## Knowing God: His Goodness

## Psalms 145:9

The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. (Ps 145:9)

O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. (Ps 107:1)

I. Introduction:

A. Biblical Parable Mt. 20:1-16

1. The early call: To the willing - payment agreed upon. v1-2

2. The late-comer call: To the idle - payment left up to the householder. v3-4

3. Additional calls: To all - payment left up to the householder. v5

4. The final call: To all - payment left up to the householder. v6-7

5. Payment is made n reverse order. v8-16

a. Those hired last, were paid a penny.

b. Each group received the same payment.

c. The first group complains…it's not fair!

d. The householder explains that they received exactly what they had agreed upon.

Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? (Matthew 20:15)

B. Modern Day Example

1. This took place at Hannibal-LaGrange College in Missouri back in 2002.

2. It was the day for final exams.

3. Everybody in the room was doing last-minute cramming.

4. Then the professor enters and takes a few minutes to review.

5. Most of it was familiar, but there were some things that no one remembered ever hearing.

6. The professor responded with what sends cold chills up every student's spine: "This is in your textbook, and you are responsible for the content on this exam.

7. The time came for the test. He gave the word, and every student took up their pen and turned over their test.

8. As each student looked at their test they found that every blank was completed for them...even their names were filled in.

9. On the bottom of the last page of every test was this note from the professor:

"All the answers on your test are correct. You will receive an 'A' on the final exam. The reason you passed the test is because the creator of the test took it for you. All the work you did in preparation for this test did not help you get the 'A'."

C. Are there similarities?

1. Payment had nothing to do with the amount of work that had been done.

2. It was made on the basis of the goodness and grace of the one who made the payment.

3. These are not just the experiences in other people's lives.

4. There isn't a single person in this room who hasn't experienced the goodness of God.

5. One truth that certainly must be declared is that God is good…all the time!

O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. (1 Chr 16:34)

O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. (Psalms 34:8)

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. (Ps 100:4-5)

6. Moses asks to see the glory of God.

And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. (Ex 33:18-20)

a. Moses wanted to see God's glory.

b. God showed Him something so wonderful that it caused the skin of Moses' face to glow with the radiance of God's presence. (Ex 34:29)

c. He showed him His goodness.

II. God's Goodness Defined

Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes. (Psalms 119:68)

A. His Character is Good

1. God is by nature good…it is His attribute.

2. He is good in and of Himself.

3. For us it is an added quality…we seek to be good, but for God He simply is good.

And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. (Mark 10:18)

B. His Actions are Good

1. God's goodness concentrates on what He does.

2. The Bible is filled with descriptions that point to His kindness, His mercy, His steadfast love, His generosity.

3. Think on this…

a. When the Lord thinks about us, He thinks good thoughts.

b. Imagine this; with all of our baggage and all of our failures God still wants to do good for us.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. (Malachi 3:10)

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Ro 8:28) [6]

III. God Reveal His Goodness to Us

A. Through Natural Blessings. Ps 145

The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. (Ps 145:8-9)

1. Who is included in the word "everyone"?

2. We are!

3. In case we missed that, he repeats the idea a bit later.

The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. (Psalms 145:14-16)

4. Every place we look we see His goodness.

5. He has blessed us in every way imaginable.

6. We can find His goodness everywhere if we will just begin to look for it.

B. Through Kind Interventions. Ps 107

O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. (Ps 107:1)

1. God comes to the need of those who are searching for satisfaction for their soul.

Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south. They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses. And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation. Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. (Ps 107:2-9)

2. God breaks the chains of sin that bind the repentant, and turns their night into day.

Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High: Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help. Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder. (Ps 107:11-14)

3. God intervenes in the lives of foolish people when they cry to the Lord.

Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted. Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death. Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses. He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. (Ps 107:17-20)

4. God calms the storms of calamity when we call to Him, because He is good.

They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep. For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end. Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven. (Ps 107:23-30)

C. Through His Son, Jesus.

1. He took upon Himself the judgment that our sins deserved.

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Ro 5:8)

a. God's goodness flowed to us in the substitution of His Son in our place on the cross.

b. We didn't deserve it, but God is good.

2. He includes many other things in the gift of Himself.

He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? (Ro 8:32)

a. In other words, God has already shown His goodness toward us in the greatest way possible.

b. All the other things to help us live a godly life are included in that gift.

3. Jesus opens God's goodness toward us in many ways.

For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. (2 Cor 1:20)

a. That means all the good and perfect gifts of God come to us through our relationship with Jesus.

b. If we want to understand and appreciate God's goodness to us, we must begin and end with Jesus.

IV. Our Response to God's Goodness

A. Repent of unbelief and ingratitude.

Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? (Ro 2:4)

1. Paul is saying, "Do you think that all these blessings that you enjoy came because you're just an incredibly nice person who made God's special list?"

2. No, His goodness was meant to lead you to Him.

3. Going through life receiving what He has been giving without trusting in Christ is like saying, "God I had all this coming. I deserve this and more. So keep it coming."

4. We want the gifts, not the Giver.

5. Our ingratitude and greed for what He can do for us while yet rejecting Him is the heights of sin.

B. Rest in His goodness when adversity comes.

1. We live in a world where bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people.

2. Sometimes, our circumstances cause us to question how good God is., but…

3. Sometimes God's good plan for us means going through trials and losses and heartache and death.

4. But we need to understand that He is there for us regardless of the circumstances; He has great goodness stored up for us.

Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. (Ps 31:19-20)

C. Walk by faith.

1. When we believe that God is good all the time, it gives us reason to step out by faith.

2. When we understand that He is good all the time, it gives us motivation to walk by faith.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. (Jer 29:11)

3. Believing that cuts us loose from fear about taking risks for Christ's sake.

For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. (Ps 84:11)

4. Because He is good…we should repent of our ingratitude, rest in His goodness when adversity comes, and we should not be hesitant to walk in faith.