You’ll Get Far More If you Give

Introduction

Background of Psalm 119.

Tonight I thought as we close out our Summer in Psalms, I would give you a message from the longest chapter - not only in the book of Psalms, but the Bible entirely.

I want to share some facts concerning this chapter:

Psalm 119 is a staggering 176 verses long.

It has 22 sections, with 8 verses per section

It is an ‘Acrostic’ poem using the 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet

Each section begins with the next Hebrew letter

Each line begins with the Hebrew letter

The entire chapter is focused on the importance of the Word of God, and references the Word of God throughout through various synonyms. We see them throughout these 8 verses: Commandment, Judgments, Testimonies, Precepts.

While these are are synonyms, they each carry a different perspective on the Word of God:

Commandment = Mandate / an Order

Statutes = Law / Legislature that Binds

Judgments = Verdict Pronounced (truth)

Testimonies = Witness

Precepts = Directions / Principles

I first thought to title this message ‘Beth I hear you calling’, but thought better of it. The Title of this message is: ‘You’ll Get Far More if you Give’

I. What the Word of God Gives

Cleansing (v9)

The Word of God offers a cleansing

The fact of the matter is, the Bible is true when it says: Isaiah 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; And we all do fade as a leaf; And our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” We’re all unclean.

Men have tried from time and memorial to remedy that situation.

Turn over a new leaf

Get religious / spiritual

Justify their actions (‘I’m only human / everybody does it’)

But it doesn’t matter how hard you try, nothing BUT the Word of God can make man clean.

(Ill.) How many have painted with oil based paints? Then tried to wash your hands with water. What happened? Did you get clean?

David said: Psalm 51:2 “Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.” Do you know where he went for cleansing? Unto the only one that has the ability to cleanse! God Himself!

It’s the Word of God that makes us clean!

It tells us of the Sacrifice of Jesus

It tells us of the blood atonement

I tells us how we can be clean!

The Word of gives us cleansing - Listen, if you’re lost today, you’re dead in trespasses and sins - you’re a filthy thing - BUT THE WORD OF GOD CAN CLEANSE YOU TODAY!

Notice also that it all starts here. You need cleansing FIRST before you need anything else!

Keeping (v11)

The Word of God can not only cleanse you, but it can keep you clean as well!

Do you understand that the Word of God is the ONLY thing that has that power?

It’s because it’s by the Word of God whereby we know and can define sin. Sin is not subject for debate, it’s not given to the whims of society. It’s marked down forever etched in the Word of God! And the ONLY way that I can keep from sinning against God is if I know what sin is!’

The Word of God Keeps us from Sin

Teaching (v12)

The Word of God will Teach us as well.

One of the plagues of our current society is that lack of education. I’m not talking about a lack of degrees, I’m talking about a lack of education. We have in our society a collection of useless idiots that have racked up degrees, student loans, yet can’t get a job and you and I are footing the bill.

(Ill.) I’m what you call an ‘Auto-DI-dact’. This means self-educated. I’m not actually self-educated, but I have no formal degrees, so the world either sees me as no education or self-educated. The truth is, as far as the Bible is concerned, some consider me well-educated. I will say this, I have had the best teacher a man could ask for - the Holy Ghost of God!

Listen, if you want to know WHAT MATTERS. If you want to know ETERNAL TRUTHS - you can know that.

IT’S ONLY BY THE WORD OF GOD THAT YOU CAN KNOW THE MIND OF GOD!

The Word of God gives you an education

What the Word of God Gives. Secondly, notice What is Given to the Word of God

II. What Is Given to the Word of God

The Psalmist here is not only looking to get, but looking to give.

Church, this is such a foreign concept in Christianity today. Most Christians don’t look to GIVE anything to the LORD, they only look to GET.

Might I remind you: Romans 12:1 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

This psalmist is looking to give, and the one word that I could come up with is ‘Commitment’.

Commitment:

Do you know what would please God? Having more of His children with some ‘stick to it’.

So many Christians are babes in Christ:

They’re ‘tossed to & fro’: Ephesians 4:14 “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;”

You know, Jesus gave this illustration: Matthew 7:24–27 “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”

Here, the difference between the house that stood & the one that fell was commitment - commitment to what? DOING Christ’s WORD!

What is the Psalmist Committed to?

To Seek Throughly (v10)

Not half-hearted, passive looking - WHOLE hearted SEEKING.

Church, let me ask you this: How many of you are truly seeking God? We all seek things FROM God, but how many Seek God?

How many diligently search the Scriptures so that you might learn more about Him?

