WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:05.360 Good evening everyone, it's really good to have you with us this evening. I think there are a few visitors, you are particularly welcome. 00:00:06.620 --> 00:00:13.519 As Danny said, we're continuing our series looking at This is Our God, and we're looking at Our Good God this evening. 00:00:14.519 --> 00:00:23.760 Some of you may know it, I'm a big fan of the Kindle e-reader. I find it portable, convenient and flexible, and for me that outweighs the benefits of having paper. 00:00:23.760 --> 00:00:30.420 A lot of the features of the Kindle try to replicate what you can do on paper, and one of them is the highlighting feature. 00:00:30.880 --> 00:00:37.939 So if you're reading a book, you might go through and underline a passage or get your highlight route, so you can be reminded of it when you come back again later. 00:00:38.079 --> 00:00:45.540 And you can do the same thing on the Kindle, just highlight the passage, and it will remind you that this is something that's important to you. 00:00:46.200 --> 00:00:50.579 What you can also do with the Kindle is see what passages other people have highlighted. 00:00:50.579 --> 00:01:00.060 So you can go in and find a list of the most common passages in the Bible or any other book that people have chosen to highlight to be reminded of. 00:01:00.579 --> 00:01:04.959 So I thought I'd do that. I did it for the NIV for the edition I've got on my Kindle. 00:01:05.439 --> 00:01:10.439 And I thought the top two, the two most popular verses, were quite interesting. 00:01:10.439 --> 00:01:15.939 So in second position is Romans 8 and verse 28, which says, 00:01:15.939 --> 00:01:32.599 And then in first place, the most popular highlight in the NIV at least, is Jeremiah chapter 29 and verse 11. 00:01:33.519 --> 00:01:34.120 And it says, 00:01:34.120 --> 00:02:01.140 So my not very scientific analysis suggests that, at least for readers of the NIV, one of the things that they want to be reminded of is the goodness of God. 00:02:01.140 --> 00:02:07.960 Two verses that very much bring before us the good plans that God has for his people. 00:02:08.879 --> 00:02:11.240 I think that probably is true of most of us as well. 00:02:11.319 --> 00:02:19.120 The goodness of God, the fact that God is good, is something that is really important to us and a great encouragement in our lives. 00:02:20.280 --> 00:02:24.900 But we have to ask ourselves, what do we mean when we say God is good? 00:02:24.900 --> 00:02:31.020 The word good is very common in the English language, and it's used in all sorts of different ways. 00:02:31.560 --> 00:02:36.259 So when we say God is good, what exactly do we mean? 00:02:37.580 --> 00:02:47.140 Let me put up a quote from the theologian Bruce Milne, a very interesting book on doctrinal theology, Know the Truth. 00:02:47.139 --> 00:02:48.099 And he says this, 00:02:48.919 --> 00:02:54.759 God's goodness is a perfection which can be classed equally under holiness or love, 00:02:55.279 --> 00:03:01.159 and as such underlies the impossibility of separating these two attributes. 00:03:01.979 --> 00:03:04.699 Take a second to think about that while I keep talking. 00:03:05.339 --> 00:03:11.479 But Bruce Milne is saying that goodness encompasses both God's holiness, which we looked at last week, 00:03:11.479 --> 00:03:16.419 and God's love, which we'll be looking at in more detail next week. 00:03:16.840 --> 00:03:20.280 And if you want to understand what it means that God is good, 00:03:20.500 --> 00:03:25.159 you have to bring these two elements of his character into it. 00:03:25.899 --> 00:03:34.679 I think we can maybe say that God's goodness is how his holiness and his love are seen in practice, 00:03:35.280 --> 00:03:38.879 how they make a difference in our lives. 00:03:38.879 --> 00:03:43.500 Now, if you were here last week, you may remember when Graham talked about God's holiness. 00:03:44.019 --> 00:03:48.439 He talked about God as being set apart and perfectly pure. 00:03:48.859 --> 00:03:53.639 I think it's probably the second of those that Bruce Milne is thinking of at this point. 00:03:54.460 --> 00:04:01.780 The God who is perfectly just, upright, righteous, who can't tolerate sin. 00:04:01.780 --> 00:04:05.960 And God's goodness must be based on God's holiness, 00:04:06.740 --> 00:04:12.520 on the fact that he can do no wrong and that he can tolerate no wrong. 00:04:13.420 --> 00:04:15.420 Now, God's love, I'm sure you'll have an understanding of. 00:04:15.460 --> 00:04:17.759 Do come back next week if you have any doubts about it. 00:04:17.779 --> 00:04:20.240 But it's these two things, I think, that we have to look at. 00:04:20.319 --> 00:04:22.920 One is the God who doesn't do any wrong. 00:04:23.560 --> 00:04:28.660 The other is the God who loves us and who demonstrates his care for us. 00:04:28.660 --> 00:04:34.400 Let's examine this a bit further, looking at some of the passages and verses that we've looked at already, 00:04:34.520 --> 00:04:36.439 maybe one or two others as well. 00:04:37.640 --> 00:04:42.860 The verse in Romans chapter 5, Romans chapter 5, verse 7, that says this. 00:04:43.520 --> 00:04:46.500 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, 00:04:47.060 --> 00:04:50.940 though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 00:04:50.939 --> 00:04:54.459 But then verse 8, God commends, demonstrates his love for us in this. 00:04:54.860 --> 00:04:58.660 While we were still sinners, Christ dies, died for us. 00:04:59.540 --> 00:05:02.100 So I think what this verse is saying, if I've read it right, 00:05:02.620 --> 00:05:06.019 is that goodness goes beyond righteousness. 00:05:07.220 --> 00:05:11.040 So Paul is saying it's very unlikely to anyone want to die for someone who's just righteous, 00:05:11.699 --> 00:05:14.439 who kind of was a holier-than-thou kind of person. 00:05:14.439 --> 00:05:20.399 It's more likely, though still unlikely, Paul says, that they might die for a good person. 00:05:21.079 --> 00:05:25.579 So goodness, if we take this verse, has the element of righteousness, 00:05:26.060 --> 00:05:32.480 but goes beyond that and is reflected in care, in love for others. 