1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:01,560 As you know, over the past few weeks, 2 00:00:01,560 --> 00:00:03,680 we've been making our way through a series 3 00:00:03,680 --> 00:00:06,800 of important themes in the longest chapter 4 00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:09,620 in the entire Bible, Psalm 119. 5 00:00:09,620 --> 00:00:13,480 This is an entire Psalm dedicated to the glory 6 00:00:13,480 --> 00:00:16,560 of God's written word to his people. 7 00:00:16,560 --> 00:00:20,080 And as a Bible-loving church, we love this Psalm. 8 00:00:20,080 --> 00:00:23,320 It speaks to our hearts and it affirms our commitment 9 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:24,960 why we want to put the word 10 00:00:24,960 --> 00:00:27,140 at the center of everything we do. 11 00:00:27,140 --> 00:00:28,400 But as we begin this morning, 12 00:00:28,400 --> 00:00:30,960 I have a question for everybody to consider. 13 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:35,460 I know that you love the word, but do you trust its power? 14 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:40,000 There's all kinds of reasons why we love the word, 15 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:42,320 but do you trust in its power? 16 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:46,160 I mean, really, truly believe that the inspired words 17 00:00:46,160 --> 00:00:50,080 in that book before you, applied by the Holy Spirit, 18 00:00:50,080 --> 00:00:53,180 has the power to transform your heart 19 00:00:53,180 --> 00:00:54,580 and to change your life. 20 00:00:55,740 --> 00:00:57,600 And if you say, yes, of course, 21 00:00:57,600 --> 00:00:59,840 do you read it as such? 22 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:03,640 Do you approach it in that way? 23 00:01:03,640 --> 00:01:06,280 Do you turn to it in your time of need, 24 00:01:06,280 --> 00:01:11,280 knowing that it has divine power to instruct and correct 25 00:01:12,180 --> 00:01:15,200 and train and revive you? 26 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:17,760 And that is the big theme for our time this morning, 27 00:01:17,760 --> 00:01:21,560 the power of God's word to revive us. 28 00:01:21,560 --> 00:01:23,000 And you should know that this has, 29 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:25,280 that concept has a long history, 30 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:28,240 both in biblical history and in church history, 31 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:31,840 this idea that God's word empowers his people. 32 00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:34,520 From the rediscovery of the book of the law 33 00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:37,280 during the time of King Josiah, 34 00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:40,560 to the post-exilic reading of scripture in public 35 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:45,040 by Ezra the scribe, the word changes culture. 36 00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:46,260 It changes the church. 37 00:01:46,260 --> 00:01:48,100 It changes God's people. 38 00:01:48,100 --> 00:01:50,280 To the translation and spread of God's word 39 00:01:50,280 --> 00:01:52,480 into the common languages of Europe 40 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:53,560 during the Reformation, 41 00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:55,920 to the great awakenings that took place 42 00:01:55,920 --> 00:01:58,000 in the early American colonies, 43 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:02,520 wherever and whenever God moves to put his word back 44 00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:04,560 at the center of the lives of his people, 45 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:08,340 we see revival and we see transformation. 46 00:02:08,340 --> 00:02:09,820 And it was true in the Psalms as well. 47 00:02:09,820 --> 00:02:10,960 So grab your Bibles. 48 00:02:10,960 --> 00:02:13,280 We are going to Psalm 119. 49 00:02:14,900 --> 00:02:18,960 And we're gonna start by looking at verse 25. 50 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:22,340 So try to find verse 25 in Psalm 119. 51 00:02:22,340 --> 00:02:23,800 Here's what we're gonna do this morning. 52 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:25,280 It's gonna look a little bit different 53 00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:27,080 than it has the last couple of weeks. 54 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:28,920 The first two parts of this series, 55 00:02:28,920 --> 00:02:32,840 we were looking at just one section of Psalm 119. 56 00:02:32,840 --> 00:02:36,280 Today we're gonna look at portions of three sections. 57 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:39,320 And the goal is to flesh out three unique ways 58 00:02:39,320 --> 00:02:42,320 that the word revives God's people. 59 00:02:42,320 --> 00:02:44,940 And I'll just go ahead and give you the spoiler alert. 60 00:02:44,940 --> 00:02:46,880 The power of God's word to number one, 61 00:02:46,880 --> 00:02:49,340 revive us from despair. 62 00:02:49,340 --> 00:02:50,640 Number two, the power of the word 63 00:02:50,640 --> 00:02:53,280 to revive us out of worldliness. 64 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:54,800 And number three, the power of the word 65 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:57,520 to revive us in the midst of affliction. 66 00:02:57,520 --> 00:02:58,960 And as we go through these verses, 67 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:00,160 you know what we're gonna find? 68 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:04,160 A whole bunch of really simple, straightforward language. 69 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:07,920 This is the translation, the interpretation 70 00:03:07,920 --> 00:03:09,920 of these sections is not hard. 71 00:03:09,920 --> 00:03:13,620 It's very practical and filled with wisdom. 72 00:03:13,620 --> 00:03:14,640 So if you're one of those people 73 00:03:14,640 --> 00:03:16,900 that likes to jot down spiritual nuggets, 74 00:03:16,900 --> 00:03:19,920 as you go along, you're gonna be writing down a lot today 75 00:03:19,920 --> 00:03:22,640 because there's a lot of practical stuff in here. 76 00:03:22,640 --> 00:03:24,520 By the way, before I jump into this, 77 00:03:24,520 --> 00:03:27,640 I just, I'm gonna show you this image. 78 00:03:27,640 --> 00:03:28,940 Now, these are the three sections 79 00:03:28,940 --> 00:03:29,840 we're gonna look at today. 80 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:30,960 You don't have to see that. 81 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:34,980 I just want you to see all of those highlighted portions. 82 00:03:34,980 --> 00:03:38,600 Those are all mentions of God's word 83 00:03:38,600 --> 00:03:41,000 in these three sections we're looking at. 84 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:42,520 Look how overwhelming that is. 85 00:03:42,520 --> 00:03:43,520 I'm gonna read it now. 86 00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:47,240 Your word, your statutes, your precepts, your wonders, 87 00:03:47,240 --> 00:03:50,600 your word, your law, your ordinances, your testimonies, 88 00:03:50,600 --> 00:03:53,960 your commandments, your testimonies, your way, your word, 89 00:03:53,960 --> 00:03:56,720 your ordinances, your precepts, your righteousness, 90 00:03:56,720 --> 00:04:00,660 your word, your commandments, your word, your statutes, 91 00:04:00,660 --> 00:04:02,880 your precepts, your law, your statutes, 92 00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:05,120 and the law of your mouth. 93 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:06,880 In 21 verses. 94 00:04:08,420 --> 00:04:11,520 What do you think the theme of Psalm 119 is? 95 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:14,360 The glory of God's written word to his people. 96 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:16,280 This is why we love this Psalm so much. 97 00:04:16,280 --> 00:04:18,120 All right, so we're gonna be looking at this. 98 00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:20,360 All right, are you at verse 25? 99 00:04:20,360 --> 00:04:22,280 Good, our first section this morning 100 00:04:22,280 --> 00:04:23,760 comes under the title of Dalet, 101 00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:26,480 which is the fourth letter of the Hebrew alphabet 102 00:04:26,480 --> 00:04:29,160 in the fourth section of this beautiful Psalm. 103 00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:31,360 And what we're gonna see right out of the gate 104 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:33,980 is the psalmist is in a very bad place. 105 00:04:35,100 --> 00:04:38,920 So bad that he feels as if he's close to dying. 106 00:04:38,920 --> 00:04:41,800 And there seems to be both a physical threat to his life 107 00:04:41,800 --> 00:04:45,520 and also a spiritual crisis going on in his soul. 108 00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:48,640 So he turns to the Lord with this incredibly deep 109 00:04:48,640 --> 00:04:50,880 and heartfelt cry, verse 25. 110 00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:53,960 He says, my soul cleaves, or better, 111 00:04:53,960 --> 00:04:56,960 my soul clings to the dust. 112 00:04:57,980 --> 00:05:02,980 Revive me, he says, or give me life according to your word. 113 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:04,240 Now, if you're thinking biblically, 114 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:07,840 that phraseology there might trigger something in your brain. 