Sermon: O So Good

Psalm 34 this morning and let's pray before we open God's word together.

For Father, we pray this morning, shall we give us eyes to see? Shall we give his ears to hear? Shall we give us hearts to understand

which only you can by the gift of your spirit and by the work of your grace?

We cry out to you and we ask this in the strong name of Christ. Amen. Psalm 34 verses one through 22. This is a holy inherent sufficient word of God. I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes this boast and the Lord let the humble hear and be glad it'll magnify the Lord with me and let us exult his name. Together I sought the Lord and he answered me and delivered me from all

my fears. Those who looked to him were radiant. Their faces shall never be ashamed. This poor man cried and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord in camps around those who fear him delivers them. Oh, taste. See that the Lord is good, blessed as the man who takes refuge in him. Oh, fear the Lord you his saints for those who fear him have no lack. The young lions suffer once and hunger,

but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing come O children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of the Lord. What man is there who desires life and loves many days that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking to sea. Turn away from evil and do good. Seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous in his ears, toward their cry. The face of the Lord is against those who do evil to cut off the memory of them

from the earth. When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of the all. He keeps all his bones, not one of them is broken. Affliction will slay the wicked and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. The Lord redeems the life of the servants.

None of those who take refuge in himn will be condemned. Though the grass withers and the flower fades, the word of God is forever. Thanks Peter to God. Amen.

We don't have time this morning to go through every line of the psalm and everything that is in the Psalm, but I want you to see the overall structure of the psalm as we jump in and look at different portions of it here this morning. The first section is verses one through 10 and in it David is giving us his experience. It's David's experience verses one through 10 and verses 11 through 20 is David's exhortation and then the end is there in verses 21 through 22.

The end or the conclusion of the psalm, the experience exhortation the end, but I wanna start here when I read verse eight there and you heard verse eight where he says, oh taste and see that the Lord is good. I wondered if your eyebrows raised a little bit when you hear language like that. Oh see and taste that the Lord is good. It sounds odd unless you've lived it. It's, it's one of my favorite verses in all the scriptures

cuz it's so concrete. It speaks of experience and reality and true affection and stirring of the soul

taste and see, do you know that the Lord is good. Mike, one question for you this morning. Do you know that the Lord is good

taste and see that he's good

First experience, David is letting us know his own experience of this reality there. There's something gripping isn't there about hearing someone's story about what they have experienced, what they have gone through. That's why I love history. That's why some of you love movies or love literature or love sports because there is a story that is wrapped up in it and David is relaying his story, his experience, his testimony if you will,

what we say in in our vernacular as Christians today. But I want you to notice how he doesn't many tell their testimony today as Christians and it falls flat and it falls flat because I, I am the central character in that story. But I want you to notice what David does here. He relays his experience differently in the psalm and he does so with with a background. You have to understand what is going around in the background here.

I didn't read it at the beginning but let's look at it now. The little intro to the psalm, it is of David when he changed his behavior before a bik so that he drove him out and he went away. This is the background of the psalm. It is literally of David when he changed his taste, he changed his taste. It's how the Hebrew reads and as he changed his sins is what the writer is trying to get at. What was that sin? Well, it's quite the story. Some of you know it.

It is there in the book of first Samuel where David has been forced to flee and he is being forced to flee to the land of his enemies and as he is forced to flee to the land of his enemies, they're in First Samuel chapter 21. It is quite the story because he is forced to flee and he is among all of these enemies. What he does is he puts on an act, he changes his sins. He acts as though he has lost his mind that he has gone crazy

and so he begins painting graffiti on doors and on columns mocking the the king of that day ak he allows his beard to grow long and he drs all over his beard so that he seems as though he is crazy and he does all of this to fool them so that they don't put him to death. He was so convincing that he not only fools some of the people, he fools everyone. It's quite the story. That's his experience. The kind of story that you tell around a fire after it's happened and

everybody sits around and they laugh together. It's an amazing story. David, you fooled them all. How clever were you? How resourceful were you? You preserved your life.

There is is Alec Moir, one of my favorite Old Testament commentators said, he said there is a story within the story. It's a great story. Within the story,

David could have told the story like so many Christians relay their testimonies with him as a central figure but he doesn't. God is the central figure. There's a story within the story. People could have walked away amazed by him, by the change in him, by what he did, how clever he was, but he doesn't and this sawmy makes it clear there was much more at work than his cleverness. He says in verse two, my soul makes its boast in the Lord.

He believed he was saved in the midst of his enemies, not primarily due to his cleverness, not due to his innovativeness but rather because of the goodness of God. God heard his prayers and God acted. There is a greater story within the story. There's a God who hears the cries of his people, his righteous people and he is a good God who responds and he preserves them from all they're trouble.

The story he tells is one in which God is the hero, not David God. And this story demands a hero. Demands a hero. David is in a severe trial. We may laugh at David and what he did here and say, oh, isn't that funny what he did playing the fool and preserving his life. But you have to remember he's among his enemies. He is in dire circumstances. This is no small trial. This is a severe trial. He's been forced to flee and he is among enemies and yet

he begins the entire Psalm with noting this, I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. This is his experience, a great trial and yet his refrain in the midst of that trial is God has to be praised at all times. His praise is to be continually in our mouths

and I don't know where you're all at this morning.

