Sunday Service

The Lord is my portion. I have promised to keep your words. I have sought your favor with all my heart. Be gracious to me, according to your promise, I thought about my ways and turned my steps back to your decrees. I hurry not hesitating to keep your commands, though. The ropes of the wicked were wrapped around me. I did not forget your instruction. I rise at midnight to Thank You for Your Righteous judgments. Name a friend to all, who fear you to those who keep your precepts. Lord, the Earth is filled or filled with your faithful love. Teach me your statutes.

Cuckoo in and pray. Thank you, Lord. Thank you for your sacrifice. That is your son.

Thank you for putting it up on us the looking ourselves. And find you. Thank you for always watching over us. And thank you for keeping us going. Lord, open our minds and allow us to receive your work. So we prayed you in Jesus name. Amen. Amen.

Thank you, Tim.

So here we are in Psalm 119 as we continue on through the Hebrew, alphabet of this wonderful song. We are now to the to the letter F as as the psalmist is, is bringing us the beautiful word of God and and just focusing on the word of God. And I'm one thing that we did a little bit this last week in our spiritual disciplines meeting Wednesday night, as the chapter was about Bible memorization and Bible meditation, we have already provided you a list of. I think 16 or 17 ways on how to meditate on the word of God daily and in some ways to help you that that Donald Whitney has put in that book. And and now, if you look back there, there's there's a little card with some verses that I'm going to challenge all of us to memorize that first. Is Psalm a Psalm 119. And see, I haven't even done it yet. I've already forgotten which one it is, but it is, that's the hide the word in your heart, right? So that I may not sin against you. And then there's also a verse for Ichi as, as we focus on exalting God, evangelizing, the gospel, and equipping, other believers. There's a verse for us to memorize there and those are on that table as you walk in the door. And so, that's the challenge for us as we continue to dive into the word. And as we see this psalmist right about the word and his love for the word and his commitment to the word. That's what I want for all of us, right? I want all of us to be able to say these things to read these things. Believe these things and live these things that we're seeing all throughout this song as we journey through Psalm 119, Today or going to looking again through vs 57 and 64 + and pretty simple. As as I've named it repent and Obey. And I think it's very clear In this passage that that are key ideas through God's grace and love his word. Brings repentance, obedience and dependence. And I and some of those things, right. All three of those things can be really, really hard to repent, to turn away, from our Wicked Ways to, to Old Bay the word. As we see this psalmist strive to obey every word of the law, right? We must remember what he had, as the law was the first five books, which for us seems really complicated and sometimes it and really boring to read sometimes, but that's what he had. And that's what he wanted to devote himself to and to obey. And sometimes obedience can be really hard and then even dependents can be really hard, right? We, we want to be independent, right? That's Our whole country is built on Independence. Right. But it's a little different, right? But but we God's word will show us how we are to be dependent upon him. And it's only through his grace and love that we are given his word and and can see these things that through God's grace and love his word, brings repentance, obedience and dependence. And so right away, we we see in verse 57, either the song straight to the Lord is my portion. Right there in the first half. The Lord is my portion writing. As we we know what that word portion means, right? We we seen it. We've seen portion cups, right? And Portion sizes, and, and, and those things, but, but it's not just to, to fill up to that portion size, which is part of it, right? We want the Lord to fill us up, but the psalmist. Again, the psalmist what he has in the word is the law. And if we look back in the law, we see, This word portion used it in an amazing way. Right? As we look back after The Exodus and now the Israelites have entered into the promised land. We can see numbers 18 verse 20. The Lord told Aaron, Aaron, who is head of the priests, right? So so the priests that all the tribes are getting all