7.15.18 Pastor Chris Taylor Marysville Community Church Series Title: The Psalms: Patterns for Prayer and Pointers to Christ! Text: Psalm 34 Title: The song of the saved! Big Idea: Those who are rescued by God align themselves with Him and call others to do the same! Intro.: Ill.: First Responder rescue of medical student (missing leg)! The rescued respond by giving thanks! They praise the rescuer! For most this may simply be a one-time thing! But, the greater the rescue, the more intense and the longer the duration of the thanksgiving! For example ( Bro, you almost walked into the women s restroom! vs. I was drowning and you jumped in to save me. ) We have been rescued from eternal separation from God! Ours is an infinite rescue! Our thanksgiving is not simply lifelong; it s eternal! Read Text! Introduction (Background and Type) Thanksgiving Psalm (with elements of a Torah/Law Psalm (vv. 11-)) This psalm is for the saved! 1 Samuel 21:10-15 Summarize! David barely escapes and he gives God the credit! He thanks God! T.S.: How should the rescued respond? If you ve trusted in Jesus for salvation and turned from your sin and rebellion against God, then you ve been rescued! How should the rescued respond? God rescues us to be with Him in relationship, to align our lives with Him! In Psalm 34 we see what it looks like for the rescued to align their life with God! The rescued praise and proclaim the Lord (vv. 1-7)! Vv. 1-7 1 I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. 3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together! 4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. 5 Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. 6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.
- We give God thanks for His rescue! How often should we do this? Vs. 1 1 I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. An infinite God deserves to be praised eternally! What does this look like? What we re going to see in Psalm 34 is that this involves personal praise, corporate praise and obedience to the Lord! Are you regularly praying, and in your prayers are you regularly giving God thanks for His saving work in your life? Are you doing this with others in corporate worship on Sunday morning? Are you praising God with your life, a life of obedience? - We are to regularly remember God s rescue! David gets specific in his praise! Vv. 4, 6 4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. 6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. Praise God for specific times when He has worked in your life! Maybe He s delivered you from addiction, depression or deep hurt! All of us (as believers) come together regularly to praise and thank God for the Cross and Empty Tomb! That is at the heart of why we gather as God s people on Sunday mornings! We are celebrating God and His rescuing work on our behalf! We are remembering together! We are commanded to do this throughout Scripture (Hebrews 10:24-25)! - This further involves testimony telling! David is sharing from his own experience! He s telling his story! Differentiate between evangelism and testimony telling! 1-4P Challenge! - We must acknowledge God s grace! David doesn t take credit for his deliverance! He gives God the glory! Vs. 4 4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. David acknowledges God as the subject of his saving! The Lord has done it! The rescued are satisfied in the Lord (vv. 8-10)! Vv. 8-10 8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! 9 Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! 10 The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. Vs. 8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Have you done this? Are you satisfied in Him? How do we taste the Lord? Where do we go to taste the Lord? Psalm 119:103 103 How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
John 6:35 35 Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. We taste Him through regular exposure to His Word and by taking Jesus into our lives by faith! We continue to savor the Lord by reading His Word! We must be sure to do this on our own and with others! Derek Kidner notes, [The NT writers] urge that the tasting should be more than a casual sampling. As we see with the next line from vs. 8, those who taste and see that the Lord is good are those who take refuge in him. In Him they find their security, satisfaction, and meaning the deep satisfaction of the soul! Have you anchored your life to the Lord? He doesn t stop there! Vv. 9-10 9 Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! 10 The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. Those who are aligned with the Lord lack nothing; they need nothing, for to them He is everything! The thought is this: If we have the Lord, we have all that we need (in Him and from Him)! Recall Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want (hksare). This same verb is used in vs. 10 of Psalm 34 (to lack or need)! The Lord provides for our needs; and more than that He is enough! Those who have no lack are those who fear the Lord and seek Him! What does it mean to fear Him? To fear the Lord is to have a right view of God as Creator and Savior, and of yourself as the creation and the one desperate for salvation! To fear the Lord is to be in awe of Him! It s that sense of awe and wonder in response to the unmatched beauty, power, and goodness of God! Those who align with the Lord are those who have tasted His goodness and are forever satisfied in Him! This is such an important point! We must ask ourselves, Is this true of us? I am completely satisfied in Him? The rescued teach others (vv. 11-)! Vv. 11-11 Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 12 What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good? 13 Keep your tongue from evil
