Have thine own way Lord

HAVE THINE OWN WAY LORD

Psalm 139

INTRODUCTION-

Every time we gather together, we sing hymns.

1. For most of us it is our time to praise God, some use it as a time to get our mind calm and ready for the upcoming sermon or lesson and still others it is simply an opportunity to express our joy in His love.

· None of those reasons are wrong!

· How often do we ask ourselves where these hymns come from or what inspired them?

2. We should know where our hymns come from:

· So that we can better understand what we are singing.

· Also, if it was inspired by scripture and all scripture is inspired by God.

· Then we are given opportunities to better understand the scripture that has been given to us.

Most hymns are based on scripture out of the Book of Psalms. Most of us even quote scripture from Psalms, but how many of us take advantage of the wealth of knowledge and experience that is poured into them? Today, we are going to be looking at the “root scripture” for one of my favorite hymns, “Have Thine Own Way Lord.” My hope is that we may gain a deeper understanding of this beautiful song and the even more beautiful scripture that inspired it.

I. Reflecting on God

A. We all need to reflect on His Wisdom (v.1-6)

1. First, realize how great is the wisdom of our God. (Isa. 55:8; Rom. 11:33)

2. Second, realize how little we really know. (Job 38:4)

3. Lastly, realize how much we need Godly wisdom. (Prov. 8:11-12; James 1:5; Col. 3:16)

B. We all need to reflect on His Presence (v. 7-12)

1. First, we need to realize that God’s intention has always been for us to be in His presence. (Gn. 3:8)

a) God took His presence away until a Tabernacle was built, so that He could control how we approach Him. (Ex. 25:8; 33:14)

2. Secondly, we need to realize that God restored us to Him, not the other way around. (Jn 1:14; Hebrew 10:19-22)

3. Lastly, we need to realize that even now God has provided a way for His presence to dwell within us individually. (2 Chron. 7:14; 1 Cor. 3:16)

C. We all need to reflect on His Love (v.13-18)

1. First, we need to realize that God loved us first. (1 Jn. 4:19)

2. Secondly, we need to realize that God has always loved us. (Jer. 31:3)

3. Lastly, we need to realize that will love us forever. (Psalm 136:26)

II. Responding to God

A. We all must respond against what God has taught was wrong with the world. (v. 19-20)

1. First, we must be able to use spiritual discernment. (1 Jn. 4:1)

2. Secondly, we must rid ourselves of the world. (Hebrew 12:1; Romans 13:14)

3. Lastly, we must guard ourselves against the world. (1 Tim. 6:20-21; 1 Cor. 10:13)

B. We all must respond by taking a stand for what is right (v. 21-22)

1. First, we must choose a side. (Matt. 6:24; 1 Cor. 15:33)

2. Secondly, we must be firm in our stance. (Eph. 4:14; James 4:17)

3. Lastly, we must hate what God hates. (Gal. 5:16; Eph. 5:11)

C. We all must have a heart willing to be led by God (v. 23-24)

1. First, we must accept God’s love. (1 Jn 4:16)

2. Second, we must love God in return.

3. Lastly, we must live our lives as an expression of a heart led by God. (Proverbs 4:20-23; Proverbs 23:26; Col. 3:1-2)

CONCLUSION- Today, we have reflecting on who God is and on what that means for us, though the purpose of this lesson is to let that reflection inspire a Godly response in our lives.

· I want to leave you with something to ponder. (1 Chronicles 22:19)

o WE HAVE TO HAVE A MIND DEVOTED TO GOD.

o WE HAVE TO HAVE A HEART PREPARED FOR GOD.

o WE HAVE TO HAVE A LIFE LED BY GOD.

Its amazing to sing our hymns, to quote the Psalms, but from today forward I sincerely hope that we make time to look at the Psalms as more than an ancient hymn. They are the divine inspired words of God.