Well, tonight I invite you to turn with me again to Psalm 34. Having considered the goodness of God to His people in the midst of affliction, tonight we consider that 8th verse, "...taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him." Shall we once again read together this psalm in its entirety? Hear now the Word of God. I will extol the Lord at all times. His praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the Lord. Let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me. Let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord and He answered me. He delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant. Their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called and the Lord heard him. He saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and He delivers them. Taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him. Fear the Lord, you His saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. Come, my children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. Turn from evil and do good. Seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their cry. The face of the Lord is against those who do evil to cut off the memory of them from the earth. The righteous cry out and the Lord hears them. He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all. He protects all his bones. Not one of them will be broken. Evil will slay the wicked. The foes of the righteous will be condemned. The Lord redeems His servants. No one will be condemned who takes refuge in Him. Beloved in the Lord, the Lord's table, as we see it prepared before us tonight, is a snapshot, a beautiful snapshot of the truth of God's Holy Word. We know, of course, that the whole of Scripture from beginning to end points to the Lord Jesus Christ and the Gospel of salvation through Him alone. But as well, with so many passages, in a specific way, we can read them and then say, well, look at the Lord's table. That's what this passage is talking about. For example, we consider Isaiah 53. we know clearly that that points to the suffering and death of our Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore it points to the Lord's table. We think of Isaiah 43, which we mentioned a little bit this morning. And again, God, the Lord says to His people, I have redeemed you, you are mine, I have given people in exchange for you. He has given His Son in exchange for us. We consider what Paul says in Romans chapter 6, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. And of course, there are the classic I am statements of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am the good shepherd who gives his life for the sheep. I am the bread of life. I am the living water. I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. These and so many more passages in a specific way, we can read them and say, well, look at the Lord's table. That's what it's talking about. And the same is true, I believe, with Psalm 34. The message of Psalm 34 is the message of the Lord's table. And tonight, before we come together before the table, we want to consider the truth of Psalm 34 through the beautiful words of verse 8. Taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him. Therefore, beloved, I preach to you the call to experience God's goodness. Now you might say, well, this is an appropriate communion sermon text because it talks about tasting. And well, you know, we're going to eat and drink and therefore taste the bread and taste the juice. but boys and girls, this physical tasting is not necessarily what we're talking about. That's not the connection here at all. However, we must say that it is true that as we physically eat the bread and drink the juice, we do believe that the Holy Spirit nourishes our souls by faith, as by faith we feast on the very body and blood of Christ, and indeed, in that way we taste and see the goodness of the salvation of our God. Those who come to the Lord's table in true faith do experience God's goodness. Now notice in the first place in this call to experience God's goodness, the fact of God's goodness. The text says the Lord is good. Now the goodness of God is one of the themes of Scripture. The Psalms especially speak and teach about God's goodness. Obviously, this text before us is one of those places. And then there's Psalm 25, verse 8, which says, Good and upright is the Lord. Psalm 54, verse 6, I will praise Your name, O Lord, for it is good. Psalm 84, verse 11, No good thing does He that is the Lord withhold from those whose walk is blameless. Psalm 86, verse 5, You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to You. Psalm 100, verse 5, For the Lord is good and His love endures forever. Psalm 107, verse 1, Give thanks to the Lord. Why? For He is good. Then one more, Psalm 119, verse 68. You are good, and what you do is good. You see, all of that is but a small sample taste of Scripture's testimony to the fact that God is good. But now, what do we mean by good or goodness? Well, on the one hand, we generally think in terms of morality, how we act, or what we do. boys and girls if your parents leave you with a babysitter the last thing they might say to you before they leave the house is be good and what they mean is behave don't get into trouble don't do something that you know that you ought not do don't be bad or we might we might say that someone is a good person and by that we might mean a number of things for example that that they are nice, or that they don't steal, or that they are honest, or that they are helpful, or many other things. All of the above. We also think of goodness in the sense of use or purpose. For example, a good map is useful and helpful in finding and reaching your destination. A good book is enjoyable for reading. A good meal is tasty and satisfying. A good flashlight gives light. It lights up the path before you. But then also, something that is good says something about the one who accomplished it. A good grade points to the ability of the student who accomplished that good grade, who worked for that good grade. A good meal points to the ability of the one who cooked it. And I trust you get the point. We speak of good or goodness in a number of ways. Again, the Bible, including this text, says the Lord is good. One theological definition of something that is good is that it answers in all its parts to the ideal. It answers in all its parts to the ideal. We might simplify that by saying something does what it's supposed to do that makes it good. Again, a good person is nice or doesn't steal or is helpful. A good flashlight gives the light that it's supposed to give. Goodness is an attribute of God. and refers to the perfection of His nature. God doesn't just do good or act good. His very being is good. His nature is good. He is the highest good. That means there