Turning away from sin and running to God! Psalm 119:59-60

Introduction: Welcome to the preaching ministry of Dillingham Moravian Church. My name is Pastor Simon, and we are grateful to God that we get the joy of learning from God’s Word today!

Introductory Illustration: One of the joys about ministry at the Moravian Church before COVID was our Singspirations where Christians of all denominations in Dillingham and from the villages come together to sing the praises of God together, hear God’s Word and to sing special songs to the Lord. The highlight for me at Singspirations are the testimonies when believers get up and share how God worked in their lives to recognize their sin, repent, and trust and recognize who Christ really is as their only God and Savior. I love to hear the testimonies from Christians of how God has been growing them in their walk with Christ by showing them more and more of God in His undeserved grace and truth! In the life of a follower of Christ, true growth comes when we focus on the wondrous nature of God which then leads us to humbly understand our desperate need for the Lord, repent and stay with God as we trustingly obey His Word!

Prayer: Let us Pray!

Introductory Transition: Here at DMC, our purpose is to glorify and live out the joy of God together in everything we do. One of the essential ways we do this is by learning from God’s Word together. Psalm 119 is all about God’s Word and how the believer is to obey God in all situations. Last week, in Psalm 119, we learned that the Psalmist continually sought the Lord’s favor by trusting and obeying God’s Word. We were also taught that although God’s salvation had not yet arrived, the Psalmist trusted God’s promised deliverer to come. The Psalmist held onto to this hope because of God’s unfailing love and His past faithfulness to His promises. Today, we are going to continue on in …

Scripture: Psalm 119:59–60 (NAS). The Psalmist prayed to God, “59 I considered my ways and turned my feet to Your testimonies. 60 I hastened and did not delay to keep Your commandments.”

Message Transition: There are two overarching truths in these verses that I want to bring to your attention today. The first truth is that …

I. We are to consider our ways, turn and walk in the way of God’s testimonies (119:59)

Illustration: This last week I was driving from outside of downtown in order to bring our 17-year-old boy to his work at the library. For those familiar with Dillingham, I was driving on the road between the Hardware store and GCI, but instead of turning left towards the library, I turned right to go to the Post Office. I realized I was driving the wrong way because Jamal asked me where I was going. I Then turned the vehicle around in the Post Office parking lot and drove back to the library. My point with this story is that in life we often get turned around from following God’s Ways and we end up going our own way. In those situations, it is essential for us as Christians, to evaluate where we are, and we need to go to be obedient to the Lord. Then, we turn around and do what the Lord has commanded us.

Scripture: The Psalmist prayed in Psalm 119:59 (NAS): “59 I considered my ways And turned my feet to Your testimonies.

Principle: The Psalmist began this verse by praying that he considered his own ways and then turned his feet in the direction of God’s testimonies. Now, there are 2 principles that I want you to see in this verse.

1. The first principle is that the believer is to think or meditate deeply upon his or her own life in relation to God.

The word that the Psalmist used “to consider” meant to “to consider, to think upon (GHCLOT).” The concept is that the Psalmist was thinking deeply or meditating upon his ways or his own “moral action and character.”[1] The question is whose ways was the Psalmist comparing himself to? God’s! This was crucial because the Psalmist wasn’t thinking about himself in relation to how he much he loved himself or his own false guilt for wrong past actions or even in relation to other people. No, the Psalmist was thinking deeply about himself in relationship to God and the testimonies of God’s character traits and actions! Even a most steadfast believer, like the Psalmist, had human depravity in his heart. Like of all of humanity, the Psalmist was unable to seek for God and do what God wanted on his own. Thus, it was inevitable that the Psalmist would sin and stray in his thoughts, words, and actions, even if the Psalmist did not fully understand it himself. In order to see where he had strayed, the Psalmist had to take good deep look at what the standard of right living is. Who is the standard of goodness and righteousness? God Alone!! This is why the Psalmist studied God’s character, words, and actions so that the Psalmist could understand what right thinking, right speaking and right actions really are!!

2. The second principle is that the believer turns his or her life away from sin and towards the ways of God.

The Psalmist prayed in v. 59, “59 I considered my ways and [This is what I want you to see] turned my feet to Your testimonies.” I want you to notice that the Psalmist turned his feet away from his own ways, that he understood as evil in the relation to God, and then the Psalmist turned his feet towards living according to the covenants, charges and promises of God. Within this word “turning my feet” there is the aspect of repentance where the Psalmist asked forgiveness from God and then turned to followed God’s ways. However, there is also restoration involved in the process of turn from sin and following God again.

Jesus in Luke 9:23(NASB95) illustrated well all of the concepts of turn away from and turning to, “23And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”

There are many essential truths for discipleship in this passage, but I want us to focus on 2. First off, in v.23, Jesus said that the disciple was to “take up his cross daily and follow Me.” What is heavily implied in this part of Jesus’ command is that disciple will fall and lose hold of the cross that they were carrying before. I say this because Jesus said that the one who comes after him “must pick up their cross daily.” The disciple wouldn’t have to pick up their cross if they hadn’t fallen under its weight. Secondly, it is comforting and encouraging to me that Jesus anticipated that as his disciples, there will be times when we will fall into sin, that we will fall under the heavy weights of life. Yet, Jesus commanded that we get up, take up our cross again and continue following Him. Jesus knows that His disciples will fall and yet has tremendous confidence that, as we trust God, we have the power to get up again and continue following Him in the way that He (Jesus) carried His cross. Back in Psalm 119:59, that the Psalmist had only turned his feet from his evil ways and turned them towards God’s way. Meaning that the Psalmist had not yet walked forward towards God, he only turned. This is important because it leads us to what we are going to learn in v.60.