You may inwardly or maybe even outwardly this morning, you roll your eyes.

I think that's easy to say.

It's easy to say as you sit off and then ivory tower or your life seems to be sailing along And

remember this is one who says it in the midst of severe trial. His experience demands that we listen in a different way, doesn't it?

He's saying even when what we call hard providence, even in hard provides were to praise God

again, he's not the Nire tower writing the soul.

How can he say this?

Because he knows that we don't always know why this providence has descended upon us, but we know who decreed this providence. We know him and so he says, I will bless the Lord at all times. Our circumstances change but God does not and he is good. It's good.

So David erupts in verse three, will magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together. Why? Why? Bless the Lord at all times. Why praise him Continu. Why magnify and exalt his name? Because he is always good and what he brings into our lives is always for our good.

Let's be honest,

struggled to always believe that that's just human sinful nature.

Even as David notes here, verse four, he was filled with fear. I sought the Lord and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Verse 18, he says, the Lord is near the brokenhearted and he saves the Christian spirit. Sons and daughters of God absolutely suffer from fear, absolutely suffer from broken hardness, absolutely suffer from being Christian spirit in this world. This is not an easy place to live in

a love. In fact, what he calls himself in verse six because I feel it so often, he, he calls himself this poor man, poor man how often we just feel poor in this world

but ah, we are the richest of people in this world

and so David has experienced that as well. Verse four, God answered me and he delivered me from all my fears. Verse five, those who look to him are radiant and their faces shall never be ashamed. There is freedom that he experienced

fear had gripped him and now confidence grips him. It was not a change in his circumstances but rather in his countenance. The danger is still there, always there in this world, but the Christian also knows God is still there and he is always there in this world. Look at what he says in verse six. The Lord heard and he saved him out of all of his troubles. Verse seven, the angel of the Lord in camps around those who fear him and delivers

them, the angel of the Lord, the son, the pre-incarnate Christ encamps around those who fear him and delivers them. God is near his people. He's not distant. He doesn't keep them at arms length but he's watching them. He's caring for them and he is with them. This is David's experience and so he says in verse eight by that experience he says, oh taste and see that the Lord is good. I've experienced it. I know it.

Second his exhortation.

It's exhortation again. We experience fear again. We experience broken hardness again, we experience feeling crushed in spirit that happens in this world even among God's children, but as David is exhorting us, so we are to try and respond as he say, taste and see that the Lord is good. Verse 11, come, oh children, listen to me and I will teach you the fear of the Lord that is trust in him, know his goodness and rest in it.

Often thought so many of our trials in this world, they're they're self-induced.

Now by that I don't mean that when you and I go through a deep valley that often the cause of that is because you and I have done something deserving of that valley that that's not what I mean. Though sometimes that's the case,

but I mean is that when you and I go through a valley and we go through some trial or tribulation or kind of suffering, that we tend to multiply grief upon grief and suffering upon suffering

because we become anxious and we become fearful and we become doubting and maybe we even become lonely in the midst of that trial and that suffering and that sorrow. What happens is I think in our minds and in our hearts, what we are prone to do is that we will often divorce, divorce God or Father from the God of Providence

divorce in our minds and our hearts, God, our Father from the God of providence as if there are two separate gods. There's not there's one same God. God is one. What happens in our lives comes from a sovereign hands even as it comes from his equally good hands.

I like that greeting that has been used among Christians over the last few decades it seems like. I think it comes from the African American church. Seems like that's where it began, but the greeting where God is good at all times and the responses all the time, God is good. Love it. I was a kid. I remember even an unbelieving house being taught to pray before every meal. Very simple, very small prayer before we would eat. God is great, God is good.

Let us thank him for our food. Amen. Remember when I went to my grandparents' house for one time for lunch and they had forgotten that we were sitting there as grandkids. What we didn't know is that when we weren't there they would shorten the prayer and so it was just God is good. Let us thank him for our food. Amen. That all can even be shorter.

Good prayer. God's great, God's good. Whatever we have from him, we thank him for good prayer, taste and see,

John says in first John one, God is light and in him is no darkness at all. God is good. God did not become good. He has always been good. He is forever good. In fact, he originally is good. Unlike us, his goodness is not derived. Your and my goodness is derived. That's why when those Pharisees, those teachers will call Jesus good, that he will question them and say, is anybody good but God, God is good. He alone is good.

He is goodness. Itself is very Es essence is goodness. He cannot cease to be good anymore than he can cease to be God. And the great implication of that is therefore all that comes from him, whether by his decree or by his creation or by his salvation or by his providence, it is is Good. It can't be other Because it comes from him.

That's why each day after the creation account, it's no mistake. Each day after the creation account first day and the Lord God saw that it Was good Because he could only create That witch is good And as it is true of creation. So it is true of him in his providence. What he ordas for his children. He ordas for good, even for Our good. He can't do other.

That's who he is.

