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).
.
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)
