Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

I AM Pt.3

Praise You, Jesus! Amen. Let's turn to the book of Psalms; and we'll pick up where we were in our last session. We are talking about the great I Am, the majesty of our God. We've said we were going to spend time looking at some of the attributes of God. Just getting to look at the practical and familiarizing ourselves with Him. It will cause a preparation to represent Him in power in the days that are coming on the earth and also cause us to experience the preservation of the peace and the joy that come with knowing Him. The Scripture says that those that come to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him. Knowing "who He is," means really knowing about Him, not knowing that He is, but knowing what He is. He has chosen to reveal it to us, of course, through the Scriptures, the Word of God and, of course, the living Word, the Lord Jesus. Jesus said, "If you've seen Me, you've seen the Father." So, as we look at the life of Jesus, we begin to understand God's purpose and desire toward man. Yet, in Jesus' life, we didn't see all of the attributes that are reserved into the purely spiritual realm, because God is a spirit and those that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and truth. When we begin to study God and the attributes of God, we have to realize that He is a total Spirit being. Everything that is natural is a consequence of His creative ability and of His divine purpose. Yet, everything that is finite is so far distinct from infinite that He can only reveal Himself to us in metaphorical statements, types and shadows. He is far, as we studied last session, beyond what we can comprehend Him to be. So in the natural, we'll never know Him entirely in His spiritual being.

We talked about the holiness of God the last time. We were talking about the great I Am, as He revealed Himself to Moses. "Who shall I say sent me? You say, 'I Am' has sent you." We talked a little about that phrase, "I Am," which is an expression really of the causeless, the uncaused cause of all that is. "I Am" and therefore, what exists is. He declared His eternal infinite being in that statement. "I Am" everything that you need Me to be. "I Am" the creator of the heavens and the earth. All things were created by Me and for Me. By Me all things consist, Colossians tell us.

We realize, then, that as He begins to reveal His majesty, we saw the great "I Am" expressed by one of the attributes called the holiness of God. We talked about that in our last session, the holiness of God. We said holiness was not just the moral character of God, but holiness was really an expression far beyond just His moral state. "Holiness," literally means, "to be separate" or "distinct." So we saw that in the holiness of God, there is no other being like Him. He is totally distinct, totally separate from all else that exists. He was infinitely self-sufficient, then chose to speak into being the heavens and the universes. He declared and it was; "Light be," and light was. He took the earth and He formed a man and He breathed into him and he became a living soul so that we could have communion and fellowship with Him. Everything that was created was created because of the holiness of God, His ability and the goodness of God, His purpose. We're going to talk about the goodness of God. We talked last session about how great He was; we want to talk about how good He is this session.

As we saw the holiness of God, there were no other gods like Him because all that does exist He created for His own purposes. He created the smith that bloweth upon the coals. The author of all the other gods, we saw, is Lucifer, the fallen archangel, and all other gods are just demonically inspired religions and God is the author of all these things. We compared and we said one of the reasons we wanted to look at the holiness of God and the power of God is so that when we go out and begin to minister in the name of Jesus and the enemy tries to resist us, we've been given all power and all authority over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means harm us. Amen? We need to understand that. So we saw there's no comparison between the created and the Creator. Regardless of how great Satan's power is, God's power is infinite. When you compare the finite with the infinite, wherever the finite ends, however great that power is, the infinite so far surpasses it that they can't even be compared. We saw there was no dualism. There was no real battle between the devil and God. This is no contest. God is not struggling to hang onto His kingdom. All the power that Satan wields is limited power and God gave it to him.

We saw, as He called Lucifer before Him, and said, "What do you think about My servant Job?" Lucifer had to respond instantly; as soon as God spoke to him, he had to appear before the throne of God. Do you know how painful that was for the devil, to have to move into the light of God? Now, God being omnipresent, he's never out of that but the expressed glory of God, the visible tangible glory to God. Painful to the devil; he has to come into God's presence and humble himself. "What do you think about My servant Job?" He said, "I'll tell you what, you can put your hand on him, but you can't have his life." It doesn't matter what Lucifer's power is, it can't even be contrasted with the glory of God; and we're preserved in His power and in His love. So we saw that greatness, the power of God. We've been given all power and all authority over all the power of the devil and nothing shall by any means harm us, the Scripture says. So we realize that as we're going out about the Father's business.

