Sermon Tone Analysis
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The question this evening is, “What does it mean to delight in the law of the Lord?”
What becomes clear from this song is that there are two people.
There are those who delight in the law of the Lord and those who do not delight in the law of the Lord.
The word “delight” simply means those who joy or find pleasure in the law of the Lord, and based on the rest of the song, it would be foolish to be the one who does not delight in the law of the Lord.
Notice:
those who do NOT delight in the law:
are not fruitful
are not prosperous
are short-lived
are judged of the Lord
Illustration:
At the RED’s game, they will play this game on the jumb-o-tron where they will put three cups of skyline chili on the board, and then the will hid one ball under a cup.
They will then move them around and have someone guess where the ball is.
THIS IS NOT A GUESSING game.
It becomes apparent that the one who delights in the law of the Lord is the one to be.
Proposition:
Thus, it would behoove us to not only know what is means to delight in the law of the Lord but we should be this one who delight in the law of the Lord.
(1) A Clear Identification: The one who delights in the law of the Lord is positively identified (v. 1)
(a) He is identified as “blessed” (v. 1)
(b) He is
Typically, we would simply say that this man is just happy.
The problem with this simplistic understanding is two-fold:
(i) We all know people who do not smoke, chew, and run with those who do.
(ii) This simplistic understanding does not do justice to the rest of the song.
(b) He [the blessed man] is identified as “righteous” (v. 5 - 6)
This changes everything.
This means that the “blessed” man is one who is in right standing with God.
This means not merely one who is happy, but he is one who is happy because his standing with the Lord is right.
Spurgeon said, “…we may learn the blessings which shall rest upon the man whom God hath justified…Here the gracious man is described...”
Illustration:
Is a duck a duck because it quacks or does the duck quack because it is a duck?
It is the case here that we often confuse this passage into thinking that somehow this man is blessed because of his great activity of refusing wicked counsel; but this is our mistake.
The truth is that because he is in right standing with God, this man will be one who lives this way.
We should learn first that this is a description of the “righteous man” before we learn it to be a behavior.
Application:
Thus, we should take a moment to see how we understand our lives.
Do we first understand the importance of being the right kind of person before we attempt to do the right kind of thing?
Transition:
The one who delights in the law of the Lord is positively identified as one who is in right standing with God.
He is described this way.
(2) A Clear Disposition [characteristic qualities of mind and character]: The one who delights in the law of the Lord does so because of who he is (v.
2)
“Delight” (ḥep̱ṣô) expresses all that makes the man of God happy.
The law is more than his delight; it is his chief desire.
VanGemeren, W. A. (1991).
Psalms.
In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.),
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (Vol.
5, p. 55).
Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.
(a) The contrast should be noted between ungodly counsel and the Torah
(b) The delighting is so real that it leads to practical meditation
Illustration:
For our dog at home, we have these treats that look like miniature steaks.
The other morning, I was trying to get our dog to obey, so we have trained him to where he goes to his bed, and then he receives one of these treats.
Part of the training is helping the dog hold his impulses and not try to eat the treat until he has obeyed.
Why do dogs act this way?
Why do they impulsively jump on you?
Why do dogs go to the kitchen when you are cooking?
Why do you eat the crumbs from around the table?
Dogs do what dogs do because they are dogs.
So it is here.
The blessed man delights in the law of the Lord because of who he is.
He is right with God, and in being right with God, the Lord has placed a new desire within him.
Application:
Are there practical measures, such as: scripture reading, prayer, meditation - in your life that prove the delight you have in the law of the Lord?
Illustration:
The other night we were with friends who made us a dessert that was absolutely tasty.
He is the way it went down:
(*) I took one bite, then a I went back for a second…I was so enjoying it that I went back for a third…and a fourth bite.
It should be of grave concern to you, if you are a Christian who has not delight or pleasure in the law of the Lord.
Either:
(*) you have a desire, but you have put no practical measures in place to ensure that the appetite is satisfied
To you, I would encourage that you be intentional with time that you have to satisfy that appetite daily, and throughout the day.
To you, I would encourage, that if you don’t know how to satisfy that craving, speak to one of the pastors who would show you how to study and delight in the Lord daily.
OR
(*) you have no desire, but you say that you are right with God.
The professing Christian who has no desire at all for the LORD or his Word is highly suspect.
Illustration:
There are certain foods that I have no desire to eat.
For example: I have not desire to eat “peanut soup” in Ghana.
I have not desire to eat dog food, cat food…These types of food repulse me.
What then do we say when someone says the are a believer, they have the Holy Spirit, but they have not desire for what the Holy Spirit has written?
Transition:
The one who delights in the law of the Lord is identified as one who is right with God.
Because he is truly right with God, he delights in the law of the Lord.
Thus, delighting in the law of the Lord is a divine work of God.
There is hope!
Thus, delighting in the law of the Lord is a divine work of God.
There is hope!
(3) A Clear Sanctification: Delighting in the law of the Lord describes a man in whom the LORD is working
(a) The very activity of this man shows his humility (he meditates in the law day and night)
(b) The very promise that he expects shows that he is at the mercy of the Giver of the promise (shall be like a tree…etc)
There are two phrases, I want to key in on for us this evening: (v. 3) whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
This man receives an eternal promise that his leaf will not whither, and whatever he does will prosper.
It is eternal because the rest of the song goes on to point out the judgment.
Illustration:
There’s this show called the Carbanaro Effect, and he does these magic tricks to people while they are being filmed.
On one episode, he his acting as a waiter and he brings out this chocolate lava type of cake.
As he cuts into it, the cake keeps oozing out chocolate, all over the table, and just would not stop....
This is the idea here that the leaf of this man, his prosperity will never end.
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