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.”

 

Demonstrating Love For God’s Word

Psalms 119:105-112

November 13, 2011

 

Last week we covered a very passionate and enthusiastic stanza

Of this 119th Psalm as we heard the Psalmist

Declare his undying love for the word of God.

 

“Oh how I love Your law!”

 

He is a person who has achieved victory over affliction.

(That doesn’t mean the affliction is gone, but his perspective certainly changed)

 

And he gives credit for that victory to the word of God.

(93) “I will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have revived me.”

 

And so the Psalmist found victory over affliction and that led him

To that amazing doxology of praise we studied last week.

 

He declared his love for the law of God.

• It is God’s law that makes him wise.

• It is God’s law that gives him understanding.

• And he loves it exceedingly.

 

But we’ve all heard the statement.

“If you’re gonna talk the talk…”

 

Many a man has professed a love for God only to have it grow cold.

Many a man has professed a love for God’s word only to disregard it.

 

We’ve talked extensively recently on Sunday mornings about

The parable of the sower and the response of the “rocky-hearted” person.

 

Remember what Jesus said?

Matthew 13:20-21 “The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.”

 

And important distinction for us at this point is that

The parable doesn’t teach that the man received Jesus,

But that he received what? – “the word”.

 

That man also professed a love for God’s word.

But “when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.”

 

That parable teaches us that while the word may bring revival,

The word also promises to bring persecution.

 

Jesus said “affliction” and “persecution” arise “because of the word”.

Many at that moment fall away

And refuse to honor their previous commitment.

 

So, while we love to hear the doxology that our Psalmist gave,

If we are to be honest, we have heard that sort of thing before.

 

But it is not those who declare love for God’s Word that delight us,

It is those who demonstrate love for God’s Word that delight us.

 

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

 

• Owning a Bible is good.

• Reading a Bible is good.

• Quoting a Bible is good.

• Claiming to love the Bible is good.

But none of those compare to actually doing what it says.

 

God’s Word is not here to simply make us smarter.

God’s Word is here to guide our lives.

And so a declaration of love is good, a demonstration of love is better.

 

And that is precisely what we have here in our text tonight.

Our Psalmist is going to demonstrate his love for God’s Word.

 

And so after learning what it sounds like to love God’s Word last week, tonight let’s see what it looks like to love God’s Word.

 

Four points tonight

#1 HIS OATH DECLARED

Psalms 119:105-106

 

We all rejoiced last week as we listened to the Psalmist talk about

How God’s Word makes him wise.

 

(98) “Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies…”

(99) “I have more insight than all my teachers…”

(100) “I understand more than the aged…”

 

There was absolutely no denying that the Psalmist knew

God’s word made him wise.

 

But again, God’s Word is not just meant to make you smarter,

It is meant to guide your life.

 

If all we ever get is understanding,

But fail to ever apply that understanding,

Then we are in actuality fools.

 

And that is what makes the statement of the Psalmist here great.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”

The Psalmist is no longer talking about

Understanding or Insight or even Wisdom.

Now the Psalmist is talking about GUIDANCE.

 

He knows that with his feet he is walking a path.

He is headed somewhere.

 

And he doesn’t just want to understand the truth,

He wants to apply it and walk in the right direction.

 

Those who study geography may know how to read the maps,

But those who hike the country understand the purpose for them.

 

The Psalmist isn’t interested in declaring his love for God’s word

And leaving it at that.

 

He has a path to walk.

He needs direction for the journey.

 

And he finds that direction in God’s Word.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”

• I know where to walk…

• I know how to walk…

• I know what places to avoid…

 

He is not simply interested in knowledge, he wants guidance.

And because of that he makes a commitment.

 

(106) “I have sworn and I will confirm it, That I will keep Your righteous ordinances.”

 

He doesn’t just want to declare a love for God’s Word,

He wants to demonstrate a love for God’s Word.

 

He chooses to make a vow to God.

He chooses to strike a covenant.

 

This is like a man who chooses to take the next step and marry the girl.

 

This by the way is the same step taken at salvation.

When we are saved we enter covenant with Christ.

When we are saved we are united with Him.

We become His bride.

 

The Psalmist is NOT SAYING that he is now making that commitment.

