Taste And See Series

Taste and See

Griffith Baptist Church – 6/22/08

P.M. Service

Text: Psalm 34

Main Verse: Psalms 34:8 - O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

The Introduction

How many times were you told as a little kid to taste something and see if you like it?

o Broccoli, squash, Brussels sprouts, peas (yech)

o Pizza, cotton candy, tacos, soda (yum)

o Shouldn’t the major food groups be based on taste rather than what’s good for you?

o Guilt could be forever removed

The reality is that many times we didn’t know if we would like something because we had never tried it.

Well, here is an invitation from God to give Him a test of His goodness, and He never fails to satisfy.

The Hebrew word used has to do with perceiving.

How well do you perceive God and His goodness?

God is always giving evidence of His goodness so that our faith will increase

1. Praise - 34:1-3

2. Protection - 34:4-7

3. Provision - 34:8-14

4. Proximity - 34:15-18

5. Preservation - 34:19-22

Transition Statement: First, what hinders or deteriorates our perception of God.

Body

1. What Hinders our Perception of God?

A. Pride (2 - the humble shall hear thereof . . .)

i. It is pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began. - C. S. Lewis

ii. Our heads swell up because of:

a. Talents and accomplishments

b. Praise from others

iii. Nothing interferes worse with how we view God than self-admiration.

iv. He must increase but I must decrease (John 3:30)

v. If you are going to boast, boast about God - Jeremiah 9:24 - But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.

B. Fear (4 – from all my fears)

i. As at every vaudeville performance, Olga stood quietly against a wooden background while her partner threw knives, hatchets, etc., into the wood around her. All at once, during the act, she screamed, fell over in a faint. The audience of course suspected the worst. But in her dressing room, when she had revived, Olga explained: "I suddenly felt something crawling on my leg and discovered a spider. Oh, I’m so afraid of spiders!"

ii. Fear of:

a. What people will say or think

b. Failure

c. Missed opportunities

d. Loss of control

iii. The only healthy fear is the fear of God and if we have a true, healthy fear of God we will have no room to fear anything else – 2 Timothy 1:7 - For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

C. Worry (6 – troubles)

i. At age 20 we worry about what others think of us. At 40 we don’t care what they think of us. At 60 we discover they haven’t been thinking of us at all. Ann Landers, via Context, quoted in Signs of the Times, March, 1993, p. 6

ii. Matthew 6:25-34 (5 times Jesus mentions the idea of not worrying in the words of “take no thought”)

a. Don’t worry about your life (25), your height (27), your clothes (28), your supply (30), or your future (34)

b. Seek God first (33)

iii. Troubles will come but worrying about them won’t solve them

iv. Most of the time we are worried about affixing blame to a problem than finding a solution

v. Stop fretting altogether. It is a waste of time and energy.

D. Lack of knowledge (11 – teach you)

i. Rossini was once presented with a watch by the King of France-- of which he was justly proud. Several years after, showing it to a friend, he was told that though he had possessed it so long, he did not know its real value. "Impossible," said Rossini, whereupon the friend, taking the watch, touched a secret spring, at which an inner case flew open, disclosing a beautiful miniature painting of Rossini himself. (This is characteristic of a certain type of modern Christianity. It values its ethics and is acquainted with and appreciates much of its teaching, but it has not discovered the inner secret which gives it its supreme value. The portrait of Christ is still hidden. When the secret spring is touched and the Face of Christ is recognized, the whole attitude of mind and theory of values is changed. It is characteristic also of much avowed discipleship. "Have I been so long a time with you, and hast thou not known Me, Philip?" said Christ to one who called himself a disciple and an intimate.)