of this promised land. Now, he tells Aaron you will not have an inheritance in their land and you will not get part of the land, you will not have land as part of your inheritance from the Lord. There will be no portion among them for you. The Lord goes on to tell Aaron. I am your portion and your inheritance among the Israelites. So, when we think about that, we see these tribes getting this land, and getting this wonderful place to, to raise their families, to build their cities, to the farm, and into, to raise their herds, in their flocks. And then, he tells Aaron and his line, you don't get any of that. Why? Cuz you are getting the greatest blessing, I the Lord. Am your portion and your inheritance? Aaron you are the high priest. You are the beginning of the priesthood and you don't need land. You don't need physical properties. You have me. Rights of the psalmist is pointing back to that the Lord you are my portion. Lord, you are all that I need. I want you to be my inheritance. I want you to fill me up, I don't need anything in this physical world. Lord, you are what I need. You are my portion, and again, Deuteronomy 10 verses 8 and 9. At that time, the Lord set apart, the tribe of Levi, to carry the Ark of the Lord's, Covenant to stand before the Lord to serve him and to pronounce blessings in his name as it is today. For this reason because the Levites are serving God day in and day out doing the holy things. God has commanded for this reason, Levi does not have a portion or inheritance like his brothers, like the other tribes. The Lord is his inheritance as the Lord, your God told him. Again, there's there's the promise of the Lord becoming the portion, The Inheritance the Fulfillment that they need, right? And that's not just an isolated thing in Scripture that we see here in Psalm 119 or or the Levites and Aaron, I was seeing psalm 16 verse 5, Lord, you are my portion and my cup of blessing, you hold my future. Psalm 73 verse 26. My Flesh and my heart May Fail but God is the strength of my heart. My portion forever, right? So there again to the songs to sing in the 73, I will fail my heart and my flesh will fail. Everything about me is going to fail. You Lord. But you are my strength. And my portion forever, right? What a great promise, right? That the Lord will be our portion forever. There's nothing else that we need, right? That's why Paul can write in the New Testament, do not be anxious about anything. That's why Jesus can teach Tuesday seiples. If the sparrows have something to eat and if the flowers are closed, so beautifully, how not will the Lord take care of you, right, there's no worry why? Because the Lord is our portion, he is our supplier, he is the one who will provide He is our portion and right in, this isn't just an Old Testament. Thing Colossians chapter 2, verses 9, and 10, for the entire fullness of God's nature, dwells bodily in Christ. So Hear Jesus is God. The entire fullness of God's nature. Dwells bodily in Christ verse 10 and you have been filled by him. Who is the head over every ruler and Authority, right? So there is just a small part of Colossians that tells us you are filled by Christ. Who is God, he is filled you, he is our portion And then again, in Colossians chapter 3, verse for when Christ, who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him and Glory. That who is your life that the portion, right? That, that we are filled now is Christ. He is our life, he is everything we need, he's everything we want, he's everything we desire. Christ is our life. He is our portion. The Lord is my portion cries. The psalmist he knows where he needs to go. T'god. Because I have promised to keep your words. We've seen that, we've seen that promise, we've seen that desire from the psalmist in the past weeks have gone, who's he wants to obey. He wants to keep keep the words and he has promised to do so. Why? Because he is filled with God. The Lord is my portion, there's nothing I want or need. But God so I promise to keep your words. Write, this is not a okay. If I keep your words, then I'll be blessed. No, I have been blessed. So now I promise to keep your words or because I have experienced your love, I will Now obey Right God, X first. And then we going to follow suit and and Obey. And even promised to obey which Jesus tell his disciples, this very thing John 14:15 if you love me. You will keep my commands. Heidi's almost, it is is saying that right now. I love you. Lord, you are my portion. I promise to keep your word, I promise to obey

