Real Life Radio

Jack Hibbs: When people reject God, why is God still good to them? Because he’s good all the time. There will be a day, there is a coming time, when God will reserve his goodness, but my friend globally, that time is not yet come. God’s mercy is extended to all the world right now.

David J: Welcome to Real Life Radio with Pastor Jack Hibbs. I'm David J, thanking you for joining us today as we listen, learn, and are challenged by God's word, the Bible.

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On today's edition of Real Life Radio, Pastor Jack continues now in his series called *First Samuel* and a message titled *God Is Always Good*. Samuel of the Old Testament was the last judge of Israel and he was the first of its prophets. So here in chapter 10, we'll discover how we need to trust God even in difficult times. Some would say, especially in difficult times.

You see, God's consistent goodness can always be relied upon regardless of our changing circumstances. When we trust God and the belief that he is always good, we'll have a new perspective on life and the surety of a bigger picture that we can't see.

So today, Pastor Jack teaches that when things are going good, our minds can pretty quickly go to the trouble that must be coming right around the corner. But that kind of thinking is deceptive. God's goodness holds true in any kind of condition we find ourselves. Now, with his message called *God Is Always Good*, here's pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs.

Jack Hibbs: Father, we come before you tonight, and Lord, what an amazing thing. Lord, I’m still living off of the truth that you taught us just this last Sunday that the door is so open for us to talk to you all the time. And how infrequent we might visit that path and how infrequent we knock upon that door when you’ve asked us to come. And even Lord, you, Jesus, told us that we should talk to the Father directly in your name. What an invitation.

Father, tonight as we look into the word, may we take the attitude of prayer and worship, and may we go into an attitude of drawing close in knowing you more. Father, we pray that you would translate the message into our fleshly hearts. May they be soft and pliable to your will. Lord, that we might be a people absolutely knowing and knowledgeable of your goodness. As we sang tonight, how good you are is so true. And we thank you for that truth. In Jesus' name, and all God’s people said, amen.

Won’t you grab your Bibles tonight and turn to 1 Samuel chapter 10. We are in verses 9 to 27 tonight. The title of the message is *God is Always Good*. He’s always good. Now look, you and I are both guilty of this. Not so wrong in a way, but are we not prone to do this? When we get that job, we’ll say, "Oh, I got the job. God is so good." Or the doctor or the nurse calls and says, "Listen, your test results are back. You do not have cancer." And we put down the phone and say, "God is so good."

But you know what? Even if we don’t get the job, God’s still good. And if the doctor calls and says, "You’ve got cancer," God is still good. In fact, listen to me carefully: if you don’t get the job, it’s very important to you that God is good. If the doctor does call and say you have cancer, my friend, rejoice in the fact, now in hearing that news, God is good. And he’s good all the time.

You see, in our lives, we begin to equate God’s characteristics based upon my life circumstances. But the fact is God is good all the time. He’s always good. When we say, "God’s been good to me. You know, things have been going on and some things have flowed my way and things are happening. God’s been good to me." My friend, God’s been good to you all along, even when things weren’t flowing your way.

He’s always good. I’m so funny about things, though, that I begin to impose upon God’s character when he’s good and when I hold his goodness in suspense. We might do it this way. We may not be so blunt about it, but we’ll do it this way: "You know, things have been going so good lately, I’m kind of scared." That is so weird to think like that.

It’s kind of like, "Oh boy, my karma is really shining now." Like you live some kind of a mystical life. Things are going so good. You know, there’s a verse in the Bible—I can’t remember where it is. That’s for you to find out. But it comes to my mind, and it’s from Solomon, so that means it’s probably in Proverbs or somewhere around there.

And Solomon says that it is a sin for us to think that when things are going well, that we should then expect evil to come. God is good all the time. No matter what the circumstances might be, and quite frankly, no matter what we’ve got ourselves into, God is still good. You and I may not be good. In fact, you and I may have done bad to get into that rotten situation, but all the while God is very, very good.

Didn’t Jesus say in Matthew 19 as that rich young ruler came to him? That rich young ruler said, "Good teacher or good master, what good thing shall I do that I might inherit eternal life?" And so Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? There is only one good, and that is God." And you know what Jesus was saying. Good, the word good, meaning and according to Old English, a word reserved for God alone.

When Jesus says, "Why do you call me good?" when that’s a word reserved for God alone, as it is in English, so it is in the Greek. It's reserved for God alone. So rich young ruler, why are you calling me good when God’s the only one who’s good? And what Jesus was trying to evoke out of the man is that, "Jesus, you're good. You must be God."

