Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

acrostic

A substantial quotation and some distinct further echoes of the psalm in 1 Peter 2 and 3 (and in other epistles) illustrate the indebtedness of every generation to this psalm

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!

Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!

Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

(ESV)

Ps 34:1-10

Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

(ESV)

Sometimes the goodness of God is assumed.

(LORD is good.)

Praise

A hearing (4a)

Peace (4b)

Provision

Safety

The Goodness of God produces in us:

Praise (1)

Joy (2)

Worship (3)

Prayer

The Goodness of God drives us to:

Repent

Grow

Sometimes the goodness of God is assumed.

(LORD is good.)

Here’s what I mean:

Sometimes we assume what God should do if he is to be considered in our estimation as “good.”

Problem is we cannot define God through our assumptions; rather, he defines himself through his revealed truth.

We need to roll back our assumptions.

Trilemma of Epicurius:

If God is unable to prevent evil, then he is not all-powerful.

If God is not willing to prevent evil, then he is not all-good.

If God is both willing and able to prevent evil, then why does evil exist?

Assumption 1:

If God is all-good, there would be no evil.

God is not the author of evil, but because of sin there is evil in the world.

Assumption 2:

If God is all-good, he would stop all evil.

God is the one who gives the definition and destination of evil

Some things that we call evil may actually be for our good

Some things we believe are for our evil end for our good.

Problem is we cannot define God through our assumptions; rather, he defines himself through his revealed truth.

We need to roll back our assumptions.

Before we talk about the goodness of God as actions we need to look at the goodness of God as an attribute.

God is not just good with blessings, he is good in his being.

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good.

The goodness of God is equated with his glory - his identity.

God doesn’t just DO good, he IS good.

The goodness of God is related to morality.

God is understood as the standard of morality and the standard by which we understand anything to be good.

Sometimes the goodness of God is overlooked.

(See)

Did you ever wonder why the expectation of blessing is our default?

Why do we never ask, “Why do good things always happen to me?”

Natural thinking would say: If the world is not governed by a sovereign, loving God and is a random world of chance and molecules that operates through a ‘survival of the fittest’ then blessing should be the oddity and pain and suffering the default.

But we DO have an expectation of goodness because Creation was created GOOD - the desire for good is a whisper of God placed in us by our Creator.

We are all made in the image of God and so we all long for good.

Only the biblical worldview makes sense as to why we at times experience evil but long for good.

Only the biblical worldview offers a solution to overcome that evil with good.

The expectation of blessing is our default and because real life does not always match our expectation, we tend to focus (SEE) on the opposite.

ILLUST - walk up to a group and we tend to talk more about and be fascinated more with the stories of trial than of triumph.

Rarely do you hear, “So this awesome thing happened. .

.” with a reply of, “Oh yeah, this awesomer thing happened to me. .

.”

Problem is three-fold:

The problem is two-fold:

1.

We are blind to the blessings already around us.

2. We’re missing an eternal definition of what is good.

3. We have a selfish view of our blessings.

We don’t have an eternal definition of what is good.

We have all tasted the goodness of God and it is meant to see that God is good.

**Take a minute and write down five things that happened this morning that show God’s goodness to you.

We are blind to the blessings already around us.

We define what is good from our view not God’s.

“blessings in disguise”

**Take a minute and write down five things that happened this morning that show God’s goodness to you.

Often, we are more concerned with our ‘gets’ than our ‘gots.’

Hymn by Johnson Oatman, “Count Your Blessings,”

Count your blessings, name them one by one;

Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.

Ps 34

David is recounting the blessings of God at a time when he was in trouble.

OF DAVID, WHEN HE CHANGED HIS BEHAVIOR BEFORE ABIMELECH, SO THAT HE DROVE HIM OUT, AND HE WENT AWAY.

2. We're missing an eternal definition of what is good.

We define what is good from our view not God’s.

“blessings in disguise”

ILLUST - Drive home from Florida

3. We have a selfish view of our blessings.

We didn’t earn God’s blessing.

We are not owed God’s blessing and yet we are blessed.

We are blessed not because we earned God’s blessing but because God is good.

Should not we, then, as God’s people not just be a people who are blessed but a people who are blessing.

As

We are blessed to be a blessing.

Sometimes the goodness of God is misunderstood.

(Taste)

Difference between seeing and tasting.

ILLUST - Foods that look bad but taste good.