The Goodness of God (+ catching up on all things Immanuel)
God is good and good to us!
"The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:15-17).
There is a world of theology embedded in these few verses, but there may be one observation that is easy to miss. Notice how God's default setting is to bless— you may surely eat of every tree. He only gives humanity one prohibition: not eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This observation tells us something about the goodness of God. Goodness is a broad category, but at the very least, we see that God didn't engineer a world of bare minimal joy. His life and love are bountiful and broad. Creation itself is the overflow of His own superabounding inner life of joy. God had every right to give us 10,000 prohibitions with only one token of kindness, but He did the complete opposite— He gave humanity far more than we needed to survive. He gave us 10,000 ways to enjoy Him and flourish under His rule. He only gave us one prohibition, and even that was for the sake of our joy in Him.
Dear believer, the Lord is not a stingy God. He’s no miser, seeking ways to frustrate our joy. God is good. He is the Lord of joy. He is gracious and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. The evidence of this superabounding goodness is most evident in the gift of His Son because when God gave us His Son, He gave us His all. In Christ, we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. What greater gift could God give? To us who believe, every drop of God’s wrath was poured out on Christ so that every spiritual blessing might be poured out on us. Surely now, goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives! God is good!
This Sunday At Immanuel
Sunday Morning…
SUNDAY: Join us this Sunday at 9 a.m. or 10:45 a.m. as Pastor Sam Allberry continues our series in James!
Sunday Seminars…
9 AM: Student Seminar led by Vince Greenwald (grades 5-12) in the gymnasium
9 AM: Last Word: The Gospel of Christ in the Book of Revelation, led by Dr. Russell Moore in the cafe
9 AM: Studying the Bible Together, led by Dr. Tom Cox, studying the book of Romans in the staff lounge
10:45 AM: How to Talk About Jesus Without Being Weird, led by Dr. Gavin Ortlund in the cafe
Park Avenue Elementary Ministry Spotlight…
We are excited to support our ongoing partnership with Park Avenue Elementary, where we have a strategic opportunity to love our neighbors and make the real Jesus non-ignorable. This Thanksgiving, we want to bless the teachers who work tirelessly to serve the students of Park Avenue. To show our appreciation, we’re collecting $25 Target gift cards and writing personal notes of encouragement to specific teachers. Visit the table in the lobby on 11/10 or 11/17 to drop off gift cards and to write your notes. Let’s come together to make a meaningful impact!
On the Horizon…
Marriage Foundations Seminar - If you are preparing for marriage or are young in your marriage, join us on Saturday, November 9, from 9 AM - 1 PM in the cafe for a marriage foundations seminar. Lunch will be provided. RSVP here.
Men's Retreat, October 25th-26th! - Dr. Ray Ortlund will be teaching on brotherhood. This is a great opportunity to be encouraged and refreshed. The deadline to register is this upcoming Monday, so sign up here!