THE GOODNESS OF GOD - New

Is part of His character.

1.    Psalms 25:8 Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.

2.    Nahum 1:7 The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.

Great.

1.    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.

Rich.

1.    Romans 2:4 Or despises thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

Abundant.

1.    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,

2.    Psalms 33:5 He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.

Satisfying.

1.    Psalms 65:4 Blessed is the man whom thou chooses, and causes to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.

2.    Jeremiah 31:12 Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the LORD, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.

3.    Jeremiah 31:14 And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, says the LORD.

Enduring

1.    Psalms 23:6 surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

2.    Psalms 52:1 Why boasts thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? The goodness of God endures continually.

Universal

1.    Psalms 145:9 The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.

2.    Matthew 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He makes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

To His Church

1.    Psalms 31:19 Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!

2.    Lamentations 3:25 The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeks him.

In doing good

1.    Psalms 119:68 Thou art good, and you do good; teach me thy statutes.

2.    Psalms 145:9 The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.

In supplying temporal wants. -Acts 14:17 Nevertheless HE left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.

In providing for the poor -Psalms 68:10 Thy congregation hath dwelt therein: thou, O God, hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor.

In forgiving sins

1.    Psalms 86:5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

Leads to repentance - Romans 2:4 Or despises thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

Recognize, in His dealings.

1.    Ezra 8:18 And by the good hand of our God upon us they brought us a man of understanding, of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel; and Sherebiah, with his sons and his brethren, eighteen;

2.    Nehemiah 2:18 Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work.

Pray for the manifestation of. - 2 Thessalonians 1:11 Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power:

Despise not - 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?

Reverence.

1.    Jeremiah 33:9 And it shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and an honour before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do unto them: and they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and for all the prosperity that I procure unto it.

2.    Hosea 3:5 Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.

Magnify.

1.    Psalms 107:8 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

2.    Jeremiah 33:11 The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD.

Urge others to confide in.

Psalms 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

The wicked disregard -Nehemiah 9:35 For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness that thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land which thou gavest before them, neither turned they from their wicked works.

Psalm 107

1.    GIVE THANKS TO GOD - VERSE 1

a.    "Oh, give thanks to Yahweh, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever."

                                          i.    God is the very essence of goodness and love (1 John 4:8), and

                                         ii.    His goodness prompted Him to extend His mercy to us in the most beautiful and meaningful way possible, the gift of His Son Jesus Christ (John 3:16; Romans 5:8). 

                                        iii.    It was this perfect goodness that caused the God of heaven to give up His only begotten Son that we might have access to abundant life (John 10:10), now and forevermore.

2.    LET THE REDEEMED SAY SO - VERSE 2

a.    "Let the redeemed of Yahweh say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy"

b.    The second verse calls upon those who have experienced Yahweh's goodness to make known that goodness to others.  God's people (Christians), the redeemed should appreciate the goodness of God above all others on this earth and want to share that goodness with everyone else. 

3.    WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR US - VERSES 3-7

a.     "And gathered out of the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way; They found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they cried out to Yahweh in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses. And He led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city for a dwelling place."

b.    In verses 3-7 we see a figurative description of what God has done for us spiritually as Christians.

                                          i.     Is a figurative expression of our plight before we were brought together in the body of Christ (Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 1:18). 

                                         ii.    Yet, "....they cried out to Yahweh in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses."  The crying out to Yahweh reminds me of the beatitude which says, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." (Matthew 5:4). 

c.    God has provided deliverance from our sins through Jesus Christ, but that was just the beginning. 

                                          i.    He further says,    "And he led them forth by the right way..."   Not only has God delivered us from sin, but now He leads us. 

                                         ii.    Jeremiah stated the helplessness of man without God's direction when he said, "It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps" (Jeremiah 10:23). 

d.    But for what purpose?  

                                          i.    "...that they might go to a city for a dwelling place." 

                                         ii.    This is speaking of heaven.  Heaven is where our citizenship is (Philippians 3:20), where our aspirations lie (Hebrews 11:10), and where our hope is attached (Colossians 1:5). 

