The Goodness of God

THE GOODNESS OF GOD

INTRODUCTION

Great to see everyone tonight! It's really great to be here tonight and to have a chance to speak with you. I appreciate everyone who's here, and everyone who is tuning in via Facebook.

Let us bow for a quick word of prayer.

Father, we thank you that you have gone to great lengths to show us your glory, your majesty, your goodness, and your love for us. I pray from my heart that you would give all of us a deeper understanding of your love and goodness. Because Father, we need that deep understanding of your love and goodness to us in order for us to learn how to love you with all of our hearts, our souls, our minds, and our strength. And it is only with this deep love for you that we have any hope of living the lives that you have called us to live. We pray this in the name and through the blood of Jesus Christ, the king of Kings and Lord of Lords. Amen.

I want to speak a tonight about the goodness of God. The goodness of God.

And I need to start off by telling you something. As I was

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considering over the last couple of weeks what to speak about tonight, I went over several different topics in my mind, prayed about them. I asked God to give me some direction about what to speak about. And you know, I just never really felt any particular leading about any of those subjects. So I kept praying and kept seeking the Lord and his guidance for what to speak about. But at the end of the day just didn’t have a sense that there was any real leading from the Lord to speak about any of those things. So fast-forward to a week ago today. The Chris Tomlin concert in Warner Robins was last Wednesday. Fantastic experience. Wonderful time of praise and worship alongside other believers who were there to do the same thing. And so much of Chris Tomlin’s music is centered on this idea of God being a good God. It’s just such a simple message. This idea that the creator of the universe, the one who breathed galaxies into existence with nothing more than his words… The same, incredibly powerful, majestic God, loves us and is good to us. So as I’m listening to this music, I thought, “ THAT’S what you talk about. The goodness of God.”

Isn’t that a simple message? It’s a message so simple that it can’t help but be beautiful.

Now let me take a step further and ask another question… isn’t the gospel of Jesus Christ a simple message in itself?

John 3:16 NIV] 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

[Rom 5:8 NIV] 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 30.8

[Rom 10:9-10 NIV] 9 If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

Perfectly simple message. So simple that a child could understand it. As humans, we’re in a mess, but the good news – THE GOSPEL – is that he made a way for us to get out of that mess. And what’s more, HE PAID THE PRICE to get out of the mess that we’re in. We just have to believe that He paid the price, and trust him with our lives.

Simple and beautiful. Nothing complicated about that message. And that’s exactly how he created it to be. He never intended his communication to us to be difficult to understand. He intended his message to be received like a child hears their parent speaking.

[Mat 18:3 NIV] 3 And he said: "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Simplicity. Easy to understand. That’s how he wants us to take things. And that’s how he wants our hearts.

So this message is sort of a “get back to basics” message.

So let’s talk a little bit about the goodness of God. And I want to look at the goodness of God from two perspectives.

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First I want to talk about the Gods goodness as he has expressed it through his creation.

We see the beauty of God’s creation everywhere we look. I think we would all agree that a sunrise is beautiful. A sunset is beautiful. Butterflies and waterfalls and rainbows and fall foliage are beautiful. And all this beauty in creation is an expression of the glory and goodness of Almighty God. And the fact that he gives us eyes to see these things is his way of saying “Hey kid I made something really great, and I want you to enjoy it with me.“

See beauty all around us every day. He has surrounded us with it on this earth.

But let’s get away from our earth for just a second and talk about the creation we see above us.

[Psa 19:1-2 NIV] 1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.

When we go outside at night and look at the night sky, we are looking at a message to us from our Heavenly Father. God is SPEAKING TO US through His creation. Again, the beauty of creation communicates to us about God’s glory and His majesty, but also HIS POWER. It’s really beyond our comprehension just how BIG the universe is. Astronomers tell us that in the visible night sky, there are roughly a few thousand stars we can see with the naked eye. All those stars are part of the Milky Way galaxy. But those stars are so far away from us that we don’t even

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measure them in miles. We measure them in “Light-Years”. One light year is about 6 TRILLION miles. That’s 6 Million MILLION miles. The closest star to us is a star called Proxima Centuri. That star is 4.3 light-years from earth. 4.3 LY is about 25 Trillion miles away. And that’s the CLOSEST star. If you got in your vehicle and drove nonstop going 70 MPH, it would take you over 40 Million Years to drive that distance. The closest star is 4.3 LY. The center of the Milky Way galaxy is over 26,000 LY away from earth. We’re getting into some really big numbers here. And we’re still just talking about the galaxy where we exist. Go on past the outer limits of the Milky Way galaxy, and astronomer say there are billions and billions of other galaxies just like the Milky Way. The size of this universe is something that will really hurt your brain if you get to thinking about it.

There is beauty untold in the cosmos – and all this vast beauty reflects the glory, majesty, and power of Almighty God. But you know what the crazy thing is? The Bible tells us that God created all of that with his WORDS. He literally breathed galaxies into existence. I confess that I cannot wrap my mind around this sort of power and Majesty. My three pound brain is only capable of understanding so much. After a certain point human words just fail to do the job.

