God is Good First UMC Carroll 7/14/2019

God is Good

First UMC Carroll

7/14/2019

"God is great, God is good, and we thank him for this food." Do you know that prayer? In some families that is the first prayer a child learns. It is short, simple, good theology. And when you’re done, the potatoes are still warm. What I want to ask you this morning is whether you believe what this prayer says. Specifically, do you believe that GOD IS GOOD?

Most of us would probably say, “Of course I believe God is good.” Automatically without even thinking about it.  I’m glad because your faith runs deep, and you know the right answer.  But I want to challenge you to think about it. We have been thinking about it in Bible School this week,

We said when life is unfair… GOD IS GOOD. Like when you get punished or blamed for something you didn’t do. When your best friend takes you boyfriend or girlfriend from you. When your child is teased or bullied. When a child gets very sick like with cancer or even dies can you still say GOD IS GOOD? How about when you can’t find the mental health care your you need, or you get caught up in an abusive relationship. Can you still say GOD IS GOOD no matter what?

We said When life is scary… GOD IS GOOD. Like sitting in the surgical waiting room for your spouse to finish a long surgery. Life is scary when the tornado sirens go off and it is not a drill. Life is scary when you suddenly can’t find mom or dad at the grocery store. Life is scary when you are undergoing chemotherapy. Life is scary in a lot of ways… can you still say GOD IS GOOD no matter what?

On Tuesday we learned that when life changes… GOD IS GOOD. What about when our best friend moves away.  What about when you are no longer able to do the things you wanted because you are tied to an oxygen tank. When a spouse decides they are done with you and want a divorce. When there is a fire and you lose a lot of your things. When your legs don’t work as well, and you have to use a walker or when your eyes don’t work as well as they used to, and you can’t drive. Can you still say GOD IS GOOD no matter what?

When life is sad… GOD IS GOOD was Wednesday’s theme.  Can you say that- when someone we know, and love dies suddenly (or not so suddenly)? When a friend no longer wants to be your friend. When the car breaks down at the same time as the refrigerator, and the water heater. Can you still say GOD IS GOOD no matter what when there is so much hunger and war in the world?

The last day the theme was “when life is Good… GOD IS GOOD.” Well that’s a no brainer isn’t it? Except it isn’t.  When life is good sometimes people forget that the goodness comes from God. When everything is going well sometimes we sit back and kind of forget about God. But we have to remember GOD IS GOOD… no matter what.

There are churches that have a way of reminding themselves of that. Let’s see if you know it. If I say God is God, what do you say. Let’s try it. God is Good. (all the time) All the time (God is good).

How do we know God is good?  You don’t have to take my word for it.

There are literally hundreds of places in the Bible that declare God’s goodness, celebrate God’s goodness, or illustrate God’s goodness.

 The Bible teaches that God is good. God is so good that all other goodness is measured against God.  God always does what is right. Period. God will never treat us unfairly. Period. God will never break a promise. Period. God will never punish anyone unjustly. Period.

God is morally upright and pure. God is just and righteous. There is not the slightest hint of evil, or sin, or wrongdoing in God’s nature. God is absolutely perfect and holy.

Let’s look at some of those passages:

 "God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” - 1 John 1:5 (NIV)

"The LORD is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him." - Psalm 92:15 (NIV)

  "Far be it from God to do evil, the Almighty to do wrong . . . It is unthinkable that God would do wrong, that the Almighty would pervert justice." - Job 34:10, 12 (NIV)

 "How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, " - Psalm 31:19 (NIV)

"You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you." - Psalm 86:5 (NIV)

  "For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." - Psalm 100:5 (NIV)

 "The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him." - Nahum 1:7 (NIV)

 "As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. ’Good teacher,’ he asked, ’what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ ’Why do you call me good?’ Jesus answered. ’No one is good-except God alone.’" - Mark 10:17-18 (NIV)

We know that God is perfectly good because the faithful people of the Bible teach us over and over again that GOD IS GOOD! (all the time) AND ALL THE TIME (God is good.)

