The Goodness of
God
Let me tell you about the Lovingkindness of God!
Psalm 107:8
Audio MP3
April 28, 2013
AM
Pastor Craig
Ledbetter
I.
Introduction (Ephesians 4:32)
A.
It is
absolutely wonderful when someone is kind, and compassionate towards us
B.
Examples of Being Kind:
1.
The Good Samaritan
a.
Jesus taught us
about loving our neighbour through the parable about the Good Samaritan
b.
He was not a Jew. He
generally was not welcome in
c.
But when he saw the
Jewish man, beaten and hurt, he showed powerful and even life-saving kindness
2.
A teacher asked her
class “What is loving-kindness?”
a.
A child jumped up
and said, “Well, if I was hungry, and someone gave me a piece of bread, that
would be kindness”
b.
He paused for a
moment, and then said, “But if they put a little jam on the bread, that would be
loving kindness!”
3.
A man named John
Wesley wrote these words as a rule for his life
a.
Do all the good you
can,
b.
By all the means you
can,
c.
In all the ways you
can,
d.
In all the places
you can,
e.
At all the times you
can,
f.
To all the people
you can,
g.
As long as you ever
can!
4.
A Gospel preacher
named Dwight Moody was in
5.
I have heard many
stories this week of people just being kind to everyone they met
6.
I know it has made
the difference in my life when someone was just kind to me – especially when I
didn’t deserve it!
C.
But the
truth is, We aren’t very good at being good –
there’s only one who’s always good
D.
Let me
tell you about Him, and HIS lovingkindness!
II.
Message
A.
Things
we Forget (Jeremiah 2:32)
1.
That we are not an
accident (Acts 17:25)
2.
That WE are to Blame
for all the Messes in Our Lives – OUR sins ruin our lives!
a.
Not God – He started
us off right, He is constantly pulling us back on track
b.
It is NOT our genes
that are to blame
c.
It is not everyone
else who is the fault
d.
It is ourselves! Our
own selfish, hard-hearted, sinful ways of living!
e.
We forget this!
3.
That God is Good to
us Anyway – better than we deserve! (Psalm 145:9; Matthew 5:45)
B.
Things
We Need to Remember
1.
The
Mercies of God (Lam 3:21-23)
a.
Mercy is lenience –
not getting in trouble when you should be in trouble
b.
It is because God is
MERCIFUL that we are not all in hell this morning
1)
We are all in
trouble with God
2)
You may seem all
nice, and sweet on the outside, but you KNOW that you are a sinner on the
inside, and have broken most if not all of God’s laws- at least the spirit of
them!
3)
And deep down, if
you will admit it, you know you deserve God’s judgment
4)
And yet, God is good
to you!!! He is patient with you!
c.
God’s compassions
don’t fail, give out, wear out, or grow old
d.
As a matter of fact,
they are NEW every single morning
1)
He is not like us –
He is not like brakes on a car that slowly wear away and then are gone! He is
not like you or me that have very short fuses!
2)
His mercies are
always there, always fresh, always strong, always new!
3)
That’s why He is
PATIENT with you! Because he starts over every day!
e.
GREAT is God’s
faithfulness towards us!
f.
Are YOU unfaithful,
inconsistent, unreliable, fickle, up and down?
g.
Well, thank God that
HE is NOT that way!
2.
The
Blessings of God (Psalm 103)
a.
Listen to king David
as he prays! He asks for nothing… he just is sitting there and remembering how
GOOD God is!
b.
Remember all God’s
benefits – goodnesses, kindnesses towards HIM!
c.
Forgiveness (Psalm
86:5) – He is so ready to forgive, if only we would humble ourselves and ASK for
it!
d.
Health, and healing
(103:3) – thank a doctor for all he or she does, but realise, they are only
working WITH the great Physician!
e.
Safety – kept back
from serious disasters, destruction
f.
Crowned with
lovingkindness and tender mercies!
1)
If YOU were ALMIGHTY
GOD, and tried to help someone, wouldn’t it be all to easy to CRUSH them with
your attempt to be kind?
2)
But GOD is tender –
all His strength and power is under control!
g.
Blesses you with
good things
h.
Renews your
youthfulness (103:5) – joy, excitement, like no drug or drink ever could
i.
Perfect forgiveness
(103:10-12)
1)
He overlooks a load
of sins – things even we aren’t aware of
2)
He doesn’t punish us
like we deserve
3)
His mercy is larger
than the universe!!!
4)
All because He takes
our sins, and completely removes them – He doesn’t hide them, and then bring
them back up again later when it suits Him
j.
