August 8, 2016
Worship: You Are Good by Bethel Music
You Are Good"
I want to scream it out
From every mountain top
Your goodness knows no bounds
Your goodness never stops
Your mercy follows me
Your kindness fills my life
Your love amazes me
I sing because You are good
And I dance because You are good
And I shout because You are good
You are good to me to me
Nothing and no one comes
Anywhere close to You
The earth and oceans deep
Only reflect this truth
And in my darkest night
You shine as bright as day
Your love amazes me
With a cry of praise, my heart will proclaim
You are good You are good
In the Sun or rain, my life celebrates
You are good You are good
With a cry of praise, my heart will proclaim
You are good You are good
In the Sun or rain, my life celebrates
You are good You are good
From every mountain top
Your goodness knows no bounds
Your goodness never stops
Your mercy follows me
Your kindness fills my life
Your love amazes me
I sing because You are good
And I dance because You are good
And I shout because You are good
You are good to me to me
Nothing and no one comes
Anywhere close to You
The earth and oceans deep
Only reflect this truth
And in my darkest night
You shine as bright as day
Your love amazes me
With a cry of praise, my heart will proclaim
You are good You are good
In the Sun or rain, my life celebrates
You are good You are good
With a cry of praise, my heart will proclaim
You are good You are good
In the Sun or rain, my life celebrates
You are good You are good
Video: https://youtu.be/tYrgy67_Hbk
I like this video because the contraction “I’ll” begins with a lower case “i” while the personal pronoun you begins with an upper case “Y”. It is a subtle recognition of our reverence for our Almighty God and Savior.
Witness:
My witness section will be brief. It was baptism Sunday this weekend at church. Men and women, girls and boys, tall and short, old and young, thin and some not so thin, people of different ethnic backgrounds all obeyed the Lord and followed Him in baptism. It was a marvelous and joyous occasion. I found myself in tears as I watched each person immersed in the waters and rising up out of them, many bursting up with cries of joy and hands held high!
In our church the floors are tile but a carpet is laid out for the baptized to walk from the front of the auditorium (we use a portable pool) out into the foyer. In walking out, they must walk in front of the assembly of people and make a 90 degree turn down an aisle. Most navigated the turn correctly but a few took a shortcut and stepped on the exposed tile. As you can imagine, still dripping from being baptized, they slipped and nearly fell down. Recovering, they immediately sought the safety of the carpet. As I observed this happening, I thought, “Isn’t this a visual parable of our Christian walk?” Being baptized does not guarantee a faultless life, it only symbolizes the forgiven life. The true believer may slip sometimes but they will recover with the help of the Spirit and regain their equilibrium. They will then seek the safety of the “carpet” – that “right path” of the Lord. Isn’t that one of the promises of Psalm 23 and here in Psalm 25?
WORD:
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Ps 25:8-10
Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
9 He guides the humble in what is right
and teaches them his way.
10 All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful
for those who keep the demands of his covenant.
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Ps 25:8-10
8 The LORD is good and does what is right;
he shows the proper path to those who go astray.
9 He leads the humble in doing right,
teaching them his way.
10 The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness
all who keep his covenant and obey his demands.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
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Ps 25:8-10
8 Good and upright is the LORD therefore will he teach sinners in the way.
9 The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.
10 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
KJV
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Ps 25:8-10
8 Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble his way.
10 All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,
for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.
ESV
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Good and upright is the LORD. I put the word “is” in italics because it is not in the original. Translators add it because it is implied and required to make the phrase a proper “English” phrase. However, in my mind, it almost makes the phrase more powerful when left out. Good and upright – the LORD! That aside, I must also make this observation. In my search for songs to worship, I found a plentitude of songs on God’s goodness and a paucity of songs on God’s uprightness. Why is that? Is it because we find God’s goodness to be attractive but not His uprightness? Is it a self-serving attitude that attracts us to the word “goodness”? Is it fear that shies us away from the subject of God’s uprightness? These are questions we need to ask ourselves as we approach this passage and as we approach our God in whom we trust and love. It is a heart indicator as to what we value or treasure in our God. Will we speak of God’s love, mercy, and goodness and not of His holiness, justness, and uprightness? Take away either string of attributes in God and you may perceive God as either is a spoiler or a sadist, a doter or a despot, Santa Clause or Satan.
“Now wait a minute!” you exclaim. Neither of these descriptions fit the words “good” and “upright”. Exactly! Our worldly mind, however, often defines these words in these ways, which leads us to define God’s goodness and uprightness in unscriptural ways. Yet if we think about it, these words compliment and clarify each other. God is good because He is upright and he is upright because He is good. Contemplating His goodness keeps us from seeing God’s uprightness as something fearful for the believer and contemplating His uprightness keeps us from seeing God’s goodness as an excuse for loose and licentious living.
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