The Goodness Of God

Q: What does the Bible say about God's goodness?

The Bible proclaims God's goodness, inviting us to praise Him for His wonderful works (Psalm 107:8). Scripture consistently reveals that God's goodness is intrinsic to His nature and is worth of our praise. Psalm 107:8 emphasizes this by stating, 'Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men.' This reflects not only God's nature as inherently good but also His continuous provision and care for humanity. All good things in our lives—our intellect, abilities, and resources—are gifts from God, underscoring His goodness in our daily existence.

Q: How do we know God's saving goodness is true?

God's saving goodness is evidenced through His sovereign choice and the grace He extends to the redeemed (Romans 9:11). The truth of God's saving goodness is deeply rooted in the doctrine of election and His sovereign will. Romans 9:11 states that God's purpose according to election might stand, indicating that salvation is not based on human merit but rather on God's mercy and grace. This is further illustrated when God says, 'I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy' (Exodus 33:19), highlighting that God's grace is freely given, not earned. Thus, the assurance of salvation rests in God's unchanging nature and His promise, which strengthens our confidence in His goodness.

Q: Why is thanksgiving important for Christians?

Thanksgiving is crucial as it acknowledges God's goodness and His continual provision in our lives (Psalm 107:1). Thanksgiving is important for Christians because it is a direct response to God's goodness and faithfulness. Psalm 107:1 urges us to 'give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good.' This act of gratitude is not merely an obligation but an expression of our relationship with God—recognizing His gifts and the reality that all we have comes from Him. Living in a thankful state influences our hearts and minds, reminding us of God's grace and prompting continuous praise for His mercies, both great and small, in our lives.

Q: What is the significance of worshiping God in spirit and truth?

Worshiping God in spirit and truth signifies a heartfelt, genuine relationship with Him (John 4:24). The significance of worshiping God in spirit and truth lies in authenticity and sincerity. John 4:24 states, 'God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.' This emphasizes that true worship cannot be limited to rituals or mere actions but must come from a genuine heart that seeks to honor God according to His truth. Worship is not confined to a physical space; rather, it is a lifestyle characterized by our constant acknowledgment of God's presence, grace, and goodness in every aspect of our lives.

Q: How does God's goodness affect our lives?

God's goodness affects our lives by providing us with blessings, grace, and mercy that sustain us each day (James 1:17). God's goodness profoundly impacts our lives by being the source of every blessing we experience. As stated in James 1:17, 'Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights.' This means that our mental capacities, physical abilities, and provisions are all expressions of God's goodness toward us. Recognizing this goodness can lead to a life of gratitude, worship, and an understanding that without His kindness, we would lack everything. Thus, God's goodness serves as a foundation for our faith and an assurance of His continual care and providence.

