Sermons

What We Have in God’s Word

Psalm 119:161-168

 

Let’s start by making sure we each have a Bible in front of us. So if you need a Bible raise your hand, and we will bring one to you.

 

Then let’s take our Bibles, and hold them in front of us, and think of what we hold in our hands. The words in this book are the very words of God. God, the Creator of the universe, who has no beginning and no end, worked through prophets in the Old Testament, and apostles in the New Testament, so that what we have in this book is the words of God himself.

 

Think of the millions of books in the world. Every other book in the world is just the words of people: people who have limited knowledge and who make mistakes. But this book is not just the words of people. This book, and only this book, is the words of God -- who has all knowledge, and who makes no mistakes.

 

And what book deals with topics more important than the topics of this book? What’s more important than knowing who we are, why we are here, is there a God? And -- if there is a God, does he love us, can we be forgiven for our sin, can we be restored into relationship with him forever? What book has topics more important than that?

 

And what other book promises that as we read it and pray over it we will meet God himself, in Jesus Christ, and be convicted of sin, strengthened in faith, assured of forgiveness, comforted in our trials, inspired in obedience, and filled with joy? Only through this book we will come to know the Living God!

 

But in spite of all that, too often, we find ourselves bored with this book, tired of this book, more interested in Facebook or Downton Abbey than this book.

 

But here’s the good news. If we will turn to Jesus Christ, and ask him to forgive us and change our hearts, God will use these words to open our eyes so we once again see what we have in this book, and as a result we will love this book, study this book, memorize this book, read this book, and talk together about this book.

 

That’s what God wants to do in us this morning. In the next eight verses in Psalm 119 the author describes his heart towards God’s word, and tells us the reasons why. And this morning I believe God wants to use this passage to show us these reasons so we will have his same heart toward God’s word.

 

So let’s turn to Psalm 119 verses 161-168. And in the Bibles we passed out, this passage is on page 516.

 

Let’s read these verses together –

161 Princes persecute me without cause, but my heart stands in awe of your words.

162 I rejoice at your word like one who finds great spoil.

163 I hate and abhor falsehood, but I love your law.

164 Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous rules.

165 Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.

166 I hope for your salvation, O LORD, and I do your commandments.

167 My soul keeps your testimonies; I love them exceedingly.

168 I keep your precepts and testimonies, for all my ways are before you.

 

As I studied these verses I saw seven descriptions of what’s in his heart towards God’s word, and why. Let’s take a look at each of them.

 

First, when facing trials he focuses on God’s words, because they have everything to do with his trials. That’s in verse 161 –

161 Princes persecute me without cause, but my heart stands in awe of your words.

 

This is a shocking picture. He’s facing persecution from political leaders -- which means his position, his finances, and even his life, are in jeopardy. But even though he’s facing persecution, that’s not what captures his attention. What captures his attention, what he stands in awe of, is God’s words.

 

Why? Because these words point to the God who is in sovereign control of those princes who are persecuting him. These words tell him what God promises to do in situations like this -- that God will tell him what to do, that God will bring him great good from this, that he can completely trust God.

 

So even though princes are persecuting him, his heart is focused on God’s words, because they have everything to do with this trial, and every trial he will ever face.

 

So when you are facing trials, understand that these words have everything to do with whatever trial you are facing, and that there are no more important words for you to understand regarding a trial, then these words. These words will strengthen you, comfort you, guide you, encourage you, and help you in the most important ways you need to be helped.

 

So when trials come – focus on these words, stand in awe of these words, don’t neglect these words.

 

Second, he rejoices over God’s word, because it contains the infinitely valuable knowledge of God. That’s in verse 162 –

162 I rejoice at your word like one who finds great spoil.

 

Think of what it would mean to find great spoil. Imagine walking along some beach north of Santa Cruz, and stumbling over a treasure chest full of gold doubloons -- millions of dollars worth. Think of the joy you would feel – you would laugh, you would leap, you would dance!

 

And the author says he rejoices in this book like someone who finds great spoil. Why? Because he knows that through these truths God will meet him, comfort him, change his heart, guide him, encourage him, strengthen him, and satisfy him.

 

The same will be true for you. So understand what God will do in you through his word, and rejoice in God’s word.

 

Third, he loves God’s law, because it is perfectly true. You can see that in verse 163 –

163 I hate and abhor falsehood, but I love your law.

 

One reason he loves God’s law is because it is true, and there is no falsehood in it.

 

Think of how crucial it is to know the truth about why we are here, about what our problem is, about what the solution is, and about where this is all headed. Think of how devastating it would be if your answers to those questions were not true.

 

Now think of the thousands of books that deal with those questions. If you took all those books, and separated them into two piles, one pile with books that give perfectly true answers to those questions, and another pile with those books that don’t give perfectly true answers to those questions, the pile of those books giving perfectly true answers those questions will have only one book -- this book.

 

Because this book is from God himself, only this book gives us the perfectly true answer about why we are here (because God created us), about what our problem is (are sin against God), about what the solution is (faith in Jesus Christ which brings forgiveness of sins and God’s heart changing power), and where this is all headed (the return of Christ at the end of history, the final judgment, eternal hell and eternal heaven).

