Who Is God, Part 4

Hope you been with us the past 3 weeks. We have been essentially trying to answer the question that we just saying who is like the Lord Our God in the answer that I hope we come to each and every week is that there is no one like him as a scripture say there was no one like our god of these past two weeks worth taking a look at specific attributes of the glory of God in the Holiness of God and we did that on purpose because we wanted to have our view of God elevated. We don't want to have a a common ordinary view think we have a regular God. We want to have our thoughts lifted up. We want our thoughts to be where the Bible sets them high and lifted up for this. So we start with the the glory of God in the Holiness of got to speak of his Transcendence his greatness his pre-eminence so we know that he's not like us and he's a god worthy of worship. But there is a Temptation and it does happen to people sometimes when they get into these areas of theology that when I begin to look at these areas of the Transcendence of God that I can focus on them so much to them. Act of his goodness that I have a God that seems distant and disinterested towards his creation and I don't think anything could be further from the truth. As a matter of fact, we're we're answer the question who is God from the word of God because he's revealed himself to us. We don't get to tell God who he is. He tells us who he is and we respond and worship to him and we saw that in Psalm 145 and 45 and think with me as we read through this you hear some of these great Transcendent Majestic Splendor field attributes of God that separate him from us, but notice if you can't tell these certain attributes that feel close that feel personal that feel loving towards us as we begin to read through the storm and watch other in a woven together Psalm 145 ever read the whole thing again, Psalm 145 verses 1 to 21 says it's a song of Praise of David I will extol you my God and King and bless your name Forever and Ever every day. I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever great is the Lord and greatly to be praised and his greatness is unsearchable one generation shall commend your Works to another and shall declare your Mighty acts on the Glorious Splendor of your majesty. And on your wondrous works. I will meditate they shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds and I will declare your greatness. They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness. The Lord is gracious and merciful slow to anger abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all and his mercies over all that. He has made all your work. She'll give thanks to a Lord and all your Saints will bless you. They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell if your power to make known to the children a man you're mighty deeds and the Glorious Splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an You can give me your dominion and doors throughout all generations. The Lord is faithful in all his words and kind and all his works the Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all her about down the eyes of all look to you and you give them their food in due season you open up your hand you satisfy. The desire of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind and all his work. The Lord is near to all who call upon him to all who call upon him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him yell. So here's their cry and save them the Lord preserve's all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy my mouth will speak to praise the Lord and let All Flesh bless His holy name forever and ever. There are moments in that song where your breath is taken away. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised and his greatness is unsearchable. That's where we began last week when we get the picture of Mount Everest and The Travelers on Mount Everest when they're at the bottom are able to be concerned with a comfortable and the common but the higher they go on the mountain the more they're forced to succumb to the Majesty of the mountain and that's why we started with the Holiness and the glory of God because they separate us from him. They make him in a unique position where he deserves what this song that says our meditation our thoughts us declaring his greatness us making his name famous because he's the only one Worthy. But did you know it's also in the song. Only the breathtaking greatness of God, but they're breathtaking goodness of God. To wear this God who owes us nothing literally gives us everything you open up your hand to Somerset you satisfy. The desire of every living thing that this is the guy that we serve him where we started this entire study is when you approach God you have to approach him as transcendently great, but also eminently good and to think about God being eminently good means it's a closeness that you and I can experience because this great amazing God has in his kindness and in his graciousness and ultimately in his goodness condescended to care for his creation. This is what we mean by God being transcendently great and eminently good. Maybe a way to just help you think about that either the story probably 3 years ago about a judge in North Carolina. His name is Lulu Olivia in North Carolina. You can look it up. It's an incredible story to watch when we talked about the glory of God and he said that somebody's waiting is that means that's there gravity. We gave the picture of like a judge walking into a room. The judge has gravitas when he walks in He commands the presence of the room and you approach the judge only if he's supposed to be approached. You don't get to approach him. Anyway, you want your not buddies with this guy you approached him and you call him your honor and there's a sense for Glory and Honor have that that closes synonymous relationship. This judge had a guy who would come in and constantly be brought before him because of some DUIs And finally after putting him on probation after one, he came in with another DUI lied about you. No drinking again after you took the test. They said that he was he had indeed gotten drunk again and the judge knew I got to send this guy to jail for sending a message. She's broken the law. I have to send him to jail, but the judge have you known the guy over a couple of months know that he was an Iraq war veteran and he's come back and he suffers from PTSD. So he rightfully sent him to prison to sit in a Cell for a night. But the judge knew this about the guy because of his experience over there where he almost drowned. He has a very big fear of confined spaces. So the judge sends him to prison to spend the night, but after he's done with his judgments for the day, he came out of the judge in Chambers got in this car drove to the prison and sat all night in the prison cell with the guy that he had just sent there to make sure he was comforted. And in that picture, I want you to see Transcendence and immanence together. That judge rightfully according to