Untitled Sermon (4)

I asked Simon back in November I think if he would speak at Grace Church for us on Co-Mission Sunday.

From what I have observed of Simon,

he’s funny, good natured,

inspires confidence and teaches the bible well.

But what you’re really interested in is why he asked me to speak here today.

I’d like to say he saw many of the same qualities

I’ve just mentioned in me as well, but sadly it went a lot more like this…

“Simon, I was wondering, given how great you are,

if you would be gracious enough to speak at Grace Church on Co-mission Sunday”

“Thanks Sam, what an honour to be asked”

and then in his head he was clearly thinking this is awkward,

I was hoping to ask someone important to speak at Kings Church, Oh well, I’m cornered…

“Perfect, well why don’t you speak at Kings Church for us then”

“Sure, thanks, that would be great!”

“Drat”

“What’s that”

“Great, let’s organise that all then”

I’m obviously over playing the role play,

but let me tell you why it doesn’t actually matter ‘too much’ who speaks in your church.

Because ‘we live by the word of God’

We don’t live by the word of a famous, charismatic or religious leader. We live by the word of God.

That’s what Christians do!

And that is the theme of Co-Mission Sunday.

We live by the word of God.

So all you need from a preacher is someone who will do a good job of teaching you the word of God.

That’s actually why it’s great to be part of Co-mission,

because you can be sure that all the ministers are held to that standard.

You might all get more of a wow factor if Tim Keller was here today speaking,

but the most important thing we are here today for has already taken place. God’s word has been read.

My job is to now help us all understand, be encouraged by and apply it.

And I’ve chosen

Because it is all about ‘Living by the Word of God’

The Psalm has 176verse and

refers to God's Word in every verse but 5!

It is also an acrostic poem,

that works its way through the Hebrew alphabet.

That is what the headings for each 8 line section are for, were it starts a new Hebrew letter.

It has inspired many a theologian;

Derek Kindner writes that this Psalm shows

a love of God not desiccated by study but refreshed, informed and nourished by it."488

So Lets make that our pray now, as we dig into it. Lets pray,

Heavenly Father, We thank you for bringing us here this morning to study your Word. We ask that our love for you would not be desiccated by study of the bible, but that we might be refreshed, informed and nourished by it. Allow us to realise how essential your word is today, as it has been for all time and will be forever more. And we ask this that you might receive more and more praise.

Amen

It is clear the Pslamist believes the bible, or God's word, is ESSENTIAL in all ways.

And so our title is Essential Bible, and our three points are

Essential today

Essential for ever

Essentially God

So firstly

Essential today

Here is a Beer bible, what would you expect to find in it? - Everything there is to know about Beer!

Here is a Holy bible. What do you expect to find in it? -

Everything there is to know about (WHAT)? God? Jesus? Religion? NO – LIFE!!!

And I'm going to try and proof that to you now.

This Psalm is written long before Jesus came to earth to fulfil God's law of the old covenant.

So, bear in mind as we read it, the Palmist is writing about God's covenant law.

Which is effectively the old testament in our bible today.

It is full of rules and regulations that were exceptionally detailed.

You would expect it to be a real bind and a tough life to remain pure in God's eyes.

And in fact we are told in the New Testament, that the whole purpose of the old law was to point out our sin.

To make it obvious that we couldn't meet God's great and perfect expectations.

So, the purpose of the OT was to teach people how to live LIFE, in such a way that would satify God,

Even if that often meant they had to fall to their knees and ask for mercy.

Now, the NT may not require us to follow the letter of 'law' of God,

but it still very clearly lays out principles and lifestyles that are acceptable to God.

is an important verse;

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

ALL scripture is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.

All scripture, O and N T. All of it, it is all useful for training in righteousness.

In other words it teaches us to behave in a way that is acceptable to God.

Teaches us how to live LIFE.

The Beer bible tell you everything you need to know about Beer.

The Holy Bible tell you everything you need to know about life!

