Has the goodness of God produced repentance in your life? I want to take up that theme with you this evening, and I want you to consider it in your own life especially, because as we read in Psalm 145, the Lord is good unto all, and His tender mercies are over all His works. Everybody in the world this evening can testify if they're honest before God and they truly have spiritual eyesight that God is good to them. And indeed, every one of you here this evening can say whether you're a Christian or not, that the Lord has been good to you. Now, we need to define what is being described here when we read of the goodness of God, because There is what we could call a specific saving goodness that God showers, particularly on His people. You think of the goodness of God that is shown in His salvation, that is experienced by those who believe in Christ, and they hold upon Him by faith. Of all the riches of the grace of God that is theirs, as they put their trust in the Lord. And yet we could say as well that there is a general goodness that God shows to all creatures, to the world that He has made as a whole. And isn't it amazing to think of the fact that God does show that goodness to all people in that general way? To a world that is under the curse, to mankind that has rebelled against Him and even uses the very good gifts that God bestows upon them to sin against God and to rebel against Him. It's incredible that God would show that general goodness to all people, that He would be slow to anger. That is retold in Psalm 33 verse 5, the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord to everybody. And so not one person then has a legitimate reason to complain against God. Isn't it true that so many people do that? Complain against God. They might not even believe that there is a God, but if something goes wrong, they'll blame God for it anyway. And they hate God. They hate His laws. They hate everything about Him. They don't want to know Him. And how often we grumble and complain about our circumstances, about the things that we experience in the world, and we say it's all God's fault. And there are some people who take God's goodness for granted. You woke up this morning. Did you take it for granted that the sun would rise? that there would be food for you to have breakfast and clothes, that you would be able to drive down the road and arrive here and enjoy the day. Many people assume that God is just indifferent to them, that God doesn't care, that God's not interested in the world. Psalm 52 begins addressing that. If you look with me in Psalm 52, The psalmist describes people just like that. He says, Psalm 52 verse 1, Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? The goodness of God endureth continually. So here's a man who boasts himself in mischief, in sin. He says, look at the things that I've done. And sure, God doesn't notice anyway. He doesn't see. He doesn't care. I can do these things and God isn't different toward me. And the psalmist responds, the goodness of God endureth continually. So it isn't that God is indifferent to who we are and what we do. But it is that He shows goodness in spite of that. And you think of that, the fact that God is good to us even when we are sinning in these general ways. Heaps greater condemnation on us if we reject Him. Isn't that an awful thought when you think of the world we live in? That as God continues to show goodness in all these general ways, as we're going to see, and they still rebel against Him. Does that not heap upon them greater condemnation? You see, the greater privileges that we experience, the greater our condemnation if we rebel. And that's true, especially in a church context, because you have greater privileges even than the man on the street who's never heard the gospel. Therefore, if you reject the truth, your condemnation will be greater. I wonder, do you recognize the goodness of God? In a general way, as you think of the world, we can all see great tragedies in the world. And often we use that as an excuse to say, well, God isn't good, but we're so biased, aren't we? Isn't it amazing that the world isn't as bad as it could be? And that there are so many things that we see God's grace and goodness toward all people that so often we are indifferent to. And what about in your own life? Have you seen, right through your life, evident tokens of the goodness of God, and especially if you're a believer, of His saving grace? And what effect does it have upon you? Our text tells us that this general goodness of God that's shown to all people should lead us to repentance. That, of course, is the question for you this evening. You might say, well, I believe that God is good. Well, are you repentant? Are you humble before God? Are you confessing your sins? Because that is the effect that the goodness of God will have upon you if you really understand it. So that's our theme this evening. How has the goodness of God led you to repentance? I want to consider three things with you. the evidence of God's goodness, then the design of God's goodness, and finally our attitude towards God's goodness. We read in our text, Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance. You'll see in the way that that verse is arranged that The second reference to the goodness of God, as it were, encompasses those three elements that are mentioned before, goodness, forbearance, and long-suffering. In a way, we can summarize all those things in that way, that this is a reflection of the goodness of God. Now, Paul speaks here of the riches, that is, the abundance, the plentiful evidence that there is of the goodness of God. How can we see that? Well, let's consider for a moment the riches of God's goodness as we see there in our text. Now this is what is called common grace. As I said, goodness that is shown to all people. You think of the fact that God who