He did that in the past.

“I have sworn”

 

He is saying that no matter what, he will honor that commitment.

“I will confirm it”

This is not so different from our commitment.

 

When we confess Christ as Lord (a thing required for salvation)

We cannot separate obedience out of that commitment.

 

Obedience and salvation are linked.

 

John 14:15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

 

1 John 2:3-6 “By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.”

 

Matthew 7:21-27 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell — and great was its fall.”

 

When we confessed Jesus we made the same commitment.

We said, “You are Lord, I will follow.”

 

But as we have said many times, anyone can say that.

Anyone can say, “Lord, Lord”.

 

What we are looking for is not the one who will declare love,

But the one who will demonstrate it.

 

(It is the whole faith and works issue)

 

Here the Psalmist is promising to make good on his commitment.

“I have sworn and I will confirm it, That I will keep Your righteous ordinances.”

 

IT IS NOT ABOUT MAKING THE OATH, IT IS ABOUT KEEPING IT.

 

His Oath Declared

#2 HIS FOCUS DISPLAYED

Psalms 119:107-108

 

Here we catch a glimpse of the great focus of our Psalmist.

 

Notice first of all that our Psalmist is still afflicted.

“I am exceedingly afflicted;”

 

Just in case we fail to remember what he is walking through,

He adds the word “exceedingly”.

 

His life is hard.

Sometimes we assume that when people profess a great love for God,

That they only do so because their life is all roses.

(That is what Satan said about Job)

 

That isn’t true.

Sometimes it is the most afflicted that declare love the loudest.

 

This Psalmist has conquered his affliction, but it is still there.

And he still needs help with it.

“Revive me, O Lord, according to Your word.”

 

Now don’t misread this as a complaint or even as despair.

That is not the point.

 

The point here is simply to remind you

That the Psalmist’s condition is still a hard one.

His life is not easy.

 

He reminds us of that, not as a complaint,

But to say, “I will love You anyway!”

 

(108) “O accept the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord, And teach me Your ordinances.”

 

What are “the freewill offerings of [his] mouth”?

 

It was that oath he swore back in verse 106 to keep God’s ordinances.

 

And so what we see here is that even while he is afflicted,

His focus is still on keeping the oath he made to God.

 

Is it hard? Yes

Does he want relief? Yes

 

But more than that he wants to be faithful

And he wants God to accept his commitment.

 

That is tremendous focus!

• He is not a prosperity follower.

• He isn’t following under false pretenses.

• There are no rocks in his soil.

 

This man’s commitment is real.

It reminds of Job’s statement.

Job 2:9-10 “Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!” But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.”

 

That is the mindset of our Psalmist.

He has declared a love to God’s Word.

He has promised a love to God’s Word.

He has promised to obey God’s Word.

 

And even though his affliction is real,

It is that commitment he focuses on most.

He wants to obey.

 

His Oath Declared; His Focus Displayed

#3 HIS COMMITMENT DEMONSTRATED

Psalms 119:109-110

 

Again, notice the struggles our Psalmist faces.

 

“My life is continually in my hand”

 

In other words, “My life is in danger and I am forced to make a decision that is a matter of life or death.”

 

Imagine if every day you lived you had to make a decision

That effected if you would live or if you would die.

 

He is constantly in that predicament.

Continually he has to take matters into his own hands

And determine if he will live or die.

 

And despite this serious predicament, “Yet, I do not forget Your Law.”

 

Regardless of the situation, I cling to Your Law.

I am not about to make a decision

That may save my life but break Your Law.

 

(110) “The wicked have laid a snare for me,”

 

And there we see why his life is always at risk.

There are traps everywhere.

 

“Yet, I have not gone astray from Your precepts.”

 

This is a tremendous demonstration of commitment to God’s Word.

 

He is NOT SAYING that by keeping Your word, I miss all the traps.

He is saying that keeping God’s Word causes him to walk into some traps, but he keeps God’s Word anyway.

 

Remember this man?