the law exercise his power to send them to prison. But the goodness of that judge stat in the cell with that prisoner so he could experience a sense of kindness. This is what we have in our God. Osis, nothing. In fact with a rebellion against him. He should punish us fully but in His Grace has given us his son the Lord Jesus Christ's that we might have a relationship with this transcendently an eminently good God. So this morning what we want to focus on is the goodness of God. How many times a day do you think about the goodness of God may be better way to phrase that how many times a day do you take advantage of the goodness of God how many times a day do you really stop and pause and wonder what it means for God to be good to you. See when you do that. It takes this great God and it makes him incredibly close to us. Remember where we ended last time a serious Lewis is our God safe. Absolutely not he is transcendently great and you cannot stand in his presence unless he allows it but is he good eminently so and he allows us by his grace to come into His presence because of his goodness. Did you see in the text on 145 take a look at for 7? They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and sing aloud of your righteousness verse 9. The Lord is good to all and his mercies over all that. He has made do you see that phrasing? They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness. That is what your life and my life is designed to do is creatures created in the image of God. We take a look at the eminent attributes of God and we are to pour forth the fame of those we go out and spread those we talked about all the goodness that exists and we attribute it to God because it's his and his alone when we talked about the Transcendence of God were talking about what separates God from us and we can only exalt him in that but guys when we talk about these eminent attribute these personal attributes these communicable attributes. Maybe you've heard that term before if you've done partnership for two. These are the shared attributes of God. Not only do we exalt God for these shared. Attributes that he has with us because he has them in Perfection, but because they're shared with us we exalt him when we embody and exemplify them with one another for the good of others and the glory of God feel like we've done each and every week. I want to give you a definition of the goodness of God and they're going to break that definition down in the two points so we can understand what the the song with the same. He says that the Lord is good. So here's the definition of the goodness of God. The goodness of God is essential nature. That is the source and standard of all that is desirable valuable beneficial and excellent. This is the goodness of God. Goodness of God is his essential nature. That is the source and standard of all that is desirable valuable beneficial and excellent. I get those last four words as I break down the the words that you have in the Hebrew and Greek the Hebrew word his toe and the Greek words is actually to that really the New Testament uses a lot is a catharsis and Colossus Colossus one that we saw in the gospel of Mark when we were praising people for Jesus doing all things well or all things good, I guess Austin, start or sit and animus in the New Testament to speak to things that are excellent and you begin to understand these other definitions when you when you watch what is described as good and maybe a couple of examples of that if you think of Creation in Genesis 1, what is the constant thread that runs through Genesis one God created and it was good and then ultimately when he gets to the day six and he's created everything a man and woman come together. It's his very good Creation in the Bible is often spoken of as the ideal for what God has created insect creation right now groans because this creation has been subject to the power of sin, but it Longs for the day. When it speaks truly of the goodness of God declares the glory of God, but it longs to experience that goodness that it did back in the garden and that's what will happen when the king comes back during his Millennial Reign and into eternity. So do you think of that you can think of the standard I could have everything that was in the garden was was desirable. It was valuable. It was beneficial. It was excellent was beautiful. That's what it was to be in the Garden of Eden. That's what it means for God to be good at is this expression of the goodness of God also that when we talked about the goodness of God he talked about in the realm of morality right when people do good things. How do we know that from the scriptures that Ten Commandments are described Romans chapter 7 verse 12. It says the Commandment is Holy up, right and good. So what do the Ten Commandments promote human wellbeing if you really begin to think about the the grace that is involved in the Ten Commandments, they weren't designed for anybody to legalistically work their way to heaven. That's what Play the Israelites made it to me. If I do this Gatos me and that's never right. But if I looked at the law correctly and realize this has been given to me as a good gift to protect marriages from adultery to protect people from murder to protect the honor of God to worship. Only him. This is good. That's why the law is described as good and you evaluate people's morality based on the goodness of that. You also can see the idea of desirable beneficial valuable an excellent. When you think of the antonym of Good Witch is evil and as we take a look at all these examples of goodness in the Bible, you're going to see that constantly contrasted. In fact, what was that the Temptation Of Satan to Adam and Eve eat of the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil. So there's a juxtaposition between the two of what you know is good. And now they were trying to become like God where they could make these value judgments on that. I think that's what it means. They desire to be like God in that. So this is is the way Break it down. That's what I understand. It's the store since standard number one on your outline. We want to do this. We want to exalt God's essential goodness. Everyone want to exalt God essential goodness. This is what we need to do as the psalmist committed us to meditate think declare make known make famous his goodness. We need to take time to exalt praise Lift High God essential goodness, because God is essentially good that means he's the source and the standard of all that's good. So when we make value judgments or we make desirable judgments on something that is good. We are only making that that's dinner because it's associated with the goodness of God. It is not as if there is a category of good outside of God that he looks at it goes. I'm going to make everything in accordance with that good out there. There's an internal inherent essential goodness to God that makes him the source and the standard for all that is good. Let's look at some scriptures that we would be back to Exodus 33