 

Every other book has some falsehood. Only this book is perfectly true -- with no falsehood. So – love this book.

 

Fourth, he praises God for his righteous rules. You can see that in verse 164 –

164 Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous rules.

 

We hate unrighteous rules. When we hear that the Islamic state in North Iraq has a rule requiring that the Yazidi people either convert to Islam, pay a hefty fine, or be killed – we hate that, because that rule is unrighteous.

 

But every one of God’s rules is perfectly righteous. Think of them –

Trust Christ as your Savior, Lord, and Treasure.

Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Be devoted to prayer.

Meditate on God’s word.

Be faithful to your spouse love your children.

Be devoted to your brothers and sisters in Christ in brotherly love.

Forgive everyone who hurts you.

Make disciples of all the nations.

 

Every one of God’s rules in this book is perfectly righteous. And the author of Psalm 119 so sees the righteousness of God’s rules, that he stops seven times a day and praises God.

 

So -- see the righteousness of God’s rules in this book, and praise God for them.

 

Fifth, he has great peace because he builds his life on the rock of God’s word. You can see that in verse 165 –

165 Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.

 

There’s only two options. You are either building your life on the rock of God’s word, which means you won’t stumble -- or you are building your life on shifting sand, on something that’s not true, which means you will stumble.

 

So let me tell you about my father. He can hardly walk, and has lost most of his vision. And if he had built his life on ideas like -- if you live by faith, you’ll have no health problems -- then he would have stumbled.

 

But two weeks ago, when we were visiting my parents, I saw once again how my he builds his life on the rock of God’s word.

 

One morning when I walked into the living room I saw that he had set up a card table with two chairs, because he wanted us to be able to open our Bibles so he could walk through Romans eight with me.

 

He pulled out his magnifying glass so he could read his Greek New Testament, and he traced Paul’s train of thought. And he specially focused on how Paul says that part of God’s purpose is that believers often suffer sickness, and how we will groan for our future resurrection, and how if we suffer with Christ then we will be glorified with him.

 

And because my father has built his life on the rock of these truths, he knows his health problems do not mean God stopped loving him. He knows his health problems are part of God’s plan for him. He knows God will give him grace in the midst of them. And he knows the day is coming when he will receive a resurrected body which can once again run -- and see. And so he has great peace.

 

This book is a solid, immovable, unshakable, never-changing rock. So love it, build your life upon it, and you will not stumble, but instead you will have great peace.

 

Sixth, he hopes in the all-satisfying salvation described in God’s Word. You can see that in the first half of verse 166 –

166 I hope for your salvation, O LORD …

 

Every human being wants to hope in something. We all want to have something in our future which we trust will bring us great pleasure. And in the meantime we think about that hope, read about that hope, and live for that hope.

 

Think of someone who is hoping in a vacation to the Great Barrier Reef. He’s thinking about all the pleasures this will bring him. And in the meantime he’s studying and thinking and reading about the Great Barrier Reef, and living for that vacation.

 

Now there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a vacation to the Great Barrier Reef. But if you put all your hope in it, it will disappoint you. Because as great as the Great Barrier Reef or anything else in this world is, it’s not enough to fully satisfy you.

 

But if that’s true, what can we put our hope in? In this book, God gives us good news. This book describes a certain hope that will satisfy you forever – seeing Jesus Christ, your Savior, face to face in the new heavens and new earth. This hope will satisfy, and it is the only hope that will satisfy. And this hope is described here in God’s word.

 

So what are you hoping it? What future hope do you spend time thinking about? Instead of putting all your hope in something like the Great Barrier Reef, and spending all your time reading those travel brochures, set your hope on beholding Jesus Christ forever, and spend your time reading this travel brochure.

 

Seventh, he obeys God’s word, because he passionately loves it. That’s in the second half of verse 166 through 168 – notice how many times he talks about doing and keeping God’s word –

166 I hope for your salvation, O LORD, and I do your commandments.

167 My soul keeps your testimonies; I love them exceedingly.

168 I keep your precepts and testimonies, for all my ways are before you.

 

One year for Christmas I received a kit for making a model of a US Navy aircraft carrier. It came with hundreds of little plastic pieces, and an instruction manual for how all those hundreds of pieces would fit together into a beautiful U.S. Navy aircraft carrier.

 

And I loved that instruction manual, and I obeyed that instruction manual, because I was excited about building the aircraft carrier.

 

Think of all the different pieces of your life. Think of how tragic it is when people glue pieces of their life into the wrong places, or end up with the wrong arrangement. But the good news is that you don’t need to do that, because God has given you the instruction manual.

 

This is the perfect instruction manual for how to build your life, given to you by your Creator. And by trusting Jesus Christ, he will give you the power to follow this instruction manual, so your life will be built as it was intended.

 

So see what we have in this book – the perfect instruction manual for building your life.

 

Questions?

 

So see what this book really is, the perfect revelation of the God of the universe, and respond to this book as this author did –

With awe,

Joy,

Love,

Praise,

Peace,

Hope,

and Obedience.