The Power of God's Goodness - Free Indeed - Ep. 9

Summary

Barry Bennett’s central message is that God’s goodness and power are inseparable. In Bennett’s teaching, God’s goodness is not merely an attribute; it is also a way his power is revealed and made active in people’s lives. He argues that a mistaken view of God—as unpredictable or as requiring people to earn help—can undermine faith and lead to discouragement. By contrast, a revelation of God’s goodness can strengthen faith and bring hope.

Main Ideas

• God’s goodness is constant and abundant. Bennett cites God’s description of himself as “merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abounding in goodness and truth” (Exodus 34:6). He connects this with Moses asking to see God’s glory: God says he will show Moses his goodness.
• God’s goodness is meant to draw people to him. Bennett says people can come to know God by encountering his goodness, including through the compassion and help believers show others.
• God helps people out of compassion, not because they have earned it. Bennett highlights Peter and John healing a lame man, which Peter describes as “a good deed done to a helpless man” (Acts 4). Bennett emphasizes that the man was not presented as having qualified for healing; he was helpless and received help.
• Healing is presented as freely given. Jesus tells his disciples, “Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8). Bennett interprets this as an instruction not to impose moral, social, or religious prerequisites before helping someone.
• Jesus’ ministry exemplifies goodness in action. Bennett points to Acts 10:38, which says Jesus went about doing good and healing those oppressed by the devil, and Matthew 14:14, where Jesus is moved with compassion and heals the sick. Bennett stresses that Jesus did not first interview people to determine whether they deserved healing.
• A person’s need, not merit, is the qualification in Bennett’s teaching. He tells viewers who are sick that they are candidates for healing, regardless of their past or what they believe caused their illness. He presents healing as an expression of God’s goodness and compassion.
• Trust God’s goodness rather than focusing on personal worthiness. Bennett encourages listeners to “taste and see” that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8) and to trust in that goodness instead of worrying about whether they have earned God’s help.
• God’s goodness is pictured as continual and abundant. Bennett draws on Psalm 23:6 (“goodness and mercy shall follow me”) and Psalm 65:11 (“You crown the year with your goodness” and the Lord’s paths “drip with abundance”). He applies these images to healing, peace, joy, restoration, and other forms of well-being.
• Personal testimony: Bennett recounts being told he might die from an illness. He says he received an assurance from God that he would survive, spent the following year studying God’s goodness, and believes that this revelation helped him through his illness and recovery.
• Closing prayer: Bennett prays for viewers to receive a revelation of God’s goodness, describing it as healing, delivering, restoring, transforming, and liberating power.

Sources and Speakers Featured

• Barry Bennett — Host and speaker; identifies himself as an instructor at Charis Bible College.
• The Bible — Passages quoted or referenced: Psalm 27:13; Exodus 34:6; Acts 4:8–10; Matthew 10:8; Acts 10:38; 1 John 3:8; Matthew 14:14; Psalm 23:6; Psalm 65:11; Psalm 34:8; and 2 Thessalonians 1:11.
• Andrew Wommack Ministries prayer line — Mentioned at the end as a resource for prayer and encouragement; no representative speaks in the subtitles.