Now we want to talk about the goodness of God. When we talk about the goodness of God, the subject is so vast, it goes into so many areas, and we can't follow all the different areas. So let me just say it this way, everything that you have that you don't deserve is a product of God's goodness. When we look at that, then, how would we categorize it? Would you have to say what? Everything. Because what do you deserve? Hell. What do you deserve? Separation. Can you, of your own merit, approach the holy God? So everything we have, the access we have into the heavenlies, the free gift of our salvation, all the things we call "blessings," are nothing more than the extension of the goodness of God. He is good. Amen? Our Father is good. If you, being carnal, know how to give good gifts, how much more shall your heavenly Father give good things? Give the Holy Spirit to those that ask? So let's have a definition of what "goodness" is, and then we'll go on. The definition of "goodness" as it relates to God, as we're speaking here, reveals His "kind-heartedness" to us. His "graciousness." His "good natured benevolence." Kind-heartedness, graciousness and His good-natured benevolence. So we begin to understand what the goodness of God is.

The thing about God is this, and this is a blessing; God's goodness is never indifferent. Think about that. God's goodness is never indifferent. There's never a moment when God's indifferent toward you. He's always seeking to bless you, do good to you and to work in your life what's best for you, praise God. Now, stop and think. Not only what's best for Him, goodness is God working what's best for you at all times and He's never indifferent. Have you ever had anyone treat you indifferently? Yes, all of us have. Have you ever been indifferent toward God? Way too many times, but God is immutable. That's one of His attributes; He never changes. God is good, praise God. He is always good, He is infinitely good and He is eternally good, praise God. That's "good!" When we look at these things and we talk about the infinitude of God, in other words, there's no limit to His goodness. You can't ever wear it out, praise God. It never ceases. There's no limit to it. It's not only eternal, it not only lasts forever, it extends into the realm of the infinite to where there is no limit to its goodness. It is perfect goodness. Whole. Complete. Unchanging. Because God is good, He always responds with good toward His children.

Now we're going to look, in just a moment, and see in the Scripture that there is "the goodness and the severity of God." That's the phrase that is used in the Scripture. If you despise or reject His goodness, you will know His severity. Goodness is not all there is to God, but the goodness of God is infinite, it is eternal and it is perfect. So we rejoice in the goodness of God and delight in all that He blesses us with. The blessings of the Lord that make rich and they add no sorrow with them. He who is the Father of lights, with whom there is no variableness neither shadow of turning. Every good and perfect gift comes down from Him, praise God. "God is good and His mercies endure forever," the Scripture tells us. So, we delight in the goodness of God and He's never indifferent toward us. He's not only infinitely good, but also eternally good. So we rest in that. We understand, then, with His attribute of immutability, which means there is no change in God, He is always what He is. Circumstances don't change Him. Time doesn't change Him. Your behavior doesn't change the way He responds to us. So we delight in the goodness of God and rest in it. We've just finished, not too long ago, a study on prayer. All answered prayer. We would think, you know, answered prayer was a result of faith. No, answered prayer is a result of the goodness of God. You can't earn it. You can't merit it. The faith is what? A gift of God. The Word to us by which faith comes is what? A gift of God. It's all the goodness of God; it's all Him working in us, willing us to do His good pleasure, the Scripture says. So, we delight in the goodness of God.

