The Goodness and Mercy of Almighty God
Psalm 23 Series (Final Sermon)
November 26, 2006 AM
This morning, we dive into the final verse of the 23rd Psalm, focusing on three basic themes. The Goodness of God, The Mercy of God, and our Individual Worship. In our last visit into this passage, God’s word challenged us to see if our “cups were running over” or if our cups even had anything in them at all. Today’s visit – takes that one step further. Is our worship to the God who shows us such Goodness and Mercy pleasing to Him or pleasing to us. Stay with me this morning as we discuss together “The Goodness and Mercy of Almighty God”
TEXT (23:6)
I. The Goodness of God
How good has God been to you in your life? I’m going to use my life as an example:
1. Saved at age of 6 years on March 22, 1981
2. Called into ministry in 1990, surrendered to call to preach in 2000
3. Blessed with wonderful wife and daughter
4. Forgiven even though I deserve death for my actions
Psalm 31:19
O 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.
Psalm 52:1
The goodness of God endureth continually.
In your particular life – you can gauge the effectiveness of the goodness of God. I want to give you a few guidelines this morning to help you gauge.
1. Salvation experience
a. Romans 10:13 – Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved
b. Do you remember a time in your life when you asked the Lord to be the Lord of your life?
i. If so – you’ve experienced the goodness of God
c. Do you remember a time when you were one way, but God changed you into His servant?
i. If so – you’ve experienced the goodness of God
2 Corinthians 5:17
If any man be in Christ: he is a new creature: old things are passed away and behold all things are become new.
2. Daily Experiences
a. Work, Finances, Family, etc.
3. Other Gold Mines
God is Great and Good – but He is also Merciful!
II. The Mercy of God
Many times in God’s word, the phrase “His mercy endureth forever” is used. The common question would be this – why is this the case?
Mercy is defined as God’s kindness or pity upon you and I. It is an aspect of God’s love that causes Him to help the miserable or to help the pitiful. In other words, you and I.
Attributes of God’s Mercy
1. God shows mercy to those who have broken the law
a. Daniel 9:9
i. To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him
b. 1 Timothy 1:13-16
i. And I thank Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am the chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all long-suffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.
Paul, realizing that God’s mercy was not deserved on his life – recognized the power of God’s goodness and mercy, through God’s grace (God’s riches at Christ’s expense).
2. Mercy is extended beyond the punishment that is withheld
a. Ephesians 2:4-6
i. But God, who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us. Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
b. Mercy cannot get us into heaven, but it does give us an opportunity to accepted the riches of God’s grace.
3. Mercy is extended to circumstances beyond individual’s control
a. Matthew 9:27-31
i. And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us. And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus said unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. The touched he their eyes, saying, according to your faith be it unto you. And their eyes were opened;
4. Mercy is shown to us so that we can be merciful to others
a. Matthew 5:7
i. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy
b. James 1:27
i. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted for the world.
So, with the attributes of God’s mercy said – do we have evidence of the mercy of God in our own lives?
Back to the gauge of God’s goodness – now it’s the gauge of God’s mercy.
1. Have you accepted Christ as your Savior and Lord?
a. If so, you have experienced the forgiving mercy of God on your life
2. Are you merciful in your dealings with people in your daily life?
3. Are you merciful in dealing with your family and church family?
There was once a man who always had his horse tied on a hitching post outside of the local saloon. One day, a passerby noticed that his horse was hitched outside of the local Methodist church. This passerby asked the man, why was your horse outside of the Methodist church. The man replied – I was converted at a Revival meeting last night and now I have a new hitching post.
God is always ready to grant His mercy and His grace upon all who will call upon His Name.
III. Dwelling the House of the Lord
The greatness of Salvation, once we accept and trust God, leads us to a permanent dwelling place. The attributes of a permanent dwelling with God are as follows:
a. God, it is said, "dwells in light," in respect to his independent possession of his own glorious attributes
i. (1 John 1:7). But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His son cleanseth us from all sin.
b. He dwells in heaven in respect to his more immediate presence there
i. (Ps 123:1). Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens.
c. He dwells in his Church in the continued bestowal of his ordinances, and of his gracious supporting and comforting influences
i. (1 John 4:12). No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
d. Christ dwelt among men in his state of humiliation on earth
i. (John 1:14).
e. He dwells in our hearts by faith, he is united to us as our head; his righteousness is imputed to us, and applied to our consciences; his spirit and grace are fixed in our hearts; he loves and delights in us
i. (Eph 3:17-19). Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the bredth and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.
f. The Holy Spirit dwells in us, and sheds abroad his gracious influence
i. (2 Tim 1:14). The Holy Ghost, which dwelleth in us.
g. The Word of God dwells in us richly, when it is carefully studied, firmly believed, and diligently practiced
i. (Col 3:16). Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
God equips us, once we trust in His son to live this life with hope. However, those who do not have the hope of Christ, the following will be their outlook:
Wickedness, vengeance, or judgment is said to dwell in or upon a person or land when it long continues there
Our worship to God is effected by our relationship to God.
• Evaluate your personal dwelling with God right now.
• Is your worship directed me-ward or God-ward?
Are you more concerned about what you want in life or what God wants in your life?
• Is your worship pleasing to God, all of the time – not just on days in church?
o Are the words of your mouth a sweet aroma of praise, or a sour batch of grapes?
• Do the songs that we sing offer praise to God directly or do they just sing about God or Heaven
o When is the last time you told Jesus that you loved Him – told God that you loved Him.
Without a personal dwelling/relationship with God, you will not experience the goodness and mercy of God on your life. Back to our gauges:
1. Have you been saved?
2. Are you living the life that God would have you to in your workplace, in the world?
3. Are you living the life that God would have you to at home?
4. Are you worshipping God and dwelling in His presence?
Where is your hitching post this morning?