115 00:05:07,840 --> 00:05:10,240 The image that he's grabbing hold of here, 116 00:05:10,240 --> 00:05:12,480 my soul clings to the dust. 117 00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:14,360 And by the way, that word cling is important 118 00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:16,320 because he's gonna come back to it at the end. 119 00:05:16,320 --> 00:05:19,560 But the picture of dust takes us back where? 120 00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:22,100 To the creation account in Genesis two, 121 00:05:22,100 --> 00:05:24,720 when the first man was formed from the dust of the earth. 122 00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:27,120 And then a chapter later after the fall, 123 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:29,080 we're told that back to dust, 124 00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:31,920 man shall return when he physically dies. 125 00:05:31,920 --> 00:05:35,080 So if you're an Old Testament saint reading the Psalms, 126 00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:40,080 you understand this term dust as synonymous with sheol, 127 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:43,620 which was the place of grief, the place of humiliation, 128 00:05:43,620 --> 00:05:45,640 and the place of death. 129 00:05:45,640 --> 00:05:48,480 So that tells you just how deep the despair 130 00:05:48,480 --> 00:05:49,980 of the psalmist is in this moment. 131 00:05:49,980 --> 00:05:52,040 But I think there's even more going on here 132 00:05:52,040 --> 00:05:53,520 because when the psalmist, 133 00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:55,580 and you see this a lot in the Psalms, 134 00:05:55,580 --> 00:05:59,600 the psalmist talk about sorrow and they talk about despair, 135 00:05:59,600 --> 00:06:02,440 but referring to the dust is not the normal way to do that. 136 00:06:02,440 --> 00:06:05,520 So I think what's happening here is he's using this 137 00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:09,080 as a theological throwback to the garden, 138 00:06:09,080 --> 00:06:11,080 talking about the brokenness that came about 139 00:06:11,080 --> 00:06:12,280 because of the fall. 140 00:06:12,280 --> 00:06:14,040 And like you and I today, 141 00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:16,920 he finds himself struggling with the effects 142 00:06:16,920 --> 00:06:19,240 both of living in a fallen world, 143 00:06:19,240 --> 00:06:23,040 but also being fallen himself as a sinner 144 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:25,340 who so badly wants to please God, 145 00:06:25,340 --> 00:06:27,820 but he finds himself in a wrestling match 146 00:06:27,820 --> 00:06:29,240 with his own flesh. 147 00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:31,580 And we can all identify with that, right? 148 00:06:31,580 --> 00:06:34,320 So he cries out from this very low place, 149 00:06:34,320 --> 00:06:36,780 this broken and despairing condition, 150 00:06:36,780 --> 00:06:40,880 and he asks God to once again bring him to life, 151 00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:43,560 revive my soul, oh Lord, 152 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:47,000 according to the promises of your word. 153 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:49,360 And this is how revival comes to us 154 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:51,400 when we've hit rock bottom. 155 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:56,400 It comes from a deep need and a dependence on divine mercy. 156 00:06:56,540 --> 00:06:57,800 When we get to that place where we say, 157 00:06:57,800 --> 00:07:00,080 I cannot do this on my own, 158 00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:04,920 I can't revive myself, Lord, I need you to do this. 159 00:07:04,920 --> 00:07:07,520 And it also, revival also usually comes 160 00:07:07,520 --> 00:07:12,180 from a greater awareness of personal sin and a desire 161 00:07:12,180 --> 00:07:14,080 and a need to come clean before God 162 00:07:14,080 --> 00:07:16,720 through confession and repentance 163 00:07:16,720 --> 00:07:20,560 so that we can reestablish that close abiding relationship 164 00:07:20,560 --> 00:07:22,600 that God wants to have with us. 165 00:07:22,600 --> 00:07:24,260 That's what it means to be revived, 166 00:07:24,260 --> 00:07:25,440 to be brought back to life. 167 00:07:25,440 --> 00:07:28,200 And so the Psalmist does this, look at verse 26, 168 00:07:28,200 --> 00:07:30,740 he says, I have told of my ways, 169 00:07:31,640 --> 00:07:36,420 or as the CSB translated, I have told you about my life. 170 00:07:36,420 --> 00:07:38,220 Here's what he means. 171 00:07:38,220 --> 00:07:40,020 Lord, I've come before you 172 00:07:40,020 --> 00:07:43,620 and I have spread everything about my life before you. 173 00:07:43,620 --> 00:07:45,860 I've told you about my troubles. 174 00:07:45,860 --> 00:07:49,260 I've told you about the sinful paths that I have walked. 175 00:07:49,260 --> 00:07:51,420 And now I'm telling you about this need 176 00:07:51,420 --> 00:07:53,660 in my time of despair. 177 00:07:53,660 --> 00:07:54,860 Now, why does he do this? 178 00:07:54,860 --> 00:07:57,060 Because he believes with all of his heart 179 00:07:57,060 --> 00:07:58,700 that God cares for him. 180 00:07:58,700 --> 00:08:00,700 And he believes with all of his heart 181 00:08:00,700 --> 00:08:03,500 that God hears the petitions of his children, 182 00:08:03,500 --> 00:08:06,140 especially in times of distress. 183 00:08:06,140 --> 00:08:08,940 And even when we stumble into sin, 184 00:08:08,940 --> 00:08:11,720 that God listens to his children. 185 00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:13,920 And we get the good news in the very next phrase. 186 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:15,560 The Psalmist is correct. 187 00:08:15,560 --> 00:08:16,660 The Lord does hear. 188 00:08:16,660 --> 00:08:21,420 It says, I have told of my ways and you have answered me. 189 00:08:21,420 --> 00:08:22,660 What a comfort that is, right? 190 00:08:22,660 --> 00:08:24,300 That God hears us. 191 00:08:24,300 --> 00:08:25,660 And then look at the follow-up request. 192 00:08:25,660 --> 00:08:27,460 Now teach me your statutes, 193 00:08:27,460 --> 00:08:29,940 which is a very important thing to add. 194 00:08:29,940 --> 00:08:31,700 What that means is he's not content 195 00:08:31,700 --> 00:08:33,980 with just emoting with God, 196 00:08:33,980 --> 00:08:37,280 crying out to God and laying out his need and his troubles. 197 00:08:37,280 --> 00:08:38,840 He actually wants more. 198 00:08:38,840 --> 00:08:40,840 He wants to go to the next step to say, 199 00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:42,880 I wanna understand your ways, Lord. 200 00:08:43,880 --> 00:08:47,080 So he asks him to teach him more. 201 00:08:47,080 --> 00:08:51,220 And friends, this is textbook stuff for what it means 202 00:08:51,220 --> 00:08:53,800 to deal with God in the midst of despair. 203 00:08:54,820 --> 00:08:57,460 So we all go through times, hard times in life. 204 00:08:57,460 --> 00:08:59,500 Go back to the textbook here and say, 205 00:08:59,500 --> 00:09:02,100 this is how I'm to deal with these problems. 206 00:09:02,100 --> 00:09:05,100 We go to the shepherd of our soul, 207 00:09:05,100 --> 00:09:07,000 the one who cares for us. 208 00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:09,880 We deal openly with him and honestly with him. 209 00:09:09,880 --> 00:09:13,020 In humility, we lay everything that's happened 210 00:09:13,020 --> 00:09:14,240 in our lives before him. 211 00:09:15,420 --> 00:09:17,380 And we have a great example of this in scripture. 212 00:09:17,380 --> 00:09:20,660 This is what King Hezekiah did back in 2 Kings 19. 213 00:09:20,660 --> 00:09:21,780 Do you remember? 214 00:09:21,780 --> 00:09:23,860 He and Jerusalem were facing destruction 215 00:09:23,860 --> 00:09:25,500 at the hands of Assyria. 216 00:09:25,500 --> 00:09:28,400 And we're told that he went into the house of the Lord 217 00:09:28,400 --> 00:09:30,660 and he spread on the altar before God. 218 00:09:30,660 --> 00:09:33,840 This letter that he had received threatening Israel 219 00:09:33,840 --> 00:09:36,340 from Sennacherib, the King of Assyria. 220 00:09:36,340 --> 00:09:38,100 And he laid it before the throne and said, 221 00:09:38,100 --> 00:09:40,780 Lord, I can't fix this. 222 00:09:40,780 --> 00:09:42,300 I need your help. 223 00:09:42,300 --> 00:09:45,740 And in response, God heard and he saved not only the king, 224 00:09:45,740 --> 00:09:47,580 but he saved the city of Jerusalem. 225 00:09:47,580 --> 00:09:50,020 So we lay it before God. 226 00:09:50,020 --> 00:09:54,260 Troubles, concerns, temptations, failures, 227 00:09:54,260 --> 00:09:56,460 and we ask our Father for help. 228 00:09:56,460 --> 00:10:00,100 So if you're in despair, trust that God can lift you up. 229 00:10:00,100 --> 00:10:02,300 And if you're struggling in darkness, 230 00:10:02,300 --> 00:10:05,060 trust that he can give you light. 231 00:10:05,060 --> 00:10:06,260 And if you've grown weak, 232 00:10:06,260 --> 00:10:10,140 know that God can strengthen you and sustain you. 233 00:10:10,140 --> 00:10:11,580 And if your needs are so great, 234 00:10:11,580 --> 00:10:14,940 just know that he can supply whatever you need. 235 00:10:14,940 --> 00:10:17,640 But let us not go to prayer and fail in the way 236 00:10:17,640 --> 00:10:19,280 that James warns us, right? 