Turn over to Psalm 34. We want to look at a couple different aspects as it pertains to the goodness of God. In Psalm 34, verse 8, the Scripture says, "O taste and see that the Lord is good: [then see what the next phrase says] blessed is the man that trusteth in him." You see, if you really believe that God is good, then you're going to solely put your trust in Him. Now you're going to see, as we go on in the study, we've got to believe in the goodness of God. Those that come to God must believe that He is good. Those of us that come to God must believe that He is holy. Those of us that come to God must believe that He is just. Those of us that come to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of who He is, and what His eternal purpose is in direct proportion to our faith. So we draw nigh to God, the Scripture says, and He draws nigh to us. The more we want to know Him, the more He reveals Himself to us. The more we empty ourselves of the primary idols of self-will and pride, the more He begins to reveal Himself and to be magnified on the throne of our lives. That's what the whole process of sanctification is about, just God becoming bigger in our lives and us becoming smaller. That conflict that continues within each and every one of us.

He says, "Taste and see. Try it out and see how good God is." Can we say, like Polycarp, "Eighty and six years have I served him, and he never once wronged me; how then shall I blaspheme my King, Who hath saved me?" Do you think I'm going to deny Him now? I've trusted Him all these years and God has always been good to me. You think this little torture you're doing is going to cause me to fail Him now? That's a man who's tasted the goodness of God. That's a man who knows the reality of the presence of God. That's a man that's convinced that God's final state for his being is one of goodness, it is the presence of God. Now, those of us that don't believe in the goodness of God, we're always trying to go out and get some good stuff for ourselves. We always have to provide for ourselves. "God's sure not going to come through. If I'm going to get it, I'm going to have to get it in my own strength. I'm going to have to somehow finagle this thing. I'm going to have to somehow prepare myself and come to a higher skill level and surpass everybody else. You know, it's a dog eat dog world out there" and it is, but we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. And what happens? All of these other things are added to us.

You see, really that's just an understanding of the goodness of God. Do you believe that He's the giver of every good and perfect gift? Do you believe it's the Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom? Do you understand that He wants to bless you going in and coming out, praise God? It's His intention for you and I. Then, why are we scrambling trying to take care of ourselves? Why can't we trust in Him? "Taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man that trusts in Him." All through the Scriptures, we see that's what God is trying to do in the lives of individuals. Trying to get them to say, "You're good. I don't have to fend for myself." "What is this bleating of sheep that I hear in my ears? (1 Samuel 15:14)" I wonder what it was that caused this man Saul to have to hold back a little bit? When if he had offered all of the best to God, what did God say He'd do? He'll open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings that we can't contain. How good is your God this morning? You want to know why people can't tithe? They don't believe God's good. You want to know why people can't trust the Lord for a life's mate? Because they don't believe God's good. "Got to go find one. If I don't do it, it's obvious God isn't doing anything about it. Time is passing, I'm almost 20."

The goodness of God that He wants us blessed. It's not a real easy thing to get rid of that image of a God, who wants to slap you around a little bit, is it? It's not a really easy thing to get rid of that image of a God who, in His great majesty and His sovereign power, just wants to show off every once in a while that "you're not so great and I'm going to bring you down and you don't deserve that anyway." It's not about what you deserve. It's about God's goodness, praise God. If you got what you deserved, you'd be going to hell. The goodness of God. Now see, part of the problem is for many of us, and we battle from different sides, you know, people that are deluded and there are those that are so prideful and so selfish that they think they deserve everything. They think they deserve everything that everybody else has. Dear Lord, I mean, "Why shouldn't I have what that person has?" Because you're a lazy bum that's why and they worked for it if you want to know the facts. "I don't see why they got that and I don't have anything." There are those that think they should have everything everybody has.

Then, there are people that battle from the other perspective. Those of us that battle from this perspective-- and I put myself in this position--because of poor self image and all that makes us who we are, there are those of us that don't really think we deserve anything that's good. When something bad happens, that's what we deserve. So many times, it causes you to move into a merit-relationship, and it robs you of the goodness of God. Aren't you glad that you serve a God who loves you and that the relationship you have with Him is not one based on merit? Now, we can put it off some on our upbringing. I've shared with you that I was raised in a family situation that was a performance-oriented environment. So that drove a lot of what I did. I shared with you the story, you remember, of George Brett when he was going to break one of the great records of Ted Williams and become one of the only guys in modern baseball to hit 400. One of the greatest hitters of all time and at the end of the season he just barely fell short. Had the second greatest season in the history of baseball and his dad's response to him was, "What, you couldn't get one more hit?"

