Handling Oppression

Psalms 119:145-152

January 8, 2012

 

As you know we are dealing with a Psalmist under oppression.

 

He is oppressed because he will not compromise on his convictions;

Namely that he loves and proclaims the word of God.

 

This commitment has certainly caused him to be hated,

Just as Scripture continually promises.

 

And yet in the midst of this oppression he has remained strong,

Even zealous for God’s Word and has refused to yield.

 

BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN IT IS EASY…

 

Twila Paris used to sing a song called: “The Warrior is a Child”

Lately I’ve been winning battles left and right, but even winners can get wounded in the fight. People say that I’m amazing; strong beyond my years. but they don’t see inside of me I’m hiding all the tears.

They don’t know that I go running home when I fall down. They don’t know who picks me up when no one is around. I drop my sword and cry for just a while ’cause deep inside this armor the warrior is a child.

Unafraid because His armor is the best, but even soldiers need a quiet place to rest. People say that I’m amazing; never face retreat, but they don’t see the enemies that lay me at His feet.

They don’t know that I go running home when I fall down. They don’t know who picks me up when no one is around. I drop my sword and cry for just a while ’cause deep inside this armor the warrior is a child.

 

That song could have very easily been written about our Psalmist.

 

We know he is a young man and that he appears absolutely fearless.

He fights his battles, he won’t quit, always standing on the word of God

Regardless of the enemies that approach him.

 

And yet tonight we learn that there is also

A much more dependant side to our warrior.

 

TONIGHT WE SEE HIM RUNNING HOME

 

In reality this is true of all followers of Christ.

• None are strong on their own…

• None fight on their own…

• All need help in their struggles…

 

What we see is his prayer in the midst of oppression.

 

He is a man willing to stand and fight for God’s Word,

But it is certainly true that the battle has taken its toll on him.

And he needs to be picked up.

 

This is very important stuff for us here,

Because any time we fight battles for the Lord it is vital

That we know where to go when we get wounded in the fight.

 

It is hard to stand under oppression,

Here we find the Psalmist’s secret to longevity in the battle.

 

We call it PRAYER

 

You probably even remember

After Paul wrote that great passage of Scripture on the armor of God

Immediately following that passage he then wrote:

 

Ephesians 6:18-20 “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”

 

Prayer isn’t necessarily a piece of the believer’s armor,

But it most certainly is a necessity to every Christian soldier.

 

And it is a topic that is covered extensively in Scripture.

 

If we desired we could take a few months and examine the prayers

Of various men and women in Scripture:

 

We love Elijah’s prayer before the altar on Mt. Carmel asking God to show that He alone is God.

 

We love Jehoshaphat’s prayer in 2 Chronicles 20 as he prayed, “For we are powerless against this great multitude who are coming against us, nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You.”

 

We love Hezekiah’s prayer in 2 Kings 19 as he took Sennacherib’s letter of reproach and spread it out before the Lord.

 

We love Daniel’s prayer of humility and repentance as he confesses the sin of Israel.

 

We love the prayer of Jesus in John 17 interceding on behalf of all believers.

 

And once we were finished examining individual prayers

We could take another couple of years and study

All that the Scriptures say about prayer.

 

When to do it, how to do it, why to do it, etc.

(Not the least of this is the model prayer when Jesus taught us how to pray)

BUT TONIGHT WE LOOK AT THE PRAYER OF OUR PSALMIST

In looking at his prayer we find the secret to why he remains so strong.

 

3 main things

#1 HIS CRY

Psalms 119:145-149

 

We are obviously speaking of his prayer here.

We call it a “cry” because that is what he calls it.

 

And that being said, we actually get 5 different attributes about his prayer.

 

1) INTENSITY OF HIS PRAYER (145)

“I cried with all my heart; answer me, O Lord!”

 

In his mind it is more desperate than just an average prayer.

• This isn’t some routine ritual…

• This isn’t some normal thing…

• This is a deep, serious, emotional, petition to God.

 

Like the Canaanite who wouldn’t stop shouting until she got results.

That is how this man is praying.

 

This man’s prayer is intense.

“I cried with all my heart”

 

He has every ounce and fiber of his being wrapped up into this prayer.

 

WHY?

Because he is dependent upon it.

 

If God doesn’t come through, he is finished.

There is no plan B.

 

And by the way, Scripture seems to commend such prayers.

• We already know the Canaanite woman was successful as she revealed her great faith.

• We are certainly familiar with the widow who came every day before the unrighteous judge and literally wore him out.

• Who can forget Christ sweating drops of blood in the garden as He prayed?

 

Beyond that we are familiar with what Scripture says:

Jeremiah 29:13 “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”

 

Later Jeremiah says:

Jeremiah 33:3 “Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”

 

Even Jesus told His disciples after speaking about the persistent widow:

Luke 18:7 “now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?”

 

It is apparent in Scripture that God honors a desperate prayer.

Certainly not because He delights in theatrics,

But rather that He delights in a heart that is totally set on Him.

 

He delights in one who has dismissed all other options

And has placed all of their hope upon Him.

 

He delights in one who is totally dependent

And therefore completely focused.

 

That is the prayer of the Psalmist.

“I cried with all my heart;”

 

But that is not the only place we see his intensity.

Notice the tenses he uses.

 

“I cried”

And then he says, “answer me, O Lord!”

 

What that means is that when he “cried” he did not get an answer.

That cry was in the past.

 

Now he is praying reminding God that he “cried”

And that he is still awaiting an answer.

 

The point is this.

It is not as though he was pretending with God.

He is totally dependent upon God and he proves that by never leaving.

 

It is also important to note his intentions.

“I will observe Your statutes.”

 

You will notice each attribute of his prayer

Includes his relationship to the word of God.

 

First of all that indicates how he expects God to answer.

 

But it also reveals that his heart is pure in his request.

This is not a person wanting relief to return back to sin.

This is not a person desiring to have a selfish wish granted.

 

His heart desires righteousness.

His heart desires obedience.

 

And in that extreme desire he is desperate for God to answer.

Intensity of His Prayer

2) REQUEST OF HIS PRAYER (146)

 

“I cried to You; save me And I shall keep Your testimonies.”

 

Now we could also recognize here the direction of his prayer.

“to You”

 

He was praying to God.

How many times have we heard prayers, “God, if You’re up there and are real, then I’m talking to You…”

 

This man knew who he was praying to.

He was praying specifically to the Lord.

 

Isaiah 45:20 “Gather yourselves and come; Draw near together, you fugitives of the nations; They have no knowledge, Who carry about their wooden idol And pray to a god who cannot save.”

 

But beyond that we see his request.

“save me”

(not salvation as we see it, but a prayer for deliverance)

 

And again we notice it is a salvation meant to lead to obedience.

“And I shall keep Your testimonies”

 

He isn’t wanting a comfortable life of sin.

But he does desire for God to “save” him.

 

But we also learn here that when we pray

It is ok to make requests to God.

 

Philippians 4:6 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

 

Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”

 

James 4:2 “You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.”

 

Now certainly I recognize the importance of submitting our will to God’s

And understanding that sometimes He doesn’t give what we ask for.

 

We do end our prayers as Jesus did, “not My will, but Yours be done”

 

But that doesn’t mean that we lean so heavily

Towards the sovereignty of God that we never ask Him for anything.

 

He tells us to.

 

And the Psalmist certainly did.

He came to God and specifically asked to be saved.

 

• But what if it was God’s will that he be oppressed?

• What if God wanted to use his hardship to grow the kingdom?

• What if God was using this for his good?

 

Then we want God’s will to be done and we will love Him anyway,

But we only know what we know and we bring our requests.

 

The Psalmist still told God what he desired.

 

The Intensity…The Request…

3) THE PRIORITY OF HIS PRAYER (147)

 

“I rise before dawn and cry for help; I wait for Your words.”

 

Carrie laughed the other day at Abigail.

The day before she had asked Carrie to play cards with her. Carrie told her that the kids were going back to school and they would have time together and they would play then.

 

Wednesday morning, Abigail rolled out of bead

And the first thing she did was get the cards.

It was her priority.

 

That is the prayer of the Psalmist.

Nothing was more important to him than to take his prayer to God.

 

He didn’t desire breakfast…

He didn’t desire coffee…

He wanted to present his request to God.

 

Now, again, understand that it is not the timing of the prayer

That makes it effective as though God is more apt to answer

A prayer at 6:30 in the morning than at 5:30 at night.

 

We can’t manipulate God in that way,

But what it does reveal is the priority in the man’s life.

 

Nothing was more important than this to him.

 

This is the same attitude that works with fasting.

I’ve told you before you don’t pressure God to answer by refusing to eat.

 

But a heart that would rather talk to God than eat

Is a heart that is totally focused on God, and He responds to that.

 

That is our Psalmist.

He needed to talk to God and it couldn’t wait.

The Intensity…The Request…The Priority

4) THE ENDURANCE OF HIS PRAYER (148)

 

“My eyes anticipate the night watches, That I may meditate on Your word.”

 

So now we have moved from morning to night

And still the Psalmist is focused.

 

He started off his day with prayer

And now he is headed to night still waiting.

 

Luke 11:5-8 “Then He said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and from inside he answers and says, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ “I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs.”

 

We’ve already mentioned the widow several times.

Luke 18:1-8 “Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. “There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘ Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ “For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.'” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? “I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

 

It is endurance in prayer.

 

And that motivates God, not that we ever wear Him out,

But rather our endurance indicates our faith.

