September 13-14, 1997

Mike Slaughter

I. God Is Good
I have a lot of pre-Christian friends. I hope we all have a lot of pre-Christian friends. When they get to know me and we get comfortable together and have come to a certain level of trust, they often ask this question (for some it comes later than others but generally we get around to this question) that concerns what I do -- you know, "Why do you do what you do?"
"Well, what do you mean?"
"You know -- the church thing. I mean, you really seem like a normal person and it’s kind of surprising why you do what you do. You don't seem like someone who would do the church thing."
Now, I answer a question with a question. Did your Mom tell you that you should never do that? I kind of just act surprised and go, "Why don't you?"
I hear all kind of excuses, but generally two of them fall in there somewhere like this. Have you ever heard these?

Psalm 100:5
5: For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures for ever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

"Well, my parents made me when I was a child." Do you ever hear that one? Well, what's that have to do with now? Or, "Well it’s my only day to sleep in." This is when I give my response. OK, here is why I do what I do and it comes from Psalms 100: "I enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise!" For this reason -- I do what I do. (Verse 5) "For the Lord is GOOD! and his steadfast love endures forever." That's why I do what I do. "For the Lord is Good and his steadfast love endures forever and his faithfulness continues to every generation." That is why I do what I do -- because God is good. The Lord is good!

Disillusionment
When you were a kid and first heard that God was good, didn’t that provoke a certain sense of awe in you? Do you remember looking up at the stars or lying in the bed and thinking, "God is GOOD! Wow!" But as we get older we kind of make that word "good" into a trivial word.
In my household, as a kid growing up, about one night a week, we had to eat liver. (I have not had liver in my adult life!) "Mom, why do I....?" "You eat this. It's good for you." She gave this anemia story and leukemia and all this kind of stuff! It is good for you, right? You grow up and you discover what a liver really is. It is a filtration system for all kind of poisons and so forth. When we're little, the word "good" provokes -- but as we grow up it becomes a trivial kind of word.
Advertising! Look what advertising has done to that word "good." How many of you remember this one? "If you don't have time to brush, chew Dentyne. Recommended by dentists." So now, not only are your teeth dirty -- they're sticky, sugar dirty, right? Like -- sugar gum is like brushing your teeth! "Well, why brush Mom? I just want to chew gum."
Tobacco companies! Have you seen the latest Winston ads? Winston is now telling us to "get naked." What they are saying is, "No additives, pure tobacco." No addictive additives -- pure tobacco! Like tobacco is not addictive. They have been telling us, "NO, tobacco is not addictive." These cigarette executives have died of cancer, but it is not addictive! It's good for you. You know, when you're nervous, it gives you a certain sense of comfort and relaxation.
Advertising! "It's good for you."
Doctors are always good for you. How many, when you were little, ever went to a doctor and he used a fluoroscope? You went to the doctor and instead of taking an x-ray he used a fluoroscope. (X-rays are not good for it’ a quick burst - right? - of radiation. You know it's not good for you when the nurse and everyone else puts on these protective lead vests and step out of the room!!!!) The fluoroscope was like a living x-ray as they would run it over you and just look at your body working and everything -- the doctor would never hurt you! Now they have discovered that many people might have cancer because when we were little they used fluoroscopes. We could even go into a shoe store and stick our foot under a fluoroscope. Do you know what I'm talking about? It's good for you!!!!
The United States government is good. It will always be good for you. That's why we did atomic testing -- in our own country - right? We had troops go out there and stand. We're going to blow up an atomic bomb but it won't hurt -- much! - right?
"This is good for you!" When we hear that word "good" -- we have been lied to so many times that the word has become bland and neutral -- it creates neither awe nor fear.

God Is Good.
"God is good." We say it. Right? But we don't trust it and so there is a battle going on in all of us as we say, "God is good," but we resist God's ownership in our lives. It is really an issue of control.
See if you can relate to this?

Scene - Woman sitting in a chair with a Bible in her lap.

