The Goodness of God

Welcome to this edition of PowerPoint with Jack Graham. A little later in the program we'll tell you how you can get a copy of Dr. Graham's brand new book, Reignite, but first here's his message, The Goodness of God. I want to invite you to take God's Word and turn to James chapter 1. People have a lot of ideas about God, who God is and what God is like.

Most of them are wrong. Don't let anyone lie to you. Don't lie to yourself. Don't allow Satan or the world to deceive you about God. God is good.

And He is good all the time, and all the time He is good. God is a Father, your Father in Jesus Christ, and you are His beloved child. He loves you with an everlasting love.

He can't get over you. He's committed to you unreservedly and eternally. He is faithful and He is true. God is good. And He's good in who He is, and He is good in all that He does. He is good inherently, personally. He is good morally, no flaw in God Himself. He is perfect. He is pure. He is holy. He is righteous. And He has given us these good gifts of His goodness in our lives. You say, well I'm not good.

No, that's the point. God is good. You say, I don't deserve this goodness.

Absolutely not. But God is good. And He has chosen to set His heart, His affection upon you. The Scripture here says every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father, down from the Father. Good things don't come from below. Good things come from above. That'd be a good place for an amen.

Are you with me? It's like the rain coming down. It's like a powerful cascade of His grace.

Grace like rain coming down. So we are not left to the cruel hand of fate or the fortuitous conjunction of circumstances in our lives. We are in the grip of God our Father. He holds us. He secures us. He keeps us. His grace, His goodness, His goodness and mercy follow us all the days of our lives.

We are in His care. Therefore when James talks about trials, when we experience trials and we wonder if God is good then why this? If God is good, how could this happen?

We know. We know that God is good in spite of anything that goes on in our lives because we are in His grip. And even trials and sufferings redound to His glory because they're all either allowed or permitted by the hand of a providential God. There are no accidents with God. But by His hand we are blessed.

And so if you are in a trial, even in a prison of sorts, then the pain is a platform. The mess is a message of your life. The test is a testimony for you to advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the glory of God. We know, Romans 8 28, a favorite of many of us, we know that God is working all things together for what? The good. God is good.

He is working creatively, constructively, continually to bring about good in our lives for His glory. So in life we have a decision to make. When tough times come and tests come our way, we have a choice. We can either choose joy or we can choose misery. The fact is, God has called us to endure joyfully. Second Corinthians 6 10, Paul is practicing what he is preaching. He says, as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.

Notice he didn't reverse that. I believe the order is important. As sorrowing, but always rejoicing. Not always rejoicing and sorrowing.

But even in the midst of sorrow and pain and heartache and heartbreak, always rejoicing. Have you thought lately of the happiness of God, the pleasure of His presence in your life? At your right hand, oh Lord, is fullness of joy.

At your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Therefore our God who is filled with joy, gives great joy. I come with good tidings of great joy. He gives us joy and we can enjoy life even when we must endure life because God is wise and God is good. And therefore we truly can rejoice in the Lord always.

And again I say, rejoice. He chooses of His own will to bless us with every good thing. 1 Timothy 6 17 says that He has given us all things richly to enjoy in Jesus Christ. Now because God is good, there are three truths that James wants us to know. Number one, God does not change.

Look again in James chapter 1 and verse 17. Every good and perfect gift is a gift from above coming down from the Father of lights. That's a reference to God the Creator.

The Hebrews and the Hebrew Scriptures often refer to God as the Creator of the lights, the sun, the moon, the stars, the God of all creation with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. God is good because He is unchangeable. He cannot change. It is impossible for God to change. He can't get better.

He can't get worse. He is all together always good and always God. Malachi chapter 3 and verse 6 says it this way, God is speaking. For I the Lord do not change, therefore you O children of Jacob, that is Israel you are not consumed.

It is because God does not change that we are secured and kept by His hand. Everything in the world around us is changing. Everything is revolving. Everything is turning. Everything is progressing. Society and culture is in a rapid descent of change.

Technology, transportation, we're changing, we're aging. But God doesn't age. Don't get the idea that God's older now. Can't do what He used to do.

Sleeps in a little later. Not as powerful as He used to be. No, Jesus the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is unchangeable. God can do anything but fail.

He does and He will. Sure as the world, the sun is going to come up every day. You may not always see it behind some clouds, but in the rotation of our cosmos, there's never been a sunset without a sunrise.

Never. The stars and the heavens declare God's glory and God's goodness. God is light.

Jesus said, I am the light of the world. He never changes. He never fails. He never gives up. He said, well wait a minute Jack, life is very hard for me right now.

