Introduction

Two Sundays ago, we talked about the goodness of God. God's goodness toward us is beyond our comprehension. We owe everything to God and His goodness. It is the goodness of God that we are alive today. It is the goodness of God that we are saved today. It is the goodness of God that led us to repentance. No one is just saved or forgiven; if anyone is saved, it is because of God's goodness. God is reaching out everyday. When a person is not saved it is not because God has not tried to reach out to them.

Though the goodness of God is an infinite, super abundant and enduring, God will not force His attention upon us. If we would be welcomed as the Prodigal was, we must come as the Prodigal came.

I - Thou Art Good

Psalm 119:68 Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.

We have covered this, two Sundays ago.

The goodness of God is His inclination to do good to all His creation. He delights in His works and delights in benefiting them. He takes great pleasure in bestowing gifts to all His creation. God's nature is to bless and provide for all creation.

Here are some scriptures declaring the goodness of God:

Psalm 33:4 For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth. 5: He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.

Psalm 86:5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

Psalm 100:4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. 5: For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. 

Psalm 106:1 Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Psalm 145:9 The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works (all he has made).

Nahum 1:7 The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.

Zechariah 9:17 For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! corn shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine the maids. 

God and only God is absolutely good. God and only God is essentially, originally, infinitely, eternally, immutably, universally, perpetually good. Only God is good to all, in every way, in every the time.

II - Thou Doest Good

Psalm 119:68 Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.

How God's goodness is manifested?

1. In the realm of creation

The goodness of God is seen, first of all, in creation. 

During each day of creation God looked at what He had created and saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2: And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3: And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4: And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

1:10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

1:12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

1:18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.

1:21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

1:25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

After God is done with creation, He was pleased, for He saw every thing that He had made, and it was very good.

Psalm 104:24 O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.

How great in number are the works of the LORD! In wisdom He made them all. The earth is full of His riches and goodness. It is true that creation manifests the power and wisdom of God, but it also manifest the goodness of God. 

Think about the creation of God. They are not only many in number but many in variety, such as the sun, moon, stars, planets, galaxies; mountains, valleys, plains, dessert; lakes, river, ocean; snow, rain, hail, clouds; plants and trees, flowers, fruits; animals, insects; fish and sea creatures, etc.

The beauty of God's earth reminds us of His goodness.

104:24 O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. 25: So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.

Psalm 104:24 O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.

God made the universe and everything in it. He exercised great wisdom when He made all. Creation is display of His goodness.

But we see His wisdom, power and goodness in the crown of all His creation - man. The more closely you study the human anatomy, the more the goodness of its Creator becomes clear and obvious. Everything about the structure of our bodies attests the goodness of God.

God made man with five senses to enjoy every thing that He has created. God made man with eyes to see and appreciate the beauty of nature, ears to hear its lovely sounds and music, nostrils to enjoy its pleasant aromas, taste buds to relish its infinite variety of eatable delights, a sense of touch to help communicate love to someone precious to him, and a mind to comprehend the meaning of it all.

Psalm 139:14 I will praise Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are Thy works, and that my soul knoweth right well.

It is true in Genesis chapter three, sin entered. Adam and Eve's sin called forth God's anger and justice and judgment but it also called forth manifestations of the grace and mercy of God in new dimension. And God continued to be good.

In spite of the fact that this planet is cursed with the effects of sin (cf. Rom. 8:20-22), there is still ample testimony of Heaven’s goodness.

2. In the realm of providence

a. Preservation of the world from destruction

Why does this world exist right now? Why can we anticipate the coming of winter, spring, summer and fall? Why can we anticipate all of these things?

Genesis 8:20 And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21: And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart (a peak into the heart of God), I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. 22: While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

The earth is not preserved because of the impersonal laws of nature or because of chance. It's preserved because of the covenant God made with Noah and the beasts. It is the manifestation of God's goodness.

Psalm 36:6 Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast.

b. Providing for His creation

Psalm 104:24 O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.

Psalm 104 celebrates the goodness of God over all His works and over all His creation

104:12 By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches. 13: He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works. 14: He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;

Psalm 65:9-13

Psalm 65:9 Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it. 10: Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: thou settlest the furrows thereof: thou makest it soft with showers: thou blessest the springing thereof.