237 00:10:19,280 --> 00:10:20,920 James is very clear about this. 238 00:10:20,920 --> 00:10:23,980 We don't wanna go to prayer and ask with the wrong motive. 239 00:10:24,860 --> 00:10:27,060 We don't wanna go to prayer while at the same time 240 00:10:27,060 --> 00:10:30,120 doubting as we're praying. 241 00:10:30,120 --> 00:10:34,460 And most of all, we don't wanna fail by not asking at all. 242 00:10:35,600 --> 00:10:36,840 So all those things are important. 243 00:10:36,840 --> 00:10:37,800 And here's my suggestion. 244 00:10:37,800 --> 00:10:40,200 I'm gonna just talk heart to heart with you. 245 00:10:40,200 --> 00:10:43,080 Don't wait until a time of despair comes upon you 246 00:10:43,080 --> 00:10:44,380 to make this a habit. 247 00:10:45,280 --> 00:10:49,280 Sometimes we tend to put our spiritual walk on autopilot 248 00:10:49,280 --> 00:10:51,380 until really bad things happen. 249 00:10:51,380 --> 00:10:53,180 And then we go into crisis mode. 250 00:10:53,180 --> 00:10:55,560 What do I do, Pastor Jeff? 251 00:10:55,560 --> 00:10:57,080 Make it a habit now. 252 00:10:58,280 --> 00:11:00,660 And I tell you this from personal experience. 253 00:11:00,660 --> 00:11:02,300 It's taken me decades, 254 00:11:02,300 --> 00:11:05,400 but I've been able to develop this type of daily habit. 255 00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:07,360 And it's a great comfort. 256 00:11:07,360 --> 00:11:10,660 Many of you know that I tend to work late into the night, 257 00:11:10,660 --> 00:11:12,340 actually into the early morning. 258 00:11:12,340 --> 00:11:13,440 You can ask my wife. 259 00:11:14,300 --> 00:11:18,580 But what I have found is when the house is really quiet 260 00:11:18,580 --> 00:11:21,040 and I've put everybody to sleep, 261 00:11:21,040 --> 00:11:22,980 and it's just me and the Lord, 262 00:11:22,980 --> 00:11:24,920 and I'll often just wander downstairs 263 00:11:24,920 --> 00:11:26,580 and I'll sit on my couch, 264 00:11:26,580 --> 00:11:30,560 and I will just have a conversational prayer with God. 265 00:11:31,760 --> 00:11:32,620 And I'll thank him, first of all, 266 00:11:32,620 --> 00:11:34,720 for so many good things in my life, 267 00:11:34,720 --> 00:11:38,000 including this church and you guys. 268 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:40,060 And just walk through the victories of the day 269 00:11:40,060 --> 00:11:44,060 and also walk through the failures and the stumbles 270 00:11:44,060 --> 00:11:45,800 to go back over, 271 00:11:45,800 --> 00:11:47,940 okay, Lord, here's what happened today in ministry, 272 00:11:47,940 --> 00:11:50,880 and here's the people I talked to or texted with, 273 00:11:50,880 --> 00:11:52,740 and here are their prayer requests. 274 00:11:52,740 --> 00:11:56,780 And just to have that conversational daily process 275 00:11:56,780 --> 00:11:58,940 of walking through life with the Lord. 276 00:11:58,940 --> 00:12:00,180 And then I just say, 277 00:12:00,180 --> 00:12:02,580 Lord, can you give me a little bit of rest tonight? 278 00:12:02,580 --> 00:12:04,880 Just enough to strengthen me to get through tomorrow. 279 00:12:04,880 --> 00:12:05,960 That's all I need. 280 00:12:07,060 --> 00:12:10,120 Is enough strength to press on towards the goal tomorrow. 281 00:12:10,120 --> 00:12:13,400 And honestly, it's not complicated. 282 00:12:13,400 --> 00:12:16,800 It's not complicated to develop a conversational 283 00:12:16,800 --> 00:12:17,900 prayer life with God, 284 00:12:17,900 --> 00:12:20,400 where you're bringing all of that stuff before him. 285 00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:21,840 But make it a habit now. 286 00:12:21,840 --> 00:12:25,000 Start to develop that so that you don't find yourself 287 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:27,900 in a time of crisis, amen? 288 00:12:27,900 --> 00:12:30,580 All right, the psalmist continues in verse 27. 289 00:12:30,580 --> 00:12:34,920 Make me understand the way of your precepts, 290 00:12:34,920 --> 00:12:38,720 or make me understand the meaning of your precepts 291 00:12:38,720 --> 00:12:41,380 so that I will meditate on your wonders. 292 00:12:41,380 --> 00:12:42,720 And I love this. 293 00:12:42,720 --> 00:12:44,660 Here's another indication that the psalmist 294 00:12:44,660 --> 00:12:47,020 isn't just interested in being rescued. 295 00:12:47,020 --> 00:12:48,420 He wants more. 296 00:12:48,420 --> 00:12:50,160 He really does wanna understand 297 00:12:50,160 --> 00:12:51,700 the principles of God's word. 298 00:12:51,700 --> 00:12:54,000 So he prays for divine illumination, 299 00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:55,400 which is always a great prayer. 300 00:12:55,400 --> 00:12:59,500 Holy Spirit, cause me to understand the text. 301 00:12:59,500 --> 00:13:01,740 Illuminate the meaning. 302 00:13:01,740 --> 00:13:03,640 And then if you look at the last phrase of this verse, 303 00:13:03,640 --> 00:13:07,380 you see that he firmly believes that if he comes 304 00:13:07,380 --> 00:13:09,880 to understand God's word on a deeper level, 305 00:13:09,880 --> 00:13:13,180 that is gonna take him to a predictable and healthy place. 306 00:13:13,180 --> 00:13:14,480 What is that? 307 00:13:14,480 --> 00:13:17,860 That he will more clearly recognize all the wondrous things 308 00:13:17,860 --> 00:13:18,820 that God has done. 309 00:13:18,820 --> 00:13:22,740 He'll see all the things that God has done in the world 310 00:13:22,740 --> 00:13:25,160 and specifically for his people. 311 00:13:25,160 --> 00:13:26,780 And again, that's something that each one of us 312 00:13:26,780 --> 00:13:28,460 should ask the spirit to do. 313 00:13:28,460 --> 00:13:29,960 When we open up God's word, 314 00:13:29,960 --> 00:13:32,620 Lord, help me to see more of your wonders 315 00:13:32,620 --> 00:13:36,160 and then give me a thankful heart for all of those things. 316 00:13:37,100 --> 00:13:39,260 This is basic stuff, isn't it? 317 00:13:39,260 --> 00:13:43,140 Now, in verse 28, the psalmist comes back to his grief. 318 00:13:43,140 --> 00:13:45,980 My soul weeps because of grief. 319 00:13:45,980 --> 00:13:47,440 And that word grief in the head, 320 00:13:47,440 --> 00:13:50,040 and that word grief in the Hebrew, tugha, 321 00:13:50,040 --> 00:13:54,280 refers to a heaviness of heart or intense sorrow. 322 00:13:54,280 --> 00:13:55,640 Now, you might ask the question, 323 00:13:55,640 --> 00:13:58,480 well, we just dealt with your problem in verse 25. 324 00:13:58,480 --> 00:14:00,180 Why are you coming back to this? 325 00:14:00,180 --> 00:14:03,320 And the answer is repetition. 326 00:14:03,320 --> 00:14:05,600 How many times have we seen this in the Psalms? 327 00:14:05,600 --> 00:14:08,860 Repetition is given to us for emphasis. 328 00:14:08,860 --> 00:14:12,100 Again, the Lord wants to see the utter depths 329 00:14:12,100 --> 00:14:14,240 of discouragement that this man is in. 330 00:14:14,240 --> 00:14:16,140 And we go through this too. 331 00:14:16,140 --> 00:14:18,140 We're not immune to this in this age. 332 00:14:18,140 --> 00:14:19,580 Many of us here this morning 333 00:14:19,580 --> 00:14:21,880 can identify with the psalmist here. 334 00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:25,080 Times in your life where you were just overwhelmed. 335 00:14:25,080 --> 00:14:27,880 You're overwhelmed by the circumstances of your life 336 00:14:27,880 --> 00:14:29,720 and the tears just keep coming, 337 00:14:29,720 --> 00:14:31,420 and you're desperate and you're like, 338 00:14:31,420 --> 00:14:33,760 I don't know how I'm gonna make it through this. 339 00:14:34,860 --> 00:14:37,460 Almost everybody here has had one of those moments. 340 00:14:38,820 --> 00:14:40,960 Spurgeon describes this so well. 341 00:14:40,960 --> 00:14:45,500 He says, heaviness of heart is a killing thing. 342 00:14:45,500 --> 00:14:47,340 And when it abounds, 343 00:14:47,340 --> 00:14:50,940 it threatens to turn life into a long death 344 00:14:50,940 --> 00:14:53,180 in which a man seems to drop away 345 00:14:53,180 --> 00:14:55,880 in a perpetual drip of grief. 346 00:14:55,880 --> 00:14:58,180 Very, very descriptive, right? 347 00:14:58,180 --> 00:15:00,420 That's what the psalmist is going through. 348 00:15:00,420 --> 00:15:02,220 So what does he ask for? 349 00:15:02,220 --> 00:15:04,580 When you're feeling like that, what does he ask for? 350 00:15:04,580 --> 00:15:07,700 He says, strengthen me according to your word. 351 00:15:07,700 --> 00:15:09,720 Now, here's the thing about that prayer. 352 00:15:11,060 --> 00:15:13,060 That tends to flow off our lips quite easily. 353 00:15:13,060 --> 00:15:14,860 We pray this a lot, strengthen me Lord. 354 00:15:14,860 --> 00:15:16,600 But what does it actually mean? 355 00:15:17,840 --> 00:15:19,140 Have you ever stopped to ask the question, 356 00:15:19,140 --> 00:15:20,340 what does it mean? 357 00:15:20,340 --> 00:15:23,540 It means to take hold of the power 358 00:15:23,540 --> 00:15:25,500 that is available to you 359 00:15:25,500 --> 00:15:28,920 by virtue of your union with Christ. 360 00:15:30,040 --> 00:15:31,280 This is why I asked the question in the beginning. 