1 00:00:02,840 --> 00:00:05,680 You're listening to Key Life Fellowships Pulpit ministry 2 00:00:05,680 --> 00:00:08,880 podcast. We thank you for tuning in as we 3 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:12,280 learn from God's Word together. If you would like more 4 00:00:12,280 --> 00:00:15,720 information regarding Key Life or to speak with one of our 5 00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:20,920 pastors, please visit us at keylifefellow-ship.com. 6 00:00:22,840 --> 00:00:26,880 Amen. Isn't it true that our only hope 7 00:00:26,880 --> 00:00:29,760 is Jesus, just as we sang a moment ago? 8 00:00:30,640 --> 00:00:35,080 I pray that you know that and that you find great treasure in 9 00:00:35,080 --> 00:00:40,280 the fact that you do know Christ and that He is sufficient and 10 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:44,240 that His grace is sufficient for everything that we need. 11 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:47,480 You have your Bibles. If you would turn to the 119th 12 00:00:47,480 --> 00:00:51,800 Psalm and here in the 119th Psalm we will continue our 13 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:56,480 series entitled Living Life in Light of God's Word. 14 00:00:58,840 --> 00:01:01,960 We begin in that section there in verse 97. 15 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:04,959 This morning, as we will be looking at verses 97 through 16 00:01:04,959 --> 00:01:10,960 104, we see that Hebrew word, mem, Hebrew letter, excuse me, 17 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:15,760 That begins this first or this section that we will be covering 18 00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:21,320 today, and we'll begin the next 8 verses in our passage today 19 00:01:21,320 --> 00:01:24,000 and this morning. I want you to understand before 20 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:28,800 we get into it very deeply that the psalmist is going to express 21 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:34,040 his love for God's Word in this passage. 22 00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:40,240 Unfortunately, there's a deficiency of this in the church 23 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:46,680 as a whole today, a deficiency in true love, passionate love 24 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:52,440 for the Scriptures. In fact, it is an uncommon 25 00:01:52,440 --> 00:01:55,080 phenomenon. So uncommon that when someone is 26 00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:58,800 literally in love with God's Word and it shows in their life 27 00:01:58,800 --> 00:02:02,120 and it shows in their learning and it shows in the meditations 28 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:05,120 of their minds and their heart, it shows in their passion for 29 00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:09,240 the things of God. It's an anomaly that we don't 30 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:13,440 quite often see. In fact, we find it strange, but 31 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:16,640 truth be told, this is not the case in the Church of old. 32 00:02:16,640 --> 00:02:21,760 In fact, you can go back just a few 100 years and find men and 33 00:02:21,760 --> 00:02:25,440 women who were passionate in their love for God's Word. 34 00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:28,440 The Psalmist here is going to give us a picture of what true 35 00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:30,920 love for God's Word it really looks like. 36 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:35,360 And he, without even knowing it at the time, is going to give us 37 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:41,400 an example by His Holy Spirit inspired words, an example of 38 00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:45,360 what true love for the Scriptures really looks like. 39 00:02:46,040 --> 00:02:51,080 And we know this in 119th Psalm and in that one chapter alone, 40 00:02:51,800 --> 00:02:57,360 the psalmist says he loves God, God's Word in some manner 11 41 00:02:57,360 --> 00:02:59,920 different times. We're going to see it today, the 42 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:02,560 references that we have in our text before us. 43 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:04,880 But we also. See that he said this in Psalm 44 00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:07,160 11947. He said For I delight in your 45 00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:08,600 commands. Why? 46 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:12,600 Because I love them so I delight in the commands of God because I 47 00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:14,800 love them. Psalm 11948 He says I lift my 48 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:19,080 hands to your commands which I love, and I meditate on your 49 00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:22,920 decrees. Psalm one 19113 the psalmist 50 00:03:22,920 --> 00:03:26,800 says I hate double minded men, but I love your law. 51 00:03:27,600 --> 00:03:30,480 Psalm One, 19119 He says, all the wicked of the earth you 52 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:35,480 discard like dross. Therefore I love your statues. 53 00:03:35,480 --> 00:03:37,120 Why? Because we talked last week that 54 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:39,160 His Word, God's Word, is eternal. 55 00:03:40,200 --> 00:03:44,080 It's as though all the wickedness of this world will be 56 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:47,400 discarded. I love your statues because 57 00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:50,720 they're eternal. Psalm One 19127 He says, because 58 00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:54,400 I love your commands more than gold, more than pure gold. 59 00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:59,240 He loves the Word of God. Psalm One 19140 your promises 60 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:02,520 have been thoroughly tested and your servant loves them. 61 00:04:02,520 --> 00:04:05,840 He loves the promises of God and shouldn't we all love the 62 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:08,880 promises of God that he's given us in his word, every one of 63 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:12,280 them being yes and Amen to those of us who are in Christ. 64 00:04:14,560 --> 00:04:18,880 He says in 119 verse 159, See how I love your precepts, 65 00:04:19,399 --> 00:04:22,040 preserve my life, O Lord, according to your love. 66 00:04:22,040 --> 00:04:24,360 He said, see my love, that I'm reciprocating for you and for 67 00:04:24,360 --> 00:04:26,800 your word. Preserve me according to your 68 00:04:26,800 --> 00:04:31,560 love. Psalm one 19163 He said I hate 69 00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:34,840 and abhor falsehood, but I love your law. 70 00:04:34,840 --> 00:04:40,400 He says I hate falsehood, I hate the lies, but I love your law. 71 00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:44,760 Why? Because he knew that God's law 72 00:04:45,240 --> 00:04:51,720 is pure and true, that it is absolute, that the lies of men 73 00:04:52,360 --> 00:04:56,480 are worthy to be hated. He says in Psalm 1191607-I obey 74 00:04:56,480 --> 00:04:58,920 your statutes, for I love them greatly. 75 00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:00,600 He said, what moves me to obedience? 76 00:05:01,320 --> 00:05:04,960 I love the word of God. No, I know what many people are 77 00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:06,760 going to say at this moment. They're going to say, well, 78 00:05:06,760 --> 00:05:08,640 shouldn't we love God? Yes, you should. 79 00:05:10,880 --> 00:05:16,560 But if you do truly love God, you will love His Word. 80 00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:22,920 And if you don't love His Word, there is a deficiency in your 81 00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:26,520 love for God. Let me explain it so that you 82 00:05:26,520 --> 00:05:29,560 can understand it. Husbands and wives, it would 83 00:05:29,920 --> 00:05:33,600 serve you well to say that you love your spouse. 84 00:05:34,480 --> 00:05:38,400 However, if you don't love listening to them. 85 00:05:39,680 --> 00:05:43,600 You're in big. Trouble if you say you love your 86 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:48,360 spouse, but every time she opens her mouth, you turn her off or 87 00:05:48,360 --> 00:05:51,160 even worse than that, you tell her to shut up. 88 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:56,160 You're not showing that you truly do love your spouse and 89 00:05:56,160 --> 00:05:59,200 value her life, value her opinion, value the things that 90 00:05:59,200 --> 00:06:00,680 she's trying to communicate to you. 91 00:06:02,600 --> 00:06:04,120 And the same goes with the word of God. 92 00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:07,840 There are many of us who will claim to love God's God and as 93 00:06:07,840 --> 00:06:10,360 as our creator and as our Redeemer. 94 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:15,840 In fact, I would think that everyone here would at least 95 00:06:15,840 --> 00:06:18,920 make some kind of even if it's just a hollow claim to the fact 96 00:06:18,920 --> 00:06:20,600 that you love God and that's why you're here today. 97 00:06:23,360 --> 00:06:25,400 But then I would ask you, what do you love His Word? 98 00:06:25,400 --> 00:06:30,520 Let me just help you. If the last time that you open 99 00:06:30,520 --> 00:06:33,120 it up was last Sunday morning when I got up behind this pulpit 100 00:06:33,120 --> 00:06:34,800 to preach, you don't love His Word. 101 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:39,280 Therefore, there is a deficiency in your love that you say that 102 00:06:39,280 --> 00:06:41,240 you have for Him. Now, I'm not going to stand up 103 00:06:41,240 --> 00:06:43,200 here and claim that I know what that deficiency is. 104 00:06:43,640 --> 00:06:45,560 I can tell you it can range from everything to the fact that 105 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:48,040 you're not truly born again to the fact that you were stagnant 106 00:06:48,040 --> 00:06:50,320 in your life or you are spiritually in your Christian 107 00:06:50,320 --> 00:06:52,800 walk right now. We're going to see today that 108 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:56,520 the cure for all of that is a love for God's Word. 109 00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:04,760 That would ask, and you would in our lesson today, you would see 110 00:07:04,760 --> 00:07:07,120 this example of true love for God's Word, that you would lay 111 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:11,960 your life next to it and you would be honest about where you 112 00:07:11,960 --> 00:07:14,600 really are in your love for the Scriptures. 113 00:07:15,840 --> 00:07:25,600 Because a desire to know and to meditate upon God's Word proves 114 00:07:25,600 --> 00:07:29,160 that we desire to know the one who loves us. 115 00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:33,400 Thomas Watson said this. By meditation, your knowledge is 116 00:07:33,400 --> 00:07:36,640 raised into admiration, your admiration into love, your love 117 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:39,600 into delight, and your delight into obedience. 118 00:07:39,600 --> 00:07:43,560 We're going to see all of that transpire today and the example 119 00:07:43,560 --> 00:07:49,000 of the life of the psalmist as he teaches us about what it 120 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:51,520 means to have true love for God's Word. 121 00:07:52,240 --> 00:07:54,880 It says this in Psalm 119, verse 97. 122 00:07:55,640 --> 00:07:58,640 It says, Oh, how I love your law. 123 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:05,960 I meditate on it all day long. Your commands make me wiser than 124 00:08:05,960 --> 00:08:09,040 my enemies, for they are ever with me. 125 00:08:09,280 --> 00:08:11,600 Why? Because he's hidden them in his 126 00:08:11,600 --> 00:08:14,120 heart. He said, I have more insight 127 00:08:14,120 --> 00:08:16,880 than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. 