00:05:33.439 --> 00:05:37.220 If we take the passage that Sabina read to us from the Gospels, 00:05:37.800 --> 00:05:41.759 of the rich ruler who came to Jesus and asked about eternal life, 00:05:41.759 --> 00:05:44.399 and Jesus says, why do you call me good teacher? 00:05:44.939 --> 00:05:47.560 There's no one good except God. 00:05:47.980 --> 00:05:52.560 And I think he carries that thought forward into the following verses, 00:05:53.259 --> 00:05:56.759 because the ruler is able to say, well, I'm an upright person. 00:05:57.199 --> 00:05:59.300 I've obeyed the commands. 00:05:59.939 --> 00:06:02.199 Now, undoubtedly, he hadn't completely obeyed the commands, 00:06:02.399 --> 00:06:06.579 but perhaps he was an upright person relative to other people. 00:06:07.279 --> 00:06:09.079 But what Jesus highlights then is, 00:06:09.079 --> 00:06:12.039 yes, you may not be doing much that's actively wrong, 00:06:12.719 --> 00:06:17.300 but are you really showing love for God and love for others? 00:06:17.879 --> 00:06:21.719 Or actually, is the main thing in your life the riches that you have? 00:06:22.579 --> 00:06:26.319 Righteousness must be accompanied by love. 00:06:27.259 --> 00:06:31.399 Goodness is holiness alongside love, 00:06:31.519 --> 00:06:33.639 when we think about God's goodness. 00:06:34.639 --> 00:06:35.659 Or look at the other way around. 00:06:35.660 --> 00:06:37.740 Is it enough just to love people? 00:06:37.800 --> 00:06:41.920 If I love people, does that make me a good person? 00:06:42.500 --> 00:06:46.900 We might in our society say someone's good because they do lots of good works. 00:06:47.920 --> 00:06:51.920 But again, love by itself isn't enough. 00:06:52.920 --> 00:06:54.300 There's from Jeremiah that we read, 00:06:54.600 --> 00:06:57.440 where God is making great promises to his people, 00:06:57.760 --> 00:06:59.660 that he has good plans for them, 00:06:59.860 --> 00:07:02.220 plans to prosper them in the future. 00:07:02.220 --> 00:07:04.940 But if we look at the context of that, 00:07:05.300 --> 00:07:07.420 it's in the context of God's judgment, 00:07:08.040 --> 00:07:09.440 of God's righteousness. 00:07:10.080 --> 00:07:12.900 Because the people are going to be in exile for 70 years, 00:07:13.120 --> 00:07:15.260 and then says, God, you will turn to me, 00:07:15.660 --> 00:07:20.060 and you will get all the benefits that I have promised. 00:07:21.260 --> 00:07:24.380 Or Romans 8, the other verse that we highlighted, 00:07:24.900 --> 00:07:29.820 that talks about God works everything for good for those who love him. 00:07:29.819 --> 00:07:32.920 The context of that, if we read on a verse or two, 00:07:33.300 --> 00:07:36.920 is about people being transformed into the image of Jesus, 00:07:37.540 --> 00:07:40.399 of being justified before God. 00:07:40.980 --> 00:07:44.019 In other words, alongside the love that is there, 00:07:44.500 --> 00:07:47.899 there is also God's justice, God's holiness. 00:07:48.819 --> 00:07:54.620 So God's goodness combines both his holiness and his love. 00:07:54.620 --> 00:07:57.959 Let me then put up a statement. 00:07:58.180 --> 00:08:00.420 I think one of the other who have taken this read 00:08:00.420 --> 00:08:01.399 have done something similar. 00:08:01.740 --> 00:08:02.959 So here's where we're going this evening, 00:08:03.040 --> 00:08:06.139 the things I want to talk about as we think of our good God. 00:08:06.259 --> 00:08:07.079 God is good. 00:08:07.840 --> 00:08:09.579 This is evident through his actions, 00:08:10.160 --> 00:08:12.340 his gifts, and his commands. 00:08:12.920 --> 00:08:16.040 And his goodness never changes. 00:08:17.139 --> 00:08:18.899 God is good. 00:08:18.899 --> 00:08:23.339 God's whole character is good. 00:08:24.139 --> 00:08:27.659 It's not that God is good sometimes and not good other times. 00:08:28.159 --> 00:08:30.659 God is always good. 00:08:31.519 --> 00:08:33.240 And that's the point Jesus is making, I think, 00:08:33.639 --> 00:08:34.939 in the passage from Luke, 00:08:35.259 --> 00:08:36.240 when he says, 00:08:36.539 --> 00:08:39.159 there is no one good except God. 00:08:39.620 --> 00:08:41.579 We can all do good things. 00:08:42.299 --> 00:08:45.919 We can all show love and concern for others. 00:08:45.919 --> 00:08:49.599 And yet by nature we are not good. 00:08:50.279 --> 00:08:54.939 By nature we are sinners who have rebelled against God. 00:08:55.579 --> 00:09:00.120 And God is the only one who is truly good. 00:09:01.379 --> 00:09:02.459 And how do we see this? 00:09:02.799 --> 00:09:03.979 We see this, I'm suggesting, 00:09:04.539 --> 00:09:08.899 through his actions, his gifts, and his commands. 00:09:09.819 --> 00:09:10.620 So what are the actions of God? 00:09:10.659 --> 00:09:11.799 Let me just highlight two. 00:09:12.599 --> 00:09:14.339 God is our creator. 00:09:14.340 --> 00:09:19.700 God made the universe and everything that's in it. 00:09:20.580 --> 00:09:22.519 And if we read through Genesis chapter 1, 00:09:22.720 --> 00:09:25.720 we find again and again God comes to the end of the day 00:09:25.720 --> 00:09:27.660 and he looks at what he's made 00:09:27.660 --> 00:09:30.200 and he sees it is good. 00:09:30.320 --> 00:09:31.980 Or he sees it is very good. 00:09:32.840 --> 00:09:36.379 God has made his creation good. 00:09:37.600 --> 00:09:40.720 Now this is, I suppose, another quality of goodness, 00:09:40.720 --> 00:09:44.100 the quality of excellence to be able to do things well. 00:09:44.899 --> 00:09:48.440 But it is also, I think, when it says what God made is good, 00:09:49.040 --> 00:09:51.660 it means that it's more than just functional. 00:09:52.879 --> 00:09:56.519 It's not just in this world that we have food to eat. 00:09:56.980 --> 00:09:59.320 We have food to eat that, by and large, 00:09:59.440 --> 00:10:02.420 we can enjoy and gives us satisfaction. 00:10:03.240 --> 00:10:04.240 We can hear. 00:10:04.660 --> 00:10:05.759 We can hear music, 00:10:05.759 --> 00:10:10.399 as God has created our ears and the world around us 00:10:10.399 --> 00:10:14.299 so that we can hear and can enjoy things. 00:10:15.000 --> 00:10:16.860 We can see, we can look around us, 00:10:17.019 --> 00:10:19.879 and we can see the beauty of nature. 