The Goodness of God

The Goodness of God

Advent:  The Goodness of God

 

Last Monday, my wife and I read the book written by the prophet Jonah.

He was commanded to go and preach to the people of Ninevah, a large, ancient city of Assyria.  Assyria was a cruel, dark, idolatrous nation.

Ninevah was a leading city there.  But Jonah didn’t want to go.

Why?  He didn’t want them to repent.

Eventually, with some reluctance, Jonah went and preached the truth about God.

And they did repent.  The entire city of 120,000 people.  They humbled themselves before God and repented, and the Lord showed mercy.  An astonishing revival.  

 

How did Jonah respond to this revival?  Was he overjoyed that so many people humbled themselves and found salvation?

Jonah 4:1-3 ESV  But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.   And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country?  That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish;  for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.  Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 

Jonah knew that God was good:  gracious, merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love.

He knew that God would offer the entire city of Ninevah forgiveness if only they would repent.

 

But Jonah didn’t want Ninevah to repent.  Why?  I don’t know.  Perhaps he thought they were too wicked to be saved.  Perhaps he was prejudiced against all non-Jews and didn’t want them to share in the Lord like he did.

 

Whatever he had against Ninevah, Jonah’s anger and rebellion was because God was good.

He was convinced that God was good.

Jonah’s response is ironic to me.  He seemed to be quite persuaded of the goodness of God, yet he rebelled.

We on the other hand, find ourselves questioning the goodness of God, and so WE rebel.

 

But we all have to honestly ask ourselves:  

Is God good?

Understandably, at times we wonder if God is good.  For we look around us in the world, and we see that something is very wrong.

The massacre in San Bernadino, California, two weeks ago.

ISIS on the rampage in the Middle East.

But we don’t have to look that far to know that something is wrong.  We simply have to look at the Man (or the Woman) in the Mirror.

 

And with things so wrong and so bad, we can wonder if God is good.

But actually, long before this world fell apart from sin and the curse, man questioned God’s goodness.  We go back to Genesis 3 and Satan’s temptation planted this seed that perhaps God is not good after all.  For surely if he was good, he would not withhold something good from you.

 

So this question, “IS GOD GOOD,” is an age-old question.

And we must wrestle with it.

And as we wrestle—an honest wrestling where we humbly seek the truth— we will find the answer is a resounding, “YES!”, especially as we consider both the First Coming of Christ and his FUTURE Second Coming.

So this morning, I want to reveal to us the Goodness of God as it’s displayed  in the Advent of Christ.  The Coming of Christ to the earth.

 

The Goodness of God

 

What does it mean when we say, “God is Good”?

The goodness of God is his disposition to be kind, benevolent, friendly, and full of desire to bring blessing to man.

He is tenderhearted.  Sympathetic.  Compassionate.  Truthful.  Trustworthy.  Kind.

He is gracious.  He gives gifts.  He loves to show mercy.  

Ultimately, God’s goodness might be best described by his LOVE.  

 

All such qualities are qualities of his Goodness.  

4000 years ago, concerning the Father of our Faith, Abraham, God promises to be good.

Genesis 12:3 ESV  “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” 

From the very beginning, God has revealed his goodness.  To Abraham he promises blessing—GOODNESS—that will extend to families all over the world.  How has that blessing and goodness come?  It has come through one descendant of Abraham:  Jesus Christ.  

 

The Psalms constantly tell us to worship the Lord, for he is good.

Psalm 106:1 ESV  “Praise the Lord!  Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” 

We are to worship and give thanks to the Lord, because he is good.

 

The Christmas story shouts of God’s goodness.

In Luke 2:10-12, the angel said, “I bring you good news of great joy.”

 

My favorite name of Jesus Christ reveals his goodness.

Matthew 1:23 ESV  “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us).” 

Immanuel.  God with us.  God has lowered himself to be with us.  Heaven has come to Earth.

What an intimate, good name.  God has displayed his goodness and blessing to the highest extent.  

 

There is no greater proof of God’s goodness than in the First Coming of Christ to earth, in his  death and resurrection to save human lives.

Titus 3:4–5 ESV  “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit..”

 

From cover to cover, the Scriptures reveal to a God who is Good.  VERY good.

 

Yet We Doubt

 

In spite of all this, one of the greatest tests of our faith is to believe that God is indeed good. 

We can say and even believe he is good.  YET we waver and doubt, at times.  

 

Doubting God’s goodness leaves us shaken.

It leads to Fear.  Discouragement.  Depression.  Anxiety.  

It even leads to our Rebellion and Sin, because in many ways, sin is just a search for our own definition of Good.  

Sin is us trying to become like God and defining our own good.

 

How different we would be, and how different this world would be, if only we would all simply believe that though God is mighty and holy, he is also eager to be friendly with us.  He is eager for relationship with us and to bring GOOD to us. 

 

Slide   Here is what one author, A.W. Tozer, said:  

“But sin has made us timid and self-conscious, as well it might.  Years of rebellion against God have bred in us a fear that cannot be overcome in a day.  The captured rebel does not enter willingly the presence of the king he has so long fought unsuccessfully to overthrow.”