361 00:15:31,280 --> 00:15:33,220 Do you believe in the power of God's word? 362 00:15:33,220 --> 00:15:37,620 To take hold of that, to intentionally lean into Christ 363 00:15:37,620 --> 00:15:39,580 and trust that he has you. 364 00:15:41,820 --> 00:15:43,860 You belong to him. 365 00:15:43,860 --> 00:15:47,900 He's promised you in his word that you were in his hand 366 00:15:47,900 --> 00:15:49,600 and under his wing, 367 00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:51,900 that nothing can separate you from his love 368 00:15:51,900 --> 00:15:55,300 and that somehow in the midst of this grief, 369 00:15:55,300 --> 00:15:58,500 he is working this together for your good. 370 00:16:00,240 --> 00:16:02,640 Those are all principles from scripture. 371 00:16:02,640 --> 00:16:03,820 And if you don't know the word, 372 00:16:03,820 --> 00:16:05,520 it's hard to fall back on those things, 373 00:16:05,520 --> 00:16:07,020 but they're all very clear. 374 00:16:07,020 --> 00:16:09,460 This is why going back to the word 375 00:16:09,460 --> 00:16:11,480 is so important in moments of grief, 376 00:16:11,480 --> 00:16:14,520 because our tendency in crisis and despair 377 00:16:14,520 --> 00:16:16,020 is to trust in what? 378 00:16:16,020 --> 00:16:18,460 How we're feeling and all of our emotions, 379 00:16:18,460 --> 00:16:20,460 which are always all over the place, 380 00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:25,240 but those things are not reliable in a time of crisis. 381 00:16:26,440 --> 00:16:29,540 Our feelings and emotions can be off base. 382 00:16:29,540 --> 00:16:31,940 Instead, we need to rest in God's goodness 383 00:16:31,940 --> 00:16:33,180 and his sovereignty. 384 00:16:33,180 --> 00:16:35,880 And we go to his word to remember that, 385 00:16:35,880 --> 00:16:37,720 to go back to these principles 386 00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:40,520 so that we get a broader perspective on what's, 387 00:16:40,520 --> 00:16:42,880 when we're in crisis, we feel like we're in a tunnel, right? 388 00:16:42,880 --> 00:16:44,860 And all we can see is what's right in front of us. 389 00:16:44,860 --> 00:16:46,260 We go to the word and what do we get? 390 00:16:46,260 --> 00:16:49,720 This broader perspective of what's really going on. 391 00:16:49,720 --> 00:16:52,360 So important guys, to come back to the word. 392 00:16:52,360 --> 00:16:53,560 Look at verse 29 now. 393 00:16:53,560 --> 00:16:56,400 He prays, remove the false way from me 394 00:16:56,400 --> 00:17:00,940 and graciously grant me or teach me your law. 395 00:17:00,940 --> 00:17:04,580 So in his crying out to God in complete honesty, 396 00:17:04,580 --> 00:17:06,940 he prays another prayer that we should imitate. 397 00:17:06,940 --> 00:17:09,780 Lord, make my ways your ways. 398 00:17:09,780 --> 00:17:11,220 He has a basic prayer. 399 00:17:11,220 --> 00:17:12,780 Make my ways your ways. 400 00:17:12,780 --> 00:17:15,360 I am tempted to take other paths. 401 00:17:15,360 --> 00:17:17,820 I am tempted to pursue my own wants, 402 00:17:17,820 --> 00:17:19,660 my own desires, not yours. 403 00:17:19,660 --> 00:17:23,620 And I'm always tempted, feel me on this. 404 00:17:23,620 --> 00:17:25,400 I'm always tempted to take the path 405 00:17:25,400 --> 00:17:27,260 that leads to my personal comfort 406 00:17:28,560 --> 00:17:30,900 over the path that leads to godliness. 407 00:17:32,200 --> 00:17:33,580 We all wrestle with that. 408 00:17:33,580 --> 00:17:36,240 It's part of what's baked into all of us. 409 00:17:36,240 --> 00:17:38,340 We shouldn't try to deny it because it's true, 410 00:17:38,340 --> 00:17:40,540 but a scripture saturated life 411 00:17:41,740 --> 00:17:44,120 when it's graciously illuminated by the spirit 412 00:17:44,120 --> 00:17:46,920 has the power to help us see those things 413 00:17:46,920 --> 00:17:50,220 and to change our habits and to transform our hearts 414 00:17:50,220 --> 00:17:53,820 to actually desire God's way. 415 00:17:55,200 --> 00:17:57,620 To overcome what we think in our flesh 416 00:17:57,620 --> 00:18:00,700 is the more fun way or the better way 417 00:18:00,700 --> 00:18:02,060 or the way that's gonna benefit me 418 00:18:02,060 --> 00:18:05,660 to the true better way, which is God's way. 419 00:18:05,660 --> 00:18:07,560 Now, the last three verses in the section 420 00:18:07,560 --> 00:18:09,200 are really beautiful. 421 00:18:09,200 --> 00:18:12,260 You'll see them in four declarations of commitment 422 00:18:12,260 --> 00:18:13,560 and they're easy to locate 423 00:18:13,560 --> 00:18:15,840 because the psalmist gets very personal here. 424 00:18:15,840 --> 00:18:17,140 Here's what he's gonna say. 425 00:18:17,140 --> 00:18:22,140 I have chosen, I have placed, I cling, and I shall run. 426 00:18:23,440 --> 00:18:24,940 Do you remember the biblical principle 427 00:18:24,940 --> 00:18:27,420 I tried to get through last week? 428 00:18:27,420 --> 00:18:30,980 That resolve and dependency go hand in hand. 429 00:18:32,120 --> 00:18:35,220 Resolve and dependency go hand in hand. 430 00:18:35,220 --> 00:18:38,260 And these last three verses are great examples of this 431 00:18:38,260 --> 00:18:41,400 because when it comes to progressing in maturity 432 00:18:41,400 --> 00:18:42,760 and growth in our spiritual life, 433 00:18:42,760 --> 00:18:45,900 what we call big word sanctification, 434 00:18:45,900 --> 00:18:48,240 scripture gives us two principles 435 00:18:48,240 --> 00:18:51,240 that at first glance look like they contradict. 436 00:18:52,440 --> 00:18:55,380 First of all, the Bible says that we cannot bear 437 00:18:55,380 --> 00:18:58,840 any spiritual fruit apart from abiding in the vine. 438 00:18:58,840 --> 00:19:01,620 We can do nothing apart from being connected 439 00:19:01,620 --> 00:19:03,380 to the vine of Christ. 440 00:19:03,380 --> 00:19:05,420 But then scripture also says, second, 441 00:19:05,420 --> 00:19:07,720 that we're to strive with all diligence 442 00:19:07,720 --> 00:19:10,560 to bear spiritual fruit to the glory of God. 443 00:19:10,560 --> 00:19:13,900 Now, how do you reconcile those two principles, right? 444 00:19:13,900 --> 00:19:16,560 Well, Philippians 2.13 does it well. 445 00:19:16,560 --> 00:19:20,000 Those two things somehow in God's economy 446 00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:22,540 work in perfect cooperation with each other. 447 00:19:22,540 --> 00:19:24,780 Philippians 2.13 starts out by saying, 448 00:19:24,780 --> 00:19:28,880 work out your salvation with fear and trembling. 449 00:19:28,880 --> 00:19:30,680 That's a call to action. 450 00:19:30,680 --> 00:19:31,880 Work it out. 451 00:19:31,880 --> 00:19:35,020 In fact, the Greek verb here, katergatsomai, 452 00:19:35,020 --> 00:19:38,660 literally means to perform, accomplish, or achieve something. 453 00:19:38,660 --> 00:19:41,820 So we're to work towards confirming our salvation. 454 00:19:41,820 --> 00:19:43,520 But then the verse goes on, 455 00:19:43,520 --> 00:19:46,300 because it is God who works in you. 456 00:19:47,400 --> 00:19:51,100 Work out your salvation because it is God 457 00:19:51,100 --> 00:19:52,540 who is at work in you, 458 00:19:52,540 --> 00:19:55,200 both to will and to work for his good pleasure. 459 00:19:55,200 --> 00:19:59,180 So we actively pursue godliness as God does the work in us. 460 00:19:59,180 --> 00:20:00,540 Does that make sense? 461 00:20:00,540 --> 00:20:02,040 That's really important. 462 00:20:02,040 --> 00:20:03,680 They work perfectly together. 463 00:20:03,680 --> 00:20:05,240 Sometimes in the Bible, we look at things, 464 00:20:05,240 --> 00:20:06,720 we go, I don't know how that works, 465 00:20:06,720 --> 00:20:08,720 but if God says they're both true, 466 00:20:09,820 --> 00:20:11,380 they're true. 467 00:20:11,380 --> 00:20:14,160 And we take it at face value and we believe it. 468 00:20:14,160 --> 00:20:16,020 So we resolve in our hearts and our minds 469 00:20:16,020 --> 00:20:17,500 to be doers of the word, 470 00:20:17,500 --> 00:20:20,360 and we go hard after that goal, 471 00:20:20,360 --> 00:20:22,800 while simultaneously depending on the Lord 472 00:20:22,800 --> 00:20:26,140 to produce the spiritual fruit in us. 473 00:20:26,140 --> 00:20:27,440 Resolve in dependency. 474 00:20:27,440 --> 00:20:28,500 Make sense? 475 00:20:28,500 --> 00:20:29,540 So with that in mind now, 476 00:20:29,540 --> 00:20:31,540 look at the I statements in the verbs 477 00:20:31,540 --> 00:20:32,800 in these last three verses. 478 00:20:32,800 --> 00:20:35,940 Verse 30, I have chosen the faithful way, 479 00:20:36,980 --> 00:20:38,740 or the way of truth. 480 00:20:38,740 --> 00:20:41,720 I have placed your ordinances before me. 481 00:20:41,720 --> 00:20:43,480 I cling to your testimonies. 482 00:20:43,480 --> 00:20:45,720 O Lord, do not put me to shame. 483 00:20:45,720 --> 00:20:47,620 I shall run the way of your commandments, 484 00:20:47,620 --> 00:20:50,420 for you will enlarge my heart. 485 00:20:51,520 --> 00:20:54,220 So the first thing the psalmist has resolved to do 486 00:20:54,220 --> 00:20:56,060 is to choose the faithful way, 487 00:20:56,060 --> 00:20:59,900 to choose a life of loyalty to God and to his word. 488 00:21:00,940 --> 00:21:02,040 Now you think that's easy. 489 00:21:02,040 --> 00:21:02,880 No, it's not. 490 00:21:02,880 --> 00:21:04,640 Not everybody can do that. 491 00:21:04,640 --> 00:21:06,180 Think of the rich young ruler 492 00:21:06,180 --> 00:21:07,380 in the New Testament gospels. 493 00:21:07,380 --> 00:21:11,140 He was offered the way of eternal life by Jesus himself, 494 00:21:12,680 --> 00:21:13,520 but he couldn't do it. 495 00:21:13,520 --> 00:21:14,720 Why? 496 00:21:14,720 --> 00:21:17,780 Because his material possessions were too important to him. 497 00:21:17,780 --> 00:21:19,560 So he walked away from it. 498 00:21:19,560 --> 00:21:22,020 By contrast, if you look at the great faith chapter 499 00:21:22,020 --> 00:21:24,760 of Hebrews 11, you read about Moses. 