Stanza Aleph: "Devoted to God's Word"

Sermon Primer

The Psalm is alphabetical. Eight stanzas begin with one letter, the following eight stanzas begin with the next letter, and so on the whole psalm proceeds by eights through the entire twenty two letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

This poetic sacred Psalm is a little Bible, the Scriptures condensed, a unified collection of Holy writings rewritten in holy emotions and actions. The Germans called it “The Christians golden ABC of the praise, love, power, and use of the Word of God.”

Psalm 119:1–8 ESV

1 Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord! 2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, 3 who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways! 4 You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. 5 Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes! 6 Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments. 7 I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules. 8 I will keep your statutes; do not utterly forsake me!

INTRODUCTION

THEME:

Psalm 119 shows us what to believe about God’s word.

Psalm 119 shows us what to feel about God’s word. 

Psalm 119 shows us what to do with God’s word. 

Psalm 119 begins with the theme of blessing and happiness. How are we found blessed, and what does it take for us to be happy? That is the pressing question in verses 1-8.

 Psalm 119 returns to a central theme. What does it look like to live out the blessed life we have been given in Christ Jesus our Lord? Placing all things together, we should conclude that

Psalm 119 paints the portrait of a suffering king - possibly David. He is painfully aware of his own inadequacies and failings, as well as those of the royal dynasty.

Psalm 119 is a picture of what Israel’s king should look like: He lived under Scripture He lived in dependence on God. He lived in communion with God. He lived in the hope of God. 

(Martin Luther) How He Studied Scripture

“First, I shake the whole apple tree, that the ripest might fall. Then I climb the tree and shake each limb, and then each branch, and then each twig, and then I look under each leaf.  Martin Boos said:

“Most people read their Bibles like cows that stand in thick grass, and trample underneath feet the finest flowers and herbs.” I fear that we do the same too often. This is a miserable way to treat the pages and words of the breathed out word of God. 

“Blessed are Those”

During my first trip to Bolivia, I was traveling with food for the hungry and the Discovery Channel, which was doing a piece on the indigenous people of Bolivia. Our student ministry had adopted a child from Bolivia through Food for the Hungry.

His name was Felix. Felix lived deep in the Andes mountains, where there was no running water for the villages. People would have to travel miles down the steep, dangerous cliffs below to reach the village's only water source. It is incredible how much we take access to running water for granted.

We live in a country and culture where we have unlimited access to water every day. I was privileged to witness the first water well to be dug in Felix’s village, which provided water for all the surrounding villages.  We live in a world that is unable to meet our deepest thirst; our souls are spiritual, and the material cannot satisfy them. Our soul is eternal; the temporal cannot satisfy it. Our soul is exceptional, and the trivial cannot satisfy it.  But what does the world offer us, you guessed it: the material, temporal, and trivial. 

“The Silver Chair” C.S. Lewis

Lewis describes Jill, parched with thirst, walking in a forest. She hears the bubbling of a stream. As she draws near, she sees a terrifying lion standing between her and the stream.

Jill is arrested by holiness. She starts to back away, but the lion beckons her to come forward. “If you are thirsty, then come and drink.” Jill is very thirsty, but the lion is too terrifying. “I dare not come and drink,” she whispers.

The lion declares, “Then you will die of thirst.” Jill replies, “I suppose I will go and look for another stream. To her shock, the lion declares. “There is no other stream.” 

God alone is blessedness, and this is what Christ has purchased for us with His precious blood.

When we take a deep look at our culture, it is evident that happiness is the focal point of human existence. 

One of the top New Year's wishes every year is to be happier!

However, happiness appears to be elusive to most people because they fail to understand where they can find it. Why is God Blessed? We know that God is over all, and above all, which means that He is blessed in and of who He is and needs nothing from you and me to add to His happiness and perfection. 

Blessedness does not depend on the accumulation of earthly goods, nor is it contingent on pleasant experiences and favorable circumstances. For us it is rooted in the knowledge of the living God who alone is blessed. 

BIG IDEA: The Blessed who Walk in God’s Word Trust in the Path and the Lamp

Do you truly trust in the path God has given you to travel and the means by which He has given you to see the path?

Psalm 119:1–8 reminds us that blessing does not come from knowing where the path is, but from walking in it. The Psalmist answers the question in the first eight verses as to: 

Who is Truly Blessed? 

I. Those Who Love God’s Word are Truly Blessed

How much do you genuinely love God’s word? The psalmist is so enraptured with the law of the Lord that he considers being conformed to it as the most excellent ideal of blessedness. 

“Blessed are those whose 'way” is blameless, who “walk”  who “walk” in the law of the Lord.”

