Weekly Sermon
 
In Psalm 119:6 the psalmist proclaimed, “Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.”  In verse 31 the psalmist lifted up his prayer, “I have stuck unto thy testimonies: O LORD, put me not to shame.”  In verse 46 the psalmist expressed his commitment, “I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed.”  Again in verse 80 the psalmist lifted up his prayer, “Let my heart be sound in thy statutes; that I be not ashamed.”  Yet again in verse 116 the psalmist lifted up his prayer, “Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live: and let me not be ashamed of my hope.”
 
In all five of these verses, the psalmist employed either the verb “ashamed” or its corresponding noun “shame.”  Furthermore, in all five of these verses the psalmist spoke about not being ashamed or not having shame.  What then does it mean to be “ashamed”?  It means to have a feeling of humiliation or embarrassment because of some wrong or foolish decision.  So then, what was involved in the psalmist’s desire not to be ashamed?
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Weekly Sermon

This sermon is a companion to a previous sermon:  Rich in the Realm of Faith (Part 1) - James 2:5 

James 2:5 reads, “Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?”

James 2:5 indicate that those from the poor class in relation to this world who place their trust in Christ as Savior are chosen by God to be rich in relation to His kingdom.  Regardless of their poor status in the realm of this world, they possess an abundantly rich status in the realm of faith.  Indeed, every one of us who are the children of God through faith in Christ is spiritually rich in the realm of faith.  These spiritual riches may be considered from two perspectives.  First, we may consider our spiritual riches in the realm of faith in relation to our eternal salvation.  Second, we may consider our spiritual riches in the realm of faith in relation to our daily walk.  Already in first part of the message, we considered the first of these truths.  Now, in this second part of the message, let us consider the second of these truths.

Weekly Sermon

Psalm 119:9-16 reads, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?  By taking heed thereto according to thy word.  With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.  Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.  Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes.  With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.  I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.  I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.  I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.”

Through the grammatical constructions of Psalm 119:9-16, we may note five elements of truth in these eight verses.  The first element that we note in this passage is the concern of God’s man.  In the opening portion of verse 9, the psalmist, this young man of God, expressed his spiritual concern and burden through the grammatical form of a searching question – “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?” 

The second element that we note in this passage is the responsibility of God’s man.   In the closing portion of verse 9, this responsibility was delivered through the grammatical form of an instructional answer – “By taking heed thereto according to thy [God’s] word.” 

The third element that we note in this passage is the praise of God’s man.  At the center of these eight verses, in the opening portion of verse 12, the psalmist, this young man of God, revealed the spiritual assurance and faith of his heart through the grammatical form of an exclamatory praise – “Blessed art thou, O LORD.” 

The fourth element that we note in this passage is the request of God’s man.  In these eight verses, the psalmist, this young man of God, lifts up two requests unto the Lord through the grammatical form of a heart-felt prayer.  In the closing portion of verse 10, this young man of God lifted up his first request unto the Lord – “O let me not wander from thy commandments.”  Then in the closing portion of verse 12, this young man of God lifted up his second request unto the Lord – “Teach me thy statutes.” 

The fifth and final element that we note in this passage is the commitment of God’s man.  Actually, this matter of commitment encompasses the majority of these eight verses, including the opening portion of verse 10, all of verse 11, and all of verses 13-16.  In these verses, the psalmist, this young man of God, presented his fervent and faithful commitment through the grammatical form of a personal declaration.  In verses 10-11 he declared, “With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.  Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”  Then in verses 13-16 he declared, “With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.  I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.  I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.  I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.”

In this message let us focus our attention upon the fourth element of the passage – the request of God’s man; and let us consider the two-fold request that this young man of God lifted up unto the Lord.  Yea, let us consider these two requests with the recognition that we ourselves also ought to lift them up from our hearts unto the Lord each and every day.

 Weekly Sermon

Psalm 119:9-16 reads, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?  By taking heed thereto according to thy word.  With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.  Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.  Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes.  With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.  I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.  I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.”

