“Why Do You Call Me Good?”

Mark 10:17-22  As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’*” “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.” Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
The question here is – Do you really know WHO you are praying to?  WHO you are singing to?
He is asking, “Why do YOU call Me good?”  Whose standard of ‘good’ are you using?
Definitions of ‘good’:

• to be desired or approved of
• having qualities required for particular role
• possessing or displaying moral virtue
• giving pleasure; enjoyable or satisfying

Romans 3:10-12 As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous – not even one.  No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God.  All have turned away; all have become useless.  No one does good, not a single one.”
Romans 3:23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
John 10:11-13 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don't belong to him and he isn't their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. The hired hand runs away because he's working only for the money and doesn't really care about the sheep.
The GOOD Shepherd came to deal with the problem of sin.
Romans 3:24 Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous.  He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty for our sins.
Romans 3:27 Can we boast then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God?  No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law.  It is based on faith.
“Good enough” is not a spectrum by which we can be measured.
By God’s standard, none are ‘good enough,’ nor will we ever be ‘good enough.’
We are to ‘do good,’ and to ‘be good,’ but not as a means to try to earn or to retain God’s favor.
Faith in His grace is essential
So, why do YOU call Him good?