To Magnify God-6

To MAGNIFY GOD-VI—Psalm 34:8-10(:1-10)

[VBS Theme—‘Magnified’—Psalm 34:3]

Attention:

Suppose a young boy is accosted by neighborhood bullies in his own front yard.

From inside the house, Dad observes what is happening. He opens the front door & comes outside to encourage & support his son.

Upon witnessing the boy’s Dad, the bullies suddenly lose their ‘strength’ to bully anymore.

Dad’s ‘imposing presence’ alone, overcomes the ‘feeble abilities’ of the bullies.

Dad walks up behind his son & places his hands on his son’s shoulders. He whispers, don’t worry son, I’ve got your back.”

The son stares at the bullies with his meanest & most confident look.

The son throws his arms around his Daddy! Daddy is magnified!

Some Considerations:

•We can be guilty of casually regarding God’s glory.

•But we can also truly appreciate the ‘imposing presence’ of God in our lives.

*When we do NOT magnify & exalt God, then what we have done, is to allow ‘something else’ to TAKE HIS PLACE in our hurried life!

*The Church must Magnify, ‘make much of’, elevate, & exalt God, so that the imposing reality of His nature, character, & workings can be easily seen & understood by the world at large!

•So, God’s people, both individually & gathered, must MAGNIFY GOD!

Need:

By God’s design, every person of every era is able to, & SHOULD, personally ‘Magnify’, YHWH-God!

And so, by God’s design, every person is personally answerable to glorify God!

To MAGNIFY GOD-VI—Psalm 34:8-10(:1-10)

[VBS Theme—‘Magnified’—Psalm 34:3]

David was a recipient of YHWH-God’s protection(deliverance/rescue), & so David made much of & ‘magnified’ Him.

So simply stated:

God’s people magnify God.

But:

When do we truly magnify God?

When is God magnified in your life?

In verses :1-10 are found:

6 realities necessary for magnifying YHWH-God in your life.

In that last weeks we have been in Psalm 34,

And we’ve found that in order:

To Magnify God In Your Life, God must be...

1. BOAST-WORTHY To You(:1-2a)

2. SHARE-WORTHY To You(:2b-3)

3. FREEING To You(:4)

4. JOY-WORTHY To You(:5)

5. THANK-WORTHY To You(:6-7)

Today, we’ll discover that in order...

6—To Magnify God In Your Life, God must ALSO be...

PROVISIONAL To You(:8-10)

Explanation:(:8-10)Incomparable

:8a—“Oh, taste & see that the LORD is good;...”

The person who magnifies YHWH God in their life will readily & excitedly invite others to “taste” of “the LORD’s” “goodness” for themselves.

•Every one of our number, who has been saved from hell by God’s grace thru personal faith in Christ Jesus, has a ‘testimony’ as to how “good” God truly is. And so we always looking to offer that ‘born-again’ life to others. Such saved people implore others to “taste & see that the LORD is good.” Then you can freely share with others specifically HOW God has been “good” to you!

:8b—“Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!”

Any person who takes hold of & clings to the truth “that the LORD is good”, is a “man”(or woman or child) who is “blessed” as a result of God’s “goodness.”

“Blessed” describes/characterizes any person(“man”, woman or child) “who” places their “trust in” YHWH God! AND, anyone that is “blessed” is a person upon whom God has extended His ‘favor’ & power.

•God’s ‘favor’ encompasses vastly more than what the ‘health-&-wealth’ preachers & congregations will tell you.

•Yes, God’s ‘favor’ CAN involve leading ‘SOME’ people thru the ‘CHALLENGES’ of financial gain....

•Yet, God’s ‘favor’ ALSO NECESSARILY involves ‘SUFFERING’ with & as Jesus ‘suffered’! And that ‘suffering’ is a vital part of the multiple challenges faced in & thru every true Christian’s faith...

•Rom. 8:16-17—“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, & if children, then heirs--heirs of God & joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”

2Tim. 3:10-12—The apostle Paul mentoring young Timothy,—“But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra--what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yes, & all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”

1Pet. 4:12-14—“Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory & of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.”

:9a—“Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints!...”

Those who are the ‘holy ones’(“saints”) of God, are exhorted/urged to “fear the LORD.”