 

The Canaanite woman endured being ignored, she endured flat out rejection, she endured insults, and still she requested of Jesus.

 

WHY?

Because she obviously believed Jesus could and Jesus would.

 

God is moved by a heart that is fully devoted.

 

The Intensity…The Request…The Priority…The Endurance

5) THE HUMILITY OF HIS PRAYER (149)

 

“Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness; Revive me, O Lord, according to Your ordinances.”

 

Notice what he appeals to?

“Your lovingkindness”

 

Your bible may say “mercy”

 

He isn’t talking about how worthy he is, or how God owes it to him.

He prays to God and he prays early and he prays late,

Not because God owes him but because he knows God is merciful.

 

This is his humility.

 

We certainly must come humbly before God.

 

We all remember the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, one came in arrogance, but the tax collector wouldn’t even look up to heaven, asking only for mercy.

 

That man went away justified.

 

We’ve heard the Laura Story song: “There is Nothing”

CHORUS: “So clothe me; humility. Remind me, that I come before a King. And there is nothing, there is nothing, more precious, more worthy. May I gaze deeper, may I stay longer, may I press onward to know You Lord?”

 

HUMILITY MATTERS

 

And again, please recognize what he wants.

“Revive me”

 

This is where he gets his strength.

Remember, “The warrior is a child that runs home when he falls down”

 

That is what our Psalmist has done,

But he needs strength to get back up and go battle again.

 

When we battle and when we are oppressed,

We go to our merciful Father and we ask Him to help.

 

And we go early and we stay late and we go nowhere else

Because we know that strength comes from him.

 

Charles Spurgeon said:

“Prayers are the believer’s weapons of war. When the battle is too hard for us, we call in our great Ally, who, as it were, lies in ambush until faith gives the signal by crying out, “Arise, O Lord.” Although our cause be all but lost, it shall soon be won again if the Almighty doth but bestir Himself.”

 

Our Psalmist seemed to know that.

So when he was weak…

When he was beaten…

When he was tired…

When he was discouraged…

• He took his cry to God.

• He took it first thing.

• He continued to cry until God answered.

• And he depended upon God’s mercy for that answer.

 

That is where we find strength in the midst of oppression as well.

 

Now let me show you why he was crying.

 

#2 HIS CIRCUMSTANCE

Psalms 119:150

 

And now we see why the Psalmist is so intense in his prayer.

Those who hate him are close.

 

Earlier he said:

Psalms 119:141 “I am small and despised, Yet I do not forget Your precepts.”

 

Psalms 119:143 “Trouble and anguish have come upon me, Yet Your commandments are my delight.”

 

Earlier there was a pretty serious threat against him,

But now the threat has become reality.

 

“Those who follow after wickedness draw near;”

 

He then reminds, “They are far from Your Law”

 

And I kind of like the prayer.

“They are far from You, but they are close to me, and I need help!”

 

In other words the battle is at hand.

 

His Cry, His Circumstance

#3 HIS CONFIDENCE

Psalms 119:151-152

 

We could probably call this the FAITH of his prayer,

For we all know it is important that we ask in faith.

 

James 1:6-7 “But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,”

 

We have to pray believing, and that is what the Psalmist does here.

 

We know God has yet answer.

We know the enemy is upon him.

And yet, notice his confidence.

1) GOD WON’T LEAVE

“You are near, O Lord,”

 

In verse 145, God is yet to answer.

In verse 146, God is yet to save.

In verse 147-148, God is yet to speak.

In verse 149, God is yet to revive.

 

And yet the Psalmist still believes God is “near”

 

That is faith beyond sight.

That is confidence in the promises of God.

 

2) GOD CAN’T LIE

“And all Your commandments are truth.”

 

We know Hebrews says it is impossible for God to lie,

And the Psalmist believes that too.

 

• God has never misled him.

• God has never deceived him.

• God has never told him something untrue.

 

When we get in difficult circumstances

It is tempting to re-think all that God has said.

 

But the Psalmist didn’t.

He still believed God was near and he still believed God’s word was right.

 

3) GOD NEVER LOSES

“Of old I have known from Your testimonies That You have founded them forever.”

 

As we have said, “testimonies”

Refers to those instances of God’s deliverances.

 

Those are the stories we love from the Bible.

• Noah and the Ark

• Daniel and the Lion’s Den

• David and Goliath

• Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

 

And the Psalmist knows that of all God’s testimonies,

Even the really old ones, they stand forever.

God never loses.

 

That is his confidence.

 

NOW HERE IS THE POINT

It is his confidence in God that causes him to pray like he does,

And it is his prayer that brings about strength in his life.

 

As we have watched our Psalmist the last few weeks,

I hope you have been a little envious of his faith.

 

I hope you have desired his commitment and zeal.

 

WHAT IS THIS MAN’S SECRET?

He believes God.

 

• He believes that God won’t leave him.

• He believes that God won’t lie to him.

• He believes that God never loses.

 

And so it is easy for him to stand for God.

And when the battle is long and the soldier is tired,

He knows he can run to God and be revived.

 

But it all hinges upon his belief in God.

 

• If he thought God would leave, then why go to Him?

• If he thought God would lie, then why stand on His word?

• If he thought God could lose, then why face the hardship?

 

His zeal is a bi-product of his faith.

And so is his prayer.

 

So tonight, I DON’T just want to encourage you

To pray with more intensity, or with more priority,

Or with more endurance, or with more humility.

 

I want to encourage you to believe God more.

• I want to encourage you that God is trustworthy.

• I want to encourage you that God will never leave you nor forsake you.

• I want to encourage you that God will never lie to you.

• I want to encourage you that if you are on God’s side, He never loses.

 

And when you gain such confidence in God,

It will naturally transform your prayer life.

 

And that is how you handle oppression.

You simply believe in a Big God and you cast those cares on Him.

 

The Psalmist did, and that is how the child continued to be a warrior.

 

Psalms 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”

 

Why So Zealous?

Psalms 119:137-144

January 1, 2011

 

I realize it’s been several weeks since we last walked through this Psalm,

So let me sort of pull us all back together here tonight

And continue in what proves to be a very encouraging study.

 

Our Psalmist has been carrying us through some predicaments in his life,

And throughout those predicaments he has been revealing

The importance God’s Word has played in his life.

 

• We have seen him struggle with personal purity…

• We have seen him hunger for total obedience…

• We have seen him in the pit of despair…

• We have seen him at the pinnacle of joy…

 

And in all of those circumstances the Psalmist has revealed

That God’s Word has been all that he needed.

 

Most recently we have found our Psalmist in the midst of oppression.

 

And we have said that this is quite different

From the affliction that he earlier wrote about.

 

The main difference is that his affliction was unavoidable,

Whereas he could stop the oppression whenever he wanted.

 

Affliction is the natural consequence of living in a sin-filled world.

Bad things happen and sometimes there is nothing (short of a miracle)

That can be done.

 

Oppression is different.

This is the hardship that our Psalmist was facing because of his commitment to the word of God.

 

And he could have stopped that oppression any time.

All he had to do was compromise.

 

If he would just soften his stance…

If he would just compromise his convictions…

If he would just give in to the masses…

 

Then those who hate him would actually love him.

 

But as you know, that is something that our Psalmist

Has been absolutely unwilling to do.

 

Regardless of the hatred he has faced

Our Psalmist has been determined to be steadfast.

In our stanza tonight he uses another word to describe himself.

And that word is “zeal”

 

(139) “My zeal has consumed me, Because my adversaries have forgotten Your words.”

 

Zeal is an interesting thing.

 

The same word here can also be rendered jealousy.

It speaks of passion and envy and indignation.

It speaks also of love and strong commitment.

 

It is the opposite of apathy.

 

And our Psalmist is zealous.

 

And this, by the way, can be a very good thing,

For God Himself is zealous.

 

Isaiah 9:7 “There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.”

 

Isaiah 42:13 “The LORD will go forth like a warrior, He will arouse His zeal like a man of war. He will utter a shout, yes, He will raise a war cry. He will prevail against His enemies.”

 

You probably even remember that our Lord was very zealous.

 

John 2:13-17 “The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a place of business.” His disciples remembered that it was written, “ZEAL FOR YOUR HOUSE WILL CONSUME ME.”

 

He was so zealous about the house of God that

He actually whipped the money changers and drove them out.

 

So God is zealous.

 

And by the way, zeal is something that

The church could definitely use a little more of.

 

Remember what Jesus told that lukewarm church at Laodicea?

Revelation 3:19 “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.”

 

The opposite of apathy.

Paul told Titus

Titus 2:11-14 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”

 

It is definitely true that the people of God

Ought to be a passionate people.

 

This Psalmist certainly was.

In fact he said, “My zeal has consumed me”

 

“consumed” translates (SA-MATH)

It literally means “to put an end to; to terminate”

 

In other words, our Psalmist can think of nothing else.

We would say, “I’m so fired up I can’t see straight”

 

Our Psalmist is filled with zeal.

WHY?

 

“Because my adversaries have forgotten Your words.”

 

Back in verse 53 he said, “Burning indignation has seized me because of the wicked, who forsake Your law.”

 

Back in verse 136 he said, “My eyes shed streams of water, Because they do not keep Your law.”

 

And here, he apparently can’t get over it.

He is zealous.

 

His focus, his speech, his action, his conversation,

It is all about the importance of obedience

And the disobedience of the wicked.

 

He just can’t get around it.

 

We talked about this same kind of tunnel vision when we read the Kings.