God is very good to
us
1)
To everyone (Psalm
145:9)
2)
But especially to
those that fear Him, and obey Him (Psalm 103:17-18)
3)
God is very good to
everyone in this room this morning, but His kindness only lasts if you get born
again! Otherwise, the mercies and love of God end at death!
3.
The
Love of God (Ephesians 2)
a.
What God Had to Love
(2:1-3) – this is who God loved!
1)
Those who are dead –
spiritually dead!
2)
Those who are
worldly, not heavenly – very different
3)
Those who are
demonic – was driven by the prince of the power of the air – Satan
4)
Those who are full
of lusts, desires of the flesh and of the mind – wicked imaginations
5)
Those who are by
nature, the children of wrath, not children of God!
b.
What God Had to Do
(2:4)
1)
He loved us anyway –
with GREAT love! It takes great love to love us!
2)
He quickened us –
resurrected us inside
3)
We were born in sin
– born wrong. Born spiritually dead
4)
God had to not only
be merciful, but show GRACE
a)
Mercy is God NOT
giving you condemnation that you deserve
b)
Grace is God giving
you life and forgiveness, when you don’t deserve it
5)
He saved us
(2:5,8,9)!
a)
He didn’t come and
die to make us church members
b)
Or to make us nice
people
c)
He came to seek & to
save that which was lost & on their way to a devil’s hell
6)
All because of Jesus
Christ (2:5-7)
a)
Not because of our
own feeble attempts at good works
b)
Not because we were
even worthy of God’s kindness
c)
But because of what
Jesus Christ did for us
1.
His resurrection
power can resurrect your dead spirit (2:5)
2.
His grace can save
you from God’s coming wrath on sin (2:5)
3.
Because Jesus is now
seated in heaven, so are WE (2:6)
4.
And it is only the
beginning (2:7) – because of Jesus, God will never run out of awesome things He
will want to do for us throughout all eternity!
5.
It is kind of like a
new son-in-law or daughter-in-law, being welcomed into the family and shown such
love and kindness
a.
Not because they are
so wonderful
b.
But because they are
now part of the family because they married your son or daughter!
4.
The
Grace of God (Titus 3:3-7)
a.
What We All Were –
if only we were honest
1)
Foolish – acting
like there is no God to worry about, no devil, no sins – only mistakes, and
religions
2)
Disobedient – not
just of people, but against God
3)
Deceived – duped,
tricked, conned by all the TV and friends, into thinking it doesn’t matter how
we live
4)
Serving (in bondage
to) many lusts and pleasures – that is all we lived for and wanted out of life
5)
Living in malice –
meanness, nastiness
6)
Envy
7)
Hateful and hating
one another
8)
No amount of good
works could save us
b.
Then came GRACE
1)
Kindness and love of
God – towards such unworthy sinners like us
2)
When we really
deserved judgment and punishment
c.
What God Can Do
1)
Save us – salvage us
2)
Justify / Pardon us
3)
Make us heirs of God
d.
How?
1)
By NOT leaving us as
we are!
2)
But by washing us –
cleaning us up on the INSIDE
3)
By renewing us –
start over with us
4)
By regenerating us –
to regenerate is to give life again
5)
By the Holy Spirit
of God in us
6)
Through Jesus Christ
in us
7)
And God does it
abundantly
III.
Conclusion
A.
I think
God has been very good to us. Shown such great
kindnesses towards each and every one of us
1.
Maybe not like we
want
2.
But certainly in
ways that truly matter
3.
In eternal ways, and
priceless ways
B.
Never
allow yourself to Forget…
1.
The
Mercies of God (Lam 3:21-23)
2.
The
Blessings of God (Psalm 103)
3.
The
Love of God (Ephesians 2)
4.
The
Grace of God (Titus 3:3-7)
C.
Don’t
ever despise the goodness of God (Romans 2:4).
1.
By neglect it –
ignoring it – thinking it doesn’t matter
2.
Maybe someone was
kind & good to you this week – made a huge difference in your life
3.
Maybe someone
invited you to church this morning
4.
Maybe this is the
first time you have ever really heard about GOD’S loving kindness
D.
God has
given you another opportunity to know Him and follow Him (2Cor 6:2; Hebrews
3:7-11)
1.
He could have left
you to the devil’s devices – he is a liar and a murderer
2.
But instead, God
works tirelessly, drawing all men unto His Son, Jesus, so they can be saved,
born again, forgiven!
E.
Will
you take the opportunity to do one of three things right now?
1.
Accept the grace of
God, by faith – offered to you as a free gift, at Christ’s expense!
2.
Thank God for His
constant mercy and grace! Every day!
a.
That He has not
rewarded us like we DESERVE
b.
That He is
constantly being kind and good towards us, BETTER than we deserve
3.
Live a life of grace
and kindness from now on, no longer only for yourself!