Exodus 33, what does it mean for God to be good? I think we got a glimpse of the essential goodness of God know if you remember we look at this one more time with the glory of God Exodus 33:17. The children of Israel have been pulled out Redeemed by God made a covenant with God to keep the 10 good Commandments that would glorify the God would save them and then they broke it immediately and God was going to punish them Moses intercedes and after interceding for them never Moses asked this question in Exodus 33:17. What does he say? The Lord said to Moses this very thing that you have spoken of I will do for you. I found favor in my sight and I know you by name Moses said, please show me your glory. So Moses have you seen expressions of the glory of God already knows there's something more to this is essential Glory that he wants to see How to come respond don't think we were 17 and God said I will make all my goodness pass before you and will Proclaim my name before you the Lord and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and I'll be merciful to whom I will show Mercy. You find that striking. That Moses said God show me your glory and how does God respond? Okay, you want to see my glory will you can't see it face-to-face. You can't see it fully the full essence of my car right now cuz no human can do that and live but here's what you can see. You can see the residue of my glory. I'll hide you in the Rock and when I pass by when my full Glory has passed and you see the residue of it that is going to be called my goodness. That is what Moses is allowed to be awed by the goodness of God passing by him. Now, what does that mean? It can be a little late but I think you start to see it in the name that is expressed dear. God is gracious and merciful and fat go to chapter 34 Verse 5 to flip over 1 chapter and watch what happens when God does this when he passes by Moses? Watch what he says, Exodus 34:5 the Lord ascended in the cloud and stood there and proclaim the name of the Lord and the Lord passed by him and proclaim the Lord the Lord Our God merciful and gracious slow to anger abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness keeping steadfast left for thousands forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children in the children's children to the third and fourth generation. Very interesting as you begin to study the goodness of God a some of that the Systematic Theology said I read they don't even think they usually break down the attributes of God and look like a paragraph for a page to one attribute some of them so don't even don't even take a Pedra paragraph to the goodness of God what they do like it Wayne grudem. For example. It's just messy house you what he does is he he has these categories batch together grace-mercy patients and says, these are expressions of the goodness of God. So how do we know that God is good. We've seen him be gracious. How do we know God is good. We seen him be merciful. How do we know that? He's good. We've seen him be patience. How do we know that? He's good. We've seen him be righteous. Think back to the beginning when we you said illustration of the judge who rightfully sent the guy to prison for breaking the law. You would call him a good judge wouldn't you? Cuz a good judge upholds the law. But you would also describe him as a good job a good judge in a different way, right? He's a good judge cuz he he sat down and cared for the guy when he didn't have to what a good judge. That is you you watch the expression of when you begin to understand that the source in the standard of it coming from that name. So when we experience the grace of God when we see him be patient with us when we watch his standard of righteousness never falter we go about that is that's a good God. That's that's the source in the standard of what good is I think of some other examples of go to Psalm 100 watch the way that the the songs begin to talk about God.

