Weekly Sermon
 
In Psalm 119:6 the psalmist gave the testimony, “Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.”  Furthermore, in verse 15 the psalmist expressed the commitment, “I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.”  Finally, in verse 117 the psalmist expressed the commitment, “Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe: and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually.”
 
In all three of these verses, we find the psalmist employing the verb “have respect” in relation to the Word and ways of the Lord.  Concerning the Word of the Lord, the psalmist declared in the closing portion of Psalm 119:6, “When I have respect unto all thy commandments [that is – unto all the commandments of the Lord’s Word].”  Concerning the ways of the Lord, the psalmist declared in the closing portion of verse 15, “And have respect unto thy ways.”  Then again concerning the Word of the Lord, the psalmist declared in the closing portion of verse 117, “And I will have respect unto thy statutes [that is – unto the statutes of the Lord’s Word] continually.”  So then, what does this verb “have respect” mean?  It means “to view with a high regard, to view as being worthy of high honor and priority affection, to hold a spirit of high regard, honor, esteem, and even love and joy toward someone or something.”  This is just the heart attitude that the psalmist, this young man of God, determined to have toward the Word and ways of the Lord.  Even so, this is just the heart attitude that we also ought to have toward the Word and ways of our Lord.

Weekly Sermon

In Psalm 119:22-23 the psalmist, this faithful servant of the Lord, stated, “Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies.  Princes also did sit and speak against me: but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes.”

As a whole, the theme of Psalm 119 is – The desire of the Lord’s suffering servant to seek the Lord through His holy Word.  In Psalm 119:22-23 the psalmist speaks for the first time concerning the affliction and reproach under which he was suffering.  Indeed, he was suffering reproach and contempt.  He was being slandered.  Many were speaking against him.  Yet the psalmist, as a faithful servant of the Lord, also presented his response unto that affliction and reproach.  In the closing portion of Psalm 119:23, he declared, “But thy servant did meditate in thy statutes.”  Even so, with a study throughout Psalm 119, we may learn how a faithful servant of the Lord responds in the face of affliction and reproach.

Weekly Sermon

Psalm 119:23-24 reads, “Princes also did sit and speak against me: but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes.  Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors.”

In Psalm 119:17-24 the psalmist referred to himself as a servant of the Lord twice.  In Psalm 119:17 he prayed unto the Lord, saying, “Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word.”  Again in Psalm 119:23 he expressed his commitment unto the Lord, saying, “Princes also did sit and speak against me: but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes.”  Indeed, the psalmist presented himself as a faithful servant of the Lord who had committed himself to walk in a right relationship with God’s Word.  Furthermore, the psalmist presented himself as a faithful servant of the Lord in contrast to the proud of this world, who walked in disobedience to God’s Word.  In Psalm 119:21-22 he revealed this contrast, saying, “Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from thy commandments.  Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies.”  Finally, the psalmist presented himself as a faithful servant of the Lord who was suffering reproach and was responding aright to that reproach.  In Psalm 119:23 he indicated this response, saying, “Princes also did sit and speak against me: but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes.”  Even so, throughout this passage this faithful servant of the Lord revealed four ingredients whereby we also might walk as faithful servants of the Lord.  

Weekly Sermon

Psalm 119:18-20 reads, “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.  I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me.  My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times.”

Through these three verses, the psalmist, this young man of God, this faithful servant of the Lord, expressed the burden of his heart for the Lord’s guidance in his life.  Even so, in these three verses we find nine characteristics concerning the burden of the Lord’s servant for the Lord’s guidance.  Thus if we would also walk as faithful servants of our Lord, we must also maintain a burden for our Lord’s guidance in our lives.  Yea, we must also maintain these same characteristics in our burden for our Lord’s guidance.

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.”

Weekly Sermon

Haggai 1:1-11 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.  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.  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.”

In both verse 5 & verse 7 the Lord our God delivered this challenge to His people in that time – “Consider your ways.”  The context of this challenge from the Lord concerned a contrast in values.  It concerned a contrast between what the people valued and thus chose to do and what the Lord our God valued and thus desired for them to do.  Yea, in its context the challenge to consider their ways was specifically a challenge for them to consider their priorities in relation to the work of the Lord.  Even so, the challenge from our Lord for us today is just this – Consider your priorities.

Thought for Meditation
(This meditation is an extension and expansion of a previous meditation:  If You Are Too Busy for the Lord)

If you are too busy to be faithful
in God's Word, in fervent prayer, in church ministry, and in gospel witness,
then something, not of your God-given responsibility,
but of your own personal interest,
must be discarded from your heart's priority and from your daily living.

Thought for Meditation

If you are too busy to be faithful
in God's Word, in fervent prayer, in church ministry, and in gospel witness,
then you are simply too busy in the affairs of this world.
Yea, then you are entagled in and are being choked out by the affairs and cares of this world;
and thereby you are bringing displeasure to the heart of the Lord your God and Savior.
Yea, then you have left your first love in and for the Lord;
and therefore you need to be zealous unto broken-hearted repentance.

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 is an expansion upon a previous set of outlines:  
                                        Hungering & Thirsting after Righteousness (Introduction)     
                                        Hungering & Thirsting after Righteousness (Point 1)    
                                        Hungering & Thirsting after Righteousness (Point 2)      

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 is an expansion upon a previous set of outlines:  
                                        Hungering & Thirsting after Righteousness (Introduction)     
                                        Hungering & Thirsting after Righteousness (Point 1)    

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)    

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.”

What then is involved with such a hunger and thirst after our Lord’s righteousness in our character and conduct?

Weekly Sermon

In 1 Corinthians 4:1-2 the apostle Paul revealed the foundational principle for stewardship, syaing, “Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.  Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”

In its immediate context, the apostle was speaking concerning himself and those who served with him as ministers of God’s truth for Christ’s sake.  He revealed that such ministers are stewards of the truth of God’s Word, responsible to minister gospel truth unto the lost and edification truth unto the saved.  Then the apostle revealed God’s foundational principle for stewardship, saying, “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”  Brethren, in stewardship from the Lord our God, faithfulness is required.

Now, although the immediate context of this passage concerns ministers of God’s truth, it is important for us to understand that the foundational principle for stewardship in verse 2 has an application to each and every one of us as the servants of the Lord our God.  Whether or not we have been called as minister of God’s truth, as our Lord’s servants we all have been given some stewardship from the Lord.  Therefore, the foundational principle of stewardship stands for us all – Faithfulness is required.