Ayin

Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. It is once again a great privilege to share the Word of God with this body of believers.

This morning has already been a wonderful morning. We got to experience and celebrate the baptism of young believers. That is in essence a public proclamation that Jesus is Lord and He has saved and sealed them.

While today is a celebratory day, we do also approach it reverently. I want to thank both of the children for resisting the urge to cannonball into the baptistry even though I’ve heard murmurs of some of you all encouraging them to jump in.

But today is a day both of celebration and reverence. The two concepts are not in contest with one another, but rather from the perspective of serving the Lord, they go hand in hand. We’re primarily going to look at Psalm 119 this morning, but before we do I want to draw our attention to another Psalm that will help frame everything this morning.

Psalm 100 ESV

A Psalm for giving thanks. Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

This psalm gives us an excellent paradigm through which to view all of life! Be happy! Celebrate! Be Glad! Serve the Lord! Come into His presence! Sing to Him! Know that He is God! Give Him thanks! Bless His name! All of these verbs listed throughout the Psalm are imperatives to celebrate God.

The rest of the Psalm shows us why we celebrate God. It is God who made us! He is the Sovereign creator. If you know Christ as Lord you are His! We are His people! He is our Shepherd. He is so so good. These truths, while inspiring joy and celebration simultaneously produce reverence in the one who understands them. Think about the shear magnitude of the statement: His steadfast love endures FOREVER. When we realize that that is not a platitude but a description of the never ending, covenantal faithfulness God has towards His people, we are left in state of reverential awe. As you begin to process and in your own limited way, comprehend the greatness of God, it will leave you utterly dumbstruck. Full of celebration and full of reverence.

So this morning as we celebrate baptisms we do so reverentially. With thanksgiving in our hearts we praise God for His grace to make Himself known to two of the children in this church. With reverential obedience we follow the commands of the Lord to baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We clap with joy and have tears in our eyes as we see the truth of Scripture played out in a visceral way, twice more God’s grace has shined around us and those dead in Sin have been made alive in Him! If the grace of God does not both leave you full of joy and in awe of His goodness, I don’t know what else to tell you.

God is good. We celebrate and revere His goodness, today specifically through His work in the life of two of our children, professed through the waters of baptism.

Baptism publically identifies the person with God. There is nothing in the act of baptism that is salvific in and of itself. Despite what you may have heard in a country song, there isn’t “something in the water.” Rather, it is the act of obedience that comes from receiving saving faith in the Lord Jesus, reconciling the unholy creature to the Holy God. Today, as we enter our text from Psalm 119, we are seeing the declarations and pleas made by the one whom’s heart has been made new and their life has been reoriented towards the Holy God.

It is my hope this morning that as we walk through the expressions of the Psalmists hearts that there would be three outcomes:

For the young and the new Christians, like the two baptized today, that you would be given a framework for living your life for the glory of God. That you would see how good it is to desire to serve the Lord. That you would see the reliability of His Word and cultivate a love thereof by the guidance of His Spirit.

For the seasoned Christians, seeing the joy and vigor there is in the life of young believers can be used by God to reignite your own passions for service to the Kingdom. May God use His Word to remind you of His faithfulness whilst renewing your celebration and reverence.

For the unconvinced, I do not expect in a group of this size that everyone to share an understanding of who God is and what He has done. It is my hope that through the exposition of God’s Word this morning, your heart would be opened to see the worthiness of God to be served. That you would be able to wholeheartedly join in celebrating and revering our God. That you would see Christ as the Good Shepherd, hear His voice, and follow Him.

Those are lofty goals and I have no confidence in myself to accomplish them. But it is my prayer that GOD would accomplish these through His Word. Whenever His Word goes out it does not return unto Him void, but it accomplishes everything He has set it do.

Pray with me.

Pray.

If you haven’t already turn with me to Psalm 119. This morning we will be starting in verse 121. This is the 16th stanza of the Bible’s longest chapter, in which all 176 verses proclaim the goodness of God’s Word. The 8 verses we are looking at this moment could be called the Plea’s of the Servant’s Heart. Let’s begin in verse 121.