It even seems unfair, right? There's a lot of good things in life, but there's a lot of bad things that happen in life, right? Life can be hard, unfair, but God is good. If I could give you the best piece of counsel, pastoral, biblical counsel I could give you in the midst of a trial, a storm, a struggle, a test, it would be this. God is good. Never ever doubt the goodness of God in your life.

Never. He doesn't change. He's a father who doesn't change. I know some of you have had fathers, dads who broke promises and they did change.

Dads, let me remind you that to love your family, to love your wife, to love your children is the very best thing you can do for your children. Some fathers changed and broke their promises, but God never does. And in a world filled with so much change, when our heads are spinning, we can stand on the rock, the one who never changes, who is steadfast and removable. We can run to Him for refuge, our strong and good Father. You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and today's message, The Goodness of God. Bring fresh passion and joy to your faith with Dr. Graham's newest book, Reignite, an intimate account of how God led Dr. Graham through one of the darkest seasons of his life.

Whether you're facing disappointment, doubt, depression, or heartache, Reignite offers biblical insights to encourage you in your pain and help fan the flames of faith in your life. And it's our way to thank you for your gift to PowerPoint. So call today to get your copy of Reignite as thanks for your support. Call 1-800-795-4627. That's 1-800-795-4627.

You can also text the word PowerPoint to 313131. And don't forget to visit jackgramm.org where you can shop our e-store, give a gift online or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional. Our website again is jackgramm.org. Now let's get back to today's message, The Goodness of God. Everything in your life can be stable when everything else is spinning around. You've got vertigo going on in your life.

It's spinning all around you. Stand on the rock. Stand on the faithfulness of God. When you're tempted, when all hell seems to be breaking against your life. 1 Corinthians 10, 13. We've all been tempted in every way.

But what? God is faithful and will provide for you a way of escape, a way out if you will walk with Him. He'll walk you right out and right through. Every temptation. God is good. Great is thy faithfulness.

Alright, number two. What you have God has given. He has given.

Everything you have. I want you to remember what you have in Christ. Just a little bit. Think about it and think, the etymology of the word think is very close to thank in our English language. When you think about it, you'll thank God. But I want you to thank God for what you have. Every good and perfect gift James says comes from above. Start with salvation and eternal life. Begin with forgiveness of all of our sins. Thank God for His grace and His mercy which endures forever.

How long has it been since you thanked God for His Bible, for His Word of truth to each one of us? Every blessing poured out upon our lives, material, physical and spiritual. That gift of your family. The gift of your friends. The gift of your church. When you see a sunrise or you marvel at a sunset or you stand amazed at a majestic sea or a mammoth mountain and you see the handiwork of God, you know that the goodness of God is expressed and poured out. God has given us good gifts whether it's a blue moon or a bloody moon. These are all gifts from God. Wholesome entertainment and recreation.

Dogs! But just think about it, the common things, the good things and in this season of harvest and thanksgiving. Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. One of the lies we tell ourselves is I did this. I earned this. I made this.

I built this. No, God gave this. Everything we have when David the great king of Israel was giving and receiving an offering for the building of the temple.

You know how David did it? In 1 Chronicles 29 in an incredible speech about the greatness and the goodness of God, he says, for all things come from you and of your own hand we have given you. He said after all, God, everything we have it comes from you and you only. And so when we give our tithes, when we give our offerings, we're only returning to the Lord what He has given to us. And you can't out give God because as you know, when you give, God gives and gives again. He gives in order that you may give some more. He blesses in order that you may be a blessing. But it's all from Him.

How dare we hold on to something that doesn't belong to us to begin with. It all belongs to God. And He is generous. James told us that earlier when we are asking for wisdom, ask of God. He gives generously.

He gives lavishly. Psalm 37, 4, delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Everything you have from God, everything you have comes from God.

Think about it. Trust Him with all of these gifts and thank Him for what He has done. Psalm 106, 1, praise the Lord! Exclamation point. We ought not to be walking around like question marks.

But like exclamation points. Praise the Lord. Oh give thanks to the Lord for He is good and His mercy endures forever. The Psalmist again and again says praise the Lord. Oh give thanks to the Lord for He is good.

His steadfast love endures forever. God is good. So remember those good things and oh by the way, expect good things from God. Expect God to give you everything in Jesus Christ that you need for your pleasure, for your life, for your satisfaction. Remember we taught you when it comes to temptation, the reason that people yield or give in to temptation is because they are not finding their pleasure, their satisfaction in Jesus. Every desire that you have, God has a way of meeting your need, fulfilling your desires in His way.

Sin is fulfilling a God-given desire in a God-forbidden way. But God delights to give good things to His children. Psalm 84, 11, I quote it all the time. The Lord our God is a Son and a shield. He gives grace and glory and no good thing will He withhold from them who walk uprightly. Stop limiting God by saying things like well you know I don't know if God can do that or wants to do that in my life.

