WEBVTT 00:00:00.520 --> 00:00:10.400 My heart is fixed, O God. My heart is fixed. 00:00:12.560 --> 00:00:19.719 Those ten little words are recorded in the 57th 00:00:19.719 --> 00:00:25.899 Psalm. I have wept over them. I have rejoiced. 00:00:25.940 --> 00:00:31.739 I have thrilled. I've been blessed. And I know 00:00:31.739 --> 00:00:38.100 exactly how David the psalmist felt when he looked 00:00:38.100 --> 00:00:46.020 up and spoke those ten words. My heart is fixed. 00:00:46.560 --> 00:00:57.979 Oh God, my heart is fixed. The other day, I reminisced 00:00:57.979 --> 00:01:02.170 a little. I guess that... Goes along with getting 00:01:02.170 --> 00:01:08.609 older, you know. And I turned back the pages 00:01:08.609 --> 00:01:11.790 of my life, and it seemed that all that I've 00:01:11.790 --> 00:01:17.049 ever done in my lifetime has been just to preach 00:01:17.049 --> 00:01:21.810 and pray and work and pray some more, preach 00:01:21.810 --> 00:01:28.769 some more, work a little harder. Really, I mean 00:01:28.769 --> 00:01:34.260 that. Sometimes I wonder if I missed anything 00:01:34.260 --> 00:01:39.099 by not having the same kind of youth that thousands 00:01:39.099 --> 00:01:43.000 of young people have had. All I've known, few 00:01:43.000 --> 00:01:47.260 people realize that, all that I've known all 00:01:47.260 --> 00:01:53.420 of my life has been nothing but hard work. All 00:01:53.420 --> 00:01:57.620 that I can remember doing is preaching the gospel. 00:01:58.540 --> 00:02:03.219 You wonder why I know the Word of God as I do? 00:02:03.400 --> 00:02:08.120 It's because it seemed like since I can remember, 00:02:08.219 --> 00:02:11.979 I've searched the Scripture. I've been hungry 00:02:11.979 --> 00:02:17.280 for the Word of God. I've sought God. I've sought 00:02:17.280 --> 00:02:21.599 understanding of the things that are spiritual. 00:02:22.639 --> 00:02:26.500 It seems sometimes like all I've done in my entire 00:02:26.500 --> 00:02:34.509 lifetime is just Pray. One constant prayer. Being 00:02:34.509 --> 00:02:38.569 constantly conscious of his presence. That's 00:02:38.569 --> 00:02:43.430 the reason he said, real to me as the next beat 00:02:43.430 --> 00:02:47.389 of my heart. More real to me, very, very often, 00:02:47.490 --> 00:02:52.229 than the one whose presence I not only feel but 00:02:52.229 --> 00:02:57.789 can see only a few feet from me. sitting in a 00:02:57.789 --> 00:03:04.629 room. The things of God are real to me. I can 00:03:04.629 --> 00:03:11.129 never remember what folk call backsliding or 00:03:11.129 --> 00:03:18.370 having the slightest desire to ever leave the 00:03:18.370 --> 00:03:25.300 things of God or to ever stop preaching. are 00:03:25.300 --> 00:03:32.879 to take it a little easier. My heart is fixed, 00:03:33.219 --> 00:03:42.159 oh God. My heart is fixed. And when at the age 00:03:42.159 --> 00:03:45.759 of 14 I was born again in that little Methodist 00:03:45.759 --> 00:03:49.280 church in Concordia, Missouri, my heart became 00:03:49.280 --> 00:03:56.879 fixed on the things of God. And I've never compromised 00:03:56.879 --> 00:04:02.819 for one second. From that first sermon that I 00:04:02.819 --> 00:04:11.580 preached in Idaho, Zacchaeus up a tree. And God 00:04:11.580 --> 00:04:16.079 knows if anyone was up a tree, I sure was. And 00:04:16.079 --> 00:04:20.000 after the sixth sermon, well, let's say after 00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:23.779 about the fourth sermon, that I preached in Idaho, 00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:28.220 I