Samuel Rutherford once wrote this, he said, is the Lord's kindness that he will take the scum off us in the fire. Who knows how needful winnowing is to us and what draws we have before we enter the kingdom of God. So narrow is the entry to heaven that are knots lump. So pride, self-love, idle love and world love must be hammered off us that we may stoop low and creep through into that narrow entry. Listen, you are scummy,

you are naughty, you are lumpy and you need to be ironed out.

Need it? I need it. Whatever he Is ordained is for a Good.

He can't do other because he is good taste. And see,

this is why Paul can say I'm content in all circumstances, why David is continually exhorting us to believe in God's goodness towards his people. Verse 15, the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous in his ear, toward their cry. Verse 17, when the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. Verse 19, many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them. All our trials. David's not denying them,

they're very real trials, But He's saying, look, they don't last Because your God is Good. He's ordained them for your good and he eventually delivers you from them. They don't last, But your Relationship with him does.

He will redeem You from them

Always. I have a father Who tends to us and supplies our every need because he is so Very good and Now you have to fight. You have to fight the thought that comes through all of our minds to the contrary, is he actually good?

It's an evil thought. It's a great evil that ab and eve that they believed in the garden. Your family lie if you will, God is somehow not good.

It's a lie so by Satan.

Remember that he lied to Adam and Eve there in the garden. He sewed that lie that just because they couldn't eat from one of all the trees in the garden, just one they couldn't eat from that somehow God was keeping things from them that he wasn't aimed at their good, that he was actually aimed at their harm. They believed that whisper.

Don't you listen to those whispers of our adversary.

God is so very good.

He's generous and he's kind and he's good. Love how John Owen put it. He said this, how few of the saints are experimentally acquainted with the privilege of holding immediate communion with the Father-in-law? Experimentally means by experience. What David is saying here, how few Christians know that you experience and taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, if there's anything I desire for you, it's that you taste and see that the Lord in his beauty is good.

No one continues with what anxious, doubtful thoughts do they look upon him? What fears, what questions are there of his goodwill and kindness at the best? Many think that there is no sweetness at all in God towards us, but what is purchased at the high price of the blood of Jesus? Isn't that what many think? They think? Oh God, yes. Mm. He's somewhat good towards us. He's good towards and the fact that he sent his son and that his son blood was

shed for us and that way he's good towards us, but ah, not really in any other way. It's just purely because of that sacrifice upon the crawls.

No one says it's true that that alone is the way of communication. Meaning that it's by the blood of Christ that you and I receive any goodness in this world. It is always by the blood of Christ. But says though in the free fountain and spring of All is in the bosom of the Father. Father so loved the world.

His love is aimed, his goodness is aimed

as Paul would erupt in Romans eight. He who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also give us all things? That's a rhetorical question. You're not meant to answer it. Of course, he gives us all things cuz

he's good Christian. It does not matter what your life circumstances scream at you.

You're to hear this even louder. You're to believe and trust this more than anything else. God is good

goodness of God. It is the bedrock upon which you and I live the Christian life of trust. Good. And so we taste and see that He's good.

I pray that you know this by experience.

I just said it's something that you can ah shake your head to. Yeah. Now that's supposed to be the case, but you know it.

The language throughout the psalm is one of experience. We don't have time this morning, but I want you to take time this afternoon. Look through how much the senses are in view here. The eyes and the ears and the mouth. You're meant to experience him, to delight in him

that you know what it means to commune with him. Not just to be in union with him, but to commune with him.

Delight in him to know that that gift of being near him, he draws near

taste and see that the Lord is good.

Your prayer life know this. David's dead.

Do you know this by experience?

One of the great benefits of being a Christian is that you and I have a father that we continually can draw near to. I don't know if live on Sunday mornings or not, not preaching. And I get to sit out there and I love when I get to sit behind a family. Often what will happen is, is that you'll see some, some son or daughter in the family, they will, after a song or a hymn, they will usually crawling over a brother or sister and poking them in the eye.

Uh, make their way over to a parent's lap.

They just sit on their parents' lap, their father's lap their space. They have a right to it. They can come with boldness without fear of condemnation. Now, if I tried to sit on Pastor Kevin's lap or Brett's lap or Evan's lap, there might be some condemnation this morning.

Not a son, not a daughter.

You're all near.

He's so very good to his children,

so you keep running to him, especially in hard time.

It's all mens with poignant words for the Christian. The Lord redeems the life of a servants. None of those who take refuge and him will be condemned. And you dear Christian, know that by experience better than David knew it bikes

cuz you're on this side of Christ, the truly righteous one who cried out and his bones were not broken, who cried out to his father and who his father redeemed him from, all raised him to his right hand. He sits and thrown to both

how to be in Christ. Lord redeems, the life of a servants, none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

Pray that you've tasted and seen that the Lord is good and that's your confidence today. Let's pray.

Father, we are thankful

that you are a God who draws near to your people, that you make us your children, that you do not leave us. You do not forsake us. You do not abandon us. The wiles and tribulations and sufferings of this world, and yet that even as we go through them, that we know they're ordained for our good, for you are truly good. Even as we come to the table this morning, may we taste and see, know that you are good. It's a Christ holy name we pray. Amen.