Is God Good?
Notes
Transcript
God is good all of the time
God is good all of the time
And when you hear that , it’s not unusual to hear someone else say
“All the time, God is good.”
I have no beef with that - it is a true statement.
However, words have meaning and if you are going to use them, well, you need to know what you are saying.
“God is good.”
I doubt a person in here will dispute that.
But what do we mean by good?
And do we really believe that He is good?
If God is good, what do you do with Exodus 4:10-12? Go ahead and open your Bibles to Exodus 4.
I skipped this last week.
I really wanted to include it in the message last week but it meant too much to me to just brush over it
And frankly, I wanted to make sure that no one has the opportunity to say that we don’t face the hard stuff
And verse 11 is hard.
And verse 11 is personal.
And it makes me ask questions.
So here is what we are going to do today.
We’ll discuss verses 10-12 in context as it was meant for Moses.
But then we’ll look at verse 11 itself and see why this verse points to the goodness of God.
Kids, today might be tough for you.
I’m asking your parents and you to think real hard about God and figure out just what God means in your life.
If you can grasp what we’ll talk about, understanding why God is good could change the way to go to school
And study and talk to your teachers and friends
And how you choose to follow the rest of your life.
This message is that big of a deal.
To help you follow along, here are your three words to be listening for life, good, and we are always listening for Jesus.
Maybe you can have some deep conversations with your mom and dad about this.
So now, what does it mean that God is good?
Hear now the Word of the Lord from Exodus 4:10-12
But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.”
Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?
Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”
This is the Word of the Lord.
The Word of the Lord which says God “makes people mute, deaf and blind.”
Thanks be to God.
Moses is still in front of the burning bush.
YHWH is still speaking to Moses out of the flame.
And Moses is still arguing.
We know that eventually the Lord treats Moses like you do your kid when you tell them to clean up their room.
They whine, cry and pitch a fit but if you stand your ground, they go clean their room.
Moses finally got it through his head that this was his job - so he got busy.
We’ve dealt with all five of Moses objections.
But now I want us to focus in on his fourth objection because of what God said.
In Exodus 4:10 “But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.””
As we said, what Moses was saying was that he wasn’t a fast thinker.
He knows that Pharaoh will disagree and its going to be very confrontational.
And in kind of a humorous way, Moses says, “I’ve never been fast on my feet and talking to you hasn’t changed.
“I’m just as slow now as I was 40 years ago.”
That’s when Yahweh drops the bomb Exodus 4:11 “Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?”
In context that means that Moses has no right to argue with God about how slow thinking he is
Because God is the one who created him that way.
It’s not that the Lord is simply saying, “I am sovereign over everything so you just go and I’ll take care of the rest.
It’s that God is saying, “Moses, I created you exactly as you are.
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I put you together exactly as you are, I know exactly who you are, and I chose you because you are the one I want.
I don’t want us to hang out here, but I do want you to understand this principle.
God created you and He chose you to be His child.
With whatever whatever you have - you really have no right to argue with God about any perceived whatever you might have that makes you think you are whatever.
God knew it when He chose you - and I’m not going to say He loves you in spite of it
I’m going to say He loves you because of it.
He knows everything about us and His perfect compassion compels Him to love us.
So that’s good - that makes sense.
But did you hear verse 11?
Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?
That verse is very personal to me.
My son Luke was born seriously hearing impaired.
You want some dad guilt?
We didn’t find out he was hearing impaired until he was in kindergarten.
Our doctor told us to put our hands over both of our ears and listen
That was Luke’s world.
And all I could think of was how many times I had gone into Luke’s room like a crazed banshee
Yelling at him for not coming when we called him and giving him a whack on his hiney.
What did that little guy endure?
And if God’s word is true, and I believe it is, that was God’s fault.
“Who makes Luke…deaf…? Is it not I, Yahweh?”
I hope you are uncomfortable, I know I am.
I know every commentator and writer I read wasn’t comfortable.
Everyone defended God.
“You can’t take that verse out of context.”
“What that verse says isn’t actually what God means.”
God put it in writing - I think He’s pretty clear.
Now let me say this - my one little wiggle.
Whether the Lord actually knit Luke’s ears together as they are
Or whether it was some environmental, genetic factor brought on by Adam’s sin and the fall of humanity
I don’t know - but does it matter?
If God is sovereign - if He controls all things - whether He directly caused it or if He knew it was going to happen
It doesn’t matter - Yahweh could have made other arrangements - and He didn’t.
I understand fully why anyone would ask, “If the Lord did that or allowed that for my child, how is the Lord good?”
Now I’m trying to not run an hour here, so you’ve got to fill in your own blanks here.
“If the Lord allowed my child to be autistic, to be downs, to have cystic fibrosis or cerebral palsy
“If the Lord allowed my child to have an addictive personality, or be a born liar, or born promiscuous,
“Or gay, or with gender dysphoria, or pick yours...
“If the Lord allowed that hardship to happen in our lives, how is the Lord good? Number 1,
What is Good?
What is Good?
When used as an adjective, good means to be desired or approved of
When used as a noun, it means “that which is morally right or righteous.”
And when used as an adverb it means well
Like “my mother could never cook that as good as you.”
That was in the dictionary - no man alive would ever say that statement of his own volition.
That’s a trap gentlemen - don’t ever go there.
So here’s what we mean when we say God is good.
We are saying He is desirable, that we approve of what we see and know Him to do.
And we are saying that He is morally right - in fact, He’s perfectly morally right.
But that begs my question, “How is it morally right for a child to be born different, with all that is going to entail?
Number 2
The Lord does it for His glory
The Lord does it for His glory
Turn with me to John 9:1-3.
