In the mid to late 90’s people in the church began to say God is good--- all the time--- all the time---God is good. It’s easy to proclaim and to shout aloud the goodness of God when things are going great!
It’s easy to brag on Jesus when people are coming to know Christ in large numbers. It’s easy to talk about the goodness of God when people are joining the church every Sunday and the baptismal waters are stirred on a weekly basis. It’s easy to proclaim the goodness of God when our finances are doing well and we just got a promotion at work.
But---you know just as I do there are times in our lives when we allow our circumstances to dictate to us how we feel about God’s goodness. I mean, where is the goodness of God when:
*A tornado touches down in your community claiming 9
lives and destroys 100’s of homes and businesses?
*A mother losses her baby after 4 months of pregnancy
*A loved one is seriously injured and is told they’ll never
walk again
*A teenager is killed in a car accident
*You’re are told you have cancer and only have a few
months to live
*A friend turns their back on you and you realize they
weren’t really your friend
Where is the goodness of God when circumstances arise like the ones I just mentioned? The Word of God tells us that---no matter what our circumstances our---God is good!
I want you to take God’s Word and turn with me to James 1:16-18. This morning I want to talk about the goodness of God. As you turn to James 1:16-18---I want to invite you to stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word.
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. 18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of His creatures.
Let’s pray---Holy Spirit of God you are our teacher. Father you know the struggles that each and everyone of us face from time to time. Often we begin to question Your goodness. But as we look into your Word and as we look upon Your face may we be reminded of just how good You are and we pray this in Your precious name and all God’s people said AMEN!
You may be seated. Notice with me in vs. 16 of our text---James says, “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.” That word deceive means to be led astray. James is getting ready to talk to us about the goodness of God but before he does this he issues a warning. He says do not be deceived---do not be led astray. Notice that in the beginning of this chapter James is talking about trials and temptations.
But as he moves from talking about trials and temptations, he reminds us not to let the circumstances---the trials and temptations of this life to cause us to be deceived or led astray or cause us to question God’s goodness.
There are times when you will experience temptation and you may come to God and say-God, if you are good, if you love me, if Your intentions toward me are good then why do I have to keep struggling with this temptation? Why don’t you just take it from me? Why must I keep fighting against this?
The Word of God says, “Do not be deceived”--do not be led astray. Don’t let that temptation fool you into thinking that God is not good.
There will be times in your life when you’ll experience trials and heart break. And you’ll look deep inside of yourself and your heart is broken and you’ll begin to question God. It’s when we focus on our circumstances and allow them to lead us astray that we say things like---you know if you’re good and you love me and Your intentions toward me are good then why am I having to struggle so much and why is my heart broken? How can I possibly find Your goodness and Your hand of blessing in these circumstances?
The Word of God says, do not be deceived. Do not be led astray. Do not let the circumstances you’re in cause you to question the goodness of God! And so as James talks to us about not being deceived, he gives us some reasons that we can know that God is good.
This morning, I want you to notice with me several reasons from this passage of Scripture that God is good. The first reason you can know God is good because God’s gifts are good.
How do I know that God is good because His gifts to me are good!
Look in verse 17 James writes, ‘Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.”
According to the Scripture everything good in this world is from God. If it comes from God it is good. If it’s not good it doesn’t come from God. The Bible says---every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.
I want you to look at the word gift there in vs. 17. You’ll notice it’s used two times and it’s the same word in the English language but in the Greek language it’s two separate words. And they both have a separate meaning to convey----concerning the gifts that God gives to us. The first word gift (Every good gift) that word gift stresses the action of giving.
In other words, God’s intention---His motivation---His action in giving to us is always good!
Now that’s not true for us as human beings---is it? You and I can go out and give someone a gift and yet not really have a good motivation in giving it to them. We do it every Christmas! Am I right? You’ll go out and buy them a gift---take it home and wrap it in some beautiful wrapping paper and place a bow on the top---just out of obligation or because you know that they are going to give you a gift too. So, your motivation is not pure. You don’t really appreciate them all that much and they’re not all that dear to you but you’re giving them a gift anyway.
That’s the way we do things sometimes but that’s not the way God works. Listen, God’s motivation for giving to us always flows out of His love for us.
Every good gift---the act of giving and then God’s Word says and every perfect gift. This second word for gift focuses on the thing that is given. And the Bible says that every perfect gift is from above.
Now that word perfect means complete. We could say it this way---every completed gift---when God gives you the completed gift it will always be good. Sometimes we don’t see the goodness of God in our lives because we don’t see the completed gift---we’re just seeing a part of it.
And so we wonder----God, how can all of this be good. Rest assure that God’s Word says, every perfect---every completed gift is from above. And it is a good gift because it comes from a good God.