Why have I started with all this?

Because I want us to read this Psalm knowing it is relevant to you and I today, not just OT Israelites.

And so we can apply the Psalmist knowledge directly to ourselves.

He had the hard job, just the OT to read, we now have the full picture of Jesus fulfilling the old law, offering us forgiveness when we get it wrong.

So if the Psalmist can get this much out of OT scripture, imagine what we can with the New as well!

OK, so we know it's as Essential today as it was then.

How does it help us?

9 How can a young person stay on the path of purity?

By living according to your word.

Now I expect the Psalmist may have been a 'young man' and hence his reference to one.

But I think many of us will agree that a young Christian will perhaps face the hardest challenge of remaining pure out of us all.

The OT had laws to guard a young persons purity and so does the new.

Galatians 5v19 for example warns us to be our our guard against our sinful nature;

sinful nature is obvious; sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.

These aren't old fashioned and out of date impurities, they match perfectly with today's challenges.

Do we keep our sexual thoughts pure, is our money, jobs or relationships more important that God, are they our idols?

Hatred, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambitions, don't we live in a power hungry, me me me society.

Drunkenness is put right alongside orgies and the like in God’s eyes.

The Psalmist is a young man, with all these temptations being amplified through excesses of testosterone and immaturity.

How can a young person keep their way pure?

Older men, young men, young women, older women, children.

How can we all keep our ways pure?

V9By living according to God's word.

So living by God's word is essential for the Psalmist and is Essential today for us,

if we are to keep our ways pure.

So how do you live according to God's word? The Psalmist tells us

10 I seek you with all my heart;

do not let me stray from your commands.

11 I have hidden your word in my heart

that I might not sin against you.

12 Praise be to you, Lord;

teach me your decrees.

13 With my lips I recount

all the laws that come from your mouth.

14 I rejoice in following your statutes

as one rejoices in great riches.

15 I meditate on your precepts

and consider your ways.

16 I delight in your decrees;

I will not neglect your word.

This Psalmist is immersed in scripture!

Hidden in his heart,

saying it out loud,

rejoicing in it,

meditating on it,

considering it,

not neglecting it!

It is not part of his life,

as we would say, Christianity is a big part of my life.

It is His life.

He reads it,

does it,

speaks of it.

Dislocated arm story.

Watch/read it, do it, teach/speak of it

If you struggle with anxiety or worry,

find a few bible passages

Matthew 6v26-34

Philippians 4v 6-7

John 14v27

and read them 2 or 3 times a day until it changes you.

If you struggle with laziness

or lust,

or parenting or even believing in Jesus, find passages related to those and read them 2 or 3 times a day until they are part of your life.

Don’t be afraid to specifically target areas you know you are weak in!

This Psalm is bang up to date.

We must see that the bible is Essential today,

so that we might pursue righteousness, or purity.

Delight in God’s word, think all day about it, target your weaknesses with specific passages.

Wage war on sinful desires and delight in God’s word.

Turn to God's word to help answer questions you have about life.

Commit regularly to a weekly bible study group to discuss it?

Read it daily,

The bible is essential today,

for you and for me. Read it, do it and speak of it.

The the bible is also

Essential forever, our second point.

Turn to Verses 89 – 91, they describe the everlasting nature of God's word, it's power and unity with creation.

In v90 -God spoke words and he established the earth.

Those words are in Heaven, V89 no-one can take them, distort them.

Whatever the world says or does, Gods Words, and equally his creation, is set firm. V91

His Word commanded and created all these things. End of story.

Whatever theories, or human words are spoken against God's great words, it does not change.

And our response to that?

92 If your law had not been my delight,

I would have perished in my affliction.

If the Psalmist,

if we,

if our friends,

our governments,

our churches do not accept God's word,

and more than that,

do not delight in them,

then we will perish in affliction.

God has an order for all things,

if we don't delight in it,

we will face disaster eternally – separated form God and His wonderful Word.

