Is God still Good when Life is Not?

If God is real and loving, why is life not?

How can God be good, and life be hard?  

Psalm 103:5-6  (CSB)

5 He satisfies you with good things;
your youth is renewed like the eagle.

6 The Lord executes acts of righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.

Is your understanding of goodness based upon what God does for you, or who God is?  

Who God is is an expression of who God is, and is not defined by life itself.

Do we really believe that God is good when life comes and wrecks us up?  

David rejoiced in God's goodness and his spirit was renewed when he remembered the goodness and generosity of God.  

Sometimes we fall in love with God's gifts instead of God Himself.  

There is more to this life than this life.  We have to be careful not to allow our joy and refreshment to come only from this life.

The goodness of God is what we recognize when life is going good, but is rather tricky when things are going bad.

Psalm 23:6  (CSB)

6 Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
as long as I live 

Psalm 34:8 (CSB)

8 Taste and see that the Lord is good.

How happy is the person who takes refuge in him!

Psalm 31:19 (CSB)

19 How great is your goodness
that you have stored up for those who fear you
and accomplished in the sight of everyone
for those who take refuge in you.

In this life, the road bends, and we can't see the end from the beginning. Therefore, we can't fully understand what is ultimately good.    

1. God is originally good. 

It isn't just God does what is good, but He is the author of goodness. 

2. God is essentially good.  

Sometimes what we know about God does not match what we are currently experiencing.  

We walk by faith not by what we see and feel. If God is so good, why does that not match up with the news? Why does life not seem fair?  

People are looking for goodness that is real.  Our faith is not in the shallows, but on the rock of ages, which is real. 

3. God is infinitely good. 

God does not run out of His goodness. Some days we don't want to be good any more, but God is not like that.  

4. God is immutably  good.  

This means that God does not change in his goodness.  There are two kinds of goodness with God.  

God does things for good in general things like the sun in the morning and the rain in the afternoon. He freely gives them to everyone.   

God is uniquely good to His own children because they are His.  God is specifically good to His kids.  

David reminds us to be refreshed in God's good things.   

Psalm 103:5-6  (CSB)

5 He satisfies you with good things;

your youth is renewed like the eagle.   

As David grew older, David reminds us that God is good and can be trusted.

Eagles have long life spans.  In our old age, our bodies begin to change.  He is talking about our spiritual life.  Even in our old age we can still be amazed of the goodness of God.  

When we age, we must not have a tainted view, but we must look at life with faith filled eyes.  

We must walk in joy in our old age.  We must walk in joy so that the young will want to follow us.  

We must rest in the goodness of God.  We know what God gives, but we don't know how much God prevents.  

Why did God allow for that bad thing to happen?  We who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ must not be afraid of that question.

In Christ, we have a different world view.  Our world view includes our belief in the next life. 

Philippians 1:21  (CSB)

21 For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

There are some times that God wants us to rest in His goodness when we don't fully understand our pain.  

Psalm 103:6  (CSB)

5 

6 The Lord executes acts of righteousness

and justice for all the oppressed.         

Our world view is that this world is not all that there is.  God's final word on His goodness is Christ's crucifixion  and resurrection for us. 

Philippians 1:21  (CSB)

21 For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

There are times when we must rest in the truth that God is good. 

1. God has a wise, good, and Christ exalting purpose for everything that happens to us.

2. Our ability to live by his goodness is by what our view of God is. 

3. Our acceptance of the goodness of God will be a source of rejoicing throughout our lives.

Darryl Craft, Whitesburg Baptist Church
  

http://www.whitesburgbaptist.org/sermons/gods-goodness-and-generosity/

  

Difficult Answers to Tough Questions

Our questions must be answered consistent with who God is. 

1. God is good.

Psalm 119:68 A  (NKJV) You are good, and do good.

God is not good because He does good.  

God does good because He is good. 

We aren't righteous because we live righteously.  

We live righteously because we are made righteous in Christ. 

God has made us righteous. 

Moses asked God to see his glory.  Glory is what God is famous for.  

Exodus 33:18-19 NIRV)

18 Then Moses said, 

“Now show me your glory.”

19 The Lord said, 

“I will make all my goodness pass in front of you. 

And I will announce my name, the Lord, in front of you. 

I will have mercy on whom I have mercy. And I will show love to those I love.

The only reason that the Father ever says no is for your own good. 

We must trust His no!

2. God is just.

How could you ever believe that God choose some to go to heaven and some to go to hell because that's not just!  

I could never go down that line of reasoning because I know that God is just, 

and I know it from the whole of Scripture. 

 

Isaiah 45:21  (NKJV)

21 And there is no other God besides Me,
A just God and a Savior;
There is none besides Me.

Would God sent anyone to Hell who has never heard about Jesus?

Romans 1:18-20 (NKJV)

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, 

who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 

19 because what may be known of God is manifest in (to)them, 

for God has shown it to them. 

20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, 

being understood by the things that are made, 

even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.

God makes Himself known to all people internally (conscience) and externally (creation). 

No one can ever tell God that you never told me.  God Himself tells you about Himself.  

Do you remember as a child ever wondering about God?  