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4.    MEN MUST GIVE THANKS TO GOD FOR HIS GOODNESS - VERSE 8

a.    "Oh, that men would give thanks to Yahweh for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men!"

5.    Verse 9 says, “For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness."

a.    The goodness of God leads to goodness in men. 

b.    Any true goodness in this world is because of the goodness of God. 

c.    His goodness leads to a satisfaction of the longing soul that hungers and thirsts, and again we are reminded of one of the great beatitudes in Matthew 5.   "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled" (Matthew 5:6). 

d.    But no matter how much good is done, if it is done outside of Christ, it is all for nothing in the final analysis (cf. 1 Corinthians 13). 

6.    Verse 16, we are given another reason for thanking God for His goodness:  "For He has broken the gates of bronze, and cut the bars of iron in two."  

a.    We were behind the prison gates peering through the bars of sin. Now we have freedom, liberty and full forgiveness because God's goodness has provided a way to escape. 

b.    We can start a new life, cleansed by the blood of Christ -- justified, made whole, washed as white as snow. 

c.    Full forgiveness where there is repentance, confession and prayer as God has outlined (Acts 8:22; 1 John 1:9.

d.    The goodness of God leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4).

7.    Then in verse 22, we see a logical response to the goodness of God.  

a.    "...Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare His works with rejoicing." 

b.    No one has to force a person to worship God, to study the Bible, to teach others, to do good or to live a faithful Christian life.

c.    The logical result of that recognition is the sacrifice of thanksgiving.

d.    Real joy comes from cheerful, loving service. 

                                          i.    Service that is based upon recognition of the goodness of God. 

                                         ii.    Not only in worship, but by the kind of lives that we live and by the words that we speak in every area of life (Romans 12:1).

8.    Finally, "Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people, and praise Him in the company of the elders." (Verse 32).  

9.    The verse 29 is the figure of the sailor on the sea:

a.    "He calms the storm, so that its waves are still."  The storm rages, and yet God calms the storm and saves his life.  And when the sailor returns to shore, he is not ashamed to praise Yahweh for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!

b.    God has promised that He will see to our needs in both areas of life.  Jesus said, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?" (Matthew 6:25). 

c.    God will take care of us.  Jesus promised, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." (Matthew 6:33). 

10.  The verse 43: "Whoever is wise will observe these things, and they will understand the loving kindness of Yahweh."

a.    If we are wise, we will look for the goodness of God. We will look for it every day, and we will find it because it is there. 

11.  DO NOT USE GOD'S GOODNESS AS AN EXCUSE TO DO EVIL

·         Paul wrote, "Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off." (Romans 11:22).

·         Yes, God is good but His goodness cannot excuse disobedience and rebellion.  This is so because God, who is the very essence of goodness, is also the very essence of justice. 

PRAYER POINTS:

1.    Psalm 65:9-13: “Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God,

2.    God’s goodness shall prompt songs of praise and thanksgiving in my life:

For He is good, for His loving-kindness is upon Israel forever.’ And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the LORD because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid” (Ezra 3:11).

3.    Taste and see that the LORD is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! (Psalm 34:8).

4.    Thank you Father that you are good, and that your mercy is everlasting. (Psalm 100:5).

5.    Thank you Lord that you are very compassionate and merciful. (James 5:11)

6.    Thank you Father that every good and perfect gift is from above, and comes down from You, Father. (James 1:17).

7.    Father, I thank you that your divine power has given me all things that pertain to life and godliness. (2 Peter 1:3).

8.    I thank you God that you are for me, not against me. If you did not spare your own Son, but delivered Him up for me, I realise that you will also freely give me all things together with Your Son. (Romans 8:31, 32).

9.    I thank you Father that you give good things to those who ask you! I thank you that you give the Holy Spirit to those who ask you! (Matthew 7:11; Luke 11:13).

10.  I thank you Father that I can ask, and I will receive. Thank you Father that you will give me whatever I ask you in Jesus’ name! (Matthew 7:7; John 16:23)