Thinking About Maintaining Purity
Psalms 119:9-16
September 26, 2021
Tonight we come again to this wonderful 119th Psalm
And the topic of the stanza sits right on top for the whole world to see.
“How can a young man keep his way pure?”
It is a question regarding purity
Or perhaps we might call it sanctification.
It is NOT a question of how a sinful man can be made pure.
• That is done through the process of justification and identification with Christ as the perfect righteousness of Christ is credited to your account.
This ISN’T LIKE the first 8 verses where we have a David floundering in sin and wishing he was one of the righteous who could enjoy fellowship with God.
No, this is a young man who has found purity, at least for a time.
This is a young man whose concern is remaining pure.
This is a young man whose desire is to never return to sin.
“How can a young man keep his way pure?”
Purity is such an important theme in Scripture.
Certainly we are familiar with the foundational Old Testament passage:
Leviticus 11:45 “‘For I am the LORD who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy.’”
Jesus certainly reiterated it in His Sermon on the Mount:
Matthew 5:48 “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Both of those statements should certainly suffice to drive us to Christ
Who alone is righteous and who alone can justify us in the sight of God.
However, we know that the command for holiness
DOES NOT STOP WHEN WE GET SAVED.
WE ARE NOT those like Paul referenced in Romans 6 who think it is ok now to fall back into sin since Christ has graciously saved us.
Jude pointed out that it was false believers who promoted such licentious living.
PURITY AND HOLINESS REMAINS THE DESIRE OF ALL BELIEVERS.
Peter spelled it out:
1 Peter 1:13-19 “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.” 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.”
Peter was clear that God PAID A HIGH PRICE for us
And that price came with the expectation of holiness.
Peter most certainly learned this from Jesus.
• We remember in the upper room before the disciples took the Last Supper as
Jesus began to wash their feet.
John 13:7-8 “Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.” Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”
Jesus made a very direct statement.
He’s not interested in fellowship with those who aren’t interested in purity
When Paul spoke of Christ’s relationship wo the church, he wrote:
Ephesians 5:25-27 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.”
PURITY IS CHRIST’S DESIRE FOR THE CHURCH.
The writer of Hebrews spoke of the importance of purity or sanctification:
Hebrews 12:14 “Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.”
And so certainly we understand
THE VALIDITY to the question of this stanza.
“How can a young man keep his way pure?”
IS A LEGITIMATE QUESTION.
WE ALSO RECOGNIZE in this question that the young man wants to know what HIS PART is in the whole process.
He DOESN’T ask, “God, how do you plan on keeping me pure?”
He asks what he might do to secure it.
And this we also know of sanctification;
Namely that it is a synergistic effort.
We work for it as God also works for it.
The point is clearly made in Philippians 2
Philippians 2:12-13 “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”
We are not into QUIETISM where we just sort of “Let go and let God”
(Regarding the governing authorities, sure – but not regarding our sanctification)
There is very much a Christian responsibility to our sanctification.
Romans 13:14 “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”
Ephesians 4:22-24 “that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”
There is a definite expectation from God
That as Christians we will labor and strive for purity.
And that is all bound up in the question of this stanza of Psalms 119.
“How can a young man keep his way pure?”
And the ANSWER and MAIN POINT of the stanza is this:
“By keeping it according to Your word.”
David sees the word of God as the necessary tool
To preserving the pure life of the believer.
Ten years ago when we last studied this stanza we laid out here 4 points
That we can once again hit quickly.
And if you want to see them in more detail then that sermon is still on our website.
This second time around we aren’t looking at the forest, we’ll look at one of the trees.
We talked about: HIS CONCERNS
Which are evident in verses 9-11
He was concerned with PURITY in verse 9
“How can a young man keep his way pure?”
He was concerned about APATHY in verse 10
“Do not let me wander from Your commandments”
He was concerned about INIQUITY in verse 11
“That I may not sin against You.”
These are certainly legitimate concerns
Of the man of God in a sin infested world.
• Staying pure amidst temptation.
• Not growing apathetic with our commitment.
• Not falling into sin.
Those are real issues, and with every single one of those issues
THE SOLUTION WAS THE SAME THING.
GOD’S WORD.
Purity is maintained: “By keeping it according to Your word.”
Apathy is avoided: By seeking God “with all my heart”
Iniquity is rejected: By treasuring or hiding God’s word “in my heart.”
There really is a 1 to 1 correlation here.
• When you see a believer slip into impurity…
• When you see a believer become apathetic about the things of God…
• When you see a believer commit sin against God in any way…
There is 1 COMMON DENOMINATOR behind all of those.
