WEBVTT 00:00:01.199 --> 00:00:04.400 Of all the words that God could use to describe 00:00:04.400 --> 00:00:08.140 himself, what one word do you think he'd choose? 00:00:08.839 --> 00:00:10.679 While you're thinking about that, I have to tell 00:00:10.679 --> 00:00:13.839 you that many years ago, a man gave me a thin 00:00:13.839 --> 00:00:17.000 little book on the attributes of God, and the 00:00:17.000 --> 00:00:20.140 one attribute that changed the course of my life 00:00:20.140 --> 00:00:22.719 is this one word. Want to find out what it is? 00:00:22.800 --> 00:00:28.280 Stay with me. Welcome to this edition of Living 00:00:28.280 --> 00:00:31.100 on the Edge with Chip Ingram. Our mission is 00:00:31.100 --> 00:00:33.640 to inspire Christians to be genuine followers 00:00:33.640 --> 00:00:36.859 of Jesus and to empower them to be active disciple 00:00:36.859 --> 00:00:39.460 makers in our world. Thanks for being with us 00:00:39.460 --> 00:00:42.219 as we pick up in our series, The Real God, How 00:00:42.219 --> 00:00:45.159 He Longs for You to See Him. Today, Chip begins 00:00:45.159 --> 00:00:47.659 breaking down the first of seven characteristics 00:00:47.659 --> 00:00:50.619 God uses to describe himself through nature, 00:00:50.780 --> 00:00:53.679 his word, and Jesus. So if you have a Bible, 00:00:53.740 --> 00:00:57.079 go now to Psalm 84, and let's settle in for Chip's 00:00:57.079 --> 00:01:01.719 message, The Goodness of God. I was at a major 00:01:01.719 --> 00:01:06.239 crossroads in my life. There was a path that 00:01:06.239 --> 00:01:09.159 was clearly the will of God, and there was a 00:01:09.159 --> 00:01:12.579 path that was clearly not the will of God. And 00:01:12.579 --> 00:01:14.680 although sometimes that can be confusing and 00:01:14.680 --> 00:01:18.560 hard, this was easy. I knew exactly what God 00:01:18.560 --> 00:01:22.099 wanted me to do. And I had enough self -awareness 00:01:22.099 --> 00:01:27.640 to know that whatever path I took would determine 00:01:27.640 --> 00:01:30.810 the rest of my life. That the implications were 00:01:30.810 --> 00:01:36.469 just amazingly overwhelming. And I knew exactly 00:01:36.469 --> 00:01:40.370 what to do. But I couldn't get myself to do it. 00:01:41.930 --> 00:01:45.930 Anybody been there? For a year, year and a half. 00:01:46.790 --> 00:01:53.109 Went to Bible studies. Still read my Bible. Outwardly, 00:01:53.109 --> 00:01:58.769 I'm sure few people really knew. But I was involved 00:01:58.769 --> 00:02:01.750 in a relationship with a young lady that God 00:02:01.750 --> 00:02:04.969 made it very clear, this is not my will. But 00:02:04.969 --> 00:02:11.009 I was in love. And I had worked and worked and 00:02:11.009 --> 00:02:13.789 worked out of all my insecurities. If you've 00:02:13.789 --> 00:02:17.090 ever gone to an outdoor playground and seen very 00:02:17.090 --> 00:02:20.889 competitive basketball, and you just see one 00:02:20.889 --> 00:02:24.449 skinny little white kid. John Stockton was my 00:02:24.449 --> 00:02:29.159 hero. the over -aggressive, over -the -top, over 00:02:29.159 --> 00:02:33.919 -achiever, that was me. And so I grew up playing 00:02:33.919 --> 00:02:36.520 in inner city playgrounds and then played in 00:02:36.520 --> 00:02:39.539 college. And my whole identity was wrapped around 00:02:39.539 --> 00:02:42.879 being a basketball player, but really it wasn't. 00:02:43.180 --> 00:02:46.099 It was really was, it was my God. It was my Isaac. 00:02:46.680 --> 00:02:50.319 It's what held me up inside. And God had made 00:02:50.319 --> 00:02:54.259 it very clear that I love you very much. And 00:02:54.259 --> 00:02:56.479 that you need to break off this relationship 00:02:56.479 --> 00:03:00.120 and trust me for your future. And you need to 00:03:00.120 --> 00:03:05.319 release this idol that you have. And my fears 00:03:05.319 --> 00:03:07.900 were that if I did, one, I would be single the 00:03:07.900 --> 00:03:11.560 rest of my life. Or I would marry someone, this 00:03:11.560 --> 00:03:13.500 is bizarre thinking, that I would really not 00:03:13.500 --> 00:03:18.419 like. Because what I had was really good and 00:03:18.419 --> 00:03:20.400 I could see her and touch her and she was beautiful. 00:03:21.460 --> 00:03:25.949 And what God had was invisible. And I felt like 00:03:25.949 --> 00:03:30.449 if I entrusted basketball to him, he would probably 00:03:30.449 --> 00:03:34.129 take it away and not let me play anymore. On 00:03:34.129 --> 00:03:36.310 the front of your notes, I put a sentence that 00:03:36.310 --> 00:03:40.810 I think is worthy for all of us to look at. There's 00:03:40.810 --> 00:03:44.169 a private battle that every true follower of 00:03:44.169 --> 00:03:50.409 Christ must face and you must win. There's no 00:03:50.409 --> 00:03:55.300 exceptions. The battle is for your heart. It's 00:03:55.300 --> 00:03:58.599 for your affections. It's for your loyalty. We 00:03:58.599 --> 00:04:01.060 call it a lot of things. Some people call it 00:04:01.060 --> 00:04:03.939 surrender. Others call it being all in. Others 00:04:03.939 --> 00:04:08.139 say it's being totally committed. Jesus said 00:04:08.139 --> 00:04:10.800 it's picking up your cross, denying yourself 00:04:10.800 --> 00:04:14.419 and following him and saying that he and he alone 00:04:14.419 --> 00:04:17.870 is the