00:10:20.980 --> 00:10:23.259 And God's creation is not just functional, 00:10:23.740 --> 00:10:24.600 it's beautiful, 00:10:25.059 --> 00:10:26.620 it's there for our enjoyment, 00:10:26.620 --> 00:10:28.879 and it gives him pleasure too, 00:10:29.220 --> 00:10:30.919 the fact that he has made something, 00:10:31.320 --> 00:10:32.320 he's made everything, 00:10:32.960 --> 00:10:34.820 and it is good. 00:10:35.860 --> 00:10:37.539 Psalm 100 verse 3 that we read earlier, 00:10:37.539 --> 00:10:39.559 Know that the Lord is God, 00:10:39.959 --> 00:10:41.419 it is he who made us, 00:10:41.860 --> 00:10:42.860 and we are his, 00:10:43.319 --> 00:10:46.120 we are the sheep of his pasture. 00:10:47.099 --> 00:10:48.379 Our God is good, 00:10:48.819 --> 00:10:51.899 and he has shown it through his creation. 00:10:51.899 --> 00:10:55.600 And if we knew nothing else about God, 00:10:55.879 --> 00:10:57.659 but what we can see in creation, 00:10:58.019 --> 00:11:01.059 then we should still be attracted to him. 00:11:01.720 --> 00:11:03.379 Romans chapter 1 and verse 20, 00:11:03.559 --> 00:11:04.100 Paul says, 00:11:04.220 --> 00:11:05.799 For since the creation of the world, 00:11:06.220 --> 00:11:07.620 God's invisible qualities, 00:11:07.819 --> 00:11:10.399 his eternal power and divine nature 00:11:10.399 --> 00:11:12.360 have been clearly seen, 00:11:12.899 --> 00:11:14.939 being understood from what has been made, 00:11:15.259 --> 00:11:17.879 so people are without excuse. 00:11:18.579 --> 00:11:19.039 In other words, 00:11:19.039 --> 00:11:20.460 just looking at creation 00:11:20.460 --> 00:11:22.280 should lead us to believe 00:11:22.280 --> 00:11:24.120 in a God who is great, 00:11:24.500 --> 00:11:27.139 in a God who is good. 00:11:28.040 --> 00:11:28.740 But of course, 00:11:28.820 --> 00:11:30.040 we can look beyond that 00:11:30.040 --> 00:11:32.560 when we think about God's actions. 00:11:33.540 --> 00:11:34.759 And we think of God 00:11:34.759 --> 00:11:36.220 not just as our creator, 00:11:36.759 --> 00:11:38.600 but as our saviour. 00:11:39.440 --> 00:11:40.920 And God's greatest action 00:11:40.920 --> 00:11:42.780 was in sending his son 00:11:42.780 --> 00:11:43.980 into the world 00:11:43.980 --> 00:11:47.100 to be the saviour of the world. 00:11:47.759 --> 00:11:49.120 He sent the one 00:11:49.120 --> 00:11:50.740 who is most precious to him 00:11:50.740 --> 00:11:52.799 to live a life of poverty 00:11:52.799 --> 00:11:55.419 and to die on the cross 00:11:55.419 --> 00:11:56.740 for our sakes. 00:11:57.539 --> 00:11:59.000 And that action demonstrates 00:11:59.000 --> 00:12:00.320 above everything else 00:12:00.320 --> 00:12:02.740 the goodness of our God. 00:12:03.399 --> 00:12:04.919 It satisfies his holiness 00:12:04.919 --> 00:12:08.440 in that reparation was made for sin, 00:12:08.500 --> 00:12:10.080 the punishment that was due for sin 00:12:10.080 --> 00:12:11.299 has been taken. 00:12:11.299 --> 00:12:13.779 And it demonstrates his love, 00:12:14.319 --> 00:12:16.199 the love that was willing to give 00:12:16.199 --> 00:12:18.419 the one who was most precious to him 00:12:18.419 --> 00:12:20.199 for our sake. 00:12:20.919 --> 00:12:21.799 God is good 00:12:21.799 --> 00:12:23.859 and his goodness is shown 00:12:23.859 --> 00:12:25.319 in his actions. 00:12:26.799 --> 00:12:28.399 Then God's goodness is shown 00:12:28.399 --> 00:12:29.979 through his gifts. 00:12:31.000 --> 00:12:33.219 Now two ways again for that. 00:12:34.120 --> 00:12:35.439 God gives us 00:12:35.439 --> 00:12:37.339 what we need physically. 00:12:37.340 --> 00:12:40.259 I suspect few of any of us 00:12:40.259 --> 00:12:42.160 will go away this evening 00:12:42.160 --> 00:12:43.680 and won't have a shelter, 00:12:44.220 --> 00:12:45.280 a warm bed, 00:12:45.639 --> 00:12:46.399 food to eat 00:12:46.399 --> 00:12:48.080 and all that we need 00:12:48.080 --> 00:12:50.540 for our daily lives. 00:12:51.160 --> 00:12:52.720 And much more beyond 00:12:52.720 --> 00:12:54.280 a lot that can give us 00:12:54.280 --> 00:12:55.480 additional pleasure 00:12:55.480 --> 00:12:58.399 that God has given to us. 00:12:58.960 --> 00:13:00.180 Our God is a God 00:13:00.180 --> 00:13:02.160 who gives and gives 00:13:02.160 --> 00:13:03.560 and gives more 00:13:03.560 --> 00:13:05.980 than we could ever need. 00:13:05.980 --> 00:13:08.139 And he also gives to us spiritually. 00:13:08.960 --> 00:13:10.879 He gives us spiritual gifts 00:13:10.879 --> 00:13:12.300 that will help us 00:13:12.300 --> 00:13:14.440 to be fulfilled in our lives, 00:13:14.899 --> 00:13:16.519 will help us to serve others, 00:13:16.620 --> 00:13:17.379 to show goodness 00:13:17.379 --> 00:13:19.740 to others that God has shown to us 00:13:19.740 --> 00:13:21.340 and that will help us 00:13:21.340 --> 00:13:22.480 to serve him 00:13:22.480 --> 00:13:24.139 as we should. 00:13:24.980 --> 00:13:26.039 And these gifts too 00:13:26.039 --> 00:13:28.320 are a sign of God's goodness 00:13:28.320 --> 00:13:29.539 to us. 00:13:29.899 --> 00:13:31.000 He doesn't need us. 00:13:31.500 --> 00:13:33.120 He doesn't need us 00:13:33.120 --> 00:13:34.320 to exercise the gifts 00:13:34.320 --> 00:13:35.080 that he's given us 00:13:35.080 --> 00:13:35.860 but he has chosen 00:13:35.860 --> 00:13:36.960 to give us these gifts 00:13:36.960 --> 00:13:38.960 so that we can glorify him 00:13:38.960 --> 00:13:41.740 and so that we can enjoy him 00:13:41.740 --> 00:13:45.180 and enjoy being used by him. 00:13:45.560 --> 00:13:47.000 So we see God's goodness 00:13:47.000 --> 00:13:49.220 in his gifts. 00:13:50.180 --> 00:13:51.259 And then also thirdly, 00:13:51.340 --> 00:13:52.379 we see God's goodness 00:13:52.379 --> 00:13:54.480 in his commands. 00:13:55.240 --> 00:13:56.740 Romans 7 verse 12 says, 00:13:56.740 --> 00:13:57.720 The law is holy 00:13:57.720 --> 00:13:59.620 and the commandment 00:13:59.620 --> 00:14:00.879 is holy, 00:14:01.639 --> 00:14:02.019 righteous, 00:14:03.019 --> 00:14:03.720 and good. 00:14:04.620 --> 00:14:06.100 And it may not seem so obvious 00:14:06.100 --> 00:14:07.799 that we see God's goodness 00:14:07.799 --> 00:14:09.159 through the commands 00:14:09.159 --> 00:14:10.460 he's given us. 00:14:11.019 --> 00:14:12.519 And yet is it not right 00:14:12.519 --> 00:14:13.560 that God has given us 00:14:13.560 --> 00:14:14.879 guidelines of how we should 00:14:14.879 --> 00:14:15.720 live our lives, 00:14:15.879 --> 00:14:17.620 how we are able to please him, 00:14:17.820 --> 00:14:19.539 how we are able to get the most 00:14:19.539 --> 00:14:20.759 out of being 00:14:20.759 --> 00:14:22.019 in this world. 