The believer at some level has neglected God’s word.
The word of God is that which guides the believer into purity.
The word of God is that which holds the believer in obedience.
The word of God is that which keep the believer from iniquity.
When you see a believer struggle in those areas
You can always trace it back to an apathetic approach to Scripture.
That was the young man’s CONCERN,
And the solution was Scripture.
We talked about HIS DESIRE in verse 12.
Namely that he wanted God to “Teach me Your statutes.”
If God’s word is the source of purity
Then by all means we approach God and ask to learn His word.
But the way he asks it is very interesting.
• He starts by saying, “Blessed are You, O LORD”
• And then he says, “Teach me Your statutes.”
It is him asking THE ULTIMATE EXPERT for guidance.
• It might be like asking Nolan Ryan to teach you how to throw a fastball
• Or Tiger Woods to teach you how to hit a driver
• Or Bob Vila how to make a dovetail drawer.
God is the ultimate in matters of purity and holiness.
There is no higher standard.
There is no better teacher.
His plan is THE plan. His blueprint is THE blueprint.
And so this young man who recognizes a need for purity
Shows a DESIRE to learn that purity from God’s directives.
From there we see HIS SATISFACTION
(13-14) “With my lips I have told of All the ordinances of Your mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, As much as in all riches.”
The point here is that God’s word has NEVER DISAPPOINTED him.
• He is not the least bit concerned in asking God for counsel.
• He is not the least bit concerned that it will be bad instruction.
Every time God has given an ordinance it has been so good that
The Psalmist couldn’t help but share it with others.
Every time God has given a command it has delighted the Psalmist
More than a great heap of treasures.
And all of this simply points to the fact that in his quest for purity
• The Psalmist has recognized that there is only one place to find it
• That place will not disappoint
• Because the author of this word is the holy God.
Where else are you going to go to learn about holiness better than God?
God’s word leads to purity.
God’s word leads to sanctification.
Can I remind you of some of these principles?
Galatians 16-17 “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.”
That is a great promise.
• Our flesh is sinful and weak and prone to stumbling under temptation.
If our flesh is all we have we will never defeat sin.
But to combat the flesh we have the Spirit who wars against the flesh.
And Paul says “walk by the Spirit,
And you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.”
Well how do you do that?
How do you “walk by the Spirit”?
Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
Hopefully you recognize that as the sister passage to Ephesians 5:18
Where Paul says to be “filled with the Spirit”.
The point is this.
• Only the Spirit can help you overcome the flesh.
• Only the Spirit can give you victory over the flesh.
• Only the Spirit can produce sanctification in your life.
• Only the Spirit can lead you to purity.
• And He does it exclusively through the word of God.
If you try to exclude the word of God from your life
You will never achieve the purity you seek.
Trying to find holiness without the Scripture
Is like trying to get wet without water.
IT WON’T HAPPEN.
The Psalmist here knows that he needs the Scripture to achieve the purity he seeks.
And the Scripture has never failed to satisfy him.
Well all of that then leads to HIS PLAN
(15-16) “I will meditate on Your precepts And regard Your ways. I shall delight in Your statutes; I shall not forget Your word.”
And I think tonight this is where I want to spend
Perhaps a little more time and take a little closer look.
(let’s look at this tree)
“I will meditate on Your precepts And regard Your ways.”
“meditate” translates: SIAH (see-akh)
It means “to talk” with the implication of talking to yourself.
It can even be translated “to complain” which indicates a conversation
In which you don’t understand everything so you are talking it out.
And this is the idea here.
This verse GIVES WEIGHT to everything he has already said.
The Psalmists desire to meditate on Scripture
Is the indicator that his commitment to Scripture
As a means to purity is legitimate.
On Wednesday nights with the youth…
We do a thing called “Popcorn Prayer”.
• That is we make everyone around the room participate in the prayer, but no one is allowed to pray more than one sentence.
• We started this because I wanted to break the notion in these kids at an early age that they could not participate in a corporate prayer meeting of the church.
I run across too many adults who are intimidated or unwilling to participate in a corporate prayer time and so we are sort of trying to push these youth past that fear at an early age.
On a weekly basis we hear prayers like this:
• “Let everyone come closer to You”
• “Help me to read Your word more”
• “Help me to share Your word with other people”
And there is nothing wrong with that, those are great requests.
In fact, those are some of the same requests
That the Psalmist made in the first 6 verses of this stanza.
And yet, I am well aware that
Though these students may in fact utter these requests
They may or may not mean it.
IT IS ONE THING to acknowledge that the Bible needs to read,
IT IS ANOTHER TO ACTUALLY READ IT.
