Taste & See!

Grace Community Baptist Church

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Taste & See!

Psalm 34:8-10

August 4, 2021 • Cole Cleveland • Psalm 34:8–10

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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.
Psalm 34:8-10

The psalmist continues after sharing his personal testimony... and as he continues he begins to urge others around him to follow Christ. This is what should happen in your life. If you have tasted to see that the Lord is good, then you SHOULD tell others about it. It is like being an Ambassador for a good restaurant... if you will tell others about the great burger you just ate, then why won’t you tell them about Jesus? Is he not infinitely sweeter and more satisfying?

“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!”
What a cool sentence to read in the Bible. My mind immediately goes to the deer panting for the water and being satisfied with the water from the stream. That deer was desperate to drink... dying of thirst.... And the stream of water was the quench to his thirst. That is exactly what we realize in Christ.

Have you tasted the Lord and found Him to be good? Share a story to the group about how God has been good in your life!!

“Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”
Remember that to be “blessed” is to be happy with an eternal mindset. To be “blessed” is to be totally and completely satisfied in Christ alone no matter your circumstances in life. To be “blessed” is to find lifelong joy in the sovereignty and supremacy of a Holy God.

There is blessing found in the refuge of our God. The refuge that we receive from God is both immediate and eternal. We receive immediate refuge from a desire to be like the world. The grace of God pulls us out of the cultural desire to live in the filth of our trespasses and sins. The eternal refuge we gain from God is when we are finally saved from eternal damnation. We receive refuge from the wrath of God.

Isn’t it amazing to think that the believer in Christ will never experience the wrath of God? Praise the Lord! Thank you for your mercy.

“Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,
    for those who fear him have no lack!”
This is a call for the believer to fear God and nothing else. Do not fear the world. Do not fear the culture. Do not give any credence to the offerings of this society. Fear God!

Remember, do not turn to the left. Do not turn to the right. Set your mind on things that are above. Do not allow this culture to infiltrate your life and influence what your life as a believer looks like. Be strong and courageous.

You will lack nothing because you have EVERYTHING in Christ. There is nothing that this world offers that is greater than Christ alone.

Christ + nothing = EVERYTHING

“The young lions suffer want and hunger;
    but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.”
This is an immediate supplement to the above verse. This is saying that the young lion is immature and without wisdom. The young lion represents an unbeliever. The young lion represents someone who is trying to do everything on their own. The young lion represents someone who is trying to find joy and happiness and contentment and prosperity in themselves.

But the assumed contrast of an older/wiser lion, has sought the Lord and lacks nothing. He has found the sufficient Christ. He has found satisfaction in Christ.

I know this is hard to actually apply because a lot of it is poetic language, but don’t overthink the purpose of this portion of the psalm. The writer has found total and complete satisfaction in Christ alone and no longer needs what this world has to offer. For us this means that we need to come to the point that we prioritize Christ and everything about Christ above all of the things that this world has to offer. Nothing comes before Christ.

What are your priorities in your life? Do you consider work more important that God? Is work your god? Is TV more important than your time with your Savior? Are sports more important? Are hobbies taking your time away from your time with Christ.

As you evaluate your priorities, you can most easily do this with the amount of time that you spend with each element of your life. Just draw out a chart and determine how much time you spend doing certain things... this will tell you what is most important in your life.

