1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:04,390 Several years ago, GAIL and I went down to Los Angeles to 2 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:06,890 visit our daughter who was living there at the time. 3 00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:12,750 And we went to a Barnes and Noble bookstore and massive 4 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:14,730 bookstore. It was like a superstore, three 5 00:00:14,740 --> 00:00:17,100 floors had escalators going up or whatever. 6 00:00:17,110 --> 00:00:19,070 And so we were just enjoying ourselves. 7 00:00:19,080 --> 00:00:21,510 Love just taking a look at all the books that were there and 8 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:24,510 just kind of notice you didn't see any books really on 9 00:00:24,520 --> 00:00:27,470 spirituality, on Christianity. And so I asked one of the 10 00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:29,830 attendants there, you know, do you have any Christian books? 11 00:00:30,730 --> 00:00:32,970 And the person had to stop and think about it. 12 00:00:33,370 --> 00:00:35,600 And they said, I think they're on the 3rd floor. 13 00:00:35,890 --> 00:00:39,640 So we go up to the third floor, up the escalators, takes takes 14 00:00:39,650 --> 00:00:43,600 an eternity to get up there. And we find out that the 15 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:47,780 Christian section is actually in the children's section in the 16 00:00:47,790 --> 00:00:50,490 back of the store, like the furthest point away from the 17 00:00:50,500 --> 00:00:53,760 doors around the corner and this little bookshelf. 18 00:00:53,830 --> 00:00:56,600 And you have just a few Christian books and just a 19 00:00:56,610 --> 00:01:00,520 couple of Bibles. And as I looked at that Bible 20 00:01:00,570 --> 00:01:06,540 and I thought, how tragic that the value that was put on the 21 00:01:06,550 --> 00:01:12,900 Word of God would be so low. Now, that's Barnes and Noble for 22 00:01:12,910 --> 00:01:15,840 you. What about for us? 23 00:01:15,990 --> 00:01:19,140 What kind of value do we place on the Word of God? 24 00:01:19,150 --> 00:01:22,320 Most Christians would say, yeah, The Word of God, the Bible, the 25 00:01:22,330 --> 00:01:26,350 Scriptures, they're important. They're very important, but do 26 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:29,170 we show that with the way that we engage those scriptures? 27 00:01:29,240 --> 00:01:33,820 I think the statistics now are about 50% of Christians don't 28 00:01:33,830 --> 00:01:36,960 even touch the Bible who who profess to be Christians and 29 00:01:36,970 --> 00:01:39,740 about 30% are reading it on a regular basis. 30 00:01:40,350 --> 00:01:45,290 So I, I think this is something that we need to sort of grapple 31 00:01:45,300 --> 00:01:48,910 with and, and to, and to understand together how this, 32 00:01:48,980 --> 00:01:54,770 this probably no more life giving practice that we can have 33 00:01:55,770 --> 00:01:58,020 in our lives, then engage in the word of God. 34 00:01:58,030 --> 00:02:00,760 This is where this is where we're given perspective. 35 00:02:00,770 --> 00:02:03,020 We're given wisdom from the ages. 36 00:02:03,630 --> 00:02:07,350 This is this is where we, we encounter what truth is and get 37 00:02:07,360 --> 00:02:08,810 the guidance we need for our life. 38 00:02:08,850 --> 00:02:11,510 But probably even far more significant than any of those 39 00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:16,400 things, those things, and is that we encounter God through 40 00:02:16,410 --> 00:02:18,360 his Holy Word. This is how we encounter God. 41 00:02:18,370 --> 00:02:22,500 Now over the next, well, next week, we're gonna start a new 42 00:02:22,510 --> 00:02:25,210 series on First Samuel, the book of First Samuel. 