Chapter 79
GOD IS GOOD
Matthew 19:16-17a
Before we begin this study let us pray.
Dear Heavenly Father, Almightily God,
We come before You in the name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Holy Father, please bless this time in the study of Your Word. Help us to truly hear, see and understand what You are teaching us. And Lord, please help us to not just be hearers of Your Word but also doers.
Amen
INTRODUCTION
We begin by reading from,
Matthew 19:16-17a
[16] Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” [17] So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.”
To better understand and appreciate what Jesus said to the person who came to Him, we will,
1. Review five of the many reasons why God is good.
2. Explore two reasons why Jesus asked the question of;”Why do you call me good?”
3. Address the application for us.
With this introduction, we begin this study by reviewing,
FIVE OF THE MANY REASONS WHY GOD IS GOOD
First of all, when God created the world He saw that,
HIS CREATION WAS GOOD
To see this let us read three excerpts from the account that describes how God created the physical world we now live in. We begin with,
The light
To read what God did to create light we go to,
Genesis 1:1-4
[1] In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. [2] The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. [3] Then 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.
Let us notice the following verses,
3 … God spoke light into existence.
4 … God saw that light was good.
Let us now read about,
The seas and dry land
To read how the seas and dry land were formed we go to,
Genesis 1:9-10
[9] Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. [10] And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
Let us notice the following verses,
9 … By His Word God divided the waters and the dry land.
10 … God saw the Earth and Seas to be good.
For the last example from the account of how God created this physical world let us read about,
The animals
To read about the creation of the beasts and the cattle we go to,
Genesis 1:24-25
[24] Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so. [25] And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Let us notice the following verses:
24-25a …God created each creature according to its kind. Notice, God did not say they would eventually evolve into different creatures or species.
25b …God saw that what He created or spoke into existence was good.
The second reason why God is good is because,
HE IS JUST, RIGHTEOUS, AND TRUE
To see this let us read an excerpt of what Moses told the people of Israel to prepare them for their entry into the promised land of Canaan. In this portion of the Scripture we read Moses’ last set of exhortations for the Israelites to not stray from God and remember all He did for them. To help them remember these things, God, through Moses, gave them a song to sing.
With this in mind, let us now read the opening portion of His song. It is recorded in,
Deuteronomy 32:1-4
[1] “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak;
And hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.
[2] Let my teaching drop as the rain,
My speech distill as the dew,
As raindrops on the tender herb,
And as showers on the grass.
[3] For I proclaim the name of the Lord:
Ascribe greatness to our God.
[4] He is the Rock, His work is perfect;
For all His ways are justice,
A God of truth and without injustice;
Righteous and upright is He.”
For this study, the third reason why God is good is because,
HE IS IMPARTIAL
In other words, God does not show favoritism. To see this let us read what the Apostle Peter said before he presented to Cornelius, a non Jew or gentile, and his household the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To help emphasize the significance of what Peter said we must remember that at this time of human history the Jewish people believed that they and only they were beloved and accepted by God.
To prepare Peter for his journey and stay at Cornelius’ home God gave Peter several visions to show that he, Peter, should not consider any person common or unclean (Acts 10:1-28). With this background let us now read an excerpt of Peter’s opening statement to Cornelius and his household. The Scripture of interest is,
Acts 10:34-35
[34] Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. [35] But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.”
The fourth reason why God is good is because,
GOD IS LOVE
To see this, let us read one of the tests the Apostle John wrote to help us determine whether or not we are true born-again believers in Jesus Christ. This test is recorded in,
1 John 4:7-8
[7] Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. [8] He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
Let us notice the following verse,
8 … One of the many attributes of God is that God is love.