and I have sought your favor with all my heart and be gracious to me, according to your promise verse 58. Right. So so now he is, he is seeking God. He wants to please God with all of his heart with all of his being with everything that he does. Right exalt, we want to praise God and give him the glory and everything that we do this song, most is seeking to do that. I want your favor. I want to be in your family. I want to be called your son with all my heart. And he cries be gracious to me. According To your promise, right? And we've seen that promise, before last week week, we noticed that that there was a promise that is giving him life that we don't necessarily know what that exact promise he's mentioning is what we know from the Old Testament, is Promised Messiah that is coming. This promised salvation be gracious to me, according to your promise, why do we need Grace? Because we're Sinners even though he will promise to keep his words. I guarantee you, this almost is going to fail.

Romans chapter 11. We read it earlier today. Oh the depth of the riches and the wisdom in the knowledge of God how unsearchable his judgments and untraceable his ways for who has known the mind of the Lord or who has been his counselor. Verse 35 and who has ever given to God that he should be repaid.

We haven't given to God. And God owes us nothing. That's what part was saying here, God owes us nothing but in his grace he has given us what we do not Deserve that's Grace, right? A gift that we don't deserve the definition of Grace, be gracious, to me. This almost cried be gracious to me, according to your promise that is coming forth from him and through him, and to him, Paul continues are all things to him, be the glory forever. Amen.

Wright's. That's almost as I've sought your favor with all my heart, be gracious to me. According to promise, give me what. I don't deserve, according to your promise, this salvation of the Messiah Lord. Let me see this. Let me know this. Yeah, I don't deserve it.

Verse 59 and 60. I thought about my ways and turn my steps back to your decrees. I hurried not hesitating to keep your commands. If you write in your bibles if you marking your Bibles, this is where you write repentance. That is this literally What's Happening Here? The psalmist thought about his waist, thought about the things he had done thought about his life. And what did he say? And I turned my steps back to your decrees. I repented, I turned away from my ways and to your decrees, right. We've talked about it. I've paced these steps many times talking about repentance, right? That the turning away from our evil ways. And to God, that's exactly what the psalmist is doing here right now. I hear you saying I thought about what I've done and it was evil. I need to get back to your word to obeying your word, to doing what you have commanded.

Matthew chapter 3, verses 1 and 2 says, in those days, John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying Repent, because the Kingdom of Heaven has come near. Matthew 417 from then on Jesus began to preach repent because the Kingdom of Heaven has come near Mark 1:15. The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God has come near repent and believe the good news. That's just the beginning of the Gospels. Look at verse 60. I hurried not hesitating to keep your commands.

Church, the time to repent. Is now.

Now, you got it.

There is no no command and scripture that says, just hold on. When it comes to repentance, just just think a little more. The only command we have is I hurried not hesitating to keep your commands. The time to repent is now why? Because the Kingdom of Heaven is come near John. The Baptist says it Jesus says it

Why must we repent? Luke chapter 13.

Verse 5 says no, I tell you but unless you repent you will all perish as well. Jesus tells them unless you repent you will perish the time to repent is now. We saw in Acts chapter 3 this morning from Tyler's, he read therefore repent and turn back so that your sins may be wiped out.

Why do we repent? So our sins will be wiped out. So then we turn to God. And, and we, we hurry, and we see to his decrees, to his commands, to his way of life, because it's righteous, it's good, it's perfect.

Finally Acts chapter 26, the Apostle Paul says, instead I preach to those in Damascus first and to those in Jerusalem and all the region of Judea and to the Gentiles that they should repent and turn to God. And do Works. Worthy of repentance, repentance is found all throughout the Bible. We see it here right here playing as clear as day. I thought about my ways and I turn my steps back to your decrees and he did so hastily hurried. No hesitation To keep the Lord's commands. Do not sin against God. Repentance is the first step in Salvation.

Repent. The kingdom is near repent, so that your sins may be wiped out. We must turn away from our evil ways, right now. And turn to God's commands, turn to God and his word and promise is, the psalmist is done to keep his words.

verse 61 do the ropes of the wicked were wrapped around me.

I did not forget your instruction. Do I not have her 61 in there Sam? I'm sorry.

Do the ropes of the wicked were wrapped around me. I did not forget your truck if you remember last week we saw. The psalmist was was in trouble. Was in suffering, was was afraid of. His enemies was was fearing, but was finding his comfort in God. Right? He found his hope his comfort and his life in God even though his enemies were on top of him. Now we see if we're 61 that the ropes of the wicked were wrapped around him and it didn't matter. Cuz he did not forget the Lord's instruction. The word was always on his heart and his mind, right? And all I can think about is most of acts, right? We we see Peter and John thrown into jail for preaching. The word of God Bound in chains by the enemy. And what did they do? They continue to sing. They continued to preach. They said we will not stop preaching the name of Jesus. We see Paul how many times thrown into jail thrown out of town to be stoned because he's preaching the word and he will not stop. The psalmist will not stop. I do not forget your instruction. It is always on my heart and my mind, no matter what situation I am in even in the grasp of the wicked. I will obey your word. It doesn't matter what they tell me, I should be doing or shouldn't be doing. I will obey your commands. Lord, your instructions.