made the world upholds the world. He upholds all the elements that Make sure that life can be sustained on the world. Remember the promises he gave to Noah of seasons, springtime and harvest of those of the continual, uh, upholding of creation so that there would be food and fruit that the animals would be able to live. Man be able to support himself. All these ways in which God provides for a food and a drink. You read in Matthew 5.45 that God maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust. And that's significant because the reference to sun and rain, what is it that you need in order to have fruitful crops? Sun and rain. And God provides that on evil and on the good. And then think of how God places restraints on sin in the world. That's why I said earlier, the world could be a lot worse than it actually is. That God has ordered government and laws for the restraint of sin. And the fact that you and I can move about in society, generally speaking, we're not expecting to walk down the street and be murdered. Now that does happen, sadly, but generally speaking, we enjoy the blessings of orderliness. And you think of how God doesn't immediately execute His wrath on sinners, but He is long-suffering. He is kind to a sinful world. Luke 6.35, we're told, God is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. I want you to turn with me to Acts 14 verse 17. Acts 14 verse 17. Paul speaking here. Previous verses he's talking about how the nations walked in their own ungodly ways. We're taught here, Acts 14 verse 17, nevertheless he left not himself without witness in that He did good and gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. It says there that He left not Himself without witness, meaning these things are speaking to us. And let's not forget Psalm 19, where we're told the heavens declare the glory of God, the firmament showeth its handiwork, day unto day uttereth speech. These things are talking to us. They're a witness to us of the goodness of God. And then think of how this goodness isn't just reflected in common grace, but it's reflected in Providence. The fact that this world is governed. So that's something that you forget. The world appears very chaotic, doesn't it? But God. rules the world, and He rules it wisely and justly, in accord with His good nature, and that that rule even includes evil. You and I might think of that and, how is that possible? But remember that God is infinitely wise, and even His permission of evil, even His allowance of man to express The nature that he has in sin, his wicked nature, is indeed a part of his goodness. Consider the fact that even as God allows people to express themselves, he shows the justice of his punishment on sinners. People question that today. What right has God to judge us as sinners? Well, you think of how he's so good and yet we are so unthankful and we rebel against him. Isn't God just? when he punishes sinners? And doesn't it show the corruption of our hearts? Now, we often downplay that, don't we? We never think we're as bad as we really are. And we think, oh, well, you're mostly good within. And yet, isn't it true, when you think of history, and the terrible deeds that have been done, and the millions of people that have been slaughtered, and these awful things The very things that people might say, well, where was God when that happened? Or why did God allow that? That God does allow these things in His goodness to show ourselves who we really are, to show us what we're like within. This is the goodness of God. Are we not daily reminded of the fact that this world is under the curse? And we feel the consequences of sin that we so easily forget. Isn't that true? If everything's going well in your life, isn't it so easy to forget? Actually, you're a sinner and you live in a sinful world and you live in a world that's cursed. Whenever you wake up tomorrow morning and you go to work and maybe there's all these things going wrong. God is speaking to you in His goodness. He's reminding you, sin has consequences. We live in a fallen world. And so instead of using suffering as an argument against God, which is so often what people do, we actually should see it as a gracious manifestation of God's goodness, so that we would despair of ourselves and flee to the Lord. I wonder, Has suffering in the world done that in your life? We're all aware of the sort of things that are happening in the world this evening. Instead of saying, how could God do that? You look at it and you think, man, there's no hope in himself. Look at what he does to the world. And you rather flee to the Lord and you take refuge in Christ. Wasn't it wonderful to think that God upholds the universe? He causes the earth to bring forth fruit in its seasons. And again, consider your own life. Has there been times where your life has been spared? Maybe you've had a near-death experience. Perhaps an illness that has made you very, very ill. A car crash. Whatever it is. And you've recovered from that. You've been spared. And you see how God is showing his goodness in these ways, even though you don't deserve it. Have you ever wanted for food? Have you ever been hungry or without a home? All these things reflect the goodness of God in the world that we so often take for granted. Another way we can see the goodness of God is in the fact that God freely offers the gospel to the world. We read about that in Mark 16, 15, that the apostles were to go everywhere preaching the word, declaring the gospel, going into all the world and preach the gospel. When you think of the tragedy of the world in sin, it's amazing to think that there actually is a remedy and that remedy is made known to us that God in his grace freely offers the gospel to all people. It's not restricted to some. It's not as though God says the gospel is to be kept within the confines of the church and outside