We say, oh it's raining today while the Psalmist says, Thou waterest the earth.

In the Gospels God sends His rain ... His sun 

Matthew 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

Your Father feedeth them ...

Matthew 6:26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

Psalm 136:25 Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever.

3. In the realm of salvation

Redemption is out of pure goodness. God was under no obligation to pity our misery, and repair our ruin. It is the gospel of God abounding in His own blessedness (1 Timothy 1:11).

Psalm 86:4 Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. 5: For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

Psalm 25:8 Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.

The goodness of our God leads us to expect the reclaiming of sinful men. Let those who desire to be delivered from sin take comfort from this. God himself will condescend to be the teacher of sinners.

4. In the realm of judgment

If God is good, how can He punish people eternally in Hell? .

We must first of all understand that punishment of sin is not the primary intention of God. When He created, His intention was fundamentally to manifest His goodness. 

Ezekiel 33:11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

God finds no pleasure whatsoever in the death of a sinner.

And even today, His intention is not punishment but goodness and goodwill toward man.

Romans 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

Why does God continue to be good to those who despise His goodness and forbearance? That those who despise God's goodness will awaken to His goodness and lead them to repentance.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, He could have killed them and it would be right and just for God to do so. But in His goodness and forbearance He exercised grace and mercy instead. And God continued to be good.

Secondly, we need to understand that punishment of sin does not cancel out His goodness.

When criminals are punished, we do not conclude that the Judge is devoid of goodness, but rather that the Judge is good and just and righteous. An earthly Judge, if he is a good judge, must condemn and punish the murderer, because he cares for the community and society. He cannot let a murder run loose or free because he may still kill others. He must send the murderer in prison and punish him to protect others. To punish evil is right, therefore good. To leave men uncontrolled in their wickedness is unrighteous and therefore bad.

So to answer the question, How can a good God punish sin?

The goodness of God demands that sinners be punished. It is not lack of goodness for God to punish the guilty sinners. On the contrary it is His goodness that cause Him to condemn the guilty sinners.

Exodus 34:6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, 7: Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

Nahum 1:3 The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

Nahum 1:7 The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.

Since God is infinitely good, everything that He does is good,

Psalm 119:68 Thou art good, and thou doest good.

III - Teach Me Thy Statutes

Psalm 119:68 Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.

Teach me Lord, what your goodness means to me. Teach me Lord, how to respond to your goodness.

1. Strength

Every one of us sins — that is a fact of life. 

1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

And everyone has access to the forgiving grace of God through Jesus Christ His Son. 

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

But God’s will for us us is not to sin

1 John 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

One of the deterrent to sin is the goodness of God. It is a powerful motive to break away from sin and not to yield to temptation.

How can I sin against a God so good to me? .

Genesis 39:1 And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither. 2: And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 3: And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand. 4: And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand. 5: And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field. 6: And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured. 7: And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. 8: But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; 9: There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? .

A heart presently filled with the loving awareness of the goodness of God is wonderfully preserved from many sins.

Psalm 25:8 Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.

2. Comfort

Just because God is good does not mean there will be no times of difficulty in the Christian lives. The goodness of God does not prevent us from going through times of trials and adversity. The goodness of God uses trials and adversity for His glory and for our own good.

Psalm 119:67 Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word. 68: Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.

A Stronghold in the Day of Trouble .

Because God is good, he is a stronghold in the day of trouble, whether it be physical or spiritual

Nahum 1:7 The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.

We are persuaded that all things work together for good to them that love God (Romans 8:28).

His goodness is a comfort to us in all our afflictions.

Psalm 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

C. H. Spurgeon said, "The goodness of God is the life of the believer's trust. It is this excellency in God which most appeals to our hearts. Because His goodness endures forever, we ought never to be discouraged:"

3. Gratitude

Psalm 107:1 O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

As the goodness of God is set before us in the Scriptures, may our hearts run out with intelligent praise to God for His infinite goodness and may we trust Him more and more in our lives, individually and corporately

Gratitude is the return justly required from the objects of His beneficence.

Because God is good and we are all recipients of His gifts, it should make us all the more thankful. Gratitude is the return justly required from those who are beneficiaries of His goodness; yet it's often withheld from Him simply because His goodness is so constant and so abundant. God’s goodness is all around us and we are just used to it.

Psalm 107:8 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Amen!