 

Before we repented of our sins and found grace through Christ, we were rebels in heart.  We were defiant against the Great Authority of God Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.

We fought against God.

We set ourselves on the throne in the place of God.

We determined that WE KNOW good, and that God does not have our Good in mind.

But now that we have been saved by his grace, we enter into the presence of a good God who desires to be friendly.

 

But we still have some old habits of thought in our minds.

We still are afraid of God, at times.  

We still wrestle, at times, in our hearts, questioning if God is good.

 

Our story now is just like the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15.

In Jesus’ Parable of the Prodigal, one son demands that his father give him his share of the father’s inheritance.

So he takes the inheritance, travels to a distant land, and lives a wild, reckless life.

He ends up ruining his life, and literally living among pigs, having less to eat than the pigs did.

 

The rebellious son finally humbled himself, repented of his attitudes towards his father and life.

When he returned to his father, what did he discover?  

His father was good.  His father ran out to greet his long-lost son.  

He welcomed his humble and repentant son.

 

In the parable, what is the key change in the story?

What changed?  The father didn’t change.  The son did.

The Father was GOOD and merciful.

But the son repented, humbling himself and going back to his father.

 

This is a reflection of the gospel.  Sinners, with full knowledge of all their sin and shame, DARE to come before this Holy, Awesome, Righteous God.

Why?  Because he is good.

 

Yet Even after God saves us, we can still be afraid, at times, to approach God.

We forget that he is good.

We forget that He is gracious.  Compassionate.  Slow to anger.  Abounding in steadfast love.

Just like Jonah the prophet knew.

Our good God, through Christ, is merciful.  Loving.  Very patient.

He has adopted us.  Chosen us.  Justified us.  Declared us holy.  Made us new creation.

He has promised eternal blessings.

He has set his Holy Spirit to dwell within us.  He could not be nearer to us now.

 

All such things spring out of his goodness.  He desires to be friendly with us.

So since all this is TRUE, why would we doubt his goodness?

Why would we be anxious and stressed and angry and bitter about our trials?

Because, as Tozer said, our past has made us “timid and self-conscious…Years of rebellion against God have bred in us a fear that cannot be overcome in a day.”

 

Tozer went on to say this:

 “The greatness of God rouses fear within us, but His goodness encourages us not to be afraid of Him.  To fear and not be afraid—that is the paradox of faith.”

Isn’t that wonderfully said?

God is so great and infinite and holy and just and mighty that we honestly should be afraid of him.  He is terrifying in his majesty and power and infiniteness.

And it is right that we should be afraid.

Yet…YET…the First Coming of Christ and the Cross SHOUTS to us, “God is GOOD!!!”

And God beckons us to draw near—DRAW NEAR—To NOT be afraid.  

 

Application

 

Our confidence in the goodness of God is revealed and developed in life.  We are tested in our faith.  Will we believe that God is good?  Like Jonah, we are faced with the goodness of God.  How will we respond?

Let me offer a few areas in our lives where we can and should believe that God is good.

 

Face Guilt and Shame

When we are faced with Guilt and Shame:  When we sin, will we believe that God is good?

This is what the Prodigal son had to reckon with.

He was ashamed of his sin.  He was ashamed of what he had become.

We all have sin in our lives.

We all, at one time or another, face guilt and shame.

We’re ashamed of what we have become.

We’re guilty over some secret sins, and we wonder if we’re trapped in our guilt.

 

The First Coming of Christ reveals God’s intense desire to be kind and friendly towards us.

Hebrews 4:14–16 ESV  “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

 

When is your time of need?

Anytime, really.  But our greatest time of need is when our lives are full of sin and guilt and shame.

In those moments, we think we dare not approach this Holy God.  But because of the work of Jesus Christ in his First Coming, the First Advent, we can actually approach this Holy and Good God.  Not with timidity, but with confidence.

 

The blood of Jesus, which he offered up in heaven itself as our Great High Priest standing before God the Father, cleanses us.  Forgives us.

The Blood of Christ permits us to draw near to God Almighty in absolute confidence and assurance in his goodness.

 

The Prodigal Son wasn’t entirely sure how his father would react.

But he humbled himself and went back, ready just to be a servant with no rights.

His father surprised him.  When Dad saw the son at a distance, he RAN to greet him.  He threw a big party for his long-lost son.

 

This past month, several mornings while I was getting ready for the day, my mind wandered back to the previous day.

I found myself thinking, “You know, Brad, yesterday wasn’t your best day.”  And I was tempted to dwell on failures and feel guilt and shame.

But I started instead dwelling on passages like Hebrews 4 to remember that the Blood of Christ cleanses all my sins….whether sins from yesterday or from 10 years ago.  Today is a brand new, clean day because God, in the gospel, is good.  

When we are faced with Guilt and Shame, we will find that God is good.

 

Encounter Trials

When trials come, we are forced to examine and reexamine….and reexamine again…if God is good.

  • My health fell apart.  Is God good?
  • My friend sinned and hurt many people.  Is God good?
  • A man I trusted betrayed me.  Is God good?
  • My finances:  I’m always on the edge.  Is God good?  

