God is Good

Intro

God is good all the time, and all the time God is good

Life gets tough at times, and before life got tough God was good, when life gets tough God is still good

When we see life get tough for people a verse we like to tell people is Jeremiah 29:11

Jeremiah 29:11 ESV

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

And we often apply it out of context let us go back to verse 10

This was not written to us, but it is written for us—to remind us of the same faithful character of God who keeps His promises to His people.

Jeremiah 29:10–14 ESV

“For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

Let us be honest what would felt so prosperous about Babylon...for 70 years.

And this was a message for the future of Israel

Now this is not to say when life is tough this verse has no bearing, because it does.

It reminds me my hope is not in my current situation, and my current situation is not a negative reflection of my God

It reminds me the pain I am facing now may be so others down the road can experience the goodness of God at a deeper level

But most importantly it reminds me of where my hope and my future is, and that is in the Lord.

If you would this morning open to the book of Acts chapter 7 (also mark Genesis 12) where God reminded me of his goodness and that the events of this past week we faced did not take him by surprise

The God of Glory (Abraham's Story)

Abraham was living a comfortable life in Mesopotamia, a normal life, and then the God of glory appeared to him

In that moment his perception of this world would start to get flipped to not a life based on earthly comfort but eternal hope

After experiencing the glory of God, he is led to Canaan and what happens shortly after arriving there, famine strikes the land. Which leads to his journey to Egypt and eventually his journey would bring him back to the promise land

So often in our minds we have this picture of when i encounter the glory of God it is going to be a smooth ride, all I got to say is go read your Bible

God lead Abraham out of a normal life to a place where God knew things were going to go wrong quickly

As we follow God how often has that been your story?

In those moments how easy is it to loose sight of the goodness of God and do something foolish, exactly what Abraham did

When he goes to Egypt to escape famine does he act honestly? No he tells the Pharoah that Sarah is his sister, and then when Pharoah makes a move on her thinking she is a single lady, he gets afflicted

When things get tough it is all the more important we remember that God is good all the time

That we continue despite the circumstances to continuously focus on the glory of God, to look how He is shaping us through the affliction

Remember also that how we respond, how we take in affliction does not just effect us

Abrahams words he spoke led people down a path of pain

When life has given you a bad hand do words of life or death come out of your mouth

Proverbs 18:21 ESV

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

The words Abraham spoke here were words of death, would the way he dealt with Pharoah in any way make him want to consider God? No, he had the opposite affect of wanting to distance himself from him

When life gets bad, we want to behave in such a way that makes people want to distance themselves from us. Life gets bad we get bitter

We get bitter and just expect the world is out to get us even more (Abrahams mindset)

Let us have moment of tears, of anger etc. but don’t let that be what defines the season

Let the season be defined by:

Thankfulness

For doors that opened

The time we have

peace and joy that sustains

Serving

In your pain how can you serve?

Serving should be a constant in the believers life

No off seasons

Philippians 2:5–11 ESV

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Forgiveness

Exactly what Steven does at the end of this sermon

Sometimes life gets tough because of wrongs from other people

Do not cause yourself extra pain by holding onto resentment

Let it go and leave the wrath to God and the systems he put into place to carry out judicial processes

Worship

Psalm 34:1–3 ESV

I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!

Remember this was written by David in a tumultuous time, not a time easy to praise, he was on the run for his life

Worship helps keep our eyes where they need to be. We need to hear ourselves say: God is good all the time

Promised

Let us be honest the promise Abraham was told in Genesis 12:2 probably did not seem like a possibility in many moments

Genesis 12:2 ESV

And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

What do we got to remember about the promises though?

It is in God’s timing

This great nation would not enter into that land until almost 500 years later

Many times seeing the fulfillment of promises is not seen on this side of eternity but on the other side

At time the fruit may not blossom in time for you to see it

2 Corinthians 1:20 ESV

For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.

The promises are bigger than your little three foot circle, the promises are how does this work in context of the body

The primary focus of the promises is not so you can be blessed, but so you can be a blessing to others

So when reading the promises of God ask yourself not how this blesses me, but how can I use this promise to bless others

Romans 8:28 ESV

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

How does this promise effect others? my misfortune may relocate /rearrange me to a position where I can better serve others or meet others I would have not met otherwise.

Jeremiah 29:10–14 ESV

“For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

My testimony may call people to repentance and show the faithfulness of God even at the times that I was unfaithful

Outro

“Before life got tough, God was good. When life got tough, He was still good. And when this life is over, He will still be good for all eternity. His goodness isn’t dependent on the situation—it’s the anchor through it. Like Abraham, we’re called not to interpret God’s character by our circumstances but to interpret our circumstances through God’s character. Babylon (Jeremiah 29) was not the end of Israel’s story, just as famine wasn’t the end of Abraham’s. Every exile, every famine, every trial is simply the stage where God’s faithfulness proves itself once again.”

Application Points (Practical Takeaways)

1. Remember His Character

When you can’t see His hand, remember His heart. → Even in the famine or the exile, God’s goodness has not changed.

2. Respond with Worship

Psalm 34 reminds us to “bless the Lord at all times.” → Worship reorients our hearts to the truth that God is still worthy—even when life hurts.

3. Release Bitterness and Choose Forgiveness

Like Stephen, forgive those who have wronged you. → Don’t let bitterness block your view of God’s goodness.

4. Remain Faithful in Service

Abraham’s faith journey wasn’t about comfort—it was about calling. → Keep serving even when it hurts; God works most powerfully in surrendered seasons.

5. Rest in God’s Promises

His promises may take longer than you expect, but they never fail. → The promise was sure even during 70 years in Babylon—and so is yours.

6. Reflect His Goodness to Others

Your trial may be the testimony someone else needs. → Let your story display His faithfulness even when yours wavered.