In the opening portion of verse 9, the psalmist expressed the spiritual concern and burden of his heart with the question, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?” He desired to know how he himself, as a young man of God, might have his way cleansed and might continue in the cleansed way.  In the closing portion of verse 9, the answer of God’s Word is delivered – “By taking heed thereto according to thy [God’s] word.”  Through this principle we lean that we may have our way cleansed and may continue in the cleansed way by taking heed to conform our way in accord with the standard of God’s Word.  We must give our attention and our obedience to the Word of God.  Certainly this will require commitment on our part.  It will not just happen.  We must specifically prepare ourselves and commit ourselves every day to the task.  

So then, what is involved in the commitment to take heed unto our way in accord with God’s Word? Throughout Psalm 119:10-16 the psalmist, this young man of God, presented eight points of commitment that he had made in this matter.  Through his example we learn what is involved in the commitment to take heed according to God’s Word.  Now, the eight points of commitment that the psalmist made may be divided grammatically into two parts.  The psalmist’s first four commitments he presented in the past tense as those commitments that he had already done.  In them we find our responsibility to apply ourselves unto God’s Word.  We must apply ourselves to make our Lord and His Word the governing priority and principle of our hearts.  The psalmist’s second four commitments he presented in the future tense as those commitments that he intended to do.  In them we find our responsibility to apply God’s Word unto ourselves.  We must apply the truth of God’s Word to our daily living so that our daily purposes and pursuits are conformed thereto.

In this first part of the message, let us consider the first four commitments of the psalmist and our responsibility to apply ourselves unto God’s Word.

Weekly Sermon

Psalm 119:2 reads, “Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.”

In Psalm 119:2 the psalmist spoke of those who seek the Lord “with the whole heart.”  Now, to pursue something “with the whole heart” is to do so wholeheartedly, to do so with all one’s focus, with all one’s commitment, with all one’s priority, with all one’s energy, with all one’s enthusiasm.  In fact, throughout this psalm the psalmist speaks six times concerning the pursuit of something “with the whole heart,” and five of those times he is delivering a testimony concerning his own heart and life.  So then, from these six references, we find three pursuits wherein we ought to follow the psalmist’s example to pursue them “with the whole heart.”

Outlines in Psalms

“A Psalm of David”

  I.  The Desire of the Lord’s Servant (Psalm 143:1-2)
 II.  The Desolation of the Lord’s Servant (Psalm 143:3-4)
III.  The Devotion of the Lord’s Servant (Psalm 143:5-6)

Weekly Sermon

This sermon is a companion to four previous sermons:
                Blessed Be the Most High God - Genesis 14:19-20    
                The Most High Ruleth - Daniel 4:32    
                The Most High Uttereth His Voice - 2 Samuel 22:14    
                Sing Praise to the Name of the Lord Most High - Psalm 7:17    

Psalm 91:1 reads, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”  The Lord our God is the most high God, the almighty and eternal Lord God of heaven and earth.  As the most high God, the Lord our God does indeed involve himself in the affairs of our lives and does indeed care for His own with faithful lovingkindness.  So then, how should we who are God’s own dear children respond unto Him as the most high God?  Through a study within the book of the Psalms, let us consider six ways in which we are to respond unto the Lord our God, as the most high God.

Weekly Sermon

This sermon is a companion to four previous sermons:  Consider Your Priorities - Haggai 1:5    
                                                                                        Consider the Lord's Pleasure - Haggai 1:8      
                                                                                        Consider Our Lord's Purpose - Haggai 2:10-19    
                                                                                        Consider Our Lord's Promise - Haggai 2:18-23    

Haggai 2:1-5 reads, “In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the LORD by the prophet Haggai, saying, Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying, Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory?  And how do ye see it now?  Is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?  Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts: according to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.”

The Book of Haggai is an Old Testament book of only two chapters.  Five times in those two chapters, our Lord instructed His people of that time to consider (in 1:5, 7; 2:15, 18).  They were to consider their self-centered priorities and to reestablish their priority on the things of the Lord.  They were to consider the Lord’s pleasure and to return unto the way of the Lord’s pleasure upon them.  They were to consider the Lord’s purpose in chastening and to receive it with meekness unto fruitfulness for the Lord.  Finally, they were to consider the Lord’s promise and to set the faith and focus of their hearts upon the Lord. 