You know life was so much simpler before I met You. I mean, I would wake up in the morning, eat breakfast, just do whatever it was that I was supposed to do that day, eat dinner, watch a little TV and go to bed. Or if I wanted to, I could just work really late into the night. I didn't have to answer to anyone. I could justify anything. I could take a really, really long lunch at the company's expense - guilt free. Or if somebody wanted to cut me off on the interstate I could enlighten him with a few choice words. We all know that it's not good to let anger build up. Yes, I was sailing through life pretty well until You came along. Oh, don't get me wrong, I mean, it started out innocently enough, You wanted to save me from my sins and take me to heaven to be with You. Well, thanks very much, I really appreciate that. Its just that, now, You want to interfere. I mean, You give me guidelines before heaven even has a chance to come. I mean You want me to do things. I can understand helping some poor soul who is at the end of his rope, but look at my life, I have it in order. I have it all in order! I have it all together, at least mostly together. I can't believe that You would want to complicate things by asking me to obey You. I mean, have I done so poorly this far? Have I? And besides, if You really understood where I was coming from You'd never mention this obedience thing. I mean,You were there when I was growing up. You were there and you knew my Dad. My Dad, I tried to please him. I really did. I tried to do everything I could to make him happy. I remember at first it was kind of fun. I'd take him his slippers and I'd bring him a cup of coffee and it made me feel kind of grown up and just special. When I was good I was really, really good, but when I was bad I was horrid -- or so they told me. Anyway, it seemed the older I got, what used to be, "Honey, would you please get me a cup of coffee?" turned into "HONEY, GET ME A CUP OF COFFEE NOW!" and "WHY CAN'T YOU DO THIS BETTER," and "DON'T WEAR ALL THAT MAKEUP, IT MAKES YOU LOOK CHEAP" and "WHY CAN'T YOU LOOK MORE LIKE JANET!"
Needless to say, he had high expectations, yes we were all Dad's puppets. He wanted control. He had control and now You want control. It's almost like I can hear You saying, "Honey get your old Dad a cup of coffee." Well, I don't want to give up control. You say You want me to turn it all over to You. Well, I don't want to be anybody else's slave. You ought to know that more than anyone! I mean, I know You -- You want to love me like no earthly father ever could love me, but I want to ask you, "WHERE WAS THE EARTHLY EXAMPLE WHEN I NEEDED AN EARTHLY EXAMPLE OF HEAVENLY LOVE? WHERE WAS IT?" And so I fight with You. I fight with You to keep You at a safe distance. I also fight with myself because I don't want to give up control of who I AM, AND WHAT I AM AND WHAT I DO!! and so I fight and I fight and I fight!
"OH God, I don't want to fight with You anymore. I don't want to fight with You about my life. Somehow, I have got to get over this fear of You. Somehow, I have got to learn to see You differently, somehow I have got to see You reaching out to give to me instead of to take from me. Somehow, I've got to hear You say, "Honey, thanks for the cup of coffee" and "Come here and sit by me because... because you are a treasure...because I love you."

In the 3rd chapter of Genesis is the story of the serpent tempting Eve. Do you know what the whole temptation was about? What was Satan trying to get Eve to do? -- doubt the goodness of God. Now Eve, God isn't telling you the whole truth, honey. I mean, he's trying to keep something from you Eve. If you really do what God says, you're going to miss something. You know you're really not going to get out of life what you want to get out of life if you really do what God says. That's what Satan's temptation to Eve was all about.
You know, I don't have to tell you this, but our culture is obsessed with sex. Is that a new revelation? Again, look at advertising from selling of cars to Calvin Klein's pre-pubescent teens. It is about sex. What is so amazing is that we live in this sophisticated, highly technical culture; (As a matter of fact the rate of change, technical change in growth, is so great that in 1993 we didn't even have a World Wide Web. Can you believe that -- 1993! Yet this week, anywhere in the world you can get on the Web, see this sermon, with all the visual illustrations, from anyplace in the world.) yet, in this highly sophisticated technical society, we define human meaning -- we reduce human meaning -- to the primal drive that humans share with all animals! WHOA!! NO, NO, NO! Human meaning is not about sex.
Do you know what makes me different from all of God's creation? Here's what it means to be human. As a human being, I alone have the ability to have a relationship with God. You see, it's not about sex, it is about spirit. Meaning comes from spirit. Yet our culture would lead us to believe meaning comes from getting naked. So the closest thing that most people would get to a spiritual experience is the annual Sport's Illustrated swimsuit issue. You see, we're really not getting naked enough. For when we say getting naked, we mean only to the skin, when we really need to get naked to the Spirit.
That's what Jesus was saying to the woman who was married five times and was then living with a guy she wasn't even married to, "You'll always be thirsty," Jesus told her, "if you keep resisting the goodness of God."

