God Is Good

It is youth Sunday. But, I want to start the sermon off with an old saying.

If you know the response (young or old), go ahead and shout it out.

God is good… (Audience) all the time. And all the time… (Audience) God is good.

This old saying is one that needs to make a comeback.

Too many in the culture (and dare I say too many in the church) have a distorted view of God as this angry God who has made it His primary concern to smite sinners and all who stray from His path.

Now, make no mistake about it, God is a holy God to be found by a holy people. He will not lower His standard of righteousness.

But God’s goal in the cosmos is not centered around smiting sinners and making people pay for the wrong they have done.

That’s why what we see in the text is fundamental to a proper understanding of God.

If we are going to be ambassadors of God’s kingdom it is imperative that we recognize that at the heart of reality is a good and generous God.

God is good (all the time). And all the time (God is good).

The title of the sermon this morning is the first lesson that God teaches His people as He is shaping them in the wilderness. And here’s the lesson: GOD IS GOOD!

PRAYER

In this narrative of Exodus, we see that The situation is bad. But, God is good.

The people of Israel were in the wilderness facing thirst and starvation.

They were in the desert.

As they moved south toward Mount Sinai, they left one wilderness (Shur) for another (Sin), and an entire month had gone by.

There were no streams.

There were not a lot of animals to hunt.

There were no grocery stores.

No fast food restaurants.

No DoorDash.

No Uber East

Buying or finding food and water in the wilderness would have been extremely difficult, and the resources they had brought with them out of Egypt were surely depleted.

They’re lips were chapped.

They’re stomachs were growling.

They’re children were crying.

They’re energy was depleted.

But in the midst of the bad situation, God was trying to teach the people a lesson about Himself:

That even when the situation is bad, they don’t have to fear.

Because while your situation may have turned bad, God is good.

He makes streams in the desert.

He gives bread to the hungry.

GOD DOES NOT DIVERT HIS EYES FROM YOUR SUFFERING.

We do not have a High Priest who cannot be touched by the feeling of our infirmities.

He knows your hurts.

And He catches every tear in His bottle.

Your money might be funny

Your body might be weak

Your marriage might be on the ropes

Your friends might have turned their backs on you

Your career might be in crisis

Your children might be astray

All your resources might be zapped

Your responsibilities might has you overwhelmed

Beloved, I came to tell you, if your are in the middle of a bad situation, trust in God. Because He will demonstrate His goodness.

Because God is good (all the time). And all the time (God is good).

The people’s behavior is bad. But, God is good.

Unfortunately, the people of Israel never heard this sermon.

They were living the text.

And they did not understand God’s goodness.

So, they grumbled and complained against God and against Moses.

The people did the wrong thing.

They made God upset.

But, listen to what God says in this moment when He is clearly angry.

Verse 12 of Exodus 16: “I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God.’ ”

As a parent, I am challenged by this.

I have to confess, I don’t normally reflect the character of God on this score.

How many of us parents get mad like God gets mad in this text?

I’m so upset with you…sit down and let me bless you.

I’m so angry…I’m taking you out to lunch.

You made me so mad…I’m gonna remodel your whole bedroom

Even though they were responding to God in all the wrong ways, God did not smite them in the wilderness.

God gave them food.

God gave them water.

And God even gave them something they didn’t even realize that they needed…God gave them rest.

You were 400 years in slavery.

You had to struggle with Pharaoh for your freedom.

You’ve been wandering a full month in the wilderness…YOU NEED TO TAKE A BREAK.

Sometimes beloved, what people really need is rest and relaxation.

Even though the people’s behavior was bad. God demonstrated His goodness toward them.

Because God is good (all the time). And all the time (God is good).

The church can’t be bad. Because God is good.

Some of the reason (NOW I’M NOT SAYING THIS IS THE WHOLE REASON) but some of the reason that people have this hard, angry image of God is because they have seen a hard, angry image of the church.

The reason they think God is cold and unkind is because they’ve encountered too many Christian who are cold and unkind.

The reason they think God is angry is because we’re always mad.

The reason they think that the blessings of God are only for perfect people is because we pretend to be perfect and don't know how to love people who don’t know how to act.

I don’t think it can ever be preached any better, so I simply remind us of the words of Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount:

Mt 5:43–48

43 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and [so you] hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. 46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47 If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. 48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

If we are going to be ambassadors of God’s kingdom, we must be ambassadors of God’s goodness.

We must be Water to the thirsty.

We must be Food for the hungry.

We must be Rest for the weary.

We must be A voice for the voiceless.

We must be Shelter for the unhoused.

People ought to experience the goodness of God whenever they encounter the people of God.

It is not just about physical needs. These are but a metaphor for the Gospel.

Jesus is the true bread that comes down from heaven. All who eat that bread will never be hungry again.

Holy Spirit is the precious water that Christ offers…whoever drinks will never thirst again.

The throne room of God is place of true sabbath rest and Jesus has open a way for all to come and lay down the burdens of this life.

The good works we do, beloved, lay the foundation for the Good News that we preach.

I want to end this message with a challenge the young people of this church.

We’re about to enter the Fall season…there are a number of natural opportunities to do good.

There are people who are in bad situations, and they need know that God is good.

There are people who have carried on all kinds of bad behavior. And they need to know that even in the face of their bad behavior, God is good.

I’m challenging our youth to lead us in a goodness campaign this Fall.

There are people in our communities who are in bad situations.

They don’t food to eat.

They don’t have clothes to where.

They don’t have access to rest and recreation.

AND THEY NEED TO KNOW THAT EVEN WHEN THE SITUATION IS BAD, GOD IS GOOD.

Some of the people that God will cause us to serve have demonstrably bad behavior.

They don’t trust God.

And they are out there doing all the things…I don’t have to make a list because you know.

BUT THEY NEED TO KNOW THAT EVEN IN THE FACE OF THEIR BAD BEHAVIOR, GOD IS GOOD.

BECAUSE GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME. AND ALL THE TIME, GOD IS GOOD.

I’m challenging the youth to lead us. And I’m challenging the adults in the church to support our youth.

I want to pray for our youth and youth leaders that God will use them in the next several months to lead us in doing GOOD works and sharing the GOOD news.