128 00:08:17,600 --> 00:08:21,080 I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your 129 00:08:21,080 --> 00:08:24,360 precepts. I have kept my feet from every 130 00:08:24,360 --> 00:08:27,520 evil path so that I might obey your word. 131 00:08:28,080 --> 00:08:31,200 I have not departed from your laws, for You yourself have 132 00:08:31,200 --> 00:08:36,320 taught me how sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than 133 00:08:36,320 --> 00:08:40,280 honey to my mouth. I gain understanding from your 134 00:08:40,280 --> 00:08:46,320 precepts, therefore I hate every wrong path. 135 00:08:46,560 --> 00:08:48,280 Let's pray together. Father, in the name of Jesus, we 136 00:08:48,280 --> 00:08:50,640 come to you, thanking you for your word, thanking you that you 137 00:08:50,640 --> 00:08:56,120 have sovereignly preserved it, so that we not be deceived into 138 00:08:56,120 --> 00:08:59,040 thinking that we have a love for your word when we really don't. 139 00:09:00,520 --> 00:09:03,080 God, I pray today that we would look at the life of the Psalmist 140 00:09:03,080 --> 00:09:07,680 who passionately loved the scriptures and found life 141 00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:11,880 therein. God, I pray that we would 142 00:09:11,880 --> 00:09:15,240 examine our lives in light of this, that if there be a 143 00:09:15,240 --> 00:09:17,800 deficiency in our love for You and for Your Word, that we would 144 00:09:17,800 --> 00:09:19,960 confess that and we would make that right today. 145 00:09:19,960 --> 00:09:26,280 We would take any means necessary to make sure that we 146 00:09:26,280 --> 00:09:31,000 don't continue on a path with no love in our heart and in our 147 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:35,480 minds for Your Word, proving that we have no true love for 148 00:09:35,480 --> 00:09:38,520 You. God, I pray for the unbeliever 149 00:09:38,520 --> 00:09:44,960 who's here today, but they have no love for Your Word because 150 00:09:44,960 --> 00:09:49,080 they have no love for you. Lord, I ask today that You would 151 00:09:49,080 --> 00:09:53,720 love them first so that they could reciprocate that love that 152 00:09:53,720 --> 00:09:56,680 You've given to them. Open their eyes to see the 153 00:09:56,680 --> 00:09:59,000 demonstration that you've given of Your love by sending Your 154 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:01,680 only Son to this earth to die on a cross in the place of all 155 00:10:01,680 --> 00:10:05,480 sinners who will believe God that You would by that love 156 00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:09,360 grant to them strength and repenting today of their sin and 157 00:10:09,360 --> 00:10:11,920 faith to believe and to trust in Jesus Christ. 158 00:10:12,480 --> 00:10:16,760 It's Lord and Savior. Now we pray most of all that you 159 00:10:16,760 --> 00:10:21,360 would be glorified from the teaching of your word as it is 160 00:10:21,360 --> 00:10:26,360 poured out. It is unloosed to do whatever it 161 00:10:26,360 --> 00:10:29,960 is that you desire for it to do. We'll give you all the praise 162 00:10:29,960 --> 00:10:36,120 for it in Jesus name and all God's people, said the psalmist 163 00:10:36,120 --> 00:10:42,320 here, beginning this passage with an emphasis on how he loves 164 00:10:42,680 --> 00:10:46,680 God's. Word And I want you to 165 00:10:46,680 --> 00:10:50,040 understand what he's saying here as he says, oh how I love your 166 00:10:50,040 --> 00:10:52,200 law. And then right after that, he 167 00:10:52,200 --> 00:10:57,280 says, I meditated on it all day long. 168 00:10:57,840 --> 00:11:01,760 He's showing us this, that a person who has true love for 169 00:11:01,760 --> 00:11:06,440 God's word will, and I want you to write this down, think on 170 00:11:06,520 --> 00:11:11,120 God's word. You will literally be pondering 171 00:11:11,120 --> 00:11:16,680 and meditating upon God's Word constantly because it's true. 172 00:11:16,680 --> 00:11:22,280 As we grow in the Lord and our love for Him grows, shouldn't it 173 00:11:22,280 --> 00:11:27,720 stand to reason that our love for His Word grow all the more? 174 00:11:28,640 --> 00:11:35,360 And again, if your life is void and you do not have a love for 175 00:11:35,360 --> 00:11:39,920 God's Word, you really need to check your claim that you love 176 00:11:39,920 --> 00:11:46,080 God at all. Because when we understand, as 177 00:11:46,080 --> 00:11:51,680 we learned last week, what the Word of God really is, it is His 178 00:11:51,960 --> 00:11:58,760 eternal voice to us. It is a love letter from the 179 00:11:58,760 --> 00:12:03,640 lover of our souls to the depths of our being. 180 00:12:04,400 --> 00:12:06,480 And I want you to see the magnitude of that so that you 181 00:12:06,480 --> 00:12:08,800 don't think that this is just some book on the shelf that is 182 00:12:08,800 --> 00:12:13,280 unworthy of your love. But that you would do as the 183 00:12:13,280 --> 00:12:19,960 Psalmist is doing here, thinking on it, meditating on it. 184 00:12:20,800 --> 00:12:22,680 That's a word we're. Quite confused about. 185 00:12:22,680 --> 00:12:25,240 I know in our culture meditation, many of you think 186 00:12:25,240 --> 00:12:28,520 that that's some Eastern Mystic Hindu type thing. 187 00:12:29,280 --> 00:12:32,640 You choose not to get involved in any sort of meditation, but 188 00:12:32,640 --> 00:12:34,080 we are. Free, according to the Word of 189 00:12:34,080 --> 00:12:36,720 God, to get involved in meditating on God's Word. 190 00:12:36,800 --> 00:12:39,600 It is simply this thinking on it, dwelling on it. 191 00:12:39,640 --> 00:12:43,160 Yeah, you don't have to to sit with your legs crossed and you 192 00:12:43,160 --> 00:12:46,000 don't have to close your eyes and put your hands like this and 193 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:51,040 hum some Pagan tune. No, it's simply to just think on 194 00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:53,800 the word of God. Now, in order to think on the 195 00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:57,240 word of God, you must first digest the word of God. 196 00:12:57,920 --> 00:13:00,280 You must receive it and take it in. 197 00:13:00,920 --> 00:13:02,680 The psalmist, you're saying, oh, how I love it. 198 00:13:02,680 --> 00:13:06,760 You're law and I love it so much that I meditate on it all day 199 00:13:06,760 --> 00:13:11,800 long. There should be in our thinking, 200 00:13:12,320 --> 00:13:14,960 in our pondering. All of you think all day long. 201 00:13:14,960 --> 00:13:18,760 You ponder all day long, You meditate all day long in that 202 00:13:18,760 --> 00:13:24,080 there should be meditation upon the word of God in the life of a 203 00:13:24,080 --> 00:13:27,640 true believer. This is that communing 204 00:13:27,880 --> 00:13:30,800 meditation. This is where we have intimate 205 00:13:30,800 --> 00:13:34,280 communion and communication with God through His Word. 206 00:13:35,080 --> 00:13:37,600 I would ask everyone in this room and you would all give the 207 00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:40,000 same answer. I could say how many of you 208 00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:44,440 would like to hear directly from God and you would all say yes, 209 00:13:44,640 --> 00:13:47,760 that would be amazing. That would be really cool. 210 00:13:47,840 --> 00:13:53,360 Can we hear directly from God? Yes, but it is not in some 211 00:13:53,360 --> 00:13:57,840 esoteric audible voice that comes from the clouds. 212 00:13:58,520 --> 00:14:00,800 It is not if you were a child of the 80s. 213 00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:03,840 George Burns is smoking a cigar while he's talking. 214 00:14:06,240 --> 00:14:13,360 It is the Word of God that we have in our hands right here, 66 215 00:14:13,360 --> 00:14:17,000 books collected by God Himself, preserved by God Himself, 216 00:14:17,000 --> 00:14:20,640 inspired and breathed by God Himself, as we learned last 217 00:14:20,640 --> 00:14:25,680 week, in order that we may commune with an infinite God in 218 00:14:25,680 --> 00:14:31,880 our finite condition. The psalmist says I love your 219 00:14:31,880 --> 00:14:35,240 law and I meditate on it all day long. 220 00:14:35,240 --> 00:14:39,560 He says all day long I commune with God, the God I love, 221 00:14:39,720 --> 00:14:43,560 through his word that I love without. 222 00:14:43,560 --> 00:14:46,400 Thinking or pondering on His word. 223 00:14:47,480 --> 00:14:49,680 It's impossible to commune with God. 224 00:14:50,640 --> 00:14:53,480 It's A1 sided thing and in fact many of your Christian 225 00:14:53,480 --> 00:14:56,520 relationships are one sided. All you do is go to God and 226 00:14:56,520 --> 00:15:01,600 petition Him for things, but then you never listen to His 227 00:15:01,600 --> 00:15:05,720 word in communion. People come all the time, Kurt. 228 00:15:07,760 --> 00:15:11,160 I want to know God's plan for my life, getting His word. 229 00:15:12,760 --> 00:15:13,840 Watch. As he speaks to you. 230 00:15:15,440 --> 00:15:16,720 But I I want to hear something bigger. 231 00:15:16,720 --> 00:15:18,800 I want to hear something more exciting. 232 00:15:18,920 --> 00:15:20,480 There's nothing bigger. There's not nothing more 233 00:15:20,480 --> 00:15:23,240 exciting than the infinite, eternal word of God. 234 00:15:24,200 --> 00:15:25,440 The psalmist understands that, he said. 235 00:15:25,440 --> 00:15:29,240 I love it. And I love it so much that I 236 00:15:29,240 --> 00:15:32,960 meditate on it constantly communing with my lover. 237 00:15:32,960 --> 00:15:34,880 Did you know God is the lover of your soul? 238 00:15:38,720 --> 00:15:40,960 How would your marriage relationship be if you never 239 00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:47,480 communicated with your spouse? There's no accident that God 240 00:15:47,600 --> 00:15:50,480 illustrates for us His relationship to His children and 241 00:15:51,000 --> 00:15:53,720 the fact that He is our groom and we are His bride. 242 00:15:55,040 --> 00:15:59,800 And shouldn't the bride rightfully commune by thinking 243 00:15:59,800 --> 00:16:04,400 on the words of the groom? Can I be completely honest this 244 00:16:04,400 --> 00:16:09,040 morning? I grieve for those of you who 245 00:16:09,040 --> 00:16:12,000 miss the blessing of communing with God through His Word. 246 00:16:14,880 --> 00:16:19,840 I'm not talking about some 5 minute or 10 minute devotional 247 00:16:19,840 --> 00:16:23,080 where they've spoon feed you one verse and then talk about coffee 248 00:16:23,080 --> 00:16:28,880 and life application. I'm talking about truly 249 00:16:28,880 --> 00:16:34,640 communing with God by meditating on His Word all day long. 250 00:16:34,640 --> 00:16:36,920 Nothing wrong with your 5 minute devotional. 251 00:16:38,120 --> 00:16:41,240 I know we're all busy. Christian, if you're too busy to 252 00:16:41,240 --> 00:16:43,000 meditate on the Word of God, let me help you. 253 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:46,920 You're too busy. You need to ask God for some 254 00:16:46,920 --> 00:16:49,160 wisdom and rearranging your life for you. 255 00:16:49,160 --> 00:16:52,600 You were missing out on so much, and I grieve for you. 256 00:16:53,720 --> 00:16:59,280 Take the time to meditate on His word, communing with Him, 257 00:17:00,280 --> 00:17:03,880 communing with the God who loves you so much that he sent his 258 00:17:03,880 --> 00:17:10,000 only Son into this earth to bear the wrath and the judgement that 259 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:13,280 you deserved. Surely we can fit him in our 260 00:17:13,280 --> 00:17:16,920 schedule somewhere. The psalmist could. 261 00:17:18,119 --> 00:17:25,160 He said I love your word, love it and I meditated on it all day 262 00:17:25,240 --> 00:17:27,480 long. I commune with my Creator 263 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:33,440 through His word. This is when the Lover of our 264 00:17:33,440 --> 00:17:36,040 soul speaks into our relationship. 