of that no one is to hear anything about it. No. God God ordains His ministers and commands them to go forth into all the world to proclaim the truth to everybody. Isn't that the goodness of God? God doesn't keep His gospel secret. And everybody who then hears the gospel can never say, well, I didn't know. I didn't have an opportunity. God kept it from me. No, God is good. He sees to it that the Word of God is preached unto all the world. Even as you think of that in this country, in your own experience, are you not thankful? This is the goodness of God. I was born at a time and in a country where the gospel was preached and I heard it. And what about the witness of the church? Jesus says in Matthew 5.14 that we're to be a light set on a hill. And you think of how the Lord has so ordained that His church spread throughout all the world. God has left His people in the world to be a witness of His salvation and glory. That the moment of our conversion we're not immediately taken up to glory, but we are left to live lives of holiness, to worship God here, to seek to be an influence for good, primarily bringing the gospel, but seeking to do good works, to show the goodness of God in how we treat people and how we interact with people. Isn't that the goodness of God? benefited from being a part of the church, knowing people who helped you when you're in trouble, who showed you kindness when you're in need? All these things, do they not show the goodness of God? Indeed, if you're a believer here, that's something that you are to do. You are to show forth the goodness of God in how you live. That when you see people who are in need, where you are able, you help them. and that you show kindness, even to people who don't deserve it. Because that's what God does. He's good to all. There are people who are unkind to you. You're to show the goodness of God to them. If you look in Ephesians 5 verse 8, Paul speaks of this, he says, Ephesians 5 verse 8, For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth, proving what is acceptable unto the Lord." So you see there that he speaks of being children of light, of the fruit of the Spirit in all goodness. This is something that Christians are to do. and those who are not Christian are to see in that the goodness of God. Think of the influence of Christians in the world. Where do hospitals come from? Christian people. Schools, education, science, all the things that we can look in our society and see the benefit of them, inevitably if you trace them back, they almost all were begun by Christian people. The goodness of God. How rich it is. But then consider as well the riches of God's forbearance. Because we read there in verse 4 of our text, For despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance. Now forbearance means God's self-restraint. Have you ever had the experience where someone has insulted you, slandered you to your face, and you've seen red, and you've reacted in anger, maybe said something or behaved in a certain way, and you couldn't restrain how you felt? Well, we're told here of God's forbearance, that God has this self-restraint, this tolerance that He bears with our rebellious ways. And think of how God is so constantly aggravated by us, that every day, even we as people, every day we sin. That for the Lord there is daily provocations, And yet God doesn't immediately react for the ungodly person who from their birth has done nothing but sin and go against God. He does not destroy them immediately. He shows forbearance. If you look in Acts 14 verse 16. We read there Acts 14 verse 16. who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways." You notice that word there, suffered, meaning God grieved him, aggravated him. It was provoking to him, but he bare with it. You think of how God is so forbearing today, and how it's abused. Haven't we heard people say things like, well, if there's a God, then let him strike me down now. Well, he doesn't, so there mustn't be a God at all. And they don't understand the forbearance of God, that he doesn't immediately punish them. And yes, he's a God who hates sin, He is a God who exacts justice, but yet He does not immediately punish us for our sins. Is that something that you recognize? You're thankful for? If you look with me in Psalm 78, verse 38, where we read of God's ancient people and how often they provoked Him by their sins. Psalm 78 and verse 38. We read there, but he being full of compassion forgave their iniquity and destroyed them not. Yea, many a time turned he his anger away and did not stir up all his wrath. Wasn't that an amazing statement? He didn't destroy them, even though again and again and again they provoked him. And if you're a believer here this evening, Are you not so thankful for the forbearance of God in your life? Think about how many times you provoked God before your conversion. And how many times you perhaps heard the gospel and you didn't respond. God gave you another opportunity. He was forbearing with you. How many times He spared you? Until that time when you came to faith. Isn't it amazing to think That His saving love was greater even than your provocations and sin. That is an amazing thought, isn't it? That the love of God is so strong and so great, that it even is able for His people to outweigh the provocations. You think of yourself, you think, how many times I provoked the Lord to wrath. But he was slow to anger toward me. You think of how that's so illustrated in the book of Hosea. Remember how Hosea married Gomer. She committed adultery against him. And that adultery led to her slavery. And yet Hosea, illustrating the love of God, goes to the marketplace and buys her back. and receives her as his wife. Is he caught in an infinitely greater way? Treats his people like that. Yes, we've committed spiritual adultery. And through that, we've ended up being enslaved in