Attributes of Goodness

We have been studying the doctrine of God or what the Bible teaches about God, and we have been investigating his attributes, or the characteristics or qualities that describe God. We look first at the attributes of greatness, and we have looked at nine of those. God is self-existent, he is eternal, he is unchangeable, he is omnipresent, which means he is everywhere present at the same time, he is omniscient, which means he knows all things, and he is omnipotent, which means he has all power, he is perfect, he is infinite, he is incomprehensible, and these words when you begin to put them all together and recognize the impact of that cumulative description of who God is, it becomes quite forceful to think of just how awesome God really is. But we are not done yet, we began last time, which we have missed a couple of weeks, so this may not be real fresh in your mind, certainly wasn't in mind either, but we began last week or last time looking at the attributes of goodness. Now the attributes of greatness describe the awesomeness, the majesty, the greatness of God, attributes that we do not share as human beings, but the attributes of goodness describe qualities of his character that we do, or at least can, share to some extent. The first one that we looked at was the holiness of God, and we looked at that last time, God is holy. We saw what the word means, the basic meaning of the word means to be separate, or to be set apart, and it can mean to be set apart either in his divine majesty or in his moral purity. And we talked about how that applies to our lives. Tonight we're going to look at a couple of others, Lord willing, a couple of other attributes of goodness. The first one tonight is God is true. God is true. When you think of the fact that God is true, there are a couple of ways to look at that. So there are a couple of ways to see, and we'll see both of them in the Bible, to understand that God is true. The first one is that God is genuine. When you think of something being true, the first thing that may come to mind is that it is genuine. It is that which conforms to the standard that is expected. It's the real thing. It's the real article. It's genuine. It's true. And so true, in that sense, indicates that God conforms to what God ought to be. He is real. He is the real article, if you will. I don't mean to indicate by that that we set the standard and somehow God measures up to our standard of who we ought to be. That's looking at things backward. But the idea is more this that in contrast to false gods or in contrast to anyone or anything else that may present itself as a God, God is the real God. He is the true God. Maybe the best example of this, and one that I want us to look at, even though it's not on your notes, is Jeremiah 10. Let's look at Jeremiah 10 just for an illustration of how God is true in the sense that He is the real God. He is genuine. One of my favorite passages, particularly in the book of Jeremiah, is Jeremiah 10, where Jeremiah uses sarcasm to talk about the idols of the nations. Verse 1, He begins here, what the Lord says to you, people of Israel, this is what the Lord says, do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the heavens, though the nations are terrified by them. He is talking there about the propensity of pagan people to be terrified by things that happen in the sky, comets or whatever. To think that those are some indication of mysterious happenings or gods judgment. He says, don't go by that. That's not people with a worship of the heavenly bodies do that. He says in verse 3, for the practices of the peoples are worthless, and then He describes idolatry in a very sarcastic tone. He says, they cut a tree out of the forest and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. They adorn it with silver and gold. They fasten it with hammer and nails. So it will not totter. I think I've told you the story before, when I was in Bible college of how friend of mine tried to convince me that this was talking about Christmas trees. It does kind of sound like it, but it was his argument against Christmas trees. No Christians should ever have a Christmas tree, he said. It's because it's an idol. Well, I really don't think Jeremiah had Christmas trees in mind, but he is talking about idols and he's talking about him in the sense that think about it. The God you worship, you went out the woods and cut down. It's a stump of wood. And then you decorated it. You shaped it and you decorated it with silver and gold. And then you had to fasten it with something underneath so it wouldn't fall over. That's your God. You know, you have to make sure it won't totter fall over. This is really sarcastic. He says in verse 5, like a scarecrow in a cucumber field, their idols cannot speak. Now think of that for a moment. There's sarcastic humor in that. You're God, the God you worship, the God that you're so afraid of is really like a scarecrow in a cucumber field. Can't do anything. Can't speak. Not only that, he says they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them. They can do no harm nor can they do any good. No one is like you, O Lord. You are great and your name is mighty in power. Who should not fear you, King of the nations? This is your do among all the wise leaders of the nations. And in all their kingdoms, there is no one like you. Then he goes back to describing the idols again in verse 8. They are all senseless and foolish. They are taught by worthless wooden idols. Hammered silver is brought from Tarsution, gold from