Daniel 6:4-7 “Then the commissioners and satraps began trying to find a ground of accusation against Daniel in regard to government affairs; but they could find no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption, inasmuch as he was faithful, and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him. Then these men said, “We will not find any ground of accusation against this Daniel unless we find it against him with regard to the law of his God.” Then these commissioners and satraps came by agreement to the king and spoke to him as follows: “King Darius, live forever! “All the commissioners of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the high officials and the governors have consulted together that the king should establish a statute and enforce an injunction that anyone who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, shall be cast into the lions’ den.”

 

We call that a trap.

If Daniel obeys it will lead him into a trap.

 

And what did Daniel do?

Daniel 6:10 “Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously.”

 

You can say you love God’s Word all day long.

But this is a demonstration of it.

 

And it is the same for our Psalmist.

He isn’t just claiming to love God’s word,

He is demonstrating a love for God’s Word.

 

He obeys, even when obedience will land him in trouble.

 

And we often have to make those same decisions.

1 Peter 4:12 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;”

 

James 1:12 “Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”

 

The point is, you can’t just claim to love God and His word

And never back it up.

 

“If you’re gonna talk the talk…”

 

The Psalmist is doing that here.

 

His Oath Declared; His Focus Displayed; His Commitment Demonstrated

#4 HIS HEART DELIGHTED

Psalms 119:111-112

And once again his love for God’s word comes out.

 

As I was studying this text and recognizing that

The Psalmist willingly made an oath to God.

 

I thought to myself.

WHY DID HE HAVE TO MAKE THE COVENANT?

WHY DID HE HAVE TO TAKE THE OATH?

 

I mean, why not just try to obey without actually entering

Some sort of covenantal agreement?

 

THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME

• Live together without the covenant of marriage

• Associate with the church without ever confessing Christ

 

WHY NOT JUST DO THAT?

(Instead of taking an oath and entering a formal agreement)

 

Here is why.

“I have inherited Your testimonies forever, For they are the joy of my heart.”

The reason you take the oath…

The reason you enter the covenant…

Is because that is the only way you get the inheritance.

 

God won’t give Himself to you apart from a commitment.

 

If you don’t commit yourself to Him,

You won’t get His Spirit,

You won’t get His Salvation,

You won’t get understanding of His Word.

 

The inheritance is only for those who commit to Him.

Ephesians 1:13-14 “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation — having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”

 

When Paul talks about believing there, the Greek word is PISTEUO

And it doesn’t mean to believe in an intellectual sense.

It means “to trust” or “to entrust”

 

As in commit your life to, or enter a covenant with.

 

And Paul said, only when you do that, do you get the Holy Spirit,

And He is the one who is guarantor of our inheritance.

 

 

And now we begin to understand why our Psalmist

Chose to commit to obey God’s Word.

Because only then would he receive the blessing of owning God’s word.

 

WHAT WAS HIS INHERITANCE?

“I have inherited Your testimonies forever,”

 

Because I committed to keep Your word, I received Your word.

And “they are the joy of my heart.”

 

He committed to obey and he keeps that commitment

Through hardship because he loves to have God’s word.

 

Remember those Jesus spoke the parables to?

Matthew 13:11-15 “Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. “For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. “Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. “In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE; FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES, OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.’”

 

They wouldn’t enter a covenant, so they did not get those blessed truths.

 

And that is why the Psalmist is committed.

He commits not matter the hardship because it is so worth it!

 

(112) “I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes Forever, even to the end.”

 

Earlier he said, (101) “I have restrained my feet from every evil way, That I may keep Your word.”

 

But here “I have inclined my heart”

We know the heart is deceitful,

We know the heart is shallow,

We know the heart is corrupt,

We know the heart is fickle.

 

And so we know that “following your heart”

Will only lead you to destruction.

 

The Psalmist doesn’t do that.

He forces his heart to follow God’s Word.

 

His commitment is not to his feelings, his commitment is to God’s Word.

And that commitment is “Forever, even to the end.”

 

In other words, “I would die to obey”.

 

That is putting your money where your mouth is.

 

We all rejoiced when he declared his love for God’s Word last week.

Those are truly inspirational passages.

 

But this week we are even more encouraged

When we see him demonstrate that love.

 

Affliction couldn’t deter him…

Near death experiences couldn’t deter him…

The snare of the wicked couldn’t deter him…

 

He made a covenant to obey, and he is keeping that promise.

