The Story of God: Our Good and Generous King
April 26, 2017
You are story formed. Your ideas about life, what’s important, and worth pursuing was formed in you by the stories of your parents and your experiences with them as a child. Then as you grew through your teenage and early adult years your ideas about life, what’s important, and worth pursuing continued to be formed by life experiences, friendships, and the education you received, whether in school or through your church. And the story formed in you – your story – gave you the values and convictions that influence how you live your life today.
One of my significant life forming experiences came the day my dad asked me if I wanted to caddie. I was 12 at the time. What boy wouldn’t want to go with his dad to the golf course? So soon I was caddying every Saturday and Sunday morning. But since caddying only took up my mornings my dad needed to find something else for me to do. So I became the clubhouse boy: cleaning toilets, mopping floors, vacuuming the locker room, taking out the garbage. That was a great job. But that only took me a few hours, so I still had time on my hands. And it wasn’t too long then before I began play golf myself. I remember that day well. My friend Jim Fitzsimons was about to tee off with his mom. So I asked my dad if I could join them. He said, “Go grab a set of ladies rentals.” So off I went. And I remember that whole first year of playing golf, and it seemed as though I could never get that stupid golf ball off the ground. And I marvel today at the patience of Jim and his mom, as we played maybe a hundred rounds together that year. But it was that year, and that one question from my dad that began to shape me into the person I am today. My values of hard work, sportsmanship, friendship and perseverance all became a part of me because I grew up around golf. Being at the golf club growing up is part of my story. But so is God.
My initial understanding of God came from my visits to the Lutheran church with my neighbors. What formed my story from those days was this picture of God as an angry judge. One day He was going to judge the whole world and send a bunch of bad people to hell. That haunted me. As I got older, I always had this sense that I was a bad person, and if God was ever going to accept me, then I would have to earn his approval by living a good life. At that time I hadn’t heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. I knew nothing of His grace or mercy. So I lived in fear and tried not to think about God or have anything to do with God. Even today, that early narrative of God as an angry judge still messes with me. It messes with me every time I mess up, every time I sin. And I forget how good, merciful and gracious God is, and I try to earn His approval. Does that every happen to you? Of course it does. Many of us struggle from time to time with this false narrative of an angry God who is often unhappy with our actions.
In fact, it was A.W. Tozer, the great American pastor who once wrote: “What comes into our mind when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” What we think about God – what we think God is like – will determine the relationship we have with God. If we think of God as harsh and demanding, we will probably live in fear and keep our distance from God. If we think of God as an impersonal force in the universe, we will probably live with an impersonal relationship with Him. That’s why it’s crucial that we develop right thinking about God. And those thoughts, the ones that form our values and choices in life, must come from the Story of God.
That’s why beginning today, we are returning to Life in the Story of God But before we dive back into where we left off in God’s story its important for us to review the one overarching theme of the Bible, and see that Life in the Story of God as God designed it is actually Life in The Kingdom of God. And the way we have defined life in the kingdom of God as “God’s people in God’s place under God’s rule and blessing.” And so the Bible unfolds the kingdom of God this way. The story begins with…
The pattern of the kingdom: where God establishes life as He designed it. Where God created the good life for man and woman to live together in harmony under the loving rule of God and enjoying His blessing. But then came…
The kingdom perished: Where the story revealed to us how Adam and Eve’s choice to live independent of God’s rule had devastating consequences for them and all mankind. But then came…
The promised kingdom: Where we learned God’s plan to bless the nations through one people. And so we were introduced to Abram and how God began to work through him to bring His blessing to the nations… and we also learned how that promise of blessing to the nations has come to reality today with the arrival of Jesus Christ. But first much of what we see in the Old Testament is the development of God’s people in what we call…
The partial kingdom: The story of the rise and fall of God’s people, Israel. And this is where we left off, with God choosing Jacob to be the one through whom the twelve tribes of Israel were to come. Then the Old Testament concludes with
The prophesied kingdom: The darkest chapter in Israel’s story where they go into and out of captivity and yet are given the promise of the light to come. And with the birth of that light, we come to The presence of the kingdom: The arrival of the Messiah “The time has come… The kingdom of God is near.” Mark 1:15 And so throughout the gospel we hear Jesus proclaiming the good news of new life in God’s Kingdom. And after Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension we come to the NT book of Acts, where we witness
The proclaimed kingdom: The story of the Church Age, the age we are part of today, and where we see that each one of us is not just included in the Story of God, but is integral to God’s plan of fulfilling His Story. His story that will one day conclude with… The perfected kingdom: The restoration of all things under God’s rule and blessing
So now that we have an overview of God’s story and how we fit into it, I want to go back to the definition of the kingdom of God that should begin to shape our thinking. And that definition is this: Life in The Kingdom of God is defined as “God’s people in God’s place under God’s rule and blessing.” In other words, God’s wants everyone to enjoy a relationship with Him as our good and generous king. But the reality is that not everyone understands God as a good and generous king. After all, when we hear words like “king” or “rule” we often bring our own preconceived ideas to those words. We think of Kings as powerful and selfish who use ordinary people to meet their needs or serve their plans. And we think of rules as things that restrict our freedoms. And when we apply these concepts to God, we might just think of God as someone who is harsh and demanding, who restricts your life, not a God who really cares for you.
So what I want to do today as we return to life in God’s Story is go to a passage of Scripture that gives us a clear Biblical understanding of God as our Good and Generous King. And that passage is Psalm 23. So if you brought your Bible with you today, we are going to rediscover just how good and generous our God truly is. And the first truth we need to rediscover about our God is this:
He is the Shepherd of Your Soul “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” In many near eastern cultures like Israel, Kings were often called shepherds. For part of their job was to protect and provide for their people. The Jewish people often saw Yahweh, “The Lord” in this way. The name Yahweh was God’s covenant name. And they all knew that His name that meant that He existed for the good of His people. So Israel did not see God as a demanding King, but as a shepherd who cared for all their needs.