265 00:17:36,040 --> 00:17:38,280 It's where He reveals Himself to us. 266 00:17:39,640 --> 00:17:44,720 This is simply listening to the One who loves you with an 267 00:17:45,080 --> 00:17:53,800 unimaginable kind of love. It's lending an ear, the One who 268 00:17:53,800 --> 00:17:55,760 gave Himself for you sacrificially. 269 00:17:57,040 --> 00:18:01,560 This is deep thought. This is pondering the infinite 270 00:18:02,240 --> 00:18:07,720 Word of God as you ponder an infinite God, as you realize 271 00:18:07,720 --> 00:18:12,560 that He has entrusted you with the things that He has revealed 272 00:18:12,560 --> 00:18:15,760 to you in His Word. Deuteronomy 2929 says that the 273 00:18:15,760 --> 00:18:18,920 secret things belong to God, but the revealed things belong to 274 00:18:18,920 --> 00:18:21,320 man. What would you think about that 275 00:18:21,320 --> 00:18:24,640 for a second as you commune with God and He reveals to you in 276 00:18:24,640 --> 00:18:29,840 that communion who He is, His attributes, His characteristics, 277 00:18:30,560 --> 00:18:34,840 His deep love for His? Children, His just anger, His 278 00:18:34,840 --> 00:18:40,200 just wrath, His beauty in all regard, His Holiness in every 279 00:18:40,200 --> 00:18:44,480 situation. What's wrong with the church 280 00:18:44,480 --> 00:18:45,920 today? Oh, there's so many things, but 281 00:18:45,920 --> 00:18:48,440 you know one of the things we don't meditate on the word of 282 00:18:48,440 --> 00:18:50,920 God. We're not thinking on it 283 00:18:51,200 --> 00:18:54,520 constantly. Not so with the psalmist. 284 00:18:55,200 --> 00:18:56,640 He says, oh, how I love your law. 285 00:18:56,640 --> 00:18:59,480 I meditated on it all day long. You know what he's saying? 286 00:19:00,280 --> 00:19:04,480 The fact that I meditate on your law all day long proves how much 287 00:19:04,880 --> 00:19:10,160 I really love it. It is this communing meditation. 288 00:19:12,480 --> 00:19:16,280 We feel the intimate connection that we have with God because of 289 00:19:16,280 --> 00:19:19,080 the Lord Jesus Christ and what He did for us at the cross. 290 00:19:19,800 --> 00:19:22,400 Well, it becomes more than just a story and more than just a 291 00:19:22,400 --> 00:19:31,360 fairy tale. His love spoken, love described. 292 00:19:34,400 --> 00:19:36,880 Well, it's true that when someone feels distant from God, 293 00:19:37,760 --> 00:19:40,400 and I've seen it happen as long as I've been doing what I do, 294 00:19:40,400 --> 00:19:42,440 Christians come to me and they say, you know what, Kirk? 295 00:19:42,440 --> 00:19:46,360 I I feel really distant from God while I start talking about the 296 00:19:46,360 --> 00:19:48,560 relationship to Christ. And some of them confirm at 297 00:19:48,560 --> 00:19:51,840 least they profess that they know Christ and that's all I can 298 00:19:51,840 --> 00:19:55,000 go by. It's only God who knows your 299 00:19:55,000 --> 00:19:58,240 heart. They profess that they know 300 00:19:58,240 --> 00:19:59,800 Christ, but yet they feel distant from God. 301 00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:03,280 You know what the next question that I ask them, how much time 302 00:20:03,280 --> 00:20:04,640 have you been spending in God's word? 303 00:20:06,640 --> 00:20:09,720 Well, I haven't been. Well, I haven't been. 304 00:20:09,720 --> 00:20:12,960 Well, herein lies the problem. When someone feels distance from 305 00:20:12,960 --> 00:20:17,360 God, it's because they have distanced themselves from His 306 00:20:17,480 --> 00:20:21,320 Word. You would feel distant from your 307 00:20:21,320 --> 00:20:22,960 wife. You would feel distant from your 308 00:20:22,960 --> 00:20:27,480 husband if you distance yourself from hearing from them, hearing 309 00:20:27,480 --> 00:20:30,440 about them, conversing with them and. 310 00:20:31,080 --> 00:20:35,200 It's His Word that He's given us that we may commune with Him 311 00:20:36,360 --> 00:20:38,000 through the meditations of the Scriptures. 312 00:20:38,640 --> 00:20:41,360 This is a communing meditation as we think on God's Word, but 313 00:20:41,360 --> 00:20:43,480 it's also a consuming meditation. 314 00:20:44,120 --> 00:20:46,920 Well, I would to God that His people in this church be 315 00:20:46,920 --> 00:20:50,960 consumed by His Word meaning this. 316 00:20:50,960 --> 00:20:54,480 Even when you want to get the thoughts of His Word out of your 317 00:20:54,480 --> 00:20:56,800 heart and out of your mind, you can't because they are so deeply 318 00:20:56,800 --> 00:20:59,600 rooted, though you shouldn't ever want them to be removed. 319 00:21:00,800 --> 00:21:05,800 But if you were to be a fool and to desire this, I pray that you 320 00:21:05,800 --> 00:21:09,280 have been consumed so much by your love for the Word that the 321 00:21:09,280 --> 00:21:15,440 meditation would continue. I can honestly tell you that 322 00:21:15,440 --> 00:21:20,000 I've only met but a few professing Christians in my life 323 00:21:21,160 --> 00:21:24,480 who were truly consumed by the Word of God. 324 00:21:25,440 --> 00:21:28,560 Who loved it so much that they thought on it, they pondered it, 325 00:21:28,560 --> 00:21:32,480 they meditated upon it all day long. 326 00:21:32,480 --> 00:21:36,000 They were consumed by it. When His Word permeates our 327 00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:41,160 every thought, our every prayer, our every longing, our every 328 00:21:41,160 --> 00:21:45,800 desire, our every decision. A man of God who loves the word 329 00:21:45,800 --> 00:21:48,800 of God, A woman of God who loves the word of God will. 330 00:21:49,080 --> 00:21:54,040 Be consumed in their meditation for God's Word. 331 00:21:55,040 --> 00:21:58,840 Just as a psalmist, you're consumed meditating all day 332 00:21:58,840 --> 00:22:02,320 long. When's the last time that you 333 00:22:02,320 --> 00:22:08,640 woke up and crave the word of God more than you craved coffee, 334 00:22:10,320 --> 00:22:16,680 more than you craved breakfast? Completely consumed by it, 335 00:22:16,680 --> 00:22:22,680 knowing that you must hear from your God through his word. 336 00:22:23,520 --> 00:22:26,720 Psalmist here saying I do it all day long. 337 00:22:28,600 --> 00:22:31,640 Oh, isn't it true that we need Christians who are consumed with 338 00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:37,720 the word of God, consumed by the Word of God, meditating on his 339 00:22:37,720 --> 00:22:44,160 Word all day long? A person who has true love for 340 00:22:44,160 --> 00:22:49,400 God's will Word, excuse me, will think on God's word, constantly 341 00:22:50,400 --> 00:22:54,200 communing, meditation, consuming meditation and constant 342 00:22:54,600 --> 00:22:58,880 meditation, the psalmist said. All day long, when I'm not 343 00:22:58,880 --> 00:23:05,960 sleeping and I'm not eating, I'm focusing on the Word of God, 344 00:23:06,960 --> 00:23:10,480 constantly thinking on the things of God that have been 345 00:23:10,480 --> 00:23:13,360 revealed in Scripture. This is when the line of 346 00:23:13,360 --> 00:23:17,840 communication between US and God is kept by our constant and 347 00:23:17,840 --> 00:23:22,760 steadfast fast thinking, pondering and meditating upon 348 00:23:22,960 --> 00:23:27,400 the Word of God. It's interesting to me a few 349 00:23:27,400 --> 00:23:32,440 years back there was this phenomenon where people would 350 00:23:32,440 --> 00:23:36,680 wear bracelets that had the inscription WWJD on them. 351 00:23:36,680 --> 00:23:46,240 What would Jesus do? Yet we were just deciding what 352 00:23:46,240 --> 00:23:51,800 would Jesus do based on popular thinking, not based on what the 353 00:23:51,800 --> 00:23:55,400 scriptures say, how He truly would live. 354 00:23:55,440 --> 00:23:57,000 And react. That ought to be our thoughts 355 00:23:57,160 --> 00:23:58,960 not not just because of some bracelet. 356 00:23:59,880 --> 00:24:03,200 We're going to be so consumed with the word of God that every 357 00:24:03,200 --> 00:24:08,720 decision we make, every desire of our heart, every prayer that 358 00:24:08,720 --> 00:24:15,680 comes forth from our. Lips ought to come because of 359 00:24:15,680 --> 00:24:19,440 our constant thinking and meditating upon God's Word. 360 00:24:21,840 --> 00:24:24,480 Joshua 18 says this. Do not let this book of the Law 361 00:24:24,480 --> 00:24:30,240 depart from your mouth. Meditate on it day and night so 362 00:24:30,240 --> 00:24:33,320 that you may be careful to do everything written in it, and 363 00:24:33,320 --> 00:24:36,080 then you will be prosperous and successful. 364 00:24:36,080 --> 00:24:38,440 Now let me just help you. Joshua's not talking about 365 00:24:38,440 --> 00:24:41,960 prosperous and successful in regard to how the world 366 00:24:41,960 --> 00:24:45,040 understands it. He's talking about being 367 00:24:45,040 --> 00:24:47,840 prosperous and being successful in the eyes of God. 368 00:24:49,120 --> 00:24:51,320 And that ought to be the heart of every single Christian in 369 00:24:51,320 --> 00:24:52,800 this room. Now let me help you. 370 00:24:52,800 --> 00:24:56,080 If you want to be prosperous and successful in the eyes of God, 371 00:24:57,200 --> 00:25:03,000 meditate on His Word. Dwell on his word, study his 372 00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:07,920 word, think on his word. In constant meditation. 373 00:25:08,800 --> 00:25:11,520 Psalm one verse one said This Blessed is the man who does not 374 00:25:11,520 --> 00:25:13,840 walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of 375 00:25:13,840 --> 00:25:16,120 sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 376 00:25:16,560 --> 00:25:20,720 But his delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law he 377 00:25:20,720 --> 00:25:24,640 meditates day and night. You know why this man is 378 00:25:24,640 --> 00:25:26,280 blessed? He's blessed because he doesn't 379 00:25:26,280 --> 00:25:28,200 walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of 380 00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:30,040 sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 381 00:25:30,880 --> 00:25:32,640 He's blessed because. He's delighting in the Word of 382 00:25:32,640 --> 00:25:35,760 God that tells us not to do those things, and he's 383 00:25:35,760 --> 00:25:38,320 meditating on God's Word day and night. 384 00:25:38,320 --> 00:25:40,360 Why? Because he loves God and he 385 00:25:40,360 --> 00:25:41,720 loves God's. Word. 386 00:25:42,880 --> 00:25:50,280 It's important to him, and he shows that importance by his 387 00:25:50,280 --> 00:25:52,160 constant meditation. Thomas Manton said this. 388 00:25:52,160 --> 00:25:54,680 He said how sweet is the word of God to a believer's soul. 389 00:25:55,600 --> 00:25:59,160 It is like honey to the taste and meat to the appetite. 390 00:25:59,720 --> 00:26:02,560 The Word of God is the spiritual nourishment that keeps the soul 391 00:26:02,560 --> 00:26:06,080 alive and flourishing. Without this daily feeding, the 392 00:26:06,080 --> 00:26:09,600 soul grows weak and starves. Therefore, the Saints do well to 393 00:26:09,600 --> 00:26:11,440 meditate on it and feast upon it. 394 00:26:12,400 --> 00:26:15,000 The feast upon the Scriptures continually. 395 00:26:17,160 --> 00:26:20,880 You know a major problem in the church starvation. 396 00:26:24,280 --> 00:26:26,280 We're malnourished to spiritually. 397 00:26:27,680 --> 00:26:30,040 We're malnourished because we don't go to the word and we 398 00:26:30,040 --> 00:26:32,320 don't feast upon the word. We're malnourished because we 399 00:26:32,320 --> 00:26:34,720 don't constantly meditate on the word. 400 00:26:34,880 --> 00:26:37,880 We're spiritually shallow and the church in America. 401 00:26:38,160 --> 00:26:40,800 As a whole, it's biblically illiterate. 402 00:26:40,960 --> 00:26:42,800 Why? Because no one is teaching them 403 00:26:42,800 --> 00:26:46,120 to think on God's Word, constantly communing with God 404 00:26:46,240 --> 00:26:49,560 through our meditations of His Word, being consumed by those 405 00:26:49,560 --> 00:26:52,040 meditations, consuming our entire being. 