Our Good Good Father, Part 1

Today on the Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ like white so Moses said show me your glory of God put in this God said said to him, I myself will make all my goodness pass God's goodness is good.

I would've my goodness pass in front. That's how good God is that God is joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana. Let's join Pastor Bill Gebhardt now again he shows us how God's word meets our work joyful that we can worship you and praise you as a group, not just as individuals with a deep sense of gratitude of your loving care for each and every one of us.

Father, we bring you an offering of worship today and we pray that is acceptable in your sight.

Help us to see the circumstances that were ran through your eyes, knowing that if we do we can experience a piece beyond all comprehension. Father give us opportunity to love and to serve other people give us these unique ways in which we can show the love of Christ for others. During this very difficult time. Father, help us to realize that this is a tremendous opportunity for the gospel of Jesus Christ are so many people that are fearful and full of anxiety. There people that are angry and father.

This is the perfect backdrop to be able to present the good news of Jesus Christ.

Father may your spirit.

Empower us to think that we go through this thinking of others and not of ourselves.

The apostle Paul. So we are to consider everybody else in the body is more important than us.

Father I pray that were able to take the truth and apply it to our church father we pray for safety for people. We pray for better treatments for covert, 19, and ultimately we pray for a vaccine which would be a tremendous relief to the entire world. Fathers would come to your word. Now I just pray a simple prayer that the truth of what were talking about this morning will encourage each and every one of us. Father, we need that kind of encouragement for our good and for your glory in Christ name, amen. Happy Father's Day. People say that happy Father's Day.

By the way, the whole idea.

Father's Day started in two 1910 in Spokane, Washington, started by a woman and her name was Sonora.

Smart God she wanted to honor her father, who had raised six children as a single parent, and so that's what Father's Day started that actually started two years after 1908.

Mother's Day, which again was started by a woman, and so on. We have what we call a national holiday of we say things like happy Father's Day and we all respond that differently.

Some of us I say happy Father's Day and we really have a good feeling about it. We have good feeling about our father, me when honor him and say happy Father's Day. Others of us feel quite differently I mean. I group of us, for example, that blab never knew her father.

My father could've died when very young. Or he could have abandoned the family so you never had a relationship your father so Father's Day to use just a painful reminder of that truth. For some others. It's even worse than we had a terrible abusive relationship with her father. So every year one Father's Day you get a painful reminder of just how bad it was. But for Christians for people who are born again, this should be a very, very happy, joyful day for every single one of us because all of us have a father.

All of us have a father and is not just any father. We have a good good father. Every single one of us.

In fact, every day for us should be a great day to honor at good good father that we have and I don't mean good like a good earthly father. I mean, a father of infinite goodness. Think of God's attributes.

We say things like, God is all knowing everything about that is all knowing normally what we does. We don't think about it we say will what's at me what I think it means he knows a lot now doesn't mean that all it means he's all knowing, it means he's never learned anything in his existence anything he's he's always known everything he's always known everything that there is no any already is always known everything which has yet to be revealed. He already knows at all. He's all knowing and then we say he's he's on the present great word but I mean she's here needs their needs everywhere.

He's everywhere how you think about he's in heaven yeah he's here okay he's in Connecticut is on the moon. He's beyond our solar system.

He's beyond the gal he's everywhere in the universe is everywhere and is here.

These are overwhelming things he's holy means he's the philosopher said means is wholly other. He's not like anything else in creation is completely holy, perfectly holy. But there's another attribute that we don't think about much is good. Really good to think about that very often.

He's good. The psalmist said in Psalm 1070 give thanks to the Lord for he is good. His lovingkindness is everlasting, his goodness is unique to him. Jesus was on Sassaman come up to him as a good teacher and ask him a question. He said what you call me good, no one is good but God referring to the father. No one is good but God is good. That's how good is it mean good like in a way we use the term goodie means and in a unique and different way. God's goodness permeates every one of his attributes. He's good.

Everything about his knowledge is good knowledge.

Holiness is good holiness.

He is good and that is an amazing thing. Even when he had the creation what you see, early in Genesis and it was good.

He said everything I did was good and then he Adam was by himself and for the first time is introduced the term low Tove in Hebrew, not good, not good man should be alone I will create a helpmate suitable for him.