felt that I had exhausted the supply. There 00:04:28.220 --> 00:04:30.879 was nothing more left in the Bible to preach 00:04:30.879 --> 00:04:38.740 about. But one thing I knew, I was sold on the 00:04:38.740 --> 00:04:45.720 things of God. Jesus was real to me. My heart 00:04:45.720 --> 00:04:53.899 was fixed. One thing have I desired of the Lord, 00:04:54.040 --> 00:05:02.060 that will I seek after, the psalmist said. One 00:05:02.060 --> 00:05:07.899 thing. I've had but one desire. My heart has 00:05:07.899 --> 00:05:14.639 been fixed on just one thing, and that is what 00:05:14.639 --> 00:05:22.759 I have sought after all my life. The nicest compliment 00:05:22.759 --> 00:05:26.160 that has been paid me for a long time was when 00:05:26.160 --> 00:05:31.420 someone wrote to me recently, and they'd been 00:05:31.420 --> 00:05:34.939 in those early services when I was so very young, 00:05:35.019 --> 00:05:39.759 so very inexperienced, and they attended some 00:05:39.759 --> 00:05:44.660 of those services in Nampa, Idaho, and Emmett, 00:05:44.699 --> 00:05:50.100 Idaho, Caldwell, Idaho, all those little country 00:05:50.100 --> 00:05:55.310 places. They were precious to me. That's what 00:05:55.310 --> 00:06:00.069 I got so much of my education, you know. I went 00:06:00.069 --> 00:06:04.889 to the school of hard knocks. And some of those 00:06:04.889 --> 00:06:09.310 knocks were pretty hard. And sometimes I wondered 00:06:09.310 --> 00:06:11.930 if I would ever recover from them. But I always 00:06:11.930 --> 00:06:19.959 did. I always did. Because I had a purpose. I 00:06:19.959 --> 00:06:27.740 knew what I believed, and I was so sure of my 00:06:27.740 --> 00:06:33.180 faith in him. My heart was so fixed. My loyalty 00:06:33.180 --> 00:06:39.639 to him was so complete that there was never a 00:06:39.639 --> 00:06:43.139 turning back for one moment. And a little lady 00:06:43.139 --> 00:06:48.180 wrote to me recently and said, I heard you recently. 00:06:48.800 --> 00:06:54.439 in the Shrine Auditorium. And you haven't changed 00:06:54.439 --> 00:07:00.519 in your preaching one bit from the time I heard 00:07:00.519 --> 00:07:05.279 you as a teenager. You've never added any of 00:07:05.279 --> 00:07:10.579 the bric -a -brac. You've never changed in your 00:07:10.579 --> 00:07:16.300 theology. You've never gone off on tangents. 00:07:17.959 --> 00:07:23.600 You've never resorted to fanaticism. No, beloved. 00:07:25.100 --> 00:07:31.379 Why should I? I've had the greatest teacher a 00:07:31.379 --> 00:07:39.100 person can know. The Holy Spirit. But the secret 00:07:39.100 --> 00:07:45.800 of it all is the fact that my heart was fixed 00:07:45.800 --> 00:07:52.170 in the very beginning. And I was determined to 00:07:52.170 --> 00:07:58.050 be loyal to the Lord Jesus Christ. You know something? 00:07:58.149 --> 00:08:03.129 In these days of questioning of time -tested 00:08:03.129 --> 00:08:06.930 values in our society and the rise of a school 00:08:06.930 --> 00:08:10.290 of thought believing in the ethics of a situation 00:08:10.290 --> 00:08:18.180 rather than the ethics of steadfast truth, Good 00:08:18.180 --> 00:08:21.339 for us to look at one of the great virtues of 00:08:21.339 --> 00:08:28.860 life. That of loyalty. For without it, life is 00:08:28.860 --> 00:08:33.580 at loose ends. It just simply falls to pieces. 00:08:34.639 --> 00:08:38.700 Loyalty. We've gotten to the place where there's 00:08:38.700 --> 00:08:44.279 so little of loyalty left. Loyalty to each other. 00:08:45.340 --> 00:08:49.990 Loyalty to what we believe. Loyalty to principles. 