Having been rescued by God, David has aligned himself with the Almighty and now instructs others in the way of the Lord! This should mark the church today! Colossians 3:16 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. This was the norm in the early church, namely God s people teaching one another the Word! What is the content of David s teaching? Here we have our wisdom element! Vs. 11 Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. - David teaches his listeners the beginning of wisdom (which is what?)! What is meant in vs. 11 when David says, I will teach you the fear of the Lord? How do we instill this in others? I would argue that this involves helping others to submit to the Word of God (for those who revere the Lord, obey the Lord), to treasure Christ supremely, and to get rid of idols! Submission, awe and idol smashing! This requires time (bible study, accountability, prayer, etc.)! He further unpacks what actively fearing the Lord looks like in vv. 13-. Vv. 13-13 Keep your tongue from evil Those who fear the Lord live lives that honor Him and teach others to do the same! Right now, who are you investing in spiritually? Who are you discipling and/or being discipled by? This involves more than just discipleship and instruction, but accountability and correction as well! We who have been rescued have the immense privilege and responsibility of helping others to follow Jesus through teaching and accountability/correction! Galatians 6:1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. - The rescued give individual praise and call for corporate praise! Not only does David personally praise the Lord, but he calls others to do the same! He invites others to join in! That s the movement throughout Psalm 34 from personal praise to corporate praise! Vs. 1 I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. Vs. 3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!
Let s help one another direct our focus on Christ, His beautiful character and His gracious saving work! What we enjoy immensely we want others to enjoy immensely! What we re captivated by, we want others to be captivated by! It s the idea of, O come and see what I ve found, as the child stumbles upon a beautiful flower or dazzling sunset or waterfall! They want their parents or friends to enjoy it and be captivated by it the thing they are enamored by as well! As Christians, we must call others in the church (and outside) to come and see the unmatched worth and beauty of our King! - Practice Steps: Teach your children, fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, and unreached friends and family! 1-on-1 bible study! Disciple a fellow believer (read the Bible or a good Christian book with them and help them fix their eyes on the beauty of God)! The rescued are transformed to live differently (vv. 5, 13-)! Vs. 5 Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. Vv. 13-13 Keep your tongue from evil What does it mean that those who look to him are radiant? As one scholar notes, Radiant (nahar) is a word found in Isaiah 60:5, where it describes a mother s face lighting up at the sight of her children, long given up for lost. One thinks of Moses radiant face as a result of being in the powerful presence of God in Exodus 34. In 2 Corinthians 3:18, Paul uses this same image to describe the Christian who is being transformed more and more into the image of Christ! Derek Kidner writes, Radiance is delight but also glory: a transformation of the whole person. When we look to the Lord (trusting in Him for rescue) we are transformed by the glory and majesty of God! The Good News of the Gospel is not just forgiveness, but transformation as well! Recall Ezekiel 36:25-27 the solution to the problem of sin (hard, rebellious hearts) is not just forgiveness but transformation (new heart, new spirit and God s Spirit)! What should mark the lives of those who have experienced God s rescue, His presence, those who have now aligned themselves with the Lord? Vv. 13-13 Keep your tongue from evil David is teaching others what is true of him! Those who have aligned themselves with the Lord don t speak dishonestly; they turn from evil and do what is right and pleasing to God! They are peacemakers