And how regardless of the king, or if they did good or bad, the writer was only concerned about one thing; the high places.

 

He was zealous about it, nothing else seemed to matter.

 

Our Psalmist is like that.

 

God is like that, Christ was like that, and certainly it wouldn’t hurt the church to be a little more zealous as well.

But the downside to being zealous is that

It is almost always greeted with disdain.

 

Apathy hates zeal.

 

And so a person who becomes zealous about something

Can just expect that it will land him in hot water.

 

It certainly landed Jesus there didn’t it?

How about the disciples, what was the reward for their zeal?

 

Remember Elijah?

1 Kings 19:10 “He said, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

 

Elijah was zealous, but it certainly didn’t make him popular.

 

Our psalmist is there as well.

He is sounding an alarm for Biblical authority and Scriptural obedience, and it is getting him in a great deal of trouble.

 

BUT AGAIN, THE SOLUTION IS SIMPLE

STOP BEING SO ZEALOUS

 

But the Psalmist can’t and tonight he reveals why.

 

There are four things he shows us tonight about his zeal for the word of God.

#1 WHY I HONOR IT

Psalms 119:137-138

 

To say that the Psalmist honors God’s Word is an understatement.

 

He has penned here a 176 verse chapter, arranged alphabetically in an acrostic in which 174 verses directly reference the word of God.

 

Can you imagine the time and effort that takes?

 

• Try to take our alphabet and write a 26 stanza song,

• Compiling of 8 lines per stanza

• In which each line starts with the seceding letter of the alphabet

• And include a reference to God’s word in all but two lines.

 

This is a tremendous work of honor for God’s Word.

 

Beyond that, just look at what he has said:

Psalms 119:72 “The law of Your mouth is better to me Than thousands of gold and silver pieces.”

 

Psalms 119:103 “How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”

Psalms 119:127 “Therefore I love Your commandments Above gold, yes, above fine gold.”

 

Psalms 119:129 “Your testimonies are wonderful; Therefore my soul observes them.”

 

It is obvious that he has chosen to honor God’s Word.

 

And even in these first two verses the honor continues.

 

“Righteous are You O Lord, and upright are Your judgments. You have commanded Your testimonies in righteousness And exceeding faithfulness.”

 

Here he honors God’s word as “upright”, righteous, and faithful.

 

And as we have said it is that passion to continue

To honor God’s Word that is getting him in trouble.

 

WHY DO YOU HONOR IT SO MUCH?

 

He honors Scripture because of its author.

 

“Righteous are You O Lord”

 

And that is why His word is righteous.

Because “YOU have commanded [them] in righteousness”

 

The reason the Psalmist gives for the greatness of Scripture

Is the same reason you and I would use to evaluate other books.

 

You wouldn’t read a book on righteousness from someone who wasn’t.

 

This is what makes the Bible so wonderful.

It was written by Holy God.

 

We honor it because God wrote it.

 

2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;”

 

Charles Spurgeon said: “O Bible! It cannot be said of any other book, that it is perfect and pure; but of thee, we can declare all wisdom is gathered up in thee, without a particle of folly. This is the judge that ends the strife, where wit and reason fail. This is the book untainted by any error; but is pure, unalloyed, perfect truth. Why? Because God wrote it…Oh! Let us bend in reverence before it, for God wrote inspired it. It is pure truth. Here from this fountain gushes aqua vitae – the water of life – without a single particle of earth; here from this sun there cometh forth rays of radiance, without the mixture of darkness. Blessed Bible! Thou art all truth.” (Spurgeon’s Sermons volumes 1 & 2, page 31-32)

 

This book is righteous because God is righteous and He wrote it!

 

So when we evaluate whether or not to honor Scripture

What we’re really doing is evaluating whether or not to honor God.

 

Is God righteous?

Psalms 48:10 “As is Your name, O God, So is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness.”

 

Is God righteous?

Psalms 71:15 “My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness And of Your salvation all day long; For I do not know the sum of them.”

 

Is God righteous?

Psalms 71:19 “For Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens, You who have done great things; O God, who is like You?”

 

Is God righteous?

Psalms 145:17 “The LORD is righteous in all His ways And kind in all His deeds.”

 

Is God righteous?

Deuteronomy 32:4 “The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.”

 

Of course God is righteous, just look at the cross.

Romans 3:23-26 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

 

And if God is righteous, then His word is as well.

 

And the Psalmist says, that is why I honor God’s Word, it is righteous!

 

Why I honor it

#2 WHY I LOVE IT

Psalms 119:139-140

 

Of course we see again in those verses the zeal that we talked about.

He is passionate about obedience to the word of God.

 

He wants men to love God’s Word as much as he does.

“My zeal has consumed me, because my adversaries have forgotten Your words.”

 

It kills him that men don’t love God’s Word

 

BUT WHY DO YOU LOVE GOD’S WORD SO MUCH?

(140) “Your word is very pure, therefore Your servant loves it.”

 

He loves God’s Word because it is “pure”

“pure” translates (SA-RDAF)

It means “to refine, or test” it refers to the purifying of metals.

 

One could easily say that God’s word is PROVEN

There is no flaw in it.

There is no impurity.

 

The Baptist Faith and Message says this about the Scriptures:

“The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy.”

 

And that is correct.

It is pure, it is proven.

 

Psalms 12:6 “The words of the LORD are pure words; As silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times.”

 

Proverbs 30:5 “Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.”

 

And this is why the Psalmist loves it.

God’s Word is always right, always trustworthy.

It never leads you astray.

It is never wrong.

 

Imagine having a book that if all you did was what it said,

Your life would guarantee to be blessed.

 

WE DO

 

And the Psalmist can’t believe that men would forget it.

The Psalmist can’t believe that men would ignore it.

 

I saw a movie once where a man went to the future (I think it might have been a true story). In the future he bought a sports almanac. When he came back to the past he had a guide for betting on sports. It made him rich.

 

Do you think the guy loved it?

 

WE HAVE THE WORDS OF GOD THAT NEVER FAIL,

PROVEN TRUE, WITH NO ERROR!

 

That is why the Psalmist loved it.

 

Why I honor it… Why I love it…

#3 WHY I REMEMBER IT

Psalms 119:141-142

 

Obviously the first thing we must notice is that there is tremendous temptation to forget God’s Word and never go there again.

 

And that temptation comes in the form of derision and hatred.

“I am small and despised”

 

One meaning for the word “small” is “young”

 

Job 32:6 “So Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite spoke out and said, “I am young in years and you are old; Therefore I was shy and afraid to tell you what I think.”

 

And so one of the reasons our Psalmist is derided

Is quite possibly because he is young.

 

The older men don’t want to listen to his passions about Scripture

Because he is young.

 

We already knew that our Psalmist was a young man.

Psalms 119:9 “How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word.”

 

Psalms 119:100 “I understand more than the aged, Because I have observed Your precepts.”

 

He had been facing opposition, not because he was wrong,

But because he was young.

 

You may remember that Timothy faced similar issues in his ministry.

 

And so Paul wrote to him:

1 Timothy 4:11-13 “Prescribe and teach these things. Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe. Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.”

 

Another meaning for that same word is “insignificant”

 

Micah 5:2 “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.”

 

People ignored what he said because they deemed him

An insignificant messenger.

 

Paul faced this in his ministry:

2 Corinthians 10:10 “For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible.”

 

They disregard our Pslamist because he is young and

Insignificant, and because he continues to speak to them

And hold to his convictions they actually despise him.

Remember when Isaiah tried to confront his peers?

Isaiah 28:7-10 “And these also reel with wine and stagger from strong drink: The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, They are confused by wine, they stagger from strong drink; They reel while having visions, They totter when rendering judgment. For all the tables are full of filthy vomit, without a single clean place. “To whom would He teach knowledge, And to whom would He interpret the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just taken from the breast? “For He says, ‘Order on order, order on order, Line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there.'”

 

And certainly it was the same derision the Lord received

For being from Nazareth.

 

Or remember the Pharisees?

John 9:29 “We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where He is from.”

 

This man’s adversaries hate the fact that such a young and insignificant man would actually hold to his convictions,

And they wanted him to drop it.

 

But he wouldn’t

“Yet I do not forget Your precepts.”

 

And the question is WHY?

(142) “Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your law is truth.”

 

The reason he wouldn’t forget God’s Word, even though heavily oppressed, is because it is the truth.

 

Psalms 119:160 “The sum of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting.”

 

John 17:17 “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.”

 

• It wasn’t a matter of choosing which opinion he liked the best…

• It wasn’t a matter of politics (republican or democrat)…

• It was a matter of truth or error.

 

And even though the truth got him in trouble, it was still the truth.

He couldn’t leave it…

He couldn’t forget it…

IT WAS THE TRUTH

 

HOW COULD ANYONE ASK THE PSALMIST TO FORGET IT?

 

He honors God’s word because of it’s Author.

He loves God’s word because it is pure and proven.

He remembers God’s word because it is the truth.

 

#4 WHY I RETURN TO IT

Psalms 119:143-144

 

There again we see the hardship he is facing.

 

“Trouble and anguish have come upon me”

 

“Trouble” is usually translated “adversaries” (it is the same word translated “adversaries” in verse 139)

 

It can also mean “tight”

 

2 Kings 6:1 “Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “Behold now, the place before you where we are living is too limited for us.”

 

Today we would call it “Being caught between a rock and a hard place”

 

And no doubt this anguish was the result of his adversaries.

 

And yet he still seemed to return to God’s Word.

“Yet Your commandments are my delight.”