00:08:52.710 --> 00:08:58.809 Loyalty to the Lord Jesus Christ. That word loyalty 00:08:58.809 --> 00:09:04.169 has little meaning in these days because there's 00:09:04.169 --> 00:09:10.690 so little of it being practiced. Queen Mary gave 00:09:10.690 --> 00:09:17.429 some advice to her granddaughter Elizabeth of 00:09:17.429 --> 00:09:22.169 the United Kingdom. And this is what Queen Mary 00:09:22.169 --> 00:09:28.710 said to Elizabeth. Remember that life is made 00:09:28.710 --> 00:09:33.389 up of loyalty. Loyalty to your friends, loyalty 00:09:33.389 --> 00:09:37.730 to things beautiful and good, loyalty to country 00:09:37.730 --> 00:09:43.850 which you love, and above all, loyalty to God. 00:09:46.350 --> 00:09:50.190 You know, some folks seem to get by because of 00:09:50.190 --> 00:09:53.929 their cleverness. Oh, I've seen it. I've watched 00:09:53.929 --> 00:10:02.149 it. But an ounce of loyalty is worth a pound 00:10:02.149 --> 00:10:09.129 of cleverness. Let us think for a moment of just 00:10:09.129 --> 00:10:13.210 what loyalty really means. The word isn't used 00:10:13.210 --> 00:10:22.690 much. Kind of outdated. Outmoded. Like some other 00:10:22.690 --> 00:10:31.789 things, you know. But it still means a lot. What 00:10:31.789 --> 00:10:34.570 are we talking about when we talk about loyalty? 00:10:36.710 --> 00:10:43.370 Loyalty is something that is intangible. It's 00:10:43.370 --> 00:10:49.470 like love. You can only understand it as you 00:10:49.470 --> 00:10:55.450 see it in action. Oh, sure. Volgens had them 00:10:55.450 --> 00:11:00.090 written about love. There are those who think 00:11:00.090 --> 00:11:04.389 that they have analyzed love and can tell you 00:11:04.389 --> 00:11:09.210 all about it. But in the final analysis, you 00:11:09.210 --> 00:11:14.590 can only understand love as you see it in action. 00:11:15.259 --> 00:11:19.379 Because it's something that you do. Love is something 00:11:19.379 --> 00:11:25.899 you do. And it's also true of loyalty. It's something 00:11:25.899 --> 00:11:33.120 that is intangible. But it's something you do. 00:11:34.179 --> 00:11:40.080 It means faithfulness. It means allegiance. It 00:11:40.080 --> 00:11:45.080 means devotion. It means so many, many things. 00:11:45.320 --> 00:11:51.480 It means that if one is loyal as a friend, you'd 00:11:51.480 --> 00:11:55.139 stake your very life on the loyalty of that friend. 00:11:55.820 --> 00:12:01.259 That's right. When we say that we're loyal to 00:12:01.259 --> 00:12:06.139 an idea like democracy or to a cause like the 00:12:06.139 --> 00:12:09.500 Christian faith, or to an institution like the 00:12:09.500 --> 00:12:14.259 church, we mean that we believe in it, we have 00:12:14.259 --> 00:12:18.200 confidence in it, that we're willing to stand 00:12:18.200 --> 00:12:21.019 up and be counted even when the chips are down. 00:12:22.379 --> 00:12:28.519 I remember something that my oldest sister Myrtle 00:12:28.519 --> 00:12:36.669 said one time, and I never forgot it. Oh, Dear 00:12:36.669 --> 00:12:39.110 me, she may have forgotten that she ever said 00:12:39.110 --> 00:12:46.389 it. But she said, you know, Catherine, in jail 00:12:46.389 --> 00:12:53.509 or out, I'm with you all the way. You know? Now, 00:12:53.629 --> 00:12:57.110 she never had to prove that loyalty, you understand. 