God Is Sovereign Over All People

October 2, 2021 • Cole Cleveland • Psalm 47:9

1 Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! 2 For the LORD, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth. 3 He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet. 4 He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah 5 God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet. 6 Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! 7 For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! 8 God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne. 9 The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted! Psalms 47 This morning we conclude this Psalm. We have focused on the people of God praising their one true Lord who is presently sitting on His Holy Throne. There is much reason to praise God, as detailed in this Psalm. "The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted!" -- God is Sovereign over ALL of the earth. God is Sovereign over ALL people. God is Sovereign over ALL nations. God is Sovereign over ALL kings and leaders on the earth. That is the basic understanding of this verse here. We should praise God for His Sovereignty over ALL people. We tend to think that God is only in control of the Christians. Or that God is only in control of the "good things" that happen in this life. But we must firmly and wholly believe that the Lord our God, He is God; and there is no other... which includes ALL the people, nations, tribes and tongues. It doesn't matter who they "claim" to be their "god"... There is NO GOD except the Lord our God. "The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham." -- The "gathering of the peoples" here is most likely referring to a government meeting... a meeting of all the different nations... a meeting between multiple tribes, nations and peoples. And the psalmist makes the comment that they are gathering "as the people of the God of Abraham." This does NOT mean that they are all Christians. This does not mean that they are all believers. This is not a universal salvation message, which would clearly contradict verse 4, where we understand clearly that God chose His people from before the foundations of the world. Instead, the psalmist wants us to understand that there is nothing that a government or nation can do that is outside of the Sovereignty of God. There is nothing that a people group can do, which can thwart the plan of the Almighty God. Everyone is under His authority. Everyone is under His reign. Everyone is not only accountable to His decrees, but they are responsible to follow His ways. No one is outside of the plan of God. That is what the psalmist is saying here. "For the shields of the earth belong to God" -- The "shields of the earth" are the leaders of nations and the leaders of people. And the psalmist is explaining that God is totally sovereign over all people and all tribes and all nations. There is no leader that has gone outside of the ruling Sovereignty of God. All things work according to His plan. And all things work together for those who love God. We must understand that there is no plan outside of God's plan. There is no decree greater than God's decree. You might think to yourself, "Well, that means I can go on sinning all I want to, because everything is a part of God's plan." The reason that this is a false understanding is because when you are saved by God's Grace, when you are Justified by Faith Alone, then there is a NEW desire in your heart. You now WANT what God wants. You now DESIRE what God desires. You now seek the Will of God for your life. For this reason you cannot "go on sinning all the more, that Grace may abound." Paul addresses this in the Bible. "He is highly exalted!" -- as the final phrase of a psalm of praise, the writer makes it clear that we are to praise God, and recognize Him as "highly exalted." To be "highly exalted" is to be seated on His high, Holy throne. To regard Him as "highly exalted" is to understand our position in comparison to His glory. He is "high and lifted up," and we are "to bow before the Lord our maker" and to "worship at His footstool." As we regard the Lord our God as "highly exalted," we understand that there is no one to be viewed in a higher way than Him. It is He Alone who is worthy of our praise. He is to be worshipped as "highly exalted" and presently reigning on His Holy Throne. It is easy for us to get so caught up in this world, that we forget to rely on God's Sovereignty. Often we will focus our attention on earthly, temporal matters, instead of "setting our eyes on the things that are above." The world would love for us to disobey God's command to Joshua and "turn to the left and turn to the right," but instead, we must fix our eyes on the Creator and Sustainer of all time and space and matter. For He alone is God. There is nothing more important than doing the work of the Lord. There is nothing of higher priority than following the way of the Lord. That is why you see people drop everything in this life and follow Jesus. Often times it does not make sense. Most times people will question their decisions. But when someone is truly and wholly convinced that this world is not our home, and that this body is just a tent, then you will find a person who is sold out for the Kingdom of God. Their body, pride, earthly possessions, education and desires of this world are counted as NOTHING for the sake of the one true Gospel of Jesus Christ. Today, take confidence in the fact that God is Sovereign over ALL things and ALL people. And in this confidence, trust God's plan for your life enough that you are willing to "count the cost" and follow Jesus, no matter where that means you need to go.

God Reigns & God’s Throne Is Holy

October 1, 2021 • Cole Cleveland • Psalm 47:8

God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne. Psalms 47:8 As we continue into verse 8 this morning, we discover further reason to "clap our hands" and "shout for joy" and to "praise the name of the Lord!" So far, we have seen that we are to do each of these things because: 1) God is Most High 2) God is a great King 3) God is to be feared 4) God subdued our enemies under His feet 5) God chose His people from before the foundations of the world 6) God has ascended on High 7) God is the King over all the earth Now, the psalmist gives us further reason to praise the Lord our God. "God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne." The essence of this verse, as we take a big picture look at it is powerful. Our God is sovereign and in control. Our God is Holy. Our God is King. Let's look deeper into this verse... "God reigns..." -- This is a statement of fact. This is a statement of boldness. This is a statement which moves past the idea that “the Lord lives,” and guides us to understand that the Lord reigns. The God of the universe reigns as King. The King of ALL kings. The Lord of ALL lords. There is NO ONE above Him. There is NO ONE who can tell Him what to do. He reports to no one. The wind answers HIS bidding. The storm moves at HIS directed path. The Lord reigns over ALL. The Lord reigns over the great things that happen. The Lord reigns over the storm. In His Sovereignty, not only is the Lord guiding the storm and containing the storm, but the Lord is the creator of the storm and the ordainer of the storm. The Lord reigns over the storm. He reigns over kingdoms and governments. The Lord reigns over people and ideas. The Lord reigns over economics. The Lord reigns over inventions. The Lord reigns over law and order. The Lord reigns over all of creation. The Lord reigns over all of His people. All people are under the authority of the Lord God Almighty. Whether people declare for themselves or not… Yahweh is the Lord of their life. He is totally supreme over people. He is totally reigning over nations. The Lord is KING and governments answer to His appointed, divine, Holy decree. The Lord reigns. "God reigns over the nations" -- Note that not only does God reign over the nation of Israel and His chosen people, but God reigns over all peoples and all nations. Break through apart into two categories: 1) The Unbeliever. God reigns over the unbeliever. He is totally Sovereign and totally Supreme over the unbeliever. He is in total control of the unbeliever's life. It is God who reigns, not the enemy of God. It is God who is in control, not those who are against His will. God will have mercy upon whom He will have mercy. God directs and appoints kings of the earth. God reigns over everyone, including the unbeliever. 2) The Believer. God is our King. God is our Lord. The Lord of our life. We have surrendered and submitted to HIS Will. We have counted the cost. We have given up our possessions. We have counted our life as forfeit. We have forgone the idea of this temporary life and have surrendered to the Lordship of the King. God reigns and rules over the hearts of the believer. "God reigns over the nations; God sits..." -- This means he resides. He is currently residing. No matter when in history someone picks up this psalm to read it, it is God who is in total control. No matter when someone picks up this psalm to study it, God is reigning and ruling over all of the universe. He is in total and complete control over all time and apace and matter. And HE is residing and reigning in the very present... always! "God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne." -- The throne of God is Holy. It is a throne unlike any other. It is a throne that is perfect. It is a Kingship that is pure. It is a reign over the entire universe that has never made a mistake. It is a ruling over all time and apace and matter that has been perfect in all of its decrees. Never one single time has God made a mistake in all of history. The throne of God is Holy. God's ruling is perfect and majestic. God's timing is righteous and pure. God justice is excellent in all its ways. It is not for us to evaluate His Holiness... it is for us to submit to His reign and His Kingship and His Lordship and His throne. We are given enough information to totally understand and comprehend that it is the Lord our God who is God; and there is no other. God's throne is Holy! "God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne." Set your eyes on the Holiness of God today. Focus your attention of His appointed plan. Submit to His perfect decrees. Surrender to His will for your life.

