CHAPTER 5. Gods “Good”
In this chapter we will look at EXACTLY what GODS love is…
Simply put…Gods love is Gods “GOOD”
God’s Good is God’s happiness peace and joy…
Gods Good is supported by…
People, Objects and Events that GOD considers valuable and when they are in the right Context of time and place.
Gods values are the Support for God’s Good. They are what God places value in.
1. The PEOPLE God values are His Family…
If you look to the end of the bible you can see the people God values and the ones he doesn’t…
Rev 21:6-8: “And he said unto me, It is done.
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.
I will give to him that is thirsty of the fountain of the water of life freely.
He that overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son…. (These are who God values)
(These next ones are who God holds no value for)
…But the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars,
shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
The key words here for the people God values are…
“He who is thirsty (for my love)…” and “He who overcomes” (Mammon)
The “Overcoming” has to happen BEFORE getting to heaven if you want to be a part of God’s “GOOD”…God’s Family…
God’s love and Mammon love have the same underlying principles of…
People, Objects and Events…only the personal values and context are different…
Love has not evolved over time, love has been the same for thousands of years and love is the same in every culture…Only the personal values and context have changed…
A Saint and a mass Murderer both have the same underlying principles of love… a Saint LOVES to help people and a murderer LOVES to kill people!
Same happiness peace and joy, just different values and context that support that happiness peace and joy.
Mammon is Personal Gain
God’s love is Family Gain
The sole reason most people go to church is to avoid going to hell… this is Mammon, personal gain.
God’s love is much more than just avoiding hell…
King David wrote…
Ps 34:8: “Taste and see that the LORD [is] good; blessed [is] the man [who] trusts in Him.”
If you haven’t tasted God’s love you won’t live God’s love because
you will not have experienced God’s GOOD…
You have to experience God’s love before you see it is GOOD, then to be blessed further you have to flow in it…
Those “In Christ” flow from God’s anointed presence of love like Jesus and live their lives based in God’s Values…
This is literally…the way, truth and life… a life that’s lived in God’s love.
God’s love IS the best lifestyle that will bring you lasting happiness peace and joy.
Jesus sacrifice on the Cross paid the penalty for Mammon BUT it doesn’t end there…. Only FLOWING in God’s love is the road of repentance…resulting in a growing in Faith towards God leading to eternity….
Remember Jesus commandments…?
Love God…and teach it…
Love your Neighbour…
Love as I loved you…
Understanding and flowing in the love of God is the WHY that has to come before the WHAT…
The WHY is more important than the WHAT
Jesus said…
Mat 7:22-23: “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”(unrighteous , wicked lawlessness )
They failed not in the WHAT they were doing but in the WHY they were doing it…
God’s love has to come BEFORE the Works… otherwise it’s probably flowing from mammon.
Eph 2:8-9: “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (God’s love). Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
The Greek word for Grace used here means… “the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life” (Strong’s dictionary)
Paul taught…
1Cor 13:1-2: “I may speak in the languages of humans and of angels. But if I don’t have love, I am a loud gong or a clashing cymbal. I may have the gift to speak what God has revealed, and I may understand all mysteries and have all knowledge. I may even have enough faith to move mountains. But if I don’t have love, I am nothing.”
Peter taught…
2Pet 3:9: “The Lord isn’t slow to do what he promised, as some people think. Rather, he is patient for your sake. He doesn’t want to destroy ANYONE but wants ALL PEOPLE to have an opportunity to turn to him and change the way they think and act.”
God values the PEOPLE who value HIS FAMILY and want to flow in HIS Family values…
2. The OBJECTS God values…are His Creation and the Creations of His children…
We can clearly see from Creation the flavour of God…
Because no one builds what they don’t like…
Creation is a combination of solids and waveforms…
Soils and cells… light and sounds… to name a few…combinations.
It is not a black and white reality but one of amazing blended variety designed to to ignite the senses…
Sights, Sounds, Tastes, Textures and Aromas’….
When we were made in God’s likeness we were made to compliment God’s creation…to be creation’s stewards and creators in our own right.
But when mammon love entered, creation became for mankind an object to be exploited rather than God’s object of beauty to be appreciated and preserved.
Ultimately, the earth and everything on it will become only fit for the fire and a new earth will have to be be created without the taint of mammon to spoil it.
2Pet 3:10: “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.”
Like any Father, God is proud of his children’s creations but only when they line up with proven eternal values.
We were created as creative beings for God’s, and our own, Good pleasure within the guidelines of Gods Family Values.
When God created Light He said it felt “Good”
When God created the rest of creation including humanity God said it felt …“Very Good”
In this plan there is unlimited potential for future stories of creativity.
God doesn’t want mindless obedience but mindful creativity within the guidelines of His love.
3. The EVENTS or ACTIONS that God values…
The Events or Actions values are the ones that flow out of His Love…
There is one scripture that like no other shines a spotlight on what God’s Actions Values are…
It is a scripture the disciples used to discern what the “Will of God” was in the face of new emerging doctrine as the New Testament hadn’t yet been written.
This scripture is literally the foundation scripture for all the teaching of the New Testament and the cornerstone of the Church of Christ…
Everything in the early emerging church was judged by it…
The scripture is… Exodus 34:6
This is where God, after giving Moses the Ten Commandments on stone, then makes a declaration of His 7 foundational values…
This scripture is the CONTEXT for the Ten Commandments…
As you learn Gods 7 Values and adopt them, making them YOUR own, in the harmony of God’s Spirit, you will literally find the True Eternal Love you have been looking for…
God’s declaration begins with…
Exo 34:6: “And the LORD passed by before Moses, and proclaimed, Jehovah, Jehovah El… (This means: I have always been, I will always be, the ultimate Strength.)
God the Father IS the ultimate strength that will always be.
Exo 34:6-7: “And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and compassionate, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.”
These are much more than just words… they are literally a window into God’s Heart and Will…
1.Merciful
meaning: Choosing to show kindness rather than condemnation from a position of Authority or Right Standing.
In a courtroom it’s not uncommon for a convicted criminal to ask the Judge for Mercy…to show kindness…
You will also find at times when you know that you are right and know the person arguing with you is wrong…
Do you choose to show mercy…showing Kindness from your position of right standing…?
God the Father doesn’t just show occasional kindness but He is FULL of Mercy… Merciful.
2. Compassion
meaning: Having a heart felt desire to help the suffering.
This is not mammon but a genuine heartfelt act of love that goes beyond personal gain.
It was God’s Compassion for humanity that lead Him to send Jesus…
John 3:16-17: “For God so LOVED the world that He gave His only-begotten Son,that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world,but so that the world might be saved through Him.”
3. Slow to Anger
Also translated as Long suffering and Patient.
This Value of God is taken in the context of REPENTANCE …
It gives the offender time to Repent and also time for the offended to cool down…
There IS a limit to God’s Patients in the face of blatant rebellion against His Values.
Before we move onto the remaining 4 values it’s important to note that once you have taken ownership and begun to apply the first 3 of Gods values in your day to day life…….You will find that the remaining 4 values will naturally fall into place…
Our love is often shaped by our Context so when God’s love values are front and centre of your life…negative context will not impact you as severely…
This truly is one of the greatest consequences of flowing in the Heart of God…
4. Abundant in Loving Kindness
meaning: Full of Good on the inside and it then the Good flowing to the outside…
This is literally what it means to be… “In Christ “ God’s Good on the inside flowing out…
Luk 17:20-21: “And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom (The Good) of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is WITHIN you.”
THIS IS IT!!!!!! Stop everything!!!!
YOU HAVE FOUND IT….THE KEY TO A LIFE FILLED WITH LOVING KINDNESS…
THIS IS WHAT EVERYONE IS LOOKING FOR…THIS IS THE TRUE ETERNAL LOVE.
To fully understand this you have to experience it…
It won’t come from mammon like a passing fad…
Mercy leads to Compassion…Compassion leads to Patience…
Mercy, Compassion and Patience leads to…Abundant Lovingkindness…
Religion will bring you into bondage but Relationship in God’s love will bring you into a whole new way of living in love. This is the same love you will flow in for eternity…….
Just as there are levels of Love there are also physical levels in Heaven…
Your understanding and adoption of these values will determine where you will be placed…
There is… A Lake of Fire…A New Earth and Heavenly Bodies…A New Holy City…A Throne Room where God runs his government …
God will not give His ultimate power to babies because it would destroy them.
God the Father is looking for men and women who will step up into His Loving-kindness and serve in partnership from a heart of true love…. and He wants you to start today…
This is the WHY behind the WHAT, that really matters.