Verse 8 is a text, and if you noticed, it says this
same thing four times. Oh, that men would praise the
Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children
of men. Now, I hear people all the time cornering people in restaurants
and out on the street and saying things like this,
Don't you come to church with me. Now, you ought to go to church. You ought to be in church. You
know, there's little signs on their church building boards.
They have a C-H and then an R-C-H. I say, only thing missing is
U. But people, why don't you come
to church with me? You need to go to church. You
know what would be a good question to ask people like that? Why? Huh? Why? Why? Why do you want me to go to church?
Why should I go to church? Huh? Why should I go and sit
on my day off and sit and listen to some guy either rant or rave
or cry or laugh or act a fool? I can get a show like that on
TV. Why spend my free time doing these things? I have a life to live, you know,
I've got a family and so forth, I've got better things to do.
And I have to say, and I admit, that if I had to listen and go
and participate in most of what's going on today in these so-called
churches, I wouldn't go either. There is an advertisement paper all the time that says,
if you were like ninety-five million other Americans, you
did not go to church on Sunday. And if I heard what the majority
of this nation was hearing from these fools, these money-hungry,
making a name for themselves, lying on God, I wouldn't go either. I'd be in that number. But if you ask me why I would
have you come here, if you ask me to give you one good reason
why you ought to go to church, let me first of all say, you
don't go to church. Church is people. It's not a
building. All these buildings up and down
the road aren't necessarily churches. people of God. It's people. It's a little saying we learned
as kids, here's the church, here's the people. No, you've got to
take it backwards. Here's the church. This is a
little building with a steeple. That's nonsense. But if you ask
me in their language, why come to church? Why come to church? I'll give you one reason, one
good reason. It's all a reason you need. Verse 1. Psalm 107, verse 1. Oh, give
thanks unto the Lord. Give thanks. We come here basically
to do one thing, to give thanks to God Almighty. For all that
he is, and all that he's done, and all that we've received through
the way up to this point, to give thanks. Verse 1 says, For
he is good. He is good. We set aside a day,
and there's a lot of people arguing over a day, whether it's Saturday,
whether it's Sunday. That's not the important thing
at all. The important thing is that God's
people meet. We set aside a day in which to
worship, praise, and thank our great God for who he is, for
what he has done, what he is doing, and what he will do. We're
here to thank God for his goodness. Oh, give thanks unto the Lord,
for he is good, because all that we are, listen to him, All that
we are and all that we have, we have freely received it from
God Almighty. Paul said it in Romans, he said,
by the grace of God I am what I am. Grace means a gift, means
an unmerited gift. It means an undeserved gift.
It's not that I've been a good boy, therefore God has rewarded
me. No. By the grace of God, the undeserved
free gift of God, I am what I am and have what I have. The scripture
says in James, every good and perfect gift comes from where? From above. It just comes down.
You consider, and we're going to talk about some of these things.
The goodness of God that sustains life and so forth just comes
down from God. So we set aside a day today. Our Lord met with his disciples.
Why don't we meet on the first day of the week? Well, that's
a whole other message. Our Lord did that, though, didn't
he? It's a symbol of Christ, the new beginning. of Christ
rising from the grave on the first day of the week, and we've
risen to walk with him in the newness of life. And he gathered
and broke bread with his disciples. You say, can't I set aside a
day at home? Can't I praise and worship God
at home? Yes, you can, do you? Sure you
can. You're up to it. Every day is
a large day. The reason I don't necessarily
call this the Lord's Day, you know, we're going to meet together
on the Lord's Day. Well, he made it Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. This is
the day the Lord hath made. Well, would Georgeson be glad
in it? And a true worshipper, Christ said, true worshippers
worship the Father in spirit and truth. True worshippers worship
him every day. And they don't have to have Sunday
or Wednesday night. They worship Him every day. Worship
is a state of being. It's not something you do, it's
something you are. Giving thanks is not something
you do. You say, well, let's bow our heads. Like in a restaurant,
you know, where we want to give thanks to God, let's bow our
heads. Where does it say bow your head? Where does it say do that? Giving thanks is what you are. You either live in a thankful
state, you're either thankful all the time, or you're not.
Right? That's what giving thanks is. That's what worship is. From
the heart. It's not form, it's not ceremony,
it's not going through the motions. It's from the heart. Right? Worship. We worship, ought to
worship God all the time. Believers do. You ought to pray
all the time. He said, pray without ceasing.
Didn't Paul say that? Pray without ceasing. How can
you do that? Can I be on my knees and close my eyes on the job?
No. You get fired. They don't pay you to pray, bud. They pay you to work. Right? Besides, we're not to do what
we do to be seen of men. Didn't Christ say that's a sin? He said, you take heed that you
do not your own to be seen of men. That's what the Pharisees
did. They loved to be seen praying. Everybody knows they were a good
Christian that way. We pray without ceasing, how?
From the heart. A man can be working on a job
thanking God, can't he? Driving nails, thank you, Lord.
Oh, thank you for this beautiful day. Driving a truck down the
road. You've got to have your mind
on what you're doing, don't you, Joe? Thank you, Lord, for health
and family and Christ. So true worship is in spirit,
from the heart, and in truth, though. Now, listen. That's what
he said in John 3. True worship is in spirit and
in truth. Now, you've got to worship from
the heart. You're not worshiping. There are millions upon billions
of people going to church this morning. God says you've been
