Spreading God's Goodness

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

He can only do this if he trusts that God is good. Otherwise he opens himself up to judgmentalism, criticism and nagging

Not a good basis for a relationship

Farmer - wife so nagging, rather be out in field. / One day - ploughing field with donkey, but wife brings lunch. / Happy, start having conversation. / But not long before nagging starts. Finally, donkey raises foot, kicks her in head and knocks life out of her.

Funeral - farmer’s friends come to console him. The officer watches curiously as farmer shakes “no” to all his wife’s lady friends, and nods “yes” to all his male friends.

Pastor: “Why were you shaking your head no to your wife’s friend but shaking your head yes as your friends walked past?”

“It’s simple.” The farmer stated. “The women asked if I needed anything, and I said no.”

“Alright, what about the men?” The pastor asks.

“They asked if they could borrow the donkey.”

Psalmist trusts God will not nag him

Pleads for intimacy. Wants relationship to continue. Trusts God. If knowledge, presence and power not expressed in love, then they would be cause for terror.

Knowing God loves us allows us to trust that his powers are always intended for our good.

Explanation (5m)

God is not judgmental, is not always criticising, does not nag, because he is good

John 3:16 NLT

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

“So loved” = agapaō (aga-pow) - quality of love God has for us as well as quality of love we are called to show one another

Verse contains: Greatest Lover

Is love. Nature. Being. G cannot help express knowledge, presence, power and goodness in any other way but love.

Verse contains: Greatest Object of Love

The world. Everything. Everyone. No one outside of his love. No favourites. No picking and choosing. No one unlovable because everyone is loved by God.

Verse contains: Greatest Expression of Love

He gave. Love is generous. It gives away. God’s love is Gift-Love. God does not love because he needs us to love him back. He loves because he cannot help but give from his plenteous love.

Verse contains: Greatest Gift of Love

His one and only Son. Knows we are lost. Knows he had to give all of something that he had to save and redeem us. He has only one Son. So he had to give Jesus Christ to provide redemption for our sins.

Verse contains: Greatest Deliverance of Love

Will not perish. You and I can be saved from our sins, can be redeemed from its consequences because of his love.

Verse contains: Greatest Result of Love

Eternal life. This is not the end. We will experience God’s love for eternity.

That’s God’s love and it is a gift to be shared

But Divine Gift-love in the man enables him to love what is not naturally lovable”—namely, other people. (C.S. Lewis)

Application (5m)

Jesus encourages us to share this Gift-love with others

Matthew 25:34–36 NLT

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

Jesus calls us to be a blessing to others by sharing God’s goodness and love

Our service = way the world discovers G’s love and goodness

When: we serve them food, kind word, help, sit down and go through paperwork with them, serve them lunch, prepare worship, count money, write a note, send a text, make a call.

God intends to bless others through our service.

We are to be presence of God to others.

Let’s not look through others and never see them. Let’s care about what they need and ask: What can I do for you today?

Let’s get involved in some intentional service somewhere. No pew-fillers. No spectators. Everyone can be involved in some way.

As we serve, we will be spreading God’s goodness - his love that we experience for ourselves - and we will be a blessing.

Next Steps

Song: The Blessing

The Lord bless you And keep you Make his face shine upon you And be gracious to you The Lord turn his Face toward you And give you peace

Amen Amen Amen

May his favor Be upon you And a thousand generations And your family And your children And their children And their children

May his presence Go before you And behind you And beside you All around you And within you He is with you He is with you

In the morning In the evening In your coming And your going In your weeping And rejoicing He is for you He is for you

He is for you He is for you

© 2020 Capitol CMG Paragon (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)Kari Jobe Carnes Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)Worship Together Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)Writer's Roof Publishing (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)Music by Elevation Worship Publishing (Admin. by Essential Music Publishing LLC)CCLI Song # 7147007 Chris Brown | Cody Carnes | Kari Jobe | Steven Furtick

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