Ufaz, what the craftsman and goldsmith have made is then dressed in blue and purple, all made by skilled workers. This is what you're worshiping, something you dressed up and you made yourself. And then notice the contrast in verse 10. Here it is. But the Lord is the true God, the true God. He is the living God, the eternal King. When he is angry, the earth trembles. The nations cannot endure his wrath. And he goes on through verse 16 with that same line of thought. And it's just so powerful. The idols are absolutely power. They can't do anything. They can't even stand up on their own. They can't speak like a scarecrow in a cucumber field. They can't say a word. And then here's the true God. Let him speak in the whole earth trembles. Idols are powerless. God is true. He's genuine because he does things. He speaks. He moves. They're earth trembles. When he does things, that's the distinction between idols that can't act, speak, do anything, have any power. And the true God. So you see the true God is the genuine article. He does what you would expect the God to be able to do. He speaks. He works. He acts. The whole earth trembles at him. He's the true, the true God in contrast to false gods. So God is true in the sense that he's genuine. He is the true God. Any comment or question about that before we look at the other sense in which God is true? He wants to bend the knee. He wants to bend the knee. He wants to bend the knee. He wants to bend the knee. He wants to bend the knee. Yes. Isn't that the appropriate response for all that we see about God is to fall before him in worship. He is so awesome. So God is true in that he is genuine, but he's also true secondly in that he is accurate. Truth is not only in God's person himself. He's genuine. He's the real article, but it's also in how he speaks. He is truthful in the sense that he is accurate in whatever he says. This is talking about God's veracity. His statements are truthful. He represents things as they really are. And from what we have already seen of God, this is what you would expect, right? If God knows all things, then obviously he's going to be truthful. He can't be fooled. He cannot speak alive, not only because of his character of being holy, but because he knows all things. And if God knows all things, he has all the facts. He knows everything about himself, about his creation, about every situation. So he knows exactly what to say. His statements are always truthful. So God is true in the sense that he is accurate or we might even say trustworthy or in other word might be faithful. Now we'll look at the faithfulness of God a little later, but it overlaps with this idea of truthfulness. Okay, any question about the truthfulness of God? We're going to look at some passages in the Old Testament and New Testament that describe this, but any comment or question about it to this point. All right, let's look at Psalm 31, Psalm 31, 5. The biblical teaching, we're going to look at several passages that describe God as true, either in the sense that he's genuine or he is accurate. Psalm 31, 5, into your hands I commit my spirit, deliver me Lord, my faithful God or my trustworthy God. God is trustworthy, is true. Is that sound familiar? Does that verse sound familiar? Where have you heard of that verse before? Where have you heard of it being referenced? Jesus on the cross, right? When Jesus died into my hands, I commend my spirit. He said, he was quoting this passage. Even in our Lord's death, scripture is on his mind. He quoted from Psalm 22, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? He quotes from Psalm 31. In his last words, into the hands I commit my spirit. And so no doubt this was an accurate description of of David's life and that's the way the Psalms are, at least this one which is written by David and 74 others that are written by David. David has suffered from a conspiracy. He has felt abandoned and this Psalm comes out of that background. And so in this sense of being attacked or abandoned, this conspiracy against him, he says, into your hands, I commit my spirit. This is all going to have to be worked out by you. God and I, I trust you because you're faithful, you're true, you're trust worthy. You can deliver me. And Jesus picked up those words from his heart and mind as he thought about the scriptures as he was dying on the cross. He quotes this as he, as he commends his own spirit to the Lord in death. God is faithful. He is trustworthy to take care of us in our time of need. Okay, so he is trustworthy. Look at Psalm 119, Psalm 119, which is a passage that has what as its topic, what is the topic of this chapter? You know what Psalm 119 is all about? Has 176 verses and 174 have mentioned this. Come on, somebody knows for sure. Psalm 119 is all about thy word exactly. It's all about the word of God. 174 of the verses mentioned the Bible in some form. God's word, God's judgments, God's precepts, God's sayings. It's just packed full of information about God's word. And there are quite a few verses in this chapter that talk about the fact that God's word is accurate. He is true in what he says. So let's look at Psalm 119, verse 160. All your words are true. All your righteous laws are eternal. So God's word is true. Look at just a few other verses that describe the same thing. Look back at, or verse 142, 142. Your righteousness is everlasting and your law is true. 151. You are near Lord and all your commands are true. And look back at 86, verse 86. All your commands are trustworthy. Help me for I'm being persecuted without