Psalm 119:121–122 ESV

I have done what is just and right; do not leave me to my oppressors. Give your servant a pledge of good; let not the insolent oppress me.

Let’s look at this passage through the lenses of the three outcomes I mentioned in the onset of this message:

For the young and new Christian, what you see here is a righteous desire to honor the Lord. There are clearly two categories of people represented, one to follow and one to reject. The psalmist represents the one whom young and new Christians should follow. He is described as one who does what is just and right, he is a servant of the Lord. The ones to avoid are oppressors and insolent. As you go about your life, what is it that you want to be known for? Will you be known for doing the right thing or the insolent, that is foolish thing? Further, How is it that Psalmist knew what the just and right things were to do in life? As we have seen throughout this walk through Psalm 119, God’s Word is good an instructive. Because the Psalmist had been dedicated to studying God’s Word, learning it, living it, and loving it, he was directed by God to make the right decisions. Young Christian, if you want to do what is just and right, begin with a commitment to the Word of God. It is through His Word that God produces faith. It is through His Word that God teaches, corrects, and guides us. It is His Word that will endure forever. It is His Word that is always upright and dependable. Young Christian, if you see the worthiness of Christ to be served, that begins with a commitment to the Word of God. If you are to be not conformed to the insolent ways of the world but transformed by the renewing of your mind, that occurs through a disciplined dedication to taking in God’s Word. Young Christian, it is good to desire to one day be able to say as the Psalmist says here, “I have done what is just and right.” And that occurs through honing a dedication to the Word.

The primary application of these verse goes towards the second group I mentioned in the introduction. That is the seasoned Christian. The Psalmist here is reflecting back on a good portion of life spent living in service to the Lord. This shouldn’t be read in a haughty, self-righteous tone. The Psalmist is not smugly declaring his own righteousness before God, but rather praising God for how God has allowed him to be used thus far in life. “I have done what is just and right” NOT because I am so special, but because of You, God, working through Your Word in my life. If you are with us this morning as what one could call a seasoned Christian, someone who has been in the faith for some time, can you share in the sentiment that the Psalmist is expressing? Can you look back on your life and thank God for how He worked in you and through you by a dedication to His Word? There is a clear difference in the life of the psalmist and that of his oppressors. Can you say the same? Has God impacted your life and set you apart from those around you? I can’t answer those questions for you. But I can tell you this, we have all fallen short of the glory of God, even seasoned Christians. As we battle with the flesh in this life of sanctification, we continue to need to rely on the Lord. If your life has not been marked by a dedication to God’s Word, it is not too late. If you got breath He ain’t done with you yet. Even in the confident Psalmist’s words here we see his continual reliance on the Lord. He says, please God don’t leave me to my oppressors. Give me that pledge of good. In those verses the psalmist is expressing his need for God to stand up for him. Seasoned Christian, we are in continual need of the Lord for everything in this life. Do not think that you have graduate past reliance on God. Instead, praise God from whom all blessings flow. Bring Him your thanksgivings and petitions, cheerfully and reverentially serve Him!

The third lens through which to see these verses is that of the unconvinced. For you, I want to highlight something in Biblical theology called typology. Now this is a fancy word that is simple to understand, yet incredibly profound when your wrap your mind around it. All throughout Scripture we see “types” of things pointing to something greater. Adam was the first man through whom all of humanity would be born. He failed and sinned in the Garden and thus all people born of Adam are cursed with death. Jesus Christ is the better Adam in that He never sinned, everyone born of Christ will have eternal life. We could do this all throughout the Old Testament Stories. Moses was the mediator of the Old Covenant. Christ is the Mediator of the New Covenant. We could go on about this for a long time, in fact it make s a great study if you’re looking for something to do! But one of the types of Christ we see in the Old Testament is that of King David. King David was not perfect, but he was a man after God’s owns heart. He is also the most likely author of this psalm that we are reading today. So the really interesting thing to note for the skeptic this morning is that while David here declares, “I have done what is just and right” in a general, imperfect way, Christ, the Son of David, the Son of God, the King of kings, can say this in a specific and perfect tense. Why does this matter? Because we can all agree that none of us have ever perfectly done everything in a just and right manner. And if we can agree to that, than we should be able to see that such actions disqualify us from the presence of a Holy God that is completely righteous and just. So the great news in the King of kings perfectly saying “I have done what is just and right” is that He also went to the cross so that everyone who believes in Him would receive eternal life. He who knew no sin, became sin, and died on a cursed tree, so that those who believe in Him would be born again, and in Him become the righteousness of God. Christ the King gives His people His righteousness! That is good news!