As we read the Bible we find that God’s love and concern is so great towards each and every one of us that He sent His one and only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into this world to save us from our sins. To see this let us read from,
John 3:16-17
[16] For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. [17] For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
The fifth and last reason, for this chapter, why God is good is because,
WHATEVER GOD DOES FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM IS FOR THEIR ETERNAL BENEFIT
This truth and/or promise is recorded for us in the following Scripture,
Romans 8:28
[28] And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Let us notice the following verse,
In other words, God’s will for all those who are true born-again believers is that all things work together for their eternal good or benefit. Hence, God’s primary interest is that we should not be cast into eternal damnation but have eternal life of bliss with Him. Thus; “All things work together for good to those who love God.”
Even though, in the physical world, there may be times of stress, infirmity or persecution, the truth of the above Scripture is not nullified.
For example, let us read what God did for Paul so he would not fall into spiritual pride and lose many of the spiritual blessings that were in store for him. To read what happened we go to,
2 Corinthians 12:7-10
[7] And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. [8] Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. [9] And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. [10] Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Let us notice the following verses,
7 … To prevent Paul from straying into spiritual pride, God sent a messenger from Satan to keep him humble. As we will see in verse 10 the messenger did this through various physical afflictions.
8 … Three times Paul asked for relief from Satan’s messenger.
9 … God’s response to Paul’s plea for relief was that His grace was sufficient for him. In addition, God told Paul that His strength in Paul (and us) is made perfect or increased in our weakness. This way Paul, and now us, would humbly know that it was God, not us, that did the good works within and through us.
10 … Knowing that God had sent Satan’s messenger to inflict him with various infirmities, reproaches, needs and persecutions for his own eternal good, Paul gladly accepted God’s will for him.
Let us now move on to,
JESUS’ QUESTION
To refresh our memory of Jesus’ question let us reread what He said to the person who addressed Him as the good teacher. This time let us read Jesus’ response as it is recorded in,
Luke 18:19
[19] So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.”
It is interesting to note that at this time in human history, Jesus was God incarnate. In other words, Jesus, the one and only Son of God, came to this earth in the physical body of a man. To see this let us read from,
John 1:1-3
[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was in the beginning with God. [3] All things were made through Him and without Him nothing was made that was made.
Let us now read from,
John 1:14
[14] And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
So there is no mistake in our understanding that Jesus was/is the Son of God, let us read what John the Baptist said about Jesus after he baptized Him. The verse of interest is,
John 1:34
[34] And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.
With all the above Scriptures in mind the question arises as to: “Why would Jesus, who was God incarnate, respond the way He did?” To address this question let us first consider that,
JESUS WAS AND IS THE PROMISED MESSIAH
Unfortunately, many of the Israelites did not believe Him to be the Son of God. In other words, they only considered Jesus to be a mere mortal human being.
Knowing this, Jesus responded to the person who addressed Him as a good teacher with the question of; “Why do you call me good?” In responding in this manner Jesus was indirectly reminding him of the fact that all mankind, including you and me, are sinners. To see this let us read the following excerpt from Paul’s letter to the Romans,
Romans 3:10-12
[10] As it is written:
“There is none righteous, no, not one;
[11] There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
[12] They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one.”
Thus, Jesus was telling them that if you only see Me as a mere mortal, then: “Why do you call Me good?” As we read earlier in Matthew 19:17a, the Scriptures teach us that; No one is good but One, that is,is God.
Secondly, as we saw previously, at this time, Jesus was God in human flesh. Consequently, He humbled Himself and did not exalt Himself to be equal to God the Father.
To see this more clearly let us read the instruction given to the church at Philippi with respect to the issue of humility. To do this we will read from the “The Amplified Bible.” This particular Bible provides us with a more literal English translation from the original Greek texts. The Scripture of interest is,
Philippians 2:5-8
[5] Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus. – Let Him be your example of humility – [6] Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form of God [possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God God] did not think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained; [7] But stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity] so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being. [8] And after He had appeared in human form He abased and humbled Himself [still further] and carried His obedience to the extreme of death, even death of [the] cross.
This now brings us to,
THE APPLICATION FOR US
Actually, there are the following two main points to consider.