cause. And then 138, just for another one, 138 says, your statutes, you have laid down a righteous, they are fully trustworthy. So we've seen at least five verses and there are others in the chapter that talk about the fact that God's word is true and trustworthy because God is true in all that he says, you can trust his word. You will never be led astray by his word because it is true. He represents things as they are. He has all the information, all the knowledge. So you can always trust what he says. Always trust what he says. His word is true. It's trustworthy. Okay, look at John 17, a couple of New Testament passages. John 17. This is Jesus' prayer the night before his death often called his high priestly prayer because he's praying for us seems to be as many believe a model of how Jesus prays for us as our high priest in heaven now. Notice what he says in verse 3. Now this is eternal life that they know you the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. Now skip down to verse 17. Sanctify them by the truth. Your word is truth. Now both ideas are found in this prayer. Both ideas that we've been talking about. God is true in the sense that he's genuine. He's the real article and Jesus refers to him as the only true God. He is the real God, the true God. He's genuine. But then he also refers to his word as truth. So God is truthful in the sense that his word is accurate. That's speaking of his veracity. His word is true. Your word is truth. So God is genuine and he's accurate. Both of them are found here in John 17. And then the Old Testament idea of the contrast with idols shows up again in 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 and verse 9. 1 Thessalonians 1 9 for they themselves speaking of other people throughout Macedonia and Achaea. They themselves report what kind of reception you gave us in Thessalonia, Thessalonica says they tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God. Now here again the contrast. Turned from idols, false gods, not genuine to serve the true and living God, the one who is genuine, the one who is accurate. So the biblical teaching is very plain, very clear. God is both genuine, the real God. He's true in that sense and he is trustworthy. He's accurate. He's true in that sense as well. Okay now what does that truth, the fact that God is true, he's genuine and he's accurate, what does that mean to you? How does that impact your life by way of application, the application of this truth? The significance of saying something is true and true. We look and search for that in the sense. We want somebody to be anxious to be self-atruthed. It's something not to be overlooked, that is so critical, hard to find. Yes. So the truth is to say that God is always true without false. I'll make the wake up. Exactly. I'll make us wake up. I hope you heard that in the back. John was talking about the fact that God is always true and to think of that in terms of how it relates to us, we struggle with truthfulness. We want truthfulness and honesty and integrity as we look at other people, but we don't always find it and we don't always even find it in ourselves. So it's refreshing to know that God is true. He is always accurate and it is a wake up call for us as well. Yes, Audrey. Comforting, isn't it? We know we can trust him. We know we can trust him because he's always right. He's true, body. Yes. Yes. So true. Satan is the exact opposite. He will always lie. Father of lies. John 844, Jesus said that about him. Okay. What to for a moment piggyback on what John said about how God's truthfulness often contrasts with us in our own character. The fact that God is true is a motivation for us to also be truthful and to be true, to be genuine. In fact, God appeals to us to be honest in all that we do and say, let me just give you a few references and passages that really tie our truthfulness into our relationship with God and being like him. First of all, in Deuteronomy 25, and this is on the screen for you, Moses told the people of Israel, do not have two differing weights in your bag, one heavy, one light. Now, what do you think that what do you think that's about? Well, dishonesty, but what's he talking about about having two different weights in your bag? One to buy with and one to sell with, exactly. That's the way people purchase, sold and bought things in that day by weight. And so, if you're going to buy something, use a little lighter weight, right? If you're going to sell something, it's a heavier weight, so you get more for what you sell. And so, one of the ways to be deceptive in that day was to use differing weights. And you find that mentioned a lot in the Bible. The prophets say that a lot. So, Moses says, be truthful, be honest. And one of the ways you show honesty is in the way you do business with people. You don't use different measurements, different weights for buying and selling. He says, do not have two differing measures in your house, one large, one small, same idea. You must have accurate and honest weights and measures so that you may live long in the land. The Lord your God is giving you. Notice God's blessing is always tied to the land in the Old Testament. For the Lord your God detests anyone who does these things, anyone who deals dishonestly. So, even in business affairs or from your home and dealing with your neighbors, and others don't be dishonest because God detests that. Okay. Next passage, look at 2nd Corinthians 4, 2, which speaks of how we handle the Bible. Paul said to the Corinthians, rather we have renounced secret