HIGH AND LIFTED UP - SERMON NOTES WITH APPLICATION

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Series: EXPERIENCING THE HOLY

“TASTE AND SEE” — PT II - Psalm 34:1–8 (MSG)

Year Theme: HIGH AND LIFTED UPMonthly Focus: November — Experiencing The HolySeasonal Emphasis: Thanksgiving, Gratitude, Restoration, and Abundant Living

Sermon Movement: From recognizing God's goodness to embracing that goodness through praise, restoration, and the security of God's presence.

BIG IDEA (For Everyone)

God's goodness is not simply something to believe in, talk about, or remember. It is something we are invited to experience, embrace, and allow to transform how we live.

In “Taste And See” Part I, we explored three invitations from Psalm 34:

Breathe In New Life: Don't become so consumed with surviving that you forget to experience living.
Breathe In Restoration: Don't allow fear, disappointment, or pain to become the final authority over your life.
Breathe In God's Reward: Recognize God's goodness and allow it to become a resource for your own flourishing and the well-being of others.

Now Part II takes us deeper into what these invitations reveal about God's relationship with humanity.

David introduces us to a God who welcomes our praise, desires our well-being, and offers refuge when life becomes difficult.

And perhaps the most significant revelation is this:

God is not merely interested in getting us through life. God is interested in how we experience the life we have been given.

That means our relationship with God should not be reduced to religious obligations, crisis management, or waiting for the next blessing.

It should contribute to our capacity to live with joy, confidence, wholeness, purpose, and meaningful connection.

David declares:

“Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see—how good God is.” (v. 8)

This is an invitation to personal experience.

You cannot taste a meal by watching somebody else eat.

You cannot experience restoration by simply admiring someone else's recovery.

And you cannot fully understand the goodness of God through another person's testimony alone.

At some point, what you've heard about God must become something you are willing to encounter for yourself.

For Christians, this means cultivating a living relationship with God that reaches beyond religious routine.

For those who are exploring faith or do not identify as Christian, the psalm opens a meaningful conversation about gratitude, vulnerability, restoration, trust, and the human need for belonging.

And for all of us, the invitation is to stop treating life as something we must merely endure.

There is more life to experience, more healing to pursue, and more goodness to share.

1. BREATHE IN NEW LIFE (Psalm 34:1–3)

GOD LOVES OUR ACCOLADES

What's Happening?

David begins with a declaration of praise:

“I bless God every chance I get; my lungs expand with his praise.” (v. 1)

Notice the connection between breathing and praising.

Breathing is essential to life.

It is constant, ordinary, and necessary.

David uses that imagery to describe a relationship with God that extends beyond designated religious activities.

Praise becomes part of the rhythm of living.

And then he declares:

“I live and breathe God…” (v. 2)

David's praise is not simply a response to favorable circumstances.

The psalm is traditionally associated with a dangerous episode in David's life, when he escaped from a foreign ruler.

His testimony emerges from vulnerability and fear.

Yet he chooses to celebrate the God whose presence sustained him.

This is important because praise is often misunderstood.

We sometimes assume that praise is appropriate only when everything is going well.

But David's praise emerges from the recognition that God's goodness is not limited to favorable circumstances.

Praise is not simply celebrating what happened. It is recognizing the One whose presence has remained meaningful through what happened.

And then David makes an extraordinary invitation:

“Join me in spreading the news; together let's get the word out.” (v. 3)

His praise moves from personal expression to communal celebration.

He wants others to participate.

This brings us to your additional insight:

God Loves Our Accolades.

An accolade is an expression of praise, recognition, or honor given in acknowledgment of someone's achievement, distinction, or contribution.

Historically, the word is associated with an embrace, particularly the gesture of placing one's arms around another person's neck.

That image provides a beautiful homiletical connection.

What if we understood praise not simply as applauding God from a distance, but as drawing near to God in an expression of gratitude and love?

An embrace communicates something different from a formal acknowledgment.

It expresses affection.

It communicates appreciation.

It recognizes relationship.

And it often says what words cannot fully express.

David's praise can be understood as an expression of relational gratitude.

He is not merely reciting God's accomplishments.

He is responding to the goodness he has personally experienced.

And this offers an important distinction between religious performance and authentic worship.