That was God telling you of Himself to you as a child!

Why would God make our universe as big as it is? 

Except to get you to realize there must be a master designer. 

How about your DNA code?

How about the human eye?

The Big Bang theory is just an unproven theory.  

Jeremiah 29:13 (NKJV)

13 And you will seek Me and find Me, 

when you search for Me with all your heart.

Every person who seeks God will find Him! 

Proverbs 8:17 New King James Version (NKJV)

17 I love those who love me,

And those who seek me diligently will find me.

Matthew 7:7-8  (NKJV)

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; 

seek, and you will find; 

knock, and it will be opened to you. 

8 For everyone who asks receives, 

and he who seeks finds, 

and to him who knocks it will be opened.

 

Acts 17:26-27  (NKJV)

26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, 

and has determined their preappointed times 

and the boundaries of their dwellings, 

27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope (make a effort) for Him 

and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.

3. God is love. 

God is love like God is truth,

so He can't lie.

God can't be hateful because 

He is love, but He can hate the sin that harms you because He is love. 

The sovereignty of God does not mean that He can do anything that He wants. 

This is absolutely ridiculous because God can never act outside His character. 

The word sovereign means that God is the supreme ruler of the universe which He is.   

1 John 4:8  (NKJV)

8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

Why would God create Hell? 

It was never created for people. 

Matthew 25:41  (NKJV)

41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘

Depart from Me, 

you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:

Isaiah 5:11-14  (NKJV)

11 Woe to those who rise early in the morning,

That they may follow intoxicating drink;

Who continue until night, till wine inflames them!

12 The harp and the strings,
The tambourine and flute,
And wine are in their feasts;

But they do not regard the work of the Lord,

Nor consider the operation of His hands.

13 Therefore my people have gone into captivity,

Because they have no knowledge;

Their honorable men are famished,

And their multitude dried up with thirst.

14 Therefore Sheol (Hell)has enlarged itself

And opened its mouth beyond measure;

Their glory and their multitude and their pomp,

And he who is jubilant, shall descend into it.

Satan added on to Hell not God. 

Satan got more than 1/3 of the angels to follow him, but also most of mankind.  

Hell was enlarged by necessity and not by design. 

Would a loving God send someone to hell?

There are three major rejections stories of God in the Bible. 

The first one is in Revelation 12 and Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28. 

Lucifer lead a 1/3 of the angels to rebel against God.  

They lived in heaven and no one mistreated them, but they still rebelled against God. 

The second one is found in Genesis 3.  

God created Adam and Eve in His own likeness with perfect surroundings, 

perfect health, 

perfect marriage, 

and perfect provision, 

and they still rebelled against Him.

They knew God and still rebelled. 

This is about the constant rebellious rejection of a loving God who always does what's right. 

The third rejection is God sending His own Son to tell everyone about the Father.  

Jesus went about doing good all the time! (Acts 10:38).  

They tortured Him to death!  

It's inexcusable.  

But God still didn't reject them. 

Why would a loving God send anyone to hell?  

The answer is He wouldn't. 

People send themselves there.  

God created you with a free will. 

You can choose.

Eternity is your choice.   

Why did God even give us a free will?

Because someone can't love Him if they don't have a free will. 

You can't strap a guy with duct tape to a chair, and say thank you for spending time with me today.

Isaiah 5 (NKJV) 

Now let me sing to my Well-beloved
A song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard:

My Well-beloved has a vineyard
[a]On a very fruitful hill.
2 He dug it up and cleared out its stones,
And planted it with the choicest vine.
He built a tower in its midst,
And also [b]made a winepress in it;
So He expected it to bring forth good grapes,

But it brought forth wild grapes. 

Matthew 21:33  (NKJV)

33 “Hear another parable: 

There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard 

and set a hedge around it, 

dug a winepress in it and built a tower. 

And he leased it to vinedressers 

and went into a far country. 

34 Now when vintage-time drew near, 

he sent his servants to the vinedressers, 

that they might receive its fruit. 

35 And the vinedressers took his servants, 

beat one, 

killed one, 

and stoned another. 

36 Again he sent other servants, 

more than the first, 

and they did likewise to them.

37 Then last of all he sent his son to them, 

saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 

38 But when the vinedressers saw the son, 

they said among themselves, ‘

This is the heir. 

Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ 

39 So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.

Jesus is telling this on the Monday before He is crucified by the end of that week.  

Hebrews 13:11-12  (NKJV)

11 For the bodies of those animals, 

whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, 

are burned outside the camp. 

12 Therefore Jesus also, 

that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, 

suffered outside the gate.

Eternity is your choice. 

How could anyone reject a loving God?

I want you to give your life to Jesus Christ today. 

I don't want you to go to hell. 

Hell wasn't created for you.  

It is a place of torture.  

God doesn't want you to go. 

That's why He sent His Son.  

God is drawing you to Himself.  

Will you give your life to Jesus?

Pray this in your heart.  

Dear God, I believe Jesus is the Son of God.  

I receive Jesus today as my Lord and Savior.  

 

Romans 10:9-10  (NKJV)

9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 

10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.