Psalm 119
Finding Life in the Psalms • Sermon • Submitted
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Intro:
Intro:
Hi Everyone! Welcome to Church - thanks for joining us!
… my Church Online family, I gotta take a brief moment to address our Church InPerson family, because they too are watching this video. I am currently at my son’s final regular season football game. It might be the last game I get to watch in-person, so our leadership team allowed me to be gone this morning. But though I’m not there, Jesus is there - and that’s what really matters!
Now, how do I know Jesus is there? And even with our Church Online family? Why is okay for you to be watching online instead of being in church?
Because God is omnipresent (He’s everywhere). He’s at the Riverfront Community Center. He’s in your homes. He’s even on the football field.
But also, I know Jesus is there because the Word of God is preached in our church. And...
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Jesus is the Word. And where the Word is, Jesus is.
…finally, God’s Word tells us that where God’s people are gathered, Jesus is there too. Jesus said...
For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
So, that’s why I’m confident God is going to move powerfully, even when me (the pastor) is not present. This is not about me. This is about Jesus. And He is there. And His Word is going to be preached today, amen?
Speaking of His Word, today in our “Finding Life in the Psalms” series, we are going to dive into Psalm 119, which is all about God’s Word. Now, we won’t be able to go through the entire psalm because, if you didn’t know, Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible - it’s 176 verses. But we will look at some key verses that’ll help us get the heart of the psalm.
…and a disclaimer before we start. You are going to be fed today. You’re going to get a lot of the Word today.
I am the Lord your God,
who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
If you will receive it, you will be full by the time you leave. But I promise you, you won’t just be full, you’ll be satisfied!
The other day, my friend Arthur came over to watch the Cowboys-Giants game. We won’t discuss the results of that game. But he had cooked this amazing brisket. If you’ve been around The River Church long enough, you know how much I love football. You know how much I love the New York Giants. This brisket was so good I didn’t even care that the Giants got stomped on. It was that type of food that once it hit your stomach, you were satisfied. But not just regular satisfied. Like that soul-level satisfied. Like - all is right with the world - satisfied. You know what I’m talking about? That’s the kind of satisfaction God offers you today through His word.
Let me also say this… if you know me, not only do you know I love football, but I also love God’s word (not on the same level - the Scriptures win by infinity). And at this church, we preach and value God’s word. In fact, one of our Core Values is, “We are committed to being guided by the truth of God’s Word.”
Some of you may be thinking, “Oh great, another sermon on how we need to read the Bible.” YES, it is! Why? Because - as we will discuss - it brings LIFE!
It’s sort like weight loss. Last week, at the 5th Anniversary, we showed a slideshow of the past 5 years. In some of those pics, I was a little fluffier. Someone may ask me, “How did you lose all that weight?” Guess what… it’s the simple answer that we all know: Diet and exercise.
There’s a simple spiritual answer for how to find LIFE too: Be full of God’s Word!
So, let’s get into it!
Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the Lord!
Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
who seek him with their whole heart,
1. God’s Word brings blessings.
1. God’s Word brings blessings.
This principle is confirmed throughout the entirety of the Bible. Towards the beginning...
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Here in the middle - in Psalm 119 - it talks about it. And at the end, it says...
Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.
…which speaks immediately to the words found in Revelation, but is also applicable to the entire Bible. But as nice as that sounds, what exactly does it mean to be “blessed?”
AW Tozer describes this well in his classic book The Pursuit of God. If you have not read this, it is a must read for every follower of Jesus. It’s a small book, but it should not be read quickly. It deserved to be mentally-chewed on.
But in this book, one thing Tozer writes about is that God’s original intention for us was for us to be blessed. In chapter 2, which is titled, “The Blessedness of Possessing Nothing,” he writes...
“Before the Lord God made man upon the earth, He first prepared for him a world of useful and pleasant things for his sustenance and delight [a world of blessings]. In the Genesis account of the creation these are simply “things.” They were made for man’s use, but they were meant always to be external to the man and subservient to him. In the deep heart of the man was a shrine where none but God was worthy to come. Within him was God; without, a thousand gifts which God had showered upon him.”
What does it mean to be blessed? It means to find LIFE as God originally intended it to be. It means to have every good and perfect gift, that exists in God’s created order, poured out upon your life from the Father in heaven. And it’s not just thrown out without care of where, or whom, it falls on. No, it’s given with love.