43 00:02:25,220 --> 00:02:28,200 So we're gonna have a study that will walk us through that entire 44 00:02:28,210 --> 00:02:30,280 book, and it coincides with Lent. 45 00:02:30,330 --> 00:02:34,000 Now, we are not a heavily liturgical church, but it's good 46 00:02:34,010 --> 00:02:37,670 to piggyback on some of these ancient practices every once in 47 00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:39,920 a while. So Lent is the 40 days. 48 00:02:40,270 --> 00:02:44,080 If you take out all of the Sundays, it's 40 days that take 49 00:02:44,090 --> 00:02:46,660 us to Easter. And so it's kind of preparation 50 00:02:46,780 --> 00:02:50,560 for the celebration of Easter. And it's associated with Jesus 51 00:02:50,570 --> 00:02:54,390 40 days in the wilderness when he was fasting and when he was 52 00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:59,510 being tempted by the devil. So it's, it's a time of of kind 53 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:05,910 of like self denial where we are, we are looking at ways that 54 00:03:05,920 --> 00:03:09,570 we can sort of root out our self centeredness and get more 55 00:03:09,580 --> 00:03:12,390 focused on the Lord. And I'm hoping that this time 56 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:14,860 period where we're walking through during Lent, the first 57 00:03:14,870 --> 00:03:17,630 Samuel, that this is going to be a time of great spiritual 58 00:03:17,640 --> 00:03:22,370 renewal for us, a great time of rooting out self centeredness of 59 00:03:22,500 --> 00:03:28,490 of kind of increasing a hunger for more of God and to deepen 60 00:03:28,560 --> 00:03:32,120 our faith in him. And so 40 Days in the Word is 61 00:03:32,130 --> 00:03:38,080 going to start next week. So I'm giving a little 62 00:03:38,270 --> 00:03:42,600 invitation and of a church wide, congregation wide invitation 63 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:49,570 that you would with me make a conscious effort to make more 64 00:03:49,580 --> 00:03:52,690 room for the Word of God in your life. 65 00:03:52,740 --> 00:03:57,210 And one of the things that we've done to help is to create a 66 00:03:57,220 --> 00:03:59,750 journal. So GAIL and Sandra made this 67 00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:03,450 journal that will help us walk through the book of Samuel every 68 00:04:03,460 --> 00:04:05,750 day, just a little bit of Scripture each day. 69 00:04:05,800 --> 00:04:09,230 And it guides us on how to reflect on Scripture together. 70 00:04:09,300 --> 00:04:12,590 So it'd be good it be cool to do this as a congregation. 71 00:04:12,660 --> 00:04:14,890 I think it's going to have a great impact if we're doing it, 72 00:04:14,960 --> 00:04:18,649 everybody's doing it each day for 40 days. 73 00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:21,790 Think of the conversations that we can have in our families and 74 00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:24,170 our life groups and other fellowship circles. 75 00:04:24,180 --> 00:04:26,110 I think it's gonna be, I think it's gonna be off. 76 00:04:26,180 --> 00:04:29,810 Awesome. So but today is preparation for 77 00:04:29,960 --> 00:04:32,150 next week, OK? Everything about what we're 78 00:04:32,160 --> 00:04:36,130 doing today is preparation. It's sort of the setup. 79 00:04:36,140 --> 00:04:39,490 Or if you want to use the kind of language of Super Bowl 80 00:04:39,500 --> 00:04:42,160 Sunday, it's the lineup. It's the offensive lineup. 81 00:04:42,170 --> 00:04:45,550 Everybody's, everybody's lined up already, already, right? 82 00:04:46,170 --> 00:04:48,980 And then we're getting ready for the pass, for the play. 83 00:04:49,170 --> 00:04:53,450 So today we're just gonna talk about the Word of God. 84 00:04:55,270 --> 00:04:59,880 Every Sunday we are speaking from the Word of God to God's 85 00:04:59,890 --> 00:05:01,940 people. Today we're speaking from the 86 00:05:01,950 --> 00:05:04,280 Word of God. But we're we're talking about 87 00:05:04,290 --> 00:05:07,520 the Word of God as we're speaking from the Word of God. 88 00:05:07,530 --> 00:05:08,930 And there's probably no greater place. 89 00:05:08,940 --> 00:05:11,170 There's a lot of great places to go in Scripture, but maybe one 90 00:05:11,180 --> 00:05:15,380 of the best is Psalm 119. So if you got a Bible, why don't 91 00:05:15,390 --> 00:05:19,960 you open that up with me? Psalm 119, it is the longest 92 00:05:19,970 --> 00:05:22,540 Psalm. If you don't know where to find 93 00:05:22,550 --> 00:05:24,960 it, the table of contents is up there on the screen. 