406 00:26:53,160 --> 00:26:58,320 Those meditations being constant, night and day, long as 407 00:26:58,320 --> 00:27:04,120 we are coherent, may we meditate upon the words of God. 408 00:27:05,120 --> 00:27:08,040 This is, Manton said. The Saints do well to meditate 409 00:27:08,040 --> 00:27:10,480 on it. Are you meditating on the Word 410 00:27:10,480 --> 00:27:13,800 of God? True love for the Word is like 411 00:27:13,800 --> 00:27:16,680 true love for anyone or anything else. 412 00:27:17,720 --> 00:27:22,320 We will dwell on the object of our love. 413 00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:27,000 Our thoughts will be consumed with her or with Him. 414 00:27:28,800 --> 00:27:32,920 Our minds will be consumed by the things that they say to us 415 00:27:32,920 --> 00:27:34,400 all. You remember those of you who 416 00:27:34,400 --> 00:27:36,040 have been married quite some time. 417 00:27:36,040 --> 00:27:39,320 You remember when the relationship was new and you 418 00:27:39,320 --> 00:27:43,200 just watched every syllable of every word flow off of their 419 00:27:43,200 --> 00:27:45,760 mouth, just thankful for the fact that they would even 420 00:27:45,760 --> 00:27:50,360 entertain the thought of loving you, much less conversing with 421 00:27:50,360 --> 00:27:53,520 you. Oh, when we opened the Word of 422 00:27:53,520 --> 00:27:55,200 God. Please know this, that every 423 00:27:55,200 --> 00:27:59,080 word that comes off the pages rolls from the mouth of God into 424 00:27:59,640 --> 00:28:02,680 the lives of those He truly loves. 425 00:28:03,320 --> 00:28:08,600 Meditate on those things as a person who has true love for 426 00:28:08,600 --> 00:28:10,600 God's Word will think on God's Word. 427 00:28:10,600 --> 00:28:16,200 Secondly, a person who has true love for God's Word will, 428 00:28:16,560 --> 00:28:19,680 according to the example of the psalmist here, trust in God's 429 00:28:19,680 --> 00:28:20,920 wisdom. Look at verse 98. 430 00:28:21,160 --> 00:28:24,720 He says, Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they 431 00:28:24,720 --> 00:28:28,280 are ever with me. I have more insight than all my 432 00:28:28,280 --> 00:28:30,600 teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. 433 00:28:31,000 --> 00:28:35,520 I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your 434 00:28:36,040 --> 00:28:38,880 precepts. The psalmist here is expressing 435 00:28:38,880 --> 00:28:42,720 that one of the reasons he loves God's Word is because of the 436 00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:46,120 wisdom that he gleans, the wisdom that he is taught from 437 00:28:46,120 --> 00:28:48,760 the Scriptures. He is in no way being arrogant 438 00:28:48,760 --> 00:28:51,320 or braggadocious. Here, when he says things I 439 00:28:51,480 --> 00:28:55,280 like, I have wisdom over my enemies, or that I have more 440 00:28:55,280 --> 00:28:58,240 insight than my teachers, or that I have more understanding 441 00:28:58,240 --> 00:29:01,360 than the elders, he's not doing that in some braggadocious 442 00:29:01,480 --> 00:29:05,000 fashion. He's simply stating the truth 443 00:29:05,520 --> 00:29:09,880 that the greatest teacher is the word of God and he has found 444 00:29:09,880 --> 00:29:13,280 great value and love for the word of God. 445 00:29:13,720 --> 00:29:17,160 In fact, Thomas Watson says the Word of God is the fountain of 446 00:29:17,160 --> 00:29:19,200 wisdom. It opens the eyes of the 447 00:29:19,200 --> 00:29:22,480 understanding and makes the simple wise. 448 00:29:22,720 --> 00:29:25,800 Oh, I'm so thankful, the simpleton who stands before you. 449 00:29:25,800 --> 00:29:34,000 I am so thankful that his word makes the simple wise. 450 00:29:35,320 --> 00:29:39,360 That I can actually open the pages of Scripture and declare 451 00:29:39,360 --> 00:29:42,320 to you what the Word of God has spoken. 452 00:29:42,320 --> 00:29:47,760 And in that I speak forth wisdom that I would not otherwise have. 453 00:29:49,160 --> 00:29:54,200 So we see a person who trusts, who loves the Word of God, will 454 00:29:54,200 --> 00:29:57,840 trust in God's wisdom. He breaks it down for us in 455 00:29:57,840 --> 00:30:00,400 three different categories. Here He talks about wisdom in 456 00:30:00,400 --> 00:30:03,480 regard to his enemies, wisdom in regard to his teachers, and 457 00:30:03,480 --> 00:30:06,160 wisdom in regard to the elders. What is he saying here? 458 00:30:06,160 --> 00:30:08,680 Because he uses some different phraseology and we're going to 459 00:30:08,680 --> 00:30:10,960 look at that. He says Your commands make me 460 00:30:10,960 --> 00:30:13,520 wiser than my enemies. They're ever with me. 461 00:30:13,960 --> 00:30:17,800 He says I've hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin 462 00:30:17,800 --> 00:30:20,920 against you. Your word is ever with me, and 463 00:30:21,000 --> 00:30:26,320 it helps me to have wisdom. Over my enemies. 464 00:30:26,320 --> 00:30:30,400 He is talking here about discernment and trust in God's 465 00:30:30,400 --> 00:30:34,280 wisdom through His Word. Because you love His Word and 466 00:30:34,280 --> 00:30:37,680 you are consuming His Word. Will give you access to 467 00:30:37,680 --> 00:30:43,280 discernment over your enemies, revealing the schemes of the 468 00:30:43,280 --> 00:30:45,840 wicked. How do we know this? 469 00:30:45,840 --> 00:30:48,640 How do we know how the wicked operate? 470 00:30:48,640 --> 00:30:51,160 We go back to the scriptures. We can go all the way back to 471 00:30:51,160 --> 00:30:54,920 the garden, can't we? We can go back to the deception 472 00:30:54,920 --> 00:30:57,520 of Eve, the temptation of Adam to fall into sin. 473 00:30:57,520 --> 00:31:01,080 We can see exactly how the serpent operates, and he has no 474 00:31:01,080 --> 00:31:06,200 new tricks. He tempts us through the lust of 475 00:31:06,200 --> 00:31:09,920 the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. 476 00:31:10,560 --> 00:31:12,400 And he's continually doing it that today. 477 00:31:12,400 --> 00:31:16,000 And it's the word that gives us discernment into knowing this, 478 00:31:16,560 --> 00:31:20,680 giving us insight into dealing with our enemies. 479 00:31:21,120 --> 00:31:24,280 Now, I say enemies plural, because Satan is only one of the 480 00:31:24,280 --> 00:31:27,000 enemies that you face in your Christian life. 481 00:31:29,280 --> 00:31:33,160 There are others. How about the enemy of your 482 00:31:33,160 --> 00:31:36,840 sinful? Flesh that you face every day. 483 00:31:38,080 --> 00:31:40,760 Your wicked heart that is deceitful and desperately wicked 484 00:31:40,760 --> 00:31:45,560 above all things. Oh, we must have insight that is 485 00:31:45,560 --> 00:31:47,800 greater than just our human philosophy and our human 486 00:31:47,800 --> 00:31:50,280 reasoning. We must have insight into God's 487 00:31:50,280 --> 00:31:52,800 wisdom. And he says that he gets that 488 00:31:52,960 --> 00:31:57,640 through God's Word and trusting in the wisdom that God gives us 489 00:31:57,640 --> 00:32:01,480 in his Word, that discernment, God's Word protecting us from 490 00:32:01,680 --> 00:32:06,160 our enemies, Satan. The lust of our flesh. 491 00:32:07,120 --> 00:32:10,640 The wolves in sheep's clothing that are constantly coming after 492 00:32:10,800 --> 00:32:16,520 the sheep. The false teachers, heretics, we 493 00:32:16,520 --> 00:32:20,520 go to the word of God and in that we have discernment against 494 00:32:20,520 --> 00:32:24,920 those things. His word does make us wiser than 495 00:32:24,920 --> 00:32:29,520 our enemies. In fact, in Hebrews chapter 5 496 00:32:29,520 --> 00:32:31,880 verse 12, writer of Hebrews says this. 497 00:32:31,880 --> 00:32:34,840 He says, in fact, though by this time you, you ought to be 498 00:32:34,840 --> 00:32:36,720 teachers. You need someone to teach you 499 00:32:36,720 --> 00:32:40,080 the elementary truths of God's word all over again. 500 00:32:40,360 --> 00:32:44,600 You need milk, not solid food. This is not a compliment. 501 00:32:45,880 --> 00:32:49,600 This is a rebuke, he's saying. Some of you ought to be teaching 502 00:32:49,600 --> 00:32:51,600 by now. You ought to be feasting on meat 503 00:32:51,600 --> 00:32:53,920 so that you can teach meat to other people, but you're still 504 00:32:53,920 --> 00:32:57,400 drinking milk like a little baby, he says in 13. 505 00:32:57,760 --> 00:33:00,440 Anyone who lives on milk being still an infant is not 506 00:33:00,440 --> 00:33:02,680 acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 507 00:33:03,400 --> 00:33:08,640 But solid food is for the mature who by constant use have trained 508 00:33:08,640 --> 00:33:13,360 themselves to distinguish good from evil. 509 00:33:13,840 --> 00:33:17,560 It's important that we learn to distinguish good from evil. 510 00:33:17,720 --> 00:33:21,240 Why? Because evil is constantly 511 00:33:21,240 --> 00:33:24,600 coming at us. Now, how do we do this? 512 00:33:24,840 --> 00:33:28,240 You don't just simply pray, Lord, help me to distinguish 513 00:33:28,400 --> 00:33:33,320 good from evil. You open the word of God and the 514 00:33:33,320 --> 00:33:35,480 word of God defines for you the difference. 515 00:33:35,480 --> 00:33:39,680 And the word of God gives you wisdom and discernment in facing 516 00:33:39,680 --> 00:33:42,320 your enemies. That's why the psalmist could 517 00:33:42,320 --> 00:33:47,240 say that his word makes him his commands, makes him wiser than 518 00:33:47,240 --> 00:33:50,720 his enemies. And don't we have to be wiser 519 00:33:50,720 --> 00:33:53,560 than our enemies and the church culture that we live in? 520 00:33:54,760 --> 00:33:56,680 For so many people buy into this. 521 00:33:56,680 --> 00:34:00,880 Don't be those people. Well it's got Jesus name on it 522 00:34:01,600 --> 00:34:05,360 and they said they were Christians and they had a Bible 523 00:34:06,080 --> 00:34:08,480 so I just listened to what they said. 524 00:34:09,320 --> 00:34:12,560 No, the scriptures are going to give you discernment into who 525 00:34:12,560 --> 00:34:16,800 they really are because the enemy is going to pose for you 526 00:34:16,800 --> 00:34:22,159 as an Angel of light and he is going to deceive even good 527 00:34:22,159 --> 00:34:26,120 hearted, well meaning people who do not meditate on the Word of 528 00:34:26,120 --> 00:34:29,120 God so that they are wiser than their enemies. 529 00:34:30,520 --> 00:34:33,199 Please see the discernment. That you were missing because 530 00:34:33,199 --> 00:34:40,400 you do not love the Word of God. Because there are clowns 531 00:34:41,239 --> 00:34:45,520 everywhere who will tell you the scriptures say something that 532 00:34:45,520 --> 00:34:48,120 they don't say at all so that they can dig into your pockets 533 00:34:48,120 --> 00:34:49,440 and get all the money that you have. 534 00:34:51,600 --> 00:34:55,520 And you better make note of that and you better discern that. 535 00:34:56,320 --> 00:34:58,800 And how do you discern that love for the Word of God? 536 00:34:59,800 --> 00:35:03,280 Because if you have love for the Word of God, you'll trust in 537 00:35:03,280 --> 00:35:04,920 God's wisdom as revealed in Scripture. 538 00:35:05,840 --> 00:35:08,960 His Word will make you wiser than your enemies so that you 539 00:35:08,960 --> 00:35:14,040 can do as the author of Hebrews says you can do, be trained to 540 00:35:14,040 --> 00:35:18,680 distinguish good from evil. Do you love His Word? 541 00:35:19,680 --> 00:35:22,840 And are you reaping that discernment from it? 542 00:35:23,640 --> 00:35:26,240 Not only do we see discernment involved here when we are 543 00:35:26,240 --> 00:35:31,400 learning to trust in God's wisdom, he mentions the next 544 00:35:31,400 --> 00:35:35,320 thing and he says I have more insight than all my teachers, 545 00:35:35,800 --> 00:35:39,680 for I meditate on your statutes, he said. 546 00:35:39,680 --> 00:35:45,400 I'm wiser than my enemies, and I have more insight than the 547 00:35:45,400 --> 00:35:49,560 people who are teaching me because I meditate on your 548 00:35:49,560 --> 00:35:50,520 statutes. You know what he's doing? 