Lord of your life. And there's lots of 00:04:17.870 --> 00:04:20.889 competition. There's an entire world system that's 00:04:20.889 --> 00:04:24.610 designed to woo your heart away from your Savior 00:04:24.610 --> 00:04:30.449 who loves you. The barrier is FOMO, F -O -M -O, 00:04:30.709 --> 00:04:36.110 fear of missing out. And there's this idea that 00:04:36.110 --> 00:04:39.910 somehow FOMO is this thing that keeps us not 00:04:39.910 --> 00:04:42.430 enjoying the present, not being who we're supposed 00:04:42.430 --> 00:04:44.410 to be, living with this fear that we're going 00:04:44.410 --> 00:04:45.870 to miss out. Well, I got news. It's not new. 00:04:46.480 --> 00:04:49.199 The very first sin by our first parents was FOMO. 00:04:50.800 --> 00:04:54.480 Eve, don't you understand that he's holding out 00:04:54.480 --> 00:04:58.319 on you? Don't you really want to be wise? Don't 00:04:58.319 --> 00:05:00.540 you want a better life? God's not really good. 00:05:00.660 --> 00:05:05.100 Has God really said? The first sin that ever 00:05:05.100 --> 00:05:08.220 occurred was a belief that God was not a good 00:05:08.220 --> 00:05:10.860 God, that he was holding out on us, and that 00:05:10.860 --> 00:05:14.180 you're going to miss out by allowing him to be 00:05:14.180 --> 00:05:17.269 the Lord of your life. The breakthrough, I'm 00:05:17.269 --> 00:05:20.509 convinced, for all of us, is not trying harder, 00:05:20.649 --> 00:05:22.970 not seeing someone who's more committed, not 00:05:22.970 --> 00:05:25.610 saying, this time I'm really in, I'll do anything, 00:05:25.810 --> 00:05:28.189 I'll go anywhere, and out of your flesh and energy 00:05:28.189 --> 00:05:30.529 say, okay, I'm really going to be committed, 00:05:30.569 --> 00:05:33.649 even though, because we've all done that, and 00:05:33.649 --> 00:05:36.649 what happens? You cycle back, cycle back, cycle 00:05:36.649 --> 00:05:40.810 back. The breakthrough, I believe, comes when 00:05:40.810 --> 00:05:45.329 you actually believe that God is good. that he's 00:05:45.329 --> 00:05:49.870 for you, that the path of his will, though difficult 00:05:49.870 --> 00:05:54.040 on the front end, is the good. The acceptable, 00:05:54.240 --> 00:05:57.040 that the highest good that you'll ever receive, 00:05:57.180 --> 00:06:00.560 the best relationships, the best decisions, the 00:06:00.560 --> 00:06:03.660 best future, that literally that surrender or 00:06:03.660 --> 00:06:07.600 total commitment because God is good is the channel 00:06:07.600 --> 00:06:10.100 through which his biggest and best blessings 00:06:10.100 --> 00:06:12.699 flow and that the most intellectually feasible, 00:06:13.060 --> 00:06:15.759 the emotionally fulfilling path that you could 00:06:15.759 --> 00:06:19.259 ever take would be do exactly what God says because 00:06:19.259 --> 00:06:22.800 all his commandments are for your good. And rather 00:06:22.800 --> 00:06:25.459 than being prohibitive, his commands are like 00:06:25.459 --> 00:06:29.360 guide rails on a winding path. And if you would 00:06:29.360 --> 00:06:31.319 break through the guardrails, there's a thousand 00:06:31.319 --> 00:06:34.000 foot drop. And he so loves you and so loves me. 00:06:34.060 --> 00:06:36.540 He gives us guide rails about relationships and 00:06:36.540 --> 00:06:39.540 sexuality and money and decision making. All 00:06:39.540 --> 00:06:43.060 so that we land and experience the very best 00:06:43.060 --> 00:06:46.399 because you're the object of his affection. But 00:06:46.399 --> 00:06:50.180 I am deeply convinced. that many of us don't 00:06:50.180 --> 00:06:51.980 believe in our hearts that God is really good. 00:06:53.939 --> 00:06:56.040 Tozer said, what comes into your mind when you 00:06:56.040 --> 00:06:58.180 think about God is the most important thing about 00:06:58.180 --> 00:07:01.500 us and that there is a secret law of the soul 00:07:01.500 --> 00:07:06.779 that you and I will move and make decisions consciously 00:07:06.779 --> 00:07:09.319 and unconsciously toward our mental image of 00:07:09.319 --> 00:07:13.480 God. And if God is not good, if he's not for 00:07:13.480 --> 00:07:15.699 you, if you don't believe that at the core of 00:07:15.699 --> 00:07:19.569 your being, then you will constantly struggle 00:07:19.569 --> 00:07:22.730 with commitment, constantly struggle with manipulating, 00:07:23.009 --> 00:07:25.930 constantly struggle with, how can I get as close 00:07:25.930 --> 00:07:29.449 to sin as possible but not fall in? And then 00:07:29.449 --> 00:07:32.709 ultimately, never really fully trust God. The 00:07:32.709 --> 00:07:34.990 thesis of this whole study is that our distorted 00:07:34.990 --> 00:07:37.649 view of God is at the root of all of our problems. 00:07:39.170 --> 00:07:43.610 Your fears, your anxieties, your relational breakdowns, 00:07:44.079 --> 00:07:46.939 your sense about the future, your conflict in 00:07:46.939 --> 00:07:50.120 relationships. At the root of all of our problems, 00:07:50.199 --> 00:07:53.000 it goes back to a distorted view of God that 00:07:53.000 --> 00:07:55.319 gives us a distorted view of ourself, a distorted 00:07:55.319 --> 00:07:57.620 view of the future, a distorted view of relationships. 