(Ill.) How many are familiar with ‘Where’s Waldo?’ or something similar? I kind of liken searching for the things of God like searching out Waldo. In the sense that, you know he’s there, you just need to take some time and diligently seek for him.

Let me ask you this church: If you’re God, who do you give your greatest wisdom to? Do you give the same amount to the one who will barely crack open your Word, as opposed to the one diligently seeking it out? Somehow many Christians expect the same amount of wisdom, and depth the Bible gives by reading the cliff-notes version.

This Psalmist was Committed to Seek Throughly

To Save Intimately (v11)

Not only is the psalmist looking to seek it out, but the save it. To commit it to memory.

It’s one thing to read a thing, it’s another to memorize it.

Now I think it’s apparent that memorization comes easier to some than others. Few have the ability to memorize entire passages & books of the Bible - and that’s great. But that’s not me. HOWEVER, all Christians should commit themselves to memorize the Word of God - you may not remember exactly (verbatim) you may not remember the references, but you should be committed to hiding all you can in your heart!

(Ill.) I don’t have much memorized that I can quote chapter, verse perfectly. However, I have pieces and portions of Scripture all throughout the Bible hidden away that I can recall, find and apply when needed!

What is that necessary? TO KEEP US FROM SINNING AGAINST A HOLY AND RIGHTEOUS GOD!

To Save Intimately

To Savour Indefinitely (v15)

(Old english spelling)

The Psalmist is now throwing in what I call the ‘secret-sauce’. Meditating on the Word of God!

Paul uses this illustration: 1 Corinthians 3:2 “I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.”

(Ill.) The differences are as such. My grandson is growing… but he’s only getting milk rn. Milk will help you grow, but before long you’re going to need some meat. The difference between a milk eater and meat eater is the difference between Mali and Alex. Alex eats meat - but he eats SO FAST that I don’t understand how he enjoys it. I on the other hand, when I have a steak, do you know what I do? I cut it up in small bites, and a chew on them a while. I am savouring the experience.

This is what it’s like when you meditate on the Word of God. When you just sit and chew, you get the richness and the pleasure. It’s not just getting your belly full, it’s getting the most it has to offer!

If you’re not, I encourage you to meditate on the Word of God!

We see what the Word of God Gives, then the Commitment to Give to the Word of God, lastly, look at what they Accomplish together

III. What they Accomplish Together

When you put the two together, something happens.

(Ill.) Like when you put alka seltzer in water you get that reaction - when you Give yourself to the Word of God, and the Word of God gives back to you, there’s a reaction that happens there as well.

A Declaration to the World (v13)

When the Word of God becomes real to you - in a way it hasn’t been before - you want to tell others about it! You WANT to obey it - and the greatest command that we could possibly obey is the great commission.

In Matthew we find this exchange: Matthew 22:36–40 “Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

Now Jesus said this is the greatest commandments

Jesus also said all of the Bible hinges on these

What you’ll find is that the Great Commission embodies this!

If we love God we’ll keep His commandments - Jesus said: John 14:15 “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

If we love our neighbor, we’ll tell him how to escape Hell!

You see, when You give unto the Word of God and it gives unto you, then a Declaration to the World is achieved.

Delight to the Committed (v14; 16a)

Not only is the work assigned to us accomplished, but we have joy and delight that can’t be found elsewhere!

So many Christians are battling sadness, depression, sorrow - yet instead of looking to the true remedy, they look for the band-aid pills can supply! The Bible gives us instruction!

Be a Servant! (What Jesus instructed after washing their feet) - you’ll have happiness

John 13:15–17 “For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.”

Think on ‘these things’ - you’ll have peace

Philippians 4:8–9 “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”

Do the Word - you’ll be blessed

James 1:25 “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”

The Reaction that comes along with those that are committed to the Word of God is a Rejoicing and Delight

A Determination to Continue (v16b)

(Ill.) I vaguely remember when I was a young man tasting cheesecake for the first time. But years later, I had the opportunity to go to the cheesecake factory. Let me say, there’s a difference! You know, once you taste the cheesecake factory, Walmart cheesecake don’t have the same impact anymore.

This is the way life is for one who’s committed to the Word of God. That’s the pinnacle of life. (Not the easy life, but the pinnacle), and once you’ve had a taste of that - you want more! You don’t want to go back to the old way, the Walmart cheesecake, you want to good stuff!

When you commit yourself unto the Word of God and begin to experience what it has to offer, you’ll be determined to continue. (Not without it’s problems, but the best life you can have).

A Determination to Continue

Conclusion

I wonder how many of you can say that you’re sold out unto the Word of God? What are you giving to the Word? Or are you just seeking to get?