I have so much already. I don't need to ask for more. That runs counterclockwise to the Word of God. God says ask, seek, find. God wants to pour out good things in your life. He wants to lavish you with His blessings and His favor upon your life.

One last thing. The greatest gift is Jesus. When the Scripture says as James tells us here that all these good things, every gift comes down from above.

God Himself stepped out of eternity and in Christ came down from above. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that anyone who believes in Him would not perish but have everlasting life. The greatest gift is Jesus. And all that He brings because of His cross if you ever doubt the goodness of God look at the cross. Remember the cross. See Jesus on the cross paying the penalty, the price for your sin, a price that we could never have paid ourselves because the wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. The greatest gift is Jesus. Eternal life, the forgiveness of sin, abundant life here and now. James says that we are born again, verse 18, of this living Word of God, this Word of truth. And it becomes the firstfruits of God's creation.

You know what that means? The firstfruits? Go back in ancient Hebrew history, go back in your Bible and you'll remember, you'll see that the firstfruits were the offerings that people brought from the land whether it was fruits or vegetables or birds or livestock, lambs. And what was the command regarding the stuff you were supposed to bring as an offering? Was it to go find some lop-eared, broke back lamb who was going to die anyway and bring it to God?

No. Go get the best of the flock. Go get the most precious one and bring it to me, the firstfruits. When we tithe, we don't give at the end of the month but the first of the month. In other words, we give when off the top, not off the bottom, not the leftovers.

Really? We're going to bring God our leftovers? It's always the principle of first things first. Seek His kingdom first.

Bring the firstfruits to Him. The reason that some can't really tithe and give their income is because there's nothing left over when you've spent it all. Or you're in debt up to your ears and you need to get out of debt. And if you are so in debt or indebted or in bondage financially that you can't bring God's tithe on God's day to worship the living God, then that's spiritual and financial bondage and you need to get out by the power of Christ.

But here's the point. James said, you are the firstfruits of creation which means you're God's best. You're God's darling. You're the first, not the angels, not creation itself in all of its grandeur. But you, dear child of God, you belong to Him. He has given us the greatest gift. We have family.

We have life. We are saved. No wonder we can consider it all joy when trials and suffering come our way. No wonder we can overcome and live in victory when temptations of all kinds come against us.

No wonder we want to tell the world who our God is, that He is good and His mercy endures forever. You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and today's message, The Goodness of God. Chances are you've faced your share of crisis.

Maybe you're even in the fight of your life right now. Or maybe you're simply feeling exhausted by the busyness of life and sapped of spiritual strength. Whatever you're facing, we want to help fan the flame of faith in your life by sending you Dr. Graham's newest book, Reignite.

This personal account of how God led Dr. Graham through his own crisis will help you focus on God during difficult seasons so you can experience fresh passion and joy in Jesus. And we'll send you a copy as thanks for your gift today. So call now to request your copy of Reignite. Call 1-800-795-4627. That's 1-800-795-4627. You can also text the word PowerPoint to 313131. And don't forget to visit Jack Graham.org where you can shop our e-store, give a gift online or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional.

Our website again is Jack Graham.org. Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today? If you ever doubt that God is good, if you ever personally doubt the goodness of God in your life, then turn to the cross. Look at the cross and what Jesus did for you by dying for your sins and giving you life in the power of the resurrection.

He paid a price, a debt that we could have never paid ourselves. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus our Lord. We read here in the book of James that every good and perfect gift comes down from above, that is it comes from God. We remember all of these great gifts, eternal life, the forgiveness of sin, abundant life and satisfaction in Christ all because God Himself stepped out of eternity because He loves us and gave His life for us and went to the cross to pay the price for our sins and rose again that we might have eternal life.

This is the gospel. This is the good news of Christ. As a result of what Christ did for us, the Scripture calls us the first fruits of creation. That means you are first in the heart of God, that you are God's best. You are His chosen child, a dear child of God for all eternity, the first fruits of all creation. That's how you know God is good. That's why we can do what James describes and consider it all joy, count it joy when we face trials in our lives.

So whatever trials you may be facing today, and I know we all face trials, take comfort in the fact, the fact that God is good and that He is working creatively, constructively, continually in your life to bring about His good and His glory for your life. And that is today's PowerPoint. Remember when you give a gift to PowerPoint today, we'll send you Dr. Graham's brand new book, Reignite, as our thanks. Call 1-800-795-4627.

That's 1-800-795-4627. You can also text the word PowerPoint to 313131. Join us again next time when Dr. Graham brings a message about how God can move in your life when you listen to His Word. That's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. Power Point with Jack Graham is sponsored by Power Point Ministries.