00:07:57.839 --> 00:08:00.980 So we have this... scarce pie mentality. There's 00:08:00.980 --> 00:08:03.560 not much to go around. I better get mine. If 00:08:03.560 --> 00:08:05.519 I don't have this position, if I don't have this, 00:08:05.560 --> 00:08:07.579 if I don't look like this, if I don't own that, 00:08:07.680 --> 00:08:09.720 if people don't think this about me, and we have 00:08:09.720 --> 00:08:11.899 this, all this stuff going on, and then we're 00:08:11.899 --> 00:08:15.360 bombarded by media and a world system that says, 00:08:15.360 --> 00:08:17.379 if you look like this, or if you have this, or 00:08:17.379 --> 00:08:19.160 if you own this, or if you've accomplished this, 00:08:19.300 --> 00:08:23.000 then you're a somebody. And so our significance, 00:08:23.120 --> 00:08:26.920 our security is all wrapped around chasing the 00:08:26.920 --> 00:08:30.560 wind. As opposed to realizing there is a good 00:08:30.560 --> 00:08:34.399 God who is completely for you. And it brings 00:08:34.399 --> 00:08:37.919 rest to your soul. And you can trust him. But 00:08:37.919 --> 00:08:41.980 I will tell you, it's a battle. So in our study, 00:08:42.019 --> 00:08:43.580 we're going to start with the goodness of God 00:08:43.580 --> 00:08:47.159 because it's foundational. The theologians call 00:08:47.159 --> 00:08:49.620 God... simple. And what they mean by that is 00:08:49.620 --> 00:08:52.580 think of the character of God as a diamond and 00:08:52.580 --> 00:08:55.200 that as you would tilt the diamond and put light 00:08:55.200 --> 00:08:58.139 on it, it would reveal different facets, but 00:08:58.139 --> 00:09:01.159 it's one diamond. It's not like God is holy and 00:09:01.159 --> 00:09:03.720 then on some other days he's loving. His holiness, 00:09:04.019 --> 00:09:07.720 his infinitude, his self -sufficiency, his justice, 00:09:07.919 --> 00:09:11.299 his compassion, they all work as a simple unit. 00:09:11.360 --> 00:09:14.860 He's always holy in all of his love. He's always 00:09:14.860 --> 00:09:18.159 loving in all of his justice. He's always compassionate 00:09:18.159 --> 00:09:22.399 even in judgment. But I think one of the things 00:09:22.399 --> 00:09:26.309 that we miss And as foundational is the goodness 00:09:26.309 --> 00:09:29.169 of God. If God isn't good, life makes no sense. 00:09:29.450 --> 00:09:31.970 As Tozer would say, heaven can become a hell 00:09:31.970 --> 00:09:34.590 and hell can become a heaven. There is no values 00:09:34.590 --> 00:09:37.389 if there's no goodness. And so often if you want 00:09:37.389 --> 00:09:41.870 to study something, go to where the concept first 00:09:41.870 --> 00:09:45.330 pops up in scripture. And so I'm going to ask 00:09:45.330 --> 00:09:49.669 you to turn with me to Exodus chapter 33 and 00:09:49.669 --> 00:09:53.700 chapter 34. And as you turn there, I'll give 00:09:53.700 --> 00:09:56.899 you the context. Moses has seen God's power. 00:09:57.139 --> 00:10:00.100 He's seen the miracles. He's a reluctant servant. 00:10:00.299 --> 00:10:03.779 You know, Lord, send somebody else, not me. But 00:10:03.779 --> 00:10:06.960 he's now seen the Nile turn to blood. He's seen 00:10:06.960 --> 00:10:09.980 the parting of the Red Sea. There's a fire by 00:10:09.980 --> 00:10:13.320 night. There's a cloud moving by day. He's seen 00:10:13.320 --> 00:10:17.350 miraculous things. And as he is now in intimate 00:10:17.350 --> 00:10:19.889 relationship with God, the psalmist gives us 00:10:19.889 --> 00:10:22.529 some insight. Psalm 103 verse 7 is one of those 00:10:22.529 --> 00:10:25.789 interestingly hinged verses. It says he made 00:10:25.789 --> 00:10:28.289 known his ways to Moses, his acts to the sons 00:10:28.289 --> 00:10:33.389 of Israel. His ways. All of Israel saw his acts, 00:10:33.529 --> 00:10:37.029 right? Power, deliverance, power, deliverance. 00:10:37.169 --> 00:10:39.730 How many of those people who saw all of his acts 00:10:39.730 --> 00:10:43.909 entered the promised land and believed God? God's 00:10:43.909 --> 00:10:47.190 acts will never sustain you. Everyone in this 00:10:47.190 --> 00:10:48.870 room, we all probably have a big challenge and 00:10:48.870 --> 00:10:51.169 one of our kids is in a jam or we have a health 00:10:51.169 --> 00:10:53.769 issue or a financial issue or something's upside 00:10:53.769 --> 00:10:56.149 down or you have a big fear about something. 00:10:56.289 --> 00:10:59.250 And all of us, we play, this is human. Oh God, 00:10:59.309 --> 00:11:02.450 if you would just do this and let's just say 00:11:02.450 --> 00:11:05.750 hypothetically, he miraculously did that big 00:11:05.750 --> 00:11:09.129 thing in your life. I'll guarantee 30 days from 00:11:09.129 --> 00:11:11.269 now, I could sit down with you and you'd be asking 00:11:11.269 --> 00:11:14.139 him for the next big thing. Oh, if you would 00:11:14.139 --> 00:11:16.000 just change so -and -so's heart. If you would 00:11:16.000 --> 00:11:20.200 only, and God supernaturally, if you would look 00:11:20.200 --> 00:11:22.279 in the rear view mirror, he's intervened in your 00:11:22.279 --> 00:11:25.340 life in supernatural ways. Acts that are deliverance 00:11:25.340 --> 00:11:27.379 are evidence of his kindness and his goodness. 