500 00:21:24,760 --> 00:21:28,600 It says he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, 501 00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:32,500 choosing, key word, choosing to be mistreated 502 00:21:32,500 --> 00:21:33,840 with the people of God, 503 00:21:33,840 --> 00:21:37,880 rather than enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 504 00:21:37,880 --> 00:21:39,100 Why? 505 00:21:39,100 --> 00:21:41,640 Because he considered the reproach of Christ 506 00:21:41,640 --> 00:21:45,540 greater riches than all the treasures of Egypt. 507 00:21:45,540 --> 00:21:46,440 Wow. 508 00:21:46,440 --> 00:21:48,180 So Joshua says it too. 509 00:21:48,180 --> 00:21:52,020 Choose this day whom you will serve. 510 00:21:52,020 --> 00:21:54,560 Our response to God's grace requires us 511 00:21:54,560 --> 00:21:57,420 to choose the way of his word. 512 00:21:57,420 --> 00:21:58,860 Amen. 513 00:21:58,860 --> 00:22:00,060 Then the second thing he says, 514 00:22:00,060 --> 00:22:02,660 I'm resolved to set my mind on your word. 515 00:22:02,660 --> 00:22:03,740 He says it this way. 516 00:22:03,740 --> 00:22:06,400 I have placed your ordinances before me. 517 00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:08,240 Super simple thing to do. 518 00:22:09,440 --> 00:22:11,280 I've opened the book. 519 00:22:11,280 --> 00:22:12,480 It's in front of my eyes. 520 00:22:12,480 --> 00:22:14,080 It's in my mind. 521 00:22:14,080 --> 00:22:15,080 I see it right there. 522 00:22:15,080 --> 00:22:16,240 I've opened the book. 523 00:22:16,240 --> 00:22:17,740 Now I wanna get these principles 524 00:22:17,740 --> 00:22:20,080 from the mind down to the heart. 525 00:22:20,080 --> 00:22:22,920 And as I step out the door into my day, 526 00:22:22,920 --> 00:22:25,960 the word is now my compass and my guide and my light. 527 00:22:27,720 --> 00:22:29,460 This should be a daily practice. 528 00:22:29,460 --> 00:22:32,820 I lay the ordinances of God before me, right? 529 00:22:32,820 --> 00:22:35,540 Put it before my eyes, get it in my mind, 530 00:22:35,540 --> 00:22:36,600 transfer it to my heart. 531 00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:37,760 I walk into the day, 532 00:22:37,760 --> 00:22:39,360 because I don't know what's coming, 533 00:22:39,360 --> 00:22:40,640 but guess what? 534 00:22:40,640 --> 00:22:42,940 As the haze and fog of life comes, 535 00:22:42,940 --> 00:22:45,340 because I've been in the word, I know where I am. 536 00:22:46,480 --> 00:22:49,440 And when temptation suddenly pop up in front of me, 537 00:22:49,440 --> 00:22:51,740 I know how I should respond. 538 00:22:51,740 --> 00:22:52,980 And the psalmist says, that's what I do. 539 00:22:52,980 --> 00:22:54,520 I put these things before me. 540 00:22:55,680 --> 00:22:58,420 Third thing, he says, I cling to your testimonies. 541 00:22:58,420 --> 00:23:00,220 Here's this word cling again, right? 542 00:23:00,220 --> 00:23:01,460 This is so cool. 543 00:23:01,460 --> 00:23:03,120 Earlier, what was he clinging to? 544 00:23:04,220 --> 00:23:06,660 To the dust, close to death. 545 00:23:06,660 --> 00:23:09,000 Now, now he's upgraded. 546 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:11,400 He's clinging to something very different, 547 00:23:11,400 --> 00:23:14,040 something to very powerful, right? 548 00:23:14,040 --> 00:23:17,140 The dust of the earth is gonna pull you down, 549 00:23:17,140 --> 00:23:18,680 but God's word is gonna lift you up. 550 00:23:18,680 --> 00:23:20,440 So now he's clinging to the right things. 551 00:23:20,440 --> 00:23:22,640 He's chosen to do that, 552 00:23:22,640 --> 00:23:25,280 by opening up the word and putting it before his eyes. 553 00:23:26,420 --> 00:23:28,520 And then last thing, this is my favorite of the four, 554 00:23:28,520 --> 00:23:30,780 I will run the way of your commandments. 555 00:23:30,780 --> 00:23:33,820 So this section ends with this great note of confidence. 556 00:23:33,820 --> 00:23:36,120 He had been beaten down into the dust, 557 00:23:36,120 --> 00:23:37,760 now he's up and running. 558 00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:40,360 This is where we wanna get to. 559 00:23:40,360 --> 00:23:42,160 It's a beautiful progression, right? 560 00:23:42,160 --> 00:23:44,360 Now we see hope in this man. 561 00:23:44,360 --> 00:23:47,060 We see freedom from the worry and the despair 562 00:23:47,060 --> 00:23:49,300 that he'd been feeling up in verse 25. 563 00:23:49,300 --> 00:23:51,240 I'm not just gonna walk in your ways, Lord, 564 00:23:51,240 --> 00:23:54,300 I'm gonna run, run in your commandments. 565 00:23:54,300 --> 00:23:56,340 It's a, he's gone from despair 566 00:23:56,340 --> 00:23:59,340 to this enthusiastic, joyful passion, 567 00:23:59,340 --> 00:24:02,580 because he's been in God's word. 568 00:24:03,580 --> 00:24:05,680 Can't stress that enough. 569 00:24:05,680 --> 00:24:07,280 And all this happens, the psalmist says, 570 00:24:07,280 --> 00:24:10,220 as you Lord enlarge my heart, 571 00:24:10,220 --> 00:24:13,160 as you broaden my understanding of your word. 572 00:24:13,160 --> 00:24:15,500 Because that's what soaking in God's word will do. 573 00:24:15,500 --> 00:24:18,200 It will fill your heart with the right affections. 574 00:24:18,200 --> 00:24:20,560 It will fill your mind with the right instructions. 575 00:24:20,560 --> 00:24:23,460 And then it will release you to run hard after God. 576 00:24:25,400 --> 00:24:27,200 Again, Spurgeon puts it beautifully. 577 00:24:27,200 --> 00:24:29,280 He says, the feet soon run 578 00:24:29,280 --> 00:24:32,040 when the heart is free and energetic. 579 00:24:32,040 --> 00:24:34,320 Let the affections be aroused 580 00:24:34,320 --> 00:24:36,620 and eagerly set on divine things. 581 00:24:36,620 --> 00:24:39,920 And our actions will be full of force, 582 00:24:39,920 --> 00:24:42,520 swiftness and delight. 583 00:24:42,520 --> 00:24:45,420 The remedy for despair is never to trust in ourselves 584 00:24:45,420 --> 00:24:47,760 or to forge our own way through it, 585 00:24:47,760 --> 00:24:49,520 but to go back to God's word 586 00:24:49,520 --> 00:24:51,860 and to trust in the power of his word. 587 00:24:51,860 --> 00:24:52,700 Amen? 588 00:24:53,500 --> 00:24:56,640 Okay, that was the longest of the three. 589 00:24:56,640 --> 00:24:58,300 The next thing we're gonna go through quick 590 00:24:58,300 --> 00:25:00,940 because I don't have all day this morning. 591 00:25:00,940 --> 00:25:03,340 But let's look at the second section here. 592 00:25:03,340 --> 00:25:05,140 Drop down to verse 36. 593 00:25:09,440 --> 00:25:12,380 This comes under the title of Hey, 594 00:25:12,380 --> 00:25:15,520 which is the fifth letter in the Hebrew alphabet. 595 00:25:15,520 --> 00:25:20,520 It says this, incline or turn my heart to your testimonies 596 00:25:21,720 --> 00:25:25,560 and not to dishonest or better, not to selfish gain. 597 00:25:26,760 --> 00:25:29,900 Turn my eyes away from looking at vanity. 598 00:25:29,900 --> 00:25:31,000 Have we heard about vanity 599 00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:34,200 in Adam's series in Ecclesiastes? 600 00:25:34,200 --> 00:25:36,940 Vanity, worthless things. 601 00:25:36,940 --> 00:25:38,400 And revive me in your ways. 602 00:25:38,400 --> 00:25:40,480 Establish your word to your servant 603 00:25:40,480 --> 00:25:43,440 as that which produces reverence for you. 604 00:25:43,440 --> 00:25:45,600 What a beautiful section. 605 00:25:45,600 --> 00:25:49,080 So here we're talking about being distracted by worldliness 606 00:25:49,080 --> 00:25:51,020 and we see it described in two distinct forms. 607 00:25:51,020 --> 00:25:54,680 First of all, a warning about pursuing selfish gain, 608 00:25:54,680 --> 00:25:58,480 which involves the related sins of greed and coveting. 609 00:25:59,660 --> 00:26:02,020 If you're never satisfied with what you have, 610 00:26:02,020 --> 00:26:04,700 if you're always longing for more, 611 00:26:04,700 --> 00:26:06,200 if you can't find contentment 612 00:26:06,200 --> 00:26:07,960 with the things that God has provided 613 00:26:07,960 --> 00:26:10,260 and that you believe that somehow you're owed more 614 00:26:10,260 --> 00:26:15,280 or that you deserve to have all of your dreams fulfilled, 615 00:26:16,400 --> 00:26:18,940 you might be in trouble of greed 616 00:26:18,940 --> 00:26:22,680 and covetousness and dishonest gain. 617 00:26:22,680 --> 00:26:25,720 If it's anything but the Lord that you desire, 618 00:26:25,720 --> 00:26:27,220 it's idolatry. 619 00:26:27,220 --> 00:26:29,520 If you desire anything more than God, 620 00:26:29,520 --> 00:26:30,960 because this is a matter of the heart, 621 00:26:30,960 --> 00:26:32,520 it says right here in verse 36, 622 00:26:32,520 --> 00:26:33,620 it's a matter of the heart. 623 00:26:33,620 --> 00:26:35,920 It's a matter of affections 624 00:26:35,920 --> 00:26:38,100 and we should always be testing ourselves. 625 00:26:38,100 --> 00:26:39,560 What do we really love? 626 00:26:39,560 --> 00:26:40,960 What do we love most? 627 00:26:41,960 --> 00:26:43,900 Day to day, what is your heart fixed on? 628 00:26:43,900 --> 00:26:45,100 Is it stuff? 629 00:26:46,100 --> 00:26:47,740 Is it getting ahead? 630 00:26:47,740 --> 00:26:49,300 What is it? 631 00:26:49,300 --> 00:26:52,180 If it's anything above God, it's idolatry. 632 00:26:53,480 --> 00:26:56,040 And the psalmist is clear, it's an issue of the heart. 