and not troublemakers! Those who have aligned with the Lord live differently they live a life of praise to God! Simply put, this is a life of obedience to the Word of God! This is how the rescued live! We don t live this way begrudgingly ( Do I have to? ), but joyfully! It s our response of gratitude to God for all that He s done! The rescued recount and trust the promises of God (vv. 15-22)! Vv. 15-22 15 The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry. 16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. 17 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. 18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. 20 He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken. 21 Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. 22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned. This is such an important point! David spends a great deal of time recounting God s promises! He rejoices in these promises and calls others to do the same! Let s answer two questions here: (1) How might we summarize these promises and (2) What do they teach us about God? Vv. 15, 17 The Lord hears and responds to the cries of His people! God is compassionate! Vv. 16, 21 Those who oppose God will be judged! God is just! Vs. 18 The Lord is with His people! God is omnipresent! Vv. 19, 22 The Lord delivers and vindicates His people! God is gracious and faithful to save! Practice Step Spend time recounting the promises of God and teasing out what they teach us about God s character! Respond by giving thanks to God for His wonderful character! Listen to how those who are aligned with the Lord are described in Psalm 34: Vs. 2 (the humble); vs. 7 (those who fear him); vs. 9 (his saints); vs. 10 (those who seek the Lord); vs. 11 (O children); vs. 15 (the righteous); vs. 18 (the brokenhearted and the crushed in spirit (=the humbled)); vs. 22 (his servants and those who take refuge in him)
This is who we are in the Lord! May this psalm inform and transform the way you see yourself your identity, your self-worth! How does Psalm 34 point to Christ and the Gospel! - In Jesus, the teacher par excellence has come (vv. 11-)! Jesus is the greater David and the greater Moses (Deut. 18:15)! The Father instructs us to listen to Him (Luke 9:35)! - Those who look to Christ are transformed to live differently (vv. 5, 13-)! In 1 Peter 3:10-12, Peter quotes Psalm 34:12-16. Peter is saying, This is how the saved and sanctified live! As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3:18, we who behold Christ are being transformed more and more into His image! - Jesus is the righteous sufferer vindicated by the Father (vv. 19-20)! In John 19:36, John points to Jesus fulfillment of Psalm 34:20. We too who suffer and toil now, will be vindicated and glorified at the resurrection! What a message of hope! - Those who call out in faith to Christ for forgiveness will be saved (vv. 4, 6)! How might we prayerfully apply Psalm 34? Rather than trying to pray through this entire psalm, let s look at a few verses together and what it might look like to pray through them. This is what I m trying to teach you to do! Vs. 1 I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. Prayer: Father, you are worthy of my forever praise, for you are eternal! Help me to praise you individually and corporately with your people! May my life bring you praise always! Vs. 6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. Prayer: Lord, in my brokenness and desperation I called out to you for mercy and forgiveness! You heard and you answered! In Christ I am saved! I am forgiven! You have rescued me from the greatest plight eternal separation from you due to my sin! Continue to lead me not into temptation and to deliver me from evil! Vs. 8 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Prayer: None can satisfy like you, O God! You provide true and lasting satisfaction for my soul! Help me to daily enjoy sweet fellowship with you through prayer and time in your Word! May my hunger for you surpass my hunger for all other things! Use me to invite others to taste your goodness and take refuge in the finished work of Christ Jesus! Vs. 9 Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! Prayer: Father, there is none like you! In you I have all that I need! Help me to be on guard against awe misplacement! Help me to keep you on the throne of my heart at all times, for you alone are worthy! I thank you that in you I have no lack! You are my everything and provide me with everything that I need!
Vs. 11 Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. Prayer: Father, help me to faithfully teach your people your Word! Give me the grace and the strength to teach others my wife, my children and your people the great truths of your Word! Use me in to fix the eyes of your people on your unmatched glory and goodness! Vv. 13-13 Keep your tongue from evil Prayer: Father, help me to daily turn from evil and to turn to you! May my words and actions be in keeping with your Word! Help me to help others to do the same, even when it s hard! Conclusion: Gospel and Response; and Response for the Saved!