Application: What can we as believers in Christ learn from v.59? We can learn that each of us need, at regular times, to take a deep look at our character and action in comparison to the character and actions of God. As we study God’s character and His works in relation to ours, we will see just how much we have sinned before God and where our thinking is not like the thoughts of God! When God has shown us our short coming and the glorious treasure of Himself, we then, by trusting God, repent and mourn our sins, turn again towards the ways of God and His Word! Being saints who sin, we all sin with our thoughts and actions and words. We also have wrong understandings that do not match up with God’s. Therefore, you and I, as disciples of Christ, we desperately need to view ourselves always in relation to God as our treasure and our standard, repent of our sins and turn away from the sins, deny ourselves, pick up our cross and follow Christ!

Transition: So far, we learned that the Psalmist thought honestly about himself in relation to God and then turned to conform his ways to match God’s testimonies about Himself. God is also teaching us as believers that we are to …

II. Run and not delay in obeying God (119:60)

Illustration: One our favorite pastimes as a family is to go for walks on the dirt road that goes around Snag Point alongside the sea wall around the Nushagak Bay. For kids of our boy’s size, most of the walk is protected by the sea wall and is safe for the boys to play and mess around in, as long as we watch for the occasional vehicle and very occasionally a bear. However, there are times when my wife and I have an agenda and places to go after the walk. In those times, when we have a time limit, the boys tend to literally drag their feet, get distracted by puddles and flowers and insects or anything else cool for 5-and 2-year old’s. We tell them to hurry up and join us up ahead and they really want to take their time at obeying! This concept of taking one’s time at obeying is the opposite of how the Psalmist obeyed the Lord.

Scripture: The Psalmist continued his prayer in Psalm 119:59 (NAS) as he sang, “60 I hastened and did not delay to keep Your commandments.”

Principle: Up to this point in verse 59, the Psalmist had turned away from his sinful ways and turned towards the ways of God. Now, in verse 60, the Psalmist didn’t dawdle in obeying the Lord, he “hastened and did not delay to keep” God’s commandments. The word “hastened” meant “to speed — to move fast.” The Psalmist didn’t drag his feet in obeying God or say that “I am not quite ready to obey that particular command.” No, the Psalmist ran at his top speed to obey God’s Word!! Joseph in Genesis 39 was a great example of obeying God at a run! Joseph had been sold into slavery in by his brothers and was then bought in Egypt by Potiphar, the Captain of Pharaoh’s Guard. God blessed everything that Joseph did and soon Joseph was raised to the position of head slave over Potiphar’s household. Here is where we are now in Genesis 39:6–12 (NASB95). “6...Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. 7It came about after these events that his master’s wife looked with desire at Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.” 8But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has put all that he owns in my charge. 9“There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?” [Joseph knows that God has blessed him, and Joseph was also a man of integrity and responsibility for the honor and status of work that God through Potiphar had given him. Joseph wasn’t going to mess up the privilege that God gave him and sin against God with Potiphar’s wife! 10As she spoke to Joseph day after day, he did not listen to her to lie beside her or be with her. 11Now it happened one day that he went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the household was there inside. 12She caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me!” [Now, look at Joseph’s response] And he left his garment in her hand and fled, and went outside.” I want you to see that Joseph did not let himself get seduced little by little, which I am sure was Satan’s and the lady’s plan, rather Joseph resists the temptations. Then when Joseph found himself in a situation where he was being trapped, Joseph completely sacrificed his dignity and his clothes, and got out of there!! Joseph did not dawdle at obeying God; he ran away, at fast as he could go, from the temptation and ran to obey God!! This is what the Psalmist in Psalm 119:60 was doing!The Psalmist didn’t make excuses for not obeying God right then, no he took off running to obey the Word of God!

Application: Why is this truth so important for us as believers today? It is so crucial to quickly obey God’s Word because if we don’t, we can get caught back up in the sin that we were turning away from!! It is not enough to just turn away from our sinful ways and turn towards God, we must repent and turn and then quickly obey God! Everyone of us, including myself, have sins in our lives that we are particularly prone to commit. Depending on our gender, personality, history, blessings, talents, and gifts each of us are more tempted towards different sins then our neighbor. Once we have seen ourselves in the light of God’s presence and seen the depth of our sins, we must by relying on Christ, run immediately to obey to obey God! If we don’t, here is what happens! Slowly, our resistance will be worn down by Satan’s temptations and by our own flesh which so desires to commit that sin, and we will fall! You and I as Christians can’t afford to dawdle when obeying God like my boys dawdle when obeying their parents. We must do what God tells us to do quickly!

Conclusion: God has taught us today that, as Christians, each of us regularly need to take a deep look at our character, words, and actions in comparison to the character, words and actions of God. As we study God’s character and His works in relation to ours, we will see just how much we have sinned before God and where our thinking is not like the thoughts of God! When God has shown us our short coming and the glorious treasure of Himself, we then, by trusting God, repent of our sins, turn again towards the ways of God and His Word, and run as fast we can to obey the Lord!!! Jesus in Mark 14:38 (NIV84) told Peter, “38Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” I strongly encourage each of us that we stay in God’s presence as we focus on God’s Word and on who God is, what He has done, what He will do in the future. If we sin, we trust Christ and ask Him for forgiveness. God is faithful, He will forgive us and give us the strength to get back up, pick up our cross as we repent and trust Christ. Then you and I, we must run as fast as we can can to follow Christ in doing the will of God!!

Prayer: Let us pray!

Blessing: I will leave you with this blessing from Psalm 67, “May God be gracious to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us— That Your way may be known on the earth, Your salvation among all nations.”

AMEN!!

[1] Brown, F., Driver, S. R., & Briggs, C. A. (1977). In Enhanced Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (p. 203). Clarendon Press.