00:11:28.100 --> 00:11:31.840 But God's acts don't sustain us. His ways do. 00:11:33.179 --> 00:11:35.840 And Moses, after seeing all those acts and interacting 00:11:35.840 --> 00:11:40.360 with God, He makes this outrageous, bold request 00:11:40.360 --> 00:11:43.279 that I think thrilled God's heart. Show me your 00:11:43.279 --> 00:11:45.519 glory, he says. I want to see you face to face. 00:11:45.620 --> 00:11:48.320 I want to know all of who you are. And God says, 00:11:48.440 --> 00:11:51.299 again, some of these translations are sort of 00:11:51.299 --> 00:11:53.519 the Ingram telling the story through my lens. 00:11:53.919 --> 00:11:55.720 So, you know, don't look for this right in the 00:11:55.720 --> 00:11:58.659 Bible. But I think God's response in essence 00:11:58.659 --> 00:12:02.840 was, you have no idea what you're asking. But 00:12:02.840 --> 00:12:05.080 what he actually did say is, no one can see me 00:12:05.080 --> 00:12:08.860 and live. But I'll tell you what I'll do. I think 00:12:08.860 --> 00:12:12.059 when God sees a seeking heart, he says, Moses, 00:12:12.159 --> 00:12:14.659 you get over there, kind of edge back in those 00:12:14.659 --> 00:12:16.220 rocks. And what I'm going to do is I'm going 00:12:16.220 --> 00:12:18.980 to pass by you. And then I'm going to give you 00:12:18.980 --> 00:12:22.460 just a glimpse of my back. And then notice in 00:12:22.460 --> 00:12:25.659 your notes, when God wanted to describe his passing 00:12:25.659 --> 00:12:29.440 by, all my goodness will pass before you. Isn't 00:12:29.440 --> 00:12:33.220 that interesting? Not all my holiness, not all 00:12:33.220 --> 00:12:40.139 my, all my goodness. will pass before you. And 00:12:40.139 --> 00:12:43.919 then God answers his prayer. Exodus 34, we pick 00:12:43.919 --> 00:12:45.860 it up in verse five. Now the Lord descended in 00:12:45.860 --> 00:12:48.779 the cloud and he stood with him there and he 00:12:48.779 --> 00:12:51.379 proclaimed the name of the Lord and the Lord 00:12:51.379 --> 00:12:54.659 passed before him and proclaimed the Lord, the 00:12:54.659 --> 00:12:57.220 Lord God, merciful and gracious, long -suffering, 00:12:57.340 --> 00:13:00.679 abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy 00:13:00.679 --> 00:13:03.879 for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgressions 00:13:03.879 --> 00:13:08.090 and sin. And then in all that love, compassion, 00:13:08.149 --> 00:13:10.149 and goodness, by no means declaring the guilty 00:13:10.149 --> 00:13:12.950 innocent, visiting the iniquity of the fathers 00:13:12.950 --> 00:13:15.129 upon the children and the children's children 00:13:15.129 --> 00:13:19.559 to the third and to the fourth generation. You're 00:13:19.559 --> 00:13:21.940 listening to Living on the Edge. We'll return 00:13:21.940 --> 00:13:24.799 you to today's message in just a second. But 00:13:24.799 --> 00:13:27.220 let me quickly ask you, do you often find it 00:13:27.220 --> 00:13:29.580 difficult to read and understand God's Word? 00:13:29.779 --> 00:13:32.480 If so, join us after today's program as Chip 00:13:32.480 --> 00:13:35.799 talks about our useful resource, Daily Discipleship 00:13:35.799 --> 00:13:39.000 with Chip. This tool has helped tens of thousands 00:13:39.000 --> 00:13:41.639 of people study the Bible and develop a deeper 00:13:41.639 --> 00:13:44.100 connection to God. Stick around to learn how 00:13:44.100 --> 00:13:46.820 to sign up. Over that, let's rejoin Chip for 00:13:46.820 --> 00:13:50.259 the remainder of his message. J .I. Packard in 00:13:50.259 --> 00:13:53.580 his book, Knowing God, comments on this passage. 00:13:53.720 --> 00:13:57.659 He says, within the cluster of God's moral perfections, 00:13:57.659 --> 00:14:01.120 there is one in particular, the term goodness, 00:14:01.220 --> 00:14:04.139 that points to a quality which God especially 00:14:04.139 --> 00:14:06.879 singled out from the whole when proclaiming his 00:14:06.879 --> 00:14:10.620 goodness to Moses. He spoke of himself as abundant 00:14:10.620 --> 00:14:15.360 in goodness and truth. And then Packard makes 00:14:15.360 --> 00:14:18.340 this comment that as he studied this word, This 00:14:18.340 --> 00:14:21.320 idea of goodness at its heart is the generosity 00:14:21.320 --> 00:14:24.679 of God. Have you ever thought of God as generous? 00:14:25.899 --> 00:14:28.879 Have you ever thought of God as no matter, he 00:14:28.879 --> 00:14:32.860 just wants to lavish. He longs to give the core 00:14:32.860 --> 00:14:35.460 of the character of God and all of his attributes 00:14:35.460 --> 00:14:40.149 that he's generous. No scarcity. When he sees 00:14:40.149 --> 00:14:44.149 you, when you come to his infinite mind, he longs 00:14:44.149 --> 00:14:46.570 to bless, he longs to encourage, he longs to 00:14:46.570 --> 00:14:49.529 create a path. I love this next line. He says, 00:14:49.549 --> 00:14:52.950 generosity expresses the simple wish that others 00:14:52.950 --> 00:14:57.470 might have what they need to be happy. Have you 00:14:57.470 --> 00:14:59.090 ever thought of God like that, thinking of you? 00:14:59.490 --> 00:15:02.009 That you might have what you need to be happy. 