"Does it pay to be good?"

Readings: Psalm 37:1-24, Isaiah 65:1-9, Galatians 3:23-29, Luke 8:26-39.
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY, June 19, 2022

Many times, in our lives we are faced with the question "Does it pay to be Good?”

When you first leave home and are no longer under your parents’ authority. When you are confronted with a temptation that seems to hard to handle. When you try and give up a habit that you know is doing you more harm then good. When business is going badly, and an opportunity comes along that look’s rewarding but questionable. When problems in a relationship have appeared and somebody appears on the scene that offers everything your current relationship doesn’t have. When you must make an honest decision that nobody else will ever know about. 

Does it pay to be good?

I read recently of a woman who was mad at her husband for being good. He was a sales manager in a large firm, and they lived well. One of the directors asked him to start pushing a household appliance that had been remade from defective products. He wouldn’t do it. He lost his job. His wife was bitter. She didn’t think that it paid to be good.

It’s not a new question. The ancient Hebrews throughout their history always felt that there should be an equation between conduct and reward. That when you did good you should be rewarded for it. Correspondingly, when you did bad you should be punished.

As they looked around, they started to realize that life’s not like that. Some people served God wholeheartedly and seemed to get nothing but trouble. Others were out and out rogues and prospered. As we look at peoples experience today, we may conclude that nothings changed. Does serving the Lord count for anything? Does it pay to be good?

To seek an answer, I’d like to look at verses from Psalm 37.
The Psalm begins “Do not fret because of the wicked; do not be envious of wrongdoers.”

It starts with a warning. Do not become jealous of people who appear to be doing well but are living immoral lives. Do not emulate them or admire them. Don’t allow envy to cheapen your lifestyle or make you compromise your values. Just because somebody else appears to prosper from doing something you know in your heart is not right, that is not a call to follow their example. The Psalm goes on to say harsh things concerning wicked folk who prosper.

Verse 2 “They will soon fade like the grass”
Verse 9 “The wicked shall be cut off” (cut off that is from God’s love)
Verse 10 “Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there.”
Most cutting of all…
Verse 13 “The LORD laughs at the wicked, for he sees that their day is coming.”

Every action we take produces results. Decisions towards unrighteousness or wickedness in this life do not take place in a vacuum. Life has eternal consequences. What goes around comes around, if not in this life, then for sure in the next.

Presbyterians believe in salvation by faith, not by comparison. We believe that saying to God, “Hey, I was just going along with the crowd”… is not a good reason for God to pat us on the back and say, “Good job!”  

We believe that God’s Word teaches that we are not to mould our lives according to any pattern of twenty first century morality but by dwelling in God’s love. We believe that whatever we welcome into our lives in the immediate future not only effects the way we live tomorrow but also the welcome we should expect in eternity.

Consider Psalm 37, verses 14 and 15 “The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to kill those who walk uprightly; their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.”

These verses are like the words of Jesus to Peter at the time of His arrest, “Those who live by the sword, shall die by the sword”

We are asking the wrong question. Instead of asking “Does it pay to be Good?” we should ask, “Does it pay to invest our lives in half-truths, deceit, violence, immorality, or prejudice?” Sometimes the short time answer may be, “Well it got me what I wanted!” but always the long-term repercussions outweigh any temporary benefit.

When we want to take money out of the bank, we must draw that money from funds that we have invested. Money lending agencies encourage us to take out money we don’t yet have so as they can profit from the interest we will return to them, but eventually we have to pay it all back.

Consider good actions and bad actions as a form of collateral. Bad actions contribute to a pool of negativity. Good actions reinforce our relationship with God. We can only draw strength from what we have invested in. If our actions create a pool of negativity, then we are going to be lost when trouble comes. If we have invested positively in other people’s lives, then when trouble comes, we have the strength of God to draw upon.

Verses 18, 19 and 24 illustrate this well.
“The LORD knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will abide forever; they are not put to shame in evil times, in the days of famine they have abundance.”

Verse 24: “Though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong, for the LORD holds us by the hand”.

In the work God has called me to do I have had the opportunity to observe people from diverse backgrounds in many different circumstances. I have observed one undeniable fact... it is those who have a mature and longstanding Christian faith that are stand the firmest when the tough times come along. There is no guarantee in Christianity against trouble, but there is a guarantee against defeat.

In times of illness, bereavement, or tragedy, it is those who know themselves children of God, not because of any merit of their own, but because of Christ’s death and resurrection… it is those who have invested their lives in seeking to do things God’s way,  who stand firm. They know, from accumulated experience, that God will not abandon them. Yes, they may fall, but they know God is able to pick them up again. Paul, a man well acquainted with setbacks and troubles, wrote to a Roman Church struggling with persecution;

“Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? … No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,  nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”(Romans 8:35-39)

It is those who grow in the knowledge and love of God who gain an understanding that those who cut moral corners never find. ‘Good actions’ build resources into our lives that can hold us when the storms come along. Good actions do not earn for us our salvation. We are saved by grace alone through faith. Good actions, and by good actions I mean actions that are a response and reflection of the goodness of God, reinforce our relationship with God.

Verse 3 through 7 of Psalm 37 outline three principles that can guide people who desire to do good things.

The first principle is found in verse 3 “Trust in the Lord”
That’s the place to begin doing good. Trust that in God’s hand your life will come to no harm. That it will be fruitful and grow. That God only wants the best for you. That God’s love is the love of a perfect parent. Good actions grow out of a good relationship with God.

The second principle is found in verse 4 “Take delight in the Lord”
Some modern translations have, “Seek your happiness in the Lord.” Not everybody associates delight with God. They think of God - and words like service or holiness or wrath or judgment come to mind. They look for happiness elsewhere, in material things, in films or books, food or drink. 

The verse continues, “Take delight in the LORD, and God will give you the desires of your heart.” Until our hearts find their true home in God, they will always be restless. Until our hearts find their center in Christ, we will always be off-center. Until we find the joy of the Holy Spirit, we will always be seeking happiness in other places.

A third principle is verse 5 “Commit your way to the Lord”
Wholehearted, unreserved commitment to God results in God’s will being done in our lives and through our lives transforms the world. We may not see immediate results… verse 7 counsels us… “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently” for God to act.

You may sometimes feel that by holding to God’s standards you are missing out on the things of this world. No matter. The things of this world are temporary and passing. Tempting, yes, but fulfilling, no. We must wait on God, relying on God’s timing. To wait on the Lord is to declare our dependence on God for all we need in life.

Three principles:-
•    Trust in God
•    Delight in God
•    Commit yourself to God.

Does it pay to be good? It’s a question we ask every day in numerous ways. The Psalmist points us towards an answer.

I’ll be honest, there have been times when I have doubted, when I’ve contemplated how, if my life had taken a different path,  I could have earned higher wages, had less responsibility, had more influence, gained more ‘stuff.’ I have questioned whether it pays to be good, whether wholehearted commitment to Jesus Christ pays off in this world.

But times of doubt have been outnumbered by times of blessing. I have discovered things about the love of God and the provision of God that have left me awestruck. I have a wonderful inheritance as part of the family of God. I have a life with an eternal perspective that goes far beyond anything this world can offer.

Following Christ pays great dividends, particularly when times of struggle and trial come our way. Does it pay to be good? There’s only one way to find out. Do it. Try it. Stick with it. Hold to it. Do the kind of good that reflects the goodness of God. Do the kind of good that brings glory to God and makes others feel they are also God’s children.

To God be all praise for His great goodness revealed in Jesus Christ through the action of His Holy Spirit in our midst, Amen.

 The Reverend  Adrian J. Pratt B.D.