God is good all the time. And Jesus used that man’s question to introduce the very nature of who God is and what God is. God is good. And we know that. And we’ve seen that happen in our lives, but I want to encourage you tonight: he’s always, always good. Listen, as we continue our study here in 1 Samuel chapter 10, remembering this: that Israel had rejected God. You’re well aware of that.

They didn’t want God anymore. They wanted Saul. They wanted a king like all the other nations of the earth, they said. But listen, if Israel has rejected God, and they did, how can God be good to Israel? Think about it. Okay, look. If they reject him, then why would God be good to Israel? Human reasoning would say if you reject God, God’s not going to be good to you anymore. Isn’t that how we think? That’s how we think.

But the fact of the matter is, as we go through the book of Samuel, and even as we look at Israel today, even in the midst of these horrific times that are taking place and obviously at this hour war is looming in Israel, God is good, even though they don’t even recognize him at this hour. God is good. Back then in our study, Israel had rejected God, yet God is good to them. And that’s going to be the focus of our study tonight.

When people reject God, why is God still good to them? Because he’s good all the time. There will be a day, there is a coming time, when God will reserve his goodness, but my friend globally, universally, that time is not yet come. God’s mercy is extending to all the world right now. It’s amazing, he’s so good.

How can God be good to us? You say, "What do you mean?" Well, I mean us, say first of all me. How can God be good to me? Do you know what I’ve done today? I’ve eaten way too much pizza today. My doctor says don’t eat pizza. I’ve sinned. I’ve had selfish thoughts today. I went over 55 miles per hour today. You probably did too. But here’s the thing: why would God be good to me?

He’s good all the time. By him being good to me, or by him being good to you, or by him being good to Israel or America, it doesn’t mean that he’s approving of our sin and our failure. Had Israel rejected God? Yes. But was he still going to be good to them? Yes. Why? He loves and he’s good all the time. He’s amazing that way.

How can God be good to America when America treats him so ill and so wrong? Because God loves and God is good. Is there a day of justice coming? Oh yeah. And will his justice be right and true? Oh yeah. But it doesn’t change the fact that God is so very good.

David J: You're listening to Real Life with Pastor Jack Hibbs. To learn more about this ministry or to catch up on some previous episodes, go to jackhibbs.com. That's jackhibbs.com. And now let's get back to today's message. Once again, here's Pastor Jack.

Jack Hibbs: We will pick up in this chapter where we left off, 1 Samuel chapter 10, verse 9 down to verse 27. And we’re looking now here in verses 9 to 13 specifically, and that is: God is always good, even when we do not deserve it. And we’re going to see this as we look at our study. Verse 9 through 13: "So it was when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, that God gave him another heart, and all those signs came to pass that day."

In verses 6, 7, and 8, the word had gone out last time that God was going to do these specific things as Samuel spoke, and sure enough, verse 9, we hear the announcement that God was faithful through the prophet Samuel to show Saul that God was in this, bringing him about to be the king. And so it’s amazing to me that even when we do not deserve it, even when Saul shouldn’t be king, even when Israel shouldn’t have a king, God is faithful and he’s working.

God gives a new heart toward life. Jot that down if you would: God is so good that he gives a new heart toward life. What do I mean by that? Well, let’s look at Saul in some respect as ourselves. Saul was associated with religious things, but he was not yet intimate with God. But now through the prophet Samuel, he’s introduced to the things of God.

By God’s decree, Samuel calls Saul, and in their communication together, Saul walks away from Samuel as that communication is over. And divinely, supernaturally, God from heaven imparts into Saul a new heart. This is amazing to me. He gives him another heart; it’s a new one. A heart that means whatever Saul pursued before is now gone, and Saul now pursues these new things.

He has new thoughts. We would say today in New Testament time, he’s been converted. Now I told you before, I’m going to tell you again, I do not hold Saul in very high regard. I know you can read some commentators and they’ll hold him in high regard, and some commentators do not hold Saul in high regard. I don’t think Saul was a good guy.

Israel asked for a king. They wanted a king like all the other nations had kings, and God gave them their request. And in a moment, as we go through this book, you’re going to see Saul be an absolute nincompoop. Nincompoop in Hebrew means somebody who is self-centered and always wanting to do their own thing.

You will see Saul from time to time do some real spiritual thing, but I think it’s God behind him, God honoring the office, but not the man. You know, God does that stuff. He will honor the office but not the man. I think Saul was that kind of a man. But here the Bible says God gives him a new heart. Isn’t God good?

