Searching for God 2
Searching for God • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Announcements
Announcements
REC NIGHT (Capture the Flag)
On Wednesday, September 4th from 6:30-8:00 join us as the Walkertown Campus and North campus go head to head in an epic game of capture the flag at Horizons park! This night is going to be so much fun and will be a great way for you to invite a first time guest.
MERCH DROP
In a few weeks, we are rolling out our 24-25 REVO Students merch line! For the low price of $15 you can get yourself a handful of stickers, a REVO Students branded notebook, and our vision shirt for the year!
Baptism
September 22nd is baptism! If you have never been baptized we are having a Baptism class in the student room during small group!
Student rGroup
We have Student rGroup next Monday at 6:00 PM at Dario in King! Come and hangout! We are diving into the small books of the Bible!
XTREME WINTER
We teased it last week, and this week we are so excited to talk about it! Xtreme Winter is HERE! Grab a friend and sign up for the best weekend of the year. On December 27th - 29th join us as we head to Gatlinburg TN to stay for 2 nights in a hotel on the Gatlinburg strip, go to 4 packed sessions with dynamic teaching and engaging worship, and build relationships as we continue to “Love God, and Love Others.”
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Intro
Intro
One thing that is prevalent in our culture today is the pursuit of things that are good
We are so quick to do a couple of things:
Share with everyone we know about how Taco Mama is the best restaurant you’ve ever ate it
How Jordan Love is the best QB in the league and will be considered the GOAT by the end of his career
How Reeses are the best candy and you’re crazy if you disagree
How PE is the best subject
We are so quick to share and tell people about things we think are good
So quick to anoint things as the greatest ever
Well in this series called “searching for God” we are answering some of the most common questions you will get asked if people find out you’re a Christian
Last week we sought to answer the question: Does God love?
So many people question the idea of does God love and show love
Today we are looking at a similar question — almost an extension of that question
This week we are answering another question:
How do we know God is good?
That is a question that a lot of people have — even if they don’t ask it
The question of is God good causes us to question if we should follow God
The answer to this question determines if we should do what He says
People look around today at everything that happens, all the pain and tend to ask the question: Is God good?
Maybe you have even asked this question — why should I follow God? He can’t be good
Listen to what Jesus says
18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.
Jesus however declares that God is good
More specifically He declares that God alone is good
Let that sink in for a moment — the question is God good — is so crazy because of the answer we receive
Jesus tells us that God alone is good!
Nothing else that has existed, exists, or will exist is good — solely that God is good
That means that God is nothing but good — He cannot do or be anything but good
Listen to what else the Bible tells us
8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
David the author of Psalm 34 tells us that we only need to taste and see that the Lord is good
That if we go to God and be with Him we will realize that He is good
That God alone is good
So I want to give you three ways you can taste and see that the Lord is good
God’s creation
God’s creation
The first way we see that God is good:
We see God is good through creation
31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
God in His goodness gives us creation
He created everything and upon creating it he said it is good
God shows His goodness through creation — not just in Genesis when He created everything, but also in His care for His creation
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
Jesus tells us in Matthew 6 that in God’s goodness He cares and takes care of each and every bird
Birds that mind you do nothing for God — yet He knows them and takes care of them
Jesus then reminds us that if God is good through this small moment with insignificant things, of course He can take care of us
We can experience God’s goodness when we remember and see how He takes care of all of creation
We can taste and see God’s goodness when we realize that He is holding all things together
God’s gifts
God’s gifts
The second way we see that God is good:
We see God is good through His gifts
Listen to what James the brother of Jesus said:
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.
James is telling us that all good things come from God
That everything we experience as good comes from God
That since God is good — the only thing that is good — that means the only gifts
That means the things we experience, the things that come from God — they are all good things
Listen to how Jesus describes it
11 What father among you, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?13 If you then, although you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Jesus tells us that God gives us good gifts
He is reminding us that if we can give gifts that are good — if we can do the right thing they are simply modeling what God can do
He tells us that if we can give and do the right things — give good presents — of course God who is fully and truly good can and will give good gifts
I think so often we forget the fact that God is giving us good gifts
More than that I think we miss out on what God’s gifts are
Here is some of the gifts that God is giving us daily:
Oxygen for us to breath
Our heart to pump blood
Thought and speech
These are all things we take for granted — yet they have to happen and exist or we don’t
All of these things are from God — all of these things are given to us and given freely — why? Because God is good
Because God gives us good gifts
Quite literally everything we experience that is good is from God
God gives gifts that are good and that ties into the last way we can see that God gives good gifts
God’s grace
God’s grace
The last way we see that God is good:
We see God is good through His grace
We experience God’s goodness fully and truly not just through His creation, or His gifts, but through His grace
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
The best way we experience His goodness is through His grace
Grace is the unmerited divine favor of God
That means we are saved through unmerited divine favor — we did nothing and can do nothing to receive His saving work
Our sin separates us yet God in His goodness shows us grace
God’s goodness is expressed ultimately through the giving of His son
Our sin separated us from God — it tainted all of creation
Yet God being good, sent Jesus to save us from our sin — His grace and mercy are the ultimate ways we see that God is good
Jesus’ death on the cross is the ultimate goodness!
Conclusion
Conclusion
Is God good? Yes
Absolutely!