 

(106) “I have sworn and I will confirm it, That I will keep Your righteous ordinances.”

 

And this is a good stanza to measure our life by.

 

We are probably all those who have “sworn” that we would obey.

But the real question is are we confirming it?

 

John 8:31-32 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

 

“I’m glad you believe, but it is your obedience that matters.”

The Psalmist knew that, we must as well.

 

So let me encourage you.

• Declare your love for God’s Word.

It is perfect, and the world needs to know we love it.

 

• But don’t stop with a declaration.

Demonstrate your love for God’s Word with your continued obedience.

 

And don’t let affliction or danger or persecution

Throw you out of your commitment.

 

For it is only the committed who receive the glorious inheritance.

 

So stand with the Psalmist.

“I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes Forever, even to the end.”

 

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

 

Loving God’s Word

Psalms 119:97-104

November 6, 2011

 

I have to say that tonight we look at my favorite stanza of this 119th Psalm.

We certainly find value in every line, but this one just jumps to me.

 

For here we find our Psalmist simply giving an account

Of his great love for the word of God.

 

If indeed these stanzas build upon one another,

It seems that the victory he experienced last week

Has spilled over into doxology this week.

 

You may remember that our Psalmist

Has been dealing quite a while now with affliction.

 

And we have seen him with almost every conceivable emotion.

He has questioned it…

He has fought it…

He has embraced it…

He has appreciated it…

He has asked for it to leave…

He has even reached despair over it…

 

But last week we finally saw him conquer it.

(92-93) “If Your law had not been my delight, Then I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget Your precepts, For by them You have revived me.”

 

That certainly was a rejuvenated man.

That certainly was a victorious man.

 

Now, as we noted, his affliction wasn’t gone.

(95) “The wicked wait for me to destroy me; I shall diligently consider Your testimonies.”

 

His affliction wasn’t gone, but he had found victory in the middle of it.

 

And he gave sole credit for that victory to the word of God.

It was God’s law that kept him from perishing.

It was God’s precepts that revived him.

 

And it is apparent that he is not yet finished

Testifying to his high esteem of God’s word.

 

For tonight we have a stanza purely devoted to his love for God’s Word.

 

And certainly loving the word of God is essential in our lives.

 

You may remember when we talked about the Anti-Christ

While studying 2 Thessalonians.

Listen to what Paul said about people who don’t love the truth.

2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 “Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.”

 

There, love of God’s word is equated with salvation.

 

Jesus indicated the same:

John 8:31-32 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

 

And you may remember that love for God’s word

Was one of the chief distinctions of the early church.

 

Acts 2:41-42 “So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

 

It is easy to say that a chief characteristic of the children of God

Is that they love the word of God.

 

And in reality, this is obvious.

How can you claim to love God if you don’t care to listen to Him speak?

 

And so love of God’s Word is basic.

And that is precisely what our Psalmist is.

He has a tremendous love for God’s word.

 

In fact he begins by saying, “O how I love Your law!”

 

And that phrase is very insightful.

 

He doesn’t just say, “I love Your law”, but “O how I love Your law!”

 

It is almost as if “love” isn’t a strong enough word for him.

He loves it immensely.

He loves it exceedingly.

His love for it is immeasurable.

 

He can’t seem to put a limit on it,

Nor can he seem to be able to express it fully.

I just love it soooo much!

 

And that is a refreshing statement to us.

We live in a day where God’s word may or may not be loved.

But we certainly live in a day where if you talk about God’s “law”,

It most certainly is not.

 

Even in the church, people have grown

To attach a negative connotation to the “law” of God.

 

It sounds condemning.

It sounds judgmental.

And today everyone wants to put the emphasis on grace and blessing.

 

So talk about precepts all you want.

Talk about Scriptures if you must.

But if you talk about “law” that is most certainly negative.

 

BUT THAT IS REGRETTABLE.

Romans 7:7 “What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “YOU SHALL NOT COVET.”

 

Romans 7:12 “So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.”

 

God’s law is God’s word. It is good.

It is perfect.

It should be loved.

 

And that is precisely what we hear from our Psalmist.

And so tonight, let’s see what it looks like to love God’s Word.