549 00:35:51,760 --> 00:35:57,680 He's placing more value on God teaching Him His Word than on 550 00:35:57,680 --> 00:36:00,040 human teachers. He doesn't say there's no value 551 00:36:00,040 --> 00:36:04,560 to human teachers at all. He is simply saying this. 552 00:36:05,600 --> 00:36:08,320 He's saying I've received more insight from God himself by 553 00:36:08,320 --> 00:36:11,920 looking at His scriptures and dwelling and meditating on His 554 00:36:12,160 --> 00:36:13,920 Word. Let me help all of you. 555 00:36:14,920 --> 00:36:20,600 Are you looking? This is not your primary teacher 556 00:36:20,600 --> 00:36:26,280 of the scriptures. It is God Himself who teaches 557 00:36:26,280 --> 00:36:30,520 you from His Word. And I want you to pay attention 558 00:36:30,520 --> 00:36:33,720 to that because I don't ever want to be the one who leads you 559 00:36:33,760 --> 00:36:36,120 astray. I want you to do as the Psalmist 560 00:36:36,120 --> 00:36:38,680 is doing here, receiving insight. 561 00:36:39,280 --> 00:36:42,160 That is far more than anything that I could ever give you. 562 00:36:43,920 --> 00:36:46,760 This insight that he's talking about, it supersedes basic 563 00:36:46,760 --> 00:36:51,840 intellectual knowledge and it speaks of supernatural 564 00:36:52,080 --> 00:36:57,560 knowledge, wisdom into God's infinite knowledge, and wisdom 565 00:36:59,120 --> 00:37:01,440 given spoken by God Himself through His Word. 566 00:37:02,320 --> 00:37:06,760 Isaiah 55 verse 8 says this. For my thoughts or not your 567 00:37:06,760 --> 00:37:10,760 thoughts, neither are your ways. My ways, declares the Lord, as 568 00:37:10,760 --> 00:37:13,280 the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher 569 00:37:13,280 --> 00:37:15,640 than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 570 00:37:16,280 --> 00:37:19,440 And so we read that about God, and we say, OK, how? 571 00:37:19,440 --> 00:37:21,840 How can we ever know His thoughts, His word? 572 00:37:23,600 --> 00:37:28,200 It's in his. Word that God has shown us his 573 00:37:28,360 --> 00:37:32,760 infinite thoughts in a way that we who are finite can understand 574 00:37:32,760 --> 00:37:36,680 and grasp those things, and we have to trust in that wisdom and 575 00:37:36,680 --> 00:37:39,920 that insight that He gives us into Him so. 576 00:37:41,320 --> 00:37:44,880 Giving us insight, insight regarding who he truly is. 577 00:37:45,400 --> 00:37:47,480 Everybody's got an opinion about God, don't they? 578 00:37:48,560 --> 00:37:51,080 In fact, if you've ever gone out with me, when we do evangelism, 579 00:37:51,520 --> 00:37:54,760 my question that I begin any conversation with, I ask people, 580 00:37:54,760 --> 00:37:56,840 what are your thoughts on God? Because everybody has thoughts 581 00:37:56,840 --> 00:37:58,680 on God. The atheist is going to say I 582 00:37:58,680 --> 00:38:01,800 don't believe in God. Diagnostics going to say I'm not 583 00:38:01,800 --> 00:38:08,080 sure the week professing Christians going to say oh he's 584 00:38:08,400 --> 00:38:10,400 he's my best friend got me through a lot of things. 585 00:38:12,680 --> 00:38:16,040 But in asking a person what are your thoughts on God, you learn 586 00:38:16,040 --> 00:38:20,000 a lot, don't you? You learn whether they're truly 587 00:38:20,000 --> 00:38:23,200 meditating on the Word of God and know God intimately for who 588 00:38:23,200 --> 00:38:26,720 he really is, not for who man has tried to make him. 589 00:38:26,720 --> 00:38:29,680 And don't we know that man has many times attempted to make God 590 00:38:29,680 --> 00:38:33,000 into something else? Continues to still do that 591 00:38:33,000 --> 00:38:36,240 today. When we truly have a love for 592 00:38:36,240 --> 00:38:39,400 the Word of God, trusting in God's wisdom alone to reveal the 593 00:38:39,400 --> 00:38:41,960 truth of the Word of God, He's going to give us insight into 594 00:38:41,960 --> 00:38:46,320 who he really is. I'm going to make this easy for 595 00:38:46,320 --> 00:38:49,880 all of you. You want to learn who God is. 596 00:38:49,880 --> 00:38:54,400 You want to know who God is. You plant your face in the Word 597 00:38:54,400 --> 00:38:57,120 of God. You began to read from Genesis 598 00:38:57,120 --> 00:39:00,040 all the way to Revelation as He unveils to us everything that He 599 00:39:00,040 --> 00:39:03,760 desires for us to know about Him and see if on that journey you 600 00:39:03,760 --> 00:39:06,560 don't fall deeper and deeper in love with Him and His Word. 601 00:39:06,560 --> 00:39:11,160 Along the way He gives us insight as we trust in His 602 00:39:11,160 --> 00:39:15,000 wisdom and sin side only comes to those who love the 603 00:39:15,000 --> 00:39:19,520 Scriptures, who love the Scriptures enough to open them 604 00:39:19,520 --> 00:39:27,040 up, to study them, to divide them rightly, to glean true 605 00:39:27,040 --> 00:39:30,280 wisdom from them, to know about all of God's character, His 606 00:39:30,280 --> 00:39:39,400 attributes, traits, how he operates, how he thinks, to know 607 00:39:39,400 --> 00:39:42,000 everything about him that has been revealed to us. 608 00:39:43,200 --> 00:39:45,680 Well, he gives us insight, Psalm, misunderstanding that he 609 00:39:45,680 --> 00:39:47,800 says I have more insight than all my teachers for I meditate 610 00:39:47,800 --> 00:39:50,680 on your statutes because I meditate on your statutes, I've 611 00:39:50,680 --> 00:39:53,200 been given insight. Why does he meditate on his 612 00:39:53,200 --> 00:39:54,840 statutes? Well, we started it with this. 613 00:39:54,840 --> 00:39:58,160 He loves the the word because he loves the word. 614 00:39:58,160 --> 00:40:00,720 He meditates on his statues and all meditating on his statues. 615 00:40:00,720 --> 00:40:07,040 He then gleans wisdom, insight into who God is, into who his 616 00:40:07,040 --> 00:40:10,760 enemies are. Then we see this, he said. 617 00:40:10,760 --> 00:40:12,480 I have more understanding than the elders. 618 00:40:13,480 --> 00:40:16,760 The ruling elders, they're in Israel, he said. 619 00:40:16,760 --> 00:40:20,040 I have more understanding than these guys. 620 00:40:21,640 --> 00:40:23,920 And why? He says for I obey your 621 00:40:23,920 --> 00:40:26,920 precepts. He said I don't only know what 622 00:40:26,920 --> 00:40:28,840 your word says because I love your word. 623 00:40:28,840 --> 00:40:35,080 I obey what your word says to obey, proving that I have more 624 00:40:35,080 --> 00:40:39,160 understanding than the elders that that pharisaical group who 625 00:40:39,240 --> 00:40:42,840 who they just view the word of God as this this system to gain 626 00:40:42,840 --> 00:40:46,200 knowledge. He says I have the application 627 00:40:46,200 --> 00:40:51,800 to back it up. I'm actually applying the wisdom 628 00:40:52,840 --> 00:40:55,480 in the form of my understanding. I understand what God has said, 629 00:40:55,480 --> 00:40:58,400 therefore I am now obligated to do what God has commanded. 630 00:40:59,760 --> 00:41:01,920 Understanding here speaks of wisdom and knowing the. 631 00:41:01,920 --> 00:41:03,920 Will of an infinite God, He said. 632 00:41:03,920 --> 00:41:07,280 It is through the Word that His will is revealed to me. 633 00:41:09,480 --> 00:41:13,800 This understanding allows us to recognize God's will. 634 00:41:13,800 --> 00:41:17,400 In fact, Romans 12 verse 2 says, do not conform any longer to the 635 00:41:17,400 --> 00:41:20,560 pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of 636 00:41:20,560 --> 00:41:22,000 your mind. And how is your mind renewed? 637 00:41:22,000 --> 00:41:24,280 Your mind is renewed through the Word. 638 00:41:24,680 --> 00:41:27,320 That is how you were sanctified. That is how you were brought 639 00:41:28,480 --> 00:41:29,920 from a place of deceit and wickedness. 640 00:41:29,920 --> 00:41:33,200 Into a place of truth, he says. Then you will be able to test 641 00:41:33,200 --> 00:41:36,000 and approve what God's will is, the good, pleasing and perfect. 642 00:41:36,320 --> 00:41:38,320 His good, pleasing and perfect will. 643 00:41:40,920 --> 00:41:43,280 So we see this. It's His Word that gives us 644 00:41:43,280 --> 00:41:48,680 understanding into His will. People come to me all the time. 645 00:41:50,760 --> 00:41:52,360 I just want to know God's will for my life. 646 00:41:54,480 --> 00:41:58,120 Can you help me? Sure, I'll tell you the same 647 00:41:58,120 --> 00:41:59,960 thing that I told the last 37 people. 648 00:41:59,960 --> 00:42:04,640 If you want to know God's will for your life, get in His Word. 649 00:42:04,640 --> 00:42:06,160 Get. In his way. 650 00:42:06,160 --> 00:42:07,640 And then they said, well, but Kirk, you don't understand. 651 00:42:07,640 --> 00:42:10,720 I want to know if it's God's will that I marry Johnny. 652 00:42:14,360 --> 00:42:18,440 Is Johnny a follower of Christ? Why? 653 00:42:18,440 --> 00:42:20,520 I don't know. I don't. 654 00:42:20,520 --> 00:42:22,680 I don't think so. That's very clear. 655 00:42:22,680 --> 00:42:24,800 Scripture says be not unequally yoked with unbelievers. 656 00:42:24,800 --> 00:42:28,440 Don't marry Johnny. But I don't know if that's God's 657 00:42:28,440 --> 00:42:30,080 will for my life. It's God's will for your life. 658 00:42:30,080 --> 00:42:32,320 He's revealed in his work. Don't be unequally yoked with 659 00:42:32,320 --> 00:42:36,160 unbelievers. I wish some parents in the 660 00:42:36,160 --> 00:42:38,120 auditorium would say Amen for your children. 661 00:42:41,040 --> 00:42:42,720 I made this little Johnny and he says, I don't know. 662 00:42:42,720 --> 00:42:44,480 I'm I'm looking for a wife. What should I look for in a 663 00:42:44,480 --> 00:42:48,160 wife? Proverbs 31 Virtuous wife who 664 00:42:48,160 --> 00:42:52,800 can find you can't You know when you find one of those that God 665 00:42:52,800 --> 00:42:55,200 delivered her into your hand, you better marry her as fast as 666 00:42:55,200 --> 00:42:58,360 you can. Amen. 667 00:42:58,360 --> 00:43:00,320 Preacher, help these families out. 668 00:43:06,400 --> 00:43:11,640 So you got to love God's Word, trust in His wisdom so that you 669 00:43:11,640 --> 00:43:15,800 know His. Will well, I don't know if it's 670 00:43:15,800 --> 00:43:17,400 God's will for me to take this job. 671 00:43:17,400 --> 00:43:18,640 I've looked all through Scripture. 672 00:43:18,640 --> 00:43:26,920 No, you haven't. Because you would know this God 673 00:43:26,920 --> 00:43:31,920 desires you to seek first the Kingdom of God, and everything 674 00:43:31,920 --> 00:43:33,960 else will be added unto you are you. 675 00:43:33,960 --> 00:43:36,000 Seeking God's Kingdom first? Well, no. 676 00:43:36,000 --> 00:43:37,920 I'm trying to find out, to find you to take this job because I'm 677 00:43:37,920 --> 00:43:39,560 going to get a big raise. Then you're not seeking God's 678 00:43:39,560 --> 00:43:42,680 Kingdom first. If you go to chasing money, I 679 00:43:42,680 --> 00:43:44,360 can promise you this. The enemy can throw money at 680 00:43:44,360 --> 00:43:48,840 you. Seek God's Kingdom 1st and watch 681 00:43:48,840 --> 00:43:49,960 this. You'll walk in His will as you 682 00:43:49,960 --> 00:43:52,920 walk in His Word. As you meditate on His precepts 683 00:43:52,920 --> 00:43:59,120 and His commands constantly, you'll obey what it says. 684 00:43:59,120 --> 00:44:00,560 He said to have more understanding than the elders, 685 00:44:00,560 --> 00:44:03,640 for I obey your precepts. Obeying God's will. 686 00:44:03,640 --> 00:44:08,120 After it has been clear that He has given you understanding and 687 00:44:08,120 --> 00:44:10,840 wisdom into what His will is, then you have to actually apply 688 00:44:10,840 --> 00:44:14,360 it. True understanding and true 689 00:44:14,360 --> 00:44:20,760 knowledge or wisdom. Will be followed up by true 690 00:44:20,960 --> 00:44:24,120 obedience. Proverbs 9 verse 10 that says 691 00:44:24,120 --> 00:44:26,200 the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the 692 00:44:26,200 --> 00:44:27,960 knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. 693 00:44:28,480 --> 00:44:30,960 So when you truly fear the Lord and you truly have knowledge of 694 00:44:30,960 --> 00:44:34,280 him through his word, you're going to have the understanding 695 00:44:34,280 --> 00:44:37,440 that you need about His will. And then you can then obediently 696 00:44:37,440 --> 00:44:42,920 walk into his will. But it begins with loving God 697 00:44:42,920 --> 00:44:48,520 and loving His Word and One who. Loves the scripture will truly 698 00:44:48,520 --> 00:44:56,600 glean wisdom as God reveals his word to them, leading you to 699 00:44:56,600 --> 00:45:00,480 fear the Lord and to live a righteous life and to walk in 700 00:45:00,480 --> 00:45:03,160 obedience to all that it is that he has commanded you to do 701 00:45:04,320 --> 00:45:06,200 Richard Baxter says this. The scriptures of the perfect 702 00:45:06,200 --> 00:45:08,360 school of wisdom. All true knowledge and 703 00:45:08,360 --> 00:45:11,200 understanding must be learned from the word. 704 00:45:13,000 --> 00:45:14,520 Christians, don't consult your friends. 