First of all,
THE BORN-AGAIN BELIEVER IN JESUS CHRIST IS A CHILD OF GOD
This truth is recorded in,
1 John 3:1a
[1a] Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! ...
The Bible teaches us that the born-again believer in Jesus Christ is also,
A Temple of God the Holy Spirit
This truth is clearly revealed when the Apostle Paul was encouraging the Corinthians to live a life that reflects their heavenly call. For this study, the passage of interest is,
1 Corinthians 3:16-17
[16] Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? [17] If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
In addition, the born-again believer in Jesus Christ belongs to,
A chosen generation and a royal priesthood
To see this truth let us read the following passage of Scripture from,
1 Peter 2:9-10
[9] But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; [10] who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
Let us notice the following verse,
9 … God chose us to be a holy nation and royal priesthood. He did this so we can offer Him praises and glory for all He has done for us.
The second point to be made is that even though the born-again believer in Jesus Christ is child of God, we must not forget that,
WE WERE SINNERS SAVED BY GOD’S GRACE AND MERCY
To refresh our memories of this truth let us read the following excerpt from Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus. The Scriptures of interest are from,
Ephesians 2:1-10
[1] And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, [2] in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, [3] among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. [4] But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, [5] even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), [6] and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, [7] that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. [8] For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, [9] not of works, lest anyone should boast. [10] For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Let us notice the following verses,
1 … We were spiritually dead in our transgressions and sins.
2 … Prior to our new birth we followed the ways of this world and the ruler of the kingdom of the air, who is Satan.
3 … Consequently, all (both Jew and Gentile) were objects of wrath.
4-5 … Because of God’s great love for us, along with His grace and mercy, He made us spiritually alive with Christ Jesus.
6 … In addition, He gave us the privilege, in Christ Jesus, to sit in the heavenly places.
8-9 … God the Holy Spirit has clearly made the point that it was by God’s grace we have been saved. Even the faith we have in Jesus Christ is a gift from God. This means that it was nothing we did to earn or purchase the salvation of our souls. Specifically, our salvation from the penalty and power of our sins is strictly a glorious gift from God.
10 … Thus we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.
Even though we are a child of God, filled with God the Holy Spirit and created to do good works, our attitude should be the same as the one Jesus had. Specifically, as we saw earlier (1 Peter 2:9), we should always give glory to God and not appropriate His glory or take credit for all what He has done in and through us.
This now brings us to,
THE MESSAGE
To begin, let us go to the Old Testament and read what God, through His prophet Jeremiah, once said to the Israelites. The exhortation of interest is recorded in,
Jeremiah 9:23-24
“Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
Let not the mighty man glory in his might,
Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;
[24] But let him who glories glory in this,
That he understands and knows Me,
That I am the Lord, exercising loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.
For in these I delight,” says the Lord.
Relating this truth or exhortation to the born-again believer in Jesus Christ we us return to the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth and read from,
1 Corinthians 1:29-31
[29] … no flesh should glory in His presence. [30] But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— [31] that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”
For our last exhortation and prayerful consideration for this portion of our study let us read from,
2 Corinthians 10:17-18
[17] But “he who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” [18] For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.
CLOSING
For our closing prayer let us prayerfully read,
Psalm 96:1-13
[1] Oh, sing to the Lord a new song!
Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
[2] Sing to the Lord, bless His name;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.
[3] Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonders among all peoples.
[4] For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised;
He is to be feared above all gods.
[5] For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
But the Lord made the heavens.
[6] Honor and majesty are before Him;
Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.
[7] Give to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
Give to the Lord glory and strength.
[8] Give to the Lord the glory due His name;
Bring an offering, and come into His courts.
[9] Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!
Tremble before Him, all the earth.
[10] Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns;
The world also is firmly established,
It shall not be moved;
He shall judge the peoples righteously.”
[11] Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
Let the sea roar, and all its fullness;
[12] Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it.
Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice before the Lord.
[13] For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth.
He shall judge the world with righteousness,
And the peoples with His truth.
AMEN!