and shameful ways talking about the way we do ministry. We do not use deception nor do we distort the word of God on the contrary by setting forth the truth plainly. We commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God. Do you notice possible to be dishonest with the Bible? It really is. You can be dishonest. People use the Bible for their own benefit. People use the Bible to teach things that will then benefit them or gain them a following. People twist the scriptures to benefit themselves. It happens all the time and Paul is saying we don't do that. We don't distort the scriptures. We just teach them plainly. This is what the Bible says. This is how it applies to us. This is what it means for our lives. That's how we're supposed to handle the Bible. It can be handled very deceitfully, but Paul says we don't do that. He was talking about his own ministry among the Corinthians. Now, the next couple of passages written by Paul have to do with more directly our honesty and speech and character and how that reflects the character of God and what God is doing in us really ties the two together. Paul says to the Ephesians, you were taught with regard to your former way of life to put off your old self, which has been corrupted by its deceitful desires, to be made new in the attitude of your minds. Now, notice this. And to put on the new self, notice these next words created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Okay, what he's wanting us to do is to be like God. And the first thing he mentions, and putting off the old life, putting on the new being made like God, the first thing he mentions on the next screen, the next slide, therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor if we are all members of one body. It's interesting that the very first evidence of new life, putting off the old life and putting on a new life and being made more like God, the first example that Paul gives, speak truthfully, be honest. He does the same thing in collotions, and by the way, collotions and Ephesians were written at the same time, and so very similar in their approach. Collotions 3 says, do not lie to each other. The reason why, since you have taken off your old life, old self with its practices, and have put on the new self. Now, what is that new self? It's being renewed in the knowledge, in the image of its creator. So here's the point, kind of piggyback on what John was saying. We look for truthfulness in people or in ourselves, we don't always find it. God is always true. But the scriptures tie those two together in this way also that God is our example of truthfulness, and as we are made in His image, as we mature and grow in becoming more like Christ, we should also be growing in honesty, truthfulness and integrity. So it's an example of what it means to become more like Him to be people of truthfulness. So be genuine, be accurate. God appeals to us to be honest, like He is honest, like He is true. And I don't know about you, but we live in a world of artificial substitutes, don't we? We live in a world of imitations, and it is so refreshing to know that God is not an imitation. Or He's the real thing. He is the real thing. He's not an imitation. Sylvia Beckett taught my wife something, one time about cooking. She taught my wife how to make lemon meringue pie out of yellow squash. Now I don't know how you do that, but you know you can make certain things that look like and taste like something else with the right kind of seasonings and so forth, I guess. But Jeannie does a lot of that kind of imitation cooking. Or has at times Jeannie makes an apple pie out of Ritz crackers. There's not an apple in it. It's out of Ritz crackers and it's got all kinds of stuff in it that makes it look and taste like an apple pie, but there's no apples in it. How do you do that? Just ask her. She's, I'm sure, got the recipe. I can remember one time she made canned pineapple out of zucchini. The zucchini gives it the substance, I guess. The only good thing about that is somebody finally found some good way to use zucchini. That's the only way and same with yellow squash. But we use, we live in a world of imitations, don't we have substitutes of things that look, taste, feel like the real thing, but are not. And the same thing is true with people, people that look like the real genuine article and are not, we live in a world of imitations that are not genuine, not real. And it is so refreshing to know there is nothing fake about God. He's the real article. He's true. He's genuine. And he is also truthful. Trustworthy. We can always trust him. He's true. That is, that is a rock on which to build your life. It is a solid foundation on which to stand. It is a, it is a place to rest when you're weary to know that God is true. He's true. And you can depend on him. Yes, Kathy. The truth unnecessarily hurts someone. Jerry, what do you think? Okay. Share with us the response that was given and let me interact with that. Theweed dog will act as you have watched. He just consensus true to like that to people that are first someone from middle age to, and then sagen you would be the mayor of Haha. You know, in your mind, you think you look weird. Hahaha. Most of us look better with our clothes on, yeah. Haha. The one that we made, is that it's the key to your mind, you know, and you don't think you feel. Mm-hmm. You say no, she's not on. And I know what she's doing. Yeah. I knew what you were thinking. Now that's a baby. Haha. Haha. Haha. Uh. Hmm. You know, when you change my purpose, I want you to do it with