Christmas isn’t too far away. Don’t worry… I wont talk about it too much because we haven’t even gotten to Thanksgiving yet. But many of us give gifts on Christmas. And there are times when we give gifts to those we love and have spent a lot of time choosing just the right gift. We know who they are. We know what they need. We know what they like. And we choose a specific gift that will bless them. That’s how God pours out gifts too. He perfectly knows us. He perfectly loves us. And He pours out perfectly crafted, perfectly timed gifts. He blesses us. That’s what it means to be blessed. It’s personally experiencing life in the presence and love of God.
That’s what we are created for. We were created to be blessed! That’s why the church fathers of old wrote...
The chief end of man is to glorify God and ENJOY Him forever.
Did you know God wants us to enjoy life? Too many times we think of following Jesus, going to church, or living in the Kingdom of God as boring. Nothing could be farther from the truth!
Just think about this:
If God exists (which He does) and is the Creator of all things (which He is)...
Then, that means He created fun!
Therefore, fun is at its most and best form when it is sourced from, and experienced in, the God who made it.
God’s original intention for humans was a blessed life.
So, the question becomes: If God created us to be blessed, why are we not blessed? Why do we experience pain, suffering, anxiety, and even death?
AW Tozer goes on to say...
“But sin has introduced complications and has made those very gifts [the blessings] of God a potential source of ruin to the soul. Our woes began when God was forced out of His central shrine and things were allowed to enter. Within the human heart “things” have taken over. Men have now by nature no peace within their hearts, for God is crowned there no longer, but there in the moral dusk, stubborn and aggressive usurpers fight among themselves for the first place on the throne.”
Why are we not blessed? Why are we not experiencing LIFE the way God intended it to be? Because of sin! Because we have forced God - the Source of all blessing - off the throne of our heart. And that had damaging consequences...
The apostle Paul told the Romans...
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
The prophet Isaiah wrote...
but your iniquities have made a separation
between you and your God,
and your sins have hidden his face from you
so that he does not hear.
The problem is - the reason why we aren’t blessed - is sin. Sin separates us from God. And every time we willingly chose sin - chose to rebel against God - we are sent towards death and run away from blessing. What’s worse, we can’t choose a different destination. We were born with this deadly disease. It was passed to us from Adam and Eve. Romans 6 says..
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
God’s Word tells us we are trapped in our sin. But… there is hope. While we have no power to fight sin, God’s word also has power. It CAN change our direction. Although, by nature, we are trapped in darkness, God’s Word can be...
Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
And if we’ll follow it and walk down the path it shows us... we’ll experience blessings. And one reason why is because...
2. God’s Word purifies us.
2. God’s Word purifies us.
How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.
With my whole heart I seek you;
let me not wander from your commandments!
I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.
If sin separates us from God, His Word reunites us...
You see, when we hear God’s word, it begins to supernaturally change us. It begins to purify us. It starts cleansing our lives. Our heart changes as it’s exposed to God’s word. We start seeking God instead of sin.
It changes to our thinking...
Through your precepts I get understanding;
therefore I hate every false way.
As we taste God’s Word, our appetites change and we begin to hunger for it...
How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
And as we feed on it, it calls us to begin walking in God’s purposes...
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
And when we walk in God’s purposes, we begin to find LIFE as God intended it to be. Additionally...
3. God’s Word gives you strength.
3. God’s Word gives you strength.
How many of you need God’s strength today to get thru these exhausting times? On our own, we don’t have what it takes to make it...
My soul clings to the dust;
give me life according to your word!
On our own, we’re dying! But God’s Word infuses us with new LIFE.
This is my comfort in my affliction,
that your promise gives me life.
When before we were emotionally broken, we have hope that God’s Promise/Word will heal and comfort our heart. It’ll give us LIFE.
I am severely afflicted;
give me life, O Lord, according to your word!
When we even feel physically hurt, God’s Word gives us LIFE.
I will never forget your precepts,
for by them you have given me life.
When God’s Word becomes a regular part of our thinking (when we don’t forget it), our perspective changes. And when that happens, we’ll find LIFE. That’s because...
4. God’s Word gives you wisdom.
4. God’s Word gives you wisdom.
I have more understanding than all my teachers,
for your testimonies are my meditation.
As we think upon God’s Word, we get supernatural wisdom to process the world around us.
This world is crazy. There is so much going on. So much coming at us at one time. It’s hard to process it all, let alone process it correctly. And yet, this is so IMPORTANT because how we respond to circumstances dictates our quality of life.