Let’s keep pressing forward. Let’s turn to the next 3 verses

Psalm 119:123–125 ESV

My eyes long for your salvation and for the fulfillment of your righteous promise. Deal with your servant according to your steadfast love, and teach me your statutes. I am your servant; give me understanding, that I may know your testimonies!

Let’s once again look at this text from the three perspectives:

For the young Christian, as we talk about this being a day of celebration and reverence, I want you to know that you are the recipient of some grandiose promises from a source that never takes back on a promise. Jesus has promised you eternal life. He has peace because He has overcome the World. He has promised His grace is sufficient through any trial. He has promised the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide you. He has promised that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. While we long for the fulfillment of all these promises, and it is good to do so, we can take it to the bank that the promises of God will be fulfilled. As you look forward to the promises God gives to us all throughout His Word, understand that His promises, while for our good, are ultimately for His glory. The promises of God are not intended for us to turn inward and obsess over everything WE get. Rather, they are the icing on the cake of being in a right relationship with the Lord. They are graces of God that gladden our hearts as we continue to serve. Notice the psalmists attention in verse 25. Yes, he desires to be the beneficiary of God’s promises, but even in the meanwhile, he says, I am your servant, give me understanding, why? So that I can just know you better because you are a treasure to know! Young Christian, I implore you once more, serve the Lord and know Him! There is no better way!

For the seasoned Christian, there is a depth to the word “long” used in verse 123 that I don’t want you to miss. The psalmist isn’t just saying that he desires to see the promises fulfilled. That is true. But the full impression we get from the word “long” there is that the Psalmists eyes are failing due to how long he has continued to look to the Lord. Its like when you’ve been working on a project late into the evening, either on paper or on a screen, and at the end of the night, you’re about cross-eyed. The implication in the context of this verse for the seasoned Christian is two-fold. First, Dear Christian, have you kept your gaze fixed upon the Savior and His promises? Your eyes don’t grow wearing from staring if you are looking around. Let this morning be your reminder to Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus, look clear in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. The second implication here for the season Christian, is that even when our gaze is singly focussed on our Savior, in our flesh the eyes grow weary. They get bloodshot. They tear up. Know that your gaze is not in vain. Seek the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. It is the better way. When you’re battered and bruised, serve with joy and reverence. He is worthy.

For the unconvinced, I also want to draw your attention to the phrase, “My eyes long for your salvation.” Something I know for certain about the human condition is this: Whether you admit it or not, you are looking for salvation. You are looking for something, whether it be an external source or radiating from within, that provides you with the validation for existence you crave. And this isn’t just some pastor trying to manufacture some idea. This is a truth that transcends time and culture. From the Vikings fighting for entrance to Valhalla, to the conquests of the Roman Empire, Manifest Destiny, even the modern desire for likes and shares on Social Media, humans are seeking validation for existence either from the glory of their personal conquests, or the approval of others. In the words of the “Philosopher” Eurythmics, “I travel the world and the seven seas, Everybody is looking for something.” If you don’t believe me and eurythmics read any autobiography. Everybody is looking for something. Our eyes are longing for salvation. But where I will part ways with most of the autobiographies and musical groups from the 80’s is what exactly everybody is looking for. No external source on earth is ever enough to satisfy this craving we have. Nothing within ourselves is ever able to strengthen enough to solve it. We are craving something woven into our very being that has no satisfaction we can find on our own. We are craving reconciliation with the Holy God in whom’s image we were made. Eternity has been written on our hearts. We implicitly know that we are designed for something more, something better. We are designed to be in right relationship with God! And the horrible news is that there is nothing on earth, nor within us that can bring us to Him! And if this were the end of the story, it would be a dismal story indeed. But the Great News, the Best News, is that everyone who believes in Christ as Lord, finds the salvation they Seek. When we see the Christ did what we could not do, paid what we could not pay, and see His worthiness to be served as our loving Savior, our eyes become fixed on the Savior who undoubtedly provides our salvation. Everybody is searching for something, but not just something, they’re searching for Christ, whether they acknowledge it or not.