Psalm 100

Psalm 100 Verses 4 and 5 look at 3 quick references in here. All right next to each other. So I'm 100 Verses 4 and 5 some 104 says this enter his gates with Thanksgiving and his courts with praise give thanks to him bless his name take a look at verse 5 for the Lord is good. That's just the essence of who got is is essential nature intrinsic value of God is that he is good. There's nothing attached to it. Like in Our Song Remember the goodness of God that they're pouring forth. It's because he's giving food to all he's helping the needy he's uplifting those were downcast. He's near to those who call upon him in truth. You see expressions of God's goodness there, but he was just simply the Lord is good. That's that's who he is, but it's on 106 2 Pages, / how's the song to start?

Praise the Lord. Oh give thanks to the Lord for he is good for his steadfast love endures forever. This is who God is it doesn't matter if my circumstances tell me if he's good right now. This is who God is he is good Psalm 107 verse 1 says the same thing. Oh give thanks to the Lord for he is good for his steadfast love endures forever can write that one more for me Psalm 119:68. We won't turn their Psalm 119:68 because we preach the whole sermon on that a few months back. So I'm 119:68 says this you are good and you do good. The only thing that can come from God is good because his essential nature is good. You are good. And you do good witch in the context of Psalm 119 the song that is constantly facing persecution from people on the outside and yet he's able to look at God and go God your essence is good and your expression of it is good to me in your conduct. Which is why I asked the question does the New Testament match this and I think it does turn to Matthew 19. Matthew 19 the New Testament present this idea of God being the source in the standard of all that is good. He is Matthew 19 looking for 16. Very interesting interaction that Jesus has here with someone. We saw the parallel count. We study to the gospel of Mark the Rich Young Ruler, but I chose this Matthew in cuz of the way that it begins.