I saw this posted from Life.Church recently...
“A negative outlook never leads to a positive life.”
While that’s not Scripture, it is biblical. Which is why, Paul wrote to the Philippians...
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
When God’s Word is in our mind, we see life the right way. As verse 99 says, “You will have greater wisdom than the wisest human teachers.” Why? Because you’ll have God’s wisdom.
I’ve heard it said recently, “When I operate from an empty soul, I make stupid decisions.” When we don’t fill our heart with God’s word, we will have an empty soul.
Therefore, we gotta be diligent to dig into it. To search it out...
I am a sojourner on the earth;
hide not your commandments from me!
On this journey called life, go find God’s word! And seek hard after it because it’s valuable! Be like the psalmist who said...
The law of your mouth is better to me
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
Make God’s Word a part of your life. A part of your family. A part of your heart!
Your testimonies are my heritage forever,
for they are the joy of my heart.
And here’s an easy suggestion on how to begin doing this: Fill your environment with worship music.
What do you listen to when you’re in the car? What noise fills the space of your home? Does it give life or produce death?
Your decrees have been the theme of my songs
wherever I have lived.
Music has the ability to significantly impact our heart. What we sing gets planted deep within us. For example, if I sung...
…shootin some b-ball outside of the school. When a couple of guys, who were up to no good, started makin trouble in my neighborhood, I got in one little fight and my mom got scared, and she said...
That’s right… You movin with your auntie and uncle in Bel Air.
How do you know that? Because of music! It planted those lyrics in your heart. Let’s try a little more spiritual example. Here are a couple of songs that we use at church. See if you can finish the line...
…even when I can’t see it You’re working, even when I can’t feel it You’re working…
What’s next? Did you say, “You never stop, You never stop working. You never stop, You never stop working?” How’d you know that? Music. But did you know it also planted Scriptural truth into your heart?
But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”
What about this song...
[Give me faith].... I may be weak, Your Spirit strong in me. My flesh...
What’s next? That’s right, “My flesh may fail. My God you never will.” Again, music planted that into our heart. And by listening to that, the Word is getting into you too...
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Here’s a challenge: This upcoming week, only play worship music in your home and cars. And I don’t want to hear, “Oh Christian music is boring.” That’s just an excuse. Honestly… that’s probably sin trying to get you to run from God’s Word.
Look… there is so much good, positive, Spirit-filled music out there right now. Like I grew up in the hood. Not Glastonbury. I also grew up listening to all hip-hop music during the 80s, 90s, and 2000s - when hip-hop was at it’s best. And I didn’t just listen to radio rap, but underground hip-hop too. I mention this because despite being a pastor, I know good hip-hop music. And there are Christian hip-hop artists that produce good stuff. Why? Not because a bunch of church kids learned to rhyme. But because God’s Word radically transformed people in the hip-hop world so He could use them for His glory.
And this is true for all types of music genres. If you need help finding some good stuff, I’m sure Jon (our worship leader) will be happy to help you. Hit him up.
We gotta fill our spaces with God’s Word. We must do whatever it takes to get God’s Word into us, because...
God’s word brings blessings.
God’s word purifies us.
God’s word strengthens us.
And, God’s word gives us wisdom.
Response:
Response:
As we close, how can we respond to God’s Word? Because hearing God’s word isn’t enough...
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
We must respond. If you’re ready to find life today, what we’re really talking about… what Psalm 119 is really pointing us to… is following Jesus, who is God’s Word.
As Ps 119:31 says, “I cling to your testimonies/Word...”, we need to cling to Jesus.
As Ps 119:23 says, “My eyes long for your salvation and for the fulfillment of your righteous promise/Word,” Jesus is that salvation and the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promises.
If you’re ready to find LIFE this morning, follow to Jesus, listen to Jesus, and surrender to Jesus as LORD. Anyone who turns from their sin and puts their faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior (because of what He did on the Cross), will find life. If you need to do that today, don’t wait. In fact, let’s all pray this together...
Father, our sin has separated us from You. You created us to be blessed, but we have chosen to rebel instead. Forgive us. And thank you for Jesus, who died on the Cross so that we can be forgiven. Thank you that because He rose from the dead, we have HOPE that we too can have NEW LIFE. And we know the path towards LIFE involves following Your Word. Helps us to live according to Your Word today. In Jesus name, amen.
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