633 00:26:56,040 --> 00:26:58,980 And what he's learned here is that his heart 634 00:26:58,980 --> 00:27:01,680 needs to be inclined towards God's word 635 00:27:01,680 --> 00:27:03,380 if he's gonna find that satisfaction, 636 00:27:03,380 --> 00:27:04,880 if he's gonna find contentment. 637 00:27:04,880 --> 00:27:05,960 So that's the prayer. 638 00:27:05,960 --> 00:27:08,360 Lord, cause this to happen in my life. 639 00:27:08,360 --> 00:27:10,320 By the way, that's a really great word to use in prayer. 640 00:27:10,320 --> 00:27:12,020 Lord, cause this. 641 00:27:12,020 --> 00:27:14,260 Make this happen, because I can't do it. 642 00:27:14,260 --> 00:27:17,360 So cause my heart to be inclined towards your word 643 00:27:17,360 --> 00:27:20,600 so that I stop feeling so discontent all the time. 644 00:27:21,800 --> 00:27:23,000 Turn my heart, he asks. 645 00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:24,980 Don't let me be deceived and seduced 646 00:27:24,980 --> 00:27:27,240 by all of the worldly stuff that I see. 647 00:27:27,240 --> 00:27:28,680 So that's the first thing. 648 00:27:28,680 --> 00:27:31,080 The second form of wordliness you see here 649 00:27:31,080 --> 00:27:33,580 is having our eyes fixed on worthless things. 650 00:27:35,020 --> 00:27:37,360 Rather than fixing our eyes on things 651 00:27:37,360 --> 00:27:39,360 that last, that have eternal value, 652 00:27:39,360 --> 00:27:40,860 what brings glory to God. 653 00:27:40,860 --> 00:27:42,960 And listen, again, we're all in this boat. 654 00:27:42,960 --> 00:27:44,400 We all know this principle. 655 00:27:44,400 --> 00:27:46,260 We all feel it every day, 656 00:27:46,260 --> 00:27:49,160 because there's so much media and entertainment 657 00:27:49,160 --> 00:27:51,800 and technology that comes before our eyes. 658 00:27:51,800 --> 00:27:55,200 It's like this endless stream of content 659 00:27:55,200 --> 00:27:58,540 that wants to steal our time and steal our focus. 660 00:27:58,540 --> 00:28:01,340 And because of the chaotic pace that we live at right now, 661 00:28:01,340 --> 00:28:05,120 we have this, maybe you're, okay, maybe you're like me, 662 00:28:05,120 --> 00:28:07,120 maybe not, but you're like, what am I missing? 663 00:28:07,120 --> 00:28:10,680 Have you heard about this show or that show or seen that? 664 00:28:10,680 --> 00:28:12,520 We feel like we have got to take in 665 00:28:12,520 --> 00:28:15,160 all the content that's out there, 666 00:28:15,160 --> 00:28:17,720 or else we're missing out, right? 667 00:28:17,720 --> 00:28:19,060 Be careful. 668 00:28:19,060 --> 00:28:20,360 And by the way, it's not all evil. 669 00:28:20,360 --> 00:28:22,760 I'm not saying that watching Netflix is evil. 670 00:28:22,760 --> 00:28:26,140 I'm just saying we have to steward this very carefully. 671 00:28:26,140 --> 00:28:30,000 We've got to guard our hearts and guard our time, right? 672 00:28:30,000 --> 00:28:32,200 And once again, you see in verse 37 673 00:28:32,200 --> 00:28:34,280 that the psalmist says that he needs God 674 00:28:34,280 --> 00:28:35,640 to do this work in his heart. 675 00:28:35,640 --> 00:28:37,840 He says, first of all, he said, incline my heart. 676 00:28:37,840 --> 00:28:41,480 Now he says, turn my eyes from this stuff. 677 00:28:41,480 --> 00:28:45,560 If I cross a line, if I get out of balance 678 00:28:45,560 --> 00:28:48,420 and all I'm doing is looking at content all the time, 679 00:28:48,420 --> 00:28:53,100 turn my eyes from it, because our eyes are powerful. 680 00:28:53,100 --> 00:28:54,460 You know that, right? 681 00:28:54,460 --> 00:28:56,300 The eyes tend to lead the body. 682 00:28:57,260 --> 00:29:00,100 And we shouldn't forget that the original sin in the garden 683 00:29:00,100 --> 00:29:02,140 started with what? 684 00:29:02,140 --> 00:29:05,700 The eyes, because the fruit looked really good. 685 00:29:05,700 --> 00:29:06,800 So the eyes lead the body. 686 00:29:06,800 --> 00:29:08,080 We've got to be very careful. 687 00:29:08,080 --> 00:29:11,980 So the psalmist says, turn my eyes, Lord, right? 688 00:29:11,980 --> 00:29:14,380 Great prayer request, cause this to happen. 689 00:29:14,380 --> 00:29:16,720 Lord, turn my eyes. 690 00:29:16,720 --> 00:29:18,120 Not that I'm not going to see things, 691 00:29:18,120 --> 00:29:21,260 but when I see them, turn my eyes to something better. 692 00:29:21,260 --> 00:29:24,220 Turn my eyes to something that actually has value, 693 00:29:24,220 --> 00:29:25,760 not worthless things. 694 00:29:25,760 --> 00:29:28,160 And bring me back to life through your word. 695 00:29:28,160 --> 00:29:31,160 Produce in me, look what he says, reverence for you. 696 00:29:31,160 --> 00:29:32,640 Produce worship in me. 697 00:29:33,600 --> 00:29:34,840 Not just on Sunday mornings, 698 00:29:34,840 --> 00:29:37,140 but every day produce that worship in me. 699 00:29:38,300 --> 00:29:39,740 Are you starting to see some of the beautiful 700 00:29:39,740 --> 00:29:44,540 and really practical words in Psalm 119? 701 00:29:44,540 --> 00:29:45,840 We just have to apply them, right? 702 00:29:45,840 --> 00:29:48,480 We just have to take them in and apply them. 703 00:29:48,480 --> 00:29:49,480 Okay, last section. 704 00:29:49,480 --> 00:29:51,420 I want you to drop down to verse 65. 705 00:29:52,320 --> 00:29:53,560 This is under the title of Tet, 706 00:29:53,560 --> 00:29:56,060 which is the eighth letter in the Hebrew alphabet. 707 00:29:56,060 --> 00:30:00,060 Verse 65, notice how this section of the Psalm 708 00:30:00,960 --> 00:30:02,500 begins with gratitude. 709 00:30:03,500 --> 00:30:06,440 He says, you have dealt well with your servant, 710 00:30:06,440 --> 00:30:09,480 O Lord, according to your word. 711 00:30:09,480 --> 00:30:11,840 This is a beautiful confession of confidence 712 00:30:11,840 --> 00:30:14,140 and trust in God's sovereignty. 713 00:30:14,140 --> 00:30:16,120 Remember, the psalmist has been down in the dust. 714 00:30:16,120 --> 00:30:17,820 He's been struggling with sin, 715 00:30:17,820 --> 00:30:20,860 yet he's still able to say to the Lord, 716 00:30:20,860 --> 00:30:22,420 God, you have dwelt well with me. 717 00:30:22,420 --> 00:30:23,860 You have been fair to me. 718 00:30:23,860 --> 00:30:26,260 More than fair to me. 719 00:30:26,260 --> 00:30:27,260 You've been good to me. 720 00:30:28,620 --> 00:30:30,200 That's important, right? 721 00:30:30,200 --> 00:30:32,460 Now, the Hebrew word here for well is tov, 722 00:30:32,460 --> 00:30:34,700 which is usually translated good. 723 00:30:34,700 --> 00:30:37,540 And you see tov used six times in these eight verses. 724 00:30:37,540 --> 00:30:39,800 It is the dominant theme of this section. 725 00:30:40,900 --> 00:30:44,780 So listen now, the psalmist does a very wise 726 00:30:44,780 --> 00:30:46,940 and godly thing here. 727 00:30:46,940 --> 00:30:48,180 And we can all learn from this. 728 00:30:48,180 --> 00:30:50,580 In the middle of his trial, 729 00:30:50,580 --> 00:30:55,020 he stops long enough to acknowledge God's goodness to him. 730 00:30:55,860 --> 00:30:58,060 Now, when we're in a trial, what's our tendency? 731 00:30:59,500 --> 00:31:01,020 Ah, right? 732 00:31:01,020 --> 00:31:02,220 I'm in chaos. 733 00:31:02,220 --> 00:31:03,100 I'm out of control. 734 00:31:03,100 --> 00:31:04,860 I'm thinking things and I'm feeling things. 735 00:31:04,860 --> 00:31:06,740 I'm all over the place. 736 00:31:06,740 --> 00:31:09,060 But he says, before that, 737 00:31:09,060 --> 00:31:10,940 before I start dealing with all of that, 738 00:31:10,940 --> 00:31:14,340 Lord, you have dwelt well with me. 739 00:31:14,340 --> 00:31:15,940 You've been good to me. 740 00:31:15,940 --> 00:31:18,780 Honestly, this is always a good place to start. 741 00:31:18,780 --> 00:31:21,340 How has God dwelt with us? 742 00:31:21,340 --> 00:31:22,980 How has he dealt with us? 743 00:31:22,980 --> 00:31:25,180 Is he not worthy of praise 744 00:31:25,180 --> 00:31:26,980 for what he's brought into our lives? 745 00:31:28,260 --> 00:31:29,980 I'm not saying it's not easy. 746 00:31:29,980 --> 00:31:32,260 The thing you're going through is easy. 747 00:31:32,260 --> 00:31:34,300 I'm just saying start here. 748 00:31:34,300 --> 00:31:36,100 God, you have been good to me. 749 00:31:36,900 --> 00:31:38,500 You've chose me. 750 00:31:38,500 --> 00:31:39,500 You've called me. 751 00:31:39,500 --> 00:31:40,900 You've drawn me to yourself. 752 00:31:40,900 --> 00:31:42,340 You've rescued me. 753 00:31:42,340 --> 00:31:44,300 You've declared me righteous in your sight. 754 00:31:44,300 --> 00:31:46,700 You've blotted out my record of sin. 755 00:31:46,700 --> 00:31:48,300 You've brought me to life. 756 00:31:48,300 --> 00:31:50,140 You've put your spirit within me. 757 00:31:50,140 --> 00:31:52,020 You've adopted me into your family 758 00:31:52,020 --> 00:31:54,140 and you've given me eternal life. 759 00:31:54,140 --> 00:31:56,660 Guys, that is an impressive list. 760 00:31:56,660 --> 00:31:58,860 So even when you're going through hard times, 761 00:31:58,860 --> 00:32:00,980 stop and think about that. 762 00:32:00,980 --> 00:32:04,460 God, you have dwelt, dealt well with your servant. 763 00:32:05,620 --> 00:32:07,540 No matter what you're going through, 764 00:32:07,540 --> 00:32:09,620 you can go there in your mind, in your heart 765 00:32:09,620 --> 00:32:11,740 and say, Lord, you're worthy of praise. 766 00:32:11,740 --> 00:32:13,700 Now, the hard part is sometimes, 767 00:32:13,700 --> 00:32:16,300 sometimes God's goodness flows into our lives 768 00:32:16,300 --> 00:32:21,100 through affliction, the purifying waters of affliction. 769 00:32:21,100 --> 00:32:23,020 And the psalmist here in this section 770 00:32:23,020 --> 00:32:25,420 is gonna connect the concept of affliction 771 00:32:25,420 --> 00:32:27,180 with divine discipline. 