better off not to do it when your heart is far from worshiping
me. He said, don't take my name on your lips if you're not really
worshiping me. He said, that's an abomination to me. And millions
upon billions of people attend in church, play in religion,
look in the parks. God says, I look on the heart.
Are you really thanking me from the heart? Are you really thinking
on me? Are you really here to learn
from me, or be seen, be heard? And the same thing holds true
of the preacher, especially the preacher. He better be doing
what he's doing and saying what he's saying, not to impress the
people or make a name for himself or see how many people he can
get in or how much money they can take in, but he better be
doing it because he wants to glorify God Almighty and have
people hear the truth. Or he better get out of that
pulpit so fast because he's in danger. It's the most dangerous
place in the world right here, professing to speak for God Almighty
when you're You're in it for a naive few seconds. How many
of those are there? There's a bunch. But he said
true worshipers worship him in spirit, from the heart, and in
truth. You can't rightly worship God
unless you know the true way to worship God. You know there's
a right way to worship God, and there's a wrong way. There's
a true way. You know there's one way? There's
one way. John is what he said in Ephesians
4. He said there's one way, one truth. Our Lord said that in
John. He said, I am the way, I am the
truth. He said there's one faith. Did
not many say this? Ephesians 4 now. Did not many
say, well, he believes this way, they believe that way, we all
believe the same thing? No. No. We all worship in God. You worship God your way, we'll
worship God our way. He said there's one faith, isn't
it? One Lord, one faith, one way
to worship God. One way? One way. And this thing of worshiping
God in the truth. Worship him in spirit and in
truth. The truth is God's Word. The truth is God's Gospel. The truth is It's the only way
you worship God. It's in the hearing, the preaching,
the reading, the consideration of his word, or else you're just
making something up. Right? You're just thinking thoughts.
He said, My thoughts are not your thoughts. Didn't it? Didn't
God say that? Psalm 50, My thoughts are not
your thoughts. A man said, Well, I don't know
much about the Bible. This is what I think. You're wrong. Whatever you think is wrong,
as God said, my thoughts are not your thoughts. Well, I don't
know much about that, but I think this is the way it ought to be.
It doesn't matter what I think, what you think, what Billy Graham
thinks, what one of these famous preachers thinks. It doesn't
matter to a hill of beans what anybody thinks. It's what God
says. Now, I recognize a lot of men
say that. I preach the Bible, do you? All of it? Everything it says? Well, it
says through God's word, the truth, and through God's gospel. The gospel is the truth. We use
that statement all the time. We shouldn't. Don't you ever
say, that's the gospel truth. Don't. That's blasphemy, people. It's only one gospel, and something
that may be true that you're saying or saying, that's not
gospel. It's only one gospel. But the gospel is the truth. It's the truth of who God is.
It's only one God, and it's what this book says about it. Not our imagination. Not what
the preacher says. It's what this book says about
it. There's only one Christ, one way of salvation. It's not
what we think, it's what this book says about it. And we are
one way before God in a state. It's not what we think we are,
but what the book says about it. Then, God's Son. God's Son is the truth. No one
comes unto the Father but by me," Christ said. You don't come
to God, you don't worship God except through Christ. So that
automatically excludes all religions but Christianity, doesn't it? No matter how sincere people
are. Christ said, and he's the only
Messiah that said this, Joe. The only man who came and claimed
to be a Messiah that said this. No man comes unto the Father
but by me. He said, all power, all authority
has been given unto me in heaven and earth, not given unto Mohammed
or Confucius or Buddha, not shared, but me. I've got it all. I am
Lord. You don't make him Lord, either.
God made him Lord. See, that's one of those silly
little sayings that preachers have people convinced of. You
make Jesus Lord. No, God said he made this same
Jesus both Lord and Christ. We don't make him Lord. He is
Lord. Silly little statements like,
won't you accept him as your personal Savior. He doesn't say
that anywhere in the Bible. Jesus Christ is not up for election.
Jesus Christ is not up for our acceptation or rejection. We
are. Man is. Man is the one on trial
here, not Jesus Christ. He was on trial one time, and
every man that everybody turned thumb down on him, right? Or
we. We rejected him. All we, like
sheep, have gone astray. We rejected him, we despised
him, turned thumbs down on him. One time, God put his Son into
the hands of men wisely. Men were killing his lamb. And
what did men do with him? What will you do with Jesus?
One time, God said that. What will you do with my son
Jesus? He said, kill him, crucify him. God says no more. He's not offered up anymore.
He's not up for acceptance anymore or rejection anymore. He's not
in men's hands to do as they please anymore. They're in his
hands now. Now the question remains, what's
he going to do with us? See, this is the difference in
what this book is saying and what men are saying. God has
made the same Jesus, both Lord and Christ. All power, all authority,
salvation is in his hands to give it to whosoever he will,
not whosoever they will, but whosoever he will, to accept
whom he will and reject whom he will. This is what the book
says. And this thing of worship is
to come to him as a sinner in the hands of this God, as helpless
to him who is your only hope, as guilty, coming to him for
mercy, as a sinner who needs forgiveness, as lost who needs to be found. And preachers
everywhere are telling people, you need to get saved. If a man
is ever lost, he's lost. Right? He can't get nothing.
He can't find him. He's lost. What does that mean? Somebody's going to have to come
save him. You don't go out, you don't,
you don't holler at a man who's drowning. You need to get saved. I know that. But I can't do it. I'm drowning. You laugh at that,
don't you? It seems silly, doesn't it? Well,
everywhere it puts you to tell men that. Won't you do this?