WE COULD ALSO SAY:
IT IS ONE THING to read the Bible consistently,
IT IS ANOTHER THING TO BE COMMITTED TO UNDERSTANDING IT.
• Acknowledging that Bible can help you with purity is one thing…
• Knowing the Bible can keep you from straying from God is one thing…
• Seeing that the Bible can keep you from falling into sin is one thing…
But the OBJECTIVE IS NOT just to cause you
To have a proper understanding of how good the Bible is.
The objective is to READ it and to UNDERSTAND it.
We know that when the Psalmist says he wants purity
That he is not just making religious statements.
And we know this because not only does he recognize the value of Scripture but we see his commitment to understand Scripture.
He says, “I will meditate on Your precepts”
“I am going to read your word, and I am going to have an inner conversation; even an argument with myself about your word.”
I am not just going to read it, check the box, and then move on.
• I am going to chew on it…
• I am going to argue on it…
• I am going to debate it…
• I am going to squeeze it until I get more out of it…
This statement from the Psalmist tells us so much
About his heart regarding God’s word and finding purity through it.
NOW LET ME BRING HOME WHAT I MEAN.
Have you ever been on a Bible reading plan and you came across a verse that you didn’t understand?
• Maybe it was a statement or an entire verse or even an entire story that didn’t make sense to you.
And the question is: WHAT DO YOU DO?
Do you just shrug your shoulders and say, “Oh well” and go on,
Or do you stop and meditate until you understand?
This is one of the greatest blessings
Of being a preacher or a teacher of God’s word.
Because you come across a passage or even a book like an Ecclesiastes which may have many statements which you do not comprehend.
But what is hanging over your head is the fact that in a few days people are going to show up to hear you teach that verse and to say, “I don’t know what that means” and go on is not acceptable.
So out of obligation you will mediate, you will argue, you will talk it out, you will complain until you can get some sense of the passage because you are going to be tasked with explaining it.
NOW TEACHERS HAVE TO DO THIS ALL THE TIME.
But this young man DOESN’T SAY ANYTHING
About meditating on God’s word because he has to teach it in 3 days.
WHY IS HE MEDITATING ON GOD’S WORD?
• Because he believes God’s word holds the keys to the life of purity.
• He believes God’s word is a treasure that can keep him from sin.
• He believes God’s word is more valuable than all earthly riches.
And so when he reads a passage he doesn’t understand
He is not willing to just pass it over, no!
He wrestles until he gets what he seeks.
• What does that tell you about his desire for purity?
• What does that tell you about his belief that the Bible can supply it?
See, you know his desire for purity is genuine
Because of his commitment to understand what he reads.
IN ADDITION: What does it say about our love for God if we don’t care if we understand His word?
Let’s say you are young and are dating and you’ve got a sweet thing that just turns your world over.
Now, in my day, if you were apart you had two options.
You could talk on the phone or you could write a card or letter.
Now days they text, which only proves I’m getting too old, but that’s what they do.
Now, do you remember getting a card or letter or text from that person you were crazy about?
But in that letter or text they make a statement
That doesn’t make sense to you.
What do you?
Do you just skip over it and say, “Oh well, who knows?”
Or do you meditate upon it and try to figure it out.
Your dedication to understanding is testimony to your love for the author.
That is what we are getting from the Psalmist.
And I don’t mind telling you that
I think meditation upon God’s word
Is perhaps the most under used discipline in the church.
Christian book stores are filled with 3 minute daily devotions…
(some of them only quote a verse or part of a verse and fill the time with heart-warming stories or illustrations)
But the true discipline of Bible study and meditation upon a difficult passage is a rarity.
• By in large the church is too lazy.
• By in large the church is too complacent.
It takes work to make the obscure become clear.
I use the analogy of “hammering at the rock”
It’s like mining.
SO WHY DOES THE PSALMIST DO IT?
Look at what he says next:
“And regard Your ways.”
“Regard” translates
NABAT (na-vat)
“pay attention to; consider; show regard for”
It is because he sees value in what God knows.
LET’S SAY you bought a new electronic or something that has to be assembled but THE INSTRUCTIONS ARE UNCLEAR.
• Do you just throw the electronic in the corner or leave the
unassembled pieces in the box?
No, you read and reread and think and ponder and read it slower
And think on it until you understand.
Because what the author says has value
To what you are seeking to accomplish.
SO DO YOU REALLY WANT PURITY IN YOUR LIFE?
• Do you really want holiness?
• Do you really want sanctification?
Well that comes through God’s word.
And the fact is that some times it takes work to understand it.
So do the work.