94 00:05:28,420 --> 00:05:32,500 We're going to step into the last 8 verses of this song and 95 00:05:32,510 --> 00:05:36,080 just wear it for a while like a yoke and just let it shape the 96 00:05:36,090 --> 00:05:38,840 way that we think and the way that we feel and the way that we 97 00:05:39,590 --> 00:05:43,410 ultimately live in the presence of God and Father. 98 00:05:43,500 --> 00:05:46,770 This is turned to him in prayer. Father, we, we thank you for 99 00:05:46,780 --> 00:05:50,230 this life giving word of the scriptures. 100 00:05:51,090 --> 00:05:56,760 I pray, we pray that you'd open our eyes to see wonderful things 101 00:05:57,150 --> 00:06:01,260 from your law this morning. Holy Spirit, visit us in the 102 00:06:01,270 --> 00:06:05,720 name of Jesus, Amen. Amen. 103 00:06:05,730 --> 00:06:10,380 So some 119 and we're going to start at verse 169 and read to 104 00:06:10,390 --> 00:06:12,340 the end of it. And you will notice that we 105 00:06:12,350 --> 00:06:14,650 don't have the Scripture passage up on the screen. 106 00:06:14,660 --> 00:06:17,440 This is very intentional. We don't do that because we want 107 00:06:17,450 --> 00:06:20,740 you to open up your own Bible and get it in front of you and 108 00:06:20,750 --> 00:06:23,160 engage with the Scriptures yourself. 109 00:06:23,390 --> 00:06:26,710 The passages that we do put up on the screen through the 110 00:06:26,720 --> 00:06:29,940 messages are just to help you so that you don't have to turn 111 00:06:29,950 --> 00:06:33,070 flipping your Bible to find it and then kind of miss out on 112 00:06:33,080 --> 00:06:34,630 what the rest of the message is about. 113 00:06:34,990 --> 00:06:39,280 So very intentional. We're doing so Psalm 119, 114 00:06:39,450 --> 00:06:44,200 starting at verse 169. May my cry come before You. 115 00:06:44,210 --> 00:06:47,550 Lord, Give me understanding according to your word. 116 00:06:48,420 --> 00:06:52,840 May my supplication come before you deliver me according to your 117 00:06:52,850 --> 00:06:56,640 promise. May my lips overflow with praise 118 00:06:56,770 --> 00:07:00,070 for you. Teach me your decrees, may my 119 00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:04,490 tongue sing of Your word, for all Your commands are righteous. 120 00:07:04,960 --> 00:07:08,030 May Your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen Your 121 00:07:08,040 --> 00:07:11,350 precepts. I long for your salvation, Lord, 122 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:16,250 and Your law gives me delight. Let me live that I may praise 123 00:07:16,260 --> 00:07:18,680 You, and may Your laws sustain me. 124 00:07:19,460 --> 00:07:21,720 I have strayed like a lost sheep. 125 00:07:21,900 --> 00:07:26,290 Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands. 126 00:07:29,090 --> 00:07:32,290 Just that first line made my cry come before you. 127 00:07:32,300 --> 00:07:38,410 That word cry lets us know that this psalmist is in anguish, and 128 00:07:38,420 --> 00:07:41,800 it's a reminder to us that Scripture isn't just given to us 129 00:07:41,850 --> 00:07:45,160 outside of a context. It's not isolated or somehow 130 00:07:45,170 --> 00:07:48,430 detached from real life. This person's going through some 131 00:07:48,440 --> 00:07:51,190 major trials. He's suffering. 132 00:07:51,840 --> 00:07:56,090 In fact, in other places in the Psalm, he it, it tells us that 133 00:07:56,100 --> 00:08:00,370 he's being oppressed, he's being attacked, and he is dealing with 134 00:08:00,440 --> 00:08:04,720 a sorrowful heart. And yet he's turning to God's 135 00:08:04,730 --> 00:08:08,930 word in the midst of it all. And in verse 71 of the same 136 00:08:08,940 --> 00:08:10,510 Psalm, and we'll have that up on the screen. 