Good morning. It's very good to be here with you all. The Lord for his presence this morning and the testimonies and the sharing of the prayer requests. I'm just grateful. I do intend to take a reading today, a familiar psalm that's been a mainstay for me at many seasons of life. Psalm 34. So it's about 22 verses long. As you're turning there, I'm going to read a few places in the New Testament. think we'll tie together as we go along. The book of Colossians chapter 2 verses 6 and 7, Paul says to them, as ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him, rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith as ye have been taught, abounding therein thanksgiving. NASB that translates that overflowing with gratitude. Colossians chapter 3, verses 15 through 17. Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which you are called in one body, and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts the Lord. And whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him. Hebrews chapter 13, verses 14 and 15. For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. By him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually. That is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name. Thessalonians chapter 5, I believe it says, Rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, in all things give thanks, for this is the will of God and Christ Jesus concerning you. We just celebrate a holiday of Thanksgiving that I'm very thankful for. We have a time to just set aside a day to remember the blessings God's given. If you're like me, what ought to be a regular overflowing of the heart, like we read about in Colossians, doesn't always come naturally. You're probably like me, that in every circumstance, We find reason to rejoice and thank God. I think about even what we've heard this morning, some things that are heavy, some things are maybe irritating, the weather change. I'm trained as a nurse, so when I walk into a patient's room, I'm looking for what's wrong. My mind is trained to notice what's missing, where's the gap. That can make it difficult to see the good at times, but I found that there is plenty of good to notice when you stop and think, when you stop and do the things that we just read about in the New Testament. It does not come naturally. It's something that I think we'll probably spend the rest of our lives doing, working toward. Whenever we're trying to learn something new, to just hear the, be thankful, falls kind of flat. It's found, though, that if we have examples, even stories, what we like to use in the hospital and many other places, case studies. We're trying to learn the thing by seeing how it plays out in the life of another or in a certain situation. And I want to present Psalm 34 to you today as a case study in continual praise. A case study in continual praise. That'll be our title this morning. I'm going to go ahead and read that psalm and then we'll say a few things about where David is at this point in his life that I think will enhance our appreciation of what he says here. Keep in mind this itself was a psalm, so it was sung in praise of the Lord. Psalm 34, David says, I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord. The humble shall hear thereof and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord and he heard me and delivered me from all my fears. They looked to him and were lightened and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried and the Lord heard him and saved him. out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encampeth about them that fear him and delivereth them. O taste and see that the Lord is good. How blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints, for there is no want to them that fear him. Young lions do lack and suffer hunger, but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. Come, ye children, hearken unto me. I will teach you the fear of the Lord. What man is he that desireth life and loveth many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, thy lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil and do good. Seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. The face of the Lord is against them that do evil to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him. out of them all. He keepeth all his bones. Not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked, and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate. The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants, and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate or condemned." That's Psalm 34. Now we get A little bit of, I don't know if you'd call it a footnote, but a short description of where David's at in his life, or at least what he's remembering when he penned this psalm. It says, A Psalm of David when he changed his behavior before Abimelech. Abimelech's a title or a name that means, basically, my father's the king. And this certain ruler was Achish, the king of Gath. It says, who drove him away and he departed. I think you read about this event in David's life in 1 Samuel. And I'm just going to try to hit some highlights of David's life. So you can just stay in Psalm 34 if you want to. David, he went. I'll just read it. 1 Samuel 21 verse 10, and David arose and fled that day for fear of Saul and went to Achish the king of Gath. That's the same king who had earlier had a giant in the valley of Elah that challenged the Israelites for a great number of days. David slew with a sling and a stone. Same king. And the servants of Achish said to him, is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing one to another of him in the dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands and David his ten thousands? He says, and David laid up these words in his heart and was sore afraid of Achish, the king of Gath. And he changed his behavior before them and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabble on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard. Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, you see the man is mad. Wherefore then have you brought him to me? Have I need of madmen? Ye have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence. Shall this fellow come into my house? Why in the world was David going there? Very few places he could go at this point in his life. He's slain the giant, and then shortly thereafter he's made commander in Saul's army, and he's very successful. To where even the young women will sing, Saul has slain his thousands, but David his ten thousands. When Saul got word of that, he became very jealous and he eyed David with suspicion thereafter. It was David's practice even prior to the Goliath incident that he would beat near Saul when Saul was having a fit from the evil spirit that had come upon Saul from the Lord because God had forsaken him as king of Israel. David would play the harp to soothe Saul's spirit. There was an occasion where Saul was having another raving fit, and he thought to himself, I'm going to pin David against the wall. And so he threw the spear or javelin at David, and it says he escaped twice. I understand to be at least two attempts on his life at that point. When Saul was not successful with that, he also determined that he'd try to maybe have the Philistines take him out. And so he made an arrangement with David. He said, marry my daughter. And when it came time for him to take Mikal, Saul's second daughter to wife, David asked, he was just like, who am I? That I should be the king's son-in-law. Saul said, well, for a dowry, go bring me so many foreskins of the Philistines that surely he will come out of that one. He was successful. After David and Michal were married, he decided he would try and go send an ambush into the house to kill him, even in his own house. His wife, Michal, got word of it, and David escaped through a window. David then, at one point, decided he needed to flee to Samuel. He had very few places he could go. Saul sent some messengers to go and apprehend David. And on their way there and they see the other prophets prophesying and they seemingly against their will stop what they're doing and began to prophesy as well. That happened at least two different times. Saul himself went to go find David as he was hit out with Samuel. The same thing happened to him. Seemingly against his will, God providentially protected David. There came a point where Jonathan, Saul's son, one of David's very, very good friends, was pleading with David, hey, come on back. And David said, no, no, no. There's hardly a step between me and death. He was in a rough situation. He had few places he could go. When Jonathan was finally convinced that he couldn't come back and be in Saul's presence anymore, he wished him well and he went on. And he flew, made his way to the land of Nob. to a priest that was there. And as David's interacting with the Himelech, the priest, he goes there seeking provisions and weapons. He had to run in a hurry. He has not a friend in the world, in the kingdom. The king's out to get him. His own father-in-law's tried multiple times to put him to death. Life is not good. His best friend can't do a thing for him. So he goes to the priest. And he asked for something to eat. Himmlech says, hey, all we have is this consecrated bread. And after a discussion about the purity of the young men with him, he agreed to give it to him. And David also said, hey, do you have any weapons? I leave in such a hurry I couldn't bring what I normally would bring. He has no food. He has no weaponry. And he's asking this priest just to get what he needs to get by. And so Himmlech says, oh, hey, by the way, Here's the sword of Goliath, the one you slew. It's wrapped in the ephod. Here. David says there's none like it. I'll take it. And so David goes on the run from Saul. He's already exhausted his resource in Samuel. He has seemingly nowhere else to go but to Achish, the king of the Philistines in Gath. And he's there toting Goliath's sword. No wonder he was afraid. He faked being crazy to get out of that situation. Hardly a step between him and death seems to be the theme of his life at this point in time. Yet we read Psalm 34, he says, I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. Bless you. A commitment to continual praise. Verse two says, Again, a case study. Remember where David's been at this point, yet he still resolves to praise the Lord at all times. He says, my soul shall make her boast in the Lord. Last part of that verse says, the humble shall hear thereof and be glad. Praising the Lord does some wonderful things for our own heart, but don't overlook the fact that it can do really good things for those around you as well. We think about being a witness for the Lord, how we've been called out of darkness and it was marvelous light. He intends for us to be a people to show forth his praises. One of the great encouragements that goes along with that is the effect it can have upon the person that really needs to hear it. There'll be plenty of people that may want to make fun of you or make fun of what you say or slander you. What about the one that needs to hear it? The humble. Maybe we never even hear about the effect it had on them. The humble will hear thereof and be glad. Verse three seems to be an invitation where David is by himself praising God, blessing God, his soul making boasts in the Lord. But then in verse three he says, oh magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together. that those that hear can join in the song of praise and outpouring of thanksgiving. We were made for that. We weren't made to live on an island. We need community. We need the help of one another. Some has already been said this morning about the strength that it's been to each one