Give me this Matthew 19 verses 16 and 17 and a man came up to him saying teacher what good deed must I do to have eternal life and he said to him. Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good? Jesus there and push that Lee is implying that God is the only one who's good. He's the source and the standard of all goodness, but he explicitly says that the mark account God Alone is good. He's the source in the standard of all that is good. But interesting me enough notice the way that this guy approaches Jesus to enter into eternal life, which I believe is both quantitative and qualitative lasting a long time in the best possible existence that there is What good deed must I do? Why do people need jerk when you ask him? How are you going to get to heaven? Why do they need your if I'm a good person because there is some semblance in our mind of the place where God is and the person that who God is being good that good people are going to get there. That's why people wrongfully assumed if I do enough Good Deeds. I'll get into the good place what the Bible says are unrighteousness or are on Holiness prohibits us from ever doing enough good to get to the good place cuz there's only one who's who's good that way there's only one who's the source? There's only one who's the standard and if you don't match up to that perfect goodness, you're falling short in your going to go to hell. This is why we could never do enough good to get into heaven. But why we want to get to heaven. Why does anybody long to get to heaven? Because that's where the good is fully realized. It's so we need Jesus to come and live that perfectly good life for us so that when he dies as a substitute and replaced rises again 3 days later, you put your faith and trust in him. You not have entrance based on somebody else's Merit to get into the good place. But the reason why I have to be good it's because God is essentially good. Not like I can realize that some of this can sound vague. I don't want to remain vague because the goodness of God is so valuable for the endurance of the Christian. I don't have you say cuz vagueness can hinder people from moving forward. I mean if you heard of that the Barkley Marathon, you're the Barkley Marathon ultramarathon. It's crazy. Like if you just want to be entertained just go read about the Barkley Marathon this afternoon. There's a documentary on it. I think 30 for 30 on ESPN. Did it incredible the guy who did it looks like he belongs on Duck Dynasty the guy who came out like you just think like, is there another member of the Duck Dynasty family has got to be this guy. This is what it cost to enter into the Barkley Marathon a buck 60 a buck 60 and whatever toiletry items that the Creator is lacking. So if he's lacking white t-shirts a buck 60 and you bring the white t-shirts if he's like, you can suck bucks 60 and socks if you got two cigarettes a buck 60 and cigarettes you just buy Whatever item he needs and that's how he essentially sustained his life and allows people to come into the the Ultramarathon a hundred miles and because it's in the mountains of Tennessee, the amount of elevation that you climb is equivocal to climbing Mount Everest twice. You're just going up and down. It is such a grueling event to endure but you know, one of the reasons why it's so difficult is because the instructions are so vague. There's one that the guy has any owns and there's no like plot points of like you go this direction. He kind of says things like down by the creek or over the hill. What what is that mean inside of Tennessee? And then as you run around he's hidden the you run around this Loop Yorkies hit in 9 to 13 books where to prove that you run around the correct course, you have to worry about the page number corresponding to your number in the race. But again, he doesn't tell you what these books are. You have to run around and do it. So some of the reason why people give up just because they spend hours and hours. Just trying to figure out how to get around. There is a demotivator. If I'm vague about the rules to the race. I think it's a demotivator improve egg about the goodness of God if we just say God is good here. There's probably one music. God is good all the time all the time. God's got it. Right people say that if that's all we leave it at is that enough to sustain you in trial? Is that enough to help you when X don't feel good? I think you need more because as you take a look at the scriptures, what is attacked most fundamentally is often the goodness of God as so we need to understand not just that is God's essential nature. That is the source of standard of it. But this is his expression to the creation. And as we see that that's going to strengthen our trust in the goodness of God. So number two on your outline of me to look for expressions of God's goodness. This will help us comprehend more of what it means to see God as desirable valuable beneficial in excellent so that when we are tempted to doubt the goodness of God when we seen the evidence of it, it will spur us on because we've been very clear what it is. So when you look at these evidence it let's look first for for work that God does that we can exalt him in so if you want to think letter A underneath number to work that God does good that God does so we can exalt in it. There's three three different ones. I want you to think of first his creation. God is good in creation. Let's go. Look at Genesis chapter 1 we reference this earlier. Don't you read it the first thing you read when you start your new Bible reading plan for the year you hear over and over again this phrase in Genesis chapter 1 take a look at Genesis 1 verse 3. Genesis 1:3 and God said let there be light and there was light and God saw the light that it was good. drop down 2 verse 10 got all the trial and error and the waters that were gathered together with the Seas and God saw that it was good drop down the first 12 the Earth brought forth is vegetation plants. You can see the court has their own kind and trees bearing fruits in which their kind since he's supporting their own kind of God saw that it was good drop down the verse 17 and God set them in the expanse of the Heavens to give light to the Earth rule over the day and the night and the separate the light from the darkness and God saw that it was good and over and over again. You're getting the point that it's God is creating. This is good. This is what's desirable. This is what's valuable. This is what's excellent. This is what's praiseworthy that's all under the heading of the goodness of God. So then think about the ramifications in Chapter 2 when it says this and God saw that it was not good for man to be alone. Think about that. God has created all these Good Things No Man's alone. And God says that's not good. That's not desirable. That's not valuable. That's not beneficial in that is not excellent. So what does she do what's in the sleeve takes a rib out creates a woman the perfect complement to Adam. And what does that do to Creation? It's not described as good anymore. What is it described as very good? Do you guys understand the profound reality of marriage?