In fact, David calls Yahweh, “My” Shepherd. David understood that God cares for each one of His sheep personally. That’s why later in the New Testament, Jesus calls himself, “The Good Shepherd.” The good shepherd who knows His sheep. And His sheep know Him. They know His voice. They follow Him because they know He will care for them, protect them and provide for them. David calls God “My Shepherd” because that is what he experienced in His relationship with God. God has cared for him, protected him, and provided for Him personally.
Maybe you don’t normally think of God this way: But as your personal Shepherd, that means that God knows your name; He knows everything about you, is deeply concerned about you; and is always working to give you whatever it is that you need.
Think about how we’ve been taught to live. We are so often consumed with meeting our own needs, protecting our own lives, that we forget that this is how God is wired to care for us. He created you. He knows what you need for life. He knows what is best for you. And because He is good, He will always give you what you need. But our problem is that we either forget this, or we don’t believe it. But David believes it. So David begins listing off the ways His good and generous God provides for him.
And the first thing God provides for him and for you is this: He invites You to Rest David writes: “He makes me lie down in green pastures” Phillip Keller who was a pastor and author, was also a shepherd. Out of that experience he wrote “A Shepherd Looks At Psalm 23.” It throws light to this verse. Sheep do not lie down easily. It is difficult at best to get them to be at rest. Keller says, “It is almost impossible for them to be made to lie down unless four requirements are met. Owing to their timidity they refuse to lie down unless they are free of all fear. Because of the social behavior within a flock, sheep will not lie down unless they are free from friction with others of their kind. If tormented by flies or parasites, sheep will not lie down. Only when free of these pests can they relax. Lastly, sheep will not lie down as long as they feel in need of finding food. They must be free from hunger. Fear, friction, flies and famine. Sheep must be free from each of these to be content.
This is why rest is the first thing God gives us: Rest is first because God is first. A restless soul is a soul that thinks it is in control and needs to take care of everything. This is how too many people live. We live as if everything matters to us. But God created us to trust Him to work on our behalf. Too often we forget this. We need to remember that when we rest, God does not. When we sleep, God does not. He’s got this. So whatever you fear, God doesn’t want you to fear. He’s watching over you. So whatever relational friction you’re facing, maybe you need to let God work there. Whatever pests are tormenting you, your worries, maybe you need to give them to God and let Him give you rest.
After all it was Jesus who said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29. He couldn’t have been any clearer. Our souls need rest, and our God wants to give you rest. He is our good and generous King. But He promises to give you more than just rest…
He will Refresh You “He leads me beside quiet waters” The quiet waters pictured here are the wells and springs where the sheep can drink without being rushed. And the combination of green pastures and quiet waters portrays God’s “refreshing care” for His own. One of the things I keep learning here in the desert is that I need to drink water. If I don’t drink enough, I get dehydrated. And when I get dehydrated, I get weary, lethargic. And when I’m weary or lethargic I’m no good to Becky and I’m no good to anyone.
There are going to be seasons when your soul goes through a dry spell; where you get spiritually dehydrated. You know what you’re like at those times: You don’t want to go to church or you don’t feel like serving. One of the greatest lessons I’ve ever learned about serving as a Pastor is that God wants me to serve out of the overflow of my relationship with Jesus. I wish I could say that I always do that. I think that’s why Scripture is full of reminders for us to come and drink deep at the well of Jesus. Jesus says, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.” John 7:37
When was the last time you were so full of Jesus that Jesus just poured out of you? When was the last time you came and just drank deep from God’s Word? David reminds us: The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. Psalm 19:7 Our God will refresh you, if we just come to Him and drink. He is a good and generous King: “He leads me beside quiet waters” And there’s a reason He does that. There’s a reason he gives you a thirst for His Word. For when we drink deep not only will He refresh you, but He Will Restore You
David confesses: “He restores my soul.” Listen to how a shepherd restores a sheep that is found “cast down.” What happens is this: “A heavy, fat or long fleeced sheep will lie down comfortably in some hollow or depression in the ground. It may roll on its side slightly to stretch out or relax. Suddenly the center of gravity in the body shifts so that it turns on its back far enough that the feet no longer touch the ground. It may feel a sense of panic and start to paw frantically and this just makes things worse. It rolls over even further. Now it is impossible for it to get to its feet. In this position gases build up in the body, cutting of circulation to the legs and in just few hours the sheep dies. And the only one who can restore the sheep to health is the shepherd.
This is what happened with David. If you know David’s story, he was far from perfect. He sinned greatly with Bathsheba. He tried to cover his sin by positioning Bathsheba’s husband on the front lines of battle so he would be killed. But when his sin was discovered it literally broke him. And the only one who could restore Him was God. But that’s just what God does. He is our gracious and good God. He doesn’t leave us flat on our backs. He comes to us to lift us up – to restore us.
That’s why He sent Jesus. Jesus is the good shepherd who lifts us up and makes us right again. He has come to restore you to wholeness with Him. He doesn’t want us to stay flat on our backs. He wants to make us right, a whole and good. This is why our King is so good. He will do anything to rescue you. And He proved His goodness by sending Jesus to die for you! He is our good and generous King.
This is the God of the Story. This is the one who pursues you so that you might live under His rule and enjoy His blessings. He is the Shepherd who knows everything about you,
and wants to give you whatever you need,
so that you might find rest and refreshment for your soul,
and be completely restored
so that you might enjoy life with Him.
Let me encourage you to rest in His presence, drink deep at His well, and let Him do His work in you this week, so you might say with David, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing.” For He is our good and generous King.
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