Psalm 119: “Give Me Life”

Psalm 119:153–160 ESV

153 Look on my affliction and deliver me, for I do not forget your law. 154 Plead my cause and redeem me; give me life according to your promise! 155 Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek your statutes. 156 Great is your mercy, O Lord; give me life according to your rules. 157 Many are my persecutors and my adversaries, but I do not swerve from your testimonies. 158 I look at the faithless with disgust, because they do not keep your commands. 159 Consider how I love your precepts! Give me life according to your steadfast love. 160 The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.

INTRODUCTION

Series introduction & purpose: To see how God’s word equips us to be God’s people.

What does it mean to be alive?

Life’s Biggest Questions:

(1) Why Are We Here?

(2) Do We Matter?

(3) What Is Wrong With Us?

(4) How Can We Be Made “Right?”

Your identity and activity will reveal what you believe the answers to these questions are.

GOD’S WORD DEFINES THE SOURCE OF ALL LIFE

Let’s start by looking at questions one and two: “Why are we here?” AND “Do we matter?”

The Bible says that God himself is the source of all life. Because humans are created in his image, we have defined value and purpose.

A Survey of Scripture

Genesis 1:3 (ESV)

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

Psalm 104:14 ESV

14 You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth

Genesis 2:7 (ESV)

7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

Genesis 1:27–28 ESV

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

You cannot find a definition of true life outside of understanding God as the source of life.

GOD’S WORD EXPLAINS OUR LOSS OF TRUE LIFE

Now that we have looked at what the Bible tells us about the source and value of life, let’s talk about the third big question we face: What is wrong with us? Why do we long for deeper life than what we normally experience?

Psalm 119 gives us a beautiful and artistic picture of the value and deep truth of God’s word, while also reminding us of the reality of our lack of perfection:

Psalm 119:25 ESV

25 My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your word!

Psalm 119:176 ESV

176 I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments.

How can the Psalmist be alive and yet ask God to give him life? (Psalmist asks at least 9 times in 119).

Because of our sin, our souls “cling to the dust.” We live in the prison of soul-awareness, but we can’t manufacture a key to free our souls from our brokenness. (We can see our ideal self and our failure to become it)

The Bible’s teaching on our loss of true life is this: we are dead in sin and need salvation that comes from outside of our own abilities and powers.

Ephesians 2:1–2 ESV

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—

Ephesians 2:8–9 ESV

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

You cannot find a meaningful answer to “what’s wrong with us” without a concept of sin, guilt, and consequence.

GOD’S WORD INVITES US INTO THE RECOVERY OF WHOLE LIFE

Let’s talk about big question #4: How Can We Be Made “Right?” We as Christians may rephrase the question to ask, “How can we be saved?”

If we as humans are honest about question #3 (What is wrong with us?), then we should naturally ask the follow up question: can we be fixed?

The world has many ideas:

(1) Hide from the reality of our deepest problems. (Atheism/Nihilism)

(2) Shift the blame for our deepest problems. (Agnosticism)

(3) Fix our problems on our own. (Man-made Religion)

The message of God’s word is different: whole life can only be recovered when we see what God has done to rescue us from our brokenness through the gospel.

John 1:1–4 (ESV)

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

In Christ Jesus, God has looked upon our affliction (119:153), redeemed us from our sin (119:154), granted us mercy (119:156), and given us life according to his steadfast love (119:159).

John 14:6 (ESV)

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

The Psalmist recognizes the exclusive truth that only God can give him life. We recognize our need to respond to the Word:

John 10:27–28 ESV

27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

Have you responded to the Word of life? Do you see that only the God who made you can show you what true life looks like?

THE CHALLENGE FOR “BIBLE” PEOPLE

I hope that this morning has been a refreshing gospel reminder for those in the room who are Christians. We can never talk about the beauty of the gospel too much, but I do want to challenge us to evaluate how what we know to be true intellectually is impacting us practically. (In reality.)

Don’t stop asking God to “give you life.”

Psalm 119:159 ESV

Consider how I love your precepts! Give me life according to your steadfast love.

When we stop learning, we stop growing; and when we stop growing, we stop living.

Warren W. Wiersbe

As we continue to explore themes in Psalm 119, consider how the author is both secure in his belonging to God AND desperate for continual wisdom, training, teaching, and growth.

Don’t stop pointing others to true life with your words and actions.

Matthew 5:14–16 ESV

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.