In particular, the Lord promised that if they would reestablish their priority on His work, and would return unto the way of His pleasure, and would receive with meekness the purpose of His chastening, then He would be with them in the fellowship of His presence and would pour out upon them the enabling of His Spirit.  In fact, these very two promises are given in Haggai 2:4-5 – “Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts: according to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.”  In like manner, in the New Testament the Lord our God has also promised the fellowship of His presence and the enabling of His Spirit unto us who are His people today.

Yet these promises were not and are not to be an end in themselves.  Rather, these promises were then to move and motivate God’s people unto the work of the Lord for that time; and these promises are now to move and motivate God’s people unto the work of the Lord for this time.  Yea, in Haggai 2:4-5, on the grounds of our Lord’s promise to be with them in fellowship and to place His Spirit upon them for enabling, He gave a three-fold instruction unto His people.  Brethren, through these three things we are to be claiming our Lord’s presence.

Weekly Sermon

This sermon is a companion to three previous sermons:  Consider Your Priorities - Haggai 1:5    
                                                                                         Consider the Lord's Pleasure - Haggai 1:8      
                                                                                         Consider Our Lord's Purpose - Haggai 2:10-19    

Haggai 2:10 gives the report, “In the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying.”  Then in Haggai 2:18-19 we come to the conclusion of that message where our Lord declared through His prophet, “Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the LORD’S temple was laid, consider it.  Is the seed yet in the barn?  Yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you.”  Finally, in Haggai 2:20-23 our Lord delivered a second message on the same day through His prophet Haggai.  There we read, “And again the word of the LORD came unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the month, saying, Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth; and I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother.  In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the LORD, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the LORD of hosts.”

In Haggai 2:15-17 the Lord had instructed His people at that time to consider His hand of chastening against them and to consider His purpose in that chastening.  Yet in Haggai 2:18-19 the Lord instructed them to consider another matter.  In these two verses, the Lord gave promise to reverse their situation.  Until that time His hand of chastening had been against them, but from that time forward He promised to open His hand of blessing upon them.  At the end of verse 19, the Lord proclaimed, “From this day will I bless you.”  He had confronted them and chastened them for their sinful priorities and ways, and they had repented of those sinful priorities and ways.  Thus from that day of their repentance forward, the Lord promised to bless them.  Even so, the Lord instructed them to consider His promise.  In like manner, we ourselves also need to consider our Lord’s promise to those who will repent of their sinful ways and return unto the Lord.

Outlines in Psalms

To Whom Is the Lord Nigh?

1.  To Those Who Trust Him

     Psalm 145:18 – “The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.”

2.  To Those Who Fear Him

     Psalm 145:19a – “He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him.”

3.  To Those Who Love Him

     Psalm 145:20a – “The LORD preserveth all them that love him.”

In What Manner Is the Lord Nigh?

1.  In His Fellowship

     Psalm 145:18a – “The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him.”

2.  In His Favor

     Psalm 145:19a – “He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him.”

3.  In His Deliverance

     Psalm 145:19b – “He also will hear their cry, and will save them.”

4.  In His Preservation

     Psalm 145:20a – “The LORD preserveth all them that love him.”

Posted in Outlines in Psalms, Trust in God, Fear of the Lord, Godly Love, Fellowship with the Lord, Blessing of the Lord, Deliverance of Our Lord, Refuge of the Lord

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Weekly Sermon

This sermon is a companion to a previous sermon:  Consider Your Priorities - Haggai 1:5    

Haggai 1:1-8 reads, “In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD’S house should be built.  Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying, Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?  Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.  Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.  Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.”

In the time of Haggai the prophet the Lord’s people were neglecting the Lord’s work.  The specific work to which they had been called was to rebuild the Lord’s house, the physical temple in Jerusalem.  Yet they were allowing the Lord’s house, the Lord’s temple, to lie waste.  They had a problem in their priorities.  They had set their priorities upon their own interests rather than upon the Lord’s work.  In the use of their time, they claimed to have no time for the Lord’s work.  Yet the Lord indicated that they seemed to have plenty of time for their own interests.  In Haggai 1:2-4 the Lord confronted them, saying, “Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD’S house should be built.  Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying, Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?”  Also in the work of their effort, they completely disregarded the Lord’s work while they ran with all effort after their own interests.  In Haggai 1:9 the Lord confronted them, saying, “Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it.  Why? saith the LORD of hosts.  Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.” 

