The Goodness of God for Your Marriage and Family (Pt. 2)
“God Is Good Because the Gospel Is Good News”
Hello, Faith Heights Fam!
In our last letter to you, we introduced the topic and title of our new series of letters: The Goodness of God for Your Marriage and Family. I’m stirred up to continue writing to you about this, as God has given me some valuable insights to share with you today. I encourage you to listen to them and remain open. Look at the scriptures I provide and allow the Holy Spirit to build within you a foundation of the GOODNESS of God.
The Lord has dealt with me in this letter to put GOODNESS in all caps as a visual effect. He wants us to not just read over the Word, but to notice and give thought to it; make connections with it.
I want to begin by highlighting what the Bible teaches about how to experience anything God promises you. I'll majorly simplify and summarize it into a list for ease of use. However, there's so much that could be said to establish the foundation of these truths properly. But there's just not enough space in these letters to express it all. That being said, we'll endeavor to give you the complete picture as the Lord helps us. Remember, we're explicitly discussing the GOODNESS of God, but you can apply these same truths to anything you would like to experience from Him.
To continuously experience the GOODNESS of God in your life, marriage, family, and beyond, you must...
Hear it/Know it.
Believe it.
Say it.
Do it.
Receive it.
Tell it.
Be thankful for it.
For this letter, and maybe 1 or 2 more, we'll focus on #1: Hear it/Know it. And by "it," I mean the GOODNESS of God for your marriage and family, or whatever it is you're believing to see. So, step #1 is to hear the Word of God in the area where you want to experience it. If you desire to experience the GOODNESS of God in your marriage and family, and that includes your finances, your children's lives, your occupation, and much more, then you must first begin to hear and come to the knowledge of God's will in that area by hearing His Word preached and taught in that area. And this is where we should all rejoice and praise God for preachers! Hallelujah! Where would we be without God-anointed preachers and teachers of His holy Word?!
For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the GOOD News!" (Rom 10:13-15, ESV)
In this series of letters about God's GOODNESS, I'm going to be giving you three primary reasons why we know God is ONLY GOOD and ALWAYS GOOD. Notice I didn't say the only three reasons. No, just three of the biggest. Now, remember, hearing this and knowing God's will about this (or any Bible promise) is the #1 step in experiencing what the Bible promises us. So, without further ado, we’ll highlight Primary Reason #1 in today’s letter. (We’ll get to the other two in the next letters.)
Primary Reason #1—We know that God is only and always GOOD because the Gospel of Jesus is GOOD News. Have you previously made the connection that the Gospel is GOOD NEWS? It's GOOD News from our GOOD God. Whether you're a wife or a husband, a single man or woman trusting God for the spouse of your dreams, a widow or widower looking to remarry, 50 years married or newlyweds, the GOODNESS of God has everything to do with your marriage and its success.
What's GOOD News to a broken marriage and family? That God wants to heal it up, restore it, and make it better than it's ever been! What's GOOD News to the wife who's believing for her husband to come to repentance, acknowledge the truth, and fully surrender his life to the Lord? (Yes, God will do that, too!) That the Father wants to completely turn his life around, break every habit and bondage, fill him with the Holy Spirit, and set him on fire with the GOOD plan of God burning in His heart! What's GOOD News to the single man or woman believing God for their spouse? That God knows precisely who they are and where they are. If you will keep following Jesus—that's the key—then you WILL cross paths with them. God will ensure it! Whether you're ready for them (or not) when the time comes that you do cross paths, well, that's another thing! You don't want the spouse God has for you to look beyond you because you haven't prepared yourself. But that's another message...
All this and more will God do for those who choose to trust Him and put His Word into practice! In fact, this News is so GOOD that Isaiah prophesied about it and the Bringer of GOOD News centuries before Jesus came. Let me ask you again: How do we know God is only GOOD? Because THE GOSPEL IS GOOD NEWS!