Praise is not about impressing God with our expressions. It is about allowing gratitude to deepen our relationship with God.

God does not need human applause to become worthy of honor.

Rather, praise helps us recognize and respond to the goodness we have encountered.

And when David invites the community to join him, his personal gratitude becomes a shared celebration.

This is especially significant within the Black worship tradition.

Our praise has often been expressive, embodied, communal, and deeply connected to lived experience.

We sing.

We clap.

We testify.

We shout.

We dance.

We embrace.

But the deeper significance is not simply the outward expression.

Our worship becomes meaningful when the celebration of God's goodness strengthens our capacity to live with dignity, joy, and responsibility.

Praise is more than applause for what God has done; it is an embrace of the relationship that gives our lives meaning.

Cliff Note (Plain Talk)

Don't wait until everything is perfect to express gratitude.

Don't reduce your relationship with God to asking for what you need.

And don't become so focused on your next blessing that you forget to celebrate the goodness you've already experienced.

Sometimes praise is simply the soul's way of saying, “I'm grateful we're still together.”

Practical Application

Christian: Develop a rhythm of praise that extends beyond Sunday worship. Express gratitude through prayer, music, reflection, and actions that demonstrate your love for God and others.

Non-Christian: Practice intentional appreciation. Recognize the people, relationships, opportunities, and experiences that contribute to your life. Gratitude can deepen connection and strengthen your sense of meaning.

Gen Z / Millennials: Don't allow achievement culture to convince you that celebration must always be postponed until the next milestone. Appreciate your growth, acknowledge those who support you, and make room for joy along the way.

Professionals: Recognize that meaningful leadership includes appreciation. Celebrate the contributions of colleagues, mentors, and teams rather than treating every achievement as an exclusively individual accomplishment.

Families & Friends: Make expressions of appreciation part of your relationships. Don't assume people know how much they matter. Tell them. Celebrate them. Embrace them when appropriate.

Black Community Word:

Black praise has historically been more than a religious expression.

It has also been a declaration of humanity, dignity, and hope.

In circumstances where Black people were denied recognition, our worshipping communities created spaces where our voices mattered and our lives were celebrated.

Our praise traditions carry the memory of people who refused to allow oppression to define the totality of their existence.

But we must not confine Black praise to suffering.

Black people have reasons to celebrate beyond what we have survived.

We can celebrate our intellectual achievements, artistic creativity, cultural contributions, professional advancement, family relationships, and community institutions.

And we can recognize God's goodness in the opportunities we are creating for future generations.

Our praise should not simply testify that we made it through. It should also celebrate the lives we are building and the possibilities we are creating.

This Week: Give an Accolade That Matters

Identify someone whose presence, encouragement, or contribution has strengthened your life.

Express your appreciation intentionally.

And for those who practice Christian faith, make time to praise God without attaching a request.

Sometimes the most meaningful expression of love is simply acknowledging the relationship.

2. BREATHE IN RESTORATION (Psalm 34:4–5)

GOD DESIRES TO MAKE US HAPPY

What's Happening?

David moves from praise to personal testimony.

“God met me more than halfway, he freed me from my anxious fears.” (v. 4)

David acknowledges something important.

He experienced fear.

He confronted circumstances that threatened his well-being.

And he needed help.

Yet his testimony is that God met him in the midst of those experiences.

Notice that David does not describe a relationship with God that eliminates the possibility of fear.

Rather, he describes an encounter that changes fear's influence over his life.

This connects with a significant theme throughout the Psalms.

The opposite of faith is not necessarily doubt.

Often, the greater challenge is fear—particularly when fear begins controlling our choices, limiting our imagination, and convincing us that meaningful possibilities are no longer available.

Psalm 27 presents a similar tension.

The psalmist acknowledges threatening circumstances while affirming confidence in God's presence.

And Psalm 23 expresses the assurance that God's presence can sustain us even in life's darkest valleys.

Faith does not require the absence of fear. It invites us to develop a trust that prevents fear from becoming the final authority over our lives.

Then David offers an extraordinary invitation:

“Look at him; give him your warmest smile. Never hide your feelings from him.” (v. 5)

This is especially meaningful.

David invites people to approach God with both joy and honesty.