Our universe is truly amazing to behold.

Let’s come back down from the stars for a second and talk about something a little closer to home. Let’s look at one of God’s masterpieces – the human being.

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If you take a human body and start to break it down into smaller and smaller pieces, you will eventually get down to the level of a “cell”. We’ve all heard of cells before – red blood cells, white blood cells, sperm cells, egg cells, skin cells, liver cells, brain cells, FAT cells, muscle cells, kidney cells, nerve cells, and so on and so on. Each type of tissue in the body is made out of cells. And the amazing thing about each cell is that it is a marvel of engineering. Each cell is like a microscopic factory, every one with a specific purpose. Skin cells don’t do the same thing that brain cells do. Brain cells don’t do the same thing that muscle cells do. They all have different functions. And what’s really awesome -- each cell contains its own internal blueprint for what its supposed to do. That’s the DNA. DNA is to a cell like software is to a computer – it controls everything that happens in it. It’s like a built-in factory manager.

And since i’ve used a factory as an analogy, let’s talk about a man-made factory for comparison. Take the biggest factory on earth – the Boeing Factory in Everett, Washington. This is the factory that produces the Boeing 747 and other wide body jets. This factory has over 30,000 employees, and sits on over 1,000 acres of land. But in all its size and complexity, the Boeing Factory is not is complex as the most simple cell in your body. It’s not even close. And your body has over 30 Trillion of these microscopic factories, all working together.

[Psa 139:13-14 NIV] 13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Our bodies are indeed fearfully and wonderfully made. Our

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universe is fearfully and wonderfully made. All creation is. And all of this points to the goodness, Majesty, glory and power of Almighty God. These are just two examples from creation. We could spend a whole week talking about this. But I want to shift gears now.

REDEMPTION

But as much as God’s creation demonstrates His goodness, it pales in comparison to the goodness of God demonstrated through his SECOND creation. By that I mean the REDEMPTION of mankind through the person and blood of Jesus Christ, his only begotten son. You see, Jesus is the ultimate expression of the goodness and love of Almighty God. Because only through him do we have a way to get BACK to the father.

And what’s really amazing? Not only is the goodness of God on display in the person of Jesus, but it’s also on display in HOW HE LEADS THE LOST to Jesus!!

[Rom 2:4 NIV] 4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

God’s goodness, God’s kindness, God’s love itself, is the thing that leads us to repentance. That does NOT say it is the goodness of God that dragsmen to repentance. It leads. That means it Tries to convince us that following God’s path is better than choosing our own path. It is incumbent upon us to follow this leading. We have to choose.

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And thank God for this. Thank God that he does lead us to repentance. Because we would be in a pickle without this leading.

Because folks, the simple fact is, one of the scariest things about being lost is that when someone is lost, without the Lord’s help, they have no idea that they’re lost! A man may have some knowledge that he is a sinner. But that is much different than knowing that he is lost. Now I realize that for most Christians, we use terms like lost, sinner, unsaved person, interchangeably. But I could be an unsaved, unregenerate lost sinner, and I might understand that I am a sinner. But I wouldn’t know that I’m lost.

Well, the very definition of being lost is this: if I am lost, that means I am in a place that I don’t need to be. I need or want to be in another place, but I have no idea how to get there.

Think about someone who is physically lost in the woods. They probably want to get out of the woods, but they don’t know how to get out of the woods; they don’t know which direction to turn and start walking to get out of the woods.

Now think about someone who is spiritually lost. The difference about this person is that they are trying to get something out of life, usually satisfaction and peace, but they are deceived into thinking that there is nothing wrong with the path they’re on. They are convinced that their own way of living is the correct way to achieve satisfaction and peace.

[Isa 53:6 NIV] 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to [WHAT??] our own way;

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Every lost person on planet earth is lost because they have 1) chosen to go their own way. But 2) are convinced that way is the right way to go. So their lostness, if you will, is amplified.

Do you see the predicament a lost person is in? Not only are they not where they need to be, but they are devoid of the knowledge that they are headed in the wrong direction. So they have no means of even knowing that they need to turn around and head another direction.

Let’s look at it a different way… Let's say I use eyeglasses 100% of the time. Thick lenses, my vision is very bad without them. I'm dependent on those eyeglasses. Now let's say I wake up one morning. Now I’m gonna have a problem when I wake up, because I won’t be able to see anything clearly since I won’t have my eyeglasses on. But I don’t worry too much about this -- I’ll just reach beside the bed feel for the nightstand, grab my glasses and put them on, and I’m good to go. But when I reach for the nightstand, that’s when I discover that I’ve got an even bigger problem. Because I don’t feel my eyeglasses on the nightstand. They’re not there. They’re somewhere in the house, I know that. But I can’t see clearly enough to be able to find them. Now I have a huge problem. I can’t see because I don’t have my glasses on. And in order to find my glasses, I NEED MY GLASSES! So my problem has been amplified, hasn’t it?

