I wonder how many people think that God is the kind of God who is fundamentally at root angry.

Always angry.

Always irritated with us,

irked, displeased.

So does God delight in doing us good?

That's the question John Piper answers from Luke 1232 in this episode of Light and Truth.

This sermon was originally preached at Bethlehem Baptist Church on April 12, 1987.

Why does the flock of God struggle with fear?

Luke 12 makes it real plain that we do and tries to show us that we don't need to. Fear

not, little flock. It is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Now what fear is Jesus trying to eliminate in that verse?

I think he's trying to eliminate the fear that God is the kind of God who does not like to be good to us. He's trying to address, I think, the inclination of those people whose hearts

are prone to think that God is acting out of character when he does good things to us.

People who are prone to think that really at root God's always angry. What God really loves to do is judge sinners. Just get people.

How... Just get people.

How do you help people whose vision of God is that even way he does a kindness is acting out of character.

That's not the way he really is.

I wonder how many people think that God is the kind of God who is fundamentally at root angry, always angry,

always irritated with us,

irked,

displeased. with us. Erked! Displeased!

Well this morning Jesus is at pains and I choose that phrase very consciously. He is at pains in Luke 1232 to free us from that vision of God in which God begrudges his benefits. He's out of character when he does good, and he's always angry,

...