Because of their wrong priorities, the Lord brought His hand of chastening against them.  In Haggai 1:6 He declared, “Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.”  Again in Haggai 1:9-11 He declared, “Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it [to blow it away].  Why? saith the LORD of hosts.  Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.  Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.  And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.”

Yes, the Lord confronted them for their wrong priorities, chastened them for those wrong priorities, and challenge them to consider the sinfulness of their wrong priorities.  Haggai 1:5 proclaims, “Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.”  Again Haggai 1:7 proclaims, “Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.”  Yet then the Lord counseled them on how they might correct their wrong priorities.  In Haggai 1:8 He declared, “Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.”  First, they were to consider their priorities.  Then they were to consider the Lord’s pleasure.  The Lord’s hand of chastening was against them because of their wrong priorities.  Yet the Lord was willing to place His hand of pleasure upon them if they would correct their wrong priorities.  So then, brethren, what about us today?  Do we at all desire that the Lord our God should take pleasure in our lives?  Do we at all desire that the Lord our God should take pleasure in our work and service for Him?  Would we rather have our Lord’s hand of chastening against us or His hand of pleasure upon us?

Proverbs for Life

The foundational principle for the entire book of the Proverbs and for the spiritual wisdom that this book teaches is found in Proverbs 1:7 – “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”  So then, what does the book of the Proverbs directly indicate concerning the fear of the Lord?

Meditations in Jeremiah

This meditation is a companion to a previous meditation:  A Provocation of Mine Anger - Jeremiah 32:26-35    

Jeremiah 32:42-44 – “For thus saith the LORD; Like as I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them.  And fields shall be bought in this land, whereof ye say, It is desolate without man or beast; it is given into the hand of the Chaldeans. Men shall buy fields for money, and subscribe evidences, and seal them, and take witnesses in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the mountains, and in the cities of the valley, and in the cities of the south: for I will cause their captivity to return, saith the LORD.”

Weekly Sermon

Psalm 119:1-3 reads, “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.  Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.”

Psalm 119 is the longest of the psalms, containing 176 verses.  By the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit, these 176 verses are divided into twenty-two sections of eight verses each.  Under the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit, the psalmist employed the poetic device of an acrostic.  In the Hebrew the first word of each verse of each section begins with the same letter.  This pattern continues throughout the psalm from section to section for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet consecutively. 

Often it has been said that the theme of Psalm 119 is the Word of God, and the Word of God is certainly a significant part of the subject matter throughout the entire psalm.  However, there are a number of other significant subjects that also run throughout the psalm.  First, throughout the psalm the psalmist presents himself as a servant of the Lord who is suffering for the Lord’s sake.  Furthermore, throughout the psalm the psalmist expresses his own right relationship with the truth of God’s Word.  Finally, throughout the psalm the psalmist indicates his desire to walk in fellowship with the Lord Himself through the truth of God’s Word.  Thus the theme of Psalm 119 might be better viewed as – The desire of the Lord’s suffering servant to seek the Lord through His holy Word.

Psalm 119 begins with a pronouncement of the Lord’s blessing.  This pronouncement establishes a foundation for the entire psalm, as the psalmist expresses his desire for the Lord’s blessing upon his life, whether it be the blessing of fellowship, the blessing of guidance, the blessing of deliverance, or the blessing of provision.  Even so, Psalm 119:1-3 pronounces the blessing of the Lord, saying, “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.  Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.” 

The opening line of verse 1 reveals that our Lord’s blessing will be poured out upon those who are “undefiled in the way” of their daily walk.  Brethren, we can only expect our Lord’s blessing upon our lives when we walk in spiritual uprightness and blamelessness.  We can only expect our Lord’s blessing upon our lives when we remain spiritually undefiled in our daily walk.  Yet what is required for us to remain spiritually undefiled in our daily walk?  Psalm 119:1-3 answers the question by revealing five ingredients to a spiritually undefiled walk.  All five of these ingredients are necessary in order for us to maintain an undefiled character and conduct in the way of our daily walk.

Another Weekly Sermon

Matthew 5:6 – “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”

Matthew 6:33 – “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

The following outline as an expansion upon a previous outline:  
                                        Hungering & Thirsting after Righteousness (Introduction)