Won't you do that? Well, if a man's lost, he can't
do anything. So what do we need to do? Call
on the one that does the saving. Lord, save them. Lord, save me. Well, God is ordained one way. that we must worship him, and
that way is through his Son. And he was why we're here. We're
here to study him, to learn of him, that we might know him. And those who know God, know
Christ, they don't have to be compelled to come and worship,
study and learn. It's a joy. It's a joy. I know, I recognize, when I was
a boy, a young man, it was like pulling teeth. church, I thought
my parents were absolutely intent on making me miserable. I really
did. Don Mel's grandson said to him
the other day, he said, Poppy? He's about four years old. Poppy,
why do you have to go to church all the time? Good question,
son. Good question. I wish more adults
asked that. Why do we go to church all the
time? Why do we do this? Because we're here to thank God. Do we need a better reason? Why? Why? Because he's good. Look at verse 1 again. Because
he's good. This is my first point. He's
good. We come here to thank God Realizing everything we have,
we receive, we come here to thank him for all that he is, all that
he's done, all that he will do, because he's good. Now, the English
word we have, the Saxon word we use, the English word God,
means good. That's what it means. That's
where we got the word from. It means be good. Our English
word God comes from be good. Be good. You remember the rich
young ruler that came up to the Lord one day and said, Good Master,
what must I do to be saved? And Christ said, Hold it. You call me good. He said, There's
none good but God. Men do that all the time, don't
they? Well, he's a good man. Hold it. There's none good but
God. Know what the Scripture said,
and what Romans 3 said, quoting Isaiah 45? There's none that doeth good. No, not one. None righteous,
none holy, but God. Right? That's where we get the
name, God. He alone is good. God is goodness
personified. Are you with me? Don't let me
bore you now. Come on, now. God is goodness
personified. God is holy. We're not holy. God is righteous. We're not righteous.
God is just. We're not just. God is true. Scripture says, Let God be true
to every man alive. God is equitous. I mean, he's
complete. Not us. God is mercy, love, grace,
gentleness, patience, long-suffering, meekness, kindness, and so forth.
Not meekness, but kindness. And everything we know or consider
that's right and morally good and pleasing, that's God. You follow me? That's his character. That's his character. And that
was and that is Christ. The highest compliment we pay
somebody, though, speaking like a man. We say, well, he's a good
man. And sometimes scripture uses
that language, speaking like a man. The fact is, there's none
truly good in the truest sense of the word but God. But paying
a man a compliment, we say, well, he's a good man. He's a good
man. Well, our God is good. He's good. He's impersonal. Everything about him is good.
Have you ever met somebody that, well, the best people are those
that are most like Christ. I know some people, some men,
I'll not mention any name, bring up any name, you know them too,
some people. We know some mutual friends who are so much like
Christ and they're just, they're the salt of the earth. They just,
they're what make this life living, worth living. Fine people. where all that goodness emanates
from God. Any good, anything pleasing,
any pleasing quality you see in people or in this world, it
comes from God. Anything good, anything pleasing
is because God is. Come on now, gather yourself
with me. Because God is present, there's goodness in this world.
Because God is present, there's goodness in the world. Some people
show a little mercy, don't they? Not much, but a little. Especially
if you put out in front of them in their automobile, you get
very little mercy. I told you before, you'll see
a person's true, depraved character out on the highway. Prettiest little blonde-headed
woman, you know, she's so pretty, you know, all made up and all
that, and she just looks so sweet, and kind of got the sweetest
smile. You pull out in front of her, and she'll turn into
a devil and curse you like a sailor. Isn't that right? But there's
some people who show a little bit of mercy. Thank God, because
God is merciful. It emanates from him, you see,
because God is. There's mercy. If there were
no God, there'd be no mercy. Because God is. Some people show
a little kindness. Not much, but a little. Some
people show some compassion. Some people show some charity,
some love. Very little, but some. Why? Because God is. Because
God is. Like sunshine. There'd be no
life on this planet without sunshine. We experience light. We have
light. We have warps. Why? Because the sun is. Like
one day my daughter said to me, she said, how did she put it? She said, well,
the sun's gone down, Daddy. I said, no, no, the sun never
goes down. The earth turns away from it.
The sun's always right where it is, shining in its fullness. Right? The earth gets in darkness. Why? Because it turns away from
the sun. You see, God is. There's warmth, there's light,
there's goodness, there's mercy. You follow what I'm saying? There's
goodness, there's love, there's mercy, there's grace, because
God is. The same Sunday, God going to,
you know where hell is? It's the absence of God. Hell is a place where God is
not. Hell and evil is the absence
of God. Those who are absolutely vile
and despicable people, you know, some of these mass murderers
and rapists and this and that and the other, these are people
who God has taken his hand off of them. Totally. Completely.
Devils. Turn into a devil. Right? And as I've said before now,
listen to me. God is goodness personified,
and that's the Lord Jesus Christ. Some people, and I can't help
it, Marvy, I'm just going to use you. She's got the sweetest
smile. Everybody in here will agree.
She's red in the face now. But she's got the sweetest smile.
When she smiled, I had to smile. I do. She's got the sweetest
smile. Multiply it a thousand times.
Take the sweetest smile you've ever seen. Take the most pleasant
countenance you've ever seen. Take the most pleasing voice
you've ever heard. Take the kindest, gentlest, sweetest,
lovingest, tenderest. You take the man who's the most
gentlemanly man, the most considerate, kind, compassionate. You take the manliest man that
ever lived. You take the finest people who