 

WHY?

“Your testimonies are righteous forever;”

 

• Why does he delight?

• Why does he continually choose God’s Word?

• Why does he continually return to God’s Word even when it causes him trouble?

 

BECAUSE GOD’S WORD NEVER EXPIRES

 

God’s Word is never out-dated.

God’s Word is never irrelevant.

God’s Word always fits.

It is never limited.

 

Psalms 119:96 “I have seen a limit to all perfection; Your commandment is exceedingly broad.”

 

• Books today continually become outdated.

• Textbooks are thrown out after a few years of use…

• Medical books become insignificant after new technology is found…

• Any number of books become out-dated in an advancing culture…

 

BUT GOD’S WORD NEVER DOES.

 

Written thousands of years ago and it still remains the most relevant, accurate, necessary book on the face of the planet.

 

• Nothing is more relevant to life

• Nothing is more relevant to relationships

• Nothing is more relevant to righteousness

• Nothing is more relevant to eternity

 

They are “righteous forever”

And so the Psalmist continues to return to it.

 

In fact, look at the only request of the stanza:

“Give me understanding that I may live.”

 

He still wants to know more.

He still seeks it out.

 

Certainly if God grants that request

It will only result in more trouble and more anguish,

But the Psalmist wants it anyway,

Because nothing is more relevant than the word of God.

 

He is passionate about it.

• God’s Word is actually written by God!

• God’s Word is proven and pure!

• God’s Word is absolutely true!

• God’s Word is always relevant!

 

And he can’t believe that in spite of that

People could so easily disregard it!

 

“My zeal has consumed me, Because my adversaries have forgotten Your words.”

 

He is zealous, and now we know why.

GOD’S WORD DESERVES ZEALOTS!

 

If we can’t get passionate about the word of God,

Then there is something wrong with us.

 

Zeal for God’s word ought to consume us just like it consumed this man.

It is written by God!

It is proven and pure!

It is absolutely true!

It will always be relevant!

 

We ought to love it like he does!

 

Psalms 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”

 

The Steadfast Heart

Psalms 119:129-136

December 11, 2011

 

Last time we met here in Psalms 119,

We talked about resisting compromise.

 

There is an enormous amount of pressure placed upon

The Christian to compromise his convictions.

 

• We live in a world that loves sin and hates righteousness.

• We live in a world that loves darkness and hates light.

• We live in a world that loves error and hates truth.

 

It is just as Jesus said:

John 3:19-20 “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.”

 

This is also the reason for oppression upon God’s people.

 

The night before Jesus died He told His disciples:

John 15:18-25 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. “But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me. “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. “He who hates Me hates My Father also. “If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. “But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘THEY HATED ME WITHOUT A CAUSE.’”

 

We see that the hatred and oppression that the world has for Christians

Is really simply a manifestation of the hatred the world has for Christ.

 

• The evil world is of their father the devil.

• They hate God, just as he hates God.

• They seek to rebel against God, just as he rebelled against God.

 

And they hate the fact that the righteous God

Will one day judge them for their wicked deeds.

 

And that would be no problem for us, except

That when we became followers of Christ,

We then also became enemies of the world.

 

The world hates Christ and all who take His name

And preach His message.

And so oppression for the Christian is a reality.

 

2 Timothy 3:12 “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

 

If you follow Christ…

If you preach His truth…

If you proclaim His name…

Rest assured you will be hated for it.

 

We are all aware of the beatitudes,

And we remember that the last two beatitudes are sort of an indicator

As to whether or not you are living the first six.

 

Matthew 5:10-12 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

 

And we could go on and on, but the point is made,

Oppression and persecution are reality for any who seek to follow Christ.

 

And as we said last week, this oppression really is a choice for us.

 

Affliction or hardship or misery is a guarantee in this life

And is virtually unavoidable.

 

We live in a fallen, sinful world and because of that affliction

Happens to everyone, and often cannot be escaped.

 

But Christian oppression is not like that.

It is actually a choice that a Christian must make.

 

We often have the ability to put an end to our oppression,

And that is simply done by compromise.

 

Just let go of Jesus’ name…

Just quit proclaiming His truth…

Just turn around and go the other direction…

 

If you do, the world will love you, but you will have failed Christ.

 

And that is why as Christians we are told

Not only to ENDURE suffering, but to EMBRACE it.

 

1 Peter 4:1-2 “Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.”

 

2 Timothy 1:8 “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God,”

2 Timothy 2:3 “Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.”

 

The writer of Hebrews said:

Hebrews 13:12-14 “Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate. So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.”

 

And this is really the very essence of what Jesus meant when He said:

Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”

 

It is obvious that as Christians

We are not called to continually take the easy way out.

 

We are not called to take the path of least resistance.

We are not called to be men pleasers.

 

As Christians we are called to embrace the suffering

That will inevitably come with being faithful to our Lord.

And so compromise really has no place in the Christian walk.

 

Listen to what God told a couple of His prophets of old:

Jeremiah 15:19 “Therefore, thus says the LORD, “If you return, then I will restore you — Before Me you will stand; And if you extract the precious from the worthless, You will become My spokesman. They for their part may turn to you, But as for you, you must not turn to them.”

 

Ezekiel 2:3-7 “Then He said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you to the sons of Israel, to a rebellious people who have rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. “I am sending you to them who are stubborn and obstinate children, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.’ “As for them, whether they listen or not — for they are a rebellious house — they will know that a prophet has been among them. “And you, son of man, neither fear them nor fear their words, though thistles and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions; neither fear their words nor be dismayed at their presence, for they are a rebellious house. “But you shall speak My words to them whether they listen or not, for they are rebellious.”

 

And this message is continued in the New Testament.

1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”

 

Ephesians 6:10-13 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”

 

I think we get the picture.

We call this being steadfast.

 

And this is a good word to describe our Psalmist.

Tonight, let me show a picture of a steadfast heart,

4 characteristics

#1 IT LOVE’S GOD’S WORD

Psalms 119:129-130

 

We actually talked about this concept last week.

 

In verses 121-128 we saw our Psalmist continually resist compromise.

They had oppressed him because of his righteousness

And he was more than ready for God to come and vindicate him.

 

But despite his oppression the Psalmist would not compromise,

And the reason was because he loved God’s Word.

 

Psalms 119:127-128 “Therefore I love Your commandments Above gold, yes, above fine gold. Therefore I esteem right all Your precepts concerning everything, I hate every false way.”

 

And this is reiterated here in the beginning of the next stanza.

“Your testimonies are wonderful;”

 

“wonderful” translates PE-LE

It means “astounding” or “unfathomable”

 

Samson’s parents

Judges 13:17-18 “Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “What is your name, so that when your words come to pass, we may honor you?” But the angel of the LORD said to him, “Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?”

 

Isaiah’s Christmas prophecy

Isaiah 9:6 “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”

 

And that is the same description the Psalmist uses for God’s word.

It is “wonderful”

 

And he is not just saying that they are good,

He is saying that they are transcendent.

 

They are lofty and exalted.

Isaiah 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.”

 

Remember what David said about God’s omniscience in Psalms 139?

Psalms 139:1-6 “O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it.”

Paul said the same in the New Testament:

Romans 11:33 “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!”

 

That is the message of the Psalmist about God’s Word

It is “wonderful”

 

“Therefore my soul observes them.”

 

And this is the demonstration of his love.

He loves it so he obeys it.

 

THIS IS WHY HE WILL NOT COMPROMISE.

Some would say: “Come on man, let it go, is it really worthy all the oppression?”

 

The Psalmist would say, “yes”, it is “wonderful”,

That’s why I can’t let it go.

 

Furthermore, that is why he keeps studying it and even preaching it.

 

(130) “The unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.”

 

It is obvious from this verse that our Psalmist is not only obedient,

But is also a committed student of God’s word as well as a teacher of it.

He loves to see God’s word unfolded.

 

And the Psalmist says that doing that “gives light”

 

Light always has three meanings.

1) Understanding

“Shine some light on the subject” or “His light came on”

 

2) Hope

“Light at the end of the tunnel” or “Light in the darkness”

 

3) Righteousness

“Deeds of darkness or deeds of light”

 

And all of those three are certainly benefits which are achieved

From carefully “unfolding” the word of God.

 

Specifically here the Psalmist mentions the “understanding” part.

 

“It gives understanding to the simple.”

 

And you simply have to love his steadfastness.

Many would tell our Psalmist to just give in,

It’s not worth the fight.

He would give two reasons why it is.

 

1) GOD’S WORD DESERVES IT

It is “wonderful”

 

2) THOSE WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING NEED IT

“It gives understanding to the simple”

 

And there is great reason why the steadfast won’t compromise.

 

• So if you are searching for a reason not to compromise…

• If you need a reason to study, or teach, or preach again…

 

Do it because God’s Word deserves to be preached

And because people need to hear it whether they want to or not.

 

The Steadfast heart loves God’s Word

#2 IT LONGS FOR GOD’S WORD

Psalms 119:131-132

 

And of course this is only logical and obvious.

If a person love’s God’s Word then they should long for God’s Word.

 

“I opened my mouth wide and panted, For I longed for Your commandments.”

 

It reminds of David’s statement:

Psalms 63:1 “O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water.”

 

It reminds of Jesus:

John 4:31-34 “Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples were saying to one another, “No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.”

 

Or again:

Matthew 4:3-4 “And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.'”

 

Certainly that is the imagery given to us by the Psalmist.

He is panting, he is begging for God’s Word.

 

In fact look at the next verse.