772 00:32:27,180 --> 00:32:30,860 So he says in verse 66, teach me good discernment. 773 00:32:32,660 --> 00:32:35,700 Teach me sound judgment and knowledge, he says. 774 00:32:35,700 --> 00:32:37,540 For I believe in your commandments. 775 00:32:37,540 --> 00:32:40,500 Here's another request that we should imitate, 776 00:32:40,500 --> 00:32:42,860 that we should pray often, right? 777 00:32:42,860 --> 00:32:45,620 We all need more discernment in our lives. 778 00:32:45,620 --> 00:32:47,100 Every one of us. 779 00:32:47,100 --> 00:32:49,420 Rather than relying upon our feelings and emotions, 780 00:32:49,420 --> 00:32:51,180 which are all over the place, 781 00:32:51,180 --> 00:32:53,580 we fall back on the principles of scripture 782 00:32:53,580 --> 00:32:57,460 and we ask God for wisdom about what is actually true. 783 00:32:58,660 --> 00:32:59,500 Right? 784 00:32:59,500 --> 00:33:01,180 And we ask the Lord to reveal to us 785 00:33:01,180 --> 00:33:04,660 things that we've begun to believe that are lies. 786 00:33:06,140 --> 00:33:07,460 Lord, I'm gonna go back here 787 00:33:07,460 --> 00:33:09,740 because this is gonna tell me what's true 788 00:33:09,740 --> 00:33:12,660 and reveal to me things that I believe that aren't true. 789 00:33:13,540 --> 00:33:14,380 Right? 790 00:33:14,380 --> 00:33:16,700 When are we most vulnerable to believing lies? 791 00:33:17,860 --> 00:33:19,220 In the midst of affliction. 792 00:33:20,420 --> 00:33:23,380 It makes it doubly important to do this. 793 00:33:23,380 --> 00:33:25,820 So the psalmist says, Lord, grant me wisdom and insight 794 00:33:25,820 --> 00:33:29,500 so that I can think rightly in the midst of the trial 795 00:33:29,500 --> 00:33:32,500 and I can make good and wise decisions. 796 00:33:32,500 --> 00:33:35,340 Now in verse 67, we get some more background information. 797 00:33:35,340 --> 00:33:38,980 He says, before I was afflicted, I went astray. 798 00:33:39,860 --> 00:33:41,340 But now I keep your word. 799 00:33:42,220 --> 00:33:44,300 So he doesn't explain the affliction here, 800 00:33:44,300 --> 00:33:46,620 but if you drop down to verse 69, 801 00:33:46,620 --> 00:33:48,100 you get an idea of what's going on. 802 00:33:48,100 --> 00:33:49,340 Look at verse 69. 803 00:33:49,340 --> 00:33:51,740 The arrogant have forged a lie against me. 804 00:33:51,740 --> 00:33:54,860 They have smeared me with lies. 805 00:33:54,860 --> 00:33:58,580 So what it looks like is the psalmist is under attack 806 00:33:58,580 --> 00:33:59,660 from prideful enemies. 807 00:33:59,660 --> 00:34:01,220 They've plotted against him. 808 00:34:01,220 --> 00:34:04,700 They've run a propaganda strategy against him. 809 00:34:04,700 --> 00:34:07,500 And nothing is more emotionally painful 810 00:34:07,500 --> 00:34:10,980 than having your character assassinated in public 811 00:34:10,980 --> 00:34:13,300 when you know it's all untrue. 812 00:34:13,300 --> 00:34:14,780 It's super painful. 813 00:34:14,780 --> 00:34:15,620 That's the type of thing 814 00:34:15,620 --> 00:34:17,860 that can drive you down into the dust. 815 00:34:17,860 --> 00:34:21,740 So the psalmist is going through deep emotional anguish here 816 00:34:21,740 --> 00:34:25,820 and he seems to identify it as divine discipline 817 00:34:25,820 --> 00:34:28,180 that's been brought into his life for a purpose. 818 00:34:28,180 --> 00:34:29,980 And what is that purpose? 819 00:34:29,980 --> 00:34:31,420 To drive him back to the word. 820 00:34:32,940 --> 00:34:34,620 Lord, you've brought this into my life 821 00:34:34,620 --> 00:34:36,020 to drive me back to the word. 822 00:34:36,020 --> 00:34:37,180 And if I'm back in the word, 823 00:34:37,180 --> 00:34:40,660 that's gonna put me back on the path of blessing. 824 00:34:40,660 --> 00:34:42,740 This is a key principle this morning. 825 00:34:42,740 --> 00:34:45,620 When the world mocks you and lies about you, 826 00:34:45,620 --> 00:34:47,380 do not respond in the flesh. 827 00:34:47,380 --> 00:34:49,460 Go back to the word for what is true. 828 00:34:50,580 --> 00:34:52,020 Now, this is a hard one for me 829 00:34:52,020 --> 00:34:53,300 because I like to be a fighter. 830 00:34:53,300 --> 00:34:54,780 I like to think I'm a fighter. 831 00:34:54,780 --> 00:34:56,540 When the world mocks you and, 832 00:34:56,540 --> 00:34:58,540 I mean, we all saw the Olympics, right? 833 00:34:58,540 --> 00:34:59,940 The opening of the Olympics. 834 00:35:00,860 --> 00:35:01,980 Did it make you angry? 835 00:35:03,300 --> 00:35:05,260 To see what they were doing? 836 00:35:05,260 --> 00:35:06,820 I get it, right? 837 00:35:06,820 --> 00:35:09,260 When the world mocks us and lies about us, 838 00:35:09,260 --> 00:35:11,860 we can say, hey, that's wrong, but guess what? 839 00:35:11,860 --> 00:35:13,740 We don't respond in the flesh. 840 00:35:13,740 --> 00:35:16,580 Pagans do pagan things. 841 00:35:17,500 --> 00:35:20,420 We go back to the word so that we know what is true. 842 00:35:20,420 --> 00:35:22,100 And this is gonna get more and more important. 843 00:35:22,100 --> 00:35:25,420 As the world gets darker and we get mocked even more, 844 00:35:25,420 --> 00:35:27,980 we have got to respond well. 845 00:35:27,980 --> 00:35:30,620 When we're slandered like this, 846 00:35:30,620 --> 00:35:32,020 here's our best strategy. 847 00:35:32,020 --> 00:35:33,820 First of all, know what the truth is. 848 00:35:34,700 --> 00:35:36,940 Second of all, stand up for what is true. 849 00:35:36,940 --> 00:35:38,700 Third, speak up about what's true. 850 00:35:38,700 --> 00:35:41,580 And most of all, then back up that truth 851 00:35:41,580 --> 00:35:46,060 with a life that's above reproach, right? 852 00:35:46,060 --> 00:35:48,860 Because if you just exchange evil for evil, 853 00:35:48,860 --> 00:35:51,140 you've not represented Christ well. 854 00:35:51,140 --> 00:35:54,700 Know the truth, stand up for the truth, speak the truth, 855 00:35:54,700 --> 00:35:58,900 but back it up with a life that shows who Christ is. 856 00:35:58,900 --> 00:36:00,420 Amen? 857 00:36:00,420 --> 00:36:02,620 Again, Spurgeon nails this. 858 00:36:02,620 --> 00:36:04,340 If the mud which is thrown at us 859 00:36:04,340 --> 00:36:07,380 does not blind our eyes or bruise our integrity, 860 00:36:07,380 --> 00:36:09,620 it will do us little harm. 861 00:36:09,620 --> 00:36:11,660 If we keep the precepts, 862 00:36:11,660 --> 00:36:15,740 the precepts will keep us in the days of insults and slander. 863 00:36:16,700 --> 00:36:18,780 So now the psalmist says, okay, Lord, I get it. 864 00:36:18,780 --> 00:36:20,380 I accept your discipline. 865 00:36:20,380 --> 00:36:23,020 It was bitter medicine, but I accept it. 866 00:36:23,020 --> 00:36:25,620 And in spite of the pain, I can now declare to you 867 00:36:25,620 --> 00:36:28,620 that this turmoil you put me through was good in the end 868 00:36:28,620 --> 00:36:30,900 because it drove me back to you. 869 00:36:30,900 --> 00:36:32,580 And it drove me back to your word. 870 00:36:32,580 --> 00:36:34,020 And he commits here, he says, look, 871 00:36:34,020 --> 00:36:36,700 now I keep your word in verse 67. 872 00:36:36,700 --> 00:36:39,940 Now I will observe your precepts, he says in verse 69. 873 00:36:39,940 --> 00:36:42,580 So God produced the result that was needed 874 00:36:42,580 --> 00:36:44,580 through the affliction. 875 00:36:44,580 --> 00:36:46,140 I can't tell you how many times in my life 876 00:36:46,140 --> 00:36:47,780 this has happened to me. 877 00:36:47,780 --> 00:36:49,740 And I know some of you experienced it as well. 878 00:36:49,740 --> 00:36:54,180 Slander, lies, attacks, and man, it can take a toll on you. 879 00:36:54,180 --> 00:36:57,740 But each time the Lord has sustained me through prayer, 880 00:36:57,740 --> 00:36:59,100 through going back to the word, 881 00:36:59,100 --> 00:37:02,300 and through close friends who've come to my side. 882 00:37:02,300 --> 00:37:04,020 And in the end of all that, 883 00:37:04,020 --> 00:37:06,780 now looking back over decades and decades of ministry, 884 00:37:06,780 --> 00:37:09,700 you can ask Tanya, I look back on those things and go, 885 00:37:09,700 --> 00:37:12,020 that was terrible. 886 00:37:12,020 --> 00:37:15,180 But boy, did I learn something about myself 887 00:37:15,180 --> 00:37:18,380 and about God in the midst of all of that. 888 00:37:18,380 --> 00:37:20,940 And that's the result that God wants to produce 889 00:37:20,940 --> 00:37:23,260 in affliction, make sense? 890 00:37:23,260 --> 00:37:24,820 All right, I'm short on time. 891 00:37:24,820 --> 00:37:27,100 So let me close with this, look at verse 68. 892 00:37:27,100 --> 00:37:32,100 You are good, the Psalmist says. 893 00:37:32,100 --> 00:37:35,860 And that is a powerful ontological statement about God. 894 00:37:35,860 --> 00:37:39,300 He is good in his essence, in his attributes, 895 00:37:39,300 --> 00:37:41,460 that is his core identity. 896 00:37:41,460 --> 00:37:44,820 He is good, and you do good, the Psalmist says. 897 00:37:44,820 --> 00:37:48,500 And therefore I ask you again, teach me your statutes. 898 00:37:49,900 --> 00:37:52,500 And then drop down to verse 71, look at this. 899 00:37:52,500 --> 00:37:55,060 It is good for me that I was afflicted. 900 00:37:55,060 --> 00:37:57,460 Underline that one, highlight that one. 901 00:37:57,460 --> 00:38:00,020 It is good for me that I went through this, 902 00:38:00,020 --> 00:38:02,060 that I may learn your statutes. 903 00:38:02,060 --> 00:38:03,820 So lots of tov here, right? 