our sins. And God could have said, you've been unfaithful to me. Away with you. I don't want to know you anymore. But no, he pursues his people. He buys us back through Christ. He loves us unconditionally. Are you thankful for the forbearance of God? And then also, consider the riches of God's long-suffering. You read there in verse 4, "...or despises thou the riches of His goodness and forbearance and long-suffering." Now, long-suffering here refers to God's patience. You can think of forbearance as referring to the degree of provocation, the intensity of it, and long-suffering is referring to the time period, to how long God is provoked. And when we speak of God being long-suffering, it means that He bears a long time. You think of it this way, of His fortitude in the face of creatures that He created who hate Him and sin against Him. God waits. He gives us time to see the error of our ways, to consider our ways. He is so patient with us. Have you ever lost patience with someone? You maybe spoken to them, tried to make them understand again and again They just don't get it, and then you lose your patience. And yet God, how He suffers such a long time with us. That was said of the time before the flood. 1 Peter 3, verse 20. We're told there, which sometime were disobedient when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls, were saved by water." Those long years, the ark is being built, God is being merciful and long-suffering, the flood doesn't come along immediately. We read in 2 Peter 3, 15, an account that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation. Again, as you think In your own life, it may be that some of you here lived a long time to yourself before you converted. It may well be that you've been born into a Christian home. You're still not in Christ. Have you thought about the long suffering of God towards you? And if this is true of the ungodly, Let's remember this text is speaking to the ungodly, it's speaking of the general goodness of God. If the ungodly world experienced so much of God's goodness in these ways, how much more we could say those who grow up in the church or who are members of the church, who are part of the church, who have that outward show of religion, yet they do not come to true repentance. You see, this was the case with the Jews, wasn't it? You think of God's goodness to the whole world, and then there was His own nation, His own people, and the privileges that they enjoyed. They had the lively oracles of God. They had the worship of God. They had, through symbolism, the gospel presented to them. They had all the promises of God. And so Paul says in Ephesians 2 that they had the covenants of promise. They had all these things that the Gentiles didn't have. Yet they sinned against light. And here is Paul writing to Jews and he's saying to them, you're under condemnation and you actually deserve a greater punishment than even the Gentiles. Were you brought up attending church? Brought up in a family that believe the gospel. How many times have you heard the gospel preached? Beware about making a profession of faith, and yet not living in repentance. There are many today who make professions of faith, and yet they live in indifference and carelessness to the things of God. They are by so doing despising the goodness of God and the forbearance of God and the long-suffering of God, and they are heaping upon themselves greater wrath and judgment. Oh, I wonder, can you see in your own life and in all these ways the evidence of the goodness of God? You cannot deny it. You're confronted with it this evening, and you have to acknowledge God is good in all these ways. Yet maybe you're here despising it. Well, let me move on secondly, and these final two points will be briefer. The design of God's goodness. Because we're told here why God does this. Verse four despises other riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance. Why is God good to all people? Because he has a design. He has a purpose. He has a way of working in our lives, of leading us. He has a way of turning us to himself. It's beautiful that that word there, leadeth, means to take you by the hand. If you had that experience where you didn't know a way or a path and someone said, here, I'll take your hand and I'll show you. That's what God does. And it also has a sense of constraining us toward one conclusion, to bring us to God by the hand. Have you had that experience where you felt yourself being taken by the hand and brought before God in repentance? And understand that this is a leading that is common to all people. That everybody in the world experiences this. and is brought to bear by the goodness of God in all these ways that we've seen. Now, yes, it's not a special saving work of the Spirit in salvation, but it is a more general call. But nevertheless, it's a real call. It's a call that people should respond to. Remember Jesus lamenting over Jerusalem in Matthew 23. If you just look with me there, Matthew 23. In verse 37, he says there, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and ye would not. This general call went out. The prophets were sent. The word was preached. The goodness of God was shown. And yet it wasn't heeded. And you see, if you're here tonight and you can't see the goodness of God, and you don't feel it leading you to repentance, it's not because there isn't evidence for it. It's because you're willfully blind to it. You're closing yourself off to it. You're deliberately ignorant of it. And indeed, it's not producing in your life what it should. because the goodness of God should lead us to repentance. Isn't this why in Acts 17 30 we're told that God commandeth all men everywhere to repent? How is it that God can say that? It's because His goodness is shown to all men and therefore He says repent. And it is There's a design in His goodness that is to