How much do you genuinely love God’s word? The psalmist is so enraptured with the law of the Lord that he considers being conformed to it as the most excellent ideal of blessedness. 

“Blessed are those whose 'way” is blameless, who “walk”  who “walk” in the law of the Lord.”

“Blessed are those who keep His “testimonies,” who “seek” Him with their whole heart.”

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE FOR US TO LOVE GOD’S WORD?

We show a Love for God’s word when ...

A. We Have a Blameless Way

What is the Way of your Heart with God?

Psalm 139:23–24 ESV

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

This appears to be an absurd assertion that we could have a blameless way before a Holy God. What is the way that you are now following? Most people in the world today follow their own way, their own desires, their own law. They have become a law unto themselves. 

This is why most people, year after year, are chasing the elusive happiness their hearts long for. God has placed eternity on man’s heart so that it is built into our DNA from birth that we should seek after the true meaning of happiness. However, this happiness is not in the way of the world but in the way of the Lord. When We are in the Way

The one whose life in a gospel sense is undefiled is blessed because he could never have reached such a reality if he had not experienced a thousand blessings that have already been bestowed upon him.

By nature, we are utterly defiled and out of the way; therefore, we must have first been washed in the atoning blood of Christ to remove our defilement. 

CULTURAL PROBLEM

But here is the problem: most of the world seeks this blessed or happy life by washing away in this world. In the new year, people will spend more money on material things and more time in the gym and at work, trying to find the blessed life their hearts so desperately long for, only to come back at the end of the year still parched and thirsty for what only Christ can bring. 

HOW DEFILEMENT COMES UPON US EVEN IN OUR HOLY STATE(Charles Spurgeon)

“The more complete our Sanctification is, the more intense our Blessedness is.”

A person who continues to fall into the defilement of the flesh while he or she is still saved does not experience the complete joy of their salvation. 

They are rescued, but not improved.

They are exceptionally tolerated, but not incredibly blessed.

How easily defilement can come to us even in our Holy activities, and even when we are in the way. We can come from public or private worship and still have defilement on our conscience. 

The tabernacle had no floor but the desert sand. When people came to worship at the tabernacle, the priest at the altar often had to wash their feet in preparation for worship. Our Lord Jesus stands ready today to wash our feet so that we can be every bit as clean.

Flash forward to the upper room, where Jesus washed the apostles' feet. Consider the blessedness of Jesus' followers in the upper room who are being made blessed by their Lord and Savior. Remember when Peter realized what Jesus was doing for their cleansing by responding, Lord, not only my feet but my head, and my whole body. 

How is your way being made blameless daily as you walk in all of His ways? 

What is the way of my heart with God? Is it always an undefiled way? 

We are first quickened in Him. Then we walk in Him and after Him. 

We show a love for God’s word when ...

B. We Keep His Testimonies

What a second blessing? 

Those whose outward life is supported by and inward zeal for God’s glory. What does it look like to keep His Testimonies?

We must first obtain something before we can keep it. You cannot keep something that you do not have. To keep it well, we must first get a firm grip on it and not let go. 

We cannot keep in our hearts that thing which we have not wholeheartedly embraced. We are bound to faithfully and diligently keep the word because it contains his testimonies. He gave them to us, but they are still His. 

We are, in essence, the guardian or keeper of His word. We cannot fight the good fight and finish the race unless we are ready to keep the faith. To accomplish this, the Lord must first keep us. Only those whom God truly keeps unto Salvation will ever be able to keep His testimonies. 

We show a love for God’s word when ...

C. We Seek Him with our Whole Heart

The Growth Process of Loving God’s Word...

(1) First, someone must be in the way

(2) Then one learns how to walk in the way

(3) then one finds and keeps the truth of the way

(4) Finally, to crown it all off, one seeks after the Lord of the way with everything they have. 

Jeremiah 29:13 ESV

13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

The Divided Heart

The Bible consistently teaches that loving God and His Word with a divided heart is incompatible with true covenant Christianity.

God calls for wholehearted devotion, not partial allegiance. Scripture addresses this theme through warnings, diagnoses of the heart, and gracious invitations to repentance and renewal.

1. God requires wholehearted love, not partial affection

From the very beginning, God defines our love for Him as exclusive, particular, and total. 

Deuteronomy 6:5 “You shall love the Lord your today with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all you might.” Jesus reaffirms this as the greatest commandment (Matt 22:37).

The repetition of all leaves no room for divided loyalty. A divided heart says: “I love God… but also this.” “I obey God… when it doesn’t cost me too much. ”Scripture does not recognize that as true love.