137 00:08:10,520 --> 00:08:13,390 You have to turn there. But he says this, it was good 138 00:08:13,400 --> 00:08:17,460 for me to be afflicted. Never think of yourself that 139 00:08:17,470 --> 00:08:21,170 it's good to be afflicted, to go through trials in life so that I 140 00:08:21,180 --> 00:08:25,140 might learn your decrees. It was good for me to be 141 00:08:25,150 --> 00:08:26,740 afflicted so that I might learn to trees. 142 00:08:26,750 --> 00:08:32,549 In other words, my affliction is driving me to God's Word, and 143 00:08:32,559 --> 00:08:35,850 it's there that I'm experiencing comfort and strength and the 144 00:08:35,860 --> 00:08:42,140 direction that I need. This Salm Psalm 119 is all about 145 00:08:42,350 --> 00:08:48,330 God's Word and there are 8 synonyms that are used for the 146 00:08:48,340 --> 00:08:57,170 scriptures, one of them being the Word, the Law, The Word, 147 00:08:57,210 --> 00:09:03,700 promise, commands, statutes, decrees, ordinances, precepts. 148 00:09:03,950 --> 00:09:06,770 All these words are used interchangeably throughout the 149 00:09:06,780 --> 00:09:09,740 whole song, and so sometimes it can kind of trip you up, but 150 00:09:09,750 --> 00:09:13,240 it's all referring to God's for the scriptures that God has 151 00:09:13,250 --> 00:09:17,320 given to us. And six out of those 8 are in 152 00:09:17,550 --> 00:09:21,280 these last 8 verses of Psalm 119. 153 00:09:22,530 --> 00:09:26,340 In it is an acrostic. If you know what an acrostic is, 154 00:09:26,410 --> 00:09:30,620 that is that the 1st letter of the first word of each verse is 155 00:09:30,630 --> 00:09:33,690 a particular letter of the Hebrew alphabet. 156 00:09:34,390 --> 00:09:38,520 And so, and so it's, it's really one of the reasons for doing 157 00:09:38,530 --> 00:09:39,940 that. Is that how it aids memory. 158 00:09:39,950 --> 00:09:42,760 It gives structure to a particular Psalm, but it also 159 00:09:42,770 --> 00:09:45,000 aids in our memorization of that Psalm. 160 00:09:45,430 --> 00:09:48,760 And, and so, but there's more to it than that. 161 00:09:48,770 --> 00:09:54,890 As Rob shared last week, often the the the acrostic is 162 00:09:54,900 --> 00:10:00,990 communicating something to us. In Lamentations last week we saw 163 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:04,240 that right dead centre in the middle of this heart wrenching 164 00:10:04,250 --> 00:10:07,800 lament. We have the tender mercies of 165 00:10:07,810 --> 00:10:12,240 God that are new every morning, communicating that God's with us 166 00:10:12,250 --> 00:10:13,900 in the midst of all of that pain. 167 00:10:13,990 --> 00:10:18,980 Well, this song, Psalm 119 is, is an acrostic on steroids 168 00:10:19,730 --> 00:10:23,600 because there are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet and there 169 00:10:23,610 --> 00:10:27,570 are 22 stanzas of eight verses each in this Psalm. 170 00:10:27,810 --> 00:10:34,090 And each stanza has a Hebrew letter that opens every one of 171 00:10:34,100 --> 00:10:37,850 those lines. And so alphabet Gamma Dale all 172 00:10:37,860 --> 00:10:40,010 all the way through. And we're at tab here at the 173 00:10:40,020 --> 00:10:43,230 very end of the Hebrew alphabet. And so every line is going to 174 00:10:43,240 --> 00:10:45,630 start with tag. Now what might that be 175 00:10:45,640 --> 00:10:49,670 communicating to us? It doesn't come right out and 176 00:10:49,680 --> 00:10:54,610 say it, but if you think about it, it's communicating in many 177 00:10:54,620 --> 00:10:58,070 ways that God's Word, because that's what this song is all 178 00:10:58,080 --> 00:11:01,760 about, speaks to the entirety of our lives. 179 00:11:02,210 --> 00:11:05,280 There isn't a part of our lives where the Word of God is not 180 00:11:05,290 --> 00:11:13,200 relevant and can't bring life. And as well, the psalmist is 181 00:11:13,210 --> 00:11:17,500 praising God for his word. And it's like man, I'm gonna use 182 00:11:17,510 --> 00:11:22,310 every word, every letter of the, of the alphabet in order to 183 00:11:23,110 --> 00:11:25,240 praise God. I'm going to use everything, 184 00:11:25,250 --> 00:11:28,360 every part of my being, every part of the of the language in 185 00:11:28,370 --> 00:11:30,660 order to give thanks to God for his word. 186 00:11:30,670 --> 00:11:34,900 In other words, the word of God is so absolutely vital to this 187 00:11:34,910 --> 00:11:36,880 individual. And I think it's good for us 188 00:11:36,890 --> 00:11:40,040 just to soak that in and allow it to minister to us. 189 00:11:40,050 --> 00:11:42,620 So let's just walk through the Psalm briefly together. 