We have been doing topical messages, not expository ones, because we have been dealing with a virus pandemic along with social and political issues lately. We will continue with topical messages for a while until the Lord settles us down. Last week we noted the Goodness of God through Creation. Today, we will again look at the Goodness of God, this time through Relationships. Next week we will start a Series on the Word of God.
God is good? ….. All the time? ……..
Because God is good all the time, God calls us Christians to always think of good and to do good! We noted last week that the best way to be reminded to think good and to do good is to meditate on the goodness of God! We are to make it a daily habit “Look up and look around and see the goodness of God through Creation and give thanks!”
Today, let us give thanks for God’s gift of relationships. First of all, God provides for us a relationship with Himself, the Almighty, Holy, Glorious, and Loving God. How often do we really think of this relationship with the One and Only True God? We say it somewhat flippantly “God is good all the time, all the time God is good” when this Almighty God actually desires to walk with us every moment of our lives! God desires this relationship with us out of love. The Almighty God makes Himself available to everyone; See God and walk with God everyday! This is the main message for today!
And because God loves us and desires a relationship with us, we can also have wonderful relationships with others whom God has provided for us! Relationships are gifts from God but there is a problem; sadly, people can mess up relationships. Remember Romans 3:23?
Let’s look at what God says about relationships. Let us start with God Himself. Please open your bibles again to the very beginning.
We read in Genesis 1:1 – In the beginning God! Before the Creation of the universe and humans, God existed! Now look at Genesis 1:26a…. God is plural! And all throughout Scriptures we can note – God is One but exists in 3 Persons. God Himself (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) have existed forever and is a perfect relationship!
Now look again at Genesis 1:26-27…. God Himself is a relationship and He created humans to extend this relationship! The gift of life as humans is a gift of God’s Goodness through a relationship!
Now look at Genesis 2:18… and v:22-24… To have human relationships, God made a partner for the first man and did you notice that even before the first and woman had a child, God already promised fathers and mothers, in other words, Since God is a God of relationships, He created people to have relationships with each other! Out of God’s goodness, people can have a relationship with God and with other people!
But as we had noted from our study of Romans 3:23, God allows sins for a purpose but sin (going against God) mars relationships! And so, out of God’s Goodness, we do not have to be alone; we can have good relationships with God and other people and we are to be thankful! But because of sin, we can mess up the goodness of God’s gift of relationships.
But let us note, because God is a God of love and a God of Promises for good, even when people mess up with sin, God provides a way to maintain relationships. Remember our study of the flood? The world became so sinful and wicked that God had to destroy all human beings with a flood except for Noah and his family! Take a look again at Genesis 9:7-15…..
After the flood, God reestablished His relationship with human beings through 8 people He saved, even though Noah and his family were also sinners. God saved Noah and his family, not only to reestablish a relationship, but because the Promised Savior/Messiah who will establish an eternal relationship has not yet come.
Let us fast forward to today. About 2000 years ago, the Messiah/Savior Jesus Christ came to this earth to seek and save the lost. Turn with me to Luke 3:21-22…We can note from this event the reality of the relationship of the Triune God, Jesus Christ the Messiah/Savior Son of God, the Holy Spirit, and God the Father, and they were relating to people on earth being baptized in belief of Jesus Christ!
Now turn to John 10:10-15….
From this passage, we can note the good relationship of God the Son and God the Father and the good relationship of Jesus Christ the Good shepherd and His Believers! We can also note the bad relationships of non-Believers of God; the devil, an angel who sinned, and people who pretend to be leaders who only did things for selfish reasons.
Let us finish our study by looking how all relationships will end; turn to Revelation 20:11-21:8….
And so in the end, or in the beginning of eternity, all who accepted God’s gift of an eternal relationship with Him through Jesus Christ will be perfected and be in heaven forever where there will no longer tears, death, mourning, or pain. But let us also note, that all who rejected God’s offer of an eternal relationship by belief in Jesus Christ will be separated completely from this Good God and be tormented forever along with all the fallen angels.
While still alive, people on their own can choose this God who offers an eternal relationship with Him or choose to be eternally separated from God!
Let us close with these thoughts:
God’s good gift of relationship is available right now through the lives we live! There is universal grace from God to everyone living; it is a gift from God who desires a relationship with everyone!
But let us note, God’s offer of a perfect eternal relationship through Jesus Christ is only offered during a person’s lifetime. God provides special grace of eternal life through Jesus Christ!
God’s desire is to have a relationship with all His Creation forever through Jesus Christ! Those who do not accept Jesus Christ as their Only Savior and Lord will be separated from God forever and be in torment in a Lake of fire with all the demons.
Let us keep in mind the 2 Greatest Commandments Jesus stated:
First, love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength! We love God through Jesus Christ!
Secondly, love your neighbor as yourself! Let us note that this is the 2nd greatest Commandment; in other words, Love for God is always first! And, our neighbor are those in our immediate sphere of influence (immediate family, church family, then others).
Take a moment to quietly pray about these things……