Do any of you know that kind of environment? Did you grow up in it? I did. That's the kind of environment I grew up in, and when you grow up naturally in that kind of environment, how do you relate to a Father who requires nothing of you? He just wants to lavish His goodness upon you. He loves you not based upon your worth or performance but because of His character, because He is God and He is good. So there's a process of having to die to the natural image, and be able to embrace the goodness of God. As it is with so many of us, I know in my own personal life, and I'm sure you've experienced this, it cycles. There are times when you're able to rest in that, you're walking in faith and you're at perfect peace with God. Then, there are those times you're battling and you have to battle the sin that is in your members. Beloved, listen. That which you were is still in you, it just doesn't dominate you anymore. When it does manifest itself, whether it's the pride or selfishness of "I deserve everything," or "I don't deserve anything," they're both pride. When you see it, you have to deal with it. The realization in this is: we don't believe in the goodness of God, from whichever perspective you approach this thing. So we want to change our understanding on a continual basis of who our Father really is. This Giver of every good and perfect gift. This One whose good pleasure it is to give us this kingdom. The One who sought us; we weren't seeking Him. "Taste and see that the Lord is good." As we embrace Him, and we begin to experience the goodness of God, and we trust in Him, and He begins to reveal Himself to us, we learn that rest. Without it, the anxiousness and the fear that begin to drive our lives again start to manifest and dominate.

Listen to what the Psalmist said in the 27^th Psalm. A beautiful revelation here, beginning in verse 4, and he says, "One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple." It's his heart's desire but in this process there are adversities, and trials that each and every one of us experience. The Psalmist David says, verse 11, "Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path, [I'm experiencing opposition, the principalities and powers] because of mine enemies [natural, spiritual are rising up against me]. Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: [verse 12] for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty. I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord." "I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord [say it] in the land of the living."

Yeah, heaven's going to be good, but what about the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living? Do you believe that God wants you to experience and know the glory of His presence now, in the land of the living, in the midst of the adversities and trials? The trials are good for you, but the trials will cause you to faint. The trial will overcome you. The trials can destroy you. There's no guarantee of us coming out of trials purified, purged, if we don't believe in the goodness of the Lord. If you don't understand why you're in the trial, if you don't understand who's orchestrating this, if you don't understand that you will not be tried past that that you're able to stand and that He always makes a way of escape.

You see, if you begin to judge yourself, instead of letting God judge you, you'll end up dead. If you begin to judge God, instead of letting God judge you, you're going to end up dead. But if you'll let the trial work in you patience that you might be made perfect and complete, then you'll know the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. You see, it all has to do with our concept of God, with our perception of God. The whole book of Job, a long book with all kinds of stuff going on in there for one purpose. What was it all about? What was the whole book of Job written for? To show us that in performing the whole duty of man, love God, keep His commandments, the greatest thing we can do in this whole process called "life" is to make sure we justify God and not ourselves. Because in this life, there's going to be adversity, trials, times of lack, opposition, fear, and in the midst of those times, He said, I want you to just stand up and say, "God's good." You need to taste and see the goodness of the Lord, "...blessed is the man that trusteth in him." The goodness of God.

If we can't see Him that way, then we're going to be overcome. We're going to be overcome in trials; we're going to be overcome in temptations of seduction. We'll be seduced away by all the trinkets of the world, and all the pleasures that the world system offers because, you see, we don't believe God's good. That's what caused the whole original fall in the first place, "God's holding out on you, God's not good. There's something over here that He's withholding. If God was good, why would He withhold death from you?" He didn't put that part in the sales pitch, did he? Let me ask you a question. How often does that same sales pitch work on you? And you know better; we have the revelation of the Word of God; we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We've been washed by the blood of Jesus and that thing still has power in our members that "God's holding out, that if you don't get it for yourself, man, you're going to really miss out on something." God's good. Amen? There's not one good thing that He withholds from you. Do you believe that? Oh yeah, your religious response would be, "Amen!" No. Do you believe that God's not withholding anything good from you? And that everything that is working in your life at this moment is working for your, what? Good. Those that love God and are called according to His purposes? Can you say that God's good? Can you just rejoice in His goodness to us?