462, I rise at midnight to Thank You for Your Righteous judgments.

So, when we look at this week, we might think, oh, okay. Yep, if we wake up in the middle of the night, We should just thank God, this Rising is not an accidental Rising the psalmist Rises at midnight, intentionally to thank God for his righteous judgments. He is willing to wake up in the middle of the night to thank God. Why? Because he's God and he can. So he will get up in the middle of the night and praised his Lord for his righteous judgments. That the wicked will get what they deserve in the righteous will get what they deserve yet through his grace. Some of the wicked won't get what they deserve. As he's already mentioned, be gracious to me. Lord.

He will rise and get up with intention to thank God for his word, his righteous judgments. And I am a friend to all who fear you to those who keep your precepts.

This is one of my favorite verses in on this whole passage. Right? Because here we are.

I am a friend to all who fear you. I'm a friend to those who Revere you Lord. Who honor you, who Praise You, Who give you glory, who realize you are, worthy of the glory, who realize who you are, God, that you are The Sovereign one. And that it is, you're choosing of what happens. God, I am a friend to all those who fear you to those who keep your precepts. We need each other. The psalmist has friends. Who know the word of God who follow the word of God. And he says, I am their friend. I have a friend to those We need each other.

Hebrews chapter 10. Starting in verse 32. the author writes, remember the earlier days when after you have been enlightened you endure the hard struggle with sufferings I've been here long enough. But I know most of us in here. I've been there. We've seen those struggles, we have been suffering, sometimes, you were publicly exposed to taunts and afflictions. I sometimes it was public and at other times. You were Companions of those who were treated that way. Were you sympathized with the prisoners and accepted with joy? The confiscation confiscation of your possessions because you don't know that you yourselves, have a better and enduring possession. So don't throw away your confidence, which has a great reward for you need endurance. So that after you've done God's will, you may receive what was promised for yet in a very little while the coming one will come and not delay, but my righteous want to live by faith and if he draws back, I have no pleasure in him. But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and are saved. We, he says, but we are not those who fall back. We are the ones, right? And inverse 33, sometimes you were publicly suffering, sometimes you saw that hurt and you were exposed to Taunton afflictions and other times it wasn't you but you were the companions of those treated that way.

I've seen this church do exactly those things. Come alongside each other in our hearts and our sufferings when things aren't going the way we want them to go. We've come alongside each other, we prayed with each other and we've hugged each other. We've cried with each other. We were friends with each other. Because we are the ones who fear the lord. We're the ones who keep. God's precepts. We know that writes a friendship with followers is very important and very biblical. We need each other. I need the writer of Hebrews, says it sometimes at the public and sometimes you are just a friend of the one getting publicly shamed. And we're here for each other. Just as the psalmist, has these friends who fear God and those who keep God's precepts and we're here to keep each other in those precepts when we are suffering, when we would do want to fall back when we don't want to trust God, when we want to curse God, may we come to each other's Aid.

Right? Because all scripture is god-breathed and useful for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting. And for training in righteousness, may we come to each other with the word. To help us grow to be more like, Jesus Christ.

And finally versus 64 he says Lord, the Earth is filled with your faithful love. Teach me your statutes. Everything points to God. All the Earth is filled with God's faithful love. It's never ending. It's always faithful. And, because of love, we can plead with God for him to teach us his ways.