Now let's go back and talk about the lost person. Are you seeing the problem they have? Number one, they’re headed in the wrong direction, number two, they don’t have a way of knowing how to start going in the right direction. And number three – and this is the biggest problem of them all – they don’t even know

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anything is wrong. They think they’re okay. Think about it! How many times have so-called “average people” been asked the question, “How do you get to heaven?” And without fail, they all say something like “be a good person, do this, do that, don't do this, don't do that.” Then they’re asked, well what someone has to do to end up in hell? And they've invariably start giving examples of people that they think go to hell. People like Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden, etc.

And all the while, they don't realize they are on eight-lane super highway for the same place.

. Why don't they realize it? Because they have not received the illumination of the Holy Spirit and the conviction of THEIR OWN sinful state.

This would be the pickle we would all be in, were it not for the goodness of God as expressed through Jesus Christ and His sacrifice. But God didn’t stop there – he gave us what He called “another helper” – the Holy Spirit. The Bible says this about the Holy Spirit:

[Jhn 16:7-9 NIV] 7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me;

The goodness of God is shown in the fact that He has arranged an “escape route” for the lost – through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, the son of the Living God. And the goodness of God is

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further demonstrated because the Holy Spirit SHOWS people their “lostness”, and He (the Holy Spirit) shows people the way to NO LONGER BE LOST!!

[Jhn 15:26 NIV] (THIS IS JESUS SPEAKING HERE) -- 26 "When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father--the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father--he will testify about me.

And what did Jesus say about Himself??

[Jhn 14:6 NIV] 6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

God, in His goodness, has made a way for the lost person. That way out is in the person of Jesus Christ. And in His goodness, He gave us a gift in the Holy Spirit, who shows us that we are lost, and shows us the way to get out of the spiritual woods.

That’s what the Bible means when it says “It is the goodness of God that leads men to repentance”.

And what does God say about someone who chooses to follow his leading?

[2Co 5:17 NKJV] 17 Therefore, if anyone [is] in Christ, [he is] a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

GLORY TO GOD!! If we are truly saved, that means we are a NEW CREATION!! It doesn’t mean you’re just a cleaned up,

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dusted off version of the old you… you are something BRAND NEW ALTOGETHER!!! That’s what it means to be “BORN AGAIN”.

This second creation – the NEW BIRTH – is the most important expression of God’s goodness that exists. This surpasses any beauty that you can see in the physical creation in terms of importance in terms of beauty. And for those of us who have experienced this, I say PRAISE GOD FOR IT!

Now I want to conclude my message by saying this… to anyone within the sound of my voice… if what I just talked about does not describe you. If you have not become a new creation by being born again. If you have not trusted Jesus with your life. You are headed in the wrong direction with your life. You are in a pickle.

You are lost, and earnestly need to go in a different direction. .

If you feel that tugging at your heart, I want to give you some good news, and I want to give you a sober warning.

The good news is this: You can do something about this TODAY. You can surrender your life to Jesus Christ today. There is nothing stopping you.

The Bible says in 2 Corithians 6:2:

[2Co 6:2 NKJV] 2 Behold, now [is] the accepted time; behold, now [is] the day of salvation.

You can make the choice to follow Jesus TODAY. It’s very

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simple. Again, he didn’t make this complicated. If you have not been born again, I’m going to be available immediately after the service. Just let me know this is something you want, and we’ll walk you through it. You can go to bed tonight knowing that you are a NEW CREATION! That’s the good news.

The warning I want to give you is this:

If you are not born again, if you are lost and you KNOW are lost, you have been given that knowledge by working of the Holy Spirit of the Living God. That is Almighty God leading you back to himself. He is showing you the way out of your predicament. But you have to make a decision to follow His leading!!

You see, God is not obligated to keep tugging at your heart forever. If you’re lost, you know you’re lost, and you’ve felt the tugging at your heart to receive God’s free gift of salvation, but you’ve put it off, you are in a DANGEROUS place. Because God will only tug at your heart for so long. If you persist in trying to go your own way, eventually God is going to give you what you want.

The sober warning I have for you comes straight from the Bible. The last chapter of the last book of the Bible (Revelation 22:11) says this:

[Rev 22:11 NKJV] 11 "He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still."

That is a frightening Scripture for someone who is lost. What it

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means for a lost person is this: If you are lost, and persist in staying that way despite the Lord’s attempt to lead you back to Himself, He will eventually let you stay in your lost, fallen state. And when you die, you will not be with God in heaven.

If you feel the slightest bit of desire to come to Jesus Christ, do not put it off. Because God is not going to call you forever.

Today is the day of salvation. Today is the day to experience God’s goodness for yourself.

I’ve asked Brother Mickey if we might sing one verse of I surrender all, just accapella. I know we can do it.

If you’re here and you want to experience that goodness of God by accepting His free offer of salvation, I’ll be down front, just come down and tell me this is something you want to do. Or if you’re listening via Facebook, send me a direct message and I’ll get with you. We’ll walk you through this.

Brother Mickey…