2. A Divided Heart is Spiritually Dangerous.

Jesus exposes this in religious life: “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” (Isa 29:13; Matt 15:8) Outward obedience without inward devotion leads to:

Empty worship

Selective obedience

Spiritual stagnation

Psalm 119 ties blessing to undivided obedience: “Blessed are those… who seek him with their whole heart.” (Ps 119:1–2)\

3. You Cannot Love God’s Word while Resisting its Authority

The Bible treats love for God and love for His Word as inseparable. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15) A divided heart often says:

“I love Scripture… but not this part.”

“I believe God’s Word… but I’ll decide when it applies.”

Jesus warns: “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” (Luke 6:46)Loving God’s Word means submitting to it, not merely admiring it

4. You cannot love God’s word with competing loves.

Jesus diagnoses the root issue clearly: “No one can serve two masters… You cannot serve God and money.” (Matt 6:24)A divided heart is not empty—rival loves occupy it:

Comfort

Control

Approval

Security

Sinful desire

Augustine famously prayed: “Lord, make me pure—but not yet.”

Scripture calls this instability, not maturity.

The Bible teaches that loving God and His Word with a divided heart is not loving God at all—but God graciously calls divided hearts to repentance, renewal, and wholehearted devotion through Christ. We show a love for God’s word when ...

D. We Walk in His Ways

“They do no iniquity.” This was not their character from birth. Once they were doing nothing but iniquity. It was without mixture, without cessation, from the fountain head. Now it is written of them that they do no iniquity. 

Lesson on Iniquity:

The Bible speaks about iniquity as a deep, inward problem of the human heart—one that God both exposes honestly and addresses graciously through judgment, forgiveness, and redemption in Christ. 

It carries three intertwined ideas:

Twistedness/crookedness – moral distortion

Guilt – the weight and liability of sin

Consequences/punishment – what iniquity deserves; Iniquity is not just what we do, but who we are bent toward becoming. Ephesians 2:2–3 

Ephesians 2:2–3 ESV

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— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

The Bible speaks so often of “walk” because walking is one of Scripture’s richest pictures of how a person lives before God day by day. It captures direction, pace, consistency, relationship, and progress—not just isolated actions. In short, walking is discipleship lived out over time.

Walking is a picture of daily life, not momentary actions. 

Walking highlights a relationship, not just rules. 

Walking shows that faith is lived, not just believed. 

Scripture highlights two walks:

Life and death.

From beginning to end, scripture highlights two paths we can take. Note: We once habitually walked in the power of sin and death; now we habitually walk in the power of the resurrection and new life that we have in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Not only those who love God’s word are truly blessed, but ...

2. Those who Pursue God’s Word are Truly Blessed

“We are commanded to keep God’s precepts diligently.” [Charles Bridges reminds us that God did not issue this command expecting that we could in any possible way turn our own hearts to God’s precepts]

Church, what constrains you, or compels you, every day? We are given here a command to diligent obedience. The psalmist is walking in obedience for the command's sake. The command is enough for him. Does he have any reason to complain about the command? 

Obedient Living Simply Because God said so!

Let me see if you have ever heard your parents say this to you after telling you to do something. So, most of you were or still are very inquisitive teenagers. 

Your mom or dad asks you to do something, how do you respond? You got it, the all-inherent response, why? or why me? 

Now, how does the astute parent respond? You are correct, “because I told you so.” The most fantastic thing about the following text is that those who truly pursue God’s word are not asking for a clarification of the command; the command is enough. “God’s commands are not burdens placed on us, but wisdom given to us—meant to be kept diligently, because He knows how life works best.”

How do we pursue His Word?

A. We Pursue God’s Word Diligently

Many people offer a careless attitude towards obeying God’s commands. This careless service to God is a sort of hit-or-miss attitude.

We do not accidentally fall into obedience. 

We are called to a zealous kind of obedience.

We are to obey the precepts fully.

His law demands the love of all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We should be as eager as, or more so, to pursue the Lord’s word as we are to pursue landing the next better job, or max out our 401k, or get rid of the dad or mom bod we have been carrying around. 

Do you pursue God’s word with such veracity? If not, why not? Do you put more energy daily into pursuing other things that have little bearing on eternity?

2 Corinthians 5:14 ESV

14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died;

It's a strong, irresistible force, like being "hemmed in" or "held together," pushing someone to act. Compels/Impels: 

While it sets boundaries (e.g., against sin), its primary meaning is a powerful motivation, not just a restriction Not Restrains (in a negative sense): 

What is Your Motivation?

There are as many different types of motivations as there are personalities.

And of course, the intensity of those motivations can range from mild to obsessive. A young teen might babysit on the weekends because she’s motivated to save up for a new phone.

The leader of a free country might be willing to sacrifice the lives of thousands of soldiers to protect the lives and liberties of those in his realm. Without the right motivation, very little progress can be made in anything.