00:14:23.019 --> 00:14:24.620 One of the greatest chapters 00:14:24.620 --> 00:14:25.139 in the Bible, 00:14:25.240 --> 00:14:26.159 as well as being the longest 00:14:26.159 --> 00:14:26.840 in the Bible, 00:14:27.179 --> 00:14:28.539 is Psalm 119. 00:14:29.399 --> 00:14:30.480 And the great theme 00:14:30.480 --> 00:14:31.740 of Psalm 119 00:14:31.740 --> 00:14:33.340 is that the psalmist 00:14:33.340 --> 00:14:35.120 loves God's word. 00:14:35.919 --> 00:14:37.519 He loves to go to his Bible, 00:14:37.679 --> 00:14:38.560 however much of it he had 00:14:38.560 --> 00:14:39.399 in those days, 00:14:39.799 --> 00:14:40.960 and to enjoy 00:14:40.960 --> 00:14:42.620 what God has said there. 00:14:43.560 --> 00:14:44.820 Let me reduce a few verses, 00:14:44.919 --> 00:14:46.220 verses 14 to 16. 00:14:46.879 --> 00:14:47.860 The psalmist writes, 00:14:47.860 --> 00:14:49.899 I rejoice in following 00:14:49.899 --> 00:14:51.139 your statutes 00:14:51.139 --> 00:14:56.840 as one rejoices 00:14:56.840 --> 00:14:58.940 in great riches. 00:14:59.700 --> 00:15:01.580 I meditate on your precepts 00:15:01.580 --> 00:15:02.720 and consider your ways. 00:15:03.580 --> 00:15:05.320 I delight in your decrees. 00:15:05.899 --> 00:15:08.779 I will not neglect your word. 00:15:08.879 --> 00:15:11.899 I delight in your decrees. 00:15:12.360 --> 00:15:13.960 Do we take great delight 00:15:13.960 --> 00:15:15.860 in what God has given us 00:15:15.860 --> 00:15:16.740 through his word, 00:15:17.159 --> 00:15:19.120 the pathway to life 00:15:19.120 --> 00:15:20.700 that he sets out before us 00:15:20.700 --> 00:15:22.200 as we serve him 00:15:22.200 --> 00:15:23.620 and seek to obey 00:15:23.620 --> 00:15:25.919 what he has given to us? 00:15:26.500 --> 00:15:27.360 God's commands, 00:15:27.980 --> 00:15:29.720 along with his actions 00:15:29.720 --> 00:15:31.320 and his gifts, 00:15:31.800 --> 00:15:32.440 are good 00:15:32.440 --> 00:15:35.159 and are beneficial to us. 00:15:35.680 --> 00:15:38.360 Our God is good. 00:15:40.019 --> 00:15:40.779 The key to that 00:15:40.779 --> 00:15:42.639 is that God's goodness 00:15:42.639 --> 00:15:44.659 goodness never changes. 00:15:45.439 --> 00:15:47.600 It never fails. 00:15:49.159 --> 00:15:51.019 And even in the difficult times, 00:15:51.480 --> 00:15:53.120 even when life is hard 00:15:53.120 --> 00:15:54.059 and we're finding 00:15:54.059 --> 00:15:55.039 it's a real struggle, 00:15:55.519 --> 00:15:57.059 we can go to God 00:15:57.059 --> 00:15:58.899 and we can rejoice 00:15:58.899 --> 00:16:02.100 in his goodness to us. 00:16:03.360 --> 00:16:04.699 And that's the key difference 00:16:04.699 --> 00:16:07.000 between us and God. 00:16:07.039 --> 00:16:08.720 We can do an element of good, 00:16:08.779 --> 00:16:09.939 not on the level that God can. 00:16:09.940 --> 00:16:11.320 We can do an element of good 00:16:11.320 --> 00:16:12.680 in our lives. 00:16:13.680 --> 00:16:16.320 God constantly does good. 00:16:16.480 --> 00:16:18.520 God is good. 00:16:19.480 --> 00:16:21.580 And where we are temperamental 00:16:21.580 --> 00:16:23.820 and very in the way we live, 00:16:24.340 --> 00:16:26.580 God never changes. 00:16:28.020 --> 00:16:29.800 Over the last three or four years, 00:16:29.880 --> 00:16:30.240 I guess, 00:16:30.420 --> 00:16:31.840 many of us have become familiar 00:16:31.840 --> 00:16:33.560 with the name Edward Colston. 00:16:33.660 --> 00:16:34.620 I think if you lived in Bristol 00:16:34.620 --> 00:16:35.240 before that, 00:16:35.320 --> 00:16:36.520 you would have been familiar with him, 00:16:36.900 --> 00:16:38.520 but not probably elsewhere. 00:16:38.519 --> 00:16:40.500 Edward Colston, 00:16:40.840 --> 00:16:42.699 for many years, 00:16:42.939 --> 00:16:44.439 was considered a great hero 00:16:44.439 --> 00:16:46.579 in the city of Bristol. 00:16:47.179 --> 00:16:49.199 He was a great philanthropist. 00:16:49.740 --> 00:16:50.559 He built schools, 00:16:50.699 --> 00:16:51.539 he built hospitals, 00:16:51.740 --> 00:16:52.600 he built churches, 00:16:53.039 --> 00:16:54.600 he built homes for pure people, 00:16:54.819 --> 00:16:56.519 and he was seen as someone 00:16:56.519 --> 00:16:58.059 who was good. 00:16:58.779 --> 00:17:00.259 And they named streets after him, 00:17:00.519 --> 00:17:02.179 they named a concert hall after him, 00:17:02.340 --> 00:17:03.620 they put a big statue up 00:17:03.620 --> 00:17:05.639 in the middle of the city. 00:17:05.640 --> 00:17:07.520 And then it emerged 00:17:07.520 --> 00:17:08.700 that Edward Colston 00:17:08.700 --> 00:17:09.820 had got his fortune 00:17:09.820 --> 00:17:12.000 through the slave trade. 00:17:12.840 --> 00:17:15.980 That because he was a slave trader, 00:17:16.300 --> 00:17:17.380 he was able to build 00:17:17.380 --> 00:17:18.880 by the vast amount of money 00:17:18.880 --> 00:17:20.720 and was then able to use it 00:17:20.720 --> 00:17:22.920 for good things. 00:17:23.759 --> 00:17:24.280 And these days, 00:17:24.300 --> 00:17:25.420 he's probably best remembered 00:17:25.420 --> 00:17:26.560 because his statue 00:17:26.560 --> 00:17:27.800 was thrown into the harbour 00:17:27.800 --> 00:17:28.860 at Bristol, 00:17:29.340 --> 00:17:30.420 and all the call 00:17:30.420 --> 00:17:31.780 and everything named after him 00:17:31.780 --> 00:17:33.400 has been renamed. 