“For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee” (Ps. 84:11-12).
This is the message of the whole Bible: God is good.
These days, it’s common for people to wonder whether it’s even worth it to get married. Why pay all that money and get all dressed up, when you don’t even know if it’s going to work out. What if things go badly? What if he changes? What if she changes?
The answer is because God is good.
In the beginning, God spoke the worlds into existence. And day by day, as He saw what He had made, He saw that it was good. And when He finished the heavens and the earth and everything in them, He saw that it was very good.
When people say that just don’t know if there’s a god, when they say, they would believe if He would only reveal Himself, it’s simply astonishing. Open your eyes. Open your mouth. Open your hands. There’s goodness piled up high all around us. It’s Christmas every day. God made everything, and He made everything beautiful in its time.
People say, yes, but there’s really horrible things in this world: tragedies, evil, cancer, disasters. What about the problem of evil? To which we say two things: first, if there is no God, then there is no such thing as evil. If there is no transcendent standard of goodness, no north star, then there’s no right and wrong, no good or evil. But everyone knows there is such a thing as evil. We know that death and dying and destruction and loss are not the way it’s supposed to be. To which we say, and God agrees. He is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.
And the story of the Bible, the story of human history, is the story of that perfect Light overcoming the darkness. It was Adam and Eve leaving a Garden 6,000 years ago, clothed in animal skins with a promise of a seed. It was Noah and his family in an enormous boat saved through the flood. It was Abraham building altars in a land that was not his own, and his family of 70 persons growing into a great nation enslaved in Egypt, and God brought them out by His mighty arm. It was by signs and symbols, prophets and priests and kings, that God brought His light, until He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, into the world, the Light of the World to bind and plunder the darkness of this world. And so He did: He cast out demons, He calmed the raging storms, He fed the multitudes, and He turned water into wine. And finally, He took the darkness of our sin, and shame, the darkness of death itself upon Himself on the Cross. And when He died, all of it died. When He died, the power of darkness was broken. And when He rose from the dead, He rose like the morning Sun. He rose, bringing light to the whole world.
But then they ask, so why doesn’t He just destroy all the darkness. Why doesn’t He just make it all right, right now? And the answer is because He is God and He is good. And He knows better than anyone. Why doesn’t the Sun just appear at the zenith? Why does it take time to rise and scatter the shadows? Because God is good, and He makes everything beautiful in its time.
But the Scriptures also say that God is patient and merciful. He is slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness, and He does not desire that any should perish. Why doesn’t God just swallow up all the darkness in a moment? Because that would mean all of us swallowed up in a moment. We are part of the darkness. We are the Fallen, we are the rebels. We have lied and cheated and stolen and mistreated. And He waits patiently for the rebels to surrender. He waits patiently for all the wicked to lay down their arms. And while He waits, the overwhelming method that God uses to conquer the darkness is His goodness.
While people rage and blaspheme, He sends them sunsets and good food. He sends them symphonies and laughter and turns water into wine. He sends them goodness piled on top of goodness, and rebels turn away. The wicked call it good luck and evolutionary chance, and as they refuse His gifts, they hide in the shadows and then as if proving their claim, they point out how dark it is. To which we say, in the name of Jesus Christ, come out into the Light. They say it’s dark and getting darker, and we say, not hardly. It’s already 9am, it’s morning, the sun is coming up. It’s getting lighter every minute.
In Romans 2, after listing so many of the evils of the human race, it says, do you dispise the riches of his goodness and patience and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” What is it that leads sinful rebels to repentance? The riches of his goodness. Goodness is the power of God. Goodness is the omnipotence of God. This is why He requires His people not to return evil for evil, but to overcome evil with good.
All of this is why it isn’t crazy to get married. The goodness of God brought you here today, and no matter what happens, the goodness of God will carry you through.
Sam, my charge to you is to remember the goodness of God. The goodness of God is your sun and shield. The goodness of God has forgiven all your sins and granted you eternal life in Jesus Christ. The goodness of God has brought you to this day. The goodness of God made you a man, and it is good to be a man. Your masculine strength and instincts are good gifts from the Lord. Continue to train them to imitate Your Heavenly Father in wielding them for good. God said it was not good for Adam to be alone, and so brought him a wife. And Proverbs says that He who finds a wife, finds a good thing, and so here today, Tarez is your crown, your grace and glory and blessing. She is your Lady wisdom. Listen to her and love her and lead her like Christ loves and leads His bride. This is true authority and responsibility, but remember that goodness is your power. And the standard for this love is the Word of God. Love is not doing whatever Tarez wants or whatever you want. Love is doing what God says is best for your family.
Tarez, my charge to you is to remember the goodness of God. The goodness of God is your sun and shield, your power, and your glory. The goodness of God has forgiven all your sins and granted you eternal life in Jesus Christ. The goodness of God has brought you to this day. The goodness of God made you a woman, and it is good to be a woman. Your feminine beauty and instincts are good gifts from the Lord. You were made to make a home, to be a mother, to feed and clothe and comfort. And in God’s goodness, He has called you to serve Sam, to submit to him, to honor and respect him, to follow him. This is the goodness of God, and the goodness of God is your shield and sun. There are still many dark shadows in this morning land, but the sun is risen, and it’s getting lighter, and your marriage, your home, your family, by God’s grace, is part of the growing light.
Scripture says, if we walk in the light as He is in the light we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. This is how sinners walk in the light. As we confess our sins, the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. Whatever sin you confess in the name of Jesus turns to light and the shadows fade away.
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen.
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