00:15:02.429 --> 00:15:04.730 See, it's interesting is the world says, here's 00:15:04.730 --> 00:15:06.309 all these things that'll make you happy someday, 00:15:06.309 --> 00:15:10.080 some way. God says, no, no, no. Follow me, worship 00:15:10.080 --> 00:15:13.600 me, I've made you. I want to give you a life 00:15:13.600 --> 00:15:16.720 from within and in relationships, in a path with 00:15:16.720 --> 00:15:19.440 me that would bring delight to my heart and make 00:15:19.440 --> 00:15:23.379 you happy as a byproduct. That's how God thinks 00:15:23.379 --> 00:15:27.019 of you. The Hebrew word here means pleasant, 00:15:27.080 --> 00:15:30.139 joyful, agreeable. And when it's translated into 00:15:30.139 --> 00:15:32.820 the Greek text, it's noble, admirable, worthy. 00:15:33.039 --> 00:15:37.860 It's this, it's good. It's the standard of goodness. 00:15:37.940 --> 00:15:40.120 Goodness isn't something that God possesses. 00:15:40.120 --> 00:15:43.980 He is the standard. It is how he is. And again, 00:15:44.039 --> 00:15:47.860 I've given you a thought by Tozer. He says, the 00:15:47.860 --> 00:15:51.080 goodness of God is that which disposes him to 00:15:51.080 --> 00:15:55.259 be kind, cordial, benevolent, and full of goodwill 00:15:55.259 --> 00:15:59.440 toward men. He's tenderhearted and quick of sympathy. 00:15:59.559 --> 00:16:02.360 Is that how you think about God? When you bow 00:16:02.360 --> 00:16:05.860 your head, do you think, oh, he's for me? He's 00:16:05.860 --> 00:16:10.159 glad to see me. He's full of goodwill. He wants 00:16:10.159 --> 00:16:13.299 my best. He's orchestrating people and circumstances 00:16:13.299 --> 00:16:16.659 in my home and in my job and in my heart to bless 00:16:16.659 --> 00:16:21.440 my life. He's quick of sympathy. How many of 00:16:21.440 --> 00:16:23.960 you, when you hurt and when you mess up, feel 00:16:23.960 --> 00:16:27.919 like God just moved away 10 yards? God's arms 00:16:27.919 --> 00:16:31.980 are crossed. God's attitude is, again, huh? How 00:16:31.980 --> 00:16:33.379 many times are you gonna go around this barn? 00:16:33.959 --> 00:16:35.879 So, oh, you think that thought, that lustful 00:16:35.879 --> 00:16:38.299 thought again, you're still envying her. Oh, 00:16:38.340 --> 00:16:40.279 you opened your mouth again and talked about, 00:16:40.320 --> 00:16:41.960 well, friend, well, you know what? I call that 00:16:41.960 --> 00:16:44.740 gossip or you know what? So are you just possessed 00:16:44.740 --> 00:16:46.659 with greed? Can you, you have to get up and look 00:16:46.659 --> 00:16:48.559 at the wall street journal before anything else. 00:16:49.299 --> 00:16:51.500 I mean, mind me what's with you. Oh, that's that 00:16:51.500 --> 00:16:53.799 show came on and you lingered a little bit longer 00:16:53.799 --> 00:16:56.379 and you didn't click the thing. So how many times 00:16:56.379 --> 00:16:59.919 are we going to deal with this issue? How many 00:16:59.919 --> 00:17:02.679 of you have a view of God that his arms are crossed 00:17:02.679 --> 00:17:05.279 and he's basically down on you instead of a view 00:17:05.279 --> 00:17:09.019 that says, the moment that you turn and go, oh, 00:17:09.059 --> 00:17:11.880 Lord, you're mindful that I'm dust. I'm just 00:17:11.880 --> 00:17:15.259 a person of flesh. I get lulled into these, oh, 00:17:15.359 --> 00:17:17.900 I so don't want to be that. And that when you 00:17:17.900 --> 00:17:20.640 would turn like that, he would be, I understand. 00:17:21.460 --> 00:17:27.039 I'm for you. I love you. See, the power of temptation, 00:17:27.960 --> 00:17:30.339 The power of the lust of the flesh, the power 00:17:30.339 --> 00:17:32.859 of the pride of life, the power of the lust of 00:17:32.859 --> 00:17:35.779 having and possessing, the power of what everyone 00:17:35.779 --> 00:17:39.119 thinks matters so much is behind it is a belief 00:17:39.119 --> 00:17:42.859 that God isn't for you, that the real action 00:17:42.859 --> 00:17:46.119 is over there, that the real success, the real 00:17:46.119 --> 00:17:47.920 fulfillment, all the things you're looking for 00:17:47.920 --> 00:17:51.589 are some way out there. And that's why 1 John, 00:17:51.750 --> 00:17:53.630 the apostle of love, would say, love not the 00:17:53.630 --> 00:17:55.910 world or things that are in the world. And all 00:17:55.910 --> 00:17:57.670 that's in the world, the lust of the flesh, the 00:17:57.670 --> 00:18:00.130 lust of the eyes, the pride of life, it's not 00:18:00.130 --> 00:18:02.369 from the Father, but it's from the world. And 00:18:02.369 --> 00:18:05.210 if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father 00:18:05.210 --> 00:18:07.990 isn't in him, but the world's passing away. But 00:18:07.990 --> 00:18:12.369 God's love abides forever. See, what Tozer wanted 00:18:12.369 --> 00:18:14.869 us to get around, that's what God is like. The 00:18:14.869 --> 00:18:18.549 last line. He says this, and I have this underlined 00:18:18.549 --> 00:18:21.029 like 45 times in my little book that I've been 00:18:21.029 --> 00:18:26.670 reading. It says he, by his nature, circle that 00:18:26.670 --> 00:18:29.690 in your notes, by his nature, not by your circumstances, 00:18:30.029 --> 00:18:32.549 not by whether you're doing good or doing bad. 00:18:33.009 --> 00:18:35.710 God isn't good to you because you're good. God 00:18:35.710 --> 00:18:39.589 is good because he's good. It's intrinsic. He 00:18:39.589 --> 00:18:43.190 can't not be good. You have good days, bad days, 00:18:43.269 --> 00:18:45.769 obedience days, not obedience days. It doesn't 00:18:45.769 --> 00:18:48.910 change the character of God. Actually, there's 00:18:48.910 --> 00:18:51.410 times that it's out of his