904 00:38:03,820 --> 00:38:04,660 Good, good, good. 905 00:38:04,660 --> 00:38:07,100 God is good, he does good, and affliction 906 00:38:07,100 --> 00:38:10,100 that I go through is ultimately for my good. 907 00:38:10,100 --> 00:38:10,940 Good, good, good. 908 00:38:12,340 --> 00:38:17,340 Lord, I would never have drawn up this path in a million years. 909 00:38:17,860 --> 00:38:19,420 Have you ever done this thing before? 910 00:38:19,420 --> 00:38:22,300 Like Lord, I would never draw this up. 911 00:38:22,300 --> 00:38:24,220 I would never have done this. 912 00:38:24,220 --> 00:38:26,140 I would never pray for what I've gone through. 913 00:38:26,140 --> 00:38:27,820 I would never ask for it. 914 00:38:27,820 --> 00:38:30,700 But now looking back and reflecting on it, 915 00:38:30,700 --> 00:38:31,780 I can say thank you. 916 00:38:33,460 --> 00:38:34,620 I can say thank you. 917 00:38:34,620 --> 00:38:38,940 And I can say teach me more, even if it means more affliction. 918 00:38:40,100 --> 00:38:41,860 And the reason the Psalmist can do this 919 00:38:41,860 --> 00:38:43,860 at this place in the Psalm here, 920 00:38:43,860 --> 00:38:46,900 the reason he can say that is because he absolutely believes 921 00:38:46,900 --> 00:38:49,780 with all of his heart the core truth that God is good. 922 00:38:51,420 --> 00:38:53,540 Without that, if we don't know God is good 923 00:38:53,540 --> 00:38:56,980 and we're not sure, affliction doesn't look so good, does it? 924 00:38:56,980 --> 00:39:00,820 But he knows that that is what, that's who God is. 925 00:39:00,820 --> 00:39:03,460 He is good and he is absolutely trustworthy. 926 00:39:04,660 --> 00:39:06,460 Now, let me just say this as a caveat. 927 00:39:06,460 --> 00:39:08,260 If you're going through suffering right now, 928 00:39:08,260 --> 00:39:12,620 trial, affliction, I'm not trying to rush you to this place 929 00:39:12,620 --> 00:39:14,460 because it's a process. 930 00:39:14,460 --> 00:39:15,500 We've all been there. 931 00:39:15,500 --> 00:39:19,260 But this is where we need to get to at some point 932 00:39:19,260 --> 00:39:23,580 in the affliction so that we can mature in our walk 933 00:39:23,580 --> 00:39:25,340 with Christ, make sense? 934 00:39:25,340 --> 00:39:26,420 Now, let me just say this also 935 00:39:26,420 --> 00:39:29,020 because I was just having this discussion 936 00:39:29,020 --> 00:39:31,540 with a couple of members this past week. 937 00:39:31,540 --> 00:39:35,660 What we see here in the Psalm is the Psalmist 938 00:39:35,660 --> 00:39:37,860 is making a connection between his affliction 939 00:39:37,860 --> 00:39:39,700 and God's discipline. 940 00:39:39,700 --> 00:39:43,100 But that's not always possible to do. 941 00:39:43,100 --> 00:39:47,100 Not every trial that we go through is disciplined for sin. 942 00:39:47,100 --> 00:39:48,700 It all has a purpose. 943 00:39:48,700 --> 00:39:49,940 You gotta know that. 944 00:39:49,940 --> 00:39:52,340 But it's not always because of sin 945 00:39:52,340 --> 00:39:54,220 because we can't always make that connection 946 00:39:54,220 --> 00:39:56,420 and we don't have special revelation that says, 947 00:39:56,420 --> 00:39:58,260 you know what, Jeff, you're going through this 948 00:39:58,260 --> 00:39:59,620 because of that. 949 00:39:59,620 --> 00:40:01,660 We don't have that special revelation. 950 00:40:01,660 --> 00:40:04,060 So we have to be careful not to overestimate 951 00:40:04,060 --> 00:40:07,660 or underestimate the connection between sin and discipline. 952 00:40:07,660 --> 00:40:10,340 And the fact is, James tells us that sometimes 953 00:40:10,340 --> 00:40:12,460 God brings trials into our lives 954 00:40:12,460 --> 00:40:15,180 for the simple process of sanctification. 955 00:40:15,180 --> 00:40:17,500 Not because we sinned in some particular way, 956 00:40:17,500 --> 00:40:19,220 but because we need to be sanctified. 957 00:40:19,220 --> 00:40:23,540 He says the testing of our faith produces endurance in us. 958 00:40:23,540 --> 00:40:26,420 It produces perseverance and that leads us 959 00:40:26,420 --> 00:40:29,540 to being more conformed to the image of Christ. 960 00:40:29,540 --> 00:40:31,940 So we gotta be careful that we don't jump to conclusions 961 00:40:31,940 --> 00:40:33,700 about every single trial. 962 00:40:33,700 --> 00:40:36,060 But we do need trials, all of us, 963 00:40:36,060 --> 00:40:39,540 because that's when God gets our attention most. 964 00:40:39,540 --> 00:40:40,500 Did you know that? 965 00:40:40,500 --> 00:40:41,340 It's so funny. 966 00:40:41,340 --> 00:40:44,540 The Lord said to Judah in the days of Jeremiah, 967 00:40:44,540 --> 00:40:46,740 he said to the prophet, he said, 968 00:40:46,740 --> 00:40:49,380 I spoke to you in your prosperity, 969 00:40:49,380 --> 00:40:50,780 but you wouldn't listen. 970 00:40:52,540 --> 00:40:55,060 That is such an insightful verse. 971 00:40:55,060 --> 00:40:57,740 I spoke to you, Judah, to turn you back 972 00:40:57,740 --> 00:41:01,700 while you were prospering, but you would not listen. 973 00:41:01,700 --> 00:41:03,220 So now what comes next? 974 00:41:03,220 --> 00:41:05,540 Calamity and trials. 975 00:41:06,420 --> 00:41:08,260 We should learn from that. 976 00:41:08,260 --> 00:41:10,820 One thing I wanna make sure we do in the midst of the storm 977 00:41:10,820 --> 00:41:13,700 is to make sure that we are wide awake 978 00:41:13,700 --> 00:41:17,340 and paying attention to what's going on around us. 979 00:41:17,340 --> 00:41:18,900 Have you heard this statement before? 980 00:41:18,900 --> 00:41:22,260 The worst type of affliction is wasted affliction. 981 00:41:23,220 --> 00:41:24,540 Wasted, why? 982 00:41:24,540 --> 00:41:27,460 Because we didn't see what God was doing, 983 00:41:27,460 --> 00:41:29,340 because we trusted in ourselves, 984 00:41:29,340 --> 00:41:31,660 because we refused to go back to God's word, 985 00:41:31,660 --> 00:41:33,660 and in the end, we didn't learn anything. 986 00:41:34,700 --> 00:41:36,700 And so that's wasted affliction. 987 00:41:38,260 --> 00:41:40,620 Last word from verse 72, and then I'll close. 988 00:41:40,620 --> 00:41:42,860 Verse 72, the law of your mouth 989 00:41:42,860 --> 00:41:46,300 or the instruction from your lips is better to me 990 00:41:46,300 --> 00:41:49,820 than thousands of gold and silver pieces. 991 00:41:50,980 --> 00:41:54,780 Man, I hope truthfully that every person 992 00:41:54,780 --> 00:41:57,140 in this room this morning can say that, 993 00:41:57,140 --> 00:41:59,260 that that's how you view God's word. 994 00:41:59,260 --> 00:42:01,860 Do you actually believe in its power? 995 00:42:03,300 --> 00:42:06,500 Do you believe in its power to revive you 996 00:42:06,500 --> 00:42:07,700 when you're in despair? 997 00:42:07,700 --> 00:42:09,460 Do you trust the power of God? 998 00:42:09,460 --> 00:42:11,260 Do you trust the power of the word 999 00:42:11,260 --> 00:42:13,580 to smack you out of worldliness 1000 00:42:13,580 --> 00:42:17,140 and to bring you back to the Lord? 1001 00:42:17,140 --> 00:42:18,860 Do you believe that the power of the word 1002 00:42:18,860 --> 00:42:22,940 will sustain you and teach you something very, very valuable 1003 00:42:22,940 --> 00:42:25,060 in the midst of affliction? 1004 00:42:25,060 --> 00:42:26,620 Friends, the psalmist has this right. 1005 00:42:26,620 --> 00:42:29,780 God's word is more valuable 1006 00:42:29,780 --> 00:42:31,380 than all the money in the world. 1007 00:42:33,060 --> 00:42:34,100 Let's pray together. 1008 00:42:34,100 --> 00:42:39,100 Father, thank you for the beautiful language 1009 00:42:39,100 --> 00:42:40,900 in these three sections of this psalm. 1010 00:42:40,900 --> 00:42:44,500 God, it just affirms in our hearts 1011 00:42:44,500 --> 00:42:47,220 so deeply why we love your word. 1012 00:42:47,220 --> 00:42:49,540 And I pray for myself, 1013 00:42:49,540 --> 00:42:51,460 for my brothers and sisters here this morning 1014 00:42:51,460 --> 00:42:55,220 that we would move past loving your word 1015 00:42:55,220 --> 00:42:58,500 to trusting in the power of your word 1016 00:42:58,500 --> 00:43:01,300 as your spirit illuminates us. 1017 00:43:01,300 --> 00:43:04,220 That we would trust you more and more, 1018 00:43:04,220 --> 00:43:06,220 that you transform hearts, 1019 00:43:06,220 --> 00:43:09,420 that you are in the business of growing and maturing us. 1020 00:43:09,420 --> 00:43:11,700 And sometimes, Lord, that comes through hardship 1021 00:43:11,700 --> 00:43:13,420 and it comes through trials. 1022 00:43:13,420 --> 00:43:14,820 So God, help us to pay attention 1023 00:43:14,820 --> 00:43:16,660 to the work that you're doing in our lives. 1024 00:43:16,660 --> 00:43:19,220 Help us not just to go on autopilot, 1025 00:43:19,220 --> 00:43:21,780 but to constantly put your word before us, 1026 00:43:21,780 --> 00:43:23,700 to seek your face, 1027 00:43:23,700 --> 00:43:27,780 to ask you to cause these things to be true 1028 00:43:27,780 --> 00:43:29,620 and to be true to your heart. 1029 00:43:29,620 --> 00:43:31,540 That you would cause these things 1030 00:43:31,540 --> 00:43:33,940 to be true of us in our lives. 1031 00:43:33,940 --> 00:43:36,060 That we would commit to that this morning, God, 1032 00:43:36,060 --> 00:43:38,580 and we would keep walking on this journey with you, 1033 00:43:38,580 --> 00:43:41,820 abiding in the vine and knowing that you care for us 1034 00:43:41,820 --> 00:43:42,820 and you love us. 1035 00:43:42,820 --> 00:43:44,380 Thank you for our time this morning. 1036 00:43:44,380 --> 00:43:46,580 We pray in the name of our Savior, 1037 00:43:46,580 --> 00:44:05,580 Jesus Christ, amen.