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings GOOD NEWS, who publishes peace, who brings GOOD NEWS of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns." (Isa 52:7, ESV)
Peace! Happiness! Salvation! GOOD News! Just a few chapters over, Isaiah prophesied about this GOOD News again. This time, there's more detail about what the GOOD News is and what the GOOD News is for:
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring GOOD NEWS to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted [GOOD News], to proclaim liberty to the captives [GOOD News], and the opening of the prison to those who are bound [More GOOD News] … (Isa 61:1, ESV)
Hallelujah! Remember, this is hundreds of years before Jesus, and Isaiah is foretelling the coming of the Anointed One and the GOOD News that He would preach or proclaim. The first point he mentions is GOOD News to the “poor.” What's the GOOD News to the poor? Christ is coming, and you don't have to be poor anymore! He's not just going to meet your needs, He'll even cause you to have abundance until your cup overflows (Psalm 23)! Next, what's the GOOD News to the brokenhearted? That Christ is coming to bind up the brokenness, turmoil, and pain in your spirit and soul! What's the GOOD News to the captives? That Christ is coming to set at liberty the one in captivity! What's the GOOD News to those in a spiritual and natural prison? That Christ is coming to fling open the prison doors for those who are bound (spiritual oppression, addictions, etc.)! But the GOOD News doesn't stop there! Look at what else the Scripture says!
…to proclaim [preach] the year of the LORD's favor... (Isa 61:2, ESV)
The Father's favor on your life is part of the GOOD News? You bet it is! Instead of displeasure and separation from God, Isaiah is prophesying that the Anointed One is coming to restore access and fellowship with the Father, bestow FAVOR, and command the BLESSING upon His people!
...and the day of vengeance of our God [GOOD News]; to comfort all who mourn [GOOD News]; to grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes [GOOD News], the oil of gladness instead of mourning [GOOD News], the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit [GOOD News]; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified [GOOD News!]. (Isa 61:3, ESV)
Talk about GOOD News! Vengeance against God's enemies (justice for us), comfort and consolation, a beautiful life, joy and gladness instead of ashes and mourning (sorrow, regret, condemnation, constant repentance), praise and a God-song on your lips instead of being faint in your spirit (weariness and heaviness), righteousness, being planted (settled and prepared for growth), and finally, God being glorified BECAUSE of all this GOODNESS in our lives!
The GOODNESS of God on display in the lives of His people—the Body of Christ—glorifies Him! It makes the hungry heart look at the Father and go, "I want You! I have to have You! You are what my heart has been longing for!" And when they want to know how they can come to know our GOOD Heavenly Father too, we get to point them to Jesus. How do we know God is only GOOD? Because the Gospel is GOOD News, and this GOOD News came from the Father. Look at what Jesus had to say about this:
For He whom God has sent utters the words of God... (John 3:34, ESV)
So Jesus answered them, "My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent me. (John 7:16, ESV)
Jesus was sent to Earth on an assignment from the Father. And what was a big part of His assignment? To preach the GOOD News from our GOOD Heavenly Father.
Let's go to the GOOD News (the Gospel) according to Luke chapter 4. We'll begin reading in verse 14:
And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. (Luke 4:14-15, ESV)
Allow me to interject…Notice how the end of Isaiah 61:3, "...that He [the Christ] may be glorified," and Luke 4:15, "being glorified by all," is the Scripture coming to pass in real time. Let's keep going.
And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim GOOD NEWS to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth... (Luke 4:16-22, ESV)
It's the same passage from Isaiah! Jesus, the Christ, is the Anointed One Who brings GOOD News! After Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit, He began preaching and teaching the Gospel—GOOD News—to everyone around. What's the GOOD News He was preaching and teaching? A significant portion is what we previously read in Isaiah! It's precisely the same as what Jesus read in Luke's account. But how do we know it's GOOD News that Jesus was preaching? Because when people heard what Jesus was preaching and teaching, they began to glorify Jesus! People weren't getting more depressed, discouraged, annoyed, and bored when they heard Jesus preach! People everywhere were seeing and experiencing the GOODNESS of God through the GOOD News Jesus was preaching and teaching. That's the GOODNESS Isaiah prophesied about. That's the GOODNESS that glorifies God, and it's the same GOODNESS Jesus wants to shower you and me with today.