goodness. Some of 00:18:51.410 --> 00:18:52.930 the difficulties that some of us have in our 00:18:52.930 --> 00:18:56.049 life, the difficulties I had in my life, that 00:18:56.049 --> 00:18:58.470 18 months when I was in a relationship that was 00:18:58.470 --> 00:19:01.009 sinful and when I had an idol in my life, in 00:19:01.009 --> 00:19:03.650 the goodness and kindness of God, the velvet 00:19:03.650 --> 00:19:06.730 vice of discipline started. So I pulled my quad 00:19:06.730 --> 00:19:09.789 right out of here to here. Wow, couldn't play 00:19:09.789 --> 00:19:13.369 12, 13 games. You know, then pretty soon as I 00:19:13.369 --> 00:19:15.470 rehabbed and so I went again and then I had a 00:19:15.470 --> 00:19:17.549 stress fracture in my foot. I mean, every year 00:19:17.549 --> 00:19:21.789 it was like God going, you know, Ingram, you 00:19:21.789 --> 00:19:23.630 can worship basketball or you can worship me, 00:19:23.769 --> 00:19:29.170 but I love you so much. I mean, finally, my surrender 00:19:29.170 --> 00:19:32.569 was not like some noble, I will give you everything. 00:19:35.190 --> 00:19:37.630 I mean, literally mine was, if you can't lick 00:19:37.630 --> 00:19:46.059 him, join him. Literally. God, I'm bankrupt. 00:19:47.119 --> 00:19:51.359 You frustrate my plans. This relationship isn't 00:19:51.359 --> 00:19:54.440 what I know it is. I don't like the guilt. I 00:19:54.440 --> 00:19:57.119 don't like the shame. I don't like living a double 00:19:57.119 --> 00:19:58.839 life. I look in the mirror and I don't like me. 00:19:59.099 --> 00:20:03.220 I appear to be one person. I know I'm not. You 00:20:03.220 --> 00:20:06.640 frustrate, frustrate, frustrate, frustrate my 00:20:06.640 --> 00:20:10.079 plans. You know what? And you won't leave me 00:20:10.079 --> 00:20:11.480 alone. I've tried to quit the Christian life 00:20:11.480 --> 00:20:14.039 a couple times. You won't leave. You know, when 00:20:14.039 --> 00:20:17.019 you receive Christ, it's like in a marriage. 00:20:17.039 --> 00:20:19.359 You said, I do. Lord, come into my life. Guess 00:20:19.359 --> 00:20:22.160 what? He said yes. And then he sealed you with 00:20:22.160 --> 00:20:27.160 his spirit. And he lives in you. And he permanently 00:20:27.160 --> 00:20:31.220 came in. And you can grieve the spirit, but out 00:20:31.220 --> 00:20:33.440 of his goodness, some of the most difficult things 00:20:33.440 --> 00:20:36.309 in our life is his saying, I want what's better 00:20:36.309 --> 00:20:38.869 for you, so I'm not going to allow you to keep 00:20:38.869 --> 00:20:42.670 going down this path. The scripture says that 00:20:42.670 --> 00:20:45.190 God disciplines every son, every daughter that 00:20:45.190 --> 00:20:48.049 he really loves. It's out of his goodness. It's 00:20:48.049 --> 00:20:50.069 out of his kindness. He doesn't want you to miss 00:20:50.069 --> 00:20:54.730 out. He takes holy pleasure in the happiness 00:20:54.730 --> 00:20:58.190 of his people. The breakthrough came for me when 00:20:58.190 --> 00:21:03.130 a passage came. from my intellect to my heart. 00:21:03.349 --> 00:21:06.009 And then I later claimed a promise. It's Psalm 00:21:06.009 --> 00:21:09.430 84, 11. I have a little card that's about 30 00:21:09.430 --> 00:21:12.609 years old and it says the goodness of God. And 00:21:12.609 --> 00:21:15.349 on one side, I have written my fears about the 00:21:15.349 --> 00:21:18.170 future. And on the other side, after it says, 00:21:18.250 --> 00:21:20.970 stop being afraid of the future, you won't miss 00:21:20.970 --> 00:21:24.049 out. On the other side has Psalm 84, 11. The 00:21:24.049 --> 00:21:27.109 Lord God is a sun and a shield. The Lord gives 00:21:27.109 --> 00:21:30.789 grace and glory. No good thing does he withhold 00:21:30.789 --> 00:21:34.329 from those who walk uprightly. Now think about 00:21:34.329 --> 00:21:36.349 this. And by the way, it's the Lord God. It's 00:21:36.349 --> 00:21:39.730 Yahweh Adonai, the I am that I am, the one who 00:21:39.730 --> 00:21:44.190 spoke the world into existence, is a sun, unlimited 00:21:44.190 --> 00:21:48.150 source, is a shield, unlimited protection. He 00:21:48.150 --> 00:21:51.150 gives grace, what you don't deserve, blessing, 00:21:51.349 --> 00:21:55.000 lavish, love, goodness, kindness, mercy. What's 00:21:55.000 --> 00:21:57.920 mercy? He withholds the due judgment that we 00:21:57.920 --> 00:22:00.900 ought to get in so many occasions. No good thing. 00:22:00.920 --> 00:22:03.200 Here's the promise. No good thing will he withhold 00:22:03.200 --> 00:22:06.380 from those who walk uprightly. As you have the 00:22:06.380 --> 00:22:09.339 crisscross of this path is God's way or this 00:22:09.339 --> 00:22:12.400 path in small and big situations, as you say, 00:22:12.440 --> 00:22:14.960 I'm going to go on your path, here's what you 00:22:14.960 --> 00:22:20.819 can say. I do not fear missing. because on this 00:22:20.819 --> 00:22:24.099 path, God will never withhold what's best for 00:22:24.099 --> 00:22:27.759 me. That's a statement of faith. That's a promise 00:22:27.759 --> 00:22:30.640 to claim. It will change the course of your life. 00:22:32.599 --> 00:22:38.299 Well, how has God revealed his goodness? It's 00:22:38.299 --> 00:22:40.900 one thing. I can tell you, if you actually come 00:22:40.900 --> 00:22:44.119 to believe