I did the psalmist. He wants to know, and understand and Obey. He wants to be hot this right? In the end. This phrase, teach me It may not always end with your statutes but it may be your instructions. Would teach me we've. We've heard that at least four times in Psalm 119. So far that the song is, please teach me your statutes, right? He knows he can't do this on his own, he needs God. And he knows that the Lord, because the Earth is filled with his faithful love through that. Faithful love, he will be taught those things when he speaks the Lord after after 26, after the Lord of this whole heart. Lord, teach me your ways, he knows in God's grace and love as he's already mentioned in this psalm. He will be taught by the Lord. He gets in the word, he will see just as he has promised to keep his words, he knows and God's grace, that, that can happen. Right through God's grace and love, right? Be gracious to me, Lord, the Earth is filled with your faithful love. It will bring repentance right when we examine ourselves, and when we're looking at the word of God, we have no choice, but to realize we're sinners. Write a table. Bring repentance. It will bring obedience. Write it because God has loved us so much. We want to follow him. We want to obey him and finally it'll bring dependents Lord. You are my portion. Teach me your statutes. I cannot do this on my own. Lord, I need you to fill me to comfort me to teach me to help me obey.

so now, as we as we look at the application, right in, We're just going to ask ourselves some questions. And clearly, the first one I want us to ask ourselves as have I repented of my sin. As I mentioned, this is the first step is so that we can repent and turn back so that our sins may be wiped out.

That we should repent and turn to God. And then do Works worthy of repentance, right? That we may repent and believe. In the Lord. Jesus Christ. Have you repented of your sin? Do you know you have sinned? Have you opened up the word of God and seen that? We have disobeyed, the god of the, all of the whole universe, the one who is giving us the law who is giving us the way to live, who is told us, what is right and wrong. I'm here to tell you, you have sinned, you have, and you must repent and turn away.

And then have you trusted in the Lord to be your portion? Have I trusted in the Lord to be my portion? Is he the one who will save me? Who will fill me? Who Will Comfort me? Who will give me life? Is the Lord my portion?

Through Jesus Christ. Who's brought salvation to Sinners and forgiveness.

Have I repented my sin have? I trusted in the Lord and finally do I obey his word. I think that questions probably going to be asked every week. And I think you guys know it's coming, right? Because the psalmist is intent on obeying the word of God. Every 8 versus we see it that he wants to obey that he's promising to obey that somehow he that's what he wants to do.

Have I repented my sin have? I trust in the Lord and Mi obeying his word?

And again, these are easy things, but we have to see the dependents that we need upon the Lord for this all to happen.

And, and I would plead with you if you're here today and you're not sure if the Lord is your portion. If you really have trusted in him, if you, if you do, if you open up the Bible and you like, there's no way I could obey this, there's no way I can do these things. You don't know what I've done. You don't know where I've been. God would never accept me. Even if I followed every letter of this law, I'm here to tell you, that's not what it's about songs. Even says, be gracious to me, according to your promise. Write early in the psalm. We saw Psalm 73 My Flesh and heart May Fail. But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. When you realize, when God opens your eyes to that sin, you need to ask him to help you turn away from that sin and turn to him to trust in the Lord for your salvation, not anything, you can do but the death on the cross and the resurrection from the tomb that brings new life, a new creation so that the Lord will work through you and help you obey his word because we cannot obey this Without God's help, there's no way.

Plead with you this morning that you would come to the Lord, confess your sin and turn away from it. Repent of it and tell God that you want Jesus to be your savior that you trust in his sacrifice to cover your sins. And seek his help in obedience to him. Let's take time now in in, do those things?

Heavenly Father, we come before you today. Lord with a very clear word of repentance, obedience and dependence. Lord, I pray now that you would open up our hearts and our eyes to the sin. That is in our life that we need to turn away from

Lord, we depend upon you and your help. To get away from those sins and to turn to your word and obedience.

Lord, I pray right now that if there's anybody here It hasn't realized they need saved God, that you would open their hearts right now. God, that you would show them. Did they have disobeyed? You and that judgment is coming.

Lord, I pray that they would see that in your grace and in your love, you have given us. Forgiveness through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. That you've wiped our sins away. And Lord the in that when we trust him as our savior and believe in him as Lord of our life that you will, then give us new life to then obey your word.

Lord. We thank you for saving us. We thank you for sending Jesus. To obey you and therefore, for us to receive a blessing that we so do not deserve God.

We come now and ask you and beg you. To help us to follow you and Obey. You not in our power, but in yours or for when we are weak, you are strong. And God we want your strength in our life.

Thank you for hearing our prayers. Lord.

Pray this in the power of Jesus name. Amen.

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