Value God’s word enough to dig at it.
I HAVE GROWN TO LOVE THIS.
When I approach a text that I don’t understand I know that by the time I do I am going to know God so much better, and that is exciting.
And that is really sort of what I am pushing to you tonight.
• Do you meditate on God’s precepts or just let them go?
• Do you regard God’s ways enough that you are devoted to understanding them?
THE PSALMIST WAS.
He is committed to doing the work because he knows two things.
1) “I shall delight in Your statutes”
• He knows he is going to like what he finds.
• He knows it won’t disappoint.
2) “I shall not forget Your word.”
• He knows he will never forget what he learns.
This is the secret to retaining Bible knowledge,
It is to do the work yourself.
If you watch me swing the pick axe and pull a treasure from the rock you may enjoy it; you may even like it; and you may remember it.
But if you do the work of swinging that axe you will remember it forever.
AND SO THE PALMIST IS COMMITTED.
And the end result will be the purity he seeks.
Now, I want to leave you with a great passage on this.
I’ve likely shared it with you before, but it is so good.
TURN TO: PROVERBS 2:1-6
There are four elements here regarding meditation.
This is how you do it.
If you want to be one who does not take a casual approach to Scripture
But you want to be one who hammers at the rock until you understand it,
HERE IS HOW.
And notice first THE RESULT?
(5-6) “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.”
That is what we want.
• We want “the fear of the LORD”
• We want “the knowledge of God”
• We want “wisdom”
• We want “knowledge and understanding”
We might add to that list that WE WANT PURITY
Which comes from the knowledge of God’s word.
Well here is what meditation looks like so that you might obtain it.
(1) “My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you,”
We have a word for this, we call it: PRIORITY
First to take the time to “receive” and then to “treasure…within”
If God’s word has no value to you
Then there is no priority to read it.
But this I am sure of:
“If you never read God’s word then you will never benefit from it.”
• You have to receive what God has to say.
• There has to be a desire for it.
• It has to be treasured.
Now eventually this may come naturally.
• As you begin to treasure God’s word you won’t have to be made to receive it,
• But as natural men sometimes the commitment comes first.
Some times you have to exercise the discipline first.
You may honestly say in your heart, “I don’t treasure God’s word like I should and that is why I don’t read it more often.”
Well, make a commitment;
Make a PRIORITY and determine to read God’s word.
That is the first step.
(2) “Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding;”
Here we are talking about: PERSISTENCE
• We have read God’s word.
• We have made it a priority to hear what God has to say.
• Now we incline our heart to understand it.
We ARE NOT just reading it to say we read it.
We ARE reading it to hear what God has to say.
So again the commitment is to understanding.
I want to be able to understand what I read.
Some have found journaling to be helpful here.
That is to say they read something and then they force themselves to write down what they learned.
But it is because there is a desire for understanding.
Then comes the third aspect:
(3) “For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding;”
Now we are talking about: PETITION
• Since Scripture is God-breathed.
• Since Scripture is from the Spirit of God.
• Since a natural man cannot comprehend the things of God apart from the Spirit of God.
Then it makes sense that prayer must be a part of all Bible study.
There has never been a man born
And there will never be a man born
Who is smart enough to understand the Bible
Without the help of God’s Spirit.
And yet, while we pray a lot for blessing and healing and safety how much of your prayer time is devoted to understanding what God is saying?
If you are a preacher or a teacher this comes much easier.
But the point is this.
• People read the Bible,
• They don’t understand it,
• They might ponder it a minute and then walk away
• And say, “I don’t know what that was about.”
Well did you ask God?
• Did you “cry for discernment”?
• Did you “lift your voice for understanding”?
How do you expect to understand God’s word
If you don’t even ask God to help you understand it?
And then the final aspect:
(4) “If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures;”
We call this: PASSION
• Have you ever lost your wallet?
• Have you ever lost your car keys?
• Have you ever lost your cell phone?
Did you look for it?
What happened if you didn’t find it in the first 2 minutes of your search?
You kept looking…
What if you didn’t find it in your first 10 minutes?
You asked someone if they had seen it…
You kept looking…
It was an intense search.
What if you cashed your paycheck and then dropped the cash envelope between the seat and the console of your car, how intently would you work to get it out?
You know the question that is coming.
Do you work that hard to understand the Bible?
Here we see Priority, Persistence, Petition, and Passion.
Those 4 together is what we mean when we talk about
Meditating on God’s word or regarding God’s ways.
• How badly do you want to be made pure?
• How badly do you want holiness?
• God’s word is the tool to bring it about, are you willing to dig until you find it?
(5-6) “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.”