In Matthew 7:9-11 Jesus was speaking to His disciples and He assures them that God gives His people good gifts. He said in verse 9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
How do I know that God is good because His gifts are good!
Chocolate Cake Illustration:
Imagine if my boys---Spencer and Skyler come into the house after playing in the backyard. And as they enter the kitchen they look at Julie and say mom can we have a snack? And she says, sure---how does
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour sound?
• What about 2 teaspoons of baking soda
• Here’s 3 large eggs---eat these
• Would 3/4 cup of vegetable oil satisfy your hunger?
• How about a heaping teaspoon of baking powder for a snack
• Or what about 1 1/2 cups of well-shaken buttermilk to quench
your thirst?
They would both respond by saying yuk---we don’t want that---that’s gross Mom. But what if she was to say, sure the two of you can have a snack. Sit down at the table and Mommy will bring you both a piece of chocolate cake! Why they would be so excited---b/c that would be the ultimate snack!
Chocolate Cake Illustration Continued:
Listen, sometimes God gives you the cake and other times He gives you one ingredient at a time. And you’re standing there with a mouth full of stuff and you’re thinking God, if you’re good then why is my mouth full of this stuff?
And after He gives you each ingredient He begins to mix you up a little bit in the mixing bowl. You say, God, if you’re good why am I getting so stirred up? Then after He has mixed you up a little bit He turns on the oven to about 350 degrees and then He slides you in the oven. And you shout, God if you’re good why is the heat turned up so high in my life?
That is when by faith we look not at our circumstances---our feelings but we look at God’s Word---His Son---His intentions---God’s character and by faith we say God I know that you are good and ultimately Your gifts are good.
We can say those words which are recorded in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
And we know the Bible says. It does not say and we feel because we don’t always feel that way. It doesn’t say and it appears that all things work together for the good. Because it doesn’t always appear that way. But by faith in the Word of God---I can say---and I know. I know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
I know that God is good today and that He is good all the time because His gifts are good.
But I want you to notice with me in this passage of Scripture a second reason why God is good and that is we can know God is good because His character is changeless.
How do I know God is good because His character is changeless look there again with me in vs. 17 of our text. James says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”
Look at how the Word of God describes our God. It describes Him as the Father of Lights. He is the One who gave birth to every sparkling star in the entire universe. He grouped those stars into their constellations. He assigned their individual brightness. He framed the physical laws of the universe that keep those stars in their courses.
He sustains them day by day; He orders the motion of all the planets and all of the moons of the solar systems and galaxies. He is the Father of Lights and He knows you personally. He knows your first middle and last name; He knows the number of every hair on your head.
Notice again how James describes our God in verse 17---He calls Him the Father of Lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. There is no variation with Him. The stars change---they change in their brightness. But God never changes, He never varies.
Let’s look at what else God’s Word says about this Father of lights. The Bible tells us, there is no shadow or turning with Him. As bright as the moon is there are times that it turns its’ dark side to us. As brilliant as the sun shines there are times that it is eclipsed by the moon. It’s in the shadows. But there is no shadow of turning with our Father---He does not change
The hymn writer said it this way:
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.
God never changes! Now we change all the time. Each time a groom stands at the front of a church and watches his bride walk down the aisle---He is thinking you’re so beautiful---you are so wonderful---please, don’t ever change. But as the bride walks down in her beautiful wedding dress and long train---She is thinking---I love him---he means everything to me---he’s so handsome----but I know he’s going to change.
The fact of the matter is that both of them are going to change. We are all changing! Do you realize that at a cellular level you are constantly changing?
Illustration:
I want you to take your hand and I want you to pinch the skin on the top of your knuckle on your index finger and let it go. Now if you’re:
7 that skin popped right back into shape
17 that skin slid right back to where it was
27-37 give it just a second and it will gradually go back into shape
47-57 by the end of my message it will go back down into shape
67-77 you probably shouldn’t have pinched that skin on the back of your knuckle and if you’ll do like this (bend your finger) it will eventually go back into place.
Listen, you’re changing! I’m changing at a cellular level. But the God we serve doesn’t change. The Bible says, there is no variation or shadow of turning with Him.
A Theologian would say God is Immutable—He never differs from Himself---He is unchanging and unchangeable. He says so in His Word. He says, I am the Lord, I do not change! (Malachi 3:6) He does not change.
Our God is not evolving---He is not becoming---He’s not becoming wiser because He already knows everything---He never takes notes on my sermons---because He already knows everything! He never looks down on earth from Heaven and says oh my goodness---I never saw that coming! I had no idea that was going to happen---He doesn’t say that.
He knows everything---He is God and nothing catches Him off guard! He knows your choices before you make them and yet He gives you freedom to choose. How does He do that? He’s God and He can do that if He wants too.