705 00:45:15,880 --> 00:45:18,840 Don't consult your reach. Group leaders. 706 00:45:18,840 --> 00:45:20,440 Don't consult your enriched teachers. 707 00:45:20,440 --> 00:45:23,400 Don't consult me before you first consult the Word of God. 708 00:45:23,560 --> 00:45:27,720 Nothing wrong with godly counsel, but if you've not 709 00:45:27,720 --> 00:45:29,800 inquired of the Word of God first. 710 00:45:30,760 --> 00:45:34,240 Don't seek the opinions of man because what you need to do is 711 00:45:34,240 --> 00:45:35,600 you need to consult the word of God first. 712 00:45:35,600 --> 00:45:38,440 And if you want to consult me after that, and you and I are on 713 00:45:38,440 --> 00:45:41,160 the same page according to the Word of God, you know this, that 714 00:45:41,160 --> 00:45:44,720 I've given you good counsel. But if you've received something 715 00:45:44,720 --> 00:45:46,400 from the Word of God and you come to me and I tell you 716 00:45:46,400 --> 00:45:49,280 something totally opposite of that, say that dude is a quack. 717 00:45:49,280 --> 00:45:50,600 I'm never listening to him again. 718 00:45:52,480 --> 00:45:56,720 I invite you to do that. I'm not infinite in my wisdom 719 00:45:56,720 --> 00:45:58,120 and my knowledge. He is. 720 00:45:58,120 --> 00:46:05,800 Go to His Word. And trust in him, trust in the 721 00:46:05,800 --> 00:46:08,880 wisdom that he gives you. He's a person who has true love 722 00:46:08,880 --> 00:46:10,520 for God's Word. We'll trust in God's wisdom. 723 00:46:10,520 --> 00:46:14,240 Thirdly, we've seen that a person who has love for God's 724 00:46:14,240 --> 00:46:17,040 Word will think on God's Word. There will be that meditation, 725 00:46:17,800 --> 00:46:22,760 trust in God's wisdom, will trust in God for discernment and 726 00:46:22,760 --> 00:46:25,880 insight, understanding from his Word. 727 00:46:26,960 --> 00:46:29,440 And then thirdly, we see this. A person who has true love for 728 00:46:29,440 --> 00:46:32,840 God's Word will traverse in God's way. 729 00:46:32,840 --> 00:46:38,640 Verse 101 says this. I've kept my feet from every 730 00:46:38,640 --> 00:46:41,640 evil path so that I might obey your word, he says. 731 00:46:41,640 --> 00:46:44,760 I'm watching my steps, I'm paying close attention to my 732 00:46:44,760 --> 00:46:48,600 walk, where I'm going, what direction I'm heading, what path 733 00:46:48,600 --> 00:46:51,040 I'm on. I have not departed from your 734 00:46:51,040 --> 00:46:53,800 laws, for you yourself have taught me, he said. 735 00:46:53,800 --> 00:46:56,760 I have the best teacher, he goes on. 736 00:46:56,760 --> 00:46:59,160 And he says, How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than 737 00:46:59,160 --> 00:47:01,400 honey to my mouth. I gain understanding from your 738 00:47:01,400 --> 00:47:03,600 precepts. Therefore I hate every wrong 739 00:47:03,760 --> 00:47:06,280 path. Isn't it so clear here that the 740 00:47:06,280 --> 00:47:09,280 psalmist is walking in the path of obedience and righteousness? 741 00:47:09,840 --> 00:47:12,320 And the reason that he's doing this is because he loves God and 742 00:47:12,320 --> 00:47:14,040 His word? Do you know that a person who 743 00:47:14,040 --> 00:47:16,760 loves God and His word will walk in paths of righteousness? 744 00:47:18,600 --> 00:47:20,720 Jesus makes that very clear in His teaching, doesn't he? 745 00:47:21,920 --> 00:47:24,160 Matthew Chapter 7 When the Lord says this, enter through the 746 00:47:24,160 --> 00:47:28,760 narrow gate, verse 13 For wide is the gate and broad is the 747 00:47:28,760 --> 00:47:32,240 road that leads to destruction and many enter through it, but 748 00:47:32,240 --> 00:47:35,800 small is the gate, narrow the road that leads to life and only 749 00:47:35,800 --> 00:47:37,360 a few find it. You know why? 750 00:47:37,360 --> 00:47:42,680 Because only a few really love His word and it is in His word 751 00:47:42,680 --> 00:47:47,200 that the narrow Rd. is defined for us. 752 00:47:49,800 --> 00:47:52,600 I have the blessing which is sometime a curse of being a 753 00:47:52,600 --> 00:47:57,280 pastor in America where all people go to heaven at a 754 00:47:57,280 --> 00:48:00,760 funeral. Have you noticed that they could 755 00:48:00,760 --> 00:48:04,600 have been on the broadest Rd. around, but they're in a better 756 00:48:04,600 --> 00:48:09,200 place? You're sadly mistaken, Sir. 757 00:48:09,280 --> 00:48:14,840 You're sadly mistaken, ma'am. There's a narrow Rd. that leads 758 00:48:14,840 --> 00:48:19,160 to eternal life and it is defined for us by the scriptures 759 00:48:19,960 --> 00:48:22,320 and His name is Jesus. He is the way, the truth and the 760 00:48:22,320 --> 00:48:24,040 life. And no man comes to the Father, 761 00:48:24,040 --> 00:48:26,600 but by Him. He is the only name under heaven 762 00:48:26,600 --> 00:48:31,680 given whereby men must be saved. It is a narrow road and the Word 763 00:48:31,680 --> 00:48:33,960 still defines it as a narrow path. 764 00:48:33,960 --> 00:48:36,440 The path of righteousness is narrow. 765 00:48:37,880 --> 00:48:42,640 But a person who truly loves God's word will traverse on this 766 00:48:42,640 --> 00:48:45,120 path. They will traverse in God's way. 767 00:48:45,680 --> 00:48:47,080 Why? Because they're taught by God's 768 00:48:47,080 --> 00:48:47,760 Word. Look what he says. 769 00:48:47,760 --> 00:48:50,320 I've kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey 770 00:48:50,320 --> 00:48:53,160 your word. I'm not departed from your laws, 771 00:48:53,160 --> 00:48:58,440 for you yourself have taught me. They are taught by God. 772 00:48:58,560 --> 00:49:03,400 If you're going to walk on this road, you're going to be taught 773 00:49:03,400 --> 00:49:09,360 by God on this journey, you must, you must go to His Word, 774 00:49:09,440 --> 00:49:12,840 love His Word, meditate on His Word, just as we see the 775 00:49:12,840 --> 00:49:16,600 psalmist here doing, meditating on it day and night, obeying it 776 00:49:16,720 --> 00:49:21,440 at every turn, being LED down the paths of righteousness for 777 00:49:21,440 --> 00:49:25,040 His glory as His Word declares Psalm 23. 778 00:49:25,120 --> 00:49:26,760 We know what He says in verse three. 779 00:49:27,000 --> 00:49:30,320 He restores my soul. He guides me on paths of 780 00:49:30,320 --> 00:49:33,760 righteousness for His name's sake, Him leading you down the 781 00:49:33,760 --> 00:49:38,800 narrow Rd. for His glory. And He does not do that apart 782 00:49:38,800 --> 00:49:43,120 from His Word, And He does not do that in your life apart from 783 00:49:43,120 --> 00:49:47,080 you loving His Word and desiring to be on that narrow path that 784 00:49:47,080 --> 00:49:51,240 the Word defines for us, the path of righteousness for His 785 00:49:51,240 --> 00:49:54,760 name's sake. Psalm 5/8 says Lead me, O Lord, 786 00:49:54,760 --> 00:49:57,640 in Your righteousness because of my enemies, make straight Your 787 00:49:57,640 --> 00:50:00,000 way before me. You see how He's depending upon 788 00:50:00,000 --> 00:50:03,800 God for leadership in His life? Teaching him how to traverse 789 00:50:03,800 --> 00:50:06,840 down his path. Lord, show me the way in which I 790 00:50:06,840 --> 00:50:11,560 should go. Show me, lead me. 791 00:50:14,840 --> 00:50:18,360 Are you going to his word being taught by God? 792 00:50:18,800 --> 00:50:21,680 Psalm 14310 the psalmist says, teach me to do your will, for 793 00:50:21,680 --> 00:50:24,640 you are my God. May your good Spirit lead me on 794 00:50:24,640 --> 00:50:26,640 level ground. He said, May you lead me on the 795 00:50:26,640 --> 00:50:30,040 path that you want me to go on a level path for your glory. 796 00:50:30,800 --> 00:50:33,360 Will you teach me? And how does He teach us? 797 00:50:34,200 --> 00:50:37,480 By His Word. It is being taught by God to 798 00:50:37,480 --> 00:50:40,200 walk down the paths of righteousness for His glory, for 799 00:50:40,200 --> 00:50:42,640 His name's sake. According to the Scriptures, 800 00:50:44,360 --> 00:50:47,680 being taught by God is also being taught by God through His 801 00:50:47,680 --> 00:50:50,640 word. So I'm sick. 802 00:50:50,720 --> 00:50:53,240 Excuse me. John 6 verse 45, it says it is 803 00:50:53,240 --> 00:50:55,840 written in the prophets. They will all be taught by God. 804 00:50:55,840 --> 00:50:58,960 Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from Him comes 805 00:50:59,160 --> 00:51:02,120 to me. Everyone of you who are in 806 00:51:02,120 --> 00:51:04,400 Christ have already been taught by the Father. 807 00:51:04,400 --> 00:51:06,880 And how are you taught through the Word? 808 00:51:06,880 --> 00:51:08,400 Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word. 809 00:51:08,400 --> 00:51:10,000 Someone preached the truth of the gospel to you. 810 00:51:10,000 --> 00:51:12,200 And in preaching the truth of the gospel to you, the Father 811 00:51:12,200 --> 00:51:14,560 Himself taught you that that gospel is true. 812 00:51:14,560 --> 00:51:16,400 In the depths of your heart, through the power of His Spirit, 813 00:51:16,600 --> 00:51:20,040 He taught you that that is true. And in seeing that it is true, 814 00:51:20,040 --> 00:51:23,440 He quickened you to new life so that you could believe, so that 815 00:51:23,440 --> 00:51:25,840 you could profess Christ, so that you could repent of your 816 00:51:25,840 --> 00:51:28,880 sins, so that you could receive the eternal inheritance that He 817 00:51:28,880 --> 00:51:35,280 has kept for you. Well, those who traverse on 818 00:51:35,280 --> 00:51:37,960 God's way will be taught by God, and you can't be taught by God 819 00:51:38,720 --> 00:51:41,000 without His Word. I know many of the charismatics 820 00:51:41,000 --> 00:51:42,480 claim to have a word of their own, right? 821 00:51:42,480 --> 00:51:44,800 I heard this from God. He wants me to tell you, no, He 822 00:51:44,800 --> 00:51:49,200 doesn't. Everything that God wants me to 823 00:51:49,200 --> 00:51:51,040 know. Are you listening? 824 00:51:51,920 --> 00:51:54,320 Everything that God wants me to know is right here. 825 00:51:54,480 --> 00:51:56,120 You know why charismatics do that? 826 00:51:56,120 --> 00:51:58,320 Because they're lazy and they won't study the Scriptures. 827 00:51:58,680 --> 00:52:00,760 I received a word from God. No, you didn't. 828 00:52:01,000 --> 00:52:04,680 In times past He spoke through the prophets and in many ways, 829 00:52:04,800 --> 00:52:07,440 but in these last days He's spoken through His Son. 830 00:52:07,600 --> 00:52:09,640 He has spoken. Understand that. 831 00:52:11,000 --> 00:52:13,600 And if you want to hear from God and be taught by God, you are 832 00:52:13,600 --> 00:52:16,160 going to be taught by God and through the Scriptures. 833 00:52:16,600 --> 00:52:19,240 And the Spirit who indwells you will confirm to you if that 834 00:52:19,240 --> 00:52:22,360 teaching that you are receiving from the Scriptures is sound in 835 00:52:22,360 --> 00:52:23,680 the way that you have interpreted. 836 00:52:23,680 --> 00:52:28,360 That's His job, the interpreter. Are you being taught by God 837 00:52:28,360 --> 00:52:32,000 through His word? Isaiah chapter 2 verse 3 says 838 00:52:32,360 --> 00:52:34,560 many peoples will come and say, come, let us go up to the 839 00:52:34,560 --> 00:52:37,480 mountain of the Lord, to the House of the God of Jacob. 