As we read through the 23^rd Psalm, about the great Shepherd and all that He provides for us, it ends with, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever [praise God]." Even in the valley of the shadow of death, goodness and mercy are there with you. In the valley of the shadow you say God's good. God is merciful. Mercy, just not giving you what you deserve, that's what mercy is. Grace is giving you what you don't deserve. Mercy is not giving you what you do deserve. We deserve hell; we deserve to be cast out into outer darkness. We have no ability to approach a holy God, and yet He's embraced us and made provision for us bold access through the blood of Jesus Christ. He's called us His own. He's called us His inheritance, praise God. God's good. Amen? When you contrast it with what you deserve, and in His mercy He hasn't given you and everything you do have that's good is a gift of God. Any natural talents you have, any spiritual abilities you have, the grace by which you were saved, the blood and the spirit by which you're sustained, are all the benefits of His goodness. Then you question His goodness because you can't drive a new car like somebody else? Because you're not living in the neighborhood with the Jeffersons, who have moved on up? Experienced a life mate? That could be the goodness of God to you. [Audience laughter.] You notice it's a wife that's laughing the loudest out there. We won't mention any names. We question the goodness of God because of these idols that we lift up, forgetting that He's holy and jealous and we question His goodness? All you have to do is just stop for a moment, consider the free gift of He who loved us and was made flesh and tabernacles among us, was made sin with our sin that we might be made righteous with His righteousness and it settles how good God is. Amen? God's goodness doesn't have to do with any of these temporal blessings, though those are expressions of the goodness of God. It has to do with the eternal provision for our reconciliation to Him; and He's done everything to give us that access. "I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13)."

Psalm 33, verse 5 says, "...the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord." You know, God's so good that He makes His rain to fall upon the just and the unjust. God's good. He's expressing His character to all mankind. Those that wrestle with why the wicked are blessed and prosper. Many of them are just using spiritual laws and principles from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and they've succeeded at this. God in His goodness, His original intent for man, allows man to go in that vein. Sometimes God allows them to prosper so that He can show Himself mighty as He brings them down, Pharaoh for an instance. Primarily, they prosper in many ways. They prosper because their god, the god of this world, prospers them supernaturally. Those of us that, then, because of our own lust, covetousness and misunderstanding of the goodness of the Lord, have to go to the house of the Lord and He reveals His eventual justice. Then, God comes in and He gives us what we need as His bratty little children and tries to show us that it's bigger than just the immediate circumstances; and we see that these men are going to receive just recompense because God is not only good. God is what? Just. Then we're humbled and are able to come back to peace as we see the bigger picture again of who God is, but the goodness of the Lord is something that fills the earth. It's not enough just to believe in the goodness of God. We need to praise Him for His goodness. We experienced a little bit of that this morning.

Psalm 107 is just full of the admonition to declare the goodness of God. Don't just enjoy the goodness of God; declare the goodness of God. Don't just rest in the goodness of God, but declare the goodness of God. Psalm 107, it's a great Psalm, verse 2, "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy." Verse 8, "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 [What?] goodness [praise God]." Have you tasted and seen that the Lord is good? That taste will make you hungry for more. Look what it says: He fills the hungry soul. To those that hunger and thirst He will what? Fill them with righteousness, praise God. How hungry are you to know the goodness of God? Taste it, see how good it is. It'll make you hungry for more, praise God. You know, when you go through these places and they give you the free samples? Aren't they nice? They're appealing to your hunger, to your appetite. When you understand the goodness of the Lord, the Scripture says, He satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with goodness. Then you can go on through this particular Psalm, clear down through verse 31 and constantly see the phrases that cause us to realize that men should praise the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works, verse 31, to the children of God. "Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works..." That phrase is used throughout verse 21, "Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" That's following, "He sent His Word to heal them and delivered them from their destruction." Just a sign of His goodness.