(132) “Turn to me and be gracious to me, After Your manner with those who love Your name.”

 

He actually tells God to “be gracious”

Gracious about what?

Gracious in regard to his request for God’s Word.

 

He doesn’t see having God’s Word as a right,

He sees it as a privilege.

 

This is often lost on us today.

We have Bibles stacked on bibles.

We have constant and instant access to the Word of God.

 

BUT THIS IS NOT SO FOR THE REST OF THE WORLD.

(The China formula: Your population x .0045)

(Spur would have 6 Bibles)

 

There are people in the world who count access to God’s Word

As the finest of privileges,

And yet in America Bible reading seems burdensome.

 

David Platt writes in his book “Radical” about a house church meeting in an Asian country were church meetings are illegal.

 

“On my first day with these believers, they simply asked me to lead a Bible study. “Please meet us tomorrow at two o’clock in the afternoon.”

So I put some thoughts together for a short Bible study and went to the designated location, where about twenty house-church leaders were waiting. I don’t remember when we started, but I do remember that eight hours later we were still going strong. We would study one passage, and then they would ask about another. This would lead to another topic, then to another, and by the end of the day, our conversations had ranged from dreams and visions to tongues and the Trinity.

It was late in the evening, and they wanted to continue studying, but they needed to get back to their homes. So they asked the two main church leaders and me, “Can we meet again tomorrow?” I said, “I would be glad to. Shall we meet at the same time?” They responded, “No, we want to start early in the morning.” I said, “Okay. How long would you like to study?” They replied, “All day.” Thus began a process in which, over the next ten days, for eight to twelve hours a day, we would gather to study God’s Word. They were hungry.”

 

Later he speaks of the conditions of the meeting place.

He called it a “small room”

 

And then wrote:

“Despite its size, sixty believers have crammed into it. They are all ages, from precious little girls to seventy-year-old men. They are sitting either on the floor or on small stools, lined shoulder to shoulder, huddled together with their Bibles in their laps. The roof is low, and one light bulb dangles from the middle of the ceiling as the sole source of illumination.

No sound system. No band. No guitar. No entertainment. No cushioned chairs. No heated or air-conditioned building. Nothing but the people of God and the Word of God. And strangely, that’s enough.”

(Platt, David “Radical” pg. 22-26)

 

These people saw God’s Word as a privilege,

And so did our Psalmist, he longs for it.

And this is a KEY to having a steadfast heart.

Let me show you why.

 

First, A steadfast heart loves God’s Word

Second, A steadfast heart longs for God’s Word

#3 IT LEANS ON GOD’S WORD

Psalms 119:133-135

 

And of course now it makes sense why our Psalmist longs for it so much.

He longs for it because he leans on it.

He needs the word of God.

 

God’s Word is in fact a privilege,

But don’t let that cause you to assume that is not a necessity.

 

In fact, notice here the Psalmist is leaning on God’s Word for three things.

(It is these three things that allow him to be steadfast)

 

1) STRENGTH (133)

 

“Establish my footsteps in Your word, And do not let any iniquity have dominion over me.”

 

The Psalmist wants to stand.

And he wants to stand in purity.

And the place he goes for strength is God’s Word.

 

How many times have we had the word of God guide us away from sin, or out of sin we are committing?

 

It strengthens us to live a pure life.

 

2) INCENTIVE (134)

 

“Redeem me from the oppression of man, That I may keep Your precepts.”

 

He wants God to deliver him from the oppressor.

He wants God to help him stand strong.

He wants God to pull him out of their snare.

 

Why does he want God to redeem him?

 

“That I may keep Your precepts.”

 

Remember, the double-minded can be a barrier to obedience.

He wants deliverance, so that he can freely obey.

 

So God’s Word not only provides strength against sin, but also incentive.

He wants to obey God’s Word.

That is what keeps him going.

 

When know temptations are real.

We know pressures from the wicked are real.

 

HOW DO I KEEP FROM GIVING IN?

(I know that if I give in, that when I pick up God’s Word it won’t be pleasant)

 

I don’t like the conviction feeling of having been disobedient,

And so God’s Word is great incentive not to stumble.

 

That was the Psalmist.

 

He leans on God’s Word for strength.

He leans on God’s Word for incentive.

3) BLESSING (135)

 

“Make Your face shine upon Your servant, And teach me Your statutes.”

 

Here the Psalmist equates learning God’s Word

To having God shine upon Him.

 

This is of course a reference to God’s glory.

And the Psalmist is saying, that in God’s Word he sees God.

 

We understand this.

2 Corinthians 3:12-18 “Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech, and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away. But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”

 

When the Jews read the Law a veil is there.

When we read the Law the veil is lifted through God’s Spirit.

 

And now we “with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory”

 

As we study God’s Word we receive the glory of God.

We behold Him, and we are blessed.

 

This is our encouragement!

How many times have we suffered and turned to the gospels to hear Jesus encourage us and tell us, “If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household?”

We see God, and see that the world treated Him the same,

And then even in the midst of our oppression, we are blessed.

 

The Psalmist leans on God’s Word for such blessings.

He needs it.

 

AND THIS IS WHY HE IS STEADFAST.

He leans on God’s Word, and since God’s Word never changes,

Neither does the Psalmist.

 

The Steadfast Heart Loves the Word of God

The Steadfast Heart Longs for the Word of God

The Steadfast Heart Leans on the Word of God.

#4 IT LAMENTS OVER THE WORD OF GOD

Psalms 119:136

 

Certainly we saw this attitude with JESUS weeping over Jerusalem.

We know JEREMIAH to have been the weeping prophet.

 

And it is true of the steadfast heart as well.

 

They are steadfast because they love God and His Word,

And so nothing grieves them more than disobedience to it.

 

Remember what John said?

3 John 4 “I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.”

 

And so certainly the flip-side is true as well.

 

The Psalmist not only hates the double-minded, but he grieves over them.

WHY?

Because they treat him harshly?

No

 

“Because they do not keep Your law.”

 

He grieves because they grieve God.

He is heartbroken because they break God’s heart.

 

He saw people like the children of Israel:

Psalms 78:34-37 “When He killed them, then they sought Him, And returned and searched diligently for God; And they remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High God their Redeemer. But they deceived Him with their mouth And lied to Him with their tongue. For their heart was not steadfast toward Him, Nor were they faithful in His covenant.”

 

And that is why our Psalmist wept.

He wept because they disregarded the God he loved.

 

That is a picture of a steadfast heart.

They love obedience in themselves, they love obedience in others.

 

They love God’s Word

They long for God’s Word

They lean on God’s Word

They lament when God’s Word is broken

BECAUSE THEIR HEART IS STEADFAST.

 

You and I need a steadfast heart, so that we may choose to stand

Even in the midst of hardship and oppression.

 

BUT WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE IT?

 

First, repent like David did.

Psalms 51:10-13 “Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners will be converted to You.”

 

Then, do as the Psalmist did.

LOVE God’s Word (make a sacrifice of self to read it)

LONG for God’s Word (a natural reaction to loving it)

LEAN on God’s Word (obey what you read and see it proven true)

LAMENT over God’s Word (another natural response to loving it)

 

And as God’s unchanging word begins to take root in your heart,

You will find your heart becoming more steadfast as well.

 

Psalms 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”

 

Resisting Compromise

Psalms 119:121-128

December 4, 2011

 

As you know, last Sunday night we took a bit of a shift in our focus

Here in this 119th Psalm.

 

The Psalmist seems to quit focusing on the affliction he is facing

And has started focusing more on those who are causing it.

 

In short, we don’t hear him say as much about affliction,

And we start hearing him talk about oppression.

 

The words are different in the Hebrew.

 

“affliction” translates ONI

 

And it relates to physical pain or mental distress, or illness.

It can even be translated “misery”

 

Psalms 107:10 “There were those who dwelt in darkness and in the shadow of death, Prisoners in misery and chains”

 

Job 10:15 “If I am wicked, woe to me! And if I am righteous, I dare not lift up my head. I am sated with disgrace and conscious of my misery.”

 

And we understand affliction.

 

“oppression” is different. It translates OSHEQ

 

And it relates more to being robbed or defrauded by another.

 

1 Samuel 12:3-4 “Here I am; bear witness against me before the LORD and His anointed. Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I taken a bribe to blind my eyes with it? I will restore it to you.” They said, “You have not defrauded us or oppressed us or taken anything from any man’s hand.”

 

Malachi 3:8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings.”

 

And so it is clear to us that the Psalmist is no longer talking about

The physical pain or mental distress that he has been dealing with.

 

Now he is talking about those who are wronging him in some way.

 

And one important distinction to for us to understand as we study Is while affliction generally cannot be avoided, oppression can.

 

Affliction is general suffering, and we all know that it is coming in this life.

Affliction is promised.

Life is going to be hard.

But oppression is different.

It occurs at the hands of men who don’t like the direction we are traveling,

And who seek to wrong us because of it.

 

And the solution to stopping oppression is easy: TURN AROUND.

• If it offends men to go left, then start going right.

• If it angers men that you go north, then start going south.

• If it irritates men that you obey God, then stop obeying Him.

 

Affliction and Oppression are different.

And that means that they bring a different set of hardships to life.

 

The battle of affliction is not to lose your faith.

The battle of oppression is not to compromise your convictions.

 

When the enemy pushes us and pressures us and oppresses us

Because he doesn’t like the direction we are headed,

We must choose then and there whether we will give in to him or not.

 

Will we compromise, or will we stand?