When bad things happen-even when  that bad thing seem to be no one’s fault—Cancer;  a Stroke;  a financial crisis— and  we are tempted to doubt God’s goodness.  

Why would this  horrible thing happen?  Why doesn’t God take it away?”

 

Our doubting keeps us from approaching God and finding him friendly towards us.

 

But God is able to take bad, hurtful, harmful things in our lives, and by his power, grace, and goodness, he is able to turn those things on their heads and turn them into good.

 

Joseph’s story in Genesis is in my Top Five stories in the Bible.

He endured a horrific trial at the hands of his ten older brothers, who despised their little brother so much that they sold him as a slave.

For the next 13 years, Joseph endured much anguish.  13 years!  Was Joseph’s life ruined???

No, because God is good and God is powerful.  And God took those horrific things and brought much good.

 

Years later, here is what Joseph told his brothers:  

Genesis 50:20 ESV  “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” 

God brought a glorious good out of a terrible trial.

 

 That has been one of the challenges my wife and I have faced this year.

Will we believe that the Lord can and will bring glorious good out of our trials in recent months?

 

Indicators of our faith in the Goodness of God are contentment and thankfulness.

If we are growing in contentment and thankfulness, we are growing in faith that God is good.  

Even in our trials, God is good, and he will be good.

We can trust him.

 

Compelled to Pray

When we pray….or when we know we should pray… our faith in God’s goodness is tested.  

I can tell myself and tell you that we ought to pray, and to pray constantly, and to pray with confidence.

But I will pray—and you will pray— only if we believe God is good.  

Now we might not go so far as to say that God is EVIL.

But we might say or think, “God is APATHETIC.  He simply doesn’t care.”

 

Yesterday morning I was reading from the prophet Zephaniah.

In Zephaniah’s day, judgment was coming down on the Jews.  WHY?

Zephaniah 1:12 NIV At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who are complacent, who are like wine left on its dregs, who think, ‘The Lord will do nothing, either good or bad.’ 

The Jews viewed God as disinterested.  Inattentive.  Apathetic..

“The Lord won’t do Good.  The Lord won’t do Bad.  He simply won’t do ANYTHING.”

 

I wonder, at times, if this is subtly my attitude about God.  And if this is why I don’t pray as much as I should and could?

 

When Jesus spoke of prayer, he connected it directly to our confidence in God, that he is good, like a good father. 

Matthew 7:7–11 ESV “Ask, and it will be given to you;  seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?  If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! 

Some of you had good fathers.  Some of you had bad fathers.  Evil fathers.  Absent fathers.

If we had a bad father, we have a greater challenge to see God as good.

Yet, we still know what good is, for we contrast our bad father with some other standard of goodness.    We know, at least partially, what our father SHOULD have been like.

Jesus is telling us that fathers of all sorts know how to feed their children when they ask for food

HOW MUCH MORE will your good Father in heaven give good to you when you ask.

 

 

Hope for redemption

The future, eternal things for the Christ follower are GOOD.  Very good.  And ONLY good.

When we read from the Scriptures how limited hope in this life is and how glorious hope in the next life is, we will be inspired to grow in our confidence in God’s goodness.

 

We have hope in God through his Son because we believe fundamentally and thoroughly he is good.  Very good.  He is good through and through.

 

The Second Coming of Christ and the revealing of the New Heaven and New Earth is God’s GOODNESS in its fullest display.  

Do we believe that God will actually bring it about?  That he is good?

And do we live like it’s true?

In a vision concerning the end of the age, the Apostle John writes:  

Revelation 21:1–4 ESV  Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 

 

His Second Coming reveals his goodness.  For when he comes, he will make all things new.

All things related to our life in Christ and salvation will come to their fullest fruition.

We are saved now, but we will be really saved.

We are forgiven now, but we will be absolutely forgiven.

 

We have been made holy now, but on that day when we see him, we will be made like him.

We will gain new, glorified, resurrected bodies at the final resurrection.

 

Our adoption as children of God will be complete, for we will be with our Father in heaven.

The inheritance he promises to us now will be ours in fullness on that day.

 

God will dwell among us and be our God.  Never again will we feel alone.  We will experience an intimacy with God that we have only tasted of in this life.

 

We will understand with fullness how he has worked all things together for good.

 

Conclusion

To wrap up this morning, let’s go back to our main question.

“IS GOD GOOD?”

Scriptures—from cover to cover—shout to us over and over and over again that God is good.

He is kind.  Benevolent.  Merciful.

He is patient.  Loyal.  Loving.

He is righteous.  Gracious.  Truthful.

And both the First Coming of Christ and his impending Second Coming SHOUT to us the answer to our question, “YES!”

 

We will find ourselves wavering on this question often.  Sometimes day to day.

But the pursuit of knowing God better and better is a glorious pursuit.

If we seek the Lord to know intimately his nature, including his goodness, our FAITH will increase.

We will find contentment in our trials.

We will find peace in the face of guilt and shame.

We will be compelled to pray.

We will set our hope on the future Coming of Christ as the greatest display of good the world will ever know.