those kinds of things. Hmm. You're definitely going to have to run through it. Yeah. I think I would approach that a little differently, without hearing the person, the context in which it was said. I'm not necessarily saying they're wrong. But I think I would, I think there is a way to respond to people that is more gracious and tactful than just, you know, hitting them with the sledgehammer of truth. Yeah. You are fat in that dress. In fact, you're fat anyway, you know, just, I mean, that just, there's a way to be more graceful and tactful than that. You know, there's no need to hurt someone. In, in cases like that. Now, let me back up a little bit to say if it is God's truth that is being declared and that hurts, it's truth and it has to be said. That's a little different ball game, okay? That's a little different. Sometimes we can use truth to bludgeon people and to be so direct that it's harmful and hurtful and I don't think that's appropriate. I think there are other passages that come into play there like Ephesians 4, speak only what is beneficial to edifying and so forth. But on the other hand, if it is, we don't shy away from the truth of God's word when it hurts someone. So that he wasn't talking about that, okay, okay, yeah. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's a difficult one. Somebody else respond. Bob, what? Yes. That's a great point. And one that I think needs to frame this whole discussion and that is that we know that God's intent with his truth is always for our benefit, always for our good. It may not feel good but ultimately if it makes us more like Christ, it is for our good. And that's always God's motive and God's intent. And that may jump back to the situation that Kathy brought up. Our motive and intent always ought to be to edify and build up people and that which is simply going to hurt them and tear them down doesn't need to be said. And there are lots of offshoots of that idea of, do I look fat in this dress or whatever. There are other ways to respond to that. I think that dress is very becoming on you. And there are ways to, but if the person is pressing you to come out and tell them they're fat then I would question, why do you want me to tell you that? You know? So beating around the bush. Beating around the bush. Yeah. Yeah. Those people are just like, uh, uh, true. Yes. Yes. Right. Uh-huh. Yeah. Yes. Yes, you're exactly right. And the truth of God's word does anger people. In that particular instance, especially that Jerry's brought up, that there's exclusively one way to heaven because of man's twisted, sinful mindset. You know, man has, in his own mind, twisted things so badly to where God with the intent as Bob said to love us and help us to understand there is only one way and I'm telling you what it is. That's a loving thing. But man because of sinfulness and sin nature is so twisted in his mind that he sees that as an unfair thing. I've often used the illustration. If I'm in a house and it's on fire and a fireman comes into me and says, uh, I can get you out of this. But you've got to come with me or let me carry you whatever there's only one way out of this house. If I, if I respond, that doesn't seem fair. There's got to be more than one way out of this house. I want to choose my own way. The fireman is doing a loving thing for me. And although I may think it's unfair to be so exclusive about the only one, if there is indeed only one way out of this house, that's the most loving thing the fireman can do for me. And that's what God is doing. The most loving thing in the world is for him to make clear the only way that we can get to heaven and that exclusivity we understand is a loving thing because of the warped, twisted, result of sin on man's mind, man sees it as an unfair thing. Truth hurts and it seems unfair to people when in reality it is a loving, gracious truth. Yeah. Yeah. Jesus said, I did not come to give peace. I mean, there are places where he said I did come to give peace. But in that sense, he said, I did not come to bring peace but a sword to divide, you know, father and son and mother and daughter and brother and sister, sword divides, doesn't it? It divides, yes, right to divide. It divides truth from error. But yeah, sometimes the truth does hurt and it does divide. But the hurtful side of that is because of our sinfulness and God's truth always is intended for our welfare, our benefit, our good eternally. Good, very good, very good discussion. Okay. Other questions here, comments? Okay. God is true. Let's hang on to that. Let's hang on to the fact that God is always genuine. He is genuine. He's the real thing and he's always accurate. So he's trustworthy. And let's also use that as a challenge and a model for us to understand that part of being made new in his image is to become honest, truthful, people of integrity, genuine, truthful, accurate. Okay. Let's pray. Father, thank you for the fact that you are true, that you are the real God in contrast to all the imposter's, in contrast to things that glitter like they are real and tempt us to think that that's worthy of our devotion. In contrast to all of that, you are the real God. You are the only one who can give us life, who can satisfy our deepest need and longing. Give us real meaning and purpose in life. You are the true God. Thank you, Father, that you are also accurate, your God of truthfulness and thus your trust worthy we can depend on you. Thank you, Father, for what it means to us that you are true. May we become more true like you, we ask in Jesus' name, amen.