How do we know that God is completely and entirely GOOD? Because the Gospel of Jesus is GOOD News! We'll close for today with this next scripture, but as we do, let's give the devil a TKO (technical knockout) with one final point.
As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching GOOD NEWS of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about DOING GOOD and HEALING all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him (Acts 10:36-38, ESV)
According to this scripture, the Bible ties preaching the Gospel, doing GOOD, and HEALING all together. In other words, preaching the Gospel—or the GOOD News—includes divinely inspired HEALING! And the Bible equates divine healing as Jesus doing GOOD and God being with Jesus. That's tantamount to saying God was behind the doing GOOD and the HEALING!
Family of God, if you're one whose marriage relationship has been broken and you're hurting in your heart… this matters to Jesus. Guess what Jesus wants to do about it? He wants to overwhelm you with His GOODNESS and make you and your marriage whole in every way—spirit, soul, and body.
If you're a spouse reading this, and you feel like you've been in captivity, unable to move forward, chained by your previous mistakes, Jesus wants to break every bondage that's chaining you. Jesus wants to set you at liberty once again, free to live for God, free to have and enjoy your life, marriage, and family like you've always dreamed.
Like a GOOD Father, He's looking for every opportunity to overwhelm us with His GOODNESS and favor. As Jess and I pray over you and your marriages and families today, I encourage you to trust God to overwhelm you with His GOODNESS, believe that you receive all you need from Jesus today, and mix your faith with these words as you pray this after me:
Pray this OUT LOUD: Father, in the Name of Jesus, I believe that You anointed Jesus with the power of the Holy Spirit. I believe Jesus went everywhere doing GOOD and healing ALL who the devil oppressed. And if You healed them all those years ago, I KNOW that You will heal me, heal my marriage, and heal my family because You are no respecter of persons. Therefore, I ask You in Jesus' Name, to heal me, restore me, strengthen me, and add to me everything I need to overcome. I ask You to heal my marriage, heal my family, and deliver us from the traps of the evil one. Satan, I bind you in the Name of Jesus. Cease in your operations and STOP in your maneuvers against my spouse and marriage, my family, my finances, and my children! I resist you and I command you to leave me and get out of my house in Jesus’ Name!
Hallelujah! Now, wherever you are, I encourage you to lift your hands toward Heaven and begin to praise and thank the Lord for healing you, delivering you, and making you free! Thank the Lord in advance for all the GOOD things He's going to do as a result of your faith and trust in Him. Tell the Lord how much you trust Him. Express your gratitude to your Heavenly Father and thank Him for answering your prayers. Rejoice because the Lord has heard your prayer, and your answers are here! Your help and strength are here.
"But Brother Matthew, what if it doesn't look like anything has changed? What if my husband or wife is the same ol' stubborn bull or heifer they've always been? What if I don't feel any different? What if my children are just as rebellious as ever? What if my bank account is emptier than a politician's promises?"
That's where faith in God comes in! Use your faith like you would a tool! Exercise your trust and confidence in your GOOD Father. Even though you haven't seen it yet, even though you haven't experienced it yet, believing, pick yourself up by the ear and act like God's Word is true. Open your mouth, REJOICE, and give thanks!
Final action steps as a recap:
1. Rejoice because you believe the Lord has heard and answered your prayer.
2. Praise the Lord and give Him thanks because you believe you have received what you desired from Him.
3. No matter what it looks like, act like the Word of God is true in your life and it shall come to pass.
Jess and I love you and believe in you, family. Nobody who ever trusted the Lord—especially in His GOODNESS—was made ashamed! The blessing of the Lord be upon you, may the favor of God surround you, and something GOOD happen for you today and this coming week in Jesus' Name!
-Matt & Jess-