have ever, ever lived and wrap them all up in one and multiply
it a million times, that's Jesus Christ. That's what Jesus Christ is like. Oh, that men would praise the
Lord for his goodness. He's good. Now, look at verse
8 in our text. It says, "...that men would praise
the Lord for his goodness." And I just mentioned, we've come
together because God is worthy to be worshiped. We come together
in consideration of who he is, who our God is. If God didn't
do a thing for us, Terry, if God didn't give me anything,
He's worthy to be worshipped, because how great he is, how
good he is. He's a person. You see, some
famous person, take the president. Oh yeah, that's a bad example.
Who can we talk about? There aren't many good ones,
are there? Any leaders worth talking about? David, let's go back to that
time. King David, he was a good man, a man after God's own heart.
Say we lived in that time, and King David reigned and ruled,
all right? King David. If he never did anything
for me, he'd be worth me going to see, wouldn't he? Solomon. Sheba, remember the queen of
Sheba that came from the south up to see Solomon? We hadn't
done anything for her yet, but she came to see him because he
was great. She said, I've heard of you,
and it's true. She said, it's true, everything
I heard was true, but the half hadn't been told. You're greater
than great. You're glorious. She saw him ascend up to his
throne, saw him, and she said, the half is, I've never seen
anybody like this. So God is worthy for us to come
just to read about him, to study him, right? What better is there
to do? Oh, don't watch... This is man's wisdom, you know.
You spend like three times watching a car go around in a circle. Smart people do that. Now, don't
get... I like car racing. But I have
better things to do this morning. I'm going to come and look at
the sun. It shines in all its brightness. Huh? There are real
classy people now. They go to watch a ball go across
the net. That's better, you see. You're more intelligent when
you do that. And there are better things to
do, huh? The fear of the Lord is the beginning
of wisdom, isn't it? Things that are higher, things
that are nobler, these have allured my sight. See, God's worth coming
to talk about and hear about and worship and look into and
read and study, if he never does anything for us. You see? This is good. And, oh, that men
would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful
works to the children of men. He has wonderful works to the
children of men. We worship God because he is
good, and we worship God because he's good to us. There's not
anybody under the sound of my voice this morning who couldn't
stand up and say, God's been so good to me. Huh? He said, but I'll be sick. What
about the rest of the other 90? I've used this illustration before.
We're like children. You know, a child that spends
23 hours of the day in happiness, playing, and getting everything
he wants, and just a good old time, and he stumps his toe one
time. Oh, life's miserable. Oh, he gets a little whipping,
you know. Oh, I'm being treated so unfairly.
Oh, I'm so miserable. What a rotten life. He said,
I want to die. Right? He's lived all of it, most of
his time in happiness. Couldn't you say that? Couldn't
you say that, everybody in here? Come on. Sure you could. His goodness poured out. Now,
you trade places with one of those natives down in Mexico
I just visited who live on dirt floors and grass huts and cook
on a fire and squat in the backyard, and you tell me God hasn't been
good to you. You tell me, your children, if
God had been good to you. Go to the cancer ward somewhere
and watch these kids die of cancer. You tell me if the Lord had been
good to you. That man would praise the Lord
for his goodness, for his wonderful works to the children. We never
had a reason to be here this morning. You ought to go to church. See how despicable that is? Me
and O.B. begging us, you going to go worship
God today? Then we come to, I've got a lot
to worship him for. I've got a lot to be thankful
for. Are you going to meet today? Yeah, I'm going to be there,
because I've got a lot to be thankful for. To whom much is forgiven, Christ
said, and I love much. Much is given, and I love much. Here are some of his goods. God's
good providence. Providence. Do you know what
the word means? I'll give you an English lesson.
Provide hence. Hence he hath provided. At this
point in time, hence means from this source we have all provisions. Providence. God hath provided. Hence God is the one Who provides? Providence. God's good providence. Number one, mental capacity. Mental capacity, man's brain,
man's intellect. Now, I'm getting to the heart
of some things here. Man's intellect. Man was created
by God in the image of God. Why? So he can have a good time? So eat, drink, be merry? God
said multiply and replenish the earth? Yes. Why? For me. For God's glory. Man was created
for God's glory. In the image of God. In the image
of God. To know God. To be like God. And all intellects, all the mind,
the mental capacity of a man is a gift of God. It's his goodness. that brain you have, what little
you have. It's enough, though, what little
we have. I'll put myself there. Say we
don't use just a fraction of what we have. Some of us, a lot
less than that. But what we have, man's mental
capacity, is a gift of God Almighty. No other creature on earth has
it. Man is the most physically helpless
creature on earth, you know that? Think about it. Left to himself
without something, without some tool, man would die. Why didn't Adam die? You know,
God did everything for Adam in the garden. He fed him, he watered
him, he gave him the roof, kept elements from burning him up,
from drowning him. Adam just received everything
from God. When God kicked him out of the
garden, naked, but he clothed him with skin, I know, didn't
he? He kicked him out of the garden.
What kept Adam from dying? He'd never planted a garden. No, he didn't. That garden was
already planted. He didn't know one seed from the other. He didn't
plant a garden. That garden was already planted.
He just tended it, ate it. He'd never been hunting. He'd
never built a house. He didn't know nothing. What
kept him from dying? God gave him a man. Wasn't that
the goodness of God? Huh? Gave him a man. And man
doesn't have a coat. Somebody said man's the only
animal on earth who's born naked without a covering. That's a good illustration, isn't