 

The Psalmist will show you what it means to love the word of God.

#1 THE EXPRESSION OF HIS LOVE

Psalms 119:97

 

We already saw that the Psalmist loves the word of God,

But here he even shows us what it means to love God’s word.

 

HOW DO YOU EXPRESS LOVE FOR GOD’S WORD?

“It is my meditation all the day.”

 

This is actually one of my favorite words in regard to the word of God.

 

You can’t just read God’s word

And you can’t just listen to God’s Word being read.

If you want the full effect, you have to meditate on it.

 

Proverbs 2:1-6 “My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you, Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding; If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will discern the fear of the LORD And discover the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.”

I tend to believe that Proverbs 2:1-6 is the pinnacle passage

On how to study the Bible.

 

Notice all the words he uses in regard to the way we treat God’s word.

“RECEIVE my words”

“TREASURE my commandments”

“MAKE your ear attentive”

“INCLINE your heart”

“CRY for discernment”

“LIFT your voice for understanding”

“SEEK her as silver”

“SEARCH for her as for hidden treasures”

 

The writer of Proverbs is clear about

How the search for wisdom should be conducted.

 

He treats it as though it is a fine jewel.

I’ve always pictured it as a fine jewel buried beneath the earth.

 

If a miner is going to find it he will have devote himself to the process.

Not all nuggets just sit right out on the surface.

To find some, you have to dig for them.

 

It takes work, it takes diligence, but the reward is certainly worth it.

 

Well, reading the Bible requires the same kind of diligence.

In this book, not all the jewels just sit right out on the surface.

Some are buried deep within.

 

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!”

 

And to begin to learn the things He would reveal

Requires extreme diligence.

 

You are all aware of the fact that the Scriptures are appraised.

1 Corinthians 2:11 “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.”

 

And yet God gives us His Spirit that we can understand these things.

But we must work at it.

 

Paul told Timothy:

2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”

 

And so we know Bible understanding requires work and diligence,

Just like a miner extracting a precious jewel.

 

BUT HOW DO WE MINE?

The answer is meditation.

We read, read, and re-read.

We contemplate.

We listen

 

It is Read, Contemplate, Think, Pray, Question and Apply…

You roll it all up into one and we call it meditation.

 

There is so much depth to the word of God

And meditation is the key to begin to unearth some of that depth.

 

Psalms 27:4 “One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD And to meditate in His temple.”

 

Furthermore, meditation is an expression of love.

 

Remember when you met the love of your life?

• Some facts were on the surface (name, looks, etc.)

• Some facts required a little more digging.

• Some you are still trying to dig out.

 

BUT YOU DO IT BECAUSE YOU LOVE THEM

 

 

So it is with God’s word.

The Psalmist loves God’s word and he expresses that love by meditation.

He loves to fill his mind with what God has said.

 

The Expression of His Love

#2 THE EXPLANATION OF HIS LOVE

Psalms 119:98-100

 

We already know that the Psalmist has a great love for God’s Word,

A love so deep that he meditates upon it continually.

 

A GOOD QUESTION AT THIS POINT WOULD BE WHY?

 

You could say, “I love my wife”.

Someone could say, “Why?”

 

And you would have to give explanation as to why she is worth loving.

 

Well that Psalmist tells you here why he loves God’s Word.

 

And the simple answer is because it makes him wise.

And wisdom is of great value!

 

Proverbs 3:13-18 “How blessed is the man who finds wisdom And the man who gains understanding. For her profit is better than the profit of silver And her gain better than fine gold. She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her. Long life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways And all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who hold her fast.”

 

Wisdom is vitally important in this life.

We desperately need it, and we greatly desire it.

And the Psalmist loves God’s word because that is where he finds it.

 

In fact he gives examples of what he means.

1) God’s Word makes me Craftier than the Enemy (98)

 

When we talk about being crafty or cunning,

The Scripture paints this to be the chief characteristic of the enemy.

 

He is slick, he is smooth, he is cunning, he is stealthy

Genesis 3:1 “Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”

 

Ephesians 6:11 “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”

 

The enemy is crafty.

And yet “Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies.”

 

It is of tremendous value to be a step ahead of the enemy.

It is extremely important to know ahead of time his plan of attack.