That one man and one woman together. Text creation. That is good. And Titans it to very good. You see an expression of God's goodness is marriage. So for you husband and why is right now take a step back and go do I really think about that every day? Husband do I give my best to my wife do I consider her cherish her lover the way Christ loves the church because I consider this marriage to be an expression of the goodness of God. Wives when you see that command to submit to your husbands, do you view that as a good command because it's an expression of the goodness of God. Maybe you're out there and you're not married. Are you sinking about marriage? And are you thinking about in the proper way? Do I want to be married? Simply because I think that's going to bring me some happiness. That's not to say that you won't be happy when you're married. But if that is your ultimate goal, what do you think is going to happen to your marriage when you're not happy. I think that's the ultimate reason why there's so much divorce today. People got together under the false assumption that this person was supposed to make me happy rather than I was supposed to look at this as an expression of the good God who created out of his goodness to express that goodness to his creation. Think about the goodness of God if you doubt it take a look at a marriage. And you get it from both perspectives. Maybe you came from home. I came from home with my mom and Dad loved each other and I was the beneficiary of that that was good to watch but you know what? I think you understand the good news from a different perspective. If you didn't come from that environment, there was something you long for something you knew that wasn't right because Mom and Dad aren't loving each other that way there's still that inherently in you because God creates that expectation in you as a creature in His image. That's why we care about marriage. That's why we defend what the Bible says about marriage because it's an expression of the goodness of God. Do you think about it that way? God when he creates it's good and when you see husbands and wives loving each other you see the goodness of God.

How about this number to not just creation but God's providential rule you see God's goodness in his providential rule. His number two under letter A God's providential rule. The Providence is not a specific attribute of God Providence is how God works all these doing in creation. It's how he's working out. His plan is a fusion says according to the counsel of his will God's Providence is not a specific attribute, but his his power to make all things happened the way that he wants them to and you see the goodness of God expressing it but this is where it gets really tough as a Christian and why we have to depend on knowing the essential goodness of God because this is where the devil tempts us the most to doubt God's goodness. Think about this with me. the life of Joseph The end of Genesis we have a man who has betrayed by family members. If a man who's tempted into having an adulterous relationship that he refuses to participate in stands up for what is right and still is punished for doing that then he's thrown in prison and forgotten there, even though he helps to people in there who he doesn't have to help you just help them they forget about him in there until one day. He finally stands before Pharaoh in Fair Oaks Ranch him this prestigious spot and now he's able to save his family. Think about how Joseph describes at Genesis 50:20. You meant it for evil. God meant it for good.

As you're reading the story of Genesis 37 to about 42. Would anybody say this is good. Nobody would because we're not God we look at the situation if you the circumstance has something that's terribly happening to us. And that is exactly what Satan wants from this for us to look only at the situation and not the god who's in control of the situation and he wants us to doubt the goodness of God, but not Joseph you meant for evil God meant for good. Now when you and I read the story and we look back knowing the end. We look at those examples. What do we say? God? You are so good.

