With All My Heart
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A devastating fire ravaged the building housing Freedom Ministries Church in West Virginia. It was intense enough to justify a joint response from several nearby fire departments. It was so hot that at one point it caused firefighters to back out from the blaze. But after the fire was extinguished, what they found inside shocked them even more.
A post on the department’s Facebook page explains: “In your mind, everything should be burned, ashes. [But] not a single Bible was burned and not a single cross was harmed!! Not a single firefighter was hurt!” Photo evidence showed several compelling photos of Bibles unscathed amidst plenty of charred remains.
"Though the odds were against us, God was not," the firefighters added.
What an amazing display of what the Bible means when it says...
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
As we continue in Psalm 119, I am hoping that the Lord will spark a renewed perception and conviction as to how wonderful is the Word of God. A renewed passion for its truth. A renewed confidence in its directives. I said it once and I will say it again… how awesome would be our life if we actually, honestly, and in reality, believe that the Word of God is true. Hmmm.
But I realize how hard this is. I understand the trend in modern evangelicalism to discount the sufficiency of the Bible by setting aside the scriptures for pop psychology and life coaching. The trend to minimize the authority of the Bible by casting doubts on its ultimate credibility. The trend to depreciate the perspicuity or clarity of the scriptures making true interpretation impossible. The trend to downplay the necessity of the scriptures by suggesting that there are man made alternatives to gain knowledge for the ultimate truths in life. But the psalmist shows that all that there is, is the scriptures, there is nothing of more value than the scriptures, nothing else to turn to but the scriptures. So in other words, they who are doing this… the Bible says that they are wrong.
We should understand that there is nothing in this world of real value then the Lord. All we should want is the Lord. He is everything and should always be everything. And everything that is of value and should be wanted is what comes from the Lord. So all that we have that is worth having is from the Lord. Even if it is in the World.
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
So here it is… if you have the Lord. You have everything. It does not matter what anyone says about this. The Word of God declares it to be so. God says that if all you have is Him you have everything.
And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.
Let us not lose heart and trust in the scriptures… the Psalmist will show us the beauty of this. It is more than worth it. Lets check it out. Today it is the golden alphabet letter … Het.
Lord, you are mine!
I promise to obey your words!
With all my heart I want your blessings.
Be merciful as you promised.
I pondered the direction of my life,
and I turned to follow your laws.
I will hurry, without delay,
to obey your commands.
Evil people try to drag me into sin,
but I am firmly anchored to your instructions.
I rise at midnight to thank you
for your just regulations.
I am a friend to anyone who fears you—
anyone who obeys your commandments.
O Lord, your unfailing love fills the earth;
teach me your decrees.
The grass withers the flower fades but the Word of our God stands forever.
Seek the Lord
Hold On to the Lord
Join the Lord’s People
The first thing we will look at today is some of the methods that show us how we are to seek the Lord. Second, we are shown that we are to praise the Lord even when we are urged by people to walk away from the Lord. Finally, we are shown to join other people who are seeking God as we continue to see the steadfast love of God shown in the gospel of Jesus.
Thesis: Though sin and the pattern of this world cause us to doubt the beauty of the Word of God, it is the the power of the Holy Spirit and the power of the gospel that will cause us to see that the Word of God is the very breath of God and of more value than we can imagine.
I. Seek the Lord
- You are my portion.
A. Why do we seek the Lord? Because He is my portion. v.57 translated you are mine, or maybe better you are my portion. You are my portion my not be easily understood in our culture today. But in the time of our psalmist the word helick would bring an important meaning. It would be like… the President just announced that they found 100 trillion dollars under the white house and he decided that they are gonna split it up and give it to the citizen's of the US. How much is each person gonna get?
B. The promise land was the inheritance of the Israelites of the Land flowing with milk and honey. Each of the 12 tribes of Israel received a portion of the land. This was their gift from the Lord. But 1 tribe got something different. The tribe of Levi. The Levites did not get land. They were in charge of the Temple and sacrificial system. But the scriptures makes a stark claim that is relevant for us today.
And the Lord said to Aaron, “You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the people of Israel.
C. The psalmist makes a claim for himself and for us all… now the Lord is our inheritance. And what we find clear in the scriptures… All of creation is the Lord and all of it belongs to Him so to have the Lord as our inheritance is to have it all. Thus the saying… If you have nothing left but God, you have more than enough.
D. Since we have it all in Christ the psalmist urges his hearers to essentially seek the Lord and gives us a picture of how we can do this. v.58 urges us to pray. He asks for, he entreats, the Lord and he is asking and urging the Lord for His favor. And the Lords favor brings much to be desired.
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
E. We seek the Lord by praying. He prays for the blessing of God. Are we desiring the blessing of the Lord? How bad do we want it? Are we willing to struggle and wrestle with God for it like Jacob did? With all of his heart.