 

When I know God’s Word, I am a step ahead of the game.

I am wise, and I am ready for the enemy.

 

“For they are ever mine.”

In other words, I am wiser than the enemy because I own God’s word.

I have not only received it, but there is a level of ownership to it.

 

MAYBE YOU HAVE A VERSE LIKE THAT,

THAT YOU HAVE PROVEN AND NOW CALL IT “YOURS”.

 

That is what the Psalmist said.

He has believed God’s Word and it makes him craftier than the enemy.

 

2) God’s Word makes me more Knowledgeable than the Scholars (99)

 

The chief example of craftiness is the enemy.

The chief example of knowledge is the scholar.

 

• They have devoted their lives to studying and learning and lecturing.

• They have degrees and awards and accomplishments.

• They have solved problems and answered riddles.

• They are revered as knowledgeable.

And yet the Psalmist says, “I have more insight than all my teachers”

 

I may not have a great education, like they do,

But I am not ignorant nor am I slow to understand.

 

There is a wisdom in me that is not of man.

There is an education in me that is beyond worldly.

 

Remember Paul?

Galatians 1:11-12 “For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.”

 

Remember the Apostles?

Acts 4:13 “Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.”

 

Even Jesus

John 7:15-16 “The Jews then were astonished, saying, “How has this man become learned, having never been educated?” So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me.”

 

I am not knocking education,

But it does not equate with the wisdom found in God’s Word.

 

1 Corinthians 3:18-20 “Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, “He is THE ONE WHO CATCHES THE WISE IN THEIR CRAFTINESS”; and again, “THE LORD KNOWS THE REASONINGS of the wise, THAT THEY ARE USELESS.”

 

And the Psalmist understood that.

 

I can’t go and debate physics with a professor at Texas Tech,

But that does not mean I am not wise.

 

Man’s education may explain how laws of the universe affect us,

But man’s education has never answered who wrote those laws.

 

The best answers man has are an explosion and a monkey.

 

The Psalmist says God’s word gives him knowledge.

 

“I have more insight than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation.”

I get it because I meditate on it.

I don’t just sit on the surface.

 

And so meditation is not only an expression of love,

But is also a means of knowledge.

3) God’s Word makes me more Experienced than the Aged (100)

 

The Enemy is the pinnacle example of Craftiness.

The Scholars are the pinnacle example of Knowledge.

 

But if you want to see the pinnacle example of experience,

You go to the aged.

 

And there is tremendous value in talking with them.

Proverbs 20:29 “The glory of young men is their strength, And the honor of old men is their gray hair.”

 

Leviticus 19:32 ‘You shall rise up before the grayheaded and honor the aged, and you shall revere your God; I am the LORD.”

 

Job 12:12 “Wisdom is with aged men, With long life is understanding.”

 

Certainly there is a wealth of knowledge and experience there.

 

But notice what the Psalmist says: “I understand more than the aged,”

 

That is quite a statement.

• I am more crafty than the enemy.

• I am more knowledgeable than the scholar.

• I am more experienced than the aged.

 

HOW?

“Because I have observed Your precepts.”

 

A person used to say to me all the time, “Wisdom comes with age.”

I would respond, “It comes with fear of the Lord”.

 

Psalms 111:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever.”

 

The Psalmist knew that “fear of the LORD” (obedience)

Is what produces wisdom.

 

Certainly there is a manner of wisdom that comes from age,

Namely that which we know as experience.

 

But there is a wisdom even greater than that

Which only comes from God, through obedience to His word.

 

TURN TO: JOB 28

 

God has a wisdom that even experience cannot give you.

It is the wisdom of obedience.

 

And so now we see why he loves God’s Word so much.

It makes him wise.

His Expression of Love, His Explanation of Love

#3 THE ENDURANCE OF HIS LOVE

Psalms 119:101-102

 

I love the way he states this first phrase.

“I have restrained my feet from every evil way,”

 

WHY?

“That I may keep Your word.”

 

Notice also that he used the word “restrained”

 

That is to say that if given free reign

His feet would have naturally gravitated down the ways of evil.

 

The natural inclination of the human heart

Is to rush into sin and gravitate toward evil.

