesh desired that which was wicked and wrong. But he said,

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 22:24

"I kept myself from mine iniquity. And what I've done, I was upright before him."

In other words, I was obedient. I followed him. I obeyed him.

The Ultimate Good Thing: Jesus Christ

God's best gift is His Son, Jesus Christ, the 'good thing' promised in Jeremiah 33:14. Because we have Christ, other good things should flow from us.

So watch if you would, please. Here it is. Jeremiah 33 verse 14: "Thus saith the Lord of Hosts." Let's see. Verse 14, I was reading verse 12. Verse 14:

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 33:14-15

"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah."

Now note, if you would,

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 33:14-15

"the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform that good thing."

What good thing is he talking about? Look in verse 15:

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 33:14-15

"In those days, and at that time, will I cause the branch of righteousness to grow up unto David, and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land."

Scripture Reading — Philippians 2:13

"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do his good pleasure."

So he said in Hebrews 13 verse 20:

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 13:20-21

"Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant."

Now look, look closely at verse 21. Because God has given us his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and God has raised him from the dead, what is going to happen in us?

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 13:20-21

"Make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen."

Good Thing #1: Praise and Thanksgiving

Psalm 92:1 says it is good to give thanks. Believers should praise God morning and night for His mercies, and praise is comely for the upright.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 33:1

"Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous."

We're righteous because Jesus Christ is our righteousness.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 33:1

"Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, for praise is comely for the upright."

Praise is beautiful for the upright, that's what he's saying. Praise is excellent for the upright. Who are the upright?

Good Thing #2: Zeal for God

Galatians 4:18 teaches it is good to be zealously affected in a good thing. Jesus exemplified zeal, and Christians must be boiling over for God, not lukewarm.

Good Thing #3: An Established Heart

Hebrews 13:9 says it is good for the heart to be established with grace. Believers must be grounded in doctrine to avoid being tossed by false teachings.

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 13:9

with divers and strange doctrines. It's a good thing that the heart be established with grace.

Applications and Conclusion

Develop patterns of praise, zeal, and doctrinal stability. God gives good things to those who ask and walk uprightly, as seen in Matthew 7:7-11.

Jesus Christ we ask and pray. Amen.

Some Good Things

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	n4CVcYYoQrg
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans: Law, Obedience, and Sanctification: Holiness and Obedience
Genre	Sermon
Date	2021-11-11
Dictation Name
Book	Book 135: Romans: Law, Obedience, and Sanctification - Volume 2 — Chapter 32
Source Timed Segments	87

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: Defining Good Things: People have different definitions of 'good things,' but God's good things are truly good. Psalm 84:11 promises that no good thing is withheld from the upright.
Exegesis of Psalm 84:11: The Hebrew words for 'good' (tov) and 'withhold' (mana) are explained, showing God's provision. The promise is conditional on walking uprightly (tamim), meaning sincere obedience.
The Ultimate Good Thing: Jesus Christ: God's best gift is His Son, Jesus Christ, the 'good thing' promised in Jeremiah 33:14. Because we have Christ, other good things should flow from us.
Good Thing #1: Praise and Thanksgiving: Psalm 92:1 says it is good to give thanks. Believers should praise God morning and night for His mercies, and praise is comely for the upright.
Good Thing #2: Zeal for God: Galatians 4:18 teaches it is good to be zealously affected in a good thing. Jesus exemplified zeal, and Christians must be boiling over for God, not lukewarm.
Good Thing #3: An Established Heart: Hebrews 13:9 says it is good for the heart to be established with grace. Believers must be grounded in doctrine to avoid being tossed by false teachings.
Applications and Conclusion: Develop patterns of praise, zeal, and doctrinal stability. God gives good things to those who ask and walk uprightly, as seen in Matthew 7:7-11.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Uprightness is sincere obedience, not sinless perfection

The Hebrew word 'tamim' means whole, complete, and sincere, not sinless. David was called upright despite his sins because he kept himself from iniquity.

2 Samuel 22:24: 'I was also upright before him and have kept myself from mine iniquity.'

God's gift of Christ guarantees all other good things

If God gave His best gift, His Son, He will freely give us all things. This is an argument from the greater to the lesser.

Romans 8:32: 'He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things?'

Praise is comely for the upright

Praise is beautiful and fitting for those who are upright, and it should be continual, not just on Sabbath days.