How about Romans? 8:28? And we know for those who love God and are called according to his purpose all things work together. for good Nokia that's hard when you're going to the difficult time and there's a way to just glibly say that to somebody and and not really help them. But when we stop and pause and say no we seen evidence of the expression of the goodness of God all over creation and things that he's done and providentially in the lives of other people. I can look at this and go for some reason right now. It's not lining up, but I know God is good. Brenda Song 73 that's exactly what the psalmist in Psalm 73 was doubting. Psalm 73 a Psalm of asaph

Psalm 73 verse 1 and after just trying to think about the goodness of God in the sermon where the grass these words that the song sustained hear some 73 verses 1 through 3. Psalm 73 once is this a Psalm of ASAP. Here we go. Truly God is good to Israel to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled my steps nearly slipped for I was envious of the Arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. I cannot think of a better description of what Christians face on a daily basis. If you really try to live for the glory of God, there will be those times where you see the arrogant and prideful prosper in your sitting back and going. What about me? The song is here. I know truly God is good. But I have those moments where I look at situations and I'm going this does not feel good. I can't put how all of this would come out to some good outcoming you and I are constantly tempted to succumb to the devil's you when she started in the Garden of Eden to doubt the goodness of God. If you think about creation being surely the goodness of God as when's the election said the goodness of God is the most visible attribute of God, you have to recognize that creation of Adam and Eve were there in goodness and they doubted that goodness when they ate the apple spend the devil's Mo sense. That's what God is trying to develop in you and I when he puts us through these hard times do not bounce what is false about to what is good. Truly God is good. And as you go through this difficult times, you need one another to help you be reminded of that because when you look back at the providential history of God, you just amazed and you exalt him all the more I saw this recently and I think it applies here to the the providential governance of God. I was looking at some ad campaigns. There's a new ad campaign out there for a show on BBC this new show about Dracula not here promoting Dracula. Please don't go back to show I have not seen the show. I don't like to watch those shows. I don't like Twilight. I don't like any vampire shows. I think they suck. They're not good.

You're welcome for that pun. Yo, you just got that. Wow.

My Hope Is that big we've been meditating so deeply on the attribute of the goodness of God that you missed it if not Do we have some real trouble here? So this new thing it's for this show on BBC called Dracula and what you see on this white billboard when you look it up front in the daytime what you see is this random Peg's place on the billboard and you're going what on Earth is this? What is this? As the sun begins to fade and it becomes night. You noticed that there's a lamp right here shining this way towards the pegs. And as the sun goes down what you begin to see more and more is a shape coming out of the pegs until it's ultimately the darkest the designer of the ad has made sure that when it's the ultimate Darkness the light shines on the Peg and you see a perfect silhouette of Dracula. Now here's what would happen. If you were just standing there as the sun was going down. You would look at it. And you go. I don't I can't see what this is. What is his trying to do? I'm going to have to wait until she began to wait you would see more of a shape and I can't make out what this is, but I'm going to have to wait and I think something's going to show and the longer you wait the anticipation builds until finally it comes and you see the silhouette design to be exactly how it is in Hugo. The designer of this is brilliant. They had me the entire time captivated. Think about that in terms of the way God works situations. Sometimes you roll up on a situation and you look these are this is random. What is going on here? And God want you to stop and go just look and wait and the more you wait. You see it starts at start to take shape and you go I see something but I just don't get it. I need to wait and you begin to watch its shape and form until ultimately if it's exactly the image that God wants in for us that's christlikeness it hits that image and Hugo the designer of this situation is brilliant and you praise God a way that you never have before. That takes Faith to do it takes Faith to wait if you think that's going to happen in isolation by yourself. I'm here to tell you you're going to succumb to Temptation every single time. Do you think it's enough to come to church and to sit in the seats in here laying puns every single week should I do? And hear information and walk away and not think about the goodness of God and encourage others to do the same.