is no one greater than God. There is no one more powerful, no one more perfect, no one more intelligent, and therefore no one more reliable than God. And there is nothing defective in or about God. There is nothing lacking in Him. And then because He is good by His very nature, by His very being, all that He does is good. He cannot do anything other than good. He acts consistent with His nature. He makes no mistakes. He never wanders from His own good will or good plan or good nature. All of God's dealings, all that He does is good. All of God's acts, all that He does is perfect and true and consistent with His good nature. And His goodness then is evident in creation. It's evident in the works of His hands. All that God created was good. There were no flaws in anything. The order of the universe, the detail of the human body, the balance of the ecosystem all reflect the goodness of God. And so does His continual care and preservation of His creation, His kind benevolence toward His creation. For example, the rain and the sun for the seed to grow. The seed that is produced from the crop or the water and the food for the wild animals. And we could go on and on and on. But the point is it all displays and proclaims that the Lord is good. God's goodness is also evident in redemption. In His redemption. He did not abandon, when sin entered the world, He did not abandon His justice. He did not abandon the fact that sin had to be punished and atoned for. But He's satisfied for His own wrath against the sin of His people by punishing that sin in His only begotten Son. And His goodness and redemption is seen in His perfect, flawless plan of salvation. There could be no better plan, of which the Lord's table is a picture. But that means also, beloved, that God's goodness is seen in the punishment of the wicked. Now that's where we have a little bit of trouble, isn't it? How can something that is bad to us, seemingly bad to someone else, how can that be a part of God's goodness? But His goodness is seen in the punishment of the wicked because sin, again, must be paid for. And for those who reject Jesus Christ, God's justice demands that they be punished. You see, because God is good, He cannot and He will not abandon His justice. If He would, He would no longer be good. But His goodness is also evident in sanctification. God, through His Holy Spirit, continues to work for the good of His people. To apply to us that which Jesus Christ has merited for us. And God's goodness and sanctification includes, as Paul says in those familiar words of Romans 8, And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. And therefore, true believers can be confident and assured that God's goodness results in the very best He has to offer for His people. And that's why David the psalmist gives the command to taste and see that the Lord is good. See, this points in the second place to the knowledge of God's goodness. Taste and see. Taste and understand. Experience and know that the Lord is good. This is talking about a full experiential knowledge. Someone has said the goodness of God is the life of the believer's trust. In other words, if God is not good, our trust in Him is in vain. It's worthless. It's a waste of time. But as we have seen, God is good. His goodness is a fact. We are to know it. But not just with our heads, not just a head knowledge of His goodness, but also with our heart. That's what true faith is, right? In the Heidelberg Catechism, question 21 asks, what is true faith? And the answer says, true faith is not only a sure knowledge whereby I hold for truth all that God reveals to us in His Word, but also a firm confidence which the Holy Spirit works in my heart by the Gospel, that not only to others, but to me also, remission of sins, Everlasting righteousness and salvation are freely given by God, merely of grace, only for the sake of Christ's merits. Not only a sure knowledge, it includes a sure knowledge, but also a firm confidence, the head and the heart. It's only through true faith that we can taste and see that the Lord is good. And that tasting and seeing, beloved, is to be personal for each and every child of God. Again, God's goodness can be known and therefore David calls upon us to know it personally, to cherish it, to meditate upon it. See, this isn't talking about just a small sample taste or even an hors d'oeuvre. David is talking about continual feasting on the Lord and never-ending feasting on Him. But now this analogy of tasting is really a good one, isn't it? Because our taste buds are powerful little tools. Taste either gives us great enjoyment or bitter sorrow, depending on what it is that we taste. But the truth is, eating food is one of the greatest enjoyments of life, isn't it? Just look at the restaurants on any Friday or Saturday night. They're full. Eating food is one of the greatest enjoyments of life. Why? Well, for sure because of taste. Because if we couldn't taste food, then food wouldn't be so enjoyable, would it? And of course, that would make life a lot simpler for many of us who like to eat way too well. But tasting food is enjoyable for us. But for the unrighteous, for those who are unrighteous, God's justice will be a terrible, bitter taste. But for those who are righteous in Christ Jesus, there is nothing sweeter than the taste of the Lord's goodness and His love. The psalmist says that God's precepts, His commands are sweeter than honey. They're wonderful because they are for our good, but just like we cannot know, we cannot know and enjoy the sweetness of honey unless we taste it. We cannot know the goodness of God without tasting and seeing. Well, how then do we taste and see that the Lord is good? How do we take notice of and take the comfort of His goodness? Well, on the one hand, we need to remember that all of mankind, all of mankind can see and observe God's goodness in creation. As Paul says in Romans 1, since what may be known about God is plain to them, that is the wicked, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world, God's invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen being understood from what has been made so that men are without excuse. All can see God's goodness with the eye, with the naked eye. But only some see it, taste it, and know it personally by faith. And that first taste, beloved, comes with new life. Those whom the Holy Spirit brings to their knees with a knowledge of their sin and misery and a need for a Savior, as that same Holy Spirit of God lifts their eyes to see the Savior, Jesus Christ, and they receive Him and His saving sacrifice by faith. They enjoy the feast. First of all, conversion, repentance, and faith, turning from one direction to the other direction. A new way of thinking, a new way of feeling, a new way of willing, a change, a life