The Good Series: God’s Goodness (Part 3)

[ Preached by Pastor Kenneth Chin at Acts Church Malaysia on 3 February 2019 ]

When was the last time someone treats you so good that you stopped speechless because you felt undeserving? If a good human could give us this kind of impact, what about God’s impact? 

The nature of God is good and His goodness compels us to worship Him, repent from our sins, and to live a transformed life doing real impacts.  

Read | Psalms 34: 8
Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

Imagine having more good on earth, then the people can rest in goodness. God can draw out good in us, and what can we expect when we experience that process? 

Worship is not taught, it is caught.

Read | Exodus 34: 8 – 9
Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped. “Lord,” he said, “if I have found favor in your eyes, then let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance.”

Worship comes naturally when we encounter and acknowledge God’s goodness. Moses encountered that the Lord is a compassionate and merciful God who forgives iniquity, transgressions, and sins. 

Moses could not help it as God’s immense goodness was so tangible – a cloud of God’s glory passing before him. There was nothing left to do except to bow and worship, to lower himself before God. 

Worship changes our posture into submission and surrender. 

Our worship may be boring today because it’s been some time since we depend on His mercy. 

Repentance comes after acknowledging who we are on the inside.

After seeing God with his own eyes, Moses confessed. We see the truth in ourselves when being in God’s presence and goodness. We exclaimed, “How can I continue living my life this way when You are so good?”  

Another person could testify to this: 

Read | Luke 5: 8 – 9
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken.

Simon Peter and the fishermen toiled all night and caught no fish until Jesus stepped into their boat. Peter did not just see the great catch of fish, he saw God’s goodness. 

It was a good time that Jesus stepped into bad times. 

Jesus wants to be invited into your bad times and pour out His goodness. 

Read | Romans 2:4 
Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

As Christians, we might find it hard to acknowledge that we have adapted to the patterns of this world where we think like the world and act like the world, pleasing God in material means which we think is acceptable.

But God does not need our worldly offerings for He is after our hearts. The fruit of repentance is doing the right thing by God’s standards.

Transformation is so that we are no longer the same person. 

The Greek word “metanoia” means think differently – a change of mind.

Read | Luke 19: 1 – 10
Verse 5-8 \\ When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

Thank God that Jesus loves Zacchaeus and Jesus wants to spend time with him. God’s goodness touched Zacchaeus. When we taste the goodness of God, not only our worship will change and repentance will take place, but the transformation will also follow. 

The Bible mentioned that Moses’ face shone as he descended from Mount Sinai after encountering God. 

The change within him was so great that it glowed physically on the outside. 

Read | Exodus 34: 29 
The Radiant Face of Moses
When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord.

We all have a light inside of us that we can shine forth, but it requires us to mould our hearts to be acceptable by God first.

Read | Matthew 5:16 
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Good Works prove the good, pleasing and perfect will of God.  

A son is called a son because he does exactly what the father does. And a father will feel proud when his son points back to him for all the good works that he has achieved. 

God presented Jesus as the Son of God and Jesus mirrored God the Father in every area of his life throughout His time on earth. And God is proud when we can imitate Him. 

Read | Matthew 3:17
And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Read | John 15: 8
This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

When we present our hearts and we present our lives for service unto God, sons, and daughters of God will bear fruit and our Father in Heaven will be glorified. 

Read | Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

A real good difference flows from good work that comes from a good heart.

Moses bowed down, Peter fell to his knees, Zacchaeus climbed down. Our good God has been on a mission to restore good. The more good we experience in God, the more good we can expand to others. 

So, taste and see that the Lord is good!

Written By: Choe Le Ann & Hailey Chung