Psalm 33:1: 'Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, for praise is comely for the upright.'

Zeal is essential, not optional

The Greek word 'zelo' means to burn with zeal. Jesus exemplified this, and believers are commanded to be zealous and repent of lukewarmness.

Revelation 3:19: 'Be zealous therefore, and repent.'

Doctrinal establishment prevents deception

Without an established heart, believers are tossed by every wind of doctrine. Pastor-teachers are given to mature the saints and bring unity of faith.

Ephesians 4:14: 'That we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine.'

Scripture References

Psalm 84:11: The main text: 'For the Lord God is a sun and shield... no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.'
Psalm 34:10: Those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.
Romans 8:32: If God gave His Son, He will freely give us all things.
2 Samuel 22:24: David was upright before God and kept himself from iniquity.
Psalm 18:23: David was upright before God and kept himself from iniquity.
Psalm 94:15: The upright in heart follow righteousness.
Proverbs 10:29: The way of the Lord is strength for the upright.
Romans 7:18: In our flesh dwells no good thing.
James 1:16-17: Every good and perfect gift comes from God.
Deuteronomy 26:9-11: Rejoice in every good thing the Lord gives.
Joshua 21:45: Not one good thing God promised failed.
Joshua 23:14: All good things God spoke came to pass.
Jeremiah 33:14-15: God will perform the good thing: the Branch of righteousness (Christ).
John 1:45-46: Nathanael asks, 'Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?' referring to Jesus.
Philippians 2:13: God works in us to will and to do His good pleasure.
Hebrews 13:20-21: God makes us perfect in every good work through Christ.
Psalm 92:1-2: It is good to give thanks and sing praises.
Psalm 33:1: Praise is comely for the upright.
Galatians 4:18: It is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing.
Hebrews 13:9: It is a good thing that the heart be established with grace.

Historical References

Matthew Henry's Commentary on Psalm 84:8-12: Weaver reads Matthew Henry's comments on looking to Christ, the privilege of praise, and trusting God for good things.
Vance Havner quote: Weaver quotes Vance Havner: 'Most Christians have lived subnormal for so long that when one gets normal, everyone else thinks he's abnormal.'

Important Quotes

No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

The central promise of the sermon, emphasizing God's provision for the obedient.

He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things?

Paul's argument from the greater to the lesser, showing that God's gift of Christ guarantees all other blessings.

I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing.

Highlights human inability and the necessity of God's grace for any good.

Every good gift and every perfect gift cometh down from above, from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Establishes God as the unchanging source of all good.

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord.

The first good thing believers should cultivate: praise and thanksgiving.

But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing.

The second good thing: zeal for God and His kingdom.

For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace.

The third good thing: doctrinal stability and heart establishment.

Most Christians have lived subnormal for so long that when one gets normal, everyone else thinks he's abnormal.

A Vance Havner quote used to illustrate the lack of zeal in modern Christianity.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How do you define 'good things' in your life, and how does your definition align with God's definition according to Psalm 84:11?

[Context]

The sermon opens by discussing how people have different tastes and definitions of good things.

[Question]

What does it mean to 'walk uprightly'? How is this different from sinless perfection?

[Context]

Weaver explains that 'uprightly' (tamim) means sincere, genuine obedience, not sinlessness.

[Question]

Why is Jesus Christ called the ultimate 'good thing'? How does this impact your view of other blessings?

[Context]

The sermon identifies Christ as the promised good thing from Jeremiah 33 and John 1.

[Question]

In what ways can you cultivate a habit of praise and thanksgiving morning and night?

[Context]

Psalm 92:1-2 is used to encourage daily praise for God's mercies.

[Question]

What does it mean to be 'zealously affected' for God? How can you avoid being lukewarm?

[Context]

Galatians 4:18 and Revelation 3:15-16 are discussed regarding zeal and lukewarmness.

[Question]

How can you establish your heart in doctrine to avoid being 'tossed to and fro'?

[Context]

Hebrews 13:9 and Ephesians 4:14 emphasize the need for doctrinal stability.

[Question]

Why do you think modern Christianity often lacks zeal compared to the early church?

[Context]

Weaver contrasts the zeal of the first-century church with today's complacency.

[Question]

How does the promise of Matthew 7:7-11 relate to walking uprightly and receiving good things?

[Context]

The sermon concludes by linking asking, seeking, and knocking with uprightness.

Applications

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T15:35:24Z