 

That is why Paul said:

1 Corinthians 9:27 “but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”

 

That is why the writer of Hebrews said:

Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,”

 

And the Psalmist sees the need as well.

He has to restrain his feet, he has to overcome temptation

If he wants to be obedient.

 

And yet that is a struggle worth enduring because he loves to obey.

 

Furthermore we see an endurance in this struggle.

(102) “I have not turned aside from Your ordinances”

 

Regardless of the struggle…

Regardless of the temptation…

He has committed not to disregard God’s Word.

 

WHY?

“For You Yourself have taught me.”

 

AND THERE IS THE KEY TO IT ALL

He loves it because it is God’s Word

He endures because God said it

 

“You Yourself have taught me.”

 

John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”

 

This is what makes God’s word worth the effort.

IT IS GOD’S WORD

 

• We don’t follow this book because it is fun – we are not pleasure seekers

• We don’t follow this book because others do – we are not men pleasers

• We don’t follow this book because it is history – we are not historians

• We don’t follow this book because it works – we are not pragmatists

• We don’t follow this book because it is easy – it is not

 

WE FOLLOW THIS BOOK BECAUSE IT IS WHAT GOD SAID!

 

The God who created the world…

The God who will judge the world…

THAT God said these things, and that makes them more valuable to us

Than any other written word known to man.

 

And for that reason we not only love it, but we meditate on it,

We obey it, and we keep obeying it no matter what.

 

That was the attitude of our Psalmist.

His love of God’s word had endurance.

 

And it must, for “love bears all things”

 

We know he loved God’s word because he refused to leave it.

 

The Expression of His Love, The Explanation of His Love, The Endurance of His Love

#4 THE ENJOYMENT OF HIS LOVE

Psalms 119:102-104

 

Don’t you love the imagery?

“How sweet are Your words to my taste!”

 

See, he does love God’s word.

And his love is a commitment.

But it is not as though God’s word is hard to love.

 

It is not like those who commit to love God’s word have a difficult task.

God’s Word is easy to love.

It is sweet to the taste.

 

“Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”

 

Proverbs 24:13-14 “My son, eat honey, for it is good, Yes, the honey from the comb is sweet to your taste; Know that wisdom is thus for your soul; If you find it, then there will be a future, And your hope will not be cut off.”

 

That is good advice.

Here the Psalmist would say, God’s word is good, so read it.

 

1 John 5:3 “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.”

 

Jesus said, “My yoke is easy, and My burden is light”

 

Point being, it is not hard to love God’s word, just read it.

If you will meditate upon it, you will understand.

 

Someone could say, “I don’t know if I would like so & so”.

Well, get to know them and see. You do and find that they are great to get to know.

 

That is even more true with God’s word.

It is a blessing.

It is sweet to the taste.

 

The Psalmist loves loving God’s word.

 

(104) “From Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way.”

 

The point there is he loves the right way (God’s Word) so much

That he actually hates everything that opposes it.

 

It is a hate that is born out of his love.

 

• If you love life, you hate murder.

• If you love marriage, you hate divorce.

• If you love people, you hate gossip.

• If you love God, you hate idols.

• If you love truth, you hate error.

 

And that is what the Psalmist said.

I love God’s Word so much, it is impossible for me to love what is false.

 

He is in love with the truth of God’s Word.

 

And the point is that loving God’s word is not a burden to him.

It is not a difficult choice.

He tried it and he loves it.

 

• He loves it because it makes him wise.

• He shows that love through meditation and endurance.

• And if he were given the option to get out of the commitment, he would not do it.

 

HE LOVES IT

 

Let me encourage you to love God’s Word in the same way.

 

If you don’t know, but you would like to, the path is easy.

 

Do what the Psalmist did.

(97) He meditated on it

(98) He made it his

(99) He meditated some more

(100) He obeyed it

 

And that is what allowed him to say it tastes sweet.

 

Listen if you are truly a believer,

You already have an in born hunger for God’s Word,

It just may be you need to try it.

 

(it is like being hungry and not knowing it)

 

Trust me, it will satisfy you and make you love it too.

(I used to not want to read the gospels – until I did)

 

The same with God’s word.

Get into this book and see why the Psalmist loved it so much.

 

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