What do you think God’s hopes were for Saul? That Saul would maybe come around, that Saul would maybe become a good king? Was there anything written that set Saul’s life in stone, that because Israel requested him to be a king, that he would be an absolute rotten, terrible man? No. That’s the wonderful thing about what God’s word shows us: that at any time, repentance can be had and a life can be changed.

Isn’t that what Jesus was doing with Judas in the garden as they approached one another, Jesus and Judas? Didn’t Jesus say to Judas, "Is it with a kiss that you betray the Son of Man?" I believe that Jesus was trying to get Judas to repent. And I think right then and there, Judas could have found forgiveness. But it didn't happen. God knew that.

But in Saul, the Bible says here that God gives him a new heart. Even when we do not deserve it, God gives us a new heart. What were you doing? Where were you at when you met up with Jesus Christ? Were you being so holy that God says, "Man, I gotta save that guy! Look at him! I mean, we really need him in the kingdom. If we don’t get him in the kingdom, it’s going to be half a kingdom!"

Oh, I think that you and I were just absolute little tyrannical sinners. And God says, "Man, if I don’t save that guy, he’s going to die, he’s going to be in hell. Let’s go get him." And he put a new heart in us. He saved us. One of the great things of this—and something that we would hope to see in Saul—is that now that you have a new heart, there’d be a desire to seek the Lord, a desire to know the Lord.

Now God’s going to put a new heart in Saul, and Saul’s going to do some pretty interesting things. But how does that equate to us? How do we take this Old Testament passage and make it life for us? If God’s put a new heart in us, you will have a heart toward the Lord. You will be one to hunger and thirst after righteousness. It happens inside of you because God puts a new heart in you in conversion.

Jot it down in your notes if you would: Hebrews chapter 6, verses 1 and 2. Hebrews 6:1 says, "Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection," or completion, or maturity. "Not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and faith toward God." I mean, those things are obvious. "Of the doctrines of baptisms, and of the laying on of hands, and of the resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment."

The author of the book of Hebrews goes on to teach that let us move on to more advanced things because our hearts are new. Isn’t it amazing? Sometimes I wish this was not the case, but isn’t it amazing that the moment we’re converted, we have a new heart, says the Bible. But wouldn’t it be great the moment we were converted we got both a new heart and a new mind?

I do not like the fact that I have my old mind. In fact, do you realize that the trouble you and I go through right now is a result of our old mind? That’s a bummer. I wish I could get a brand-new mind. But then if I had a brand-new mind, I wouldn’t have to read the Bible every day to get brainwashed because all this junk that comes into my mind has to be scrubbed with Bible.

God has promised us a new heart, but he told us we have to renew our minds. And that’s the Christian discipleship walk in this life. It’s tough. But you know what? You don’t sit around and say, "I’m not going to do it, it’s too tough." There’s an interesting event that takes place within us because we have a new heart. We’re driven to the excellency of Christ. We want to know more.

How is this done? Ezekiel 18, verse 31. Ezekiel 18:31 says, "Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed and get for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you perish?" What a great statement God announces to us there. Again, Ezekiel 36, verse 25: "Then I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean. I will cleanse you from all of your filthiness and from all of your idols, and I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you."

That’s conversion. That’s a relationship with God. And then you know 2 Corinthians 5:16 to 17. You know it well. "Therefore, from now on," Paul says, "we don’t regard anyone according to the flesh anymore. Even though we have even known Christ according to the flesh, yet we know him thus no longer."

Why? therefore, because "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away, and behold, all things have become new." And that newness that Paul speaks about there is a new heart, a new life, new thinking. It’s fantastic. Being born again.

Being born again results in a radical and obvious transformation of life. Being born again causes us to pursue God. And the question tonight is: are you pursuing him, or are you stationary? Are you hungering after God, or are you anemic and not hungering for him at all? Are you sleepy about the things of God, or do you want to pursue him? Where the Holy Spirit’s at work, there is a pursuit after him.

And so in verse 9, when he says here, "So when it was that he had turned his back, he went from Samuel, that God gave him another heart. And all those signs came to pass that day." Allow me this freedom for a moment: all these signs came to pass that day. God fulfilled his word. Saul had a new heart.

And even though Saul is not going to turn out well, God gave him the equipment to do so. God was good to Saul. He gave him every opportunity to serve him. That’s the goodness of God. He gives us every opportunity to serve him and to know him. What we do with that heart is entirely up to us. But God is always good.