Everything that we have is the product of the goodness of God. Is there thanksgiving in us? Is there a true praise that rises up in us when we consider the goodness of the Lord? Can you just praise Him when from your finite perspective things are going good? Or can you praise Him because He's good, whether you can perceive it or not? Whether you're experiencing what you would say is goodness, you understand the goodness of God? The judge of all the earth does right. So you just rejoice in that. "I don't see it for right now, I don't see the fact that I don't have a life mate now as being good. I don't see the fact that my body has not been instantly healed and I'm in pain now as being good. I don't see the fact that because everyone else around me seem to be prospering and I'm not that that's God's goodness to me, but I believe that the Lord is good and I trust in Him, praise God." You see, this is what He's trying to work in our lives, so we can rest always in who He is. Drawing nigh unto Him, those that come to God must believe that He is and He is a what? A rewarder.

Turn over to the 145^th Psalm. A beautiful passage of Scripture, verses 7 - 11, "They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness. The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The Lord is good to [say it with me] all: [So how is it you keep making yourself the exception? Why do you think you're the only one left out? How come God's good to everybody but you? When the Scripture says the Lord is good to...say it. All, praise God.] and his tender mercies are over all his works. All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee. They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power." The Lord is good to all and His tender mercies are over all of His works. So we're able to rest in the revelation of Himself, the goodness of God to us. Kind-hearted, gracious, good-natured in his benevolence. God's never indifferent toward us in His goodness. Things don't seem real good right now? All things work together because of the goodness of God to those that love Him and are called according to His purpose. So we boast in the goodness of the Lord.

Job, in his experience, came to that final conclusion. As he started off, "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord," you know, the declaration that was made. He makes that phenomenal statement, but he can't handle the questioning of his own condition. As men questioned the circumstances, and we've talked about the pagan philosophy of the day in which they were living, that pagan and they still believe it to this day. The orneriest dude in the world, man, out there on the golf course gets a hole-in-one and says, "Man, I must've done something right today." Have you ever heard people make statements like that? That's how pagans believe. Anything good that happens is a vindication that they did something good. If something bad happens, it's got to be because you were doing something bad. Any of you still battle that pagan mentality? That's how the pagans believe, that's how unbelievers believe. They don't believe that good things can happen to bad people and bad things to good people. So Job, then, in his experience, he's talking about the Lord gives, the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord. Then, the questioning of why these things were happening and "Job, are you sure there's not something in your life?"

All of a sudden, Job begins to vindicate himself and try to justify himself and the whole issue was dealing with bringing Job to the place of being able to justify the Lord and not himself. To come up to this great revelation of who God is, "Look guys, it's not about the circumstances, God's good and we're not. Everything we have that's good has come from the Lord, praise God. The one thing we are confident in, God's orchestrating this thing and I've just said too much. So I chose to put my hand over my mouth." God quieted him up a little bit didn't he when He said, "Job, where were you when I hung the heavens?" Job saw he was out of his league and had to humble himself back to recognizing what? The goodness of God, who he believed to see in the land of the living. It's important for us to realize, then, that unless we have that understanding, we're not going to come through some of these things with the presence of God working in our lives. Oh, you can still come out with your religion, but not with the presence of God. You can come out with a systemized theology, but you don't any longer have trust in God and hope in God, and a love for God. There's bitterness, there's a questioning and there's a fear. Just like the pagans feared; there's a fear now that somehow the hammer may fall again. God's good and His mercies endure forever. Amen? So when we understand who He is that He is infinitely good, beloved, He is eternally good. He can't be anything but good, that's who He is toward His children.