You can smile.

But you do not have to pretend.

You can celebrate.

But you do not have to deny your struggles.

You can express gratitude.

But you do not have to conceal your disappointments.

God welcomes the whole person, not merely the version of ourselves we believe is acceptable to others.

This brings us to your second emphasis:

God Desires to Make Us Happy.

This statement deserves thoughtful consideration because happiness is often treated as spiritually insignificant.

Some religious traditions have emphasized duty, sacrifice, and endurance so strongly that people begin assuming personal happiness is somehow incompatible with faithful living.

But Psalm 34 reminds us that joy, gladness, and delight have meaningful places within our relationship with God.

David invites people to look toward God and experience renewed confidence.

Yet we should distinguish between happiness as temporary pleasure and happiness as part of a deeper experience of well-being.

God's goodness does not mean every circumstance will be enjoyable.

Nor does faith guarantee that we will always feel happy.

But the biblical witness consistently presents God as concerned with life, restoration, justice, peace, and human flourishing.

God's desire for our well-being is larger than the pursuit of momentary pleasure.

And that is where restoration becomes essential.

Restoration is commonly understood as returning something to a former or healthy condition.

But in human life, restoration may involve more than recovering what once existed.

Sometimes we cannot return to the life we previously knew.

Loss changes us.

Relationships change.

Our bodies change.

Our responsibilities change.

Our understanding of ourselves changes.

Sometimes restoration is not returning to who you were, but becoming whole enough to embrace who you are becoming.

This is especially important for people who have spent years carrying responsibilities while postponing their own well-being.

We can become so committed to helping others that we neglect ourselves.

We can become so focused on professional advancement that we sacrifice meaningful relationships.

And we can become so accustomed to being strong that we forget we are also entitled to receive care.

David's invitation challenges that pattern.

You do not have to hide your humanity in order to experience God's presence.

God's restoring goodness invites us beyond merely functioning toward the possibility of living with joy, wholeness, and purpose.

Cliff Note (Plain Talk)

You don't have to be miserable to be faithful.

You don't have to pretend you're okay to be worthy of love.

And you don't have to sacrifice every part of your own well-being to prove that you care about others.

Your happiness matters, and your restoration deserves attention.

Practical Application

Christian: Bring your emotions honestly before God. Pursue spiritual growth alongside healthy relationships, appropriate boundaries, and practices that support emotional and physical well-being.

Non-Christian: Recognize that happiness and restoration require intentional attention. Identify what contributes to your well-being, acknowledge what needs healing, and seek appropriate support when necessary.

Gen Z / Millennials: Don't confuse exhaustion with ambition or constant availability with love. Develop boundaries that allow you to pursue meaningful goals without abandoning your health and relationships.

Professionals: Reconsider definitions of success that require continual self-neglect. Sustainable achievement includes personal well-being, meaningful relationships, and the freedom to experience life beyond work.

Families & Friends: Create relationships where people can express joy, disappointment, fear, and vulnerability without shame. Encourage one another to pursue restoration rather than simply maintaining appearances.

Black Community Word:

For Black people, the conversation about happiness and restoration carries particular significance.

Our communities have developed powerful traditions of resilience and mutual support.

But we have also inherited expectations that sometimes equate strength with endless sacrifice.

Black women have too often been expected to carry extraordinary burdens without adequate support.

Black men have sometimes been taught that vulnerability threatens their dignity.

Young Black people may experience pressure to achieve while navigating racialized expectations and unequal opportunities.

And elders may be celebrated for their sacrifices without receiving the care they deserve.

We must reject the idea that Black strength requires the abandonment of Black well-being.

Our lives should not be measured exclusively by what we can endure.

We deserve joy.

We deserve rest.

We deserve healthy relationships.

We deserve opportunities to pursue meaningful work and fulfilling lives.

And we deserve communities that support healing without requiring people to surrender their dignity.

Black flourishing must include the freedom to be happy, not merely the capacity to survive.

This Week: Make an Appointment With Your Happiness

Identify one area of your life where you have postponed your own well-being.

Ask yourself:

What needs restoration?
What would a healthier rhythm look like?
What support or adjustment would make a meaningful difference?

Then take one practical step.