 

That is the issue our Psalmist is facing.

• He isn’t facing a debilitating illness.

• He isn’t facing a general hardship.

• He isn’t facing a mental struggle.

 

Here he is facing oppressive pressures from others,

And he must choose to give in to them or stand against them.

 

We also face these pressures and temptations continually in life.

 

Our society is one that definitely chooses to oppress Christianity.

They do it in hopes that we will suppress the truth.

 

Scripture promises it.

Matthew 5:11-12 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

 

Matthew 10:22 “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.”

 

Jesus clearly says they hate us because of His name.

If you don’t want them to hate you, then drop the use of His name.

 

We know what oppression is.

 

Furthermore we know what the Lord expects of us in the midst of it.

He expects us to stand strong.

I mentioned it last week, but take a glance at the 7 churches in Revelation Notice what they are commended or rebuked for.

 

Ephesus was commended:

Revelation 2:2 “I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false;”

 

Revelation 2:6 “Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.”

 

Pergamum was commended:

Revelation 2:13 “I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.”

 

And also rebuked:

Revelation 2:14-15 “But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. ‘So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.”

 

Thyatira was rebuked:

Revelation 2:20 “But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.”

 

Philadelphia was commended:

Revelation 3:9-10 “Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie — I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you. ‘Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”

 

It is obvious that the Lord never intended for His church

To conform to the pressures of the world.

 

Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

 

So we know that men will oppress us and seek to turn us from the truth,

It has happened to Christ’s church since it began.

 

But we cannot succumb to it.

We cannot be conformed to this world.

 

We tonight we find or Psalmist in the midst of oppression,

Let’s see his, and how he handles it.

 

Four things:

#1 HIS DILEMMA

Psalms 119:121-122

 

It is quite easy to see that our Psalmist is dealing with oppressors.

He mentions them twice in these two verses.

 

“Do not leave me to my oppressors.”

“Do not let the arrogant oppress me.”

 

We even know who is oppressing him.

Here he calls them “the arrogant”

 

In the last stanza he called them the “double-minded” and “wicked” and “those who wander from Your statutes,”

 

He is oppressed by those who do not regard obedience

As an important thing.

• He finds that to be double-minded

• He finds that to be wicked

• He finds that to be apathetic

 

Here he finds it to be arrogant.

 

IS THERE ANYTHING MORE ARROGANT THAN TO SUPPOSE THAT WE KNOW BETTER THAN GOD, AND THAT OBEDIENCE ISN’T IMPORTANT?

 

That is what these men are.

 

And they oppress those who do seek righteousness.

And so not only do we see that our Psalmist is oppressed,

But we also see why.

 

“I have done justice and righteousness;”

 

He is NOT oppressed because of something wicked he has done.

He is oppressed because of something righteous he has done.

 

1 Peter 4:15-16 “Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.”

 

Just because a person is oppressed by another,

Does not necessarily indicate that they are Godly.

 

It may just indicate that they are a meddler or a thief, or an evildoer.

 

But that is not the problem of our Psalmist.

He is righteous, and he is still oppressed.

 

In fact, he is oppressed because of it.

2 Timothy 3:12 “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

 

And so we recognize the cause of his oppression.

 

But beyond that we also come to the realization

That there is nothing he can do about it.

 

His only option to stop the oppression is to stop living righteous,

But that really isn’t an option at all,

For then you quit offending man and start offending God.

 

That is why he is asking God to intervene.

“Do not leave me to my oppressors.”

“Be surety for Your servant for good.”

“Do not let the arrogant oppress me.”

 

And so you can see our Psalmists dilemma.

He is oppressed and has done all he can, short of give in to them.

 

Maybe you have been in a dilemma like that.

It will be good to find out what kept the Psalmist from compromising.

 

His Dilemma

#2 HIS DESPERATION

Psalms 119:123-125

 

We’ve seen that first statement before.

 

“My eyes fail with longing for Your salvation And for Your righteous word.”

 

Earlier, when he spoke of his affliction, he said:

Psalms 119:81-82 “My soul languishes for Your salvation; I wait for Your word. My eyes fail with longing for Your word, While I say, “When will You comfort me?”

 

Now he says the same thing in regard to his oppression.

God, I am waiting for you to come.

 

Wednesday night we talked about the vindication of the Lord

And we closed by listening to James tell us to be patient.

 

James 5:7-11 “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.”

 

Three times James mentioned the coming of the Lord

Or the nearness of the Judge.

 

And he continually told us to be patient

As we wait for Him to come and vindicate us.

 

Well, that is precisely what the Psalmist is doing.

• He knows he has done right.

• He knows he has lived righteous.

• It is that righteousness that causes him to be oppressed.

 

So naturally he started waiting for the Lord to come and vindicate him.

The only problem is he is growing tired of waiting.

 

The verbal attacks and the mocking of the wicked

Seem to go on without ceasing.

 

• How long he has gone to his workplace and been the scorn of the wicked…

• How long he has endured their mocking…

• How long he has been maligned for his convictions…

 

He knows some day God will come and vindicate him,

He just wonders when it will be.

 

And that is why his statement turns into a request.

(124) “Deal with Your servant according to Your lovingkindness and teach me Your statues.”

 

In short, be merciful to me.

Step in! Deliver! Help me!

 

Quit letting them walk all over me and oppress me.

 

(124) “I am Your servant; give me understanding, That I may know Your testimonies.”

 

That is the third time he referred to himself as God’s servant.

And here he does so to remind God that he is committed to Him.

 

That is to say:

“God, I’m on Your side, please be on mine”

 

I watching for Your appearing…

I’m listening for Your word…

I’m desperate for You.

 

Perhaps you’ve been there too.

You felt the oppression of the double-minded; of the wicked,

And you wondered if God was ever going to put them in their place.

 

Certainly our Psalmist was desperate like this.

 

His Dilemma, His Desperation

#3 HIS DEPENDANCE

Psalms 119:126

 

I love this prayer, because it is so real.

“It is time for the Lord to act, For, they have broken Your law.”

 

We call this being a tattle tale.

• He has had enough of waiting…

• He has had enough of enduring…

• He has had enough patience…

 

He goes to God and says, “Enough is enough, it is time for You to deal with those wicked pagans.”

 

Ever been there?

Ever reach a point of difficulty that you actually decide

That God’s timing needs to become your timing?

 

The Psalmist has reached this point.

• These men are disobedient.

• These men “have broken Your law.”

• These men are “double-minded”

• These men are “wicked”

• These men “wander from Your statutes”

 

Enough is enough, it is time for you to get them.

You can almost hear Jonah here waiting for the destruction of Nineveh.

 

Our Psalmist has had enough.

 

NOW HERE IS THE POINT.

 

The Psalmist is crying out to God as if to say: I CAN’T BEAT THEM!

I’ve been righteous.

I’ve walked in justice.

But they still oppress me.

 

I’ve waited and waited, but they still oppress me.

I’ve been obedient, but they still oppress me.

 

I can’t beat them.

I can’t make them stop.

I can’t defend myself.

 

And it is at this point that the world would chime in:

“If you can’t beat ‘em; join ‘em”

And that is the dilemma we talked about at the beginning.

It is the temptation to compromise.

 

• Do I let up on my convictions?

• Do I soften my stance?

• Do I learn to act a little less righteous?

• Do I cover my light and hide it under a bushel?

• Do I try to conform a little so as not to stand out so much?

 

Many a Christian has done just that.

And it has caused the Lord to grieve.

 

It is called becoming politically correct.

• The world loves homosexuality, maybe we shouldn’t oppose it.

• The world loves feminism, maybe we should ignore God’s roles.

• The world loves pluralism, maybe we should embrace false religion.

• The world loves universalism, maybe we should forget about hell.

• The world loves mysticism, maybe we should just go on our feelings.

• The world loves sin, maybe we should ignore repentance.

• The world loves self, maybe we should cater to them.

 

And really the list could go on and on and on.

 

And more than one Christian

Has collapsed under such societal pressure

And become conformed to the standards of the world

Just to get a little relief from the oppression.

 

They let go of their convictions

Simply because that is the only way to get relief.

THEY COMPROMISE.

 

And if we are honest, we can all find times when we did as well.

 

But the encouragement we get from the text tonight

Is that we find the secret to not doing it next time.

 

Our Psalmist has clearly said that he can’t beat his oppressors.

He knows that he is at the mercy of God.

 

He has done all he can, but he can’t stop them.

But he refuses to join them.

 

#4 HIS DEVOTION

Psalms 119:127-128

 

I really like how the NIV translates this verse.

 

“Because I love your commands more than gold, more than pure gold, and because I consider all your precepts right, I hate every wrong path.”

 

The NIV translators went with the word “because”

Instead of the word “therefore”

 

And when you read the text it really makes more sense.

 

To read it as “therefore” makes it sound like he loves God’s commands

Because the wicked have broken them.

 

But that is not the point.

 

His point is that he hates what they do

Because he loves God’s commands.

 

He is telling you why he will not compromise.

He is telling you why he will never join them.

He is telling you why he hates their false way.

And the reason is because he loves God’s word!

 

“Therefore I love Your commandments above gold, yes, above fine gold.”

 

I told you earlier, that the word “oppression”

Often carries a financial connotation with it.

 

The word for “oppress” is even translated “rob”

Micah 2:2 “They covet fields and then seize them, And houses, and take them away. They rob a man and his house, A man and his inheritance.”

 

And so it is quite possible that the oppression this man has received

Has even brought with it a financial hardship.