lead us as well to faith in Christ. Because when you come to repentance and you acknowledge your sin, who do you turn to when you see yourself as a sinner? And you recognize that you stand condemned before God. Oh, along with repentance goes a hearty embracing of Christ and receiving of His work of salvation. So the goodness of God is to lead you to Christ as well. Now has that happened? Again, I put it to you very simply. Very often, amongst believers especially, they will say, God is good. But unless you are experiencing daily repentance, you don't really know the goodness of God. And if there is that recognition in your life, in all these ways that I've shown you, yes, I'm experiencing so much of God's goodness, His forbearance and long-suffering, and you recognize that and you appreciate it, but it has not brought you to repentance. It has not had its real effect in your life. You should not be content with that. You should seek to have a repentant heart toward God this evening. That brings me then to the final point, is our attitude towards God's goodness. Because there are three attitudes that we can have towards the goodness of God, and we conclude here. First of all, we can be indifferent toward it. We have there in our text these words, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance. Indifference. And not knowing means not considering or not understanding. Isn't it true that many people are oblivious to God's goodness or they simply ignore these things? And maybe that's what you're like. You just take it all for granted. And you act as though God isn't real at all. That the world is just going on, things are happening, and it's just It's all just working out all right. And it seems to you that nothing points you to God. So the Christian steps out into the world and they say, everything around me is speaking of God and all the things that are happening. I see the hand of God and all. God is everywhere. And yet you, it's as though God is nowhere. You can't see him. Isn't that true today? Think of all these people who deny that the existence of God. They don't know. They don't consider. They don't understand. Is that true of you? You just don't see these things. But then secondly, there's also the attitude of despising. Because verse 4 begins, And despises thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering. You see, There's an indifference, there's a lack of knowledge. But then, there are those who do see these things, and they despise it. That means to think against it, or to consider it of no value. So yes, they say, God is good, and he upholds the world, and there's the seasons, and there's the food, and there's the food I enjoy, and there's all the things that I take for granted, peace in society, and order, all the things I showed you, but to them it really has no value. They don't esteem it. They're not thankful for it. They don't offer up gratitude to God. You think of the person who sits down for a meal. They don't even pause to thank God for it. They despise the goodness of God. The sun rises, the rain comes, Think of all the blessings of family, having a mother and a father, of a support in the home, all these things that we enjoy, but they're despised. Isn't it true, as I've said, that people will blame God for anything bad in their life, but they'll never be thankful to God for anything that's good? Is that what you're like? Anything goes bad, God, look what he does. Of course I'm not going to serve him. But then, when there is evident goodness in your life, you're not interested. You never feel compelled to praise him for his kindness. But then there is the attitude of being truly thankful and humbled. that you recognize the riches of His goodness and forbearance and long-suffering, and you are truly grateful to God. And you acknowledge all good and perfect things come from above, come from God. And you're like Zacchaeus, who you remember whenever the Lord was merciful to him, that he gave back fourfold of all that he had taken. There's a man who's grateful and humbled to know the goodness of God, that Christ would show mercy to him. And he realized it in his own life. And he gave back to the Lord. And truly, those who are thankful and humbled will seek the Lord. Because do you remember that occasion when the Lord healed ten lepers? How many returned back? One. One came back to thank the Lord, and was there not in that action that poor leper who had been healed turning back and seeking the Lord to express his gratitude? You see, if you really know the goodness of God, then you'll seek the Lord, and you'll come to the Lord, you'll express your gratitude to the Lord, you'll praise the Lord, you'll serve the Lord, You offer yourself to the Lord. Is that what you're doing? How often you and I are like those nine other lepers. And even for those of you who are believers, is there not a danger here for you and me? That we take great delight in thinking of the goodness of God. Isn't it wonderful to be saved, we say? and yet we become prideful and arrogant. We take for granted God's grace. We don't live in daily repentance and humility before God and live with that awareness. I'm just a sinner who's been shown mercy. I didn't deserve it at all. You humble yourself before God in repentance. Oh, that it would be true of us that the goodness and forbearance and long-suffering of God would produce penitence in our lives Amen, let's pray Oh Lord, we thank thee for thy truth to us this evening Help us to receive it with meekness and fear and to be those Who truly are thankful because we live in a unthankful Time and we live in a period where people just take for granted all the things that thou does give Oh Lord, we pray that we will be people who show our gratitude by repentance, by truth-seeking for thee. Bless thy truth to us, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.