that from your head down to your heart, 00:22:44.200 --> 00:22:48.559 obedience will be completely different. trusting 00:22:48.559 --> 00:22:51.000 him becomes completely different. The fear of 00:22:51.000 --> 00:22:53.859 the future, we always have some, it'll begin 00:22:53.859 --> 00:22:56.619 to dissipate. Because if God has your best and 00:22:56.619 --> 00:22:58.940 he's sovereign and he's control and he's an all 00:22:58.940 --> 00:23:02.299 -wise God and he's for you and he's leaning forward 00:23:02.299 --> 00:23:04.660 on the throne to bless your life and to help 00:23:04.660 --> 00:23:08.000 you and give you the very best, well then, whatever 00:23:08.000 --> 00:23:10.619 he says is the, well, that's what I want to do. 00:23:11.000 --> 00:23:12.599 Now, by the way, it doesn't mean that you don't 00:23:12.599 --> 00:23:14.380 have some emotional fear. It doesn't mean the 00:23:14.380 --> 00:23:17.720 front end might be really hard. But it means 00:23:17.720 --> 00:23:19.759 that you trust his promises because he's a good 00:23:19.759 --> 00:23:22.859 God. He's revealed it to us in three ways. And 00:23:22.859 --> 00:23:26.960 let me encourage you to let these ways sink in 00:23:26.960 --> 00:23:28.859 and begin to practice them in a new way. Because 00:23:28.859 --> 00:23:31.740 you've got to do some things to move. I believe 00:23:31.740 --> 00:23:34.880 God's good to hear. First, it's through natural 00:23:34.880 --> 00:23:40.180 blessings. Psalm 145, 7 through 9 says, They 00:23:40.180 --> 00:23:42.359 celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully 00:23:42.359 --> 00:23:46.119 sing of your righteousness. The Lord is gracious 00:23:46.119 --> 00:23:49.519 and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in 00:23:49.519 --> 00:23:55.200 love. The Lord is good to all. He has compassion 00:23:55.200 --> 00:24:01.819 on all he's made. Does the all include you? He's 00:24:01.819 --> 00:24:06.380 good to all. This little phrase is repeated all 00:24:06.380 --> 00:24:10.759 through the Old Testament. He's gracious, compassionate, 00:24:11.220 --> 00:24:16.160 abounding, multiplying, exponentially available, 00:24:16.559 --> 00:24:20.460 loving kindness. The word is hesed. It's a steadfast, 00:24:20.619 --> 00:24:24.500 loyal, commitment, love to give you the best. 00:24:25.680 --> 00:24:30.460 That's how God is with his creation. Later in 00:24:30.460 --> 00:24:33.779 the same Psalm, verse 16 says, you open your 00:24:33.779 --> 00:24:35.980 hand and satisfy the desires of every living 00:24:35.980 --> 00:24:38.599 thing. The Lord is righteous in all his ways 00:24:38.599 --> 00:24:42.519 and faithful in all that he does. And here's 00:24:42.519 --> 00:24:46.559 what I'd say is pause to look around. We get 00:24:46.559 --> 00:24:50.539 so busy, so focused. Just observe people. Observe 00:24:50.539 --> 00:24:52.640 people at a restaurant. Observe people walking 00:24:52.640 --> 00:24:55.480 on the streets now. The whole world does this. 00:24:56.940 --> 00:24:59.680 A family sitting together in a restaurant. There's 00:24:59.680 --> 00:25:03.779 four phones out. When's the last time, I'm serious. 00:25:03.920 --> 00:25:08.599 When's the last time you saw a sunset? You, when's 00:25:08.599 --> 00:25:14.319 the last time you saw a sunrise? This is Living 00:25:14.319 --> 00:25:16.859 on the Edge with Chip Ingram, and you've been 00:25:16.859 --> 00:25:18.839 listening to part one of Chip's message, The 00:25:18.839 --> 00:25:21.519 Goodness of God, from our series, The Real God. 00:25:21.839 --> 00:25:24.099 Chip will be back shortly to share some helpful 00:25:24.099 --> 00:25:26.779 application for us to think about. You know, 00:25:26.799 --> 00:25:29.980 we've all unintentionally projected some of humanity's 00:25:29.980 --> 00:25:33.339 worst qualities into our Creator. Many view God 00:25:33.339 --> 00:25:37.180 as moody, weak, unfair, impatient, and merciless. 00:25:37.220 --> 00:25:39.880 But those ideas couldn't be further from the 00:25:39.880 --> 00:25:42.730 truth. Through this series, Chip explores key 00:25:42.730 --> 00:25:45.990 Bible passages to reveal seven fundamental characteristics 00:25:45.990 --> 00:25:49.029 of our Heavenly Father, attributes that reflect 00:25:49.029 --> 00:25:52.349 the very essence of His divine nature. Join Chip 00:25:52.349 --> 00:25:54.849 on this journey to reshape your perspective toward 00:25:54.849 --> 00:25:57.289 God, which will deepen your relationship with 00:25:57.289 --> 00:25:59.990 Him like never before. You won't want to miss 00:25:59.990 --> 00:26:02.990 a single part of this study. Well, before we 00:26:02.990 --> 00:26:05.349 go any further in this program, here's Chip with 00:26:05.349 --> 00:26:08.269 a quick word. I'll be right back with some specific 00:26:08.269 --> 00:26:11.049 application from today's message, but I want 00:26:11.049 --> 00:26:13.029 to share something with you that's very personal 00:26:13.029 --> 00:26:16.049 to me. When I was a young Christian, I really 00:26:16.049 --> 00:26:19.309 struggled to understand God's Word, and I really 00:26:19.309 --> 00:26:22.789 struggled to get into it on a daily basis. There 00:26:22.789 --> 00:26:25.029 were so many names and places I couldn't pronounce, 00:26:25.230 --> 00:26:27.549 but I knew it was really important to get in 00:26:27.549 --> 00:26:30.740 God's Word and really let Him speak to me. And 00:26:30.740 --> 00:26:33.759 I thank God for Dave Marshall. He was a bricklayer, 00:26:33.759 --> 00:26:36.700 an older mentor who came down to my dorm room 00:26:36.700 --> 00:26:39.559 when I was in college and met with me and showed 00:26:39.559 --> 00:26:42.619 me how to read the Bible and study it for myself 00:26:42.619 --> 00:26:46.380 in a way where I began to hear God's voice. He 00:26:46.380 --> 00:26:48.900 actually started speaking to me and it wasn't 00:26:48.900 --> 00:26:51.960 like a mystery and it took time and it took discipline 00:26:51.960 --> 00:26:55.440 and I needed Dave to show me how. And I want 00:26:55.440 --> 00:26:58.869 to invite you. to get from me what Dave gave 00:26:58.869 --> 00:27:02.190 to me. I want to mentor you in what we call Daily 00:27:02.190 --> 00:27:05.789 Discipleship. It's a free video tool where I 00:27:05.789 --> 00:27:08.589 literally mentor and study the Bible with people. 00:27:08.630 --> 00:27:11.329 I mean, individually. I'll never speak for more 00:27:11.329 --> 00:27:13.609 than about 10 minutes, and then I'll ask you 00:27:13.609 --> 00:27:15.710 to study on your own for another 10 minutes. 00:27:16.430 --> 00:27:19.490 Let's dive deeper into God's Word and build a 00:27:19.490 --> 00:27:22.569 life -changing habit of meeting with God. Check 00:27:22.569 --> 00:27:25.230 it out. Daily Discipleship with Chip. Thanks, 00:27:25.250 --> 00:27:27.329 Chip. So if you're looking for a practical way 00:27:27.329 --> 00:27:29.890 to deepen your faith, let me encourage you to 00:27:29.890 --> 00:27:32.930 sign up for Daily Discipleship with Chip. This 00:27:32.930 --> 00:27:35.250 free video resource will help you learn more 00:27:35.250 --> 00:27:38.089 about God and His Word. To sign up for any of 00:27:38.089 --> 00:27:41.569 our Daily Discipleship series, visit livingontheedge 00:27:41.569 --> 00:27:46.730 .org. That's livingontheedge .org. App listeners, 00:27:46.829 --> 00:27:49.609 tap Discipleship. Well, with that, here again 00:27:49.609 --> 00:27:52.049 is Chip to share a few final thoughts about the 00:27:52.049 --> 00:27:56.529 goodness of God. By his nature, he is inclined 00:27:56.529 --> 00:28:01.130 to bestow blessedness, and he takes holy pleasure 00:28:01.130 --> 00:28:05.210 in the happiness of his people. That statement 00:28:05.210 --> 00:28:09.630 in the same sentence with God was inconceivable 00:28:09.630 --> 00:28:13.450 to me. I was a Christian three, maybe four years 00:28:13.450 --> 00:28:16.250 at the time. Now, I didn't grow up in a Christian 00:28:16.250 --> 00:28:18.529 environment. I'd only read the Bible for a couple 00:28:18.529 --> 00:28:21.390 three years, but all the baggage of my past was 00:28:21.390 --> 00:28:26.950 this angry, God who was down on me. Do you understand? 00:28:27.069 --> 00:28:29.569 It was like the lights coming on. Do you understand 00:28:29.569 --> 00:28:32.710 what will happen to you if you can begin to renew 00:28:32.710 --> 00:28:36.450 your mind and believe that by his nature, not 00:28:36.450 --> 00:28:39.690 your performance, by his nature, not your behavior, 00:28:39.809 --> 00:28:43.210 by his nature. In other words, it's what God 00:28:43.210 --> 00:28:46.329 is like. It's who he is. He doesn't change. He 00:28:46.329 --> 00:28:50.130 is eternally good. Every morning when you get 00:28:50.130 --> 00:28:54.890 up, it brings God. pleasure to see happiness 00:28:54.890 --> 00:28:56.970 birthed in your heart out of your relationship 00:28:56.970 --> 00:29:00.490 with him. When he wants to give good gifts, when 00:29:00.490 --> 00:29:03.369 he wants to bless, and I don't mean just superficial 00:29:03.369 --> 00:29:06.670 stuff like, you know, money or cars or things 00:29:06.670 --> 00:29:09.690 working out your way. Of course he blesses in 00:29:09.690 --> 00:29:12.849 those things, but I'm talking about the depth 00:29:12.849 --> 00:29:16.029 of your very soul to know that you are approved. 00:29:16.210 --> 00:29:20.789 God is for you. He is with you. He wants to bring 00:29:20.789 --> 00:29:26.230 great joy to you. That's Jesus. And Jesus says 00:29:26.230 --> 00:29:30.329 to you today, come unto me, all of you who are 00:29:30.329 --> 00:29:33.589 tired and heavy laden and worn out and stressed 00:29:33.589 --> 00:29:38.509 out, and I will give you rest. Why? Because God 00:29:38.509 --> 00:29:41.569 is good. Thanks, Chip. And as we close, I want 00:29:41.569 --> 00:29:44.490 you to know that as a staff, we ask the Lord 00:29:44.490 --> 00:29:46.789 to help you take whatever your next faith step 00:29:46.789 --> 00:29:50.150 is, and we'd love to hear how it's going. Would 00:29:50.150 --> 00:29:52.250 you take a minute to send us a note or give us 00:29:52.250 --> 00:29:55.630 a call? Either one is easy. Just email chip at 00:29:55.630 --> 00:30:01.130 livingontheedge .org or call 888 -333 -6003. 00:30:01.410 --> 00:30:07.289 Again, that's 888 -333 -6003 or email chip at 00:30:07.289 --> 00:30:11.279 livingontheedge .org. We'll listen to next time 00:30:11.279 --> 00:30:13.640 as Chip picks up in his series, The Real God. 00:30:13.960 --> 00:30:16.299 Until then, this is Dave Drewy saying thanks 00:30:16.299 --> 00:30:18.880 for joining us for this edition of Living on 00:30:18.880 --> 00:30:19.440 the Edge.