INTRO.- Is anyone truly good? We often say, “He or she is really a good person.” Or “they have a good heart.”
ILL.- CASPER, Wyo. Perhaps you heard the story. Two college students returned a lost purse to its owner, not knowing the handbag contained her life savings.
Derek Hepner and Adam Simanton spotted the purse lying in the gutter of a street last Monday as they drove past it. Stopping to examine the bag, they pulled out a wallet and an Arizona driver’s license and immediately took the purse to police.
What they didn’t see was an envelope containing $43,000 in cash that was the owner’s life savings, police Sgt. Larry Baker said. The owner had been traveling through Casper and apparently misplaced her purse during a stop, police said.
The woman phoned Hepner on Thursday to inform him of a $200 reward for the two Casper College students. Hepner is studying criminal justice, and Simanton plans to be a lawyer.
“I can’t believe we had that much money in our possession and didn’t even know it,” Simanton said.
Brothers and sisters, I would say those boys did very well. They did a good thing and were acting from a good heart. Hopefully, we all would do the same good thing.
Now on the other hand, there is that guy named Chai Vang from St. Paul, Minn, a deer hunter, who shot and killed six other deer hunters over a dispute of him using their deer stand in Wisconsin. When I read about that incident I could hardly believe it, thinking, “How could a person go that crazy over a deer stand?”
His younger brother said of him, “I still don’t believe it. He is one of the nicest persons. Maybe something provoked him. He is a reasonable person.”
Reasonable? And you shoot and kill six people? That doesn’t sound very reasonable to me. You don’t go around shooting people if there is good on the inside of you!
Matthew 12:33-35 “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.”
Both evil and good come from within. If it’s on the outside, it came from within.
ILL.- One time I saw an interview with the actor, Burt Reynolds. He made some comment about God, saying, “You blew it, God. You’re wrong.” I don’t recall why he said God was wrong. It’s been years and I have forgotten the whole story. But I thought, “Burt, you are the one who has blown it. You are wrong.”
Burt Reynolds has blown it so many times in life He certainly doesn’t have any business accusing God of evil! No one does, and yet some people do question the goodness of God. When some people see the war in Iraq, starving and homeless people, famine in the world, violence, etc. they tend to say, “Where is God?” Or “How could God be good?”
Matthew 19:16-17 “Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" "Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good.”
There is only one person who is truly good. Only one who is good to the core and that is our God.
Even though we may not understand everything that goes on in this world (the good and the evil), there is one thing that we must understand. GOD IS GOOD!
Don’t go around blaming God for all the evil in the world. Blame Satan. Blame sinful man, but don’t blame God. God created a perfect world but mankind has corrupted it. Now we’re paying the piper.
We of all people should recognize the goodness of God! We can’t expect all people to see God’s goodness, but people who truly know Him know that He is good.
PROP.- Our text in Ps. 16 focuses on the goodness of God in the sense of how good God is to us.
1- Good fellowship
2- Good heritage
3- Good counsel
4- Good hope
I. GOOD FELLOWSHIP
Ps. 16:3 “As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.”
God has given us good fellowship with one another and for this, we should be thankful.
ILL.- A little girl once cried out in the night and woke her mother. She asked if she could get in bed with her mother.
“What’s the matter?” the mother inquired. “It was dark in my room,” said the child. “Yes,” replied the mother, “but it’s just as dark in here.” “I know, Mother,” the little girl said, “but you’re here.”
Everybody needs someone in the dark and in the light. Night and day we need one another. Few people want to live alone.
God said about the first man, “It is not good for man to be alone.” We need one another. People need people. It’s as simple and as important as that.
David said, “As for the saints who are in the land…” I’ve heard it said that there are two kinds of people in this world: the saints and the ain’ts. And we are God’s saints who are in the land. We may not always act “saintly,” but we are “saints” in the eyes of God and it’s all because of Jesus.
II Cor. 5:21 “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” Jesus became sin for us so that we could become saints in Him.
David said, “They are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.” David considered God’s people as glorious.
As I look at you I wouldn’t exactly say that you are “glorious,” but neither would you consider me as being “glorious.” God’s people were glorious enough to David, however, that he delighted in them.
And where can you find a more delightful bunch of people than in the church?
ILL.- I have worked at various jobs outside the church: Safeway stores, Foodtown, Fuller Brush company, grain elevator, service station, farm, Trees ‘n Trend home décor, etc. And I have delighted in people in every one of those businesses, but nowhere have I found greater delight and joy in people than in the church!
This delightful fellowship and kinship is similar to our own families.
ILL.- Dr. James Dobson said one time, “A few weeks ago, I visited a family in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It was a wonderful day that I will not soon forget! Folks in that part of the world, many of them Mennonites, remember how a family is supposed to function. In the home where I was a guest, at least 20 people are invited for dinner each Sunday. A half-dozen grandkids buzz through the house as adults—family members and outsiders—enjoy each other’s fellowship and conversation.
