Disclaimer:
Due to the large amount of sermons and topics that appear on this site I feel it is necessary to post this disclaimer on all sermons posted. These sermons are original to the author and the leading of the Holy Spirit. While ideas and illustrations are often gleaned from many sources including those at Sermoncentral.com, any similarities and wording including sermon title, that may appear to be the same as any other sermon are purely coincidental. In instances where other minister’s wording is used, due recognition will be given. These sermons are not copyrighted and may be used or preached freely. May God richly bless you as you read these words. It is my sincere desire that all who read them may be enriched. All scriptures quoted in these sermons are copied and quoted from the Authorized King James Version of the Holy Bible.
Pastor James May
IS JESUS REALLY THAT GOOD?
Have you heard about the goodness, mercy, wisdom, and love of Jesus Christ?
That’s the question that we ask of those around us everyday as we attempt to witness to other people about Jesus. Most of the time people will just walk away, never making a decision to examine closely the goodness of our Lord. They walk away, casting off one more opportunity to obtain forgiveness and to secure their eternal home in Heaven. In doing so, they seal their own eternal condemnation.
In Matthew 12:31-32 we read these words of Jesus to the Pharisees, "… All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come."
What is blasphemy against the Holy Ghost? It has been defined as a continual rejection of the message of the Gospel. It has also been defined as denying the power and workings of the Holy Ghost and attributing those works to the power of Satan.
When we examine these definitions of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, it is disturbing to think that those who continually reject the gospel and who never decide to come to Jesus in repentance, are guilty of this great sin that can never be forgiven. It isn’t that blasphemy can’t be forgiven, but that it won’t be, because the guilty person will not repent of their rejection of God. They refuse to stop long enough to examine the goodness of God. Thus, they condemn themselves to an eternal punishment.
It isn’t enough to hear the message. It isn’t enough just to stop and examine the goodness of God. We must come to a decision that we will accept the message and become a part of the Kingdom of God through repentance and being washed in the Blood of the Lamb.
In Matthew 12:42 Jesus spoke these words to those same Pharisees, "The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here."account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."
I think it would be good for us to examine what happened when the “queen of the south”, or the “queen of Sheba” heard of the goodness of God that was given unto King Solomon of Israel.
1 Kings 10:1-9, "And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions. And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart. And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not any thing hid from the king, which he told her not. And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon’s wisdom, and the house that he had built, And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her. And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard. Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom. Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the LORD loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice."
Nowhere in these scriptures do we ever read that the queen of Sheba was converted to belief in the God of Israel. In fact, I don’t believe that she ever did. I believe that she came, she was impressed, she was astonished at the greatness and goodness of the God of Israel to Solomon, but she never worshipped Him.
Even though the scripture never says that she accepted the God of Israel, Jesus says in Matthew 12, that “…the queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it.
Oh how terrible it will be, in the day of the Great White Throne Judgment, when everyone who has never taken the time to examine the goodness of God will be condemned by an Arabian Queen who never accepted God either.
The Queen of Sheba still rejected God after seeing his great goodness to Solomon and Israel. Our God is a good God! His mercy endures forever. His love has no bounds. The queen saw all of this.
Every man who turns aside from a life of sin to examine God will see the same goodness in God that the Queen of Sheba saw.
1) …And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not any thing hid from the king, which he told her not
Jesus is the answer to all of our troubles. He provides answers to sickness, death and all of life’s trials. He does not hide the truth from us. He desires that all of us should be set free from sin. Do you have questions that are hard to answer? Only God can answer those questions for you. He will show you great and mighty things. He will reveal His Word to your heart and mind. He will show you the way to a more abundant life. When we say that Jesus is the answer to all of your problems, it isn’t some glib statement or cop out, it’s the real thing. Jesus is your answer!
2) …And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon’s wisdom, and the house that he had built, And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her.
If we will only stop long enough, like the Queen of Sheba did, we will see the goodness of God all around us. Examine your life and the lives of other Christians around you and you will see the goodness of God at work.
God gives us His great wisdom of the Word of God to live by. God’s word will never fail. The Bible contains the right answer to all of life’s dilemmas.
It never ceases to amaze me that the world’s wisest men cannot grasp or understand that sin is the cause of all the world’s problems. If men would only turn to God in repentance and begin to obey the Word of God, all of our world’s wars, famines, economic distress and political differences would simply disappear. Satan has the world blinded to the truth so that they will not turn aside to examine God’s goodness, and condemn their own souls to continue down the path that leads to destruction.
God has promised that His children, the Righteous, would never be forsaken not their seed begging for bread. God takes care of this own. That’s more than I can say for the devil. He forsakes those that serve him and allows them, even helps them to be forsaken and hungry. Satan never supplies the needs of people. He will give them their sinful desires but he never gives them those things that are good and will bring fulfillment and satisfaction to their soul. He always leaves his people empty, hurting and in distress. His ways lead to everlasting destruction.
Look into the goodness of God and you will see that He gives only good things and life everlasting. James 1:17 says, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."
Satan blinds man so that man cannot and will not turn aside and examine the goodness of God for he knows that when man really looks into the goodness of our God that he may choose to follow God. Satan makes men believe that living for God is boring and dull.
I don’t know about you, but I find that living for God is exciting and fulfilling. I don’t remember having a dull moment while working for God. Life gets dull and boring for a Christian only when they aren’t involved in carrying out the call of God upon their lives. Those who are in the fields working toward the harvest of souls and ministering to other people don’t have time to get bored. They are too busy!
The Queen of Sheba came to Israel to examine the claims of the wisdom and greatness of Solomon that had been told to her. At least she stopped long enough to look into the goodness of God.
That’s more than I can say for most of those who are living in our dark world today.
People don’t have time to hear from God. Even Christians don’t take the time to really listen for the voice of God. Life is too fast paced. Schedules are too full. There is always too much to do.
That’s one of, if not the greatest tricks of the Devil that we must contend with. We forget that this life is not all there is. There is coming a day when all of our busyness will cease. There is coming a day when your schedule will be empty and no more meetings, no more parties, no more work, no more shopping, and no more of anything else will matter any longer. One day, this life will end. We are going to leave this terrestrial ball and go into the spiritual realms of eternity.
We will have all the time we need then to stop and examine the goodness of God but we will never be able to partake of that goodness.
The rich man in Luke 16:23 found time to stop and see the goodness of God but it was too late for him then. The scriptures say that, "… in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.”
When this life is over and we have continually rejected the calling the Holy Spirit to our hearts and we have chosen to ignore Him and follow the paths of sin, we will get just what we deserve for we will be guilty of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, and their will be no more forgiveness in that day.
Why wait? Why keep turning a deaf ear to God’s call? Why not look into the greatness and goodness of God and see whether it is true or not? Don’t let Satan blind you!
Psalms 100:5, "For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations."
King David saw the goodness of God. Solomon saw the goodness of God. The Queen of Sheba stopped long enough to see God’s goodness.
What about you? Have you seen the goodness of God? Take the time to examine God and you will be glad you did.
