The Sheer Goodness Of God

The sheer goodness of God

Luke 15:11-24 The Parable of the Prodigal Son

While this parable has application to an unsaved person who turns towards God it also has great application to a Christian who has not been walking with God as they once were, but turns back towards God. The most revealing truth about the parable is the extraordinary goodness, forgiveness, kindness and love of the Father. And the Father in the parable represents our Father, God and reflects His unchanging wonderful nature.

11 Then He (Jesus) said: "A certain man had two sons.

12 And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods

that falls to me.' So he divided to them his livelihood.

13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a

far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. (and there he

wasted his fortune in reckless and loose from restraint living. AMP)

Prov 29:18 Where there is no revelation (a deepening revelation of God), the people cast off restraint… Just like the Prodigal

14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began

to be in want.

15 Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into

his fields to feed swine.

16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate,

(but they could not satisfy his hunger AMP) and no one gave him anything. (And

none of the prodigal’s misfortune was caused by his Father who he had left)

17 But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants

have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against

heaven and before you,

19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired

servants."'

20 And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his

father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.

21 And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight,

and am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

22 But the father said to his servants,'Bring out the best robe and put it on him,

and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.

23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry;

24 For this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they

began to be merry”.

God’s goodness draws people – Satan lies about God’s goodness to keep people away

Rom 2:4 Or do you despise the riches of His (God’s) goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

The sheer goodness and loveliness of God has melted the hearts of many a hardened sinner and backsliding Christian. If you really wanted to stop people coming to God then your principal goal would be to try and deceive people into believing that God is mean, touchy, remote, harsh and unpredictable. And this is precisely what Satan does using thoughts that he gives us and the words of ignorant people to achieve his end. The truth is

Ps 145:9 The LORD is good to all, And His tender mercies are over all His works.

Luke 18:19 Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God”.

What is the best example of how good God is, to all?

Ps 103:10 He (God) has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities .

Ps 130:3-4 If You, Lord, should keep account of and treat us according to our sins O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, just what man needs..AMP

Rom 5:6-8 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Someone may say “Yes, but I’m not such a bad person compared to others” Really? The simple truth is that without God actively in our lives we are liars, thieves, foul-mouthed, self-absorbed, prideful, manipulative, and cruel, fully capable of the most ghastly and wicked deeds – and that’s our good side!