Jesus spoke of the importance of motivation when contrasting the hireling and the shepherd. The hireling will take care of the animals because he wants to get paid. But as soon as he sees danger (that is, when wolves appear), he abandons the sheep to protect himself.

The shepherd, on the other hand, not only takes care of his flock, but he’s willing to put his life on the line to keep them safe (John 10:7–18). When we have such a compelling spirit-driven motivation as Christ’s love, we are pursuing God and His word more diligently than any possible thing going on in our lives today. 

We must keep in view our utter insufficiency and His complete All-sufficiency in every way. 

2 Corinthians 3:5 ESV

5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God,

B. We Pursue God’s Word Unashamedly

David had undoubtedly known shame in his life. Here, he rejoices in the prospect of being freed from shame.

I think surely one of the most significant victories we experience in our salvation is the freedom from the shame of our sinful flesh. Sin brings shame, and when sin is gone, the reason for being ashamed is gone as well. 

The World Without Shame

Our first parents never knew shame until they were introduced to the serpent and father of lies in the garden, and their shame never left them until God came down in flesh and covered their shame and disgrace. 

We will always have cause for shame until every sin is gone and eradicated and every duty towards God is followed perfectly. No shame in the presence of man will hinder us when the fear of God has taken full possession of our minds. 

The Cleared Inspection

The idea of not being ashamed is much like getting ready to sell a house. The house must pass all inspections, including electrical, plumbing, foundation, and roof. 

As inspection day approaches, you, as the homeowner, become uneasy. You knew that there were a few things you had ignored—minor problems you hoped no one would notice. Loose wiring behind a wall. A leak that only showed up under pressure.

But instead of covering them up, you decided to deal with them honestly. You repaired what you could and disclosed what he couldn’t fix.

On the day of the inspection, you went through every room of the house with the inspector. When the inspection was completed, the inspector handed you a piece of paper that said: “There is nothing here to hide from, you are clear.”

The homeowner felt relief—not because the house was perfect, but because everything had been brought into the light. Freedom from shame comes from walking openly before the Lord. 

Biblical shame is not about embarrassment—it is about being exposed and found wanting.

C. We Pursue God’s Word with an Upright Heart of Praise

“He alone is worthy to be praised”. God is so great that even the angels in heaven have to cover their faces from looking directly at the full weight of God’s holiness and glory. He is so great that He must will Himself to be lowered to take notice of His creation. 

Upright Heart

Indicates an inner position of the heart with God, not mere outward correction. 

“Heart” in Scripture refers to the center of the person—mind, will, affections, and conscience.

“Upright” (Hebrew yōsher) carries the idea of straight, level, without crookedness or duplicity.

So an upright heart is: Undivided (not double-minded or hypocritical)Sincere (no pretense or performance)Aligned with God’s truth rather than self-justification.

In other words, the psalmist is not praising God merely with his lips, but from a heart honestly submitted to God. “You delight in truth in the inward being.” (Psalm 51:6)

God desires understanding that leads to obedience, not empty worship (Isaiah 1:11–17; Amos 5:21–24).

UPRIGHT PRAISE VS. HOLLOW PRAISE

Hollow praise says, “God is great,” while resisting His authority.

Upright praise says: “God is right”—even when His Word corrects me.

Jesus later exposes the opposite posture: “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” (Matthew 15:8)

An upright heart:

Accepts God’s judgments as righteous

Rejoices in God’s holiness rather than negotiating with it

Praises God not because circumstances are easy, but because God is good

CONCLUSION

Closing Sermon Illustration: The Path and the Lamp

Imagine a narrow mountain path at dusk. The trail is solid and well-built, carved into the rock by a master guide who knows the terrain perfectly.

Along the path's edge, small lamps are placed at regular intervals. Each lamp gives just enough light to see the next step, not the whole journey.

Some travelers stop and admire the lamps.

Some debate the path's construction.

Some even memorize the trail map.

But only those who step onto the path and walk arrive safely home.

Psalm 119:1–8 reminds us that blessing does not come from knowing where the path is, but from walking in it. 

It does not come from perfect performance, but from wholehearted pursuit.

And it does not come from self-confidence, but from a humble prayer: “Do not utterly forsake me.” (v.8)

The psalmist walks with joy (vv.1–2), obedience (vv.4), honesty about weakness (v.5), freedom from shame (v.6), sincere praise (v.7), and dependence on grace (v.8).

God’s Word does not promise a shortcut. It promises a sure path. So as we leave today, the question is not:

Do you admire God’s Word?

Do you agree with God’s Word?

But:

Are you walking in it—step by step, with your whole heart—trusting the God who placed the path and the lamp?

And when you stumble, you do not abandon the path. You cling to the Guide.