00:17:33.400 --> 00:17:35.280 He was someone 00:17:35.280 --> 00:17:36.440 who did good 00:17:36.440 --> 00:17:37.720 in some ways, 00:17:37.860 --> 00:17:39.480 but also did bad 00:17:39.480 --> 00:17:40.960 in other ways. 00:17:41.460 --> 00:17:43.080 And in a less extreme way, 00:17:43.360 --> 00:17:44.680 I guess we are all 00:17:44.680 --> 00:17:45.720 like that. 00:17:46.160 --> 00:17:47.220 We have some good things 00:17:47.220 --> 00:17:47.880 in our lives, 00:17:48.000 --> 00:17:48.860 we have some things 00:17:48.860 --> 00:17:49.560 that are virtuous, 00:17:50.100 --> 00:17:51.759 we have lots of things too 00:17:51.759 --> 00:17:53.380 that we're ashamed of, 00:17:53.640 --> 00:17:54.700 and that are certainly 00:17:54.700 --> 00:17:55.400 not good. 00:17:56.400 --> 00:17:57.780 Our God 00:17:57.780 --> 00:17:59.200 is not like 00:17:59.200 --> 00:17:59.400 that. 00:18:00.620 --> 00:18:01.440 Our God 00:18:01.440 --> 00:18:02.780 is perfectly good 00:18:02.779 --> 00:18:04.000 all of 00:18:04.000 --> 00:18:05.099 the time. 00:18:06.240 --> 00:18:06.819 Now I say that 00:18:06.819 --> 00:18:07.460 with confidence, 00:18:07.940 --> 00:18:08.579 but if you went out 00:18:08.579 --> 00:18:09.279 into the street, 00:18:09.700 --> 00:18:10.680 there will be a lot of people 00:18:10.680 --> 00:18:11.339 who would disagree 00:18:11.339 --> 00:18:12.539 with that. 00:18:13.399 --> 00:18:14.059 The so-called 00:18:14.059 --> 00:18:14.879 new atheists 00:18:14.879 --> 00:18:15.960 would tell us 00:18:15.960 --> 00:18:17.099 if there's a God, 00:18:17.160 --> 00:18:18.059 which they say there isn't, 00:18:18.099 --> 00:18:19.160 but if there's a God, 00:18:19.519 --> 00:18:21.019 he must be really cruel 00:18:21.019 --> 00:18:22.720 and caring 00:18:22.720 --> 00:18:24.539 because of all the suffering 00:18:24.539 --> 00:18:26.059 in this world, 00:18:26.480 --> 00:18:27.339 and indeed 00:18:27.339 --> 00:18:28.359 all the suffering 00:18:28.359 --> 00:18:30.019 that those who trust in him 00:18:30.019 --> 00:18:31.639 suffer alongside 00:18:31.639 --> 00:18:33.299 everyone else. 00:18:33.900 --> 00:18:35.379 Just because you trust 00:18:35.379 --> 00:18:36.000 in God, 00:18:36.299 --> 00:18:37.240 you're not exempt 00:18:37.240 --> 00:18:38.000 from suffering, 00:18:38.559 --> 00:18:39.059 and the atheists 00:18:39.059 --> 00:18:39.539 would then say, 00:18:39.639 --> 00:18:40.279 well, that proves 00:18:40.279 --> 00:18:41.059 there's not a God, 00:18:41.200 --> 00:18:42.059 or at least that he 00:18:42.059 --> 00:18:43.200 doesn't care for you 00:18:43.200 --> 00:18:44.980 if there is. 00:18:46.119 --> 00:18:47.139 Now before we dismiss 00:18:47.139 --> 00:18:48.079 that out of hand, 00:18:48.420 --> 00:18:49.559 let's just take a second 00:18:49.559 --> 00:18:51.039 to reflect on the fact 00:18:51.039 --> 00:18:52.059 that Christians 00:18:52.059 --> 00:18:53.359 do suffer. 00:18:54.099 --> 00:18:55.019 In this world, 00:18:55.160 --> 00:18:55.900 Jesus says, 00:18:55.900 --> 00:18:57.680 you will have trouble, 00:18:58.300 --> 00:19:00.560 and that is certainly true. 00:19:01.580 --> 00:19:03.100 If I look at this church, 00:19:03.460 --> 00:19:05.040 the church post-pandemic 00:19:05.040 --> 00:19:06.160 will be in many ways 00:19:06.160 --> 00:19:06.759 quite different 00:19:06.759 --> 00:19:07.560 from the church 00:19:07.560 --> 00:19:08.800 pre-pandemic 00:19:08.800 --> 00:19:10.280 because there are 00:19:10.280 --> 00:19:11.519 a large number of people 00:19:11.519 --> 00:19:12.220 who have been pillars 00:19:12.220 --> 00:19:12.800 of the church 00:19:12.800 --> 00:19:13.780 for many years 00:19:13.780 --> 00:19:14.860 who are now going 00:19:14.860 --> 00:19:15.660 through times 00:19:15.660 --> 00:19:17.560 of great suffering 00:19:17.560 --> 00:19:18.960 and are entable 00:19:18.960 --> 00:19:21.100 to be with us. 00:19:21.840 --> 00:19:22.380 The names will mean 00:19:22.380 --> 00:19:23.500 something to some people 00:19:23.500 --> 00:19:24.400 or a lot to some people 00:19:24.400 --> 00:19:25.080 or nothing to others, 00:19:25.079 --> 00:19:26.279 let me list a few. 00:19:26.379 --> 00:19:27.019 The Wilsons, 00:19:27.559 --> 00:19:28.379 the McMillans, 00:19:28.879 --> 00:19:29.480 the Millers, 00:19:29.619 --> 00:19:30.279 the Greys, 00:19:30.679 --> 00:19:31.519 the Pontons, 00:19:32.139 --> 00:19:33.519 all in their families 00:19:33.519 --> 00:19:34.559 and not just one person 00:19:34.559 --> 00:19:35.079 generally, 00:19:35.519 --> 00:19:36.059 have suffered 00:19:36.059 --> 00:19:37.059 and are suffering 00:19:37.059 --> 00:19:38.899 a great deal. 00:19:40.139 --> 00:19:41.500 Does that then demonstrate 00:19:41.500 --> 00:19:43.139 that actually God 00:19:43.139 --> 00:19:44.139 isn't good 00:19:44.139 --> 00:19:45.460 all the time? 00:19:46.500 --> 00:19:47.099 That actually 00:19:47.099 --> 00:19:48.000 we shouldn't be saying 00:19:48.000 --> 00:19:48.859 God is good 00:19:48.859 --> 00:19:50.299 because Christians 00:19:50.299 --> 00:19:52.059 can suffer greatly. 00:19:53.419 --> 00:19:54.119 Let's move away 00:19:54.119 --> 00:19:54.979 from the immediate 00:19:54.979 --> 00:19:55.919 local situation 00:19:55.919 --> 00:19:57.519 and let me introduce 00:19:57.519 --> 00:19:58.359 you to this couple. 00:19:58.979 --> 00:19:59.719 Their names are 00:19:59.719 --> 00:20:00.839 Joey and Rory 00:20:00.839 --> 00:20:02.639 and if you didn't get it 00:20:02.639 --> 00:20:03.119 from the name 00:20:03.119 --> 00:20:03.739 or the picture 00:20:03.739 --> 00:20:05.419 they're an all-American 00:20:05.419 --> 00:20:06.000 couple 00:20:06.000 --> 00:20:07.519 and very clean cut 00:20:07.519 --> 00:20:08.159 they're singers 00:20:08.159 --> 00:20:09.819 and came to prominence 00:20:09.819 --> 00:20:10.779 in one of these 00:20:10.779 --> 00:20:12.259 television music contests 00:20:12.259 --> 00:20:13.399 had some success 00:20:13.399 --> 00:20:14.259 following that 00:20:14.259 --> 00:20:15.119 and went to live 00:20:15.119 --> 00:20:15.679 on a farm 00:20:15.679 --> 00:20:16.719 and pursue their music 00:20:16.719 --> 00:20:17.699 alongside farming 00:20:17.699 --> 00:20:19.119 and were all set up 00:20:19.119 --> 00:20:20.219 to live happily 00:20:20.219 --> 00:20:21.419 ever after. 00:20:21.420 --> 00:20:23.400 And then Joey 00:20:23.400 --> 00:20:24.100 was diagnosed 00:20:24.100 --> 00:20:25.759 with cancer 00:20:25.759 --> 00:20:27.300 and it wasn't 00:20:27.300 --> 00:20:27.960 either a short 00:20:27.960 --> 00:20:28.840 sharp cancer 00:20:28.840 --> 00:20:29.759 or a cancer 00:20:29.759 --> 00:20:30.620 which got better 00:20:30.620 --> 00:20:31.759 over time. 00:20:32.180 --> 00:20:32.820 It was a cancer 00:20:32.820 --> 00:20:33.380 which lasted 00:20:33.380 --> 00:20:34.640 for a couple of years. 