Psalm 100:5
5: For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures for ever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

"THE LORD IS GOOD!!, his steadfast love endures forever, His faithfulness to every generation," but as long as we resist the goodness of God we'll look only at the physical. Have you noticed, not only are we obsessed with sex, we're obsessed with our bodies? You know we are. There is an obsession with our bodies. Look at the last decade at the incredible growth of fitness clubs, health clubs, and liposuction and cosmetic surgery. You know what all this is really about is death -- denial. What are we doing? We're preparing buff bodies for coffins! Let's get honest!
We have a dog, a schnauzer. It's kind of a unique breed, isn't it? They are nice little dogs until people come and visit; then, they are the noisiest things I ever heard. Well, our schnauzer is named Toby and he's a great family dog. Nice little dog; and he knows, (they are smart) he's not supposed to sleep in our bed. So when we go to bed at night he has his own bed. If we tell him to get into his bed, he gets into his bed. If we don't tell him to get into his bed, then when Carolyn and I go in to the sinks to get ready for bed, you know what that little sneaker will do? He gets up into our bed! Thinks he's sharp. He'll just put his head under a fold of the blanket. "They can't see me! I'll get to stay here all night." He should have learned by now!
We walk out into the bedroom and there is this dog -- all of his body you see -- but not his head! Now we'll play along. We'll play along with him and we'll call him. Some of you know -- cats, you call them, they just go, "Buzz off, who do you think you are?" But a dog -- they'll come running from anywhere. Normally when you call him, you'll hear his little chain bouncing while he is running through the house. We call him, "Toby, Toby, Toby!" We're standing right next to the bed and he's just lying still. "They don't see me. I get to stay all night."
You know we're like that with God. We think that if we ignore him and keep our head under the covers and pretend that we're not going to die he won't see us.

II. God Is Faithful
Psalm 145:13
13: Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endures throughout all generations. The Lord is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds.

Psalm 145:13 "The Lord is Faithful..." "For the Lord is good! His steadfast love endures forever -- his faithfulness to every generation." Why do we want to keep resisting the love of God? It doesn't get any better than this, Church. You know why? Not only is God good; God is faithful. Do you see that? "For his faithfulness endures to every generation." Do you know what faithful means? Here's how God is different from you or me. Psalms 145 says this, "The Lord is faithful to all of his promises." Do you believe that? Have you ever made a promise that you didn't keep?

