The Goodness of God

These days you have your choice of where to get your news: cable news channels, websites, social media, friends, newspapers? You can get any perspective you want, but they all agree on one thing:

Is the world getting better or worse?

Chaos

Oppression

Scarcity

Injustice

What if you had a cable news channel made up of the saints? What would they say? That’s what Psalm 145 is.

Psalm 145 NIV

I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts. They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty— and I will meditate on your wonderful works. They tell of the power of your awesome works— and I will proclaim your great deeds. They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. All your works praise you, Lord; your faithful people extol you. They tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, so that all people may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does. The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever.

II. The Perspective of the Psalm

They see the world differently:

There is authority over the nations (13)

The oppressed are heard (14)

There is plenty to go around. (15-16)

There is justice for the righteous and the wicked. (17-20)

They don’t see it as getting worse or getting better. They see it as unshakably good.

Why do they see it that way? (v. 4-7)

Because they are sharing their testimony, one generation to another.

It takes a congregation to grasp the goodness of God.

II. The Isolated Perspective (Cain?)

You might say, of course that’s what a bunch of religious people say. They’re just biased.

We are all biased—in order to flourish, people need to believe in a good world.

Children need to feel cared for and loved by their caregivers.

Teens need to feel accepted and approved of by their community.

Young adults need to feel welcomed into the world of adults.

Middle adults need to feel that they are a meaningful part of something good.

Seniors need to feel that they still have value, even when they can’t “produce.”

But we are actually prejudiced against seeing the world that way.

Surveys about world vs. personal

The bad things we see in the world are usually abstract, statistics, etc.

In actual facts, things are not worse.

Fake news, alternative facts, panic.

Isolation makes us prejudiced against God’s goodness.

My perspective is biased (the terrible twos)

I notice all the things I don’t like, can’t control. They stick out more than the good things.

My problems are the worst I have ever experienced.

If I don’t understand what you are doing, then you must be part of the problem.

Think about Cain:

He was living outside the garden, but still in God’s good creation. He had a great sheep-herding business going. Life wasn’t perfect, but the world was still good. Then something happens:

Genesis 4:4–5 NIV

And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

Cain is overcome with anger. Why? This is literally the worst thing that has ever happened to him.

But God speaks into his isolation (This is the only time God does this—maybe because Cain had no community?)

Genesis 4:6–7 NIV

Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”

Why are you angry? Just try again.

Isolation actually makes it worse.

Isolation makes us resent each other, compete with each other, blame each other.

Cain blames Abel, even though Abel had nothing to do with it.

Genesis 4:8 NIV

Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

Cain lashes out at his brother. And what is the consequence?

Genesis 4:10–11 NIV

The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.”

Cain is driven away from people, which actually does make his world worse.

We blame others—the other party, the other generation, those people.

Those are the people we need in order to flourish.

Cain has to go off wandering aimlessly, not because of a terrible world, but because he has cut himself off from God’s goodness.

It takes a congregation to grasp the goodness of God.

III. The Perspective of the Congregation

The testimony of the congregation shows us a fuller perspective of the world.

The praise of Psalm 145:8-13 is based on experience:

They know he is forgiving because of Sinai (8-9)

They know that he provides because of the manna

They know that he reigns because they have watched empire after empire crumble into dust at the feet of the kingdom of God.

They choose to look for his goodness, rather than for the bad.

Not because they are privileged or comfortable.

Lamentations 3:19–23 NIV

I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

And finally, Jesus Christ, who endured the cross knowing that he would be vindicated by God’s goodness.

They bring together every generation.

Each generation is a guard against the prejudices of life

The older generations:

Perspective—our problems are not the only problems

Testimony—God has seen us through

Wisdom—there are solutions

Younger Generations:

Wonder—they remind us of the beauty and wonder that we have gotten used to.

Trust—they remind us of what it looks like to trust in a god who is bigger than us.

Vision—they hold us to the full promise of scripture, because they have not learned to lower their expectations.

It takes a congregation to grasp the goodness of God.

Conclusion

Our community needs good news.

Everyone agrees that human beings need a good foundation in order to flourish.

They need to live in a community that is built on a good foundation.

They need relationships with other people, with other perspectives, other backgrounds, that reassure them of the goodness of the world.

They are not getting that anywhere else.

Nowhere else brings together people across generations and backgrounds.

Nowhere else can offer the assurance of a good world.

Our assurance comes from a good God and a good Savior.

People need a church.

Look at our church

Retired Christians

Families moving in.

How many of you could have dinner with three generations today?

We have an opportunity

I have spent so much time on programming, trying to have the right offering of groups and lessons and events.

I couldn’t get them to work. God didn’t give us enough small group leaders.

Whenever I dropped the ball, I felt like, “now is when the church falls apart.”

But it never did. Why?

Because the most important thing happening in this church—the best thing happening in this church—is the relationship, the encouragement, the mutual reminder of God’s goodness.

Now we have an opportunity

Staff openings allow us to restructure.

I don’t want to mess this up by rushing it. We’re going to take time discerning as a congregation.

Bear with us. Talk with us. Lean in.

What do we do?

Listen to the testimony of God’s goodness.

Add your testimony of God’s goodness.

Go out and share our testimony of God’s goodness.