Worth Its Weight in Gold

Introduction

Good morning church! I’m excited to be with you this morning. Chances are, you decided to come today because you desire something from God. Maybe this week has been full of uncertainties which have caught you off guard. And now, you are simply seeking to cling to something greater than what this world can offer. I’m here to let you know right up front that you are in the right place!

Today, as we open God’s word together, we are beginning a brand new series called “Fool’s Gold.” You may be asking yourself, “Why is that the title of the series?” Good question. In short, we felt the need to call this series “Fool’s Gold” because our world offers us enticing counterfeit wisdom. Wisdom is something the Bible talks a lot about. It’s something few in our world have, and many are seeking tirelessly to find.

But where does gold come into play?

For much of human history, gold has been the standard for determining worth or value. Gold is difficult to locate and even more difficult to extract from the earth. Because of this, it is extremely valuable. The Bible tells us there is something even more valuable than a precious metal or a costly jewel. The thing that people should be valuing is wisdom.

Our culture is bankrupt in wisdom. The world offers us counterfeit wisdom in every aspect of our lives. It’s time we dig deeper and find the wisdom offered to us by God Himself. It’s time we stop falling for “Fool’s Gold” and demand the real thing! So that’s what we are going to do. That is why we’re here today. And before we dive into our text for the morning, let’s pray together.

PRAY

Main Teaching

If you have a Bible, or a Bible app on your phone, I want you to turn with me to the middle of your Bible, to the book of Psalms. Today we are looking at a few verses from Psalm 19 -- one of the Psalms that King David wrote. He’s writing in great reverence for God, and here’s what he says starting in verse 9…

Read Psalm 19:9-11

Psalm 19:9–11 ESV

the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

David says a lot in these three verses. He seems to highlight both reverence for the Lord and the Law of the Lord as pure and true, noting that they are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. I want us to talk about what these two things are, why they are important, and ultimately figure out why we need to participate in them. So first, let’s talk a little bit about reverence for the Lord.

Reverence for the Lord

STORY: Meeting famous preachers across the united states at the national preaching summit and Ozark Preaching Convention such as Jeff Walling, Bob Russell, Kyle Idleman and his father, Ken Idleman. These spiritual giants was encouraging and an incredible experience. After the final session I spoke to Ken and had a conversation about ministry. His personal conversation with me spoke volumes about their love for the preacher and their investment to us.

In this instance, I was stunned to be this close. But, at its core, I had a deep respect for this person. Maybe you have had a similar encounter. You went to an NFL game and got to see Matthew Stafford play live. Or you went to a Garth Brooks concert with your family and took about 10,000 pictures. Whatever it was in your life, chances are you got the chance to see someone up close whom you respect. They have impacted your life in some form or fashion. You keep up with them and watch them from afar.

This concept of having a deep respect for someone is what reverence looks like. But when it comes to God, our reverence is meant to be taken to a whole new level. David says that reverence for God is pure and lasts forever. But why do we have reverence for God? Because of what He did for us.

Since the beginning of time, God’s been at work because He truly loves His people (that’s you and me). In fact, the Bible makes it clear that He loved us so much, He was willing to send His one and only Son (Jesus) to this very earth to live a perfect life, die a brutal death, and three days later be resurrected from the grave. Why did He do all of that? So we could have a personal connection with Him, even amidst our sin and the ways we fall short. This is why we can have reverence toward God.

But often, like our series says, many things try to take the place of our reverence for God. We sometimes fall into the trap of worshiping what the Bible defines as “idols.” Maybe this is someone famous you want to be just like. Or maybe it is the idea of getting super rich in life so you can have as many material possessions as possible. Regardless, we all have a temptation to worship something. But God makes it clear: choosing to worship Him will ultimately be the greater choice. These other things may promise us temporary satisfaction, but only God offers eternal satisfaction.