Now, understand that saying “God is good” is not the same as saying “life is good.”  Bad things happen. Sometimes that makes people question God’s goodness. And so, when the biopsy comes back positive we conclude that God is treating us unfairly. When we get handed a pink slip, we think God has slipped up somehow. When the storms of life blow through, we grumble against God and His oversight of our lives.  But who are we to judge God? That would be like me watching a couple of YouTube videos on putting and calling up Tiger Woods to give him some pointers. We have to always remember God is God and we are the creatures.  Our judgment of God’s actions says more about us than it says about God.

So, what does it mean to say God is good during trouble. To use the themes from Vacation Bible School that apply to everyone… What does it mean to say God is good even when life is unfair, or scary, or changes, or we are sad?  What does it mean?

Let me tell you two things.

 First, God is so good that God never abandons us.  God never leaves us.

Psalm 139 says, “If I were to climb up to the highest heavens, you would be there. If I were to dig down to the world of the dead, you would also be there. Suppose I had wings like the dawning day   and flew across the ocean. Even then your powerful arm would guide and protect me. Or suppose I said, “I’ll hide in the dark until night comes to cover me over.” But you see in the dark because daylight and dark are all the same to you. (CEV vs 8-12)

 You see we cannot escape God because God will never leave us.  In Hebrews 13:5 “The Lord has promised that he will not leave us or desert us.”  Especially when life is hard.

Do you all know the story about the man who was looking at his footprints and God’s footprints on the beach. He noticed that whenever something bad had happened there was only one set of footprints.  He asked God why he didn’t walk with him through those bad times.  God replied, “My child, when you see only one set of footprints in the sand is when I carried you.”  GOD IS GOOD (ALL THE TIME) ALL THE TIME (GOD IS GOOD) GOD IS HERE (ALL THE TIME) ALL THE TIME (GOD IS HERE)

So far, we know that Scripture testifies of God’s goodness. Second that God is good because God will never leave us in the good times of the bad.

Finally, we know God is good because God is love… and love is always good.

 Notice not only is God loving… God is love itself. 1 John says, “God is love, and … God showed his love for us when he sent his only Son into the world to give us life.” 1 John 4:7-21 Which leads us directly to our last verse for the day the one we read just before the sermon. The best evidence that God is Good is this,

  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Do you understand the importance of that?

The importance is that God would do anything to save us.  God would stop a speeding freight train, or fight a dragon, or even die if that’s what it took to save us. And that is exactly what God did in Jesus Christ. God became one of us, a real live, flesh and blood human being named Jesus.  God (in Jesus) loved us until people killed him.

Even that was not enough to stop God’s love. God’s love is stronger than anything. God’s love is stronger than any evil we can do. God’s love is stronger than any hate. God’s love is stronger than any fear. God’s love is stronger than any army, God’s love is stronger than any superhero, God’s love is stronger than death because the power of God’s love raised Jesus from the grave on Easter morning.  If God ‘s love is strong enough to do all that, God’s love is certainly strong enough to free me from my sin. And if God can save a guy like me, I guarantee God can save you too.

I think the best evidence of God’s goodness is God’s unquenchable, unstoppable, undefeatable, undeniable love for me and you that breaks down whatever barriers we may have between us and God.  The power of God’s love shatters those barriers once and for all, so we can love God as God loves us.

Now, that is good news.  All I can say is God IS GOOD (All the time) All the time (God is Good) God IS LOVE (All the time) All the time (God is LOVE)

Do you believe all that? … Do you believe that God is good?  Don’t just answer automatically!  Think about it. Do you really believe that God is Good? 

Do you really believe that God is good enough to never leave you?  Do you really believe that? 

And do you believe that God’s love is so strong that it can breakdown any barrier that keeps you from loving God back? 

If you believe… if you believe… if you really believe What is the promise of our scripture? … if you really believe, then you will not perish but have eternal life. ... That doesn’t mean you won’t die. But it means that nothing…not even sin, and not even death… nothing in this unfair, scary, constantly changing, sad world can separate you from the goodness of God. 

 God is good (all the time) all the time (God is good)

God is here (all the time) all the time (God is here)

God is love (all the time) all the time (God is love)