“Then the most incredible meal is set before them, cooked lovingly by some of the greatest chefs who ever graced a kitchen. Amazingly, another group is invited in after church that evening.
“One might wonder how they find time to prepare and serve such a spread? Well, their priorities are just a little different from their contemporaries’. They believe this kind of togetherness is important. And they are right! Life gets difficult when we live it in isolation from one another.”
Brothers and sisters, thank God that we don’t have to live in isolation! Thank God for the church! For the people! For the fellowship that we enjoy on the Lord’s Day and on other days!
Some of the best times we experience in life are at the church, with the church, eating, yakking, laughing, praying, praising, etc. We should relish these times, look forward to them and promote them all we can!
Heb. 10:24-25 “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
God is good. He has given us a great fellowship with one another.
II. GOOD HERITAGE
Ps. 16:5-6 “LORD , you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.”
Notice the words that David uses: my portion, my cup, my lot. And the words: secure, pleasant, and delightful. It sounds like David was satisfied with his lot in life. Some people certainly have reason to be delighted with their lot in life.
ILL.- NEW YORK — With just 78 cents in his savings account and $44,000 owed to creditors, parking attendant Juan Rodriguez plunked down $1 on a lottery ticket. Good thing he wasn’t pinching pennies: He won a $149 million lottery jackpot.
Rodriguez, 49, of Queens, bought his Mega Millions lottery ticket about one month after filing for bankruptcy.
He stepped forward over the weekend to claim his prize, proving to be a man of many dollars but few words. At a news conference, he wore dark glasses and said he was "excited." Asked what he planned to do with his millions, he said, "I have no idea."
According to court papers, Rodriguez had exactly 78 cents in his savings account and nothing in his checking account. He owed $19,486 on one credit card and $10,070 on another. And he owed the Internal Revenue Service $2,279.
Rodriguez bought his ticket in the middle of a double shift at his $28,000-a-year job as a parking garage attendant. He immigrated to the United States from Colombia in 1982.
There was one clue that Rodriguez wanted his cash fast: He opted for a lump-sum payment of $88.5 million instead of 26 annual installments.
Brothers and sisters, our lot in life is founded on more than just money and material possessions. Although I am happy for this man, I just wish that he realized where all good gifts came from and would give his life to Christ.
ILL.- My children have much to do with the delightfulness of my life. When my children were small all I wanted was for them to become Christians. I figured that everything else would take care of itself. I NOW HAVE THAT WISH OR THAT WANT TAKEN CARE OF.
My son Shane just got a new job and things are looking up, but they started looking up well over a year ago when he went back to church and renewed his commitment to Christ. I baptized Shane when he was only 7 and 8 years old. And I don’t think I made a mistake in doing that. I did, however, make some mistakes with him as he was growing up. I can’t change those now, but thanks to the grace of God, he now goes to church every Sunday. He plays his guitar for the morning services of the Mt. Auburn Christian Church. He also plays for the youth meetings on Wednesday nights. He faithfully reads his Bible and other Christian books every day. I turned him on to Max Lucado’s books and now he is turned on!
I can’t stop thanking the Lord and praising Him for doing a good work in Shane’s life.
My daughter Holly, husband Chris, and my grandchildren Hope and Caleb are involved in the church and the ministry of Christ. They just moved from Hutchinson, KS, to Mechanicsville, VA, where Chris is the Sr. Adult Associate minister with the Fairmount Christian Church. I thank God that they are happy and are involved in the ministry of Christ EVEN THOUGH THEY DID STEAL MY GRANDKIDS AND TAKE THEM A JILLION MILES AWAY FROM ME! I am mad about that, but otherwise, I am happy with them and for them.
My portion, my cup, my lot is secure, pleasant and delightful. My heritage is even more than these and yours is too. We have more than family, but they are most important. We begin life with them and end life with them. God is good. He has given us a good portion or cup in life.
III. GOOD COUNSEL
Ps. 16:7-8 “I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”
David speaks of the Lord who counsels him. He is, no doubt, happy with God’s counsel and instruction.
ILL.- How long should a good sermon be? It should be like a woman’s skirt, long enough to cover the essentials and short enough to keep you interested!
ILL.- One Evangelist said, "My sermons are like chickens with their heads cut off. Once you think the sermon is done, it just jumps back up and runs in another direction!"
ILL.- One preacher said, “Once I was invited to preach for a Christmas Service in a rural Church. Seeing that it was very crowded and sensitive to the time issue, I asked the Pastor, ’How long do I have for the sermon?’ The pastor replied, ‘You can preach for about an hour.’ Still wondering about how I could stretch my manuscript, I soon found out that I was not the only preacher, and the preacher before me also preached for an hour!”
I love God’s good counsel, but I’m not sure about two hours worth! Most of us are happy with one 30-minute sermon.
I realize that listening to sermons can be either good or bad. I’ve heard some mighty poor sermons in my time and no doubt, I’ve preached some, but I try to do the best I can and give the best I can. And I do believe that God gives us good counsel in His word through preaching and reading, but much of the receiving is dependent on us.