It may involve establishing a boundary, reconnecting with someone you love, seeking professional support, pursuing a neglected interest, or making room for rest.

You don't have to wait until everything is perfect to begin participating in your own restoration.

3. BREATHE IN GOD'S REWARD (Psalm 34:6–8)

GOD IS OUR REFUGE

What's Happening?

David now describes his experience of desperation and deliverance.

“When I was desperate, I called out, and God got me out of a tight spot.” (v. 6)

David's testimony emerges from vulnerability.

He needed help.

He called out.

And he experienced deliverance.

In biblical language, salvation often carries the meaning of rescue or preservation of life, particularly when life is threatened.

David is not merely describing an abstract religious idea.

He is testifying that God's care became meaningful in circumstances where his future appeared uncertain.

Then he declares:

“God's angel sets up a circle of protection around us while we pray.” (v. 7)

This imagery communicates divine care and protection.

It recalls the biblical understanding that God's presence surrounds and sustains those who seek refuge in God.

But this does not mean faithful people are guaranteed immunity from danger, illness, injustice, or suffering.

The Psalms themselves repeatedly acknowledge the continued reality of hardship.

The central affirmation is that God's presence can remain trustworthy even when circumstances are uncertain.

And then David offers the invitation:

“Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see—how good God is. Blessed are you who run to him.” (v. 8)

Notice the final phrase.

Blessed are those who run to God.

The imagery is relational.

God is presented as a refuge.

A place of trust.

A source of security.

A presence toward which people can turn when life becomes overwhelming.

This brings us to your third emphasis:

God Is Our Refuge.

A refuge is a place of shelter, protection, and safety.

But spiritual refuge should not be confused with withdrawal from life's responsibilities.

Nor should it be interpreted as a reason to remain in harmful circumstances without seeking practical help.

God's refuge is not an invitation to escape responsibility. It is a source of strength from which we can engage life more faithfully.

David's testimony is that he found help in desperation.

And that experience becomes the foundation for his invitation to others.

He wants people to discover that they do not have to confront every challenge in isolation.

This is especially important because many people are outwardly successful while privately overwhelmed.

They may possess professional credentials, financial resources, social influence, or significant responsibilities.

Yet they may still struggle to find spaces where they can be honest, vulnerable, and supported.

Achievement does not eliminate our need for refuge.

And sometimes the people who appear strongest are the ones who have the fewest opportunities to receive care.

Psalm 34 invites us to recognize that refuge is not weakness.

It is an expression of trust.

And for communities of faith, the responsibility is not simply to proclaim that God is a refuge.

It is also to become communities where people can experience care, dignity, belonging, and practical support.

If we testify that God offers refuge, our communities should reflect that goodness in how we treat people who are vulnerable.

This connects directly with the invitation to taste and see.

People should not merely hear us describe God's goodness.

They should encounter expressions of that goodness through our relationships, institutions, and actions.

God's refuge is not simply a place to hide from life; it is a source of strength that helps us return to life with renewed confidence.

Cliff Note (Plain Talk)

Everybody needs somewhere they can be honest.

Somewhere they don't have to perform.

Somewhere they can receive support without losing dignity.

Somewhere they can regain strength.

Refuge is not about running away from your future. It's about finding the support necessary to keep moving toward it.

Practical Application

Christian: Cultivate a relationship with God through prayer, worship, and reflection. Allow that relationship to strengthen your ability to seek appropriate support, make wise decisions, and extend care to others.

Non-Christian: Identify trustworthy people, communities, and practices that provide emotional safety, perspective, and support. Recognize that seeking refuge is a healthy human need.

Gen Z / Millennials: Develop relationships and environments where you can be authentic beyond your online identity or professional achievements. Don't confuse independence with the absence of a need for support.

Professionals: Create spaces where you can step outside your leadership role and receive honest counsel, encouragement, and care. You do not have to carry every responsibility without support.

Families & Friends: Become intentional about creating emotionally safe relationships. Listen without immediately judging, fixing, or dismissing the experiences of others.

Black Community Word:

Historically, Black churches have often functioned as places of refuge.

They have provided spiritual encouragement, educational opportunities, social support, civic organization, and spaces where Black dignity could be affirmed.

But refuge must be more than a historical identity.

It must become a present reality.