The God Who Blesses
Here's one. "Carolyn, if you marry me I'll always be a good husband." God is not like me. "FOR THE LORD IS GOOD," but not only good -- faithful to every promise he has ever made and loving towards to all that he has made. His love endures forever. Do you know what it means to "endure forever?" When you quit, he doesn't. Don't you like that? When you fail, he never quits loving you, pursuing you, or cheering you on. That's what that means, church. God is a God that blesses. We don't understand blessing. God is a God who blesses. David -- my hero from the Bible -- David understood who he was and whose he was. Last week we quoted David, "The Lord is my shepherd." What does that mean in our culture today? The Lord is my what? How would we say it? Owner! The Lord is my owner. You know what his next words were. He understood. When you know the Lord is God and you know that the Lord is good, you can say this. "The Lord is my owner -- I shall not want!" Isn't that great? I shall lack no good thing.
Yesterday was our daughter's birthday. She was 19 years old. She's away at college and it's her second birthday that we've missed in her whole life. Last Monday, which is our day off, we went down to the Dayton Mall to shop, to get it in the mail on Tuesday so she would have it by yesterday. My daughter is special to me. We go into this shop and I'm fortunate. Carolyn is one of these people who takes care of our money and books and bills and she makes sure that we're never in debt. I'm so fortunate that I married someone like that. So, since she has to pay the bills, we go into this store, what's the name of the store that we went into? GAP! So she says, "What do you think this sweater and blouse would look like?" Well you know me as Dad. I said, "I want what's on that mannequin over there. You know how they dress the mannequins in the window? It has layered, multi-layered shirts, pants, belts, scarves, down to the socks. "Give me the mannequin!"
You know, the sales people love me when I'm buying something for my children. The vest! The whole works. And then he asks about the T-shirt, cause there was a T-shirt too. Do you know what I mean? I want my daughter to feel special.
We even called to have a caterer in Harrisburg, pa, do a birthday cake. Carolyn and I were going out to dinner on Thursday night and I remembered that I had forgotten to send Kristen roses and so I called Debra right away and I said, "Debra can you get a dozen roses to my daughter tomorrow." Then, yesterday I called her. I had to call her before I left work and she wasn't there. She has voice mail so I sang "Happy Birthday" on the voice mail!! And she got a dozen yellow roses when she came back to the room. You see what I'm saying?

Matthew 7:9-11
9: Or what man of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?
10: Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?
11: If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

I want you to look at a scripture verse with me. I'm going to show you on the screen but I want you to see it in the Bible, too. Turn to Matthew 7, if you have it, the 9th verse.
"If your kid asks you for bread with peanut butter and jelly, you don't give him a rock do you? And if your kid asks you for a fish sandwich, you don't trick him and put a snake between the bun, right?" That's what it says.
"If you, then, who are evil..." You know what "evil" means? It means less than God. It means less than good, real good -- not the way we use it -- like liver.

Matthew 7:11
11: If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

"If you, who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children," I love this part, "HOW MUCH MORE, HOW MUCH MORE, will your father in heaven give good..." What's the word? What's the word? Do you know where that word "good" comes from? God. Did you know that the word "good" comes from the word God? Do you know that when you say good-bye you are really asking that what comes from God blessing you -- all that is good, all that is God be upon you. "How much more will your father in heaven give good things to those who ask him?"

James 1:17
17: Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

Church, everything good comes from the hand of God! Everything that is miracle can only be found in the hand of God. Everything that can quench your thirst is only found in the hand of God. You know what this means? Hear this! It's either God or it's not good. Did you hear what I said? There is no in-between. Sometimes we go, "Well, I could compromise on this a little bit. There is something in me, God. You make an exception for me. I need this!"
No! No! No!. It's either the perfect will of God from the hand of God for your life or it is no good. I love what Jesus said. He said "I am the living water." Now again, this is from another culture and another time.
You know what living water was? There are two kinds of water. Living water in a desert community was that which came from Mt. Herman. At the top of Mt. Herman it snowed in the winter so when the living water came it was the mountain water that ran through your property. It was always cold. It was always new. It was always fresh. Now if you go out and put your finger in the stream, put it in, now pull it out as fast as you can, put it back in there and try to catch the same water, you can't, no matter how fast you do that, it's always different, its always new water, right? Now the other kind of water is in a pond. You go stick your finger in that tomorrow, it was the same water as today. You go do it next week -- same water. It is a breeding ground for bacteria, disease, and death.
Why would we ever want anything other than living water? "For the LORD IS GOOD, his steadfast love endures forever, his faithfulness continues to every generation." Why would we ever resist that? You know what God says in Jeremiah? God says, "They have forsaken me, living water, and have dug their own, sources of meaning." Why would we do that folks?
Clay jars when God's got rivers. "They have dug their own sources of meaning, broken meaning, that cannot hold water." Anytime that I take anything for my life other than the perfect will of God, even when I disagree with it, anytime, I take anything from my life other than from the hand of God, it will not hold water. WHOA!
Do you know why so many of our marriages are not working? Because God (Okay, here's why ours didn't work for a long time.) says "Husbands serve your wives as Christ served the church and gave himself for her." I don't want to serve her. No one owns me. I'm my own. That's why marriage doesn't work and you keep looking for someone who will serve you. You'll never find life or love until you learn what it means to serve your wife as Christ serves the church and gives Himself for her. Do you know that when you decide to do it God's way, God will make your marriage an oasis of love in the middle of a desert of divorces? Do you hear what I'm trying to say?