change. But also they enjoy the feast of justification, which includes the assurance of the forgiveness of all their sins, and as well it includes the assurance of the gift of the righteousness of Christ. And that assurance that we enjoy is indeed a taste, isn't it? God's people feast on His goodness as it is made real to them in God's love and mercy and grace and loving kindness and patience and His sanctifying and preserving hand. And beloved, God's people taste and see God's goodness by taking refuge in Him, as the text says. See, all throughout this psalm, maybe you noticed, All throughout this psalm, David speaks of how we are to continually taste and see the goodness of God. He says, seek Him. Look to Him. Call upon Him. Fear Him. And obey Him. And indeed, the goodness that believers taste is rest and refuge. That rest in the Lord, that refuge in Him, is a wonderful taste. David says in Psalm 62, My soul finds rest in God alone. My salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation. He is my fortress. I will never be shaken. But notice also that one of the ways that we taste and see or experience the goodness of God is through obedience to Him. Verses 11-14 once again. Come, my children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. Turn from evil and do good. Seek peace and pursue it. See, congregation, when we strive to imitate the holiness and the righteousness of God, then the Holy Spirit gives a greater understanding of and a greater joy in His holiness and righteousness. We have a taste of God's holiness and righteousness. And just as our taste buds and our stomachs are satisfied by the good taste of a meal, our God gives His people satisfaction in Him through godly living. But we also continue to taste and see the Lord's goodness through faithful Bible study, through catechetical instruction, and most of all, sitting under the preaching of His Word. Peter quotes Psalm 34 a couple of times in his first epistle. We considered one of those places this morning. And he also says in chapter 2, verses 2 and 3, like newborn babies crave pure spiritual milk so that by it you may grow up in your salvation now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. In other words, those who have tasted of the Lord's goodness can't get enough of it. And therefore, to feed that hunger, we are to continue to crave the Word of God. And this includes then, doesn't it, the message of the Lord's table. Again, here in a visible way, we are given a snapshot of the precious saving sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ, who with His very own body and blood gives us new life and nourishes us for all eternity. You see, beloved, that's the promise of God's goodness. The promise, again, as the text says, blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him. That blessedness, we know, is very broad. That blessedness includes blessing for this life and the next. We know that the world tries to satisfy its cravings through fraud and theft and violence. And those things, of course, might give a little temporary satisfaction and relief in this life, but they do not give true and lasting relief. God's people can and may expect so much more from the hand of God than they ungodly can expect from their wicked and evil schemes. And again, throughout this psalm, David tells us what those who taste and see the goodness of God can expect. We can expect answers, first of all. God hears us. He answers us. We can expect deliverance from all our fears. God's people, for them, their faces are radiant and never covered with shame. As we consider this morning, God's people are saved out of all their troubles. They lack no good thing. And most of all, they enjoy redemption. Not being condemned by God. Beloved, those who have not tasted the goodness of the Lord think, That goodness is storing up treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy, where thieves break in and steal. But yet for them, there is hope. For those who turn to the Lord Jesus Christ in repentance and faith and taste and see His goodness for them, there is hope. There is satisfaction for eternity. But those who are in Christ Jesus, for them, the Lord has already stored up treasures in heaven that can never perish, spoil, or fade, as Peter says. And the goodness of God then also includes finally the perfection of heaven where there is no need for the things that we depend on for this life. And beloved God blesses His people with a foretaste of that already in this life. And that blessing includes a taste of God's comfort in sorrow, of His strength in affliction, of His help in times of trouble, of deliverance from temptation, Again, of that assurance of forgiveness. Of His peace that passes understanding. Of contentment with our lot in life. And of course, hope for the life of come. As we sing, strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. Beloved, there's so much more that we could say. But we know that the ultimate blessing for those whose refuge and strength is God alone. As verse 22 says, The Lord redeems His servants. No one will be condemned who takes refuge in Him. Boys and girls, when a criminal is condemned in a court of law, that means that that criminal must bear or suffer the guilt and punishment of his crime. He must pay the penalty. Our crimes against God were the most terrible. Our sin deserved eternal death in hell, suffering the wrath and punishment of God. But as Paul says again in those comforting words of Romans 8, verse 1, Therefore there is now no condemnation. It's all been wiped out for those who are in Christ Jesus. Again, the Lord's table is a snapshot of the cross of Jesus where He was condemned in our place. And on that cross, Jesus Christ tasted the bitter eternal wrath of God so that we might taste and see the goodness of God for all eternity. But on that cross as well, Jesus demonstrated the goodness of God in conquering over Satan, sin, and hell. And when He rose again from the dead, He conquered death and the grave. You see, God's goodness, because of His very being, could not and would not let Satan and sin be victorious. Jesus Christ alone is victorious. And those in Him, those who taste and see that the Lord is good, are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Beloved, I trust that it's no surprise to you why David with lip and heart could extol the Lord, could boast in the Lord, and could glorify the Lord at all times. That means at every time and in every circumstance. He knew the goodness of God firsthand. He knew the greatness of God's salvation. And as we partake of the supper of our Lord, beloved, May we understand in greater measure what a great salvation is indeed ours through our great Savior, Jesus Christ. And may the response of our lives be to glorify God and to exalt His name together.