840 00:52:37,480 --> 00:52:40,840 He will teach us His ways so that we may walk in His path, 841 00:52:40,840 --> 00:52:42,360 right? He didn't just teach us His ways 842 00:52:42,360 --> 00:52:45,680 so that we can ignore them. If you're being taught by God, 843 00:52:45,680 --> 00:52:49,400 you're going to walk and traverse down God's path, He 844 00:52:49,400 --> 00:52:50,560 says. He will teach us his ways so 845 00:52:50,560 --> 00:52:53,680 that we may walk in his paths. The law of the Lord will go out 846 00:52:53,680 --> 00:52:56,960 from Zion, the word of the Lord. From Jerusalem, how is He going 847 00:52:56,960 --> 00:53:00,080 to teach us to walk in His path, Church, His Word? 848 00:53:00,160 --> 00:53:03,000 How has He always taught us to walk in His path, His Word? 849 00:53:03,000 --> 00:53:07,320 He's not going to change that. And if you don't love His Word, 850 00:53:08,000 --> 00:53:10,680 you're not going to consult His Word, and therefore you're not 851 00:53:10,680 --> 00:53:13,800 going to be taught by God. You're going to be taught by 852 00:53:13,800 --> 00:53:18,120 yourself or you're going to be taught by man, never receiving 853 00:53:18,120 --> 00:53:22,080 direction from God himself. So we're going to traverse on 854 00:53:22,080 --> 00:53:25,000 God's way, proving that we do have love for God's Word, 855 00:53:25,000 --> 00:53:27,320 because Jesus himself said if you love me, you'll obey me, 856 00:53:27,320 --> 00:53:31,280 you'll walk in my ways. He must be taught by God's Word. 857 00:53:31,960 --> 00:53:33,400 The second thing that the psalmist is going to teach us 858 00:53:33,400 --> 00:53:35,520 about this, we must be treasuring God's Word. 859 00:53:37,080 --> 00:53:41,400 He says in 103, How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter 860 00:53:41,400 --> 00:53:44,320 than honey to my mouth. Let me tell you, honey was a 861 00:53:44,320 --> 00:53:49,000 commodity in the psalmist's day. Not everybody had access to it. 862 00:53:50,240 --> 00:53:53,640 When you tasted it, it was precious to you. 863 00:53:54,440 --> 00:53:58,720 You treasured what little you had, if you had any at all. 864 00:53:59,200 --> 00:54:02,240 If you're really going to traverse in God's way, not only 865 00:54:02,240 --> 00:54:04,480 you're going to have to realize that you need to be taught by 866 00:54:04,480 --> 00:54:09,400 God through His Word, you need to be treasuring God's Word. 867 00:54:11,080 --> 00:54:17,000 Love for God's Word will always be marked with a high value upon 868 00:54:17,280 --> 00:54:22,800 the Scriptures. Do you value the Scriptures? 869 00:54:24,560 --> 00:54:27,320 Because isn't it true that I can know and you can know how much 870 00:54:27,320 --> 00:54:32,600 someone loves their spouse or their children by the value that 871 00:54:32,600 --> 00:54:35,840 they place upon them? You know what I mean? 872 00:54:37,480 --> 00:54:42,800 You've all been to that store, grocery shopping or to Walmart. 873 00:54:44,080 --> 00:54:46,800 You've seen the mother who's dragging the kids around who are 874 00:54:47,720 --> 00:54:52,360 not taken care of, dirty, neglected. 875 00:54:53,720 --> 00:54:56,440 You think to. Yourself, Why do you even have 876 00:54:56,440 --> 00:54:58,920 children, right? And don't look at me all pious. 877 00:54:58,920 --> 00:55:00,240 You know that. You have all thought these 878 00:55:00,240 --> 00:55:01,320 things. Why do you even have children if 879 00:55:01,320 --> 00:55:04,080 you're not going to lavish love upon them and take care of them? 880 00:55:05,200 --> 00:55:06,440 We've all had those thoughts. You can. 881 00:55:06,600 --> 00:55:08,520 You can think that that's right or you can think that that's 882 00:55:08,520 --> 00:55:12,600 wrong. I just simply call it reality. 883 00:55:12,600 --> 00:55:17,040 What do we do? We know that someone really 884 00:55:17,040 --> 00:55:20,040 loves someone when they place high value on them. 885 00:55:20,760 --> 00:55:23,680 When you see a child who's taken care of, when you see a child 886 00:55:23,680 --> 00:55:25,720 who's clean, when you see a child that when they speak to 887 00:55:25,720 --> 00:55:27,680 their parents, their parents are attentive to them, they're 888 00:55:27,680 --> 00:55:30,520 listening. Or you see a spouse who takes 889 00:55:30,520 --> 00:55:33,440 care of his wife, a husband taking care of his wife, a wife 890 00:55:33,440 --> 00:55:35,760 taking care of her husband taking care of her home because 891 00:55:35,760 --> 00:55:37,600 she loves her children and her family. 892 00:55:38,720 --> 00:55:40,760 You can say with confidence they. 893 00:55:42,320 --> 00:55:45,720 Love their family, they love their children, they love their 894 00:55:45,720 --> 00:55:47,320 husband, they love their wife. Why? 895 00:55:48,120 --> 00:55:51,280 Because they treasure them. And you can tell that they 896 00:55:51,280 --> 00:55:54,480 treasure them by the way that they treat them. 897 00:55:56,240 --> 00:55:58,400 Oh, we could come up with countless examples of this, 898 00:55:58,440 --> 00:56:02,160 couldn't we? You can tell how much you 899 00:56:02,160 --> 00:56:03,760 treasure the Word of God by how you treat it. 900 00:56:07,960 --> 00:56:10,800 That's fair, isn't it? How do you treat it? 901 00:56:10,800 --> 00:56:12,160 I'm not talking about how you treat it. 902 00:56:12,160 --> 00:56:13,840 Whether you think it should be on the table or you think it 903 00:56:13,840 --> 00:56:15,600 should be on the ground. I'm not talking about that. 904 00:56:18,360 --> 00:56:19,400 No. You should take care of it. 905 00:56:20,240 --> 00:56:23,400 And value it because it came at the lives of many men who God 906 00:56:23,400 --> 00:56:25,520 used to make sure that you have a translation in your own 907 00:56:25,520 --> 00:56:28,680 language to read from. But aside from that, I'm talking 908 00:56:28,680 --> 00:56:30,800 about how do you treasure the word of God in your heart? 909 00:56:31,760 --> 00:56:34,080 You say, as a psalmist said, that it's sweeter than honey to 910 00:56:34,080 --> 00:56:38,560 my lips. I value the word of God and I 911 00:56:38,560 --> 00:56:43,400 show that I. Value the word of God that it 912 00:56:43,400 --> 00:56:46,880 means something to me and I walk in accordance with it. 913 00:56:46,880 --> 00:56:50,400 I traverse in God's way because I do treasure what He has told 914 00:56:50,400 --> 00:56:55,080 me to do. Psalm 19, verse 9, it says the 915 00:56:55,080 --> 00:56:57,000 fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. 916 00:56:57,000 --> 00:56:59,480 The ordinance of the Lord are sure and all together righteous. 917 00:56:59,480 --> 00:57:03,120 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold. 918 00:57:03,120 --> 00:57:05,960 They are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. 919 00:57:06,120 --> 00:57:10,880 He said, there's nothing of higher value to me than the word 920 00:57:10,880 --> 00:57:13,800 of God, sweeter than gold, sweeter than all the riches of 921 00:57:13,800 --> 00:57:16,320 the world, sweeter than that next pay raise, sweeter than 922 00:57:16,320 --> 00:57:23,360 that next career move. Do you treasure His Word because 923 00:57:23,360 --> 00:57:29,320 we treasure that which we love. I could ask every wife in the 924 00:57:29,320 --> 00:57:33,960 room, would you rather have money from your husband or would 925 00:57:33,960 --> 00:57:41,760 you rather him treasure you? We know the answer, husbands, 926 00:57:41,760 --> 00:57:43,880 would you rather have trivial things from your wife, or would 927 00:57:43,880 --> 00:57:49,000 you rather her treasure you? Because we know at the end of 928 00:57:49,000 --> 00:57:53,200 the day, what we treasure is what we love. 929 00:57:54,600 --> 00:57:57,760 You treasure the word of God. If you don't treasure the word 930 00:57:57,760 --> 00:57:59,880 of God, don't dare say that you love the word of God, because 931 00:57:59,880 --> 00:58:02,360 you're not fooling anyone. Just like that spouse who 932 00:58:02,360 --> 00:58:04,600 doesn't treasure their husband or their wife's not fooling 933 00:58:04,600 --> 00:58:05,720 anyone. Just like that parent who 934 00:58:05,720 --> 00:58:07,520 doesn't treasure their children's not fooling anyone, 935 00:58:09,880 --> 00:58:15,120 You're only fooling yourself. Person who has true love for 936 00:58:15,120 --> 00:58:18,040 God's Word will traverse in God's way, taught by God through 937 00:58:18,040 --> 00:58:23,720 His Word, treasuring God's Word, causing us to walk in the path 938 00:58:23,720 --> 00:58:26,520 that He's laid out for us, proving that we do truly 939 00:58:26,520 --> 00:58:30,840 treasure His Word. And thirdly, we will be 940 00:58:31,600 --> 00:58:35,960 transformed by God's Word, transformed by God's Word. 941 00:58:35,960 --> 00:58:39,600 Oh, we have forgotten that. That is the whole reason for the 942 00:58:39,600 --> 00:58:42,520 Word of God. It is to transform our lives. 943 00:58:43,760 --> 00:58:46,920 That's why we preach it here, and unfortunately, that's why so 944 00:58:46,920 --> 00:58:49,240 many other places don't preach. The word of God, I'm, I'm not 945 00:58:49,240 --> 00:58:51,800 here to criticize them. I hurt for them. 946 00:58:51,800 --> 00:58:53,360 I grieve for them. I grieve for their people 947 00:58:54,000 --> 00:58:56,320 because they're starving and they're dying on the vine. 948 00:58:58,520 --> 00:59:00,800 And I pray for them that God would raise up a Bible teacher 949 00:59:00,800 --> 00:59:07,520 in that church. So we need to be fed because we 950 00:59:07,520 --> 00:59:10,320 need to be transformed. We need to be transformed by 951 00:59:10,320 --> 00:59:17,600 God's Word. Not clever stories, not fancy 952 00:59:17,600 --> 00:59:22,200 illustrations, not flaming motorcycle jumps. 953 00:59:24,640 --> 00:59:30,200 More Hollywood on the backdrop. Now we need to be transformed by 954 00:59:30,200 --> 00:59:33,760 the transformative power of the Word of God so that we can 955 00:59:33,760 --> 00:59:36,800 traverse in God's way and in traversing in God's way. 956 00:59:36,800 --> 00:59:39,000 Prove that we truly do love God's Word. 957 00:59:39,000 --> 00:59:44,920 If you're traversing in God's way, loving His Word, you will 958 00:59:44,920 --> 00:59:48,360 be transformed by it. It will result in continual 959 00:59:48,360 --> 00:59:54,440 growth and change in your life. The life you once lived will be 960 00:59:54,440 --> 00:59:58,280 in the past. I'm going to say that one more 961 00:59:58,280 --> 01:00:00,200 time for all the people who think that they can hold on to 962 01:00:00,200 --> 01:00:02,640 their past life and say that they love God and love His Word. 963 01:00:04,240 --> 01:00:10,200 The life that you once lived will be in the past, and 964 01:00:10,200 --> 01:00:12,760 Scripture confirms that very clearly. 965 01:00:12,760 --> 01:00:15,680 First Corinthians chapter 6, the passage that no one likes to 966 01:00:15,680 --> 01:00:17,880 read these days, but I'm not afraid to read it because it is 967 01:00:17,880 --> 01:00:21,960 the Word of God. Says in verse 9, do you not know 968 01:00:21,960 --> 01:00:24,320 that the wicked will not inherit the Kingdom of God? 969 01:00:25,640 --> 01:00:30,320 And then he gives this disclaimer, do not be deceived. 970 01:00:30,760 --> 01:00:33,560 You know, I said that because we quickly deceive ourselves, 971 01:00:33,560 --> 01:00:36,840 especially in a country where everyone has a better life when 972 01:00:36,840 --> 01:00:42,360 they leave this earth. Don't be deceived, he says. 973 01:00:42,360 --> 01:00:47,080 Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, 974 01:00:47,480 --> 01:00:50,200 nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders, nor 975 01:00:50,200 --> 01:00:52,800 thieves nor the greedy, nor drunkards nor slanders, nor 976 01:00:52,800 --> 01:00:55,200 swindlers will inherit the Kingdom of God. 977 01:00:56,800 --> 01:01:00,160 And some of you can't even hardly take your next breath 978 01:01:00,160 --> 01:01:02,560 because you've committed many of those offenses. 979 01:01:04,760 --> 01:01:06,640 Aren't you thankful that the Scriptures are complete? 980 01:01:06,640 --> 01:01:10,040 Watch what he says next. And this is what some of you 981 01:01:10,040 --> 01:01:12,840 were. Oh, you see how that lifestyle, 982 01:01:12,840 --> 01:01:15,960 whatever it is of sin, was past tense, but that's what some of 983 01:01:15,960 --> 01:01:18,120 you were. But you were washed, you were 984 01:01:18,120 --> 01:01:20,120 sanctified. You were justified in the name 985 01:01:20,120 --> 01:01:22,880 of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 986 01:01:23,000 --> 01:01:24,960 How were you washed? Through the washing of the 987 01:01:24,960 --> 01:01:27,320 water? By the Word, just as Ephesians 988 01:01:27,320 --> 01:01:31,160 chapter 5, verse 26 tells us. You heard the word of truth and 989 01:01:31,160 --> 01:01:34,080 in that you were quickened to new life and the Spirit cleanse 990 01:01:34,080 --> 01:01:36,720 you through the precious sacrifice of Jesus Christ and 991 01:01:36,720 --> 01:01:38,880 you have never and will never be the same. 992 01:01:38,880 --> 01:01:42,160 That is what you were. You're sanctified. 