In chapter 8 Jesus has just ticked of the religious crowd so much they wanted to stone him.
What did He say that set them off?
John 8:58 “Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.””
I am - Jesus said, “Before Abraham was - Yahweh.”
If anyone ever says to you that Jesus never claimed He was God, point them to this verse.
I can see how that challenged their thinking - so they wanted to kill him.
So he slipped out of the temple, and then this happened.
As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth.
And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.
To me this story gives lie to every commentator who tried to water down the verse in Exodus.
Does it not say that the man was born the way he was born because God caused it?
John 9:3 “Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”
God set this up, didn’t He?
For what reason?
“That the works of God might be displayed in him.”
I understand what the Lord was doing - but that still doesn’t satisfy me.
Yes, He’s doing it for His glory, but
That makes me feel like a pawn in God’s cosmic chess game.
He gets to show off while my family suffers.
That doesn’t sound good.
So number 3
What is the Lord’s purpose?
What is the Lord’s purpose?
What about doing something so that the works of God might be displayed, makes this good?
Let’s start with the negative.
Let’s define what the Lord’s purpose isn’t.
With our Wednesday Kids’ class, I asked them what God’s punishment was for Adam and Eve’s sin.
They immediately and correctly answered, “They will die.”
Very true - but then I asked - What else?
And I was very happy that a couple of them started coming up with the right answers.
In Genesis 3:16-19
To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.”
And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.
By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Now, let me ask you some questions:
Based on God’s own Words, should we expect our lives ever to be easy? [No]
Should we ever expect to live our lives free of affliction, disease, pain, death? [No]
Should we expect health, wealth and prosperity? [No]
Do you want to know why?
It’s because you and I were never designed for this - God doesn’t want us to get comfortable here.
We were designed for Eden.
We yearn for Eden.
Every time we lament because we hurt, physical, mental, it doesn’t matter, we are lamenting for Eden.
Every time we lament because our dream exploded in our face, the one that was going to give us what we were looking to have, we are lamenting for Eden.
Every broken hearted tear that slips down your face is a lament for paradise lost.
We were designed for Eden.
So what is the Lord’s purpose in our suffering?
Listen to Jesus: John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
Everything this world offers, when you put it before Jesus, it can only steal and kill and destroy your life.
Why?
Because the shiny objects of the world try to convince us that we can live peacefully and happily in this place
Only we can’t.
Because we were designed for Eden, not Jones County.
Jesus came that we might have life and have lots of life.
And that happened in Eden.
And when you trust Jesus and follow Jesus, Eden gets started in your life.
Remember this: Genesis 3:8 “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day...
Adam and Eve walked with God.
We have the Holy Spirit in us, surrounding us, filling us, directing us.
We walk with God right now.
We’ve started our return to Eden.
And because we are headed towards Eden, our purposes have changed.
Our goal is no longer to have the most toys when we die.
To have the best tan.
To have the most comfortable life.
Because we, of all people know, it all ends up in the landfill.
But as a Jesus follower, what we want now, is what Jesus wants.
And if it is His plan that we suffer, then we suffer with dignity and purpose.
Because if we are called to suffer, chances are real good that the Lord will have someone watching.
And Jesus wants them to see salvation in us.
What did Jesus say about the blind man?
John 9:3 “Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”
Your Christ-like suffering might be the thing someone sees that helps them see Jesus so they can suffer nobly and honorably like you.
Your Christ-life sacrifice for your sick husband or wife, you suffering child or mom or dad
Your Christ-likeness might be the inspiration that causes someone to see Jesus and causes them to find the peace they crave.
Because we know this place is not our home and we want them to know that this place is not their home.
We can make this place as comfortable as it can be, but in the end
The tires dry-rot, the upholstery fades, the steel rusts
And it all ends up in a dust heap covered in kudzu.
In Romans 2:4 The apostle Paul says: “... God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance.”
We typically think of repentance in terms of turning from our sin - but it’s more than that.
We don’t just turn from what we were doing, we turn to where Jesus is going.
We turn from our hopes and dreams that will make this life comfortable
To following Jesus back to Eden.
That’s the offer that is in front of us.
Just imagine trading that in, trading something that will give you the best, most perfect life forever
Only to realize that what you have chosen to make you happy has burned up in flames right before your eyes.
Is God Good?
Yes, God is Good.
God would be immoral if He left His people in slavery.
He would be immoral if He didn’t make every effort to call people to Himself and back to Eden.
We would be immoral if we chose our comfort and pleasure over the call of God.
God called Moses to suffer so people could see the works of God.
And Moses led them to the promised land.
One step closer to Jesus.
One step closer to home.
One step closer to Eden.
Yes God is good.
And I’ve learned that I don’t need to make any apologies for Him.
These things that are hard to understand are actually beautiful love songs to Jesus’ bride the Church.
Nahum 1:7 “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.”
Psalm 71:3 “Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come; you have given the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.”
Psalm 25:8 “Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.”
James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
Revelation 22:1–5 “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.”
God is good.
Won’t you join us on our journey?
It will be hard.
It will be painful.
I promise there will be times that you don’t understand why these things happen to you.
Jesus will not wipe every tear from your eyes just yet because this place is not your home.
But you feel it don’t you?
A yearning for home - a yearning for a place of peace - a yearning for someone to show you the way.
Your heart is yearning for Jesus.
Join his family - join us as we do our best to follow Jesus.
Turn from the life that has never truly satisfied you
Turn to Jesus.
In a moment we’ll sing and I’ll be down front.
If you can’t stand it anymore and you’ve got to know Jesus
Come see me, or Austin, Matthew or anyone in here.
They will help you on your journey to Eden.
Let us pray: