God Is Good, He Is Better Than You Think – Bill Johnson Sermon | Bethel Church

Bill Johnson teaches on the truth that God is good and the importance of developing an understanding of God’s nature. We know that God works all things together for good for those who love Him, which means we can trust His goodness to meet us in every situation we face. Knowing that God is good must become foundational in our lives as it affects how we see and respond to the difficulties of life. God is good – He is better than you think! Subscribe for weekly videos: https://bit.ly/bjmYoutube Connect with Bill Johnson Ministries: Website: http://bjm.org/ Facebook: https://bit.ly/bjmFacebook Instagram: https://bit.ly/bjmInstagram Mailing List: https://bit.ly/bjmMailingList Additional Resources: All resources: https://shop.bethel.com/collections/b… God Is Good (Book & Curriculum Kit): https://shop.bethel.com/products/god-… E-Course: https://www.bethel.tv/details?id=61af… 0:00 Introduction 0:29 Encountering a God Who is Good 10:43 The Confidence in Knowing All Things Word Together for Good 20:22 Discovering God’s Goodness in Seasons of Pain or Loss 29:52 Developing a Consciousness of the Goodness of God 40:52 Evidence of God’s Goodness 48:51 Prayer Bill Johnson is a fifth-generation pastor with a rich heritage in the Holy Spirit. He is senior leader of Bethel Church in Redding, California, and is passionate about seeing Revival and God’s Kingdom established and revealed in the lives of individuals, families, communities, and nations. Bill’s teaching on the Kingdom of Heaven, hosting the Presence, and the renewed mind has helped thousands around the world to step into their true identity in Christ, God given purpose, and walk in a supernatural lifestyle displaying both purity and power. #BillJohnson #BethelChurch #GodIsGood

all things work together for good to

those who love God are called according

to his purpose doesn’t mean all things

came under his design it just means he’s

able to reverse the effect of tragedy

turn it into Triumph it’s critical that

we hold dear in our heart this

understanding of God’s goodness so that

that one element is never in question

when something happens that means that

if I don’t question his goodness I get

to be a part of the solution

there’s this verse in the Ezekiel 39

verse 29 that says the Lord speaks and

he says I will not hide my face from

them any longer for I will have poured

out my spirit on them

okay so think through this God says I’m

not going to hide my face now when we

think of the face of God we have to

think of the perfect affectionate loving

father

whose countenance expresses delight and

joy over his child so we talk about the

face of God we are talking about that

which displays favor not which displays

Delight that which marks us with eternal

purpose it’s all in that countenance so

he says I’ll not hide my face from them

any longer why because I will have

poured out my spirit on them what is he

saying the outpouring of the spirit

always contains the face of God

anytime the spirit of God begins to move

in a room maybe it’s in worship the face

of God is there

anytime God begins to move in a room and

people start getting healed or people

come to Christ marriages start getting

restored people abandon their bitterness

the resentment that they came into the

room with and they start getting freed

up and delivered what’s happening in

that move of the Holy Spirit the face of

God is behind it all which is what the

delightful face of a loving father is

behind that outpouring and it is the

birthplace of Hope

seeing who is there

seeing

his heart his purpose his plan

you cannot help but have hope in that

situation

the Lord

the lord gave us statements like all

things work together for good

to those who love God called according

to his verse all things work together

I’ve even stated in recent weeks this

this reality it’s a good reminder for me

it’s a good reminder for you all things

work together for good

my favorite restaurant

is French Laundry

glory to God

in Napa

Youngfield actually

and I remember the first time I went to

this restaurant now I I just like things

when I can tell the chef or the

architect or the you know the

author or whatever it might be they were

so intentional in the way they laid

things out in this case just the way

they prepared this food so I’ve got nine

courses

so

all small but you end up full I know

it’s a miracle I don’t know how it

happened

so I sat down first time Benny and I are

there and another couple friends of ours

with Aaron and they brought me this

course

of

dominated by two things I did not like

immersed in a sauce

the two things were oysters

I know some of you like them to me they

remind me of something else

foreign

things yeah you’re good all right all

right oysters and caviar

was never a fan

so they served this and I looked over at

Benny and I said honey I’m paying too

much money for this to not at least

taste it

so I took a bite and I looked at her and

I said

I want a chili bowl full of this stuff

how how could he take

two things that I don’t like mix it

together with a bunch of things I do

like

and make it to this date one of the best

things I’ve ever eaten in my life

the same way our Master Chef takes the

bitter

the tasteless

the meaningless

the stuff is too spicy this stuff is too

sweet

the stuff is too sour

and then put it together in The Perfect

Blend and at the end of your life you

look back and you say I wouldn’t change

a thing I wouldn’t change a thing

because every single part of my life he

took by his grace and he worked it

together to where it brings him glory

and it’s the most satisfying meal I’ve

ever had in my life I wouldn’t change a

thing

he has promised us he has designed life

in such a way that there are always

discoveries to be made

he’s the one who said

though I walk to the Valley of the

shadow of death

I fear Noah because you’re with me so in

other words the great treasure is in the

middle of the greatest loss

you can feed your soul on whatever you

want

but you have the opportunity

to encounter God in a way

that you’ll never have a chance outside

of the Valley of the shadow of death

it’s not self-determination it’s

surrender it’s yielding to the purposes

of God it’s yielding to the word of God

he is the one who has declared this to

be so

it goes on and he says

he sets a table before me that table is

a place to eat

Brent’s laundry yeah uh

it’s just almost time for lunch I’m just

doing you a favor I’m giving you

motivation here

he prepares a table before me what is

that it’s a place of Fellowship of

Encounter of Engagement of personal

pleasure Delight Joy

he sets that table in the presence of my

enemies

if all I see are the enemies I have

missed the table that he put there

and we all have different stuff going on

most of you know

what my family and I have been facing

last month

the tragic tragic loss

without question

but there’s also a table there

is a table

there’s a table of intense

Fellowship a great Delight

of personal

pleasure of satisfaction of fulfillment

it’s there

it’s much like

the Easter egg that’s been hidden in a

bush

I know it’s in there

in our Easter egg hunts we

put small amounts of cash in most of the

eggs but there’s a few eggs

though I have

a much larger bill in them

and one of my grandsons

one of them went to his dad

before everyone was released to go find

the eggs they said Dad

where is the one with all the money

and Brian excuse me my son

was so impressed that his son had the

courage to ask that he told him right

where it was

so he went over and got I don’t know it

was a 20 bill or what was in there but

it was a it was a good egg

you know what sometimes you just ask the

one who hid it

just it’s a Funny Story and there’s

there’s more but we’ll leave that right

where it is but just think with me for a

moment

he wouldn’t have asked if he wouldn’t

have thought there was a possibility

of him being rewarded for asking

there’s something about his own father’s

nature

that he responded to and inviting nature

of exploration Discovery personal

success

and if you’re sitting in the middle of

maybe a personal loss maybe a financial

crisis legal matter what whatever

whatever we all have stuff

there’s a table there

he says so

the one who cannot lie

the one who cannot lie has declared over

your life

there’s a table there

and that table will nourish you it will

strengthen you

anybody else glad that he made food good

except for cilantro it’s a

[Music]

[Applause]

in my opinion

God sees people eating cilantro and he

says

it was a decoration

I just offended three quarters of the

room

the sum of you are with me

come on people put your hands up all

right man all right

what are they eating bad for I was at

decorations

the table that he set

is not just for your strength it’s for

your pleasure

I haven’t done an extended fast for over

a year I uh the spring of last year I

did a long one

and I mentioned only because that’s

really the only time I watch the food

channel is when I’m on an extended fast

because it gives me hope

it helps me have a sense of anticipation

that my life is not over

and there will be food yet again

and and so I I watch I watch the Food

Channel I watch it religiously when I’m

fasting

religiously and I do mean that

religiously I I watch a number of things

and I download recipes that they give

it’s the only time I do that but I I

told you before the last I did a 40-day

fast years ago I’ve only done one once

but I did a 40-day fast years ago and uh

and during the 40 days I bought 29

cookbooks

and if you’ve ever bought if you’ve ever

bought anything on

amazon.com you know you you buy

something and then it says

people who bought that cookbook also

bought these

and I I’m not into words I’m into

pictures

sell me and so I look at the pictures

and they go well I see why they bought

that one look at that that’s I I’m I

need to eat that and I need to eat that

and so I I bought cookbooks I bought the

last time I fasted so I had double so my

daughter inherited from my uh I forgot I

just forgot because I I don’t use them

it’s the worst part I’ve I I’ve never

admitted this before I’ve not cooked one

thing out of any of those cookies

[Applause]

they are there to inspire me

they have pictures I become inspired

on the Food Channel

on the food channel is the show that

this morning I found out has a name it’s

called chopped

and in that on that particular show they

put random ingredients together

like random and and the and the chefs

that are competing they don’t know

what’s there

and so then they lift the veil or

whatever and there’s all these

ingredients you know they’ve got spicy

mustard and sardines and cauliflower and

you know all things that aren’t related

at all and they put them together and

they say this is your challenge and and

these guys are Masters at cooking and so

they take these random ingredients and

they make some exotic you know enjoyable

meal

and Romans 8 says

[Music]

buy cookbooks when you fast that’s what

it says

Romans 8 says that he causes all things

to work together for good for those who

I love God

called according to his purpose

all the all the ingredients the

ingredients you wouldn’t have shopped or

bought all the ingredients of your life

that you never signed up for

all the stuff that you regret

all the ingredients as well as the good

things here yes your faith the

breakthroughs but then there’s all the

other stuff

the Master Chef is able to take this

hodgepodge of ingredients and create a

masterpiece

and that’s his Covenant with you that’s

his Covenant with me

because that is true

the greater the reality

let me rephrase that

the greater our awareness of that truth

of that reality

the greater are bent to be thankful in

everything

ignorance in that one area of God’s

sovereignty

causes us to trust ourselves over him

the absence of thankfulness is

self-trust

the absence of thankfulness is

self-trust

thankfulness is one of the most profound

weapons that God has given us in our

Arsenal

and I hope to take you through a number

of verses just to show you some some

Concepts on why God is building in US

to be a thankful people and I think

probably most everybody in the room

would say I’m a thankful person that

you’re a thankful person

our problem is is that we cultivate a

thankful heart over all these things we

acknowledge God’s in charge he’s the one

who provided the job he he you know gave

me this child he whatever it might be we

have our list of things

but we almost all have something over

here that we’re not thankful for

and we justify it because it’s the work

of the enemy something bad happened in

my life this or that and so we have a

special category for things hoping that

God will just vindicate us not realizing

that being thankful

he said in everything give thanks he

didn’t say in almost everything give

thanks

neither did he say just do your best you

know I’m rooting for you just do your

best just hang in there do your best he

didn’t say that he said in everything

give thanks in everything

so here’s this glaring problem this

conflict this disappointment this

whatever it might be this is here and

I’m cultivating thankfulness here but

I’m unwilling to deal with this very

thing

that haunts me what’s the problem

any area of my life

in which I am unable or unwilling to

give thanks for

that area will have a measure of

influence and control over my life

and not for good

it will it will have a voice

where it shouldn’t have a voice God why

is this constantly tormenting me because

you’ve not buried it in thankfulness

why is this thing constantly there it

doesn’t ever go away because

you’ve chosen not to express trust in

this one thing we pray the problem but

we but we don’t often give thanks for

the effect it’s having on the recipe

if we could see Romans 8 28 more clearly

I think we’d be much quicker to give

thanks

for

the IRS audit

the bad medical report

the loss

of this employment or whatever it might

be the stuff that goes on in all of our

lives

he doesn’t ever tell us to be thankful

for evil

we are thankful that we have a sovereign

God who is able to use what the enemy

intended for evil for our benefit

and it’s the expression of thankfulness

that immerses that which is contaminated

into the grace of God to where God now

uses it for our benefit

in Psalms 100

he says I will enter his Gates

with Thanksgiving in my heart I will

enter his courts

with praise Thanksgiving is all about

presence

I will enter his Gates where’s the

destiny the destiny is the throne room

of God

I will enter his gates with Thanksgiving

I’ll enter his course of Praise

Thanksgiving is the specific response to

the actions of God the works of God

praise is our response to his Nature’s

character thankfulness is always to

introduce us to an increasing revelation

of his nature

Moses said let me know your ways that I

might know you the revelation of nature

is the invitation for encounter

so when God gives us his protocol

it’s not a a formula that we use to

manipulate God it’s how he functions

it’s almost like this is what the

presence of the Glorious one demands

is his Commandments are not restrictive

they’re not punishments they are always

invitations to life every commandment is

an invitation to Greater experiences in

the Life of Christ

and so he gives us this mandate he says

enter is gates with Thanksgiving in his

courts of Praise what’s the result in

before the glory

thankfulness

is an expression of trust that keeps us

conscious of the presence of God

[Music]

the backslider in heart will always

judge God by what he didn’t do

but those who

run with tenderness for who he is

will always

Define him by what he has said by what

is Promised by what he has done

and to be

as honest as I know how to be I’ve seen

too much

of his kindness to think anything other

than he is absolutely good always always

good

we don’t get to we don’t get to choose

stuff like uh

like I I don’t want to experience any

pain that’s not an option we get you

know it’s we’re we’re we do life in fact

let’s be really honest he says things

like Rejoice always

pray without ceasing in everything give

thanks those verses are completely

useless unless you’re going to

experience loss and disappointment

I mean nobody needs to be taught to

Rejoice if everything works the way you

want it to work

right it’s it’s like it’s pointless

so his nature is defined by promise and

by his history his testimony

and that’s what we build theology around

that’s who he is but what about laws

that’s the mystery that we have the

privilege of carrying

the level of revelation God gives you

will always be equal to the measure of

mystery you’re willing to live with

and the inability to live with mystery

is your resistance to child likeness

is child likeness that actually gives us

access to dimensions and Realms of the

Kingdom that you can’t get in any other

way

there are certain things that he is

hidden in the journey for example

several years ago I discovered something

about in the Valley of the shadow of

death I will fear no evil because you’re

with me and what I found was there are

measures of his presence you can only

find in the Valley of the shadow of

death

and we we say we love presence and we do

we’re a people that that gather to

celebrate and honor who he is and thrive

on just that presence of the spirit of

God who is always with us and I I there

is no greater treasure than him never

will be

Heaven itself is him

and yet there are aspects of presence

you can only find in the Valley of the

shadow of death

it’s only in darkness in in darkness of

soul in the in the trial of not knowing

what’s going on and doing everything you

know to do and having things not work

out like you think they should

he is not a vending machine

you know I don’t get to put a quarter in

and get out what I want it’s a

relational journey and I’ve I’ve

experienced I’ve experienced his

kindness his miracles at a level that I

I could never earn or deserve

and I just don’t have the right

to reevaluate what he’s like because

I’ve experienced loss

so it doesn’t work that way

it just doesn’t work that way it’s it’s

and it’s everybody in the room has

experienced this so I’m I don’t stand

here as you know the only guy who’s

experienced pain I I understand that I I

I do life with you and I I we wept

together and laughed together and I get

that but I I just I just want to tell

you that God gives us these special

moments or he gives us these

opportunities

to

to grow down to become more childlike

it’s it’s the Simplicity of faith that

just trusts him no matter what

it’s the Simplicity of child likeness

that just says you know what he knows

what’s happening I don’t and and I’m

going to trust him

I’m going to trust him I I don’t want my

why

to ever take me away from him

I don’t ever want to be

the one who critiques God

he he critiques me

I want to keep that keep aware of that I

I

none of us would choose loss pain

disappointment any of that stuff

I get that none of us would ever choose

that for ourselves we wouldn’t choose

this for you know your your biggest

enemy I mean it’s just you would just

not not do that it’s not something that

any of us would gravitate towards

and yet we we don’t have options at

times

and so what am I going to do

is God my friend yeah but he was my Lord

before he was my friend

and my friendship with God can only go

where his lordship has already been

[Music]

I can’t go on a friendship with God

where I haven’t gone in lordship

and one of the things that has been

such a valuable

thing for us through the years

has been the realization and I I just I

discovered this quite accidentally

uh when my dad died and many of you have

heard me share the story but when when

he died

I was faced with

learning something I had never known at

that level before and it was this

I’ve just experienced loss and I have

just experienced loss

and the disappointment is huge

the pain is annoying

it’s it is it’s just

the the questions the what if the all

the stuff you know

but all of that pain that that

discomfort that

the questions the all all the stuff I’ll

never have any of that in heaven

I’ll never have

I will be a worshiper for all of

eternity I will glorify him for all of

eternity I will bow before the lamb on

the throne for all of eternity I will

declare his wonders I will celebrate his

greatness his grace his kindness for all

of eternity but I’ll never have the

chance to do it

with pain

that’s only in this life

and I want to give him the most

priceless gift I can give him and that

is joy in loss that is celebration in

pain

that is giving up my right to understand

he gives the peace that passes

understanding which means I have to give

up my right to understand to enjoy the

peace that he has purpose to give me

and we’re in that place and some of you

you have your own stuff going on in your

life where this is becomes very a very

painful process but but what we do is we

just we just give him thanks and this

morning my goodness so wonderful to be

with you in our online family and to be

able to celebrate the goodness of God

it’s not uh you know it’s not forced

it’s not it’s not hard to do not once

you’ve tasted

not once once you’ve tasted you you

never forget the taste of his kindness

and it puts everything else in

perspective

everything

and so the privilege to just offer him

celebration and praise

it almost sounds contradictory and for

some it would sound forced but to honor

him as being

the Healer

when you’ve just lost somebody

you love through disease

it’s but it’s not uh it’s not fake it’s

not hype it’s this is who he is

this is who he is

well why did this happen

I don’t know

he doesn’t work for me

I I work for him

he never owes me an explanation

never

he often gives him but he doesn’t know

me

I owe him

[Music]

every day of my life I am indebted to

him

and you won’t know the truth and the

truth will set you free what you know

insulates you from this demonic stuff

that happens to dissuade and distract

what you know something going on in here

actually protects you some of you you

have the mind of Christ has been so

established in you that you can be in

the middle of intense spiritual warfare

and not even know it because the wall

around you absorbed the fiery darts the

wall around you absorb the conflict

you’re living inside the walled City

going man this is party time this is uh

we got food we got family we got friends

this is great outside the enemy is

throwing rocks at your wall you don’t

even know it’s hitting your wall he’s

shooting arrows at it all kinds of junks

going on but you’ve become so insulated

by the mind of Christ that does very

little if any effect on your life does

not make believe that’s a reality you

will know your mind will be anchored and

shaped by the knowledge of God

and that thing will set you free and

that Liberty and freedom will insulate

you from the from the the things that

the enemy throws you away

so this

biblical meditation is different it’s a

word that means to murmur it means to

mutter means to speak to yourself it

means to repeat a verse over and over

again the illustration I used a few

weeks ago

um was um out of Psalms 127. it’s a

great verse I found many many years ago

when I was just really praying for a

breakthrough financially

and I remember taking this phrase it’s

in The New American Standard Version

also in the passion they both they both

got it right

[Laughter]

it says in Psalms 127.

and he provides for his beloved even

while they sleep

he provides for his beloved even while

they sleep

so here’s biblical meditation is you

take something we’re supposed to

meditate on three basic things all right

three distinct realities one is the word

of God

second are the works of God

third are the ways of God

so I’m talking right now about the ways

the scripture but eventually I want to

get us into the Luke 18 where he’s

revealing the ways of God to shape how

we think

God’s ambition for you and me is not

being able to equip us to successfully

answer questions in a Bible quiz

the goal is not to give you the right

chapter and verse for a puzzling

question it’s a good start but that’s

not his ambition his ambition is for his

word to become flesh in us again

in other words that word becomes so

intertwined with our thinking our

emotions through biblical meditation our

thinking our emotions that actually

becomes an expression of our personality

so you’re facing a financial here’s

here’s what I would do this this word

meditation actually is Illustrated

you’ve seen the Jews at the Wailing Wall

and other believers at the Wailing Wall

rocking I’m not saying you have to rock

but it’s actually the the rocking motion

of a Jew at the Wailing Wall is a

physical act of meditation

it’s it’s a repeated action it’s

you said you provide for your beloved

even while we sleep

God I give you honor I am your beloved I

I’m the apple of your eye

I’m overwhelmed by your kindness God

that you would you would call me your

beloved

I qualify for this verse because you

said

I’m your beloved

and you provide for me even while I

sleep

God I give you praise you are my

provider

even while I sleep I’ve dedicated my

work to you

but you’re bigger than my work

you release resource to me even when I

can do nothing for myself you’re the God

who provides

you provide while I rest you work while

I rest and there’s this reciting of who

God is and what he has said what happens

is then you get awakened in the middle

of the night your first thought is oh

we’ve got this bill due tomorrow and the

second thought is and he provides for

his beloved even while they sleep and

you find yourself literally going back

into a place of rest to sleep because

you’re resting in who God is

it’s not a mind over matter it’s not

just some intellectual exercise it’s

taking that which is eternal which is

the word of God that which he has

highlighted to you and is holding it so

near and so dear that you Ponder you

consider you quote you mutter you speak

you declare you confess that which God

has said to you

over and over again

see that word is to become as Lance

walnut would say is to become Cellular

in us it’s actually to become a part of

Who We Are

if I were to come to your family and say

you need to develop a culture of

generosity

and

you then go down to a safe way and you

see someone there who’s who’s asking for

money for food

and you give them twenty dollars to help

them with food

that is an act of generosity but it is

not a culture of generosity

culture is developed with repeated

actions

a culture is developed when a repeated

action becomes our normal reaction

you know the

that whole that whole

reaction it’s it’s like

the initial thought when there’s a need

is

what can I do then it’s culture

now how we start is the Lord exposes

need to us and we say man I need to

learn to be more generous

so you drive to where somebody is needed

or perhaps we we present a condition of

Tracy and the milk and

Mozambique or the tragedy that they’ve

recently faced and you put your x amount

of dollars in the envelope and and

you’re dedicated to that purpose that’s

a brilliant way to train yourself to

live generously but what happens is the

Lord is now wanting that action

to not just be repeated in a religious

way

but as as a a um

I don’t know if I’m going to say this

right

as an effort to tap into Heaven’s

culture

a a more significant imprint on how he

thinks and how I think so that when a

problem comes my first reaction isn’t oh

but I have a bill due this week my first

reaction is

God

what would you allow me to do to be a

part of the answer that’s needed in this

situation the first reaction first

reaction when that happens on the inside

it’s not being forced on the outside

don’t reject stuff that’s being forced

on the outside because that’s how we

learn somebody will say well you need to

you know as a child you need to share

your toys that’s coming from the outside

that’s not coming from the five-year-old

child

that just got a revelation

from God on sharing his choice he’s

being instructed and disciplined into a

culture of generosity and kindness are

you with me on this so we start with

external uh instruction but the ambition

is this thing becomes so deeply a part

of me

so deeply part of me that it becomes my

initial response I I don’t have to think

ah I need to choose generosity if you if

you’re in that place that’s a good place

to be just keep it up keep it up until

you don’t have to think anymore

it’s true it’s the truth it’s the truth

so here

Jesus gives a parable

and he says

you need to pray

and you need to always pray

and you need to always pray

aware of who I am

so you take the ways of God

he’s faithful and he’s true

God you’re perfectly faithful I’m

serious you have to find time meditation

requires shutting down all external

distractions

in the heart of biblical meditation is

this ability to be lost in him literally

lost

and so you fight for this time and and

you go home you you have

you know children and you’ll lock

yourself in the bathroom

and you you just grab your moments you

tell your husband run interference for

me I’m I’m meditating and honestly you

get before the Lord

God you are faithful and true

it’s impossible for you to lie

you are faithful because it’s your

nature it’s not even a choice

you don’t have to choose to do the right

thing you are the right thing

you are faithful and true it’s

impossible for you to deceive

you are the perfect father who is

everything I need everything I will ever

need everything I long for is actually

found in your person you heal because

you’re the Healer it’s not just a

decision it’s your nature that when we

take you and put you with disease

disease has to go God this is who you

are

you rehearse this before him and

meditate contemplate think about his

nature his ways pretty soon you find

yourself prophetically responding to

challenges and needs around you because

of what you’ve become you’ve taken care

of your inner World your inner world is

healthy because because it is now

founded on Revelation of the nature of

God

[Music]

if God

is as good as we say he is or as good as

the Bible says he is more importantly

then I owe him a lifestyle of Big Dreams

it would be like inheriting 10 000 acres

and you stand on the border of that Ten

Thousand Acres and you never explore

what you’ve inherited

you could you can boastfully say it’s

all mine but what does that Mountaintop

look like what does that Lake over there

look like what does are there any fish

in that stream what kind of Timber is

there

this inheritance that you have has to be

explored and Faith explores what

Revelation reveals

it’s vital that we use our faith to

explore that which God has

proportioned for us and what I owe him

to illustrate my conviction my embracing

the lifestyle of dreaming of the

lifestyle of uh of settling into the

goodness delighting in the goodness of

God is actually to dream in a

significant way

Jesus came we know to reveal the father

and I know that many people in the room

had horrible experiences at home and you

didn’t have a father or still don’t have

a father that inspires dreams but in

this relationship this particular father

invites us to stretch the envelope

invites us to go above and beyond in

fact he almost dares us when he says I’m

going to do exceedingly abundantly

beyond all you could ask or think I’m

going to reach beyond your prayer life

I’m going to reach beyond your

imagination and that’s the realm that he

lives in

and he’s inviting us into this journey

and so in John uh 14 15 and 16 three

chapters actually has four times where

Jesus said ask whatever you want

and it’ll be done for you

now we know instinctively we know from

the weightiness of the rest of scripture

is not inviting us into a self-centered

lifestyle he’s not inviting us into into

this journey where we build our own

Empire and we become the king of the

mountain it’s not that it’s not anyone

who thinks that hasn’t read the rest of

the book

but he’s inviting us into this scary

Journey where we actually come into a

place where anything you ask for is done

he’s looking though look at his heart

he’s looking for co-laborers

when he said ask whatever you want he

didn’t say I’ve made you to be a robot

and you are to repeat back to me what I

tell you to want

I mean if I made it as a robot I don’t

mind anything doing doing anything with

and for God is an absolute honor and

privilege if I am a servant and not a

friend and I just do what he tells me to

do I’m good with that I actually am very

good at giving me a list and I just get

that stuff done the scary thing is he’s

invited me into a relationship and in

the relationship he’s put himself I like

to put it he put himself at risk

by saying son ask whatever you whatever

you want

abide in me stay connected to my

manifest presence Let My Words abide in

you keep what I say in the center of

your heart and I will trust you to shape

the course of history through your

prayer life because anything you ask for

will be done

we owe God

extreme dreams

and disappointment kills the capacity

for dream not knowing how to handle

disappointments entire a whole entire

other study

but oftentimes we we let our religious

environments that is known for resisting

change of any kind

or the other extreme is uh is the

disappointments that happen in life just

to kill that capacity for a dream but

you were born to dream

everybody in this room

we are never at our we never reach our

potential apart from the capacity for

dreaming

and so God’s goodness I believe is

actually

displayed through

your ability to dream big

in the psalm 67 it’s a it’s a favorite

Psalm of mine

um

in which it starts by a prayer for

blessing and so the psalmist writes he

said Lord bless me which I like any

prayer that starts that way Lord bless

me and then he says cause your face to

shine upon me that face is the picture

of a father’s approval cause your face

to shine upon me listen to the next

phrase that your way would be known on

the earth what does that mean that your

way that your nature who you are would

be manifest in the Earth because of how

you treat me

listen folks this you have this as an

obligation this is not a luxury this is

not you know

luxury equipment down an automobile this

is the essence of who you are you’re a

son a daughter connected to a perfect

father now dream and display it

so he says bless me cause your face to

shine upon me that your way would be

known in the earth here’s the

interesting thing and your salvation to

the Nations

salvation to Nations

we know that tragedy brings people to

Jesus we know that we get that I I don’t

blame people in crisis in war or or

they’re put in prison or their you know

those earthquakes or whatever it is

people turn to the Lord I’m so thankful

that that happens that Ministers of the

Gospel they’re in crisis to share their

faith and people find peace in God I’m

I’m thankful for that but what would it

be like to actually have salvation

impact the course of history for entire

nations because the goodness of God was

revealed upon the people of God and I’m

not talking about becoming you know

again building our Empires and you know

being the wealthy person that everybody

is jealous of that’s that’s a poor

counterfeit

wealth is in the presence of God the

peace of God in the middle of difficulty

it’s it’s being able to trust when

everything is crazy it’s having enough

resource and more than enough to be able

to sow into other people’s lives it’s

the giftings it’s the insights it’s the

spiritual activity of God in and through

us it’s having friends that would take a

bullet for us I mean these are the

things that make make us wealthy the the

family members that actually love each

other and care for each other this this

reminded me sorry of a of a friend of

mine sent me that said I’d take a bullet

for you not in the head but maybe like

in the leg or something it’s

that third sense greater humor third

grade yeah sorry all right

not in the head but maybe like the leg

or something

where was I I don’t know I just got I

just got shot in the legs what happened

so

so this goodness of the Lord Upon A

people who have found a capacity to

think large

to dream significantly

again not about being at the top of the

stack but having the resource of Heaven

to empower people around you to succeed

it’s the privilege in life

Hosea 3 says that in the last days

people will fear God because of his

goodness

how good does it have to be the goodness

on your life

so you got a promotion people will just

think you worked hard

so you’re the one millionth customer at

Safeway and you win a brand new car

people just think you’re lucky

what kind of goodness does it have to

have to be to actually bring Salvation

to Nations what kind of goodness does it

have to be to actually bring people to

drop to their knees in the fear of God a

fear of God that doesn’t drive them away

but I fear that endears them to him

the goodness of God

I believe requires us to dream big

[Music]

Romans 8 28 is a verse that probably

most of us can quote all things work

together for good to those who love God

who called according to his purpose

doesn’t mean all things came under his

design it just means he’s able to

reverse the effect of tragedy turn it

into Triumph it’s critical that we hold

dear in our heart this understanding of

God’s goodness so that that one element

is never in question when something

happens that means that if I don’t

question his goodness I get to be a part

of the solution so I want to pray for

that I want to pray that together you

and I would have a great impact on the

world around us by not questioning his

goodness but going beyond that living

with the conviction of his goodness to

the point we become a Redemptive part of

the solution we we pray according to

God’s Redemptive work to see

breakthrough into people’s life so let

me let me pray for you father I ask in

Jesus this wonderful and glorious name

that you’d calls every person to come

into a realization that your goodness is

the greatest reality there is and that

together we’d be able to live with that

sense of goodness the conviction of who

you are until we see things that are

impossible and broken Beyond repair come

back into a full restoration Lord in

fact I pray the prayer the the decree

that Solomon made that there would be a

restoration seven times greater of

things that were stolen for people

involved in this right now that there’d

be such a breakthrough that we would

watch as you restored every household

every individual seven times

restoration of whatever was stolen or

broken I pray this for the honor of the

name Jesus that as these things play out

in our lives you would be glorified

because your goodness has been realized

I give you thanks in advance father

thank you thank you

amen