it? Man's need for a righteousness, a righteousness of Christ, a
covering before a naked God. All animals are naked, but they've
got a covering. Man's naked. He needs one given to him. needs
the righteousness of Christ. But man's born without a coat,
no weapons, no claws, no long teeth. He's helpless. What's
he got? He's got a mind. And oh, is it
something, isn't it? This mind of man, it really is. It's an amazing creation. Just think, according to these,
hadn't God made foolish the wisdom of this world, this amazing thing,
a glob of gloom, a glob of vessels and fat and all that, what all
it does. Isn't that amazing, Dan? Just
an explosion happened one day and it poof, there's a bang. Man, I say you're smart, but
I mean, I take it back. It doesn't seem too smart to
me. All this just appeared one day.
God in his goodness gave man a brain. Man's physical abilities. Though
he's more helpless than any beast, yet he's superior overall in
his physical makeup. Overall, all things considered,
a man can do more things than any beast on earth. Run, jump,
climb, his hand-eye coordination. There's no creature on earth
with a hand-eye coordination like a man. He can play a piano. You can't teach a monkey. You
can't teach a monkey Beethoven's 5th Symphony. I don't care if
he lives a hundred years. He's not going to learn it. Why? He's not creating the image of
God. He can play a beautiful instrument. He can perform brain
surgery. He can utilize tools. You know
why a man is stronger than any other creature? He can make a
tool to make him stronger than ten elephants. Right? He can make a tool. He can make
a little instrument to make an elephant scared to death of him. Right? A little stick in his
hand will create the fear in every animal, a lion, a tiger. How? Where did all that come
from? The goodness of God. God. God. So, wait a minute now. That's the reason Scripture says,
don't let the mighty man glory in his might or the wise man
in his wisdom. Don't you dare, because you're
smarter than somebody else. That's the goodness of God. God
gave you a brain. You know, one little bump on
the head will make you a vegetable. Now, man, that's what God ought
to do. Everybody gets pussed up with
knowledge. send them out, have them get in a car wreck and bump
their little brain just one time, and they'd turn into a vegetable.
Now how smart are you? Didn't give me all the glory,
took it all to yourself, now what are you? Right? That's what God ought to do. Every smart man, if he's really
smart, he can give all glory to God with it. He's really smart. What about provisions for this
life? all the provisions we have in
this life. He has given us, Peter said,
all things necessary for life. This world and all that's in
it, everything, the resources necessary for human life, light,
like I said, sunshine, water, no other planet has water on
it. So no other planet has life.
Food, we grow our food. Come on. Henry, you plant a big garden
this year? Where'd you get the seed? Did you make it? You didn't go to that garden.
And there's no promise if you plant it that it'll grow. That's
for sure. Ask these farmers about the corn.
If God withholds rain, they'll be begging for rain. Even a man
who doesn't believe in God would be praying to God for rain. Even
the food. Water comes down, it just comes
down. Water! Yeah, but it's because
the clouds condense with moisture, and because of certain pressure
systems. That's the way God made it. He's a lot wiser than the weatherman.
Food just grows up from dirt and minerals, everything you're
wearing right now. It just came from the dirt, didn't
it? Cotton? There's an animal out
there running around with your next shirt. There's sheep out
there running around with your next shirt. It's growing down
there. There's a tree down there. You know cotton grows on trees
down in Mexico? Not bushes like Alabama. Trees. Cotton trees. Most amazing thing
I've ever seen in a minute. Cotton. Growing on trees. Cotton is my favorite shirt.
You see, I'm wearing polyester. It's plastic, and it comes from
somewhere. It comes from some mineral somewhere, and some ore
somewhere, and something somewhere, and a grain of something, and
it just doesn't come from nothing. Well, you dug it somewhere. Where
did that come from? God. God and his goodness. Where all good men would praise
the Lord for his goodness and his wonderful works that you
own. Do you see that? Now, I need you to get to this.
I waited too long. To thank God for his good, thank
God for his goodness to us, and lastly, thirdly, the greatest,
most unspeakable goodness of God is his saving goodness. I
want you to turn with me to Exodus 33. I needed to hurry up and
get to this so I can quit. Exodus 33, God's greatest cause
for being in here this morning, for, quote, going to church, is for God's saving goodness.
Let the redeemed of the Lord, John, that's what he said in
verse 2 of Psalm 107, let the redeemed of the Lord say so. And I'm going to, right here
in a minute, I'm going to say so. I'm going to tell you why
we're redeemed, why anybody is redeemed. I want to try. God
will help me. I'm talking about his unspeakable
gift of goodness, so great salvation. All that God is, is clearly seen. Romans 1
talks about this. I wish we had time to look at
it. But he says all God is and all God has done is clearly seen. That's what Romans 1 talks about.
Read it sometime for yourself. Romans 1. It talks about the
eternal power and Godhead, the creation, clearly seen, clearly
seen. But he said men hold the truth
in unrighteousness. He says God's angry. The wrath
of God is revealed from heaven against them that hold the truth
in unrighteousness," Romans 1.18 says. In other words, men can
clearly see that God is, God has done all these things, given
us all these things, they hold the truth. But they refuse to
acknowledge him. Verses 19-21 says that men weren't
thankful. Neither did glorify him as God."
Listen to me, this is vital. Lay in the ground work. He said,
men didn't glorify God as God. They made up some silly little
theory of evolution, or they made up some silly little statement
of faith, or some silly little way of salvation, Romans Road,
all this nonsense. They didn't glorify God as God. supreme, absolute, sovereign,
ruler, controller, provider, creator of all things, in control,
Lord!" Didn't glorify Him, ask God? Became vain in their imaginations
and weren't thankful. Didn't thank Him. God didn't