personally, that you're together in such a body where you can bear one another's burdens. where you can rejoice with those that rejoice and weep with those that weep. Let us exalt this name together. Then David turns in verse four to an event, at least one time, that he had sought the Lord, been heard, and God delivered him from all of his fears. A remembering back, a pausing, and remembering what victories God has already brought him through. That time where he was sore afraid, yet he sought the Lord. The Lord heard him and saved him out of all of his troubles, his fears. I can remember a time in my life where I greatly feared dying. And I can also recall a time where just like David, I sought the Lord and he heard me. and he delivered me from all my fears. I was united with Christ by the Holy Spirit, and I have a part in the victory that he has won over he that has the power of death. That is the devil. He set me free from the bondage of death. That's a great fear I'm very happy to say I don't have. There have been many others since then. We're told not to be anxious for anything, but by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving. Let your requests be made known unto God. The circumstance at surface level may not seem like something to rejoice over, yet we walk by faith and not by sight. We don't see how the Lord's gonna turn it or use it. And even apart from a potential changing of the present circumstance, we've been given exceedingly great and precious promises. And though our circumstances change, we can find comfort in the one who does not change. We can find comfort in the one who provides us with consolation and comfort in at least proportion to our afflictions. David said earlier in a previous psalm you're familiar with, you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. Provide for us even in the presence of those that would seek to do me harm keep going verse 5 They looked to him and were enlightened and their faces were not ashamed David goes from a personal deliverance to what God has shown himself to do for not just him but for all and or the many at least, right? They, plural, looked unto Him and were lightened. Sometimes we can't see past our face. Brother Kent mentioned how our vision about what's ahead, waiting for us in heaven, or just maybe, certainly the next day, we don't know what the day is gonna bring. Again, we can't walk by sight, we won't get very far. If we look to Him, we can be enlightened and made radiant. and our faces not ashamed. I thought also about God who made the light to shine out of darkness, how he has shined in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, knowing him. Is there anything brighter than that? Verse six, again, the personal deliverance. This poor man cried and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. I think there's probably a value in slowing down and trying to remember, even journaling or outlining or listing those instances where God has personally delivered each of us. Verse seven, again, from personal to Generally, the angel of the Lord encamps around those that fear him and delivers them, rescues them. I think it's Psalm 91 that speaks of God giving his angels charge concerning us, that they will bear us up in their hands lest we dash our foot against a stone. He certainly takes care of those that belong to him. Verse eight, oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. How blessed is the man that trusts in him. An invitation to experience for oneself the goodness of God. What's he speaking about? Trusting in him, taking refuge in him, making him the one you go to when you need a place to hide. David needed a place to hide. We have storms that occur. We have difficulties that surely come up, yet it remains. God is our refuge and strength, and when we trust in Him, it's good. It's something that can be likened to taste. It's good. He's good. Verse 9 seems to be an appeal towards people. Oh, fear the Lord, ye His saints, for there is no want to them that fear Him, or there is no lack. He just finished getting food that he didn't have and weapons he didn't have and going to a place where he found no place of comfort, yet David says and sings this in the midst of that. It's because the one we find comfort and provision in, he is apart from and operates apart from our circumstances. God is not limited by our weakness or our lack of resources. he's able to sustain, regardless of that. James said, count it all joy, my brethren, when you fall into various temptations, knowing that the trying of your faith works patience, and let patience have her perfect work. You may be complete and entire, lacking nothing. Or when David said in Psalm 23, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. When we abide in Him in that way, incomplete, Seeming contradiction to our circumstances. We'd be fine in more than we would if we had all of those external needs taken care of. His grace is sufficient. The young lions do lack and suffer hunger. Those that have the strength, have the resources, they eventually end up wanting. But they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. That's a promise. That's a promise we can rejoice in and depend upon. To repeat to God in prayer, to say, Lord, I don't feel like I have what I need right now. I feel weak. I'm tired. I'm discouraged. But I read in your word that they that seek you, that trust in you, that take refuge in you, shall not be in want of any good thing. It's the experience of David's life. Verse 11, he says, come ye children, Listen to me, hearken to me. I will teach you the fear of the Lord. What man is he that desires life and loveth many days that he may see good?" He's about to give a description of the type of individual that trusts, seeks, fears the Lord. What their life looks like. Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking guile or deceit. Seemingly the opposite of his praise being in our mouth. Depart from evil and do good. Seek peace and pursue it. It goes on to say the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and his ears are open to their cry. I would caution us against viewing this as some kind of transactional thing. That if we do these things, or if we don't do these things, that then this will follow. I think rather we're getting a description of what the pathway looks like. So if we step out here a little bit, and we find ourselves saying and doing things that aren't congruent with the way that we're in, we can recognize where we need to get back to. Because in the end, it's not about the blessings of God that we're after, it's Him. The blessings of God, the gifts about the giver, end up becoming gravel in the mouth. They don't satisfy. But take consolation that when you're walking with Him, when you're trusting in Him, I'm speaking to those that know Him, by the way. There may be some of you here that don't. Some of you here may not know what it is to seek the Lord, have Him answer you and deliver you from all your fears. There's breath in your body, you have opportunity. Brothers and sisters that know him know it's a consolation that his eyes are upon us and his ears are open to our cry. The face of the Lord is against them that do evil to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. Verse 17, another promise to depend upon, another reason to rejoice even seemingly in spite of our circumstances. The righteous cry and the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh or near. unto them that are of a broken heart, and save us such as be of a contrite or crushed spirit, that when we are weakest and most broken and crushed by the weight of the burdens that are borne." That's the kind of person God's near to. Verse 19, he said a lot about the righteous and speaking of them in the plural. Then verse 19, it says, many are the afflictions of the righteous, And we would expect him to say, and the Lord delivers them out of them all, but he singled it down to him. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him, not them, him out of them all. I might read over that and not make much of it, but then the very next verse says he keeps all his bones. Not one of them is broken. This very psalm, this very verse, is attributed directly to Jesus when He's upon the cross as the Father, though He's carrying the weight of the world upon Him, though He's having the wrath of the Father poured out upon Him, yet the Son still finds consolation and reason to bless God in that not a bone of Him was broken. that when they went by and broke the legs of the one on his right and on his left, they came to him and he'd already committed his spirit in the hands of the father. I think now we have a link that shows us who the real case study is. He's the real subject of the case study. David's a great one to study, but David just foreshadows at best the son of David that would follow, whose throne endures forever, whose kingship has never and will never come to an end. Whose subjects are we? Jesus is the real case study, the ultimate, the truest, the perfect. Case study, example to follow. We're His disciples. We're following His footsteps. That's what we're called to do, to deny self, take up the cross, the instrument of suffering, humiliation, and pain, all that we would hesitate to embrace, and follow Him, because He's worth whatever that has to entail, and because He's already overcome it. You know, we read, and it's just about miss it as you go through the gospel accounts there at the final time that Jesus observed the Passover with his disciples in the institute we call the Lord's Supper. After he had observed the Passover and after he had shared with them that his body was going to be broken like the bread and his blood would be poured out as a ransom for many. And he said, remember me, He's laying out in imagery what he's going to do in a little while. His death is prefigured before them. He is showing them his death before it happens. And then it says, Matthew 26, verse 30. And when they had sung a hymn, they went out into the Mount of Olives. Seems that he was singing it as well. Don't know exactly what it was. I read somewhere they thought it might've been Psalm 114 through 118, somewhere in there. psalm 18 seems to fit pretty well or 118 psalm 118 verse 19 says open to me the gates of the righteous of righteousness now this is just suggested right I don't know this is what he's saying but it seems to fit open to me the gates of righteousness I will go into them I will praise the Lord This gate of the Lord into which the righteous shall enter. I will praise thee for thou has heard me and art become my salvation. The stone which the builders refuse is become the headstone of the corner. This is the Lord's doing. It is marvelous in our eyes. He'd already come into Jerusalem. He knew they were conspiring against him. The builders were about to reject the cornerstone. He even said as much in some of his parables. Yet the verse after that, this is the day which the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Jesus went to the cross. He died and he arose three days later, overcoming death and all of the associated curses alongside it, all its attendance. In Hebrews chapter two, verse 10, it says, for it became him for whom are all things and by whom are all things. and bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one. For the witch cause, he is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren. In the midst of the church of the congregation, I will sing praise unto thee. And again, I'll put my trust in him. And again, behold, I and the children which God hath given me. Or we read verse 12 saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren in the midst of the congregation. I will sing praise unto thee. That is a direct quote from Psalm 22, the Psalm of the cross. In the depths of his suffering, he cried out, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? There seems to be a turning point in that Psalm. Psalm 22, verse 22, where he says, I will declare thy name unto my brethren in the midst of the congregation. I will praise thee. Ye that fear the Lord, praise him. All ye that see of Jacob, glorify him, and fear him all ye see of Israel. For what reason? For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted neither hath he hid his face from him but when he cried unto him he heard my praise shall be of thee and the great congregation i will pay my vows before them that fear him we can praise the lord in the midst of difficulty and trial death and pain because God has accepted, the Father has accepted, and not despised the affliction of him that was afflicted. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Father delivered him out of them all. Because he lives, we shall live also. Because of that, He is working all things toward the good. We know how this ends because we know how it ended for Jesus. It didn't end. He's alive forevermore. And we have a picture here of Him singing a song of praise, declaring His name to the brethren. There was a loud declaration that occurred on the day of Pentecost where the Spirit of Christ empowered His people. And they went everywhere preaching the word. God has since been declaring his name through his people. And his people have had their difficulties. They've been persecuted. Yet Jesus, identifying with us and our affliction, even still said to Saul of Tarsus, why are you persecuting me? We have a high priest, one to go to God on our behalf, who knows what it feels like to be tempted. and he suffered the penalty of a sinner and has come out on the other side. You ever feared going without? Has that been a barrier to praise? The Son of Man had nowhere to lay his head. You've been misunderstood. Or your best of intentions being the evilest thought of. They called him Beelzebub, ruler of the demons, for casting out demons out of people and giving them deliverance. You aren't a friend, just wasn't a good friend. Surely you're a Galilean. You speak just like one. I don't know the guy, is what Peter declared three times. You ever been betrayed? Methodically betrayed. Like someone spent a lot of time for how bad they were gonna do you, right? Jesus was betrayed with a kiss, but one who had the most reason to worship him and adore him. One of the 12. You ever been alone? He was left all alone, there was none to help. Seems like John kind of tagged close. But all the others had fled. You ever felt like your prayers go nowhere? I don't fully comprehend all that he went through on that cross, but I know there was about three hours of darkness. Yet the Savior seems to take up what Isaiah encouraged earlier. What shall you do, you that are in darkness, that have no light? Trust the Lord and stay upon your God. That's what he did. But seemingly when it was darkest, when it should have been brightest on Golgotha, he said, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from the words of my groaning? Yet he never let go, father. But he said later on into your hands, I commit my spirit. Jesus is our ultimate case study. By it difficult to praise the Lord, for consider him who endured such contradiction of sinners, lest we be wearied and faint in our minds. Looking unto Jesus as the author and finisher of our faith. I want to know it more. I want to know more of the one who is gentle and lowly in heart. I want to know more about the effect that David's playing had upon Saul And I see myself in Saul's case, divided, scared, sometimes just in a fit, yet the sweetest psalmist of Israel comes by and soothes my heart. We sing his song, he whispers sweet peace to me. It's true. Psalm 34, it ends with great assurance that evil shall slay the wicked and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate or condemned. The Lord redeems the soul of his servants, son of them that Romans 15 is where we'll end. These last few chapters of Romans have a lot to do with well, in chapter 14 about not being divided over things that don't matter as much, non-essential issues of teaching and how we do things. Chapter 15 begins with encouraging that we that are strong should bear with the infirmities of the weak. That's what Jesus did. I'm just gonna read verses five through 13 to end here of Romans 15. Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like-minded one toward another according to Christ Jesus. He may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore, receive ye one another, as Christ also has received us to the glory of God." We don't have this as much, but they certainly did a mixing of Jew and Gentile, or pretty much all Gentiles as far as I know. There was certainly some friction at times. And they had to be encouraged to receive one another. Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision, the Jews, for the truth of God to confirm the promises made unto the fathers. God had made some promises that he made good on in the person and work of Jesus. Verse nine, that the Gentiles might glorify God, that's you and I, for his mercy as it is written, for this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles and sing unto thy name. Picture there of Jesus praising the Father, praising the Lord among the Gentiles. And again, praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles, and laud him, all ye people. And again, Isaiah saith, there shall be a root of Jesse, and he shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, and him shall the Gentiles trust. Conclude with this, now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing. He may abound in hope, the power, the Holy Ghost. Jesus is our perfect case study and continual grace. That's the message for today.