Rom 2:4
God is Good
God has gotten a bad reputation by some people. Some think God is
evil. They feel that way because evil things have happened to them or
to people they know. Things like diseases, accidents, deaths of
people they deem to be good folk. Their reaction is if God is a good
God, why does He let all of these bad things happen? And that
question is a good question to ask although it is not my purpose to
answer it this evening.
Others might not go so far as to say God is evil but they would think
that God is LESS than good.
I am here to testify this evening that God is good.
God is not just some good.
God is not just good to some of the people.
God is not just good some of the time.
But God is all good to all people all of the time—at least as long
as they have breathe.
I do not have the time to describe all the goodness of God but let me
share with you three areas in which God is good.
I. What is good?
A. That is not as easy to define as you might think.
1. Most of us define goodness as it relates only to us.
2. For example, some would define goodness as what makes them
happy.
a. Yet, we all know that is always the case.
b. It might make a drug user happy to get some drugs, but
it certainly isn’t good for him.
3. Then again, real goodness must be more than just good for
some.
a. The government takes money from one person to buy a
cell phone for another.
b. That might be good for the one who got the cell phone,
but it was not good for the one who had to pay for
it.
B. So what is real definition of goodness? I would say that
goodness is that which glorifies God and is pleasurable to
man.
1. There are some things which might be pleasurable to us but
doesn’t glory God. That is not good.
2. And there are some things which might glorify God but are
not pleasurable to man. That is not good.
a. Judgment for example. It might glorify God but nobody
is going to be having a good time.
b. That is not goodness. That is justice. Justice has
its place, and I am even thankful for it, but it is
not what I would call God’s goodness.
C. So what things bring glory to God and give pleasure to
mankind?
II. God is good in the sins He forbears.
A. Our verse describes three attributes of God.
1. God’s goodness—that is the one that I want to talk to you
about.
2. God’s forbearance and God’s longsuffering - Both of these
stand on their own and are worthy attributes for which
to praise God.
3. But I want us to consider God’s forbearance and
longsuffering as an outgrowth of God’s goodness.
4. My contention is because God is good (He glorifies Himself
and makes things pleasurable for us), He forbears and
suffers long.
B. \\#Ge 2:16-17\\
Ge 2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man,
saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest
freely eat:
17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day
that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
1. God defines the boundary of sin and judgment.
2. \\#Ge 3:1-6\\ - Man crosses that boundary.
a. You have to notice that they did not instantly die
physically here.
b. (They did instantly die spiritually.)
c. What happen? Did God lie? No.
d. God chose to forbear our sins and to suffer long with
them.
e. By the way, I think God not only forbears but He also
does suffer long.
(1) I can’t prove it but I believe God’s holy nature
is repelled by our sinful actions.
(2) Some things repel me:
(a) I don’t like seeing people chew with their
mouth open.
(b) I don’t like nails on a chalkboard.
(c) I don’t like to smell a rotting carcass.
(3) I think sin repels God and He must endure it,
suffer it.
(4) If that is so, then no one is as long suffering
God because He has been suffering from sins’
effect since Adam and Eve.
3. So here I see God’s goodness in the sins He forbears and
suffers.
a. Let’s make sure this act qualifies as goodness.
(1) Did what God do bring glory to Him? I’d say YES.
You and I and all the millions that are alive
today are living examples of God’s mercy, grace,
and goodness.
(2) Was not being annihilated by God pleasurable to
us? I don’t suppose we would have felt anything
at all of God had annihilated Adam and Eve but I
am sure they feel much better.
b. So God is GOOD in the sins He forbears.
(1) By the way, by forbearing our sins, God has also
had to forbear our death and damnation.
(2) There is not a human being on this planet who
ought to be alive! We are all on borrowed time.
(a) If an accident or illness seems to
prematurely kills a person.
(b) If a child dies.
(c) If a tornado causes massive destruction and
death.
(d) If a famine or drought starves a region to
death.
(e) If a war commits genocide against an ethnic
group or nation.
(3) Even while those very things may be happening to
you, God is being good to you!
III. God is good in discipline.
A. Here is a sore spot for many. They feel that because God has
disciplined them, they are somehow cursed.
B. \\#Heb 12:6-11\\
Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth,
and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you
as with sons; for what son is he whom the father
chasteneth not?
8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all
are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not
sons.
9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh
which corrected us, and we gave them reverence:
shall we not much rather be in subjection unto
the Father of spirits, and live?
10 For they verily for a few days chastened us
after their own pleasure; but he for our profit,
that we might be partakers of his holiness.
11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to
be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward
it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness
unto them which are exercised thereby.
1. Two important thoughts:
a. God approves (even commands) parental discipline.
b. Scripture assures us that God will chastise His
children.
2. If you call yourself Christian and feel cursed, it may
well be because you are living outside God’s will for
your life and He is disciplining you!
a. You certainly aren’t the first.
(1) Jonah - When he ran away.
(2) David - When he had an affair.
(3) Samson - When he broke his Nazarite vow.
b. How is discipline good?
(1) We can figure how discipline might glorify God.
(2) But where is our pleasure in the matter?
(3) It will feel better for you to have a spanking
today and get right than to have to face an
angry God in the future.
Heb 10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that
we have received the knowledge of the truth,
there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
27 But a certain fearful looking for of
judgment and fiery indignation, which shall
devour the adversaries.
c. Just ask those who have been there! You will stand
before God and declare, "God, it was GOOD that you
disciplines me back then!"
d. However, you can take what God in His goodness is
trying to do for you and make it a judgment but not
getting right.
IV. God is good in what He gives to us.
James 1:16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is
from above, and cometh down from the Father of
lights, with whom is no variableness, neither
shadow of turning.
A. The Bible says everything you ever received that was good was
from God.
1. We don’t even have to verify the definition on that one.
2. If it was from God, it glorified Him and was enjoyable to
you. If it did not do those two things, it is not the
topic of this verse.
B. What kind of things has God given to you?
1. Some of your material things.
a. (I would say all but you might have some things that
bring you pleasure but do not glorify God. Those you
bought yourself.)
b. The roof over your head, the clothes on your back, the
shoes on your feet, the job you have, the groceries
you eat.
c. All of the things that glorify Him and bring pleasure
to you are a gift from a good God!
2. Some of the people in our lives.
a. Again, I say "some" not "all."
b. Some of your friends you picked out for yourself.
c. They are the ones who are pulling you down and away
from God.
3. Some of the health we have.
a. We are doing harm to ourselves in the volume of some
of the things we eat.
b. Everything is good and intended for our good but we
need moderation and discipline.
4. Enough of the earthly goods.
a. How about salvation?
b. How about heaven?
c. How about those rewards?
d. How about that eternal place of service?
I make and restate my title, "GOD IS GOOD!"
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