He could never be anymore holy than he was, is or always will be because His holiness is perfect. His power could never be increased or diminished because it’s perfect power!
He is changeless in His character and that means if our God has ever been good then He will always be good. His character is changeless and so when life is not good don’t ever be led to question God’s goodness or His love or God’s wonderful intentions toward you. He is good and He is good all the time.
So we can know that God is good because His gifts are good---we can know God is good because His character is changeless but I want you to realize with me one more reason why God is good.
Verse 18 of our text tells us that we can know God is good because His salvation is sure. Look with me in vs. 18 of James chapter 1. Here James points to the salvation we have in Jesus Christ as the ultimate expression the highest example of God’s goodness toward us. The Word of God says, “Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of His creatures.”
Salvation through Christ is the greatest example---it’s the perfect example---the forever example of God’s goodness toward you! If God never did anything for us after His death on the cross---If He chose never to do anything for you after He saved you---that would be enough too fully and forever prove that He is good to you!
His salvation is sure! Notice what the Bible says about this sure salvation. Notice that this salvation is of His own will. Of His own will He brought us forth---nothing forced God to give us salvation through His Son. He wasn’t lonely---He wasn’t deficient—He wasn’t lacking in anything but simply out of His own good pleasure---out of His own desire to be good---out of His own desire to be gracious---Out of His own love He chose to save sinners!
This sure salvation is of His own will but not only that this sure salvation brings us forth. Of His own will He brought us forth. That’s birth imagery. That’s the picture of a baby being born. Vs. 18 stands in glorious contrast to verse 15 of this same chapter. Look with me in James 1:15. The Word of God tells us, “Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”
Sin brings forth death but God brings us forth to eternal life! He chooses to bring us forth. Notice also that this sure salvation comes by the Word of Truth. Of His own will He brought us forth by the Word of truth. Here James is talking about the Gospel message---the saving message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Those words that we find in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” We heard that Word and trusted in that Word and by that Word God has brought us forth into a new life! He has shown us His goodness by bringing us forth unto His salvation.
And the fact that God requires a second birth proves that our first birth isn’t good enough. We see that illustrated throughout the Old Testament. We see how God rejects the first birth but receives the second birth. He accepted Abel the second born not Cain the first born. He accepted Isaac the second born not Ishmael the first born. He accepted Jacob the second born and not Esau the first born.
And He has announced in His Word that He requires a second birth and that He has made the way for us to experience a second birth! We can praise His name---His sure salvation has proved His goodness. Why has He brought us forth? Why has He worked in our lives by the Word of Truth--- Look with me at the end of vs. 18--- Here is why---that we might be a kind of first fruits of His creatures.
The first fruits are the initial harvest that comes from the fields. And so it was with these scattered persecuted Jewish believers to whom James wrote---they were the original privileged sample of what was to come they were the first fruits and today we stand in succession behind them as a further harvest from God’s field---and He has called us to take the good news of salvation that---sure salvation to whiten fields---ripened unto harvest all around us.
One day His perfect goodness will be demonstrated when all of His creation is transformed at His return. We know that God is good because His salvation is sure.
Illustration:
Many years ago a man suffered several heart attacks and he ended up in a Veteran’s Hospital. It was not a good place to be at all---it was a very lonely place. What made matters worst was his little son was unable to visit him. This man wasn’t just there for days, or weeks—he was there for months recovering from his heart attacks. One day the man decided to take a block of wood and carve out a truck for his son. After he finished it he wrapped it up put a bow on top and gave it to an orderly in the hospital and said, “tomorrow when my son comes for the first time with his mother to visit me I want you to take this truck and give it to him.
As the next day came the man stood at his window on the second floor and he watched his wife and son get out of their car and walk up to the hospital doors. As they approached the entrance the Orderly met them and handed the man’s son the gift wrapped box. The boy was so excited he tore open the box took the truck out---his eyes lit up and he began to hug the Orderly as hard as he could.
All the time the Father is looking out of his window and he’s trying to wave to get the boys attention---and he’s saying I made that for you---I gave that for you---I love you son---that’s from me. The little boy kept playing with the truck and finally his mother tapped him on the shoulder and said look up into that window over there. The little boy looked up and he saw his daddy---and his daddy again said----I made that for you! I gave that to you---I love you! And as that little boy looked at his daddy---he said---thank you daddy---I love you too!
It’s so easy for us to take the gifts that God has given and to forget the God who has given them to us. It’s so easy for us to stop looking to Him and start looking at our situations or start looking inside of ourselves and to forget how good our God is. But when we look at His Word and when we look at His character and when we look at His Son who loved us and gave Himself for us upon the cross then we will know that God is good.
And so I say---God is good and you say all the time and all the time---God is good!
He’s good because:
His gifts are good
His character is changeless
And His salvation is sure
Let’s pray
