Psalm 119:57-64

Introduction: There is a constant cry in churches today for relevance. Churches will bring in cars on the platform for illustration purposes. Pastors will enter the platform by zip-line. I recently saw a church have expressive dance with Stormtroopers from Star Wars.

There is also the departure from expositional teaching (verse by verse, book by book) to preaching primarily topical, and sometimes even a theme which is then applied to certain passages of the Bible.

All of these make a vital flaw in regards to the Christian life and worship: a failure to rightly view God’s Word. provides a perfectly example of the need for our day. In Paul’s day, people were already turning from the truth. They did not want to hear biblical teaching and see biblical living. What was Paul’s advice? That is, what does the Holy Spirit tell him (and by extension us) to do? Preach the Word. The Word of God is the means by which people are saved (), by which they grow (), and by which transformation of the believer takes place ().

One of the difficulties, however, is that sometimes it is hard to see the relevancy of Scripture. How can we apply passages like where there is mention of washing feet? Or, how can we apply some of the sacrificial passages from the book of Leviticus?

While there are passages that are difficult to apply, the Bible as a whole is extremely applicable, or relevant. shows how relevant the Scriptures are, and it does so in four ways.

I. THE PERSONAL APPROACH TO GOD’S WORD-

One of the most beautiful aspects of God’s Word is the personal approach to it. How do we know that the LORD is our portion? From the Bible! And because the psalmist knows that God is his portion, he promises to keep God’s Word.

For the psalmist, he bases his desire to keep God’s Word in his relationship with God. That is, its personal. To give an example of this, I am a Dallas Stars fan. But if I had a son who played for the Stars, then I would have a personal investment. It would be personal. In a greater way, God has a personal investment in His children, and therefore our keeping His Word is logical and biblical. There is a personal approach to God’s Word.

Additionally, however, there is mention of God’s promise. The psalmist prays with his entire heart that God would be gracious to him according to God’s promises. Going to the New Testament, we see the promise that God will be with us in our afflictions (). That is a promise. But as of yet, it is out there, far from our own personal lives. But God’s Word is personal. We can then take that promise and fix it on our own battles with afflictions. Entreat the LORD with all your heart and then find the graciousness of God through His promises. Apply them to your situation, as it is biblically fit to do so (Phil. 4:13).

II. THE PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF GOD’S WORD-

While God’s Word presents a personableness that is as sweet as cherry cream cheese pie to the believer, it is also practical. It has value for Monday morning, for Thursday evening, and for Saturdays. It is practical, in that it can and does change our lives.

Let’s look at verse 59. Here the psalmist does some soul searching. He is self-introspective. He looks and considers his life. What do his actions reveal about his heart? This self introspection, combined with God’s Word, provides an impetus for change. His thoughts of his own ways produced change.

Think of a puzzle. When we assemble puzzles, we typically have the box present for reference. We put pieces together and then check it with the box. Or, if we are copying a verse we go back and forth to ensure accuracy in copying. We go from our work to the original. Likewise, the psalmist, and we included, go back from our lives to God’s Word and adjust accordingly.

Notice how quickly the changes come as well. The practical application of God’s Word demands immediate action. He gets to work right away. As God reveals truths to us we must react with speed. Like the oil warning lights on our cars, we must change the oil immediately. A failure to do so could damage the car beyond repair. Likewise, in a terrifying way, if we fail to act upon revelation received and understood, we risk spiritual trouble. This is the idea that the author of Hebrews was giving to the Jewish people who were unsure whether or not to follow Jesus as Messiah in .

God’s Word has a personal approach in that you and I can understand it within our contexts and lives. It also has a practical application that, as we examine our lives in connection with God’s Word, we must act on the truth revealed.

III. THE PROTECTIVE ASPECT OF GOD’S WORD-

The third way God’s Word describes its own relevancy is how it protects the believer. That is, there is a protective aspect of God’s Word. We see four ways in which this protectiveness is described: with the wicked, with the individual, with the congregation, and finally with the entire earth.

This theme of protection against the attacks and blasphemies of the wicked is frequently displayed in . However, we must point out the centrality of the Word of God when discussing battles with the wicked. At this point in history, people would actively kill one another. So, the danger was physical. However, there was also a spiritual danger, as these people rejected the truth of God’s Word. In our present day, particularly in our context of the US, we do not fear physical persecution. We do, however, battle spiritual persecution. We face it in our families, our community, in the nation, and in media and popular culture. God’s Word protects us because it reminds us who is in charge. Take, for example, , “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he wills.” Is President Trump in charge? Was Adolf Hitler ruling without reins? Did Nero wield unhindered power? The biblical answer, or the answer from the law, as the Psalmist states, is no. God is in charge. And this protects us from discouragement and despair. God’s Word protects us against the wicked.

God’s Word also protects us from ourselves. The psalmist mentions rising to praise God at midnight. If we took the time tonight to look at passages describing the actions of the wicked, we would find that many times it is in connection with the darkness. describes the young man who lacked sense going out at twilight. However, the protective aspect of God’s Word offers the psalmist reasons to praise God: His Word. We learned in that he was storing up God’s Word to avoid sinning, and we see how this plays out in the psalmist’s own life. It protects him during those times we are prone to temptation.

There is a third aspect of protection found among the many, that is, the congregation of those who fear God. God’s Word protects us from horrible friendships, not humanly speaking but spiritually speaking. There are people whom we cannot have fellowship because of their unbiblical views. While we do not hate them, we must nevertheless separate from them, at least in the sense of gathering intimate fellowship from them.

God’s Word is personal, it is practical, it is protective, and at last we see that it is praise-inducing.

IV.

The final area of protection, if you will, is the earth. The psalmist realizes that the entire earth is full of God’s lovingkindness, or steadfast love. As we are thinking in terms of protection, we must realize that the entire earth is under God’s lovingkindness. We can see his common grace evidenced in many ways (doctors, fields of learning, etc.) to God’s blessings of family and life. The psalmist recognized that God’s blessings, including His protection and guidance, were not bound to the promise land.