5. Truth
meaning: Gods love is Dependable and Reliable.
The only sure thing in life is Change…We are all given free will to choose that change…
Gods love or mammon…
Which do you think will end up being the best for you…?
Our lives are NOT predetermined UNLESS … you consciously choose to flow in God’s will. God’s foundational values never change BECAUSE they are designed to be dependable for eternity. God has bound himself to these values because He knows they work.
Imagine living in a city where everyone flowed from these same values…What could be accomplished without the selfishness of mammon dividing and weakening humanities efforts…
Imagine where everyone is equal in stature and yet free to be a individual, bringing their talents to the Family as a gift along with all those around you…flowing in loving kindness… with an appreciation for all creation… sound like Heaven…?
You can depend on it.
Rev 22:14: “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.”
6. Forgiveness
meaning: There is no grudge debt owing when you flow in Mercy Compassion and Patience…
Unforgiveness is the greatest roadblock to hearing from God and allowing His Love to flow through your life… It is the greatest distraction the enemy has and the greatest cancer to your walk in Christ…
When Jesus said “It is finished” he meant it…
Remember these are God’s values that God operates under and we can operate under them as well.
Rom 8:1: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.“…
We look at this scripture as meaning we are no longer condemned… but what if it also means… there is now no condemnation in you for others…?
Rom 8:5-6: “For those who live according to the flesh have their outlook shaped by the things of the flesh, (mammon) but those who live according to the Spirit have their outlook shaped by the things of the Spirit. (Gods values… Forgiveness) For the outlook of the flesh is death, but the outlook of the Spirit is life and peace,” (This is the unbound lifestyle of Gods love)
As Christians’ we have been taught that it is important to forgive so we say…
“ I forgive you” BUT we do this without looking at the WHY behind the WHAT
The WHAT is grief we feel from unsupported love…
The WHY is a lack of understanding by the world as to what Gods love actually is…
Luk 23:34: “Then said Jesus, (from the Cross). Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.…”
Fake forgiveness is like you putting a bandage on a festering sore… If you put enough on you no longer see the sore but the bandage…BUT the problem is… the sore is still there underneath because it was not dealt with in the first place…
With Mercy Compassion and Patience in the forefront of your heart… true forgiveness in God’s love is easy.
Jesus sacrifice on the cross transferred the righteous equity of his life onto the lives of those who want to restore Gods values into their lives…
But the Cross doesn’t deal with repentance… that is still up to us to learn from Jesus life and then apply.
Forgiveness without repentance means nothing because the WHY behind the transgressions hasn’t been dealt with.
Jesus said to love as he loved us and at the heart of this is Forgiveness…
7. Justice and Accountability
meaning: Exo 34:7: “… that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity (unrighteousness wicked lawlessness) of the (unrepentant) fathers upon the (unrepentant) children, and upon the (unrepentant) children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.”
Everything we do and say is being written down in Heavens Books…
Rev 20:12: “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the BOOKS (including yours) were opened: and ANOTHER BOOK was opened, which is THE BOOK OF LIFE: and the dead were (personally) judged out of those things which were written in the BOOKS, (yours and others) according to their WORKS.”
The “Book of Life” is also called “The Lambs book of Life” and unless your name is in it you cannot enter the new Holy City.
There are three basic levels in Heaven…
- The Holy City
- The New Heavens and Earth
- The Lake of Fire
Rev 21:27: “And there shall in no way enter into it (The Holy City) anything that defiles, or any making an abomination or a lie; but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”
We all have a story… it is the reason we were created in the first place…
Our story is being recorded for God and future generations to enjoy…for eternity.
Jesus also has a book of his life and to get your name into his book your story has to become a part of HIS story.
Those who are not part of Jesus story will be judged according to THEIR works to see if they qualify for the New Earth or the lake of fire.
You will also be judged out of others books as you have impacted their story…
Rev 21:27: “And there shall in no way enter into it …(The Holy City) anything that defiles, or any making an abomination or a lie…
This means that outside the city there are people whose names are not in Jesus book and yet have still qualified for the New Earth.
The qualifier for these people will be their earthly lifestyle of love…
Each of us has a book of our lives and those who are not in Jesus book will be judged according to what is in their book AND what is written about them in others books.