Praise the King!

September 30, 2021 • Cole Cleveland • Psalm 47:5–7

5 God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet. 6 Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! 7 For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! Psalms 47:5-7 As we continue to study this Psalm, today we look to verses 5-7. Remember that we are to "Clap our hands" and "shout for joy" because the Lord our God is the Most High God. And we are to praise Him because He has subdued our enemies. And we are to rejoice for He has chosen us to be His people from before the foundations of the world. "God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet." -- There are two things that this could be referring to, and it could be both. 1) This could be referring to when the Ark of the Covenant was being carried to the top of Mount Zion. This was done with great rejoicing and David dancing and the priests blowing trumpets. It was a time of celebration. 2) This could be referring to a future event of the Ascension of Christ in Acts 1:9. Jesus had finished the work on earth and then ascended into Heaven. He "led captivity captive." "Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!" -- There is a consistent reminder for the believer to praise the name of God. We are specifically instructed to "sing praise" to our God and King. It is amazing that the Bible has to continually remind us to praise God... should the praise of God not continually roll off our lips? Should the praise of God not continually be poured out of our life? Why do we so often go days and weeks without praising the name of the Lord? There are 4 evaluations of "praise to God" that we can look at today: 1. Praising God with your time. As you evaluate your time spent on a daily basis, would it be considered glorifying to God. What ratio of your time is spent on earthly things compared to eternal things? What amount of time do you spend on things that just do not matter whatsoever? How much time do you spend in prayer and in the Word? You should continually and consistently spend time praising God throughout your day! 2. Praising God with your relationships. If you are married, please understand that God has specifically and intentionally partnered you with your spouse. HE HAS NOT MADE A MISTAKE. HE HAS NOT OVERLOOKED YOUR MARRIAGE. This was an intentional and purposeful design. Does your marriage reflect the glory of God? Are you loving your wife unconditionally? Are you praising God with your sacrificial service to your wife? Does she know that you love God more than anything in this world? Are you "sanctifying her in the Word" (Eph 5:26)? 3. Praising God with your money. We are called to be good stewards of the gifts that are given to us by God. Do you praise God with these gifts? Do you praise God with your money? We are called to be givers! It is a command to give. God doesn't own 10% of your income through a tithe. God owns 100% of your income. Are you a giver? Do you give? We are to see the work of the Gospel ministry as the primary need for our money in life. There is nothing more important than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Does your budget reflect that? 4. Praising God through the local church. We are to praise God together. We are to praise God as a body of believers. We are to praise God in a corporate gathering. We are to praise God as the bride of Christ. Have you committed your life to this work? Have you committed your heart to this obedience? Are you sold out for the cause of Christ to serve the body as Christ first loved us? We are called to praise our God, and we should do this through our daily actions. Praise should be naturally flowing off our lips and through our actions! Praise God!! He is alone worthy! "For God is the King of all the earth, sing praises with a psalm" -- God is the King. He is Sovereign. He is Supreme. He is Lord. He is Master. He is Commander. He is All Powerful. He is Majestic. He is Glorious. There is NOTHING outside of His control. There is NOTHING outside of His rule. There is NOTHING outside of His omnipotence. God is King. This idea should drive you to your knees in praise! This fact should cause you to fall on the ground and repent. His Power and Glory are so Great, that it should cause you to be in awe of Him. We take the Kingship of God for granted. We go days without truly being in awe of His Lordship. We go days without truly submitting to His Kingship. No matter what you are going through, the believer in Christ CAN DECLARE THAT JESUS CHRIST IS LORD! This is a most glorious proclamation when things are going well in your life. And this is most glorious realization when you are "counting it all joy" while facing "trials of various kinds." It is true... the Lord our God, He IS God; and there is no other. Let there be glory and honor and praises... Glory and honor to Jesus! Glory and Honor to Him alone, for He is our only hope and He is our only salvation. He is the King of kings. He is the Lord of lords! Crown Him King! Crown Him Lord! Oh Glorious is His Awesome and Powerful and Majestic name! Praise the King!