Paul even talks about this in the New Testament. In 2 Corinthians 4:18, he says…

Read 2 Corinthians 4:18

2 Corinthians 4:18 ESV

as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

I am convinced if we were to look hard enough, we would be able to find a counterfeit version of pretty much everything God offers us. None of which compares to the real thing! This is why David says that reverence for God is “pure.” Because the world offers us the opportunity to give reverence to many different things and people, all of which are not ultimately pure. When we choose to look through the lens of God Himself, that’s when we find true purity.

But David doesn’t seem to only be focused on where we give reverence (what we give out), but also what we take in. He says the Truth we can find in this world is God’s word.

God’s Word is Truth

And church, if there is one thing being counterfeit right now in our world, it’s this. The truth is meant to provide us with wisdom and direction, (as we said, this is the goal of this series). Later in this series, we are going to look more closely at how this happens. But before we get there, I don’t want us to miss this point. Jesus Himself says so plainly in John 17 what the truth is in our world.

Read John 17:17

John 17:7 ESV

Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you.

So, if God’s word is the truth, why do so many people want nothing to do with it, and instead find their truth elsewhere? I believe it is because the word of God has a tendency to convict and contradict one’s sinful lifestyle.

STORY: The word of God recently convicted me that I am to treat everyone with kindness and love. Jesus says on the sermon on the mount in Matthew 6, “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?” And I thought how often do I go out of my way to even smile at strangers and wave at passing cars? Not as much as I should, people should know me as someone who loves all people without exception.

When the Holy Spirit convicts you of your sin it rocks your world. It doesn’t feel great when it happens. It may frustrate you. But then comes the time for a decision. And this is the moment when many walk away from God. In those moments of conviction, will you choose to make changes based on what God points out? Or, will you turn the other way and keep living your life as you have been? If you are here today, you are searching for true wisdom and direction for your life. There’s only one place it can be found.

God opened the door for you to come into this space, whether physically or virtually. Now is the time for you to accept it as the truth.

David makes it clear in this Psalm that finding the truth, reading the truth, understanding the truth, and living by the truth are more desirable than gold. And, if we choose to live by the truth, the Bible says that the truth will set us free.

Read John 8:32

John 8:32 ESV

and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

David closes this passage in Psalm 19 by telling us what else is in store for those who decide to live by the truth and give reverence to God. He says there is a great reward for those who choose to obey. (Psalm 19:11)

The great reward is not just in the future

Now, here’s the wild thing. The New Testament talks a little bit about a reward to come. For instance, here’s what Jesus Himself says in Matthew 5:12.

Read Matthew 5:12

Matthew 5:12 ESV

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

There are many instances like this where we read about a reward in heaven based on our faithfulness to God here on earth. However, the reward David is speaking of seems to be a present one. Because he knows those who choose to revere and follow God now will reap the benefits of it now. They are not counterfeit things, but the real deal.

If you choose to learn about wisdom in God’s word now, as we will do in this series, you will benefit from growing in wisdom now. If you choose to seek direction from God now, the Bible says that He will direct your steps now. We serve a God who is not just focused on our “one day,” but is also focused on our “right now.” Jesus said in John 10:10:

Read John 10:10

John 10:10 ESV

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Jesus came to give us life. Not just eternal life for the future, but also abundant life for the present. And church, I am here to let you know from personal experience, that the way to experience abundant life is to revere the Lord. It’s to learn what is inside His Word. It’s time to worship Him with everything you’ve got, not settling for what’s counterfeit, but seeking after and desiring the real thing.

Conclusion

I want to invite you, as we close, to take some sort of step in your faith today. Maybe for you, today is the day you take the first step, a step of faith declaring that you want to follow Jesus Christ personally. Maybe for you, your step forward requires you to recognize your tendency to chase after counterfeit things in our world, and today is the day you stop chasing after counterfeit gods, and you pursue the real thing.

Maybe for you, your step is bowing in reverence, or simply opening God’s word for the first time in a long time.

Either way, I want to invite you to do that now.

Take a step of faith today.

Even a small step of faith can produce immeasurable fruit in the future.

Please trust me when I say, our God is worth everything we could possibly give Him.