F. We seek God by thinking. How many time have we just sat down one day and re thought our lives? Have we ever did that really convicting thing of thinking about our lives and compare them to the scriptures and see how much it lines up… if it does at all? To seek the Lord is to prioritize the Word of God over our lives. Hard to do if we doubt that the Word of God is what it says it is. Or maybe we don’t think that whats we should do?
Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
G. We seek God by running. When we think and come to our senses we must Run.
Yes we need to run. Run to the Word of God. Right now, without delay. There is nothing more that needs to be considered. There is no need to take care of things. What about important things.
To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
H. We go and we run and we go and run right now. Do not delay today. Run and hurry to obey the Word of the Lord. So we seek the Lord today… We pray, we think and we run. But there are some that will try to stop you...
II. Hold On to the Lord
- Be faithful to the Word of the Lord in opposition.
A. Allan Ross says it well, “There is something hollow about people pleading for God to fulfill the promises in His Word when they pay little attention to keeping His Word.” But that cant be us … right?
B. So much evil in this world and so much wants to cause us to fall into sin. They will do all that they can to make that happen. And they will rejoice when you do. Funny story… I remember when I was in high school I was at a party and they were being bad. Drinking and smoking weed and they found out that I never smoked weed before. So at the end of the night… major peer pressure. My friends that I was with were trying to stop them from forcing me to smoke weed. And I finally caved. They had the very end of the last joint of the night rolled it up into a ball and poked a hole in a beer can put it on the hole told me to suck the opening of the can lighting the tiny piece that was left and the smoke would come out of the can then a breathe it in and inhale… when I inhaled they all cheered and got excited and I turned my head and said like that? And when I did the last bit of smoke came out. So till this day I never technically smoked marajuanna. But I always remember this becasue of...
Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
C. The opposition will pressure you. They will persecute you if do not join in. They will abuse you, they will plan and scheme against you. These day they will cancel you. They will be violent against you. They will brutalize you. They will humiliate you. They will trap you and torture you. All to get you to sin against God and turn away from Christ and His word. But our psalmist shows us by the power of the Holy Spirit that He will not go along with them because He is firmly anchored to the Holy Scriptures. He will not forget the truths in the scriptures. The scriptures will hold him and keep him from the pressures from the world.
D. The world has no answers. The world and the pattern of the world has nothing to offer of any substance. The world and the pattern of this world will only bring death and destruction. The world and the pattern of this world cannot nor will not give what it promises. The world and the pattern of this world infecting the church is nothing but vapor and a chasing of the wind. All is meaningless on top of meaningless. The world and the pattern of the world will bring nothing and no one and everyone nowhere.
E. No so with the Word of God. It will tell us of the one who will bring life and life more abundant. It will illuminate the truth so that we know it and the truth will make us free. It is all that we need for life and godliness. It is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. It is the very breath of the living God. It is useful for teaching, correcting, rebuking, and training in righteousness so that the man of God will be thoroughly equipped for ever good work. When heaven and earth passes away the Word of God will remain forever. It will renew our minds. It is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword. It is what Job said he treasured more than daily bread. It will accomplish Gods purposes, It proves true, it brings blessing, it is the sword of the spirit, its perfection, its trustworthy, its right, its radiant, its pure, its firm, and it is more valuable than millions in gold and silver, more precious than rubies and even the finest of gold, it is sweeter than honey. The Word is like fire it is like a hammer that breaks rocks into pieces… And the scripture cannot, I say again cannot ever never be broken. Nothing else in this entire universe can make such a boast. Nothing. And it presents the good news of the gospel.
III. Join the Lord’s People
- Walk with those who are seeking God.
A. The psalmist wants to run with those who run with God. Look around we run with each other. Those of us together bound our common desire to walk in the ways of the Lord directed by the scriptures. It is the tie that binds us. It is the thing that unites us. It is not even natural family. Like Christ said … its those who do the will of the Father who are his mother, brother, and sister. And it is the love we have for each other that will show the world that we are his disciples and show the world the steadfast love of the Lord in this world.
B. Because we all experienced the steadfast love of the Lord that never ceases. Because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The wages of sin is death. No one is righteous no not one. We are all by nature children of wrath. There is no one on earth who always does good and never sins… so where is the love? While we were yet sinners, Christ died.
C. Jesus died for our sins according to the scriptures and he was buried and he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners. Christ came to seek and to save that which was lost. He became sin who knew no sin that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.
D. And the promises that motivate us continue… All who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved. If you confess you sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
E. All that we have is from Christ. All that we want is from Christ and is Christ. Our hope and our future is in Christ and in Christ alone. If all you have is Christ you have more than enough. The Word proves true … and when all around us go up in flames… it is the Word of God than will remain