Untitled Sermon (3)

07-15-2018

Intro - this sermon came out of reading a piece of scripture over and over and over and over

Last week I was reading ps 119

I attempted to read it everyday but like everyone life gets in the way

But after reading it a few times I gathered that the writer loved the Law he loved and desired to do Gods precepts and that he desired and longed to obey the rules

I had to look up precepts and it is defined as a general rule intended to regulate behavior and or thought

I mean for 176 verses the writer talks about longing and loving to obey God laws

At some point I had to wonder if I were missing something, I mean I am not sure I long to obey the rules, or that I love the law

I mean we don’t see people going around saying how much the desire to obey the constitution do we?

The piece from ps 119 we will look at is

Psalm 119:9–16 NASB95

9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. 10 With all my heart I have sought You; Do not let me wander from Your commandments. 11 Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You. 12 Blessed are You, O Lord; Teach me Your statutes. 13 With my lips I have told of All the ordinances of Your mouth. 14 I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, As much as in all riches. 15 I will meditate on Your precepts And regard Your ways. 16 I shall delight in Your statutes; I shall not forget Your word.

I mean just the reading here could be the sermon right how does a young man stay pure, translated today, how do you do this thing called life?

You and I are to keep the law, you and I are to meditate and memorize and dwell on the Law, you and I are to not forget the law

The writer is consumed with the law, and at this point I hope you realize how much you aren’t consumed with the law

Then I have to the question to the writer are you and I reading the same law

Let’s be honest do we first know the law, the writer surely did and he explains that, but do you and I

Do we even know the 10 commandments

Exodus 20:1–17 NASB95

1 Then God spoke all these words, saying, 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before Me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. 5 “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. 7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain. 8 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. 11 “For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and made it holy. 12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you. 13 “You shall not murder. 14 “You shall not commit adultery. 15 “You shall not steal. 16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

The writer of would have had an understanding of this piece of scripture

At first reading it would seem that the writer is strictly speaking of the 10 commandments or maybe even the entire Judaea Law

The problem with that is once the nation was in the wilderness and free, God gave them the 10 commandments and then to continue to govern themselves the people produce a number of other laws

So it would make sense that it the writer would be talking about the 10 commandments

But really why would someone be in such love with the law

Does the writer know something that you and I don’t?

Is there something more to the Law that you and I don’t know?

Or is the law really just a set a rules that you and I are to follow

Really the question we all want to ask know is, is following Jesus just a list of rules or is it more than a list of rules

I believe that the writer was on to something, I believe the writer knew something more about that law

Matthew 5:17 NASB95

17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.

I believer the writer understood that the law was more than just rules but that the law was a relationship

So then what is the purpose of the Law

If the purpose of the law was not just rules to follow

Romans 3:19–20 NASB95

19 Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; 20 because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

See the purpose of the Law is what Doyal called a mirror in a Sunday school class years ago

the purpose of the law was to show you and I how much of a sinner we were and how much we need the savior

If you and I did not know we were sinners then we would not know we would need a savior

which is why the law is about a relationship

see the law drives us compels us to a relationship with the Father

The law shows you and I how bad we really are which drives us to the only person who can make us right which is Jesus

See the writer of understand that the law or being a follower of Jesus was more than a list of rules to follow

He understood that being a follower of Jesus was having a relationship with Jesus, He understood that the laws you and I follow actually draw us closer to Jesus instead of pushing us away

Psalm 119:9–16 NASB95

9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. 10 With all my heart I have sought You; Do not let me wander from Your commandments. 11 Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You. 12 Blessed are You, O Lord; Teach me Your statutes. 13 With my lips I have told of All the ordinances of Your mouth. 14 I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, As much as in all riches. 15 I will meditate on Your precepts And regard Your ways. 16 I shall delight in Your statutes; I shall not forget Your word.

Church how can a young man stay walking with Jesus, by keeping the law

how do you and I not sin, we hide Gods word in our heart, we memorize it, we meditate on it, we dwell on it, we talk about it

Church you and I will love the law because the Law is a relationship with Jesus

Gods word is more than just a bunch of rules or just a big history book, it really is our guide to this life

Closing

I want to invite the band up

The invitation is open to anyone and everyone

maybe you are here today and you do not have a personal relationship with Christ now is the time

maybe you are here today and you need to make some other decision

or maybe you simple need to spend sometime in prayer