He created Eve everything about God is good. Remember Moses one to see the glory of God. Moses said he said show me your glory. And I'm anything aboard what you think about lights right so I Vegas plates just that's his glory. So Moses said show me your glory. God put them in a cleft in this what God said said to him, I myself will make all my goodness pass in front of God's goodness is glory his goodness.

I would let my goodness pass in front of you. That's how good God is. That's what God is done. Let's start by looking at James chapter 1 verse 13 James chapter 1 verse 13 I want you to see something here about the goodness of God. James one verse 13 let no one say when he is tempted I am being tempted by God for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself does not tempt anyone question. Why doesn't God tempt anyone because he is good got a never tempt anyone.

He said I never tempt anyone. Don't say I tempted you, I didn't. He said, and that's because I am good. Then he says each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust and when lust is conceived gives birth to sin. When sin is accomplished, brings forth death. He said do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of lights with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

Every good thing and every perfect gift comes from God. Every good thing. Every perfect gift comes from God and he says and I can't change notice use of the term. He says there is, is that with God. There is no variation or shifting shadow. He doesn't change at all.

God is always been good is good. The day you will always be good.

He's a God he's good this minute he's good. All minutes there's never change with God. He's good. It defines he's in every good thing I give you, and I'll never change.

With that, that's how good God says I am. It is an innate infinite goodness. But here's a problem you think about that much.

In fact, I believe that many of us often don't think God is good and that's a shame for us. What you go with me to Psalm 73 Psalm 73 Psalm 73 says it's a Psalm of a soft face-off as a Levite and he is the chief of all the musicians he is in a sense, the worship leader. He was a sign that job by King David. That's a waste office and notice how the Psalm starts shortly.

God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. Surely God is good to Israel not notice how it ends. Verse 28 but as for me, the nearness of God. He said, is my good first verse good last first good so you think what that tells you, then the Psalm is about goodness is not the Psalm is not about goodness. The Psalm is about denying the goodness of God can happen to everyone, even a self worship leader for the nation Israel. Notice what he says. Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart, but as for me, my feet Kinko close to stumbling my steps had almost slipped. I just about went over the edge when you mean over the edge. I didn't believe he was good.

I just stop believing God was good. You and I do this often I'll explain in a minute. He said for. I was envious of the arrogant as I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

That's what did it. This is a wonderful stop pattern outer Hebrew wisdom literature is something good to teach her children very important principle. Life isn't fair.

Don't expect it to be. That's a very important principle to understand in life.

Every child should be taught that life isn't fair, and don't expect it to be numb all of us believe the first part right, but we deny the second.

Here's what we say life isn't fair, but I expected to be for me. I expected to be treated fairly. But it's not fair. In his view's book. I sold the wicked prosper. I saw wicked people just prospering here we are is God's people, nothing in the wicked are just prospering and what's a language he uses, he said there's no pain in their death, their body as fat.

They are not in trouble is of the other men, nor they played like mankind their pride is their necklace, the garment of violence covers them there. I called from fatness the imaginations of the heart run why they mock and would greatly speak of oppression they speak from on high.

They have set them up against the heavens and their tongue parades. He said through the he said throughout the earth.

He says in verse 11, they say. How does God know and as their knowledge with the most high. Behold these are the wicked and always. Of these, they have increased in wealth you ever wonder about that.

You see how way to make God. How can you be good and allow the wicked to prosper. You see, that's a soft problem and you struggling with it. So, no doubt about it. He is struggling with this idea, but there's something else about his he's a little bit like us in this way, self-righteous notice verse 13. Surely, in vain, I have kept my heart pure and wash my hands in innocence. I've been pure is just me. I'm a pure man. How many pure men.

Other see if I ask you a gazillion none thing men writers know not what is us as I was pure luck out and get a share of this I got the short end of the stick care and there there prospering and I did this, he said no to seekers of Dyna verse 21 he says when my heart was embittered and I was pierced within he said. Then I was senseless and ignorant.

I was like a beast before you.

He said look, I knew something was wrong. I knew something was wrong but I didn't know exactly what now you may say, but I don't believe I mean I don't like the idea that the wicked prosper.

That doesn't bother me too much, but other things to because you tell me see you say things to me like this pastor. How could God let this happen and what you mean when you say that is not good, that's a question means he's not good.