00:20:34.940 --> 00:20:35.300 She suffered 00:20:35.300 --> 00:20:35.980 a great deal 00:20:35.980 --> 00:20:36.680 of pain 00:20:36.680 --> 00:20:38.120 both from the cancer 00:20:38.120 --> 00:20:38.660 itself 00:20:38.660 --> 00:20:40.600 and from the chemo. 00:20:40.660 --> 00:20:41.259 Here's one thing 00:20:41.259 --> 00:20:42.080 that her husband 00:20:42.080 --> 00:20:42.900 Rory said 00:20:42.900 --> 00:20:43.920 when you see 00:20:43.920 --> 00:20:44.519 someone with 00:20:44.519 --> 00:20:45.480 so much faith 00:20:45.480 --> 00:20:46.300 go through 00:20:46.300 --> 00:20:47.519 something so painful 00:20:47.519 --> 00:20:48.860 you wish that 00:20:48.860 --> 00:20:49.660 somehow God 00:20:49.660 --> 00:20:50.620 would exempt them 00:20:50.620 --> 00:20:51.660 from so much 00:20:51.660 --> 00:20:52.400 heartache 00:20:52.400 --> 00:20:53.380 and pain. 00:20:53.460 --> 00:20:54.440 Maybe we can identify 00:20:54.440 --> 00:20:55.920 with that thought. 00:20:57.140 --> 00:20:57.400 Anyway, 00:20:57.480 --> 00:20:58.480 after a couple of years 00:20:58.480 --> 00:21:00.300 Joey lost her battle 00:21:00.300 --> 00:21:01.019 with cancer 00:21:01.019 --> 00:21:02.640 and she passed away 00:21:02.640 --> 00:21:03.720 leaving her husband 00:21:03.720 --> 00:21:04.200 Rory 00:21:04.200 --> 00:21:05.480 with a two-year-old 00:21:05.480 --> 00:21:05.980 daughter with 00:21:05.980 --> 00:21:06.640 Down syndrome 00:21:06.640 --> 00:21:07.600 and quite a number 00:21:07.600 --> 00:21:08.400 of valid challenges 00:21:08.400 --> 00:21:10.300 I won't go into. 00:21:11.240 --> 00:21:12.580 One of our closest friends 00:21:12.579 --> 00:21:13.439 was a songwriter 00:21:13.439 --> 00:21:15.019 and wrote a very 00:21:15.019 --> 00:21:15.679 personal 00:21:15.679 --> 00:21:17.579 quite sad song 00:21:17.579 --> 00:21:19.059 about her suffering 00:21:19.059 --> 00:21:20.439 and her death. 00:21:21.019 --> 00:21:21.639 And for our purposes 00:21:21.639 --> 00:21:22.099 tonight 00:21:22.099 --> 00:21:23.299 these are the two 00:21:23.299 --> 00:21:24.240 key lines in it. 00:21:25.099 --> 00:21:26.159 The song says 00:21:26.159 --> 00:21:27.659 I don't believe 00:21:27.659 --> 00:21:28.199 that Jesus 00:21:28.199 --> 00:21:29.619 that you love so much 00:21:29.619 --> 00:21:30.819 would put you 00:21:30.819 --> 00:21:32.439 through such pain. 00:21:33.139 --> 00:21:33.759 Take a thing 00:21:33.759 --> 00:21:34.639 to think about that. 00:21:35.539 --> 00:21:36.439 What the song 00:21:36.439 --> 00:21:37.059 is saying 00:21:37.059 --> 00:21:38.359 is that 00:21:38.359 --> 00:21:39.139 Joey 00:21:39.139 --> 00:21:40.639 loved the Lord Jesus 00:21:40.639 --> 00:21:41.919 but either 00:21:41.920 --> 00:21:42.759 he couldn't 00:21:42.759 --> 00:21:44.440 or he wouldn't 00:21:44.440 --> 00:21:45.360 save her 00:21:45.360 --> 00:21:46.620 from the pain. 00:21:47.400 --> 00:21:48.320 And so the songwriter 00:21:48.320 --> 00:21:48.800 says, 00:21:48.860 --> 00:21:49.880 I think he's concluding, 00:21:50.340 --> 00:21:51.259 she can't have 00:21:51.259 --> 00:21:51.800 a saviour 00:21:51.800 --> 00:21:52.360 who is good 00:21:52.360 --> 00:21:53.080 all the time 00:21:53.080 --> 00:21:54.360 who really 00:21:54.360 --> 00:21:55.500 loves her. 00:21:56.700 --> 00:21:57.380 Rory recorded 00:21:57.380 --> 00:21:57.880 that song 00:21:57.880 --> 00:21:58.400 as a direct 00:21:58.400 --> 00:21:59.380 with Dolly Parton 00:21:59.380 --> 00:22:00.539 but actually 00:22:00.539 --> 00:22:01.700 it wasn't 00:22:01.700 --> 00:22:02.920 his own sentiment. 00:22:03.580 --> 00:22:04.400 He was doing it 00:22:04.400 --> 00:22:05.680 recognising 00:22:05.680 --> 00:22:06.759 the honest feelings 00:22:06.759 --> 00:22:07.460 of a friend 00:22:07.460 --> 00:22:08.620 but it wasn't 00:22:08.620 --> 00:22:09.060 the way 00:22:09.060 --> 00:22:10.019 that he felt. 00:22:10.019 --> 00:22:10.960 here's what he said. 00:22:12.039 --> 00:22:12.639 Just because 00:22:12.639 --> 00:22:13.440 things don't 00:22:13.440 --> 00:22:13.859 work out 00:22:13.859 --> 00:22:14.220 the way 00:22:14.220 --> 00:22:15.039 that you hoped 00:22:15.039 --> 00:22:15.859 they would 00:22:15.859 --> 00:22:17.240 doesn't mean 00:22:17.240 --> 00:22:17.859 that God 00:22:17.859 --> 00:22:18.660 isn't still 00:22:18.660 --> 00:22:19.460 in charge. 00:22:20.440 --> 00:22:20.980 It's still 00:22:20.980 --> 00:22:21.700 his plans 00:22:21.700 --> 00:22:23.099 and not ours. 00:22:23.819 --> 00:22:24.660 So I don't 00:22:24.660 --> 00:22:25.160 feel like 00:22:25.160 --> 00:22:25.819 my faith 00:22:25.819 --> 00:22:26.960 has wavered 00:22:26.960 --> 00:22:27.960 at all. 00:22:28.879 --> 00:22:29.180 You see 00:22:29.180 --> 00:22:29.480 the difference 00:22:29.480 --> 00:22:29.940 between these 00:22:29.940 --> 00:22:30.759 two viewpoints. 00:22:31.420 --> 00:22:32.400 One is looking 00:22:32.400 --> 00:22:33.099 at the suffering 00:22:33.099 --> 00:22:34.059 of the person 00:22:34.059 --> 00:22:35.139 and concluding 00:22:35.139 --> 00:22:35.720 from that 00:22:35.720 --> 00:22:36.379 there isn't 00:22:36.379 --> 00:22:36.759 a God 00:22:36.759 --> 00:22:37.359 who cares 00:22:37.359 --> 00:22:38.259 and is able 00:22:38.259 --> 00:22:39.000 to help. 00:22:39.119 --> 00:22:39.539 There isn't 00:22:39.539 --> 00:22:40.779 a good God. 00:22:41.519 --> 00:22:42.019 The other 00:22:42.019 --> 00:22:42.539 is starting 00:22:42.539 --> 00:22:43.140 from the point 00:22:43.140 --> 00:22:43.519 of view 00:22:43.519 --> 00:22:43.960 that there 00:22:43.960 --> 00:22:45.099 is a good God. 00:22:45.579 --> 00:22:46.379 That we know 00:22:46.379 --> 00:22:47.279 God is good 00:22:47.279 --> 00:22:48.519 but we don't 00:22:48.519 --> 00:22:49.879 always understand 00:22:49.879 --> 00:22:51.099 his ways. 00:22:52.160 --> 00:22:52.559 And so although 00:22:52.559 --> 00:22:53.559 we can't understand 00:22:53.559 --> 00:22:54.160 the suffering 00:22:54.160 --> 00:22:55.099 that many people 00:22:55.099 --> 00:22:55.779 go through 00:22:55.779 --> 00:22:56.700 and it's not 00:22:56.700 --> 00:22:57.759 for us in this life 00:22:57.759 --> 00:22:58.619 to be able 00:22:58.619 --> 00:22:59.700 to understand it 00:22:59.700 --> 00:23:01.160 yet we can 00:23:01.160 --> 00:23:01.680 cling on 00:23:01.680 --> 00:23:02.480 to the confidence 00:23:02.480 --> 00:23:03.860 that God 00:23:03.860 --> 00:23:05.640 is good. 00:23:06.500 --> 00:23:07.880 God cares 00:23:07.880 --> 00:23:09.160 for us. 00:23:09.799 --> 00:23:10.500 The difference 00:23:10.500 --> 00:23:11.279 is how we 00:23:11.279 --> 00:23:12.480 view things. 