 

Maybe they don’t shop in his store…

Maybe they don’t give him good deals at the market…

Maybe they have dragged him to court…

Maybe they have given him fines…

 

But it is very possible that the oppression has caused a financial strain,

And that would cause many to cave.

 

But not our Psalmist.

Regardless of the oppression, regardless of the financial difficulty,

He is not going to compromise.

 

WHY?

“I love your commandments above gold, yes, above fine gold.”

 

We sing:

“I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold; I’d rather be His than have riches untold; I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands. I’d rather be led by His nail-pierced hand than to be the king of a vast domain or be held in sin’s dread sway. I’d rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today.

I’d rather have Jesus than men’s applause; I’d rather be faithful to His dear cause; I’d rather have Jesus than world-wide fame. I’d rather be true to His holy name, than to be the king of a vast domain or be held in sin’s dread sway. I’d rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today.

He’s fairer than lilies of rarest bloom; He’s sweeter than honey from out the comb; He’s all that my hungering spirit needs. I’d rather have Jesus and let Him lead than to be the king of a vast domain or be held in sin’s dread sway. I’d rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today.”

 

So did the Psalmist.

So financial hardship couldn’t cause him to cave,

He loved God’s word more than money.

 

But that is not the only reason he wouldn’t cave.

The other is because “I esteem right all Your precepts concerning everything.”

 

The other reason he wouldn’t compromise is because

He has come to a place where He believes God is right.

 

Sometimes we compromise because of the pressure,

Other times we compromise because of a lack of conviction.

(We aren’t sure if we really believe what Scripture says.)

 

If we aren’t sure God is right when it is easy,

We most certainly won’t hold our convictions when it is difficult.

 

But the Psalmist was convinced.

He knew God is right.

 

He said, “God is right about everything, all the time.”

 

“I esteem right all Your precepts concerning everything.”

 

And because of this conviction he said, “I hate every false way.”

 

We see that even though he was in a battle he couldn’t win,

He refused to compromise.

 

BECAUSE:

• He loved God’s word more than anything in this world.

• He believed God’s word is always right about everything.

 

And there is our secret to resisting compromise.

 

Believe God is right about everything all the time,

And love His will more than the things of this world.

 

And if we reach that point, we are through with compromise.

 

So tonight we take encouragement yet again

To fall in love with the word of God.

 

To read it, to search it, to apply it, to obey it, to prove it, to love it.

 

And as you learn to love the word of God,

Find an unyielding resolve to keep obedience

Even in the midst of oppression.

 

Psalms 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”

 

Dealing With The Double-Minded

Psalms 119:113-120

November 27, 2011

 

We have been studying through this 119th Psalm, and at this point,

It has become extremely clear that

The Psalmist has developed a strong faith in God.

 

He has been refined in the fires of affliction

And through that affliction he has found God faithful.

 

Nowhere has that been more evident than the last 3 stanzas.

 

In verses 89-96 we heard him claim victory over his affliction.

No, the affliction didn’t leave, but he did have a mindset change about it and

gave credit to his victory to God’s Word.

 

In verses 97-104 we heard him then declare his great love for God’s Word.

God’s word had revived him and he loved it.

 

Then two weeks ago we saw him demonstrate his love for God’s word.

He demonstrated it by choosing to obey it,

Even though obedience could possibly lead him to death.

 

(109-110) “My life is continually in my hand, Yet I do not forget Your law. The wicked have laid a snare for me, Yet I have not gone astray from Your precepts.”

 

At that point it’s safe to say we aren’t dealing here with a pretender

This man is no phony.

His faith has passed through the fire and been approved.

 

With him obedience to God is not an option,

And it most certainly is not something determined by convenience.

 

He is committed.

He is sold out.

He is the real deal, genuine type of follower

That Christ was looking for as he walked this earth.

 

And I don’t think any of us could or would argue

With that assessment at this point of the Psalm.

 

And it is important that you recognize that about this Psalmist

Because tonight we change directions a little.

We have heard the Psalmist often talk about his affliction

And the hardships he is facing.

 

From this point, he begins to focus less on the actual affliction

And more on those who do it.

 

That is why (as I told you last time) we don’t hear as much about affliction.

Instead we hear of oppression.

 

The two words in Hebrew could very easily be considered synonyms.

• They both speak of pain and trials.

• They both speak of anguish.

• They boy can even take a financial spin in regard to being defrauded.

 

The difference is that the word for affliction

Seems to focus more on the hardship that is rendered,

The word for oppression seems to focus more on the one who renders it.

 

The point is that the Psalmist is no longer focusing

On his own pain and trials.

He conquered that.

 

Now he is focusing on those who cause pain and trials to others.

He is focusing on those who cause oppression.

 

And it is also clear that he has figured out who they are.

They are the “double-minded”

 

At times he sees them as apostates.

(118) as those “who wander from Your statutes”

 

At times he sees them as the defiant.

(126) as those who “have broken Your law.”

 

At times he sees them as the fickle.

(136) as those who “do not keep Your law.”

 

At times he sees them as apathetic.

(139) as those who “have forgotten Your words.”

 

At times he sees them as the carnal.

(150) as those “who follow after wickedness”

 

And here he calls them the “double-minded”

They are the fence riders.

They are those who are not genuinely committed.

They pretend commitment when it is easy, they fall away when it is hard.

They sing the songs of God in church, they partake in the sin of the world outside.

 

Adrian Rogers said, “Men are like rivers; they grow crooked by following the path of least resistance.”

 

That is the type of people our Psalmist is referring to.

 

Our Psalmist has learned to commit to God no matter the cost,

And yet he sees that not all those around him share his commitment.

Tonight we begin to deal with those double-minded.

And obviously the Psalmist begins in an extremely harsh fashion.

 

(113) “I hate those who are double-minded,”

 

“double-minded” translates SAY-AFE

 

It is defined as: “a person of divided mind, who, being destitute of firm faith and persuasion as to divine things is driven hither and thither. A doubter; a skeptic.”

 

The root word literally means “to cut off branches”

And it denotes division.

 

This is a person who is divided of thought.

They aren’t united of mind.

They aren’t convinced, they have no conviction.

 

They sway back and forth.

They are blown by any wind.

 

And the Psalmist says “I hate” them.

 

Now obviously that is a strong statement to make.

However, let me show you that it is not a foreign concept.

 

Consider Elijah:

1 Kings 18:21 “Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word.”

 

Consider Joshua:

Joshua 24:14-15 “Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

 

Consider Ezra:

Ezra 9:1-4 “Now when these things had been completed, the princes approached me, saying, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, according to their abominations, those of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians and the Amorites. “For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has intermingled with the peoples of the lands; indeed, the hands of the princes and the rulers have been foremost in this unfaithfulness.” When I heard about this matter, I tore my garment and my robe, and pulled some of the hair from my head and my beard, and sat down appalled. Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel on account of the unfaithfulness of the exiles gathered to me, and I sat appalled until the evening offering.”

 

Consider Nehemiah:

Nehemiah 13:23-29 “In those days I also saw that the Jews had married women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab. As for their children, half spoke in the language of Ashdod, and none of them was able to speak the language of Judah, but the language of his own people. So I contended with them and cursed them and struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and made them swear by God, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take of their daughters for your sons or for yourselves. “Did not Solomon king of Israel sin regarding these things? Yet among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel; nevertheless the foreign women caused even him to sin. “Do we then hear about you that you have committed all this great evil by acting unfaithfully against our God by marrying foreign women?” Even one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was a son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite, so I drove him away from me. Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.”

 

Listen to the Psalmist:

Psalms 26:2-5 “Examine me, O LORD, and try me; Test my mind and my heart. For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes, And I have walked in Your truth. I do not sit with deceitful men, Nor will I go with pretenders. I hate the assembly of evildoers, And I will not sit with the wicked.”

 

Even remember the apostle Paul:

Acts 15:36-40 “After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” Barnabas wanted to take John, called Mark, along with them also. But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. And there occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. But Paul chose Silas and left, being committed by the brethren to the grace of the Lord.”

 

Now obviously none of those used the word “hate”, but it is obvious

They all had a holy intolerance for those who lacked conviction.

 

We are talking about men and women who have

Fully given their lives to the truth of God’s Word

And they are not overly excited about those

Who will not make the same commitment.

 

The Psalmist here comes out and expresses what those seem to have felt.

“I hate those who are double-minded”

 

He has no tolerance for

• People who only worship God when it is popular.

• People who claim allegiance but won’t back it up.

• People who are divided of heart and skeptical in faith.

 

And as you can see he is not alone in his frustration.

Those who fully devote themselves to God

Are often frustrated by those who do not.

 

They are even oppressed by them.

The Psalmist certainly was.

 

But that is just the first line.

 

Tonight he shows you why he is so frustrated with them.

And as we study this text, let it be a conviction to each of us

To make sure we are not sitting on the fence.

 

We know that Christ is an all or nothing type of Savior.

Matthew 8:21-22 “Another of the disciples said to Him, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead.”

 

Matthew 10:37-39 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. “He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.”

 

Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”

 

It is obvious that our Lord is not looking for fair-weather followers.

He is looking for the totally committed.

 

So tonight as the Psalmist describes why the double-minded frustrate him

Let us each examine our hearts and make sure we are not so fickle in faith

 

Here is why the Psalmist hates “those who are double-minded”

 

#1 BECAUSE THEY INSULT GOD

Psalms 119:113-114

 

We notice that he hates “those who are double-minded”

And then he says, “But I love Your law.”