How could a good God let this happen for your say things like, you know, I don't know he doesn't hear what I have to say it all.

I pray my heart that nothing I did nothing from West implication is not good. In fact it's even goes further than it he's not as good as I am because if I were God, that little boy. When the guide if I were God, why I'm better than him. I am more goodness in God is. We think that way. You see, we think that way and the reason we do is we focus only on the circumstances in which work were faced and then we evaluate life based on that notice, then what ends up happening here.

He says and it's an interesting thought on his part all the changes in verse 17 he said until I came into the sanctuary of God than I perceive therein is also what ended up happening to me as once I got into the sanctuary or the nearness of God. Everything changed for me.

I saw life, but God sees it and not like I see it. Let me give an example. I think you would understand this and easily when a little boy or girl is two or three years old and they died only all overwhelmed by the end we just overwhelmed and what we say.

What a tragedy when a terrible terrible tragedy and I think we should remove that the gun is a different view.

What if you lived to be 96 and die and go to hell. God says that's a tragedy. That's what the tragedies eternity separated from God.

That's a tragedy that child.

I receive them into my arms. See I receive that chart of what I call a tragedy is not honestly what you call a tragedy.

You see, and that's what ends up happening to us. We look at the circumstances of our life. And then we say I got the goodness of God.

I don't really see the goodness of God. I don't see it working that way and that's because were not close enough to God. Go with me to a familiar passage Romans chapter 8 Romans chapter 8, then yes. The question is life for blessing all you get is blessing every day anybody here only had a blessing every day. None. I mean nothing but good things know we know life doesn't work that way is matter fact does having a blessing all day long every day long mean I'm would mean that I'm closer to God than any other time. No doesn't. Now we have a whole theology running amok over the world and America now is pretty Dr. which is, yes, that's what it means if you're right with God to get nothing but blessings for your whole life. That's the way it works.

But we know better than doesn't actually work that way. A lot of times in life we end up suffering.

Sometimes we suffer immeasurably in a way all of us are collectively suffering right now through the pandemic through all the protests through the whole idea of a sagging economy.

All of us are being affected right now it is a way one way or another. The notice of Paul says in verse 18 of Romans eight. I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is been revealed to us. That's Paul's evaluation, the suffering now does he know as much about suffering as you do.

He might know more when you start reading about everything that the man went through, I mean arrested and beaten with rods stoned and left for dead ship wreck snake pit. He just goes through it and he says look, I consider that suffering of this present time aren't even worthy to be compared. Why I read the end of the book. I know what's coming.

You can even compare. You see what I'm going through with what I know is coming to me he has God's perspective, not man's you member then with Paul that the uniform in the flesh.

It must've been so bad because he entreated the Lord three times. Please remove it and God told him no, you going to keep it and then God said, look Paul when you're weak I'm strong and so I just want let you know this is going to keep it in my policy.

Great.

I bet I'm happily I will happily bear the thorn in the flesh.

If it makes me more effective for you.

He also calls in another part all of his suffering momentary light afflictions. There's nothing momentary, light about them from our point of view, but from the eternities point of view, it was just a moment in time.

You know what ended up happening that when you're weak.

I am strong. Whenever you suffer. God says I can draw you closer all this notice whenever we suffer one way or another we find ourselves one, because we don't have any other pastoral on the radio ministry fellowship Lord, if you ever miss one of our broadcasting or maybe you just like the message one more time. Remember that you can Google a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the fellowship and the word online that website you will find on with today's broadcast but also many of her previous audio programs as well at Fellowship in the Word. We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible. We ask all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help his radio ministry continuous protest on this radio station by supporting a monthly with just a one-time gift support for ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word.

4600 Clearview Pkwy., Metairie, LA 7006 if you would be interested in hearing today's message in its original format that is of the sermon, the pastor will deliver during a Sunday morning service at fellowship monitored visit our website SBC Nola.org that SBC and LA.O RG at our website you will find hundreds pastoral sermon you can browse through our sermon archives defined sermon series you're looking for or you can search by title. Once you find the method you're looking for.

You can listen online or if you prefer, you can download the sermon and listening and remembering all this absolutely free of charge. Once again our website is SBC Nola.org for pastoral go-cart unseasoned and heart. Thank you for listening to fellowship in order