WHAT GOD LOOKS LIKE - SERIES

"GOD IS GOOD"

J.I. Packer writes, “have you ever thought of God looking at you and your life with all your baggage, your junk, and your ups and downs, and then saying, ‘I want to be generous to you. I long to give to you just what would make you happy – not because you deserve it, but because there’s something about who I am that would bring me infinite joy to express that kind of generosity to you.”

Catch this - how much you trust in the goodness of God will determine the degree you surrender your life to Him! Are you trusting God's goodness in every area of your life? Or, are you letting Him have some areas while you work the other areas out yourself? Grasp this firmly - Life works best when it's lived God's way!

I want to share with you three aspects of God's goodness and then give you three ways we can respond.

1. God is SUPREMELY GOOD.

Psalm 84:11 "The LORD God is a sun and shield; He will give grace and glory. No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly before Him."

A. In other words, He is our "sun" - unlimited resource; "shield" - all-powerful protector; THIS IS WHO HE IS! He gives us "grace" - undeserving & unearned supernatural favor; "glory" - ability & wisdom to do things. THIS IS WHAT HE GIVES!

B. You cannot connect yourself to anyone or anything who will be better to you than a "supremely" good God! Supreme means highest, best, or greatest! God is saying that He will make sure you never miss out on life's best when you live it His way! "no GOOD THING will He withhold from those who walk uprightly!

2. God is SACRIFICIALLY GOOD.

Romans 8:32 "He who spared not His own Son, but freely gave Him up for us all; how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things."

A. Here's the point - God's goodness is embodied in His Son! Whenever you doubt the Father's goodness to you, remember what He gave for you - His only Son! If God the Father would not withhold Jesus Christ from us, why would He withhold anything else that is good for us?

3. God is SOVEREIGNLY GOOD.

Romans 8:32 "We know that all things work together for good, to those who love God, to the called according to His purpose."

A. Sovereign means that God is in complete control of everything. There is nothing outside of His control. Now, that does NOT mean that God causes everything to happen, but it does mean that He allows it. I have a question for you - Do you "know" this? I mean really hold this as a conviction, that God is sovereignly good! To the called according to His purpose, to those who love Him, we KNOW that ALL THINGS work together for GOOD!

B. I remember a specific time when I was a young kid. My sister and I were playing while my mom was in the kitchen baking a cake. I walked in to see how things were progressing and she had stepped in to another room. Hoping to get a quick taste, I stuck my finger in a bowl and licked, and to my surprise the taste was horrible. To this day, I'm not sure what that terrible taste was. I do remember this, that one ingredient alone almost warped my expectation of what the end result would be. Of course, when mom was finished, she called us in and I smelt something good - it was the finished product, the cake! I remember how my mind battled whether or not to try it, even though it smelt like cake and looked the part. Of course, when I tried it, all of my worries and doubts were overcome by the delicious taste!

Now, in a very real but different sense, this is also true of God and our lives. Are you doubting Gods ability to work all the things together for your good? What I didn't realize was that my Mom was sovereign over the cake baking process. She knew what ingredients were required - the good ones and the bad ones. God is sovereign, He is sovereignly good! He is intimately working all the circumstances of your life together for your ultimate good!

HOW SHOULD WE RESPOND?

1. REPENT - of our doubt & unthankfulness

Romans 2:4 "Do you despise the riches of God, not realizing that it is His goodness that leads you to repentance.

James 1:17 "Every good gift and every perfect gift comes from above, from the Father of lights..."

Action step: Thank God each day for one way in which you see His goodness.

2. REST - in times of difficulty

Psalm 31:19,20 "How great is your goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world. You hide them in the shelter of your presence, safe from those who conspire against them. You shelter them in your presence, far from the accusing tongue."

Action step: When you face difficulty, confess His goodness over your life, in that He causes all things to work together for your good. Remind yourself that you can rest during difficulty because of Gods goodness. His goodness is greater than any evil that comes against you.

3. RISK - stepping out in faith like never before

Daniel 11:32 "...but they that do know their God will be strong, and do exploits."

Action step: This may look different for some of us. Instead of going on vacation next year, take that time and savings to go on a mission trip. Risk stepping out in faith like never before! What does that look like for you?

CONCLUSION: In relationships, when you learn something new about someone, it should change the way you respond to them. Perhaps you didn't realize some of these things about our good God. Now that you do, REPENT by acknowledging them and by asking Him to forgive you of your ungratefulness and doubt. In doing this, it will open your heart more fully allowing these truths to assimilate. Thank Him that you can now REST in difficulties, trusting and following Him, knowing that He causes all things to work together for your good. Finally, RISK stepping out in faith like never before being strengthened by His goodness and knowing that He is for you. He will withhold no good thing from you as you walk uprightly before Him.

Live well,

jc