993 01:01:42,160 --> 01:01:43,480 How? By the Word of God. 994 01:01:43,560 --> 01:01:45,280 Jesus prayed. Sanctify them by truth. 995 01:01:45,440 --> 01:01:49,320 Your word is truth. That's why we love the Word. 996 01:01:50,040 --> 01:01:52,120 The Word cleanses us and sanctifies us. 997 01:01:52,120 --> 01:01:54,320 And you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ 998 01:01:54,320 --> 01:01:57,880 and by the Spirit of our God. First Peter says this. 999 01:01:57,880 --> 01:02:00,120 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of 1000 01:02:00,120 --> 01:02:01,680 imperishable. How? 1001 01:02:01,840 --> 01:02:04,960 Through the living and enduring Word of God. 1002 01:02:05,120 --> 01:02:08,600 You have been transformed by the Word of God. 1003 01:02:08,760 --> 01:02:13,480 Now please look at your life. And do not be deceived, if you 1004 01:02:13,480 --> 01:02:18,480 have not been transformed, you don't have a love for the Word 1005 01:02:18,480 --> 01:02:22,000 of God and you don't have a love for God, and you've not yet 1006 01:02:22,000 --> 01:02:24,960 experienced His love in Christ Jesus. 1007 01:02:24,960 --> 01:02:29,520 And I pray that He would be merciful to you today because we 1008 01:02:29,520 --> 01:02:33,040 will be transformed by God's Word if we are truly traversing 1009 01:02:33,040 --> 01:02:36,640 in God's way, because we truly love His Word. 1010 01:02:37,840 --> 01:02:39,360 The life you once lived will be gone. 1011 01:02:39,360 --> 01:02:42,760 It will be passed. You will be transformed by the 1012 01:02:42,760 --> 01:02:45,920 washing of the water through the Word. 1013 01:02:48,520 --> 01:02:53,080 First Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 23 says, May God himself, 1014 01:02:53,080 --> 01:02:55,360 the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. 1015 01:02:55,800 --> 01:02:58,760 May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the 1016 01:02:58,760 --> 01:03:03,160 coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. How does He do this? 1017 01:03:04,040 --> 01:03:06,880 Through His Word. Were it not for His Word, you 1018 01:03:06,880 --> 01:03:08,480 would have never heard of His Son. 1019 01:03:08,760 --> 01:03:11,280 Were it not for His Word, you would have never heard of His 1020 01:03:11,280 --> 01:03:13,560 sacrifice. Were it not for His Word, you 1021 01:03:13,560 --> 01:03:15,680 would have never heard how you must repent. 1022 01:03:15,920 --> 01:03:18,520 Were not for His Word, you would have never saw your need to 1023 01:03:18,520 --> 01:03:20,120 believe and trust in Jesus Christ. 1024 01:03:20,280 --> 01:03:22,920 Were not for His Word, you would have never called on Him. 1025 01:03:23,080 --> 01:03:25,040 To save you. Were it not for His Word, you 1026 01:03:25,040 --> 01:03:27,720 would not have the promise of that forgiveness and eternal 1027 01:03:27,720 --> 01:03:31,520 life that Jesus Christ promises to those who believe and trust 1028 01:03:31,600 --> 01:03:35,600 in Him. It is His Word that transforms 1029 01:03:35,760 --> 01:03:38,600 those who love God and who love His Word. 1030 01:03:38,720 --> 01:03:41,600 And why do we love God? And why do we love His Word? 1031 01:03:41,680 --> 01:03:44,880 We love because He first. Loved us? 1032 01:03:47,760 --> 01:03:50,880 Do you love him? And do you love his Word? 1033 01:03:52,200 --> 01:03:53,520 And have you been transformed by it? 1034 01:03:54,760 --> 01:03:58,320 Are you traversing in God's way? Love for God's Word will be 1035 01:03:58,320 --> 01:04:03,520 marked by a life that walks down God's paths and out of the paths 1036 01:04:03,520 --> 01:04:08,960 where you once trod. If you're in Christ, your new 1037 01:04:08,960 --> 01:04:12,240 creation, a new creature, all the old is gone. 1038 01:04:12,240 --> 01:04:14,560 And behold, all things have been made new. 1039 01:04:15,880 --> 01:04:22,400 So as we wrap this up today, this lesson on true love for the 1040 01:04:22,400 --> 01:04:29,840 Word of God, please know that a person who has true love for 1041 01:04:29,840 --> 01:04:33,000 God's Word, according to the example of the psalmist here, 1042 01:04:34,560 --> 01:04:39,680 we'll think on God's Word, we'll trust in God's wisdom, and we'll 1043 01:04:39,680 --> 01:04:45,000 traverse in God's way. Now, I would ask the believer 1044 01:04:45,000 --> 01:04:48,120 here today, those of you who are in Christ, I'm speaking to no 1045 01:04:48,120 --> 01:04:52,280 one else at this time. Those of you who profess Jesus 1046 01:04:52,280 --> 01:04:55,720 Christ as your Lord and Savior, I ask you this difficult 1047 01:04:55,720 --> 01:05:00,040 question. Do you love the word of God? 1048 01:05:02,400 --> 01:05:05,240 Do you love the word of God? Or do you love church? 1049 01:05:05,240 --> 01:05:07,520 Or do you love preaching? Or do you love coming in and and 1050 01:05:07,520 --> 01:05:12,000 learning just facts? Or do you love the word of God 1051 01:05:12,000 --> 01:05:14,440 as the Psalmist loved the word of God as an example for us 1052 01:05:14,440 --> 01:05:18,160 today? Do you meditate on it as one 1053 01:05:18,160 --> 01:05:23,000 meditates on his or her lover, hanging on every word, desiring 1054 01:05:23,000 --> 01:05:25,840 to hear more? Wishing that you could spend 1055 01:05:25,840 --> 01:05:32,680 more time with him. Do you, do you trust the wisdom 1056 01:05:33,560 --> 01:05:36,680 revealed in the scriptures? Do you see them as the great 1057 01:05:36,680 --> 01:05:40,400 treasure that they are? Do you yearn to hold that 1058 01:05:40,400 --> 01:05:45,000 treasure in your hand and behold that treasure as God fulfills 1059 01:05:45,000 --> 01:05:50,040 His promises in your life? And do you live in live a life 1060 01:05:50,040 --> 01:05:56,520 inconsistency with what the Word of God says with a deep God born 1061 01:05:56,520 --> 01:06:00,960 desire to obey his word in every area of your life, being 1062 01:06:00,960 --> 01:06:06,280 literally transformed by it? Do you love his word that much? 1063 01:06:07,480 --> 01:06:10,680 I pray for you, believer. I pray that you do. 1064 01:06:13,960 --> 01:06:18,200 But if you don't, I pray that you understand that God is a God 1065 01:06:18,200 --> 01:06:20,800 of mercy and forgiveness and you can declare that to him today. 1066 01:06:20,800 --> 01:06:26,520 You can confess to Him you have not been faithful and obedient 1067 01:06:26,520 --> 01:06:29,320 in regard to His Word and loving the Scriptures. 1068 01:06:31,320 --> 01:06:39,040 And I would do this double dog, even triple dog, dare you as a 1069 01:06:39,040 --> 01:06:43,440 believer to ask God to create in you a hunger and a thirst for 1070 01:06:43,440 --> 01:06:46,360 His Word that you've never experienced in your life before 1071 01:06:49,520 --> 01:06:51,280 and see if He's not faithful to do that. 1072 01:06:52,200 --> 01:06:57,360 See if he doesn't unfold endless treasure after endless treasure 1073 01:06:58,480 --> 01:07:02,280 in the Holy Writ. Perhaps you're here today and 1074 01:07:02,280 --> 01:07:07,040 you're an unbeliever. I'm going to say this rather 1075 01:07:07,040 --> 01:07:14,800 bluntly, but intentional. You don't love God's word and 1076 01:07:14,800 --> 01:07:18,400 you don't love God, and you prove that every day as you 1077 01:07:18,400 --> 01:07:21,440 remain in your unbelief, as you remain in your sin, as you, as 1078 01:07:21,440 --> 01:07:24,360 you continue to live life any way that you want to live it. 1079 01:07:24,360 --> 01:07:28,120 Now, I want to make this very clear to you. 1080 01:07:29,120 --> 01:07:31,840 I'm making this very clear to you because I love your soul, 1081 01:07:31,840 --> 01:07:34,000 not near as much as God loves your soul, but I can tell you 1082 01:07:34,000 --> 01:07:35,400 this. I love your soul enough to tell 1083 01:07:35,400 --> 01:07:38,680 you the truth, to risk you hating me because I tell you the 1084 01:07:38,680 --> 01:07:45,120 truth that God will consume all of His enemies with raging fire, 1085 01:07:45,120 --> 01:07:48,000 and there will be judgment upon the unbelieving who die in their 1086 01:07:48,000 --> 01:07:51,120 sin. And the only way out of that 1087 01:07:51,120 --> 01:07:53,760 judgment and that destruction and wrath that is to come upon 1088 01:07:53,760 --> 01:07:56,200 all the unbelieving and all the wicked, the only way out of 1089 01:07:56,200 --> 01:07:59,880 that, is to run to Jesus Christ in desperation and plead with 1090 01:07:59,880 --> 01:08:02,720 Him for His mercy. As he draws you out of darkness 1091 01:08:02,720 --> 01:08:06,240 and into life. To trust in Him and Him alone to 1092 01:08:06,240 --> 01:08:09,000 forgive you and to wash you and to cleanse you from your sin as 1093 01:08:09,000 --> 01:08:11,520 you surrender to Him as Lord and Savior, leaving your life of 1094 01:08:11,520 --> 01:08:14,480 filth, leaving your life of unbelief, leaving your life of 1095 01:08:14,480 --> 01:08:18,520 immorality and clinging to Jesus Christ, the only sacrifice that 1096 01:08:18,520 --> 01:08:21,920 is acceptable unto God. To cling to Him for the only 1097 01:08:21,920 --> 01:08:26,160 salvation that man can receive. I pray for you that today He 1098 01:08:26,160 --> 01:08:29,240 would graciously allow you to trust in Him as Lord and Savior, 1099 01:08:29,240 --> 01:08:33,960 That He would give you the mercy that only He can give to the 1100 01:08:33,960 --> 01:08:36,720 Sinner. That in doing so He would grant 1101 01:08:36,720 --> 01:08:40,319 to you faith to believe and strength to repent. 1102 01:08:41,240 --> 01:08:43,720 That you would turn from yourself and your sin and the 1103 01:08:43,720 --> 01:08:47,279 wickedness of this world, and you would turn to Christ. 1104 01:08:49,240 --> 01:08:53,080 And He will be faithful, I assure you, to save you. 1105 01:08:53,080 --> 01:08:57,359 Because He says that He will never turn away, not one single 1106 01:08:57,359 --> 01:09:03,359 person who comes unto Him, but He will raise you up at the last 1107 01:09:03,720 --> 01:09:06,120 day. Oh, if God is moving in your 1108 01:09:06,120 --> 01:09:10,640 life, drawing you unto Himself today, it is because He desires 1109 01:09:10,640 --> 01:09:15,200 to let you know that you were His and that He desires to 1110 01:09:15,200 --> 01:09:18,359 lavish His love upon you today, forgiving you of your sin, 1111 01:09:18,359 --> 01:09:20,640 cleansing you from all of your wickedness, and giving you faith 1112 01:09:20,640 --> 01:09:23,800 to believe and to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. 1113 01:09:24,240 --> 01:09:26,000 Would you pray with me? Father, in the name of Jesus, we 1114 01:09:26,000 --> 01:09:29,520 come to you now, thanking you for your word. 1115 01:09:30,840 --> 01:09:34,160 Lord, forgive us when it's not the treasure that it ought to 1116 01:09:34,160 --> 01:09:37,120 be. Forgive us when we meditate on 1117 01:09:37,120 --> 01:09:39,960 so many other things that we love in this world and neglect. 1118 01:09:39,960 --> 01:09:43,880 Meditate on Your word. Teach us to be more obedient in 1119 01:09:43,880 --> 01:09:47,279 those areas. God, I pray for the unbelievers 1120 01:09:47,279 --> 01:09:53,840 who are here today. Would I pray today You would 1121 01:09:53,840 --> 01:09:57,600 extend your friendship to them, that you would take those as I 1122 01:09:57,600 --> 01:10:04,840 once was an enemy, and you would forgive them and wash them and 1123 01:10:04,840 --> 01:10:08,960 make them yours today, adopting them into your family as sons 1124 01:10:08,960 --> 01:10:11,160 and daughters as they repent and they turn to Christ. 1125 01:10:12,080 --> 01:10:14,400 And we'll be careful to give you all the glory for it in Jesus 1126 01:10:14,400 --> 01:10:19,000 name, Amen. You've been listening to Key 1127 01:10:19,000 --> 01:10:21,760 Life Fellowship's Pulpit Ministry podcast. 1128 01:10:22,160 --> 01:10:25,280 Join us each week for more teaching from God's Word.