Now, Romans 2 tells us--Let's turn over there for just a second so we can see that there is more to God than just goodness. God is just; He's not the big Santa Clause. You're not going to be able to defy Him, lie and fail to keep His commandments, and then He just lavish His goodness upon you. This is what happens to a lot of people. They live in rebellion to God; they think it's God blessing them and it's the devil. Yet, the circumstances justify their behavior. The goodness of God to us, many times, is the chastening of the Lord. Amen? Not the toys; the chastening. So it's very important for us to understand God and in the midst of temptation, test and trials, James says, we're to pray for? Wisdom. We're to pray that we can understand, what's going on here. Why am I in this thing? What is it that is being spoken to me by the Lord, because all things, as a child of God, are working in me for good. So what are You trying to teach me here? What do I need to know? God might just speak to you and say, "Nothing. You're doing well. Keep it up, man! But you're living in a world where My rain falls upon the just and the unjust." The fact that that Tower collapsed and fell on them wasn't because they were evil. It was because they were standing by the Tower when it fell. "Couldn't God have delivered them?" Yeah. He chose not to. "Why?" Put your hand over your mouth, I don't know. What do I know? God's good. Amen? So when you understand that, it brings about a peace and an ability to walk in the knowledge of God.

Romans, Chapter 2, you know, we were talking about Romans 1 and 2, the depravity of man, and the rebellion of men's hearts. In Chapter 2, look at what verse 4 says, these are the people, inexcusable, because the knowledge of God has been placed in every man and "...we are sure that the judgment of God is [always] according to truth against them which commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?" You know, it's easy to see it in everybody else. Do you think because you know what's right, that you're going to escape the judgement of God? You've got to do what's right. Then he comes on in verse 4 and says this, "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God [is what] leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God." Don't despise the riches of His goodness, His longsuffering, for it's the goodness of God that leads you to repentance, but it can be despised. This is something that can be despised, it no longer works; and what you do by despising God's goodness is you bring His wrath. You lay up the judgement of God against you, because you've judged Him, instead of allowing Him to judge you.

Look over at Chapter 11 of Romans, verse 22. He makes a comment again, "Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness..." Now what's he doing here? He's contrasting those who fell because of unbelief, verse 20, they were broken off, and talking about those being grafted into the vine. Here are a people who were blessed in every way. They had the oracles of God, the covenants of God, but because they didn't want to retain God, because of their own spiritual pride, because of a works-religion, they were removed or cut off and we were grafted in. Those of us, the Gentiles, who accept the work of Jesus. Then Paul says, now listen, "...because of [their] unbelief they were broken off, [and you were put in] and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear. [It wasn't by your works; you don't deserve any of this. Don't ever forget, they were removed and you can be removed.] For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity...(verses 20 - 22)."

Goodness to all. "God so loved the world. Whosoever will may come." Goodness upon whom? Those that continue in His goodness. Those that don't question God. Those that are not putting God on trial. Those that do not believe that somehow their performance gives them rights in the kingdom, and "God owes me." You want to get rid of the goodness of God? Just start thinking God owes you, you deserve something from God, that He's your debtor. When we understand His holiness, His majesty, how far separate He is from all of His creation, and then we see His condescending to become one of us, and to be touched by the feelings of our infirmities, to be tempted in every way as we were and not bow His knee to sin or Satan and offer Himself a sinless sacrifice. How easy and how just for God to say, "It's over." You've got to remember, one of the attributes of God is His total self-sufficiency. He needs nothing. He didn't need a universe. He didn't need men. He didn't need angels. One of God's attributes is He is totally self-sufficient. Why did He create all of this stuff? I don't know! Probably just to confuse Carl Sagan. I don't know why He did all of these things, but He did. In the midst of it, God is absolutely, infinitely, eternally, and immutably just. At the same time, I mean [clapping his hands], He could have just done it all over again and been absolutely faithful to His character of goodness and mercy. But, He chose to come and die and become one of us, because He's good and He loves us and will never leave us or forsake us.

Father, we thank you for your Word. We just ask that You would continue to be big in our eyes and that we would be able to rest in all that You are toward us. That we, as Your children, would magnify You, Lord, praise Your name for Your goodness to men. That You might increase and we decrease. That we would shun any confidence in our finite perspective and rest in Your infinite wisdom and power and goodness and just say, "Taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man that trusts in Him." Make it real, Father, we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

Turn to somebody next to you and say, "God is good." Amen. Go in peace. God's love go with you.

Back to Top | Audio   |   Purchase Audio   |   Bible Teachings   |   Print