I've Got Assurance of His Goodness

Over the course of my life and ministry I have come to learn and thoroughly appreciate the power of a story. Everyone in here if I were to pass the mic has a story. Some stories may be filled with a mixture of personal triumph, personal tragedy, and a myriad of other things. And we often have a tendency not just in church but in secular arenas as well to cast judgment on someone without first knowing their story.

Stories reveal so much about a person and at the foundation of any given persons story can be the basis of emotions, desire, actions, pattern of thought, and other modes of human behavior. The Bible is filled with stories but only words to those who do not believe. To us that believe the Bible moves beyond words and takes on a spiritual life of itself through people and through stories. Throughout human history God has moved by using people as the vehicle in which He moves. Yet at times, some look at Bible characters and their stories as a thing of the past - time being so far removed from today we don’t always really see the power of their story.

Adam and Eve’s sin would cause pain in work and childbearing for every man and woman to come. Imagine the weight of responsibility that they would have felt having caused a ripple effect that their one mistake of disobedience would effect generations thereafter. Abraham has a story that God would take him from all of his family to a place in which God would show him. Imagine the fear, trepidation, and uncertainty that comes with picking up all your stuff and leaving your family behind. Moses has to go back time after time after time to deliver the same message to Pharoah on behalf of God and has to get over his personal limitations to do so. Tamar was raped by her half brother and we see a story of deep revenge that her brother does on her behalf but we don’t often see or attempt to imagine the depth of depravity she would likely have faced for the rest of her life. The story of a man name Hosea who’s wife was into some stuff she should not have been and he had to go and he went to get her as if none of it happened.

A single mother in that of Hagar who would be put out with her son Ishmael expecting only to die scared that she could not live on her own. Prophets like Ezekiel and Jeremiah who had to deal with people who would not listen to them and still keep preaching to them. Paul whose name was Saul who went from a persecutor of Christians to being a leader among Christians and then eventually being persecuted himself unto death. Mary the Mother of Jesus who would have to see the son God bore through her whipped, beat, hung, spat on, called names. The woman with the issue of blood when the Scripture says she spent all her money going from doctor to doctor but still didn’t get well. Yes, these are all real stories that likely had lasting impact in the lives of the characters that one can only imagine as the pages of Scripture just give us a glimpse into actual events and not necessarily in every case lasting impact.

The Bible is with spiritual events designed for the benefit of spiritual growth in the reader but these are not icons, or people of the past that don’t matter today… no, no… these are stories. And while some of these stories are not good there dwells in each character and story a good God.

David the Psalmist is no different in Psalm 27. David was anointed at a young age, fought a giant, was constantly on the run from Saul who sought to take his life on many occasions, he couldn’t get help from some when he needed it, had his own son to turn on him seeking his life and his throne. Surely if Saul couldn’t kill him - certainly the betrayal of his son would have. Yet in spite of all that David went through he saw the continual and perpetual goodness of the Lord.

And every now and again in your life when the pages of your story seem to have more mind boggling and questionable events you’ve got to change the lenses on which you view your story and remember that God is still good! Some of us have allowed our troublesome days to be a smoke screen to the degree that we can’t see the goodness of God. And we’ve made up so many cliche’s in church to the degree that we quote them but don’t even really believe what they say.

We would say God is good all the time and all the time God is good. But that isn’t a rhetorical statement, it is not a churchy saying to make folk shout and dance all over the church although that would be appropriate! But it is a testament to the fact that even when things don’t feel good or seem good in my life God is still good! And in fact His goodness does not cease in my life just because I had a bad day. His goodness does not cease in my life just because I don’t see it in the moment. But His goodness is literally chasing me down at every moment of my life!

He’s good because in the storms of my life He’ll be my shelter!

He’s good because even when I am not feeling well, got a bad report from the doctor, dealing with some stuff in my family; He’s still good because the fact that I am alive says that He is keeping me through it.

The goodness of God says that He has been good, He is good, and He will be good in the future! And not matter what your situation or circumstance the goodness is that you will always be a beneficiary of the goodness of God whether you realize it or not!

After all that David went through he said I would have died if I didn’t recognize the presence of your goodness in all that I went through.

The Psalmist has a past assurance of the goodness of God.

He has a present confident in the goodness of God.

And He has a future promise of the goodness of God.

And just like the psalmist whether you can admit it or not on the worse day in your past God was good. Regardless of your situation today God is good. And no matter what happens tomorrow God is good.

And I want to tell you church we’ve got to stop allowing people, situations and circumstances to block the revelation of God’s goodness in our lives. Some of us have lived for too long in what happened in a certain page or chapter in our story. Maybe you had a bad diagnosis but God is good. Maybe your children are out of control but God is good. Maybe something happened to you at a young age that you haven’t been able to shake - and its time right now to lay that offense aside. You’ve been holding it long enough. And some of us are so boggled down with the situations of life that we have a hard time doing anything and we have a hard time praising and worshipping God. But you’ve got to let that offense go and see that you needed what you went through to get where you are now.

And that through everything you went through God was good, is good, and will be good. I know sometimes it seems like goodness has gone left and you have gone right but it was David who reminded us that goodness and mercy would literally follow us all the days of our lives.

Oh yes, I found out that God’s goodness is not based on my situation. Because God is good meaning that he doesn’t just do good things but He is goodness personified.

And I’ve come just to tell about 25 people in this room you’ve got to stop focusing on all the negative that maybe happening in your midst. Can I tell you what you got to do? You’ve got to water what remains… And when you water what remains it is learning to apply the principle of God is good to your life. When you apply that principle you can smile in the face of adversity and speak to your situation the goodness of God.... If you’re not feeling well don’t focus more on the sickness than the goodness of God to heal you.

Goodness keeps on following me. It’s chasing me down. It won’t let me go. And so I can put a smile on my face, lift up my hands in the face of a cancer diagnosis and say God is good.....

I know it seems like you’re facing a lot. I want to remind [sick and shut in] that God is good. I want to remind [call some names in the congregation] that God is good. I want to remind those [worshipping online] that God is good.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous BUT. But is a coordinating conjunction that is a contrast to what has already been mentioned. It is because God is good that He will deliver the righteous out of all of our afflictions!

Can you help me close my sermon and tell your neighbor “I don’t know what you’ve been facing in your life! But be reminded that God is good!”

He’s good in trouble

He’s good in victory

He’s good in lack

He’s good in abundance

He’s good when I am surrounded by evil

He’s good when I am hurting

He’s good when I am grieving

He’s good when I am sick

Oh taste and see that the Lord is good! I don’t care what it looks like! I don’t care what it feels like! I don’t care what the enemy says… God was good, God is good, God will be good.

I can’t explain how I can go through the storms of my life and still have peace but its because of His goodness.

And if I am honest and if you’ll be honest in church this morning there are times when what I know is not my current experience. I know God is good but my situation may not be. That means while I’ve got to constantly remember the goodness of God that at times while God is always good - I’ve got to wait for the good God to make my situation good. And if you’d just hold on beloved Jesus will work it out!

You’ve got to have a determination that says come hell or high water I will recognize His goodness!

oh and because he‘s a good God he won’t allow you to look like what you’ve been through!

if you take your eyes off God’s goodness you may forget there is more. I just want to speak to somebody this morning you’ve got to LIVE!