The Lord is Good

Scriptural Text:

Message: The Lord is Good

Life and Peace

A man has found himself when he has found his relation to the rest of the universe, and here is the book (the Bible) in which those relations are set forth. And so when you see a man going along the highways of life with his gaze lifted above the road, lifted to the sloping ways in front of him, then be careful of that man and get out of his way. He knows the kingdom for which he is bound. He has seen the revelation of himself and of relations to mankind. He has seen the revelation of his relation to God his Maker, and therefore he has seen his responsibility to the world. This is the revelation of life and of peace.

—Woodrow Wilson

G. Curtis Jones, 1000 Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1986), 218–219.

uncontrolled emotions are a powerful influence over our behavior. When consumed with misdirected zeal, anger, jealously, fear, or some other strong feeling, we tend to make rash decisions and act foolishly…AS DAVID DID...

uncontrolled emotions are a powerful influence over our behavior. When consumed with misdirected zeal, anger, jealously, fear, or some other strong feeling, we tend to make rash decisions and act foolishly…AS DAVID DID...

When we act emotionally, we tend to create messy situations, as this was the case with David in . On the run from jealous Saul and gripped with fear, David foolishly fled to an unlikely place: Gath, home of Goliath, the ten-feet-tall giant whom David had recently killed. When the servants of King Achish recognized him, David hatched a plan of survival. He pretended to be insane, scratching on the doors and drooling onto his beard. Achish ejected him from the palace, and shrewd David escaped to the cave of Adullam. Eventually, four hundred of Israel’s outcasts gathered with David, forming an army with him as leader (). While there, David wrote this psalm to celebrate the Lord’s deliverance and to instruct his ragged band of soldiers to fear the Lord.

Thankfully, the Lord comes to our aid when our emotions overpower us and motivate us to act foolishly. When we fear Him and live righteously, He will deliver us from what is often our most dangerous enemy: ourselves.

Far too often, we are controlled by our old nature rather than by the Holy Spirit. But God is faithful to us when we are in trouble, even trouble we create for ourselves. This is the message of . This is, When God Delivers You from a Fearful Situation, 34:1-22

1. Praise the Lord (vv. 1-2).

Thought 1. give thanks in every circumstance(). The Holy Spirit enables us to bless the Lord at all times and for all things ().

(). Being filled with the Holy Spirit enables us to bless the Lord at all times and for all things ().

2. Invite the afflicted and helpless to exalt the Lord with you (vv. 3-7).

2. Invite the afflicted and helpless to exalt the Lord with you (vv. 3-7).

What should we do when we are stricken with fear because of adversity?

What should we do when we are stricken with fear because of adversity?Thought 1. We should earnestly seek the Lord, asking Him to show us what to do (v. 4). ⇒We should boldly do as He directs, depending on His power and guidance (v. 4). ⇒We should take our eyes off the magnitude of our problem and fix them on the Lord who is greater than our crisis (v. 5). ⇒We should be encouraged, displaying confident joy, by knowing that God will deliver us (v. 5). ⇒We should give God the sole glory for our victories and share the testimony of His deliverance with others (v. 6). ⇒We should remember that we do not fight alone, but that God’s angels are at our side to protect us (v. 7) ⇒We should always be sure that we are walking in the fear of the Lord—submitting to Him in all things—that He might help us (v. 7). Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible - Commentary - The Preacher's Outline & Sermon Bible – .

Thought 1. seek the Lord, asking Him to show us what to do (v. 4). We should boldly do as He directs(v. 4). ⇒take our eyes off the magnitude of our problem and fix them on the Lord (v. 5). ⇒We should be encouraged and joyful knowing that God will deliver us (v. 5)...

⇒We should give God the sole glory for our victories and share the testimony of His deliverance with others (v. 6). ⇒We should remember that we do not fight alone, but that God’s angels are at our side to protect us (v. 7) ⇒We should always be sure that we are walking in the fear of the Lord—submitting to Him in all things—that He might help us (v. 7).

Thought 1. We should earnestly seek the Lord, asking Him to show us what to do (v. 4). ⇒We should boldly do as He directs, depending on His power and guidance (v. 4). ⇒We should take our eyes off the magnitude of our problem and fix them on the Lord who is greater than our crisis (v. 5). ⇒We should be encouraged, displaying confident joy, by knowing that God will deliver us (v. 5). ⇒We should give God the sole glory for our victories and share the testimony of His deliverance with others (v. 6). ⇒We should remember that we do not fight alone, but that God’s angels are at our side to protect us (v. 7) ⇒We should always be sure that we are walking in the fear of the Lord—submitting to Him in all things—that He might help us (v. 7). Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible - Commentary - The Preacher's Outline & Sermon Bible – .

3. Invite others to taste God’s goodness (vv. 8-10).

3. Invite others to taste God’s goodness (vv. 8-10).

Thought 1. If we wish to taste the goodness of the Lord take refuge—in Him and you will be blessed(8)Fear Him and you will have all you need (v. 9).Seek Him and you will lack no good thing (10)

Fear Him and you will have all you need (v. 9).

All God’s perfect qualities are made freely available to all for the benefit of the whole world.

Seek Him and you will lack no good thing (10) 4. Teach your children to fear the Lord (vv. 11-14).

God’s goodness is to be experienced

...the Christ of the Bible is not rightly known until there is an experience of Him within the believer, for our Savior and Lord offers Himself to human experience. A.W. Tozer

God is good to those who trust him ; ; See also ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

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(ESV) — 8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

(ESV) — 7 The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.

(ESV) — 19 And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.

(ESV) — 10 On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their homes, joyful and glad of heart for the prosperity that the Lord had granted to David and to Solomon and to Israel his people.

(ESV) — 11 Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and ate bread with him in his house. And they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him. And each of them gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold.

(ESV) — 19 Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind! 20 In the cover of your presence you hide them from the plots of men; you store them in your shelter from the strife of tongues.

(ESV) — 11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.

(ESV) — 17 Show me a sign of your favor, that those who hate me may see and be put to shame because you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

(ESV) — 25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.

(ESV) — 14 Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. 15 Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

(ESV) — 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

God’s people can rely on his goodness

(ESV) — 40 I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me.

4. Teach your children to fear the Lord (vv. 11-14).

See also ; ; ;

(ESV) — 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

(ESV) — 13 I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!

(ESV) — 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

(ESV) — 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Seek Him and you will lack no good thing (10) 4. Teach your children to fear the Lord (vv. 11-14).

4. Teach your children to fear the Lord (vv. 11-14).

4. Teach your children to fear the Lord (vv. 11-14).

5. Encourage the righteous (vv. 15-22).