III. Say Yes To God
"For the Lord is good, his steadfast love endures forever and his faithfulness to every generation." Why would I ever want to fight with God for control of my life . Why would I want to resist God's goodness in my life? You see it's so easy for us to say, "God is good, God is great." We say it; but we don't trust it. It's not enough to believe God's good. You have to say "yes" to God's goodness. Now you know what that means. Please hear me, Church, because this just isn't for pre-Christians, this is for those of us who have been followers of Jesus Christ for a long time.
There is a Biblical word used for saying "yes" to God. Here's what the word is. You hear me? This is for all of us. It is called -- ready for this -- repentance. Now repentance is not an emotion. It's not saying, "Well God, I'm sorry for all the ways that I have messed up." Repentance is a decision. It is deciding that you have been wrong in supposing that you could manage your own life and be your own god. It's a decision. It is a decision that you have been wrong when you thought you could make exceptions to God's perfect guidelines. Some of you thought, "Well, I'm not in love with my spouse. But I could be in love with that other person, so God will make an exception." No! It's deciding that you have been wrong anytime you make an exception.
All the time, a lot of us make exceptions. God tells us all to be generous givers doesn't he, but sometimes we say, "Well God, I know you said that, but it's tight at home." God tells us that we should never gossip or slander, you know, but somehow we think that we can gossip and slander and say, "Look at that homosexual." We think we can say all kinds of things about other people's stuff but never deal with our own stuff. When God says, Don't slander, do not gossip, don't say anything, don't judge, why do we think God is going to make an exception?All the time, a lot of us make exceptions. God tells us all to be generous givers doesn't he, but sometimes we say, "Well God, I know you said that, but it's tight at home." God tells us that we should never gossip or slander, you know, but somehow we think that we can gossip and slander and say, "Look at that homosexual." We think we can say all kinds of things about other people's stuff but never deal with our own stuff. When God says, Don't slander, do not gossip, don't say anything, don't judge, why do we think God is going to make an exception?
You see, it's deciding that you have been wrong when you thought you could make an exception. It is a decision that you were wrong thinking that you could find meaning from any other source than from the hand of God -- from your education, from success, from money, from sex, from a relationship. It is a decision. That's what repentance is. It's a decision that God's way is always right. Repentance is a decision that God and Jesus are telling me the truth. You see repentance is a decision that the Lord is my Owner and that I will follow Jesus in spite of what I want, in spite of what the world says, or in spite of others influence.

John 10:10
10: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

Saying "yes" to God is not only repentance; it's trust. Do you know what Jesus said? I love this part. He said, "I have come that you may have life and have it abundantly" and I trust that there is nothing but Jesus Christ that can bear the weight of my spirit or quench my thirst. It's trust. And I'm not so foolish as to believe, my brothers and sisters, that everything is going to be okay, that my kids won't get sick or that I won't die, for Jesus said, "In the world you have many troubles," but he also said, "Do not fear, for I am with you." So, even though, church, we walk through the valley of the shadow of death - hey! I trust who goes with me.
"For The Lord is good and his steadfast love endures forever" And guess what? "His faithfulness continues to every generation."
Will you bow your head in prayer with me?
What has God said to you tonight? What have you heard God say? One thing? Well then, claim it, in your own words, tell him your response. And hear the words of Jesus. "Nothing can separate you from the love of God, neither height nor depth, persecution or success, no created thing, including yourself, can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus."
So, my brothers and sisters, in the name of Jesus, I dismiss you to go and celebrate the goodness of God.
Have a great week. God bless.