Sermon
delivered on July 12th, 2015
By: Pastor Greg Hocson
Text: Psalm 119:64-72
Introduction
Two Sundays ago, we talked about the
goodness of God. God's goodness toward us is beyond our comprehension. We owe everything to God and His
goodness. It is the goodness of God that we are alive today. It is the goodness
of God that we are saved today. It is the goodness of God that led us to repentance. No one
is just saved or forgiven; if anyone is saved, it is because of God's goodness. God is reaching out everyday. When a person is not saved it
is not because God has not tried to reach out to them.
Though the goodness of God is an
infinite, super abundant and enduring, God will not force His attention upon
us. If we would be welcomed as the Prodigal was, we must come as the Prodigal
came.
I
- Thou Art Good
Psalm 119:68 Thou art
good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.
We have covered this, two Sundays
ago.
The goodness of God is His
inclination to do good to all His creation. He delights in His works and
delights in benefiting them. He takes great pleasure in bestowing gifts to all
His creation. God's nature is to bless and provide for all creation.
Here are some scriptures declaring
the goodness of God:
Psalm 33:4 For the word
of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth. 5: He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of
the goodness of the LORD.
Psalm 86:5 For thou,
Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that
call upon thee.
Psalm 100:4 Enter into
his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto
him, and bless his name. 5: For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and
his truth endureth to all generations.
Psalm 106:1 Praise ye
the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth
for ever.
Psalm 145:9 The LORD is
good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works (all he has made).
Nahum 1:7 The LORD is
good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in
him.
Zechariah 9:17 For how
great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! corn shall make the young
men cheerful, and new wine the maids.
God and only God is absolutely good.
God and only God is essentially, originally, infinitely, eternally, immutably,
universally, perpetually good. Only God is good to all, in every way, in every
the time.
II
- Thou Doest Good
Psalm 119:68 Thou art
good, and doest
good; teach me thy
statutes.
How God's
goodness is manifested?
1. In the realm of
creation
The goodness of God is seen, first of
all, in creation.
During each day of creation God
looked at what He had created and saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:1 In the
beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2: And the earth was without
form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of
God moved upon the face of the waters. 3: And God said, Let there be light: and
there was light. 4: And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided
the light from the darkness.
1:10 And God called the
dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and
God saw that it was good.
1:12 And the earth
brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree
yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it
was good.
1:18 And to rule over
the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God
saw that it was good.
1:21 And God created
great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought
forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and
God saw that it was good.
1:25 And God made the
beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing
that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
1:31 And God saw every
thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the
morning were the sixth day.
After God is done with creation, He was pleased, for He saw every
thing that He had made, and it was very good.
Psalm 104:24 O LORD,
how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is
full of thy riches.
How great in number are the works of
the LORD! In wisdom He made them all. The earth is full of His riches and
goodness. It is true that creation manifests the power and wisdom of God, but
it also manifest the goodness of God.
Think about the creation of God. They
are not only many in number but many in variety, such as the sun, moon, stars,
planets, galaxies; mountains, valleys, plains, dessert; lakes, river, ocean;
snow, rain, hail, clouds; plants and trees, flowers, fruits; animals, insects;
fish and sea creatures, etc.
The beauty of God's earth reminds us of His goodness.
104:24 O LORD, how
manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of
thy riches. 25: So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping
innumerable, both small and great beasts.
Psalm 104:24 O LORD,
how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is
full of thy riches.
God made the universe and everything
in it. He exercised great wisdom when He made all. Creation is display of His
goodness.
But we see His wisdom, power and
goodness in the crown of all His creation - man. The more closely you study the
human anatomy, the more the goodness of its Creator becomes clear and obvious.
Everything about the structure of our bodies attests the goodness of God.
God made man with five senses to
enjoy every thing that He has created. God made man with eyes to see and
appreciate the beauty of nature, ears to hear its lovely sounds and music,
nostrils to enjoy its pleasant aromas, taste buds
to relish its infinite variety of eatable delights, a sense of touch to help
communicate love to someone precious to him, and a mind to comprehend the
meaning of it all.
Psalm 139:14 I will
praise Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are Thy works,
and that my soul knoweth right well.
It is true in Genesis chapter three,
sin entered. Adam and Eve's sin called forth God's anger and justice and
judgment but it also called forth manifestations of the grace and mercy of God
in new dimension. And God continued to be good.
In spite of the fact that this planet
is cursed with the effects of sin (cf. Rom. 8:20-22),
there is still ample testimony of Heaven’s goodness.
2. In the realm of
providence
a. Preservation of the world from
destruction
Why does this world exist right now?
Why can we anticipate the coming of winter, spring, summer and fall? Why can we
anticipate all of these things?
Genesis 8:20 And Noah
builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every
clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21: And the LORD smelled
a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart
(a peak into the heart of God), I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for
the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again
smite any more every thing living, as I have done. 22: While the earth
remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and
day and night shall not cease.
The earth is not preserved because of
the impersonal laws of nature or because of chance. It's preserved because of
the covenant God made with Noah and the beasts. It is the manifestation of
God's goodness.
Psalm 36:6 Thy
righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O
LORD, thou preservest man and beast.
b. Providing for His creation
Psalm 104:24 O LORD,
how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is
full of thy riches.
Psalm 104 celebrates the goodness of God over all His works and over
all His creation
104:12 By them shall
the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.
13: He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the
fruit of thy works. 14: He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb
for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;
Psalm
65:9-13
Psalm
65:9 Thou visitest the
earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which
is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it.