00:13:01.610 --> 00:13:06.049 But, you know, it's kind of like that. In jail 00:13:06.049 --> 00:13:12.389 or out, right or wrong, or like the man said 00:13:12.389 --> 00:13:16.850 years and years ago, you know, I have so much 00:13:16.850 --> 00:13:20.490 confidence in you that even if I saw you do something 00:13:20.490 --> 00:13:25.250 wrong, I would think that my eyes were deceiving 00:13:25.250 --> 00:13:32.490 me. Loyalty. When we say we're loyal to a person, 00:13:32.549 --> 00:13:36.009 we mean that we know him. we have confidence 00:13:36.009 --> 00:13:39.950 in him, we'll stick by him through thick or thin, 00:13:40.149 --> 00:13:43.769 and that we're glad to be known as his friend, 00:13:43.870 --> 00:13:48.190 and that we'll not let him down. And when you 00:13:48.190 --> 00:13:53.269 know that you have that person's loyalty, you'll 00:13:53.269 --> 00:13:57.990 go through hell not to disappoint that one. See, 00:13:58.090 --> 00:14:04.200 it works both ways. That person... who has confidence 00:14:04.200 --> 00:14:12.159 in me, that person who is loyal to me, I would 00:14:12.159 --> 00:14:17.179 literally go through hell before I'd let that 00:14:17.179 --> 00:14:20.759 person down or have that person be disappointed 00:14:20.759 --> 00:14:27.460 in me. And it's just like that. I want to live 00:14:27.460 --> 00:14:31.080 up to, I want to be the kind of person and even 00:14:31.080 --> 00:14:39.500 a... better person than they know that I am. 00:14:41.000 --> 00:14:48.879 I want to be even bigger than they think I am. 00:14:52.059 --> 00:14:58.080 When we say we're loyal to God, We mean that 00:14:58.080 --> 00:15:01.200 we believe in his presence, that we believe that 00:15:01.200 --> 00:15:05.100 he is the creator, that he is the sustainer, 00:15:05.100 --> 00:15:08.600 the redeemer of our life. It means that we're 00:15:08.600 --> 00:15:15.019 determined to let this faith be the distinctive 00:15:15.019 --> 00:15:19.139 thing about our own life as well as our relationship 00:15:19.139 --> 00:15:23.460 with others. That's what the psalmist is saying 00:15:23.460 --> 00:15:29.570 in this 27th Psalm. One thing have I desired 00:15:29.570 --> 00:15:34.830 of the Lord, that will I seek after, that I may 00:15:34.830 --> 00:15:40.509 dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of 00:15:40.509 --> 00:15:44.870 my life. What the psalmist is saying here is, 00:15:44.970 --> 00:15:57.360 I pledge myself in diligence to my God. My heart 00:15:57.360 --> 00:16:06.039 is fixed. I'll be loyal to him at any cost, at 00:16:06.039 --> 00:16:13.639 any price. The waters have been deep, and I would 00:16:13.639 --> 00:16:19.179 not tell you that there have not been temptations. 00:16:19.879 --> 00:16:24.139 I would deceive you if I told you that it wasn't. 00:16:24.360 --> 00:16:31.299 easy way or an easy life, I would lie to you. 00:16:33.240 --> 00:16:38.539 But I also want you to know that I've never been 00:16:38.539 --> 00:16:48.179 disappointed in him. Never once. Never once has 00:16:48.179 --> 00:16:55.370 he ever let me down. Never once has he betrayed 00:16:55.370 --> 00:17:04.009 my trust, my confidence, my loyalty in him. You 00:17:04.009 --> 00:17:08.849 see, loyalty is much more than a casual interest 00:17:08.849 --> 00:17:13.269 in someone or something. It's a personal commitment. 