"God's Goodness"

“God’s Goodness”

January 18, 2009

“For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” Psalm 84:11

If you know me at all, you know how important the Bible is to me. I didn’t get saved in a church service or an evangelistic service or even by someone witnessing to me. I was saved as I read the Bible and realized that God loved me and had a purpose for my life. I believe the Bible is the revealed will of God. In other words, if you want to know God’s will for your life –read the Bible. I am literally betting my life – and my eternal life – that it’s true. The bible is useful for many things. Paul writes:

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

2 Timothy 3:16-17

If you want to be thoroughly equipped – you must be a student of the Bible. But there is more. My Bible says that it is impossible to please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6). So how do get faith? By reading the bible.

“Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17

As you read the Bible and understand the message – faith grows. But there is more. Hope, the foundation for faith, comes from reading the Bible. The Scriptures says,

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Romans 15:4

Hope is the expectation that God will do what He promises. If you have no knowledge of His promises – you have no hope. Life is very hard when things are hopeless. So when things seem hopeless – God to God’s Word and memorize the promises of God.

But there’s more. It is through the Bible that God reveals Himself to us. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit shows Himself to us through the pages of Scripture. So, this morning, I want to use our Scripture in Psalm 84 to show you what our God is like.

First of all, the Scripture says God is a “sun”. Last Monday, I had to go to Redding. When I left Weed, CA in the morning – the temperature was in the twenties. I had to scrape the ice off my windshield. I was cold and shivering. I cranked the heat up when I headed out. It felt good on cold morning.

When I got to Redding and finished my check up at the VA, it was about 10 o’clock in the morning. So I went to the Sundial Bridge and went for a walk. (If you have never been there – check it out online) The grass was green, the sky was blue, the temperature was about 70 degrees. The sun felt warm and comfortable on my back. It was a blessing, after our cold weather, to walk in the warm sunshine. John Denver sang, “Sunshine on my shoulder makes me happy!”

This verse reminds me that God is the source of all blessings. Imagine life without the sun. Nothing would grow. Nothing could live. We need the sun. The bible says,

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth…” James 1:17-18

Every good thing we experience comes from God. God is good. Think of the fruits of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, self-control, and all the rest. The fruit of the Spirit reveals what a good God we have. And God loves to bless His children. He wants you to experience the warmth of His sunshine.

Secondly, our Scriptures says God is a shield. I like this. God is our protector. He is our barrier against evil. Monday, while I was at the V. A. I picked up a novel to kill some time while I waited. It was a thriller about a detective trying to catch a serial killer. The killer enjoyed torturing and killing his victims. Their screams and pleas and cries of anguish brought him pleasure. The good guy won in the end, as good always will, ultimately, triumph over evil – but we need to be aware that there is evil out there. When I worked at the jail as a correctional officer, about 90 percent of the inmates where there because they did some stupid thing – usually associated with alcohol or drugs. Some were just lazy and complacent –usually because of alcohol or drugs – and didn’t pay their fines or show up for court dates. But about 10 percent of those in jail were evil. They would rob you, rape you, or kill you – just because they could. They liked doing it. They enjoyed inflicting pain on you.