ILL.- A circuit riding preacher entered one church building with his young son, and dropped a coin into the offering box in the back. Not many came that Sunday, and those who did didn’t seem too excited about what was said.
After the service, the preacher and son walked to the back, and he emptied the box. Out fell one coin. The young boy said, "Dad, if you’d have put more in, you’d have gotten more out!"
It always hold true that the more you put into something, the more you’ll get out of it: work, a life, a marriage, and a worship service.
ILL.- When their son left for his freshman year at Duke University, his parents gave him a Bible, assuring him it would be a great help. Later, as he began sending them letters asking for money, they would write back telling him to read his Bible, citing chapter and verse. He would reply that he was reading the Bible--but he still needed money. When he came home for a semester break, his parents told him they knew he had not been reading his Bible. How? They had tucked $10 and $20 bills by the verses they had cited in their letters.
God is good. He has given us many treasures in His Word, and it doesn’t take much searching to find them.
IV. GOOD HOPE
Ps. 16:9-11 “Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”
God has given a good hope, no, a great hope in the gospel.
ILL.- A student at the New York Institute of Advertising explained why he had chosen the field: “I have dreams of making a million dollars in advertising, just like my father.”
The institute director asked, “When did your father make a million in advertising?” “He didn’t, “said the student. “But he had dreams, too.”
Brothers and sisters, we, too, must have dreams when it comes to life. Without dreams, goals and hope we won’t get far.
ILL.- When I started jogging for health reasons, (to lose weight, etc.) I wondered if it were possible to run a marathon. I dismissed the thought because when I started jogging I was only doing about 10 minutes a mile and I thought that was too slow for running 26 miles. Gradually, as I got faster and ran more miles the thought of a marathon kept coming back to me. I had another runner friend who was somewhat interested. And our combined interest kept the thought going. Finally, when I got to where I could run 13 to 15 miles without stopping I decided a marathon was possible and continued to push for that goal.
HAD I NEVER DREAMED IT WAS POSSIBLE AND KEPT HOPING FOR IT, IT NEVER WOULD HAVE HAPPENED.
Without hope and without dreams we only exist. We don’t live the richer, fuller life. The same principle not only applies to sports but also to work, to all of life in general and certainly to our faith!
ILL.- When I first became a Christian I had no idea I would become a preacher of the gospel, but I did want to live for Christ as best I could. I took some classes at Ozark Christian College and finally, one day another student asked me if I would fill his pulpit for one Sunday. I agreed, but had no idea what I was getting into. My first sermon lasted about 10 minutes and was mainly reading of scripture. However, my taste was wetted for serving the Lord through preaching.
I kept working, studying, hoping, and dreaming until I began to improve. Of course, any time we want to serve the Lord and we put our hope and trust in Him, things will improve!
Brothers and sisters, our greatest dream and hope lies in the gospel of Jesus Christ!
Why do we come to church? Why do we believe in Jesus as God’s Son and as the Savior of the world? IS THERE NOT MORE TO LIFE THAN THIS LIFE? Yes, and this is what we hope for.
I Cor. 15:19 “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.”
There is more to the Christian life than just going to church, singing hymns, having fellowship dinners, etc. THERE IS ANOTHER FELLOWSHIP DINNER WAITING DOWN THE ROAD THAT IS FAR BETTER AND INFINITELY GREATER THAN ANYTHING WE WILL EXPERIENCE IN THIS LIFE!
II Cor. 4:16-18 “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
OUR HOPE IN CHRIST IS LIFE AFTER DEATH!
ILL.- In the catacombs of Rome, it’s said that the contrast between the inscriptions of Christians and unbelievers in other burying places is most striking and different. The non-Christian epitaphs rarely express a belief in immortality, but often describe death as an eternal sleep, the grave as a final home, and are permeated by a tone of great sadness.
However, the Christian catacomb inscriptions abound in hope. Again and again we find the words, “In peace,” “Live forever,” “He rests well,” “Weep not, my child, death is not eternal,” and “Alexander is not dead but lives above the stars, and his body rests in the tomb.”
Brothers and sisters, God is good! He has given hope beyond this life and beyond the grave! WE MUST BELIEVE! We must take Jesus at His word! We must cling to this eternal hope! God is good!
CONCLUSION--------------------------
ILL.- One of God’s faithful missionaries, Allen Gardiner, experienced many physical difficulties and hardships throughout his service to the Savior. Despite his troubles, he said, "While God gives me strength, failure will not daunt me." In 1851, at the age of 57, he died of disease and starvation while serving on Picton Island at the southern tip of South America. When his body was found, his diary lay nearby. It bore the record of hunger, thirst, wounds, and loneliness. The last entry in his little book showed the struggle of his shaking hand as he tried to write legibly. It read, "I am overwhelmed with a sense of the goodness of God."
Regardless of our hardships in life we must be aware of the goodness of God and give Him thanks and praise continually.
I Thess. 5:18 “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
