Do you know the goodness of God? Generally when I ask people this question, I receive a quick nod-and-smile type of response with accompanying emotional tenseness. What I have found is that many people know that He is supposed to be good, but those same people deep down do not actually believe or even know how good He really is.

Today we will be examining His goodness in detail, and the most wonderful news of all is that we actually will not have time to cover it all in one teaching, so this will most likely go on for several weeks.

So let’s not waste any time and get right into scripture, starting with Ephesians 3:14-21:

“For this cause I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
And to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fulness of God.
Now to him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
To him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”

Paul the apostle here says that the he prays every day that the church would have a greater understanding of the grace, mercy, love and provision of God, and that they would be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now we can understand that though this message was originally written from Paul to the church in Ephesus, the fact that this letter was included in the Bible by the Holy Spirit means that it has some value for us today as well. Nothing is ever in the Bible by accident.

I would submit that the very same thing that the church in Ephesus needed is what we also need today. For if we do not know the goodness of God our Father, then our faith and trust in Him will never be able to grow. We will never be able to expect good from Him if we are always unsure of His desires or motives. Indeed the Bible spends a lot of time and space detailing the desires of God and how good He is. The very Gospel story which is the heart and essence of all scripture is a wonderful picture of the love and goodness of God – the most famous of which is John 3:16:

“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.”

This wonderful verse of scripture is often glanced over without really taking time to chew on its meaning. Jesus was not stolen from God the Father, but He was willingly given to be our sacrifice. Why? Because God the Father so loved us. And what was the intended end result? That whoever believes on Jesus would not perish, but have everlasting life.

My friends, the whole reason Jesus came willingly to earth was for our benefit, and He suffered all of those horrible things and ultimately gave His very life and Spirit for us. Some movies and some religious teachers have depicted Jesus as an unwilling victim in the grand scheme of things, but that is not the truth at all. Jesus came willingly of His own volition, to save you and I. He had our best interest at heart as He suffered and died for our salvation. And while it was in no way fun or easy for Him to suffer, it was necessary for Him to endure it for us… for without His sacrifice, none of us could be saved and all of us would be utterly doomed.

In closing today I would like us all to read Isaiah 53:1-11, for this is the Gospel story in Isaiah, and as we read it, keep in mind that Jesus Christ suffered these things for us, so that we would not have to suffer. Our sin debts are forever paid by Him. This is His goodness and mercy to us. Let’s read:

“Who has believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
For he will grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he has no form nor comeliness; and when we will see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opens not his mouth.
He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who will declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he has put him to grief: when you will make his soul an offering for sin, he will see his seed, he will prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
He will see of the travail of his soul, and will be satisfied: by his knowledge will my righteous servant justify many; for he will bear their iniquities.”

My friends, Jesus paid all of our sin debts. Today we can stand unashamed before a Holy God, confident in both our righteousness in Christ, and also in His love for us. For He sent His own only begotten Son, Jesus to die as us, so that we can live forever as Him.

Thank and praise Him for His love!