00:17:14.509 --> 00:17:18.990 In a foul analysis, it means, here I am. You 00:17:18.990 --> 00:17:23.509 can count on me. I won't fail you. It's a positive 00:17:23.509 --> 00:17:29.069 attitude. There's nothing negative about it. 00:17:30.049 --> 00:17:34.210 There's nothing negative about loyalty. It's 00:17:34.210 --> 00:17:40.670 aggressive. As we noted a moment ago, it is a 00:17:40.670 --> 00:17:46.130 quality of life that a person must have if his 00:17:46.130 --> 00:17:52.420 life is to amount to anything. Oh, sure, there 00:17:52.420 --> 00:17:55.099 are many stories of great loyalty, of a man for 00:17:55.099 --> 00:18:00.000 his country, or a disciple to a cause, or one 00:18:00.000 --> 00:18:02.940 person for another. And one of the most beautiful 00:18:02.940 --> 00:18:05.900 stories that has ever been recorded is found 00:18:05.900 --> 00:18:10.099 in the Old Testament in the book of Ruth. Some 00:18:10.099 --> 00:18:16.460 hung back, refusing to accompany Naoma to her 00:18:16.460 --> 00:18:21.960 homeland. But Ruth, the girl from Moab, stood 00:18:21.960 --> 00:18:27.500 firmly at her side and speak some beautiful words 00:18:27.500 --> 00:18:30.819 that had become engraved in the language of loyalty 00:18:30.819 --> 00:18:38.599 where the Christian faith is known. Entreat me 00:18:38.599 --> 00:18:43.920 not to leave thee or to return from following 00:18:43.920 --> 00:18:50.710 after thee for whether thou goest I will go, 00:18:50.890 --> 00:18:58.910 and where thou lodgest, I will lodge. Thy people 00:18:58.910 --> 00:19:05.470 shall be my people, thy God my God. Where thou 00:19:05.470 --> 00:19:10.970 diest will I die, and there will I be buried. 00:19:11.829 --> 00:19:19.470 The Lord do so to me, and more also, Ought but 00:19:19.470 --> 00:19:31.690 death part thee and me. Mm -hmm. It may be a 00:19:31.690 --> 00:19:34.930 loyalty to a great cause that challenges a person 00:19:34.930 --> 00:19:38.109 like Nehemiah, rebuilding the wall about Jerusalem 00:19:38.109 --> 00:19:44.309 and saying, I am doing a great work, and I cannot 00:19:44.309 --> 00:19:48.779 come down. The loyalty of which we've been speaking, 00:19:48.839 --> 00:19:51.480 the loyalty that is born out of faith and confidence 00:19:51.480 --> 00:19:57.460 and that always enriches life. I am sure that 00:19:57.460 --> 00:20:00.880 is what the apostle had in mind when he wrote 00:20:00.880 --> 00:20:04.059 to the Philippians saying, Whatsoever things 00:20:04.059 --> 00:20:08.500 are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever 00:20:08.500 --> 00:20:12.180 things are just, whatsoever things are pure, 00:20:12.559 --> 00:20:17.190 whatsoever things are lovely. and whatsoever 00:20:17.190 --> 00:20:23.490 things are of good report, if there be any virtue, 00:20:23.589 --> 00:20:32.390 and if there be any praise, think on these things. 00:20:33.509 --> 00:20:38.750 I want to just say something. In a time when 00:20:38.750 --> 00:20:44.880 things are changing, and we're forgetting, the 00:20:44.880 --> 00:20:50.940 real values in life. As we think of loyalty, 00:20:51.359 --> 00:20:58.359 how important it is as to where one should put 00:20:58.359 --> 00:21:03.519 one's loyalties. There's certain guidelines that 00:21:03.519 --> 00:21:08.460 I think will help first. We must be on guard, 00:21:09.059 --> 00:21:14.799 lest... A minor loyalty lead us to sacrifice 00:21:14.799 --> 00:21:21.740 a major one. Sometimes I think we are compromising 00:21:21.740 --> 00:21:33.160 and we're sacrificing to minor loyalties rather 00:21:33.160 --> 00:21:40.569 than to be true to a major one. Second, We must 00:21:40.569 --> 00:21:46.569 be careful lest a little loyalty to one's family, 00:21:46.650 --> 00:21:49.829 one's profession, one's class, one's race be 00:21:49.829 --> 00:21:58.230 pressed at the expense of a larger one. Third, 00:21:58.410 --> 00:22:05.569 we must remember that first, last, and always 00:22:05.569 --> 00:22:14.430 our supreme loyalty is to God. Never sacrifice 00:22:14.430 --> 00:22:18.390 your loyalty to God.