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.”
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.”
We should seek our Lord’s fellowship with our whole heart.
In Psalm 119:2 the blessing is pronounced, “Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.” Again in Psalm 119:10 the psalmist gave testimony, saying, “With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.” Brethren, this is to be the source for our Christian character, commitment, and conduct – the fellowship of the Lord our God. Indeed, this should be the priority of our hearts and the center of our lives – the fellowship of the Lord our God. With our whole hearts, we should pursue after and pay any price for “the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Philippians 3:8) Yea, we should be willing with our whole hearts to suffer the loss of everything else in order that we might “know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.” (Philippians 3:10) “As the hart panteth after the water brooks,” so our souls should thirst and pant after the fellowship of the Lord our God. (Psalm 42:1-2) The love and affection of our hearts should be wholly directed toward Him. Indeed, we should love the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind, and with all our strength. He should be our first love, our priority love. We should love Him, and cleave unto Him, and serve Him with all our heart and all our soul. Daily abiding in our Lord’s fellowship should be the motivating principle to which our whole hearts are submitted and by which our hearts are governed.
Yet what if we have already left our first love for the Lord our God and His daily fellowship? In such a case, we must be zealous with our whole heart to repent of our sinful ways and to return unto the Lord our God. We must turn from our sinful ways with a completely broken and contrite heart, and must return unto the Lord our God with the whole conviction and commitment of our heart. Even so, James 4:8-10 declares, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” We must return with the whole heart unto our Lord. Then He will surely revive us spiritually, and raise us up to the place of His fellowship, and restore us to the spiritually abundant life of His fellowship. Even so, in Jeremiah 29:12-13 the Lord our God proclaims, “Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” Then shall we grow in the knowledge and experience of His blessed daily fellowship, if we follow on with the whole heart to walk in fellowship with Him as our first love.
We should keep our Lord’s Word with our whole heart.
In Psalm 119:33-34 the psalmist made his request and commitment unto the Lord, saying, “Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.” Again in Psalm 119:69 he expressed his commitment unto the Lord, saying, “The proud have forged a lie against me: but I will keep thy precepts with my whole heart.” Just as we should seek our Lord’s fellowship with our whole heart, even so we should keep our Lord’s Word with our whole heart. Indeed, seeking our Lord’s fellowship and keeping our Lord’s Word are intimately joined together. Therefore, we must pursue both together with our whole heart. Indeed, we should have such a whole-hearted commitment to keep our Lord’s Word, that we ever desire and delight to learn more of its wisdom and ways. Furthermore, we should have such a whole-hearted commitment to keep our Lord’s word, that we continue in faithful obedience even in the face of fiery trials and fierce persecution. We should daily come to God’s Word, diligently study God’s Word, and definitely obey God’s Word. We should search the truth of God’s Word daily. We should study to show ourselves approved unto God, as spiritual workmen who do not need to be ashamed before Him. (2 Timothy 2:15) With our whole hearts, we should desire and delight in the truth and wisdom of God’s Word. Indeed, we should meditate in that truth and wisdom day and night, hiding God’s Word in our hearts as the governing principles for our hearts and lives. Yea, we should build our entire lives in character, convictions, commitments, and conduct upon the truth and wisdom of God’s Word, not just claiming it, but faithfully obeying it.
We should entreat our Lord’s favor with our whole heart.
In Psalm 119:58 the psalmist gave testimony, saying, “I intreated thy favour with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy word.” Again in Psalm 119:145-147 he declared, “I cried with my whole heart; hear me, O LORD: I will keep thy statutes. I cried unto thee; save me, and I shall keep thy testimonies. I prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried: I hoped in thy word.” Indeed, this matter of the heart should be rooted in the previous two matters of the heart. As we seek with the whole heart to walk in our Lord’s fellowship, we will learn more and more to set our whole-hearted trust in His tender mercies and loving kindnesses toward us. In addition, as we keep with the whole heart the truth of our Lord’s Word, we will learn more and more to set our whole-hearted hope in the promises of His Word to care for His faithful servants. Even so, with full assurance of faith in our hearts, we should come boldly in prayer unto our Lord’s throne of grace, “that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16) We should trust in the Lord with all our heart at all times, and should pour out our hearts before Him, knowing that He is “a refuge for us.” (Psalm 62:8) We should rest, wait, and hope only upon the Lord our God, knowing that our help is from Him. With our whole hearts, we should seek from our Lord that we might receive, seek from our Lord that we might find, and knock at our Lord’s throne of grace that His hand of grace might be opened unto us.
Posted in Weekly Sermon, Psalms, Godly Priorities, Fellowship with the Lord, Word of God, Obedience to the Lord, Prayer
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