You are at War every week to understand the goodness of God. And everything about this world want you to doubt that. Why we have small groups. So you can sit down with somebody it's going through a very difficult time and you can look at them if they know God's good trust him. That's why you brought the blues up here. I could I could try to think of all the interesting illustrations that would help us understand this point. But how about a real one where people look at a daughter that they're begging God to do something great, and we can't do anything else but pray and bring a meal and express God's goodness that way over mind and no look in the scriptures. He's been faithful to do something here. And the more you do that you bolster the face of those who attempted to doubt If you don't think that's what church is about. I think you're missing the point. You need to be a part of a community that does that that would lift one another that would point that that God is good. And you know what you don't succumb to what the devil wants because you will wait and you will see it phone to that Perfect Image and go only God could have done that. He gets the credit not me. This is exactly what the psalmist was struggling with. But why it's so helpful to do that thing, but it doesn't Psalm 34:8 to when you can taste and see that the Lord is good. That's what we're trying to encourage people to do. I know it doesn't feel like it right now, but we don't base our decisions on who God is on our feelings or circumstances. We say the word says this and there's going to be that time because we know our God's in control taste and see that he is good his awesome. If you just want to face in the book of Nehemiah over and over again God's good hand is upon us. All the difficulty that went on God's good hand was upon us. You see that expression in his providential rule number three. You see it is forgiveness. You can look at creation. You don't man. That's amazing what God does you can look at it from the aspect of him ruling over everything and making it work together for good soap. We get the good and he gets the glory and it's early in his forgiveness. Write down Psalm 86:5 Psalm 86:5, which is this For you are good and forgiving abounding in steadfast. Love to all who call upon you Psalm 86:5 good and forgiving. But when I want to turn you to his Psalm 25, we read this weekend everyday in the word.

some 25 you don't get verse 6 and 7. I think about the ultimate expression of God's goodness to us in his forgiveness of us. Psalm 25 verses 6 and 7 just amazing how God works it out. I started reason on the goodness of God in the we have this in our everyday in the word one of my favorite songs. You know, this is the song that I actually preach the day one of my friends died 5 years ago few days ago a young man who devoted his life to the glory of God died young and we had to wrestle with the goodness of God remember preaching the song that day that he died. Give her six and seven. Remember your mercy O Lord and your steadfast love for the event from of old remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions according to your steadfast. Love remember me for the sake of your goodness. Oh Lord. When's the last time you talked about God's forgiveness that way? It's the ultimate expression of his goodness. Again, you know the goodness of God because you've been forgiven when you didn't deserve it. What you deserve from. God was Wrath what you deserve from God was punishment because you just like Adam and Eve took advantage of all the goodness of God and didn't honor him as God or give thanks, but God in his Mercy said I'll let my son suffer that punishment for you. So when you put your faith and trust in the war that he's doing on the cross and you watching rise again in Victory, you can come into my good and experienced Glory forever more When you when you evangelize got that that's what you're doing. For the sake of God's goodness, you're spreading the goodness of God. God will forgive your sins. God can forgive your sins. God invites you to come into his kingdom by repenting of your sins and putting your faith and trust in Jesus Christ you are for the sake of God's goodness spreading his glory. Another time just write it down as Titus 3 3 and 4. Think about this Titus 3 3 and 4. I love these verses. Is white pasta Titus Titus 3 3 and 4. Are we ourselves were once foolish disobedient LED astray slaves to various passions and Pleasures passing her days and now it's an Envy hated by others and hating one another with numbers for but when the goodness and loving kindness of God our savior. He saved us not by works of righteousness according to his own Mercy by the washing of regeneration in the renewal of the holy spirit. So that being justified by his grace. We might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. That salvation is the goodness and loving kindness of God appearing in Jesus Christ. So when you're tempted to doubt the goodness of God remember how you stand in his presence? Only because of his goodness and you will never lose that right. We never lose our Salvation we can never have that taken from us because it's so secure because of the work that Jesus had this forgiveness I have is so good and can never be taken from me. No one can snatch me out of the father's hands. I want to be able to see the goodness of God. They're so we we exalt God for that. But remember when we're looking for expressions of God's goodness. We not just want to exalt in the works that God does but we also want to exalt and exemplify those works as we live them out. So let it be would be we want to embody and exemplify the expressions of God's goodness because he's called us to do that and Body in exemplify. God's goodness, we're going to look for that as motivation amongst one another as examples amongst one another as people being good to other people because the good God has saved them from their sins.