need a better reason for having a hell than ingratitude. Men can't understand why they
think hell is so unfair. No, it's not. No, it's not. God do all these things for a
man all his life, like we were talking about, do all these things,
and that man never gives God thanks one time, that's exactly
where he deserves to go. How many of you would put up
with a child like that for 40, 50, 60? Now, Henry, at some point
in time, if you're raising a child, You'd put up with it twenty years,
wouldn't you? The times of the significance of Scripture says
God winked at us, right? He said, Now God has commanded
every man everywhere to repent. You'd put up with that boy of
yours for thirty years, maybe. Some do. Some put up with it
a long time, when they should have been out on their ear a
long time before. Me, I was one. Thirty, forty, fifty, what about
sixty years? Seventy years had become a time
in your life, Henry, when you'd say, You're a no-good bum. I've raised a thumb. Get out." If that boy never thanked
you, never lifted a hand, never nothing, huh? God's long-suffering, isn't it?
Isn't he long-suffering? Isn't he long-suffering to God's
salvation? God is angry with the wicked.
That's wickedness, unthankfulness. God gives men up. Don't thank me, don't acknowledge
me, I'll give you up and you'll become like a beast. Isn't that
our generation? Isn't that our society? It's
just anything goes. If it feels good, do it. Murder, rape, maiming, killing,
just a mess, an absolute mess. God gave them that, all right?
But God is rich in mercy. God's holy, God's just, God's
righteous. He will by no means clear the
guilty, but he's also merciful. Look here at Exodus 33. This
is the goodness of God. Look at verse 19. When Moses
saw that the water parted, that was glorious, wasn't it? Remember that? Moses walked up
to the Red Sea and God parted the water and they walked through
on dry land. Moses smoked a rock and water came out of that. cloudy,
pillar of fire and so forth, huh? Serpent in the wilderness,
all of that. Moses saw all of that. Moses
one day went up on the mountain and said, Lord, show me your
glory. Well, Moses, he saw the water part. He saw water come
out of the rock. Isn't that glorious? Yeah, those
are miraculous things. But I want to know what God's
like. See, this generation is looking
for signs and miracles and wonders and all that, aren't they? God
says, again, there in John 3, God seeketh such to worship him
in spirit and truth. Him, worship him, Henry, not
signs. Him. Him. God's worthy to be worshipped.
And it says, God said, alright, Moses, I'll show you my glory.
I'll show you what I'm really like. show you something that
very few people see. A lot of people saw the water
parted and they died. A lot of people saw the water
come out of the rock and they died. I'm going to show you my
glory. Verse 19, I'll make my goodness
master for you. Are you with me? Oh, that man
would praise the Lord for his goodness. He said, I'm going
to make a pass before you. I proclaim the name of the Lord.
There it is again. The name of the Lord. I'll be
gracious. I'll be merciful. I'll show mercy. You notice there is sovereign,
isn't it? In other words, he does it. He doesn't have to do
it, but he does. as to whom he will. You see that? He doesn't say, I'll be gracious
to whoever lets me be gracious. No. He said, I'll be gracious
to whom I will be gracious, and I will show mercy on whom I will
show mercy. But this is the glory of God,
people. Look at chapter 34, verse 6. Look across the page. The
Lord passed out before him and proclaimed the Lord. It's the goodness of God. You
people, you have, God couldn't be any better to anybody, any
more good, gooder to anybody than you people right here. Why?
You have every Sunday, every Wednesday, proclaimed unto you
the name of the Lord. And a lot of people talk about
Jesus. Don't they? I'm going to do it
again. You know, I did it last Sunday and did it Sunday before
that. Got the same message, don't I? When he says the name of the
Lord, what's that mean? Well, believe on Jesus. and you'll
have everlasting life." Jesus who? Stanley, I saw a bumper
sticker that was on a bathroom wall one time. These blasphemous
people, they'll write that holy name on a bathroom wall. Taking the name of God in vain,
and you put that name, the scripture says, mention my name is exalted. That's what the scripture says. Holy. It's blessed for me to
put that name which needs to be written in the stars, put
it on your bumper. For exhaust fumes to cover it
and men to spit on it. And let alone bathroom walls.
But they had this on a bathroom wall that said, Jesus saves. You seen that in there? A bathroom wall, mind you. A
toilet. That name which is above everything.
They don't know the meaning of that name, do they? He says,
Holy and Reverend, Psalm 119. Holy and Reverend is my name.
Bathroom walk. Jesus saved, right under it,
some kid put an L. Esposito scores on the rebound. Anybody know anything about hockey
in here, what that's talking about? There used to be a famous
hockey player named Jesus. There are some baseball players
named Jesus, too. Do any of you remember Jesus
Alou? Jesus Alou? Huh? And some boy put, yeah,
Jesus saves. That's a hockey term. He saves, and this other
hockey player scored on the rebound. You know, I kind of laughed at
that. Paul said they'd come preaching
another Jesus. Didn't they? Galatians 1. Another Jesus. That's the one
they're putting on bathroom walls. He can't save anybody. Won't
you let Jesus? This is what they're preaching. Jesus wants to save you if you'll
just let him. You see, he's hopeless, helpless,
confused, he's poor, he's wringing his hands out, he's standing
over the masters of heaven, hoping so badly you'll accept him as
your personal Savior. Let him do something, let him!
Won't you let him please Jesus? Jesus who? Jesus, the Lord of
Most High Prayer? He may be doing that, but not
the Jesus Christ, the Lord of Glory. He's not wringing his
hands, he's seated, the Scripture says. sitting on a throne that
said, call his name Jesus. Do I have to repeat it again?
You want me to repeat it again? Said it about five times last
Sunday, when the angels said, call his name Jesus. Why? Because it has a good ring to
it? Because it sounds good? Because nobody has to be named
after it? No, because it means something. The angels came from
God and said, this is what God told us and have you name him
Jesus. Why? It means he shall save his
