The Goodness, Greatness, And Grace Of God

The Goodness, Greatness, and Grace of God

Psalm 145:1-21

Psalm 145 is a psalm of David in celebration of all that God has done for those who have gone through trials and testing. This is the last of seven alphabetical Psalms. The first verse commences with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the second verse with the second letter, and so on to the close. In this Psalm, David commends God’s goodness, greatness, and grace.

I. The Goodness of God

A. *Psalm 145:9 The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works

B. Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusts in him.

C. Psalm 107:8-9, "Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness."

D. God is the source of everything that is good

E. James 1:17 Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow Psalms 31:19, "Oh 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!"

F. There are those who like Asaph when affirming God’s goodness to Israel in Psalm 73:1 equate goodness with material things or with the absence of pain, difficulty, trouble, sorrow, ill health, or poverty.

G. They interpret Jeremiah 29:11 with a bent toward teaching that God’s goodness is expressed in “prosperity and material riches”.

• For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (Jer. 29:11NIV)

• One translation reads “plans for you to succeed”

H. If things do not go the way we plan, if there are bumps in the road, if there are falls and failures does that mean God is not good? When adversity strikes has God’s goodness failed?

I. Corrie Ten Boom said, “Often I have heard people say, ‘How good God is! We prayed that it would not rain for our church picnic, and look at the lovely weather!’ Yes, God is good when He sends good weather. But God was also good when He allowed my sister, Betsie, to starve to death before my eyes in a German concentration camp. I remember one occasion when I was very discouraged there. Everything around us was dark, and there was darkness in my heart. I remember telling Betsie that I thought God had forgotten us. "No, Corrie," said Betsie, "He has not forgotten us. Remember His Word: 'For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him.'" Corrie concluded, "There is an ocean of God's love available--there is plenty for everyone. May God grant you never to doubt that victorious love--whatever the circumstances." -.

J. It is by the goodness of God that God will allow something positive to come out of a negative situation.

K. At the end of Psalm 73 Asaph understands the “goodness” of God in a different way. not physical prosperity but nearness to God.

L. Psalm 73:28 “But as for me, God’s presence (or the nearness of God) is my good. I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Thy works.”

M. Nearness to God—intimate fellowship with God—is our highest good. We may say then that whatever interferes with our nearness to God, our fellowship with Him, is actually evil. And whatever draws us into a deeper fellowship with God is actually “good.” When God brings suffering and adversity into our lives, our confidence in His goodness should not be undermined. Instead, we should be reassured of His goodness to us. –copied

N. Romans 2:4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

O. 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." - Allen Gardiner.