00:23:13.099 --> 00:23:13.860 Do we start 00:23:13.860 --> 00:23:14.539 from the viewpoint 00:23:14.539 --> 00:23:15.000 that says 00:23:15.000 --> 00:23:15.799 I know God 00:23:15.799 --> 00:23:16.279 is good 00:23:16.279 --> 00:23:16.640 and we'll come 00:23:16.640 --> 00:23:17.099 back to why 00:23:17.099 --> 00:23:17.480 in a minute 00:23:17.480 --> 00:23:18.599 I know God 00:23:18.599 --> 00:23:19.240 is good 00:23:19.240 --> 00:23:20.519 therefore there 00:23:20.519 --> 00:23:21.099 must be 00:23:21.099 --> 00:23:22.079 a reason 00:23:22.079 --> 00:23:22.980 for what's 00:23:22.980 --> 00:23:23.380 happened. 00:23:24.059 --> 00:23:24.579 Or do we start 00:23:24.579 --> 00:23:25.140 from the viewpoint 00:23:25.140 --> 00:23:25.660 that says 00:23:25.660 --> 00:23:26.180 this thing's 00:23:26.180 --> 00:23:26.500 happened 00:23:26.500 --> 00:23:27.180 it's terrible 00:23:27.180 --> 00:23:28.360 that proves 00:23:28.360 --> 00:23:28.940 there isn't 00:23:28.940 --> 00:23:29.900 a good 00:23:29.900 --> 00:23:30.860 God. 00:23:30.859 --> 00:23:32.779 So how do 00:23:32.779 --> 00:23:33.240 we know 00:23:33.240 --> 00:23:34.419 that God 00:23:34.419 --> 00:23:35.519 is good? 00:23:36.099 --> 00:23:36.579 Well we know 00:23:36.579 --> 00:23:37.139 it for the reasons 00:23:37.139 --> 00:23:37.939 I said earlier. 00:23:38.359 --> 00:23:38.799 We know it 00:23:38.799 --> 00:23:39.519 through his creation 00:23:39.519 --> 00:23:40.119 we know it 00:23:40.119 --> 00:23:40.439 through his 00:23:40.439 --> 00:23:41.219 daily provision 00:23:41.219 --> 00:23:41.959 for us 00:23:41.959 --> 00:23:43.159 and we know 00:23:43.159 --> 00:23:44.039 it above all 00:23:44.039 --> 00:23:44.799 through the 00:23:44.799 --> 00:23:45.459 Lord Jesus. 00:23:46.659 --> 00:23:47.379 Our good 00:23:47.379 --> 00:23:47.959 God 00:23:47.959 --> 00:23:49.779 our saviour 00:23:49.779 --> 00:23:50.099 God 00:23:50.099 --> 00:23:50.500 Jesus 00:23:50.500 --> 00:23:51.740 was willing 00:23:51.740 --> 00:23:52.459 to suffer 00:23:52.459 --> 00:23:53.699 much more 00:23:53.699 --> 00:23:54.599 than we 00:23:54.599 --> 00:23:55.779 ever will. 00:23:56.799 --> 00:23:57.279 And the 00:23:57.279 --> 00:23:57.719 confidence 00:23:57.719 --> 00:23:58.399 that we can 00:23:58.399 --> 00:23:59.159 have in his 00:23:59.159 --> 00:23:59.740 goodness 00:23:59.740 --> 00:24:01.299 comes primarily 00:24:01.299 --> 00:24:02.339 from our 00:24:02.339 --> 00:24:02.920 knowledge of 00:24:02.920 --> 00:24:03.220 Jesus 00:24:03.220 --> 00:24:03.779 and the 00:24:03.779 --> 00:24:04.220 fact that 00:24:04.220 --> 00:24:04.640 he went 00:24:04.640 --> 00:24:04.960 to the 00:24:04.960 --> 00:24:05.339 cross 00:24:05.339 --> 00:24:06.240 he took 00:24:06.240 --> 00:24:06.819 the punishment 00:24:06.819 --> 00:24:07.420 for our 00:24:07.420 --> 00:24:07.799 sins 00:24:07.799 --> 00:24:08.680 and he 00:24:08.680 --> 00:24:09.380 demonstrated 00:24:09.380 --> 00:24:09.839 there 00:24:09.839 --> 00:24:10.700 in an 00:24:10.700 --> 00:24:11.160 absolute 00:24:11.160 --> 00:24:11.660 way 00:24:11.660 --> 00:24:12.299 the 00:24:12.299 --> 00:24:12.720 goodness 00:24:12.720 --> 00:24:13.720 of 00:24:13.720 --> 00:24:14.200 God. 00:24:15.880 --> 00:24:16.579 A couple 00:24:16.579 --> 00:24:16.859 of verses 00:24:16.859 --> 00:24:17.279 on from the 00:24:17.279 --> 00:24:17.640 verse in 00:24:17.640 --> 00:24:18.079 Romans that 00:24:18.079 --> 00:24:18.440 we quoted 00:24:18.440 --> 00:24:18.960 earlier 00:24:18.960 --> 00:24:19.940 it says 00:24:19.940 --> 00:24:20.339 this 00:24:20.339 --> 00:24:21.259 he who 00:24:21.259 --> 00:24:21.759 did not 00:24:21.759 --> 00:24:22.339 spare his 00:24:22.339 --> 00:24:22.579 own 00:24:22.579 --> 00:24:22.980 son 00:24:22.980 --> 00:24:24.339 but gave 00:24:24.339 --> 00:24:24.699 him up 00:24:24.699 --> 00:24:25.119 for us 00:24:25.119 --> 00:24:25.500 all 00:24:25.500 --> 00:24:26.959 how will 00:24:26.959 --> 00:24:27.319 he not 00:24:27.319 --> 00:24:28.019 also 00:24:28.019 --> 00:24:29.519 along with 00:24:29.519 --> 00:24:29.919 him 00:24:29.919 --> 00:24:31.039 graciously 00:24:31.039 --> 00:24:31.740 give us 00:24:31.740 --> 00:24:33.099 all things. 00:24:33.899 --> 00:24:34.740 So no matter 00:24:34.740 --> 00:24:35.319 what the 00:24:35.319 --> 00:24:36.179 storms of 00:24:36.179 --> 00:24:37.599 life may be 00:24:37.599 --> 00:24:38.740 no matter 00:24:38.740 --> 00:24:39.279 how much 00:24:39.279 --> 00:24:39.859 pain we 00:24:39.859 --> 00:24:40.839 may experience 00:24:40.839 --> 00:24:41.720 or see 00:24:41.720 --> 00:24:42.519 other people 00:24:42.519 --> 00:24:43.419 suffering 00:24:43.420 --> 00:24:45.060 no matter 00:24:45.060 --> 00:24:45.580 how much 00:24:45.580 --> 00:24:45.940 we may 00:24:45.940 --> 00:24:46.400 pray for 00:24:46.400 --> 00:24:46.960 something 00:24:46.960 --> 00:24:47.600 and it 00:24:47.600 --> 00:24:48.019 seems that 00:24:48.019 --> 00:24:48.660 God hasn't 00:24:48.660 --> 00:24:49.220 answered our 00:24:49.220 --> 00:24:49.640 prayers 00:24:49.640 --> 00:24:50.660 certainly not 00:24:50.660 --> 00:24:51.320 in the way 00:24:51.320 --> 00:24:52.180 that we 00:24:52.180 --> 00:24:53.279 expected. 