people from their sin. Not shall, shall. Not those who let him, his people
whom God gave him. He said, God gave them unto me. All the Father giveth unto me,
cometh unto me, and him that cometh unto me I will in no wise
cast out. God gave them to me, and I've
come to save them. I'm the shepherd, they're called
sheep, the rest are goats. I've come to save them. Will
he do it? If they let him, he'll do it. Here's the goodness of the Lord. I'm proclaiming unto you this
morning a Jesus that very few people are preaching, who shall
save, who has saved. Don't tell me about a Jesus who
can. Tell me about one that did. There's the difference, John,
in what we're preaching and what the world's preaching. They're
saying Jesus can. Sure he can, but I'm preaching
one that did. I want to hear about somebody
who can do something. I want to hear about that one
who came to do for me what I could not do. See, I was one of those
people drowned in it. I was lost. I wasn't half lost,
I was lost. Scripture says you have to be
quick in things to see one who was what? Half dead? Sick? Little life left in you? In the
gutter. Abraham was in the gutter. The thief on the cross was in
the gutter. He was dead. And the Lord came to him. This
is the difference. We preach of Jesus Christ who
is Lord, not one you make Lord, one God made Lord. One who saves,
doesn't try, who saves. The blood that actually puts
away sin doesn't do it if you help it, but it actually puts
it away. One who gives faith to all those
that he did this for. A Holy Spirit who invincibly
calls over, doesn't try, he calls and they come. This is God, isn't
that other? This is what this book says.
He said it over and over and over in every text. I am God,
there's none else. Man's not a little God, not a
big God, we help each other out. I'm God. Romans 8 and 9 says it all the
way through that after Paul begins saying those very things that
I just said to you. He said in Romans 9, beginning
with verse 11, he said, Now the children being not yet born,
even having done any good nor evil, that the purpose of God
according to election might stand, it was said unto her, unto Rebekah,
The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob hath
our Lord, but he shall have our headache. Election, predestination, God's
sovereignty and salvation. Isn't that what all that's saying?
before they were born. Paul went on down there in Romans
9, and he said this, he asked this question, What do you say
to these things? There are some people who say, How can God find
fault? Who can resist his will? If God
is sovereign, why does he hold me accountable? Paul said, O
man, who art thou to reply against God? Shall the thing form so
to him that formed it? You can't do this. Yes, he can,
and he does. He's God, that's what makes him
God, Margaret. Whether we like it or not, God's
people like it. You see? God's people like it. They know that if God hadn't
saved them, they wouldn't be saved. If Christ didn't save
them, I mean, save them to begin with and keep them saved. And
amen. That's the reason all heaven
is going to be filled with people saying, you're worthy, you're
worthy. You did it, you did it. And there's going to be a whole
bunch of religious people shuffling in saying, we did this, we priests,
we prophesied and tested out there, we accepted Jesus, we
came down, we bowed, we committed, consecrated, dedicated, accepted
Jesus, baptized and witnessed and all that. And he said, get
out of here. You're getting glory for yourself. You're doing all
this in your own name. You did that. I know you did
that. That's the reason you're not saved. All those who say, I say, because
I get all the glory, God said. Salvation is of the Lord. And
God said, I will not share my glory with another. I won't do
it. You see, from the beginning,
and if I got excited, it's fine. You see, Christ got excited too. When he went in that temple and
they were money making and doing all they did in the name of God,
they didn't care anything for God. They were selling things,
selling bricks to build a school, selling t-shirts for Jesus and
all that crap. That's what it is, it's crap.
God hates all this crap. Let me say it again. Go out there
and say it, I'll say it. The scriptures calls it worse
than that, it calls it dumb. And Christ went in that place
and turned the tables over and kicked the old man a whip and
whipped people. Preachers! They're the worst. They're the
scum of the earth. The reason I hate for people
to introduce me as a preacher. I really do. Reverend. They're the scum of the earth,
these preachers. Silly little effeminate and no
good, never worked a day in their life, and lying on God taking
souls to hell with them. Christ came in and kicked those
tables over and whipped them out. He said, My house, this
is my house. You come in here and you worship me. You preach
me high and lifted up, exalted. Don't beg anybody to do anything.
Don't you be a beggar. God's no beggar. God's preachers
aren't beggars. Me and her to be beggars. He
says he's the king and we're looking for a handout. That's
what salvation is. God's the King. And we're beggars
coming for a handout. He doesn't have to give it. But
he's rich in it. He delights to show mercy. Not
to the worthy, not to the righteous, not to the good, not to the moral.
I'm a Christian. Big deal. There's a bunch of
those in hell. A bunch of those who think they
were. Worshippers. true worshipers. And I started from the beginning
saying, what all God's done, what all God's done. Oh, that
men would praise the Lord, quit praising men. Oh, that men would
call on God, quit calling on men. Oh, that men would beg God,
quit begging men. Right? For His goodness and His
wonderful works. And they said, are your ears? You
heard this this morning. There are a few people hearing this.

The Goodness Of God

What does the Bible say about God's goodness?

How do we know God's saving goodness is true?

Why is thanksgiving important for Christians?

What is the significance of worshiping God in spirit and truth?

How does God's goodness affect our lives?

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The Goodness Of God

What does the Bible say about God's goodness?

How do we know God's saving goodness is true?

Why is thanksgiving important for Christians?

What is the significance of worshiping God in spirit and truth?

How does God's goodness affect our lives?

Sermon Transcript

About Paul Mahan

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