Jesus taught…
Mt 5:23-24: ““So if you are offering your gift at the altar and remember there that another believer has something against you, leave your gift at the altar. First go away and make peace with that person. Then come back and offer your gift.”
“Make peace quickly with your opponent while you are on the way to court with him. Otherwise, he will hand you over to the judge. Then the judge will hand you over to an officer, who will throw you into prison.”
God is not an unmerciful Judge…Only those who consciously flow in a lifestyle of evil will go to the lake of fire…
The…. Rev 21:8: ” cowardly, unfaithful, and detestable people, murderers, sexual sinners, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars will find themselves in the fiery lake of burning sulphur. This is the second death.”
Judgment and accountability are not just for the negative but can also be for the positive in determining GOOD rewards.
There are those throughout history who have not been taught God’s love and yet they flow in some of the values of God without realising…
The church has been slack in teaching God’s love because the enemy has hidden the message by using religious distraction.
God will be looking at the lifestyle not the occasional slip up…
Remember Grace is… “the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life”
God understands we live in a fallen body and surrounded by a wicked world…
Eph 6:12: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
Against this backdrop we have a loving Heavenly Father who wants the best for all His children… that’s why he sent Jesus to show us the way truth and life…of HIS Love… As we walk in it we learn and grow stronger and share what we have learned to any who will listen…
SUMMARY
1. Love came from God
2. Love is a “Good” to a “Very Good” Feeling
3. We FEEL Love is happiness peace and joy…
4. Supported by People, Objects and Events we Value…
when they are in the right Context
5. Grief is the opposite of love because it comes from unsupported love.
We feel grief as sadness anxiety and anger
Gods love is Gods GOOD
The PEOPLE God values are Gods Family
The OBJECTS God values are His creation and the creations of His Family
The EVENTS God values are the acts of love as stated in Exod 34:6
Mercy Compassion Patience Loving Kindness Truth Forgiveness Justice
Gods values are what brings God his Good and they will for you to…
You are already flowing in them because just as we inherited Gods love we also inherited each of the 7 Values of God our Father.
If you go through each value and give yourself a score out of 10 you will find that some of your values are stronger than others and it is in these different levels that your, and those around you, personalities are formed.
The last principal of Gods Love to be considered is…God’s Context
8. GODS CONTEXT
meaning: GODS Time and Place
The WHEN to do………then WHAT we do…
…all we need to do is follow Jesus example…
Jesus said of himself…
John 5:30: “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.”
Now that you know the Will of the Father (Exod34:6) it’s now all about the timing…
This is the ultimate CONTEXT and should always be at the forefront of your mind…
Like Jesus you, must first HEAR… and to do this you must be actively listening…
You must do this from a heart of love and awareness of God in you…
I often hear people say…
“But God doesn’t speak to me…”
Church history have shown that there are two main mindsets that block our ability to hear from God…
- A heart that is carrying Unforgiveness
- A heart that has had its conscience seared so as to avoid the uncomfortable feelings that come with participating in iniquity…
To remedy this you must first start with Faith in God’s love…
Heb 11:6: “But without faith (in Gods love) it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he (his love) is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
Don’t let the enemy distract you with condemnation and the lusts of the flesh… there is no greater Good than Gods Good!
Relationships are built on points of connection so it’s time to connect with God’s love… on a daily basis, not just Sunday…
We connect to everything with the heart so it’s important to focus your heart on what’s really important…
God’s love is the ultimate Context of Time and Place…
Jesus commanded us out of Deuteronomy 6:4-9
“And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might….”
Jesus also taught us to pray…
Matt 6:9
“Our Father who is in Heaven Hallowed be Thy Name….”
meaning: Our Father who is the source and supplier of all that is Good…who lives within me… I STOP and become aware of You.
Your Kingdom come…(happiness peace and joy)
Your will be done…(Exod 34:6)
Be on Earth as it is in Heaven (God’s Love)
Give us this day our daily bread…(the bread of life is God’s love)
And forgive us as we forgive others…(In mercy compassion and patience)
Lead us not into Temptation…(lead us away from mammon)
And deliver us from Evil…(Physical sickness, Mental sickness and Spiritual sickness)
“For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.”
Gods Context is a the ultimate Context that will endure for eternity…so learn and flow in it if you want to truly Live the Very Good life…
Next we will look at what it means to be “In Christ” and why this is literally life and death...