00:24:54.060 --> 00:24:54.660 We can 00:24:54.660 --> 00:24:55.259 still be 00:24:55.259 --> 00:24:55.740 confident 00:24:55.740 --> 00:24:56.779 that our 00:24:56.779 --> 00:24:57.279 God 00:24:57.279 --> 00:24:58.400 is good 00:24:58.400 --> 00:24:59.519 and even 00:24:59.519 --> 00:25:00.019 in a time 00:25:00.019 --> 00:25:00.539 of suffering 00:25:00.539 --> 00:25:01.460 we can 00:25:01.460 --> 00:25:02.060 experience 00:25:02.060 --> 00:25:03.320 his peace 00:25:03.320 --> 00:25:04.860 and we can 00:25:04.860 --> 00:25:05.320 know that 00:25:05.320 --> 00:25:05.820 although we 00:25:05.820 --> 00:25:06.200 may have 00:25:06.200 --> 00:25:06.620 a thorn 00:25:06.620 --> 00:25:06.940 in the 00:25:06.940 --> 00:25:07.320 flesh 00:25:07.320 --> 00:25:07.940 that we 00:25:07.940 --> 00:25:08.300 have to 00:25:08.300 --> 00:25:08.779 endure 00:25:08.779 --> 00:25:10.240 yet his 00:25:10.240 --> 00:25:10.759 grace 00:25:10.759 --> 00:25:12.080 is sufficient 00:25:12.080 --> 00:25:13.400 for us. 00:25:13.420 --> 00:25:14.700 he never 00:25:14.700 --> 00:25:15.380 leaves us 00:25:15.380 --> 00:25:16.560 he's never 00:25:16.560 --> 00:25:17.480 not there 00:25:17.480 --> 00:25:18.700 for us 00:25:18.700 --> 00:25:20.160 and everything 00:25:20.160 --> 00:25:20.980 that happens 00:25:20.980 --> 00:25:21.960 ultimately 00:25:21.960 --> 00:25:23.320 will fulfill 00:25:23.320 --> 00:25:24.900 his good 00:25:24.900 --> 00:25:26.180 purposes. 00:25:27.259 --> 00:25:27.700 God 00:25:27.700 --> 00:25:28.860 is 00:25:28.860 --> 00:25:29.900 good 00:25:29.900 --> 00:25:30.880 and we 00:25:30.880 --> 00:25:31.200 need to 00:25:31.200 --> 00:25:31.560 hang on 00:25:31.560 --> 00:25:32.039 to that 00:25:32.039 --> 00:25:33.039 in every 00:25:33.039 --> 00:25:33.620 aspect 00:25:33.620 --> 00:25:34.620 of our 00:25:34.620 --> 00:25:35.080 lives. 00:25:35.940 --> 00:25:36.279 As the 00:25:36.279 --> 00:25:36.519 psalmist 00:25:36.519 --> 00:25:36.920 said 00:25:36.920 --> 00:25:37.860 in what 00:25:37.860 --> 00:25:38.160 we read 00:25:38.160 --> 00:25:38.620 earlier 00:25:38.620 --> 00:25:39.519 the Lord 00:25:39.519 --> 00:25:40.259 is good 00:25:40.259 --> 00:25:41.180 and his 00:25:41.180 --> 00:25:41.519 love 00:25:41.519 --> 00:25:42.220 endures 00:25:42.220 --> 00:25:43.140 forever. 00:25:43.420 --> 00:25:44.560 his 00:25:44.560 --> 00:25:45.380 faithfulness 00:25:45.380 --> 00:25:46.480 continues 00:25:46.480 --> 00:25:47.320 through 00:25:47.320 --> 00:25:47.880 all 00:25:47.880 --> 00:25:49.100 generations. 00:25:50.160 --> 00:25:50.800 Let's 00:25:50.800 --> 00:25:51.300 pray together. 00:25:52.560 --> 00:25:53.360 Father we 00:25:53.360 --> 00:25:53.700 thank you 00:25:53.700 --> 00:25:54.019 that you 00:25:54.019 --> 00:25:54.660 are a 00:25:54.660 --> 00:25:54.860 good 00:25:54.860 --> 00:25:55.279 God. 00:25:55.779 --> 00:25:56.140 We 00:25:56.140 --> 00:25:56.480 thank you 00:25:56.480 --> 00:25:56.700 that you 00:25:56.700 --> 00:25:56.920 are a 00:25:56.920 --> 00:25:57.180 God 00:25:57.180 --> 00:25:57.779 who cares 00:25:57.779 --> 00:25:58.300 for us 00:25:58.300 --> 00:25:59.120 in every 00:25:59.120 --> 00:25:59.700 aspect 00:25:59.700 --> 00:26:00.539 of our 00:26:00.539 --> 00:26:01.019 lives. 00:26:02.000 --> 00:26:02.220 And 00:26:02.220 --> 00:26:02.840 although we 00:26:02.840 --> 00:26:03.420 may not 00:26:03.420 --> 00:26:03.720 always 00:26:03.720 --> 00:26:04.400 understand 00:26:04.400 --> 00:26:04.660 your 00:26:04.660 --> 00:26:05.080 ways 00:26:05.080 --> 00:26:05.900 we 00:26:05.900 --> 00:26:06.340 thank you 00:26:06.340 --> 00:26:06.560 that they 00:26:06.560 --> 00:26:07.140 are always 00:26:07.140 --> 00:26:07.560 good 00:26:07.560 --> 00:26:08.560 and they 00:26:08.560 --> 00:26:09.240 are always 00:26:09.240 --> 00:26:10.120 right. 00:26:10.700 --> 00:26:11.180 Thank you 00:26:11.180 --> 00:26:11.660 for your 00:26:11.660 --> 00:26:12.200 holiness 00:26:12.200 --> 00:26:13.279 that you 00:26:13.279 --> 00:26:13.700 are so 00:26:13.700 --> 00:26:14.460 far above 00:26:14.460 --> 00:26:14.880 us 00:26:14.880 --> 00:26:16.180 in your 00:26:16.180 --> 00:26:16.660 purity 00:26:16.660 --> 00:26:17.160 and your 00:26:17.160 --> 00:26:17.660 greatness 00:26:17.660 --> 00:26:18.640 and your 00:26:18.640 --> 00:26:19.180 majesty. 00:26:20.120 --> 00:26:20.360 And we 00:26:20.360 --> 00:26:20.640 thank you 00:26:20.640 --> 00:26:20.940 for your 00:26:20.940 --> 00:26:21.259 love 00:26:21.259 --> 00:26:22.279 for the 00:26:22.279 --> 00:26:22.700 love that 00:26:22.700 --> 00:26:23.320 sent Jesus 00:26:23.320 --> 00:26:23.820 to be 00:26:23.820 --> 00:26:24.140 our 00:26:24.140 --> 00:26:24.640 saviour 00:26:24.640 --> 00:26:25.720 and to 00:26:25.720 --> 00:26:26.100 die 00:26:26.100 --> 00:26:26.900 on the 00:26:26.900 --> 00:26:27.279 cross 00:26:27.279 --> 00:26:28.160 for our 00:26:28.160 --> 00:26:28.560 sins. 00:26:29.140 --> 00:26:29.560 Help us 00:26:29.560 --> 00:26:30.259 to understand 00:26:30.259 --> 00:26:30.740 more 00:26:30.740 --> 00:26:31.580 of your 00:26:31.580 --> 00:26:31.960 goodness. 00:26:32.620 --> 00:26:33.060 Help us 00:26:33.060 --> 00:26:33.779 to rejoice 00:26:33.779 --> 00:26:34.840 in it. 00:26:35.500 --> 00:26:35.820 And when 00:26:35.820 --> 00:26:36.200 the time 00:26:36.200 --> 00:26:36.640 of trial 00:26:36.640 --> 00:26:37.340 comes as 00:26:37.340 --> 00:26:37.700 it will 00:26:37.700 --> 00:26:38.080 for all 00:26:38.080 --> 00:26:38.500 of us 00:26:38.500 --> 00:26:39.740 help us 00:26:39.740 --> 00:26:40.220 nevertheless 00:26:40.220 --> 00:26:40.740 to be 00:26:40.740 --> 00:26:41.120 able to 00:26:41.120 --> 00:26:41.559 continue 00:26:41.559 --> 00:26:42.539 to have 00:26:42.539 --> 00:26:43.039 confidence 00:26:43.039 --> 00:26:43.640 that you 00:26:43.640 --> 00:26:43.980 are a 00:26:43.980 --> 00:26:44.620 good God 00:26:44.620 --> 00:26:45.600 and that 00:26:45.600 --> 00:26:46.279 you care 00:26:46.279 --> 00:26:47.220 for us 00:26:47.220 --> 00:26:48.220 that you 00:26:48.220 --> 00:26:49.019 never 00:26:49.019 --> 00:26:50.039 change. 00:26:50.640 --> 00:26:50.960 Thank you 00:26:50.960 --> 00:26:51.100 for your 00:26:51.100 --> 00:26:51.720 presence as 00:26:51.720 --> 00:26:52.039 we've 00:26:52.039 --> 00:26:52.720 looked at 00:26:52.720 --> 00:26:53.100 your word 00:26:53.100 --> 00:26:53.440 together. 00:26:53.559 --> 00:26:53.799 We pray 00:26:53.799 --> 00:26:54.080 you'll be 00:26:54.080 --> 00:26:54.420 with us 00:26:54.420 --> 00:26:55.460 now as 00:26:55.460 --> 00:26:55.840 we come 00:26:55.840 --> 00:26:56.400 to remember 00:26:56.400 --> 00:26:56.819 the Lord 00:26:56.819 --> 00:26:57.120 Jesus 00:26:57.120 --> 00:26:57.700 together. 00:26:58.340 --> 00:26:58.920 We give 00:26:58.920 --> 00:26:59.500 you thanks 00:26:59.500 --> 00:26:59.980 in his 00:26:59.980 --> 00:27:00.319 name. 00:27:01.220 --> 00:27:01.640 Amen.