Sermon Tone Analysis

5/26/19

INTRO

If God is good then….

If God is good then….

Why is there so much suffering in the world?

Why does Evil exist?

Why does He send people to Hell?

Why do babies die?

Why did cancer take my mother?

Why did my wife leave me?

Why didn’t He heal my son?

Why…

This is a very real, natural, and I would argue visceral question for many of us personally as well as for our friends and family.

Perhaps you are here today and are crying with you anger or confusion as to why a good God would allow something bad to happen in your life.

This is a very old question.

In fact this question has been asked by humans for thousands of years and the good news is that God is not put off by it.

God does not avoid it or seek to dismiss it, in fact He answers it quite clearly in His Word.

As we look into His word to discover the answer to this question I would ask that you join me in prayer.

PRAYER

God our father in heaven, your very name is holy, righteous and true.

We want for your name to receive the glory and honor it deserves both on this earth and in the larger universe in which we live, we desire for all of creation seen and unseen to herald your mighty name.

We want to understand your Will and as we are trusting that you are good we ask that your will might be done in our very own lives.

Father we thank you for today, the day that you have made and we long to taste and see that you are good as we feast on your Holy Word today we ask that you would forgive us of our anger and blame we so often direct toward you.

Give us your spirit so that we might understand what is the hight and breadth length and depth of your love for us.

Help us to have a right understanding of you so that we might see your goodness even in the face of suffering in our own lives.

We ask that you might deliver us from evil and from temptations of this world.

God our father in heaven, your very name is holy, righteous and true.

We want for your name to receive the glory and honor it deserves both on this earth and in the larger universe in which we live, we desire for all of creation seen and unseen to herald your mighty name.

We want to understand your Will and as we are trusting that you are good we ask that your will might be done in our very own lives.

Father we thank you for today, the day that you have made and we long to taste and see that you are good as we feast on your Holy Word today we ask that you would forgive us of our anger and blame we so often direct toward you.

Give us your spirit so that we might understand what is the hight and breadth length and depth of your love for us.

Help us to have a right understanding of you so that we might see your goodness even in the face of suffering in our own lives.

We ask that you might deliver us from evil and from temptations of this world.

Amen!

MESSAGE

As we approach this topic I would like to take one step back.

We are assuming God is good when we ask these questions.

So before we assume we must first ask the question of God: Are you good?

As we approach this topic I would like to take one step back.

We are assuming God is good when we ask these questions.

So before we assume we must first ask the question of God: Are you good?

Is God actually good?

If He is not then our problem ends there, for if God is not actually good then we have no reason to ask why these things happen, for we have the answer already.

I want to affirm that I believe God is good!!

In fact I would argue that God is the very definition of Good.

Let us revisit firstly some of the arguments for Gods existence from last week, surely you remember most of what was said if not all of the 50 cent words to describe them.

Teleological argument for God’s existence

Cosmological argument for Gods existence

Ontological argument for Gods existence

Moral argument for God’s existence

If a God exists it must be good

If a God exists it must be good

God exists

God is good

Circular reasoning, I know, however logic only work within a framework of absolutes and absolutes can only exist within the framework of our submission to the belief that absolutes exist and absolutes can only exist if there is an absolute standard by which to measure them by and an absolute standard can only exist if there is a being to claim dominion over this standard absolutely.

Since you or I cannot claim this authority on absolutes and yet we both agree on their necessity it therefore necessitates a being greater then ourselves to claim this absolute authority!

LOL, I love philosophy!!

If I lost you there that is ok, I wrote that out to read it or else I was going to lose myself… I digress…

God makes claim to His goodness in His Word…

God Alone is Good

Mk 10.18

Deut

God Demonstrates His Goodness

in his actions

in his creation

in his love

in his gifts

in his promises

in his commands

God Wants us to Experience His Goodness

Ps 31.

God Works Good Even in Unfavorable Circumstances

God’s Goodness Is To Be Praised!

But instead we question Him!...

Ez 18.25

Since God is GOOD, why… ?

1 John = God is LOVE

-------------------------------------------------------

Wrong Question

Why do bad things happen to good people?

wrong question!

do you really believe you are good?

God says that we are not good, even if we think we are!

apart from God even the “good” we do is not truly GOOD in the eyes of God

All of us are guilty before God because all have sinned!

Why do bad things happen to Good people?… there are no good people!!

Why does God put up with any of us at all?

We misunderstand that God’s goodness does not necessitate a life of ease, comfort, and safety!

----- Yet…

If God is Good then...

Why do bad things happen to good people?

Why is there suffering?

How can He send people to Hell?

…

why can’t wont he put a stop to satan?

why does he send people to hell?

Arguments For God’s Goodness...

Cosmological

Teleological

And Yet…

Ontological

Powerful

Knowing