10: Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: thou settlest the furrows
thereof: thou makest it soft with showers: thou blessest the springing thereof.
We say, oh it's raining today while
the Psalmist says, Thou waterest the
earth.
In the Gospels God sends His rain ...
His sun
Matthew 5:45 That ye
may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to
rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the
unjust.
Your Father feedeth them ...
Matthew 6:26 Behold the
fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into
barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
Psalm 136:25 Who giveth
food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever.
3. In the realm of
salvation
Redemption is out of pure goodness.
God was under no obligation to pity our misery, and repair our ruin. It is the
gospel of God abounding in His own blessedness (1 Timothy 1:11).
Psalm 86:4 Rejoice the
soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. 5: For thou,
Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that
call upon thee.
Psalm 25:8 Good and
upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.
The goodness of our God leads us to
expect the reclaiming of sinful men. Let those who desire to be delivered from
sin take comfort from this. God himself will condescend to be the teacher of
sinners.
4. In the realm of
judgment
If God is good, how can He punish
people eternally in Hell? .
We must first of all understand that
punishment of sin is not the primary intention of God. When He created, His
intention was fundamentally to manifest His goodness.
Ezekiel 33:11 Say unto
them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the
wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from
your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
God finds no pleasure whatsoever in
the death of a sinner.
And even today, His intention is not
punishment but goodness and goodwill toward man.
Romans 2:4 Or despisest
thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing
that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
Why does God continue to be good to
those who despise His goodness and forbearance? That those who despise God's
goodness will awaken to His goodness and lead them to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is
not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is
longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all
should come to repentance.
When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, He
could have killed them and it would be right and just for God to do so. But in
His goodness and forbearance He exercised grace and mercy instead. And God
continued to be good.
Secondly, we need to understand that
punishment of sin does not cancel out His goodness.
When criminals are punished, we do
not conclude that the Judge is devoid of goodness, but rather that the Judge is
good and just and righteous. An earthly Judge, if he is a good judge, must
condemn and punish the murderer, because he cares for the community and
society. He cannot let a murder run loose or free because he may still kill
others. He must send the murderer in prison and punish him to protect others.
To punish evil is right, therefore good. To leave men uncontrolled in their
wickedness is unrighteous and therefore bad.
So to answer the question, How can a
good God punish sin?
The goodness of God demands that
sinners be punished. It is not lack of goodness for God to punish the guilty
sinners. On the contrary it is His goodness that cause Him to condemn the
guilty sinners.
Exodus 34:6 And the
LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and
gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, 7: Keeping mercy
for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by
no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the
children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth
generation.
Nahum 1:3 The LORD is
slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the
LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the
dust of his feet.
Nahum 1:7 The LORD is
good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in
him.
Since God is infinitely good,
everything that He does is good,
Psalm 119:68 Thou art
good, and thou doest good.
III - Teach Me Thy
Statutes
Psalm
119:68 Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.
Teach me Lord, what your goodness
means to me. Teach me Lord, how to respond to your goodness.
1. Strength
Every one of us sins
that is a fact of life.
1 John 1:8 If we say
that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
And everyone has access to the
forgiving grace of God through Jesus Christ His Son.
1 John 1:9 If we
confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
But God’s
will for us us is not to sin
1 John 2:1 My little
children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin,
we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
One of the deterrent to sin is the
goodness of God. It is a powerful motive to break away from sin and not to
yield to temptation.
How can I sin against a God so good
to me? .
Genesis 39:1 And Joseph
was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the
guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had
brought him down thither. 2: And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a
prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 3: And his
master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did
to prosper in his hand. 4: And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served
him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into
his hand. 5: And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in
his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house
for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the
house, and in the field. 6: And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and
he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a
goodly person, and well favoured. 7: And it came to pass after these things, that
his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. 8: But
he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what
is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; 9:
There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing
from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great
wickedness, and sin against God? .
A heart presently filled with the
loving awareness of the goodness of God is wonderfully preserved from many
sins.
Psalm 25:8 Good and
upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.
2.
Comfort
Just because God is good does not
mean there will be no times of difficulty in the Christian lives. The goodness of God does not prevent
us from going through times of trials and adversity. The goodness of God uses trials and
adversity for His glory and for our own good.
Psalm 119:67 Before I
was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word. 68: Thou art good,
and doest good; teach me thy statutes.
A Stronghold in the Day of Trouble .
Because God is good, he is a
stronghold in the day of trouble, whether it be physical or spiritual
Nahum 1:7 The LORD is
good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in
him.
We are persuaded that all things work
together for good to them that love God (Romans 8:28).
His goodness is a comfort to us in
all our afflictions.
Psalm 84:11 For the
LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing
will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
C. H. Spurgeon said, "The
goodness of God is the life of the believer's
trust. It is this excellency in God which most appeals to our hearts. Because
His goodness endures forever, we ought never to be discouraged:"
3. Gratitude
Psalm 107:1 O give
thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
As the goodness of God is set before
us in the Scriptures, may our hearts run out with intelligent praise to God for His infinite goodness and may we
trust Him more and more in our lives, individually and corporately
Gratitude is the return justly
required from the objects of His beneficence.
Because God is good and we are all
recipients of His gifts, it should make us all the more thankful. Gratitude is
the return justly required from those who are beneficiaries of His goodness;
yet it's often withheld from Him simply because His goodness is so
constant and so abundant. God’s goodness is all around us and we
are just used to it.
Psalm 107:8 Oh that men
would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children
of men!
Amen!