Let’s look now at the final section of verses:

Psalm 119:126–128 ESV

It is time for the Lord to act, for your law has been broken. Therefore I love your commandments above gold, above fine gold. Therefore I consider all your precepts to be right; I hate every false way.

Once again, lets look at this text through the three lenses.

Young Christian. With a world of opportunities, challenges, and pressures ahead of you, know that there is no finer treasure than the things of the Lord. It is such a grace that God would instruct us through His Word. May we not take it for granted! I have been in your shoes before. I made a profession of faith and was baptized right about the same age as Miss Catarina. When I look back on my life even thus far, I never have regrets around the times when I saw God’s commands as the treasure they are. This morning our two newly baptized believers will be given new Bibles filled with study notes. I implore you and all young believers, dig into the Word. See the treasure that abounds for us. There are going to be many things vying for your attention and telling you they are the next best thing. You will be confronted with a million different philosophies. But remember and cherish that Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but by Me.” Jesus is the Way and the Word. He is made known all through out this book. The only book in all of existence that can carry an unqualified endorsement. Test not the Bible by the wisdom of men, but the wisdom of men by the Bible.

For the seasoned Christian, as our psalmist has known the Lord for some time as well, it is interesting to note this last verse. “I consider all your precepts to be right; I hate every false way.” Despite whatever challenges and changes have taken place around the psalmist’s life, his resolve is in the goodness of God’s Word. In our own changing culture, we would all do well to remember the same instruction I just shared with the Young believers. Test not the Bible by the wisdom of men, but the wisdom of men by the Bible. Culture changes. Different ideologies will come in and out of fashion. There will be new pet peeves broadcast on your nightly news. But the Word of God never changes. As we walk through this life, please realize that no matter what changes in our culture, the absolute standard of righteousness never changes. God is the same today as yesterday and will be the same tomorrow. Following the Lord and honoring His standards of righteousness will is the same today as it was yesterday and will be tomorrow. When the winds of culture change, Hold steady to Christ your rock and your redeemer! Join in with our psalmist proclaiming the precepts of the Lord to be right. May we detest, hate every false way. A major problem that I see in the church, and if I’m being honest this morning, even in my own life, is that Christians, is that I, don’t have a strong enough disdain for wickedness in this world. We’ve become apathetic to unrighteousness. This occurs when we allow our lives to be more influences by the World than His Word! I’m calling us this morning to renew our love for God’s Word. I can tell you all day how good it is, but it is wholly different thing to get in there and discover it yourself! God works through His Word. May we reject every false way.

Finally, for the unconvinced this morning. This is a hard truth, but a truth that must be made known. In verse 126, the psalmist calls for the Lord to act in justice. That is, to bring the deserved punishment against a transgressor. You may not believe me, but I can tell you from the evidence of creation, the validity of the Scripture, the historical evidence of Jesus, the formation of the early church despite the disciples having every reason to disband, and now the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit., through all al that I can tell you that the message of this book, this Bible, God’s Word, is real. The psalmist in verse 126 expresses a desire for God’s action against unrighteousness. I can tell you beyond a shadow of doubt that God will act. The unholy will not be able to stand before the Holy God. God in His perfection will execute perfect justice. Which is what makes what Christ did on the cross so amazing. If you would, check this out with me.

3 circles starting with Holiness.