Beholding His Goodness Part 1
Beholding His Goodness • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Moving in God’s Goodness
Moving in God’s Goodness
The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.
In Genesis 1:2-4 we see God’s first act of making things happen within our realm of time and space. However, note that in verse two we see that the actions result from God speaking and the fact that God was “moving”.
In fact, the word in Hebrew used here is רָחַף rachaph meaning “to be moved”. It refers to being affected by something or moved by something such as a strong love or compassion. Therefore, it implies being moved to act on behalf of that which He cherishes.
If you have ever been questioned as to God’s motive for creation, now you know. It was His love for you. According to Jeremiah 1:5, He knew you before He formed you in your mother’s womb. In fact, He knew you before your mother’s womb was even formed.
Unfortunately, so many take this to mean that in God’s omniscience He contradicts His sovereignty and holiness for you to commit sinful acts of willful disobedience and get away with calling it grace. Let me make this clear. God’s omniscience does not cheapen His grace or compromise His sovereignty.
The point is that everything God does He does because of His great love. Even His wrath is moved by His great love. How does that make sense? As a father, I never once instilled discipline to my children because I was outraged that they had trespassed against me but because they had violated precepts or principles that were or lead to sinful patterns in life.
In our martial arts ministry we promoted a young man to the rank of red belt. Master John told him that from this point on increased technical standards would be expected, but more so, we would expect to see increased leadership skills that begin at home and school. I reinforced this to all of our younger students that this begins with honor.
The reason God commanded that children honor their parents, in Exodus 20:12, is so the parents as well would understand the value of honor. Honor is at the essence of good leadership. Honor produces integrity, character, humility, patience, relationship skills, people skills and so many other leadership character attributes. It impacts ones attitude, motives, responses, choices and overall behavioral patterns. If they will not honor their parents they will not grow to honor God or others.
When we live a life that honors God, He is rachaph or His great loved is moved in our direction. When we draw upon His great love by reciprocating our love towards Him, this is honor. When we live a life of holy honor we can behold His goodness.
In Genesis 1:2-4 God was moved by His great love and value of us that He acted by first giving us “the light.” And the light was a reflection of God’s great goodness. We see this illustrated throughout Scripture.
It is difficult to “behold” God’s goodness if you are either moving in the wrong direction away from God or standing stagnant and not in pursuit of God.
What happens when a body of water stands still? All kinds of things begin to live and grow in it. All kinds of critters make it their home. All kinds of fungus starts to grow in it. Finally, it can become a pond of poison. Have you ever heard the phrase, “That person is toxic”? Why does someone become considered “toxic”? Because of their heart condition, their behavior, the way they treat others, their negative attitudes, their pessimism, and a host of other attitudes and conduct that are not becoming of a true disciple of Jesus Christ.
What happens when a person becomes sedentary? Studies show that inactivity leads to chronic low-grade inflammation. This can lead to insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome, impaired kidney function, muscle atrophy and numerous other health issues that often lead to emotional and mental issues such as manic depression and suicide.
If a lack of movement can become so detrimental to you in the natural realm, what impact will it have on your spiritual wellbeing? There is something spiritually, emotionally, mentally, relationally and physically healthy about seeking and living in the goodness of God. To always be moving in God’s direction is not only spiritually healthy but healthy in many other ways. Too often, we want God to move in our direction while we refuse to move all. A healthy disciple is a moving disciple.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Does this mean you never experience, in the flesh, times that are valley points? We always look at the hero high points in Scripture. But look at their low points as well for a testimony of God’s goodness. Look at Elijah after this great defeat of the Prophets of Baal.
But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”
Even the Apostle Paul faced times of despair. But, in “the light” of the knowledge of the Lord he was able to behold the goodness of God even in the valley of death.
For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.
So, how does a believer not become spiritually stagnant and experience spiritual atrophy?