 

And it begins to make sense as to why he hates the double-minded.

He doesn’t see them as those who love the law of God.

 

And this is particularly offensive to him

Because of what he thinks of God and His Word.

 

(114) “You are my hiding place and my shield; I wait for Your word.”

 

The Psalmist says, “I can’t imagine what it would be like without Your word. It rescues me, I hide behind it, in fact it is my focus and my hope.”

 

“I wait for Your word”

 

But he doesn’t see that same mindset in those who are “double-minded”

 

• They seem to care less what God has to say.

• They seem apathetic towards the truth.

• They don’t care if others malign it.

• They don’t care if their lives align with it.

 

And that mindset irritates him.

It appears to him that they don’t care about God’s word.

 

We do know that God is not amused with those who are “double-minded”.

 

James 1:5-8 “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

 

James went so far as to say that those who are “double-minded” are also “unstable” and should not expect to “receive anything from the Lord”.

 

They are the opposite of conviction.

James uses the word DIPSUCHOS which literally means “two-souled”

In short they can only give half of their attention to God.

 

They lack commitment.

They lack conviction.

 

To put it another way, they are not people of faith,

But rather people of doubt.

 

Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”

 

But those who doubt or are double-minded don’t please God.

 

That is why James went on to say:

James 4:8 “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

 

James saw the problem of the “double-minded”

As having cluttered hearts.

 

We could call them “weedy soil”, they are half-hearted.

And their cluttered hearts keeps them from trusting God.

 

And because the Psalmist loves God with all his heart,

He is highly offended at those who do not.

 

They, by their actions, claim that God is not trustworthy

And he hates that message.

 

He sees it as an insult to the God who has never failed him.

So he hates “those who are double-minded” because they insult God.

 

#2 BECAUSE THEY MAKE MEN STUMBLE

Psalms 119:115-117

 

First we saw that the Psalmist hates the double-minded,

Here we find him telling them to go away.

 

“Depart from me, evildoers”

 

And that gives another description of what double-minded means.

They are not solely devoted to righteousness, but take pleasure in evil.

 

On one hand they claim to love God,

But on the other they demonstrate a love of evil.

 

Titus 1:16a “They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him…”

 

And the Psalmist tells them to “Depart from me”

GET AWAY!

 

WHY?

“That I may observe the commandments of my God.”

 

Their love of evil actually hindered his desire to obey.

Certainly as a Stumbling Block

But also as a Road Block

 

Matthew 16:21-23 “From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”

 

At that moment Peter was “double-minded”.

Trying to focus on God’s interests and man’s interests at the same time.

 

And he actually tried to prohibit Jesus from being obedient.

 

How hard is it to want to obey God’s Word, only to have someone try to block you from it?

 

That is what was happening to the Psalmist.

These people actually worked against the obedience of others.

 

It wasn’t enough that they didn’t obey,

But they sought to make it where no one else could either.

 

And the Psalmist wanted them to go away.

The pastor I grew up under used to tell a story about a pastor he was under.

 

He spoke of a time he prayed in church. “Lord, there are some here, who do not want to follow Your leadership or obey Your word. We ask you to change their hearts. And Lord if they refuse to let their hearts be changed we ask you to remove them from our church body and put them somewhere that they can be happy. But Lord, if they won’t leave, we ask to just go ahead and take them on home.”

 

Obviously that was direct, but it illustrates the mindset of the Psalmist.

He has had it with these roadblocks, and he wants them removed.

 

He also wanted God to help him in his struggle against them.

(116) “Sustain me according to Your word, that I may live; And do not let me be ashamed of my hope.”

 

In other words, give me strength in my struggle, and don’t fail me.

He was hoping in God’s victory, he was standing upon God’s word,

And he prays that not only will God help him fight,

But that God will not let him be ashamed.

 

(117) “Uphold me that I may be safe, That I may have regard for Your statutes continually.”

 

Again he asks for strength to continue to stand for the truth.

 

AND THIS IS IMPORTANT.

 

Many a man has prayed for God

To remove those who appear to oppose God’s truth,

But if that was our solution every time someone did,

Then it wouldn’t take long for the church to be down to one.

 

The reality is, that while these people grieve us,

We know that we must still stand for truth before them.

 

Remember Timothy wanted to quit

Because the church at Ephesus wasn’t being faithful.

 

The book of Revelation reveals that “they had lost their first love”.

They were going through the motions, but they had no conviction.

 

Because it was hard Timothy wanted to quit.

 

2 Timothy 1:8 “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God,”

 

2 Timothy 1:13-14 “Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.”

Ultimately culminating in:

2 Timothy 4:1-5 “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

 

The frustration is real, and the desire for them to depart may be as well.

But it doesn’t change the necessity of standing firm in the midst.

 

The Psalmist knew that and so he prayed for God

To “sustain” him and “uphold” him

 

But again it is clear to see why he is angry.

 

He hates those who are double-minded because they insult God

And because they cause men to stumble.

 

#3 BECAUSE THEY BENEFIT NO ONE

Psalms 119:118-119

 

Again we find God’s valuation of those who are “double-minded”

 

In verse 118 God has “rejected” them saying that “their deceitfulness is useless.”

 

In verse 119 God has “removed” them saying they are “like dross”.

 

The point being that they don’t benefit anyone.

 

It doesn’t glorify God and it doesn’t edify men.

 

Commonly today people straddle the fence

Thinking themselves to be “peacemakers” or champions of unity.

 

But listen, God doesn’t need a negotiator.

God has already stated the truth.

 

The only unity is for us to forsake our way and unify with His.

 

That is why before Jesus gave that great prayer

For the church to be perfected in unity.

 

He first prayed:

John 17:17-19 “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. “As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. “For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.”

• People who straddle the fence…

• People who compromise the truth…

• People who lack conviction…

MAY SUPPOSE THEY ARE DOING A GREAT SERVICE

 

WRONG!

 

Such “deceitfulness is useless”

 

If you wander from the statutes of God it benefits no one.

 

Remember what God said through Jeremiah?

Jeremiah 23:30-32 “Therefore behold, I am against the prophets,” declares the LORD, “who steal My words from each other. “Behold, I am against the prophets,” declares the LORD, “who use their tongues and declare, ‘The Lord declares.’ “Behold, I am against those who have prophesied false dreams,” declares the LORD, “and related them and led My people astray by their falsehoods and reckless boasting; yet I did not send them or command them, nor do they furnish this people the slightest benefit,” declares the LORD.”

 

Those prophets are very amusing and good to listen to,

And they are unified, for they steal words from each other.

But they don’t benefit anyone.

 

We don’t help anyone by lacking conviction about the truth of God.

Titus 1:16 “They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.”

 

Paul told Titus they are “worthless”

 

They don’t help men at all.

 

They don’t glorify God either.

 

So many have assumed that in being non-confrontational,

And passive in things that are controversial

That somehow they are actually more like Jesus.

 

They assume that being dogmatic is un-Christ-like

And standing for your convictions is just stubbornness.

 

Well it might surprise you to know

That Christ holds things like conviction in high regard.

 

Revelation 3:14-16 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. ‘So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.”

 

The compromise of Laodicea made Him want to vomit.

Not just them, read the churches and notice Him agitated at “tolerance”

Compromise doesn’t help men, it confuses men.

Compromise doesn’t glorify God, it sickens Him.

 

When he looked at those who were double-minded

• He saw those who insult God,

• He saw those who cause men to stumble

• He saw those who didn’t benefit anyone.

 

Final reason he hates them:

#4 BECAUSE THEY END IN JUDGMENT

Psalms 119:120

 

I suppose at this point you could ask the Psalmist

Why he is so fired up about this issue.

 

Don’t you think you are a little over the top here?

Why are you so passionate about obeying everything?

 

The answer

“My flesh trembles for fear of You, and I am afraid of Your judgments.”

 

The reason it matters is because he has holy reverence for God.

 

1 Peter 1:17-19 “If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”

 

Think of parenting.

I want my children to love me and know that I love them.

But I also want them to have a healthy fear of me as well.

 

The Psalmist has that.

And he knows that the lives they lead,

The sin they allow,

The liberties they take

Only increase their chances for judgment.

 

Now think about what he has already told us about the double-minded.

• They insult God

• They make men stumble

• They benefit no one

 

So what will be the outcome of people who follow them?

They won’t trust God

They won’t obey truth

They won’t find blessing

 

The Psalmist knows there is nothing good

That comes from their way of life, only judgment.

 

And because he fears judgment he hates those who are “double-minded”

 

If they had their way everyone would disregard God’s truth

And everyone would be judged.

 

He hates that!

 

I think we can obviously see that being “double-minded” is not beneficial.

• God has called us to trust Him.

• God has called us to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

• God has called us to be people of conviction who stand for His truth.

 

And once you make those commitments like the Psalmist has,

You are heavily oppressed by those who do not.

 

And so tonight we receive encouragement not to be “double-minded” but to give ourselves fully to the Lord.

 

We also learn that the frustration of the faithful is not an uncommon thing.

 

And we also learn that in the midst of such oppression we are called to remain faithful seeking God to “sustain” us and to “uphold” us that we “may have regard for [His] statutes continually.”

 

So tonight let me encourage you there.

 

Don’t’ be “double-minded”.

If you are James said to purify your heart.

Get rid of the things that pull you in the wrong direction.

(Remove the weeds)

 

If you aren’t, then persevere.

Stand for truth and trust God to give you the strength to endure.

 

Psalms 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”