Our communities need places where Black people can receive care without being judged.

Where families can find support.

Where young people can explore their identities and possibilities.

Where elders are honored and assisted.

Where caregivers can receive respite.

Where people navigating addiction, grief, illness, or difficult transitions can encounter compassion and practical resources.

And where people who do not identify as Christian can still experience dignity, hospitality, and belonging.

A community of refuge should not require people to become someone else before they are treated as worthy of care.

This is especially important as we envision the future of The Springs.

Our calling is not simply to preach about God's goodness.

We are called to cultivate a community where that goodness becomes visible through accompaniment, support, opportunity, and shared responsibility.

The most compelling testimony of God's refuge may be a community that refuses to abandon people when life becomes difficult.

This Week: Strengthen Your Circle of Refuge

Identify two or three people, relationships, or communities that provide meaningful support.

Consider whether you have been willing to receive that support.

Then ask:

“How can I become a source of encouragement and refuge for someone else without neglecting my own well-being?”

BIG PICTURE TRUTH

Psalm 34:1–8 reveals three dimensions of experiencing God's goodness.

Sermon point	What it reveals about God	What it invites us to experience
Breathe In New Life	God Loves Our Accolades	Gratitude, praise, relational joy
Breathe In Restoration	God Desires to Make Us Happy	Honesty, healing, renewed well-being
Breathe In God's Reward	God Is Our Refuge	Trust, security, belonging, and care

These three movements are connected.

Praise invites us to recognize the goodness we have experienced.

Restoration invites us to receive the care necessary to live more fully.

Refuge invites us to develop the trust and relationships that sustain us through life's uncertainties.

And together they reveal something significant.

God's goodness is not simply about what happens around us. It is also about what becomes possible within us and through us.

The psalmist does not simply celebrate surviving danger.

He invites others to discover a relationship with God that can sustain life, restore confidence, and create opportunities for shared joy.

FINAL WORD

Somebody has been living under the weight of responsibilities for so long that you have forgotten what it feels like to be celebrated, restored, and supported.

You've worked hard.

You've made sacrifices.

You've cared for others.

You've carried expectations.

You've managed difficult circumstances.

And perhaps you've become so accustomed to giving that you have forgotten how to receive.

But David comes with an invitation:

“TASTE AND SEE!”

Not simply hear about God's goodness.

Not merely remember what somebody else experienced.

But open yourself to the possibility of encountering that goodness in your own life.

BREATHE IN NEW LIFE — GOD LOVES OUR ACCOLADES.

Give God praise.

Celebrate the life you've been given.

Recognize the goodness that has sustained you.

And remember that praise is more than applause.

It is an embrace of the relationship that gives your life meaning.

BREATHE IN RESTORATION — GOD DESIRES TO MAKE US HAPPY.

You don't have to hide your feelings.

You don't have to pretend everything is okay.

You don't have to sacrifice your entire well-being to prove your commitment to others.

God's goodness invites you toward restoration.

You are allowed to pursue a life that includes joy, peace, meaningful relationships, and wholeness.

BREATHE IN GOD'S REWARD — GOD IS OUR REFUGE.

You don't have to confront every challenge alone.

You don't have to carry every responsibility without support.

And you don't have to confuse vulnerability with weakness.

Refuge is not the absence of responsibility. It is the presence of support that helps you carry responsibility wisely.

And as we continue living High And Lifted Up:

Dream Big.Because your life contains possibilities beyond the difficulties you've experienced.

Decide To Become.Become someone who makes room for gratitude, restoration, healthy relationships, and meaningful growth.

Demonstrate Your Power.Take responsibility for your well-being while using your gifts, resources, and opportunities to strengthen the lives of others.

And when somebody asks why you still have joy—

after the disappointment,

after the fear,

after the uncertainty,

after the difficult seasons,

after everything you've carried—

you can declare:

“I'VE LEARNED THAT GOD'S GOODNESS IS NOT SIMPLY SOMETHING I HEAR ABOUT—IT'S SOMETHING I'M LEARNING TO EXPERIENCE!”

I can praise without pretending.

I can pursue restoration without shame.

I can seek refuge without surrendering my dignity.

And I can celebrate the life God has given me while continuing to grow into the person I am becoming.