The word “behold” in Hebrew is חָזָה chazah meaning to perceive or to have vision. But it also means to prophesy. One context of prophesy is to speak divine oracles or to speak in the authority of God. Here we can see the connection between God moving and speaking in creation, God moving and speaking through the prophets in Scripture, God speaking and moving in the Early Church and God speaking and moving in and through your life. The ability to behold God’s goodness was considered a gift from God. When you have truly encountered God’s goodness you cannot help but declare His goodness to those around you.
Throughout Scripture we see God is always moving and speaking throughout history to point us in His direction, draw us to Himself and reveal His goodness. We were created in God’s goodness, we were created to live in God’s goodness, God had a plan to redeem us by His great goodness that we might once again live daily by and in His goodness.
The word “goodness” or tov טוֹב is defined in various forms. It conveys goodness in context of morality, character, quality and several other descriptors. But no matter how you use it, it still reveals the nature and attributes of God. God is righteous, beautiful, loving, gracious, just, redeeming and so much more.
In my years of ministry, I have witnessed so many who accepted the gift of Christ’s salvation and redemption but never practiced surrender to His Lordship. They get saved but stop there. I have also seen others grow in ministry but not grow in Christ. They do lots of ministry activities but stay spiritually stagnant. Just because you are doing ministry movements does not mean you are moving closer to God. In our martial arts class we have some students who do the movements in class but if they do not increase in their technique, speed, knowledge and audacity then they do not progress or move up in the ranks. If at some point we do not see leadership maturity they do not advance to the higher ranks. Because if we do advance them they become gifted leaders with detrimental character.
The Apostle Paul often used the analogy of a runner.
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain.
holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.2 Tim 4:7
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
The Apostle Paul compares this life in Christ to a runner who is not running to compete but to complete. And the prize is Christ Himself eternal. It does no good to register for the marathon, get a number, go the distance at your own pace, take detours here and there and do others things along the way that in the end you find yourself disqualified. What are you saying Pastor? I was never taught about the possibility of being disqualified?
The qualifier is Lordship of Christ. There are numerous ways to become disqualified such as running the race but on the wrong route or running in the wrong direction. How about taking shortcuts. There are no spiritual shortcuts in the Kingdom of God. Listen to the Apostle Paul speaking to young Timothy.
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,
treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions,
always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.
Too many professing culturally carnal Christians think they are running the race but they refuse to recognize that daily they are disqualifying themselves. They do not have the mind of Christ, they refuse to let the Fruit of the Holy Spirit mold and shape them. They lack any spiritual discipline and their spiritual core is weak. In martial arts all movement is about strengthening your bodies core. It is from the core that you generate power and strength. Even my physician tells me that to reduce back pain I have to strengthen my core. He tells me that as I get older if I will work to keep my core stronger it will prevent other physical health issues.
So, let me leave you with some spiritual instruction for moving in God’s goodness:
Stay spiritual nourished on the Word of God. It is your daily bread.
Stay spiritually hydrated in the Holy Spirit through your prayer life. Drink from the well daily.
Stay spiritually strong through intimate worship both privately and corporately.
Stay moving in the right direction through relational accountability.
Stay qualified in your heart, character, attitudes, words, and actions towards God and others.
Build your spiritual core through times of solitude with God where you just listen and meditate on the Word of God. Take times to fast for no other reason than to be self-controlled and in pursuit of God. You also strengthen your spiritual core by selflessly serving others both individually and corporately. Finally, you strengthen your spiritual core by remaining grateful, focusing on God’s goodness in your life and sharing it others.
One of the things that should be evident in the Christians life is that they have encountered the goodness of God, the best of who He is that is the Christ, and it has transformed them. The true follower of Christ, the absolute goodness of God, lives daily beholding His goodness. It is this goodness of God that defines their entire being. When I fail to remember His goodness to me and that all that is good in my life is only because of Him, this is when I allow flesh to rule. So, when we behave as toxic Christians, we have failed to behold His goodness. There should be no such contradiction as a toxic Christian. Scripture admonishes us to remember and practice His goodness daily. It is easy for the flesh to cause us that we are children of His goodness. We are carries of His goodness. Are you a carrier of the goodness of God.
Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!