Look at the western world’s view on sex outside marriage,

It is the norm and more than acceptable.

Or our view on rights or comfort or money.

'I have my rights, regardless of the problems I may cause others.'

That is not part of how the world was planned and created through God's word.

And so we perish in our affliction,

young teenagers get pregnant,

marriages break up,

money is put before people and God.

My comfort before another’s,

love for self before others.

Whatever the world, or we do, or say, God's Word is God's word,

it was there before time

and will be there for evermore,

and we will perish in our afflictions if we ignore it.

We will suffer for our ignorance of God's word.

And then a great verse, v96

96 To all perfection I see a limit,

but your commands are boundless.

If you needed a clearer message as to the importance of delighting IN God's word, then there it is.

Even this Psalmist's immensely strict life, his steps towards 'perfection' as he calls it, has a limit.

Has anyone,

even the greatest of achievers,

ever succeeded entirely?

No, they will always reach a limit.

If nothing else they will reach death.

But Gods commands are boundless.

They stretch beyond;

all time,

all places,

all creation,

all people.

So be strong and delight in God's Word.

When we know something to be at odds with God's word,

lets simply share the bible's wisdom.

When we make career or family decisions, remember nothing will last, but God’s word will.

Remember the Bible is Essential for today, read it, do it, speak of it.

it is essential Forever, boundless, so delight in it, be strong in it.

Our last point is Essentially God. And it has 2 meanings

At it's essence God's word is God, not literally, but in that it reveals God to us.

Just like my words are me. What I say is who I am.

The bible is not insignificant as many might suggest.

It is key, they are God's words!

The Bible is essentially God himself revealed in Words.

But there is another way by which I mean essentially God.

Because we also learn here that for all our

efforts and delights

to read, do and speak of God's word,

it is actually because of God himself that we can.

Not us.

Essentially, or by necessity,

God is the one who allows,

and enables us to delight in his Word,

and therefore, we should praise him!

It is essentially God that does it all!

I'm going to read v169 – 176 and comment a little as we do, to show this point.

169 May my cry come before you, Lord;

give me understanding according to your word.

We need to recognise our inability to follow God's Word without God's help, it is God who gives us understanding through His word!

170 May my supplication come before you;

deliver me according to your promise.

God does the delivering, we simply ask for it.

171 May my lips overflow with praise,

for you teach me your decrees.

Praise God for he teaches us His decrees! He allows us to understand and learn!

172 May my tongue sing of your word,

for all your commands are righteous.

173 May your hand be ready to help me,

for I have chosen your precepts.

We need God's hand to help us.

174 I long for your salvation, Lord,

and your law gives me delight.

Salvation is longed for, it cannot be earned, it is a gift from God, we know found in Jesus, delight in the law that tells us about it!

175 Let me live that I may praise you,

and may your laws sustain me.

176 I have strayed like a lost sheep.

Seek your servant,

for I have not forgotten your commands.

Who wrote this amazing, deep, powerful and insightful Psalm? A great theologian?, a King? A philosopher?

No a lost sheep. Sheep don't know the way home, they are helpless.

They only know the voice of the shepherd, who seeks and who calls to them.

We don't know our way home, into union with God, He seeks and calls to us with his words.

Are you going to listen, by reading your bibles?

God will seek for you, so read his word, do his word, speak of his word. Delight in his word, be strong in his word.

So when we stray like a lost sheep, we can say,

I have not forgotten your commands,

seek your servant Lord,

and he will find you, and keep you, forever.

The bible is essential.

Lets pray in the words of this Psalm to close,

Heavenly Father,

9 How can we keep our ways pure? By living according to your word.

92 If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.

96 To all perfection I see a limit; but your commands are boundless.

169 May my cry come before you, O LORD; give me understanding according to your word.

174 I long for your salvation, O LORD, and your law is my delight.

175 Let me live that I may praise you, and may your laws sustain me.

176 I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands.

Amen