190 00:11:42,630 --> 00:11:47,820 So, so, so verse 169. May my cry come before you. 191 00:11:47,830 --> 00:11:52,590 Lord, give me understanding according to your word. 192 00:11:53,690 --> 00:11:57,620 So obviously he is disoriented whenever we're facing trouble 193 00:11:57,630 --> 00:11:58,940 and we can't seem to get out of it. 194 00:11:58,950 --> 00:12:02,420 It's a disorienting experience. And so he's looking for 195 00:12:02,430 --> 00:12:05,590 understanding, but he's not. He's not going to. 196 00:12:05,630 --> 00:12:09,090 He's not trying to figure it out himself and he's not going to 197 00:12:09,100 --> 00:12:13,230 the current culture into the, you know, the modern day trends 198 00:12:13,240 --> 00:12:18,130 in order to figure it out. He wants understanding according 199 00:12:18,320 --> 00:12:21,370 to God's Word. He is going to God's Word for 200 00:12:21,380 --> 00:12:24,280 understanding to make sense out of His current situation. 201 00:12:28,100 --> 00:12:31,670 There's 1170 me, my supplication. 202 00:12:31,680 --> 00:12:35,980 Come before you deliver me according to your promise. 203 00:12:37,120 --> 00:12:40,570 When we're in trouble, we're always looking for some form of 204 00:12:40,580 --> 00:12:41,620 deliverance. We want relief. 205 00:12:41,630 --> 00:12:44,040 Who doesn't want relief when we're feeling pain and when 206 00:12:44,050 --> 00:12:46,970 we're suffering? But we go to many other 207 00:12:46,980 --> 00:12:50,830 deliverers that promise deliverance, but they do not 208 00:12:50,840 --> 00:12:53,850 deliver. The Psalms are saying, no, I 209 00:12:53,860 --> 00:12:55,730 want to be delivered according to your promise. 210 00:12:55,740 --> 00:12:58,550 Because whatever you promise in your word, Lord, you always 211 00:12:58,560 --> 00:13:01,520 deliver. You are a God who keeps your 212 00:13:01,530 --> 00:13:05,430 promises. Verse 171 Me. 213 00:13:05,440 --> 00:13:09,940 My lips overflow with praise for you. 214 00:13:09,950 --> 00:13:14,040 Teach me your decrees don't fly over this kind of stuff. 215 00:13:14,390 --> 00:13:16,060 Like so? It's his heart. 216 00:13:16,110 --> 00:13:18,260 His lips are overflowing with praise. 217 00:13:18,270 --> 00:13:20,020 He's just thanking God for His word. 218 00:13:20,030 --> 00:13:23,690 Why? Because you teach me your 219 00:13:23,700 --> 00:13:26,830 decrees like you are actually teaching. 220 00:13:27,560 --> 00:13:33,200 I'm not just reading a book, he's saying for information is 221 00:13:33,210 --> 00:13:37,150 I'm taking this in. You are literally teaching me 222 00:13:38,580 --> 00:13:41,830 from your word. And we talked to a few Sundays 223 00:13:41,840 --> 00:13:45,150 back about just visualizing when we're reading the scriptures to 224 00:13:45,160 --> 00:13:48,390 visualize Jesus reading those words to us. 225 00:13:48,600 --> 00:13:55,800 It's that personal, uh, back in the Psalm, a few verses, one 226 00:13:55,810 --> 00:14:00,720 verse 137, it says he, he says you are righteous, Lord and your 227 00:14:00,730 --> 00:14:05,780 laws are righteous. Actually, I'm gonna back up. 228 00:14:07,130 --> 00:14:08,260 I'm back. We're gonna get there in a 229 00:14:08,270 --> 00:14:11,390 minute. Hebrews 412 For the word of the 230 00:14:11,400 --> 00:14:16,110 Lord is alive and active, sharper than any double edged 231 00:14:16,120 --> 00:14:18,890 sword. It penetrates even the dividing 232 00:14:18,900 --> 00:14:21,850 soul and spirit joints in Merrill and judges the thoughts 233 00:14:21,860 --> 00:14:25,840 and attitudes of the heart. This word not just words on a 234 00:14:25,850 --> 00:14:27,290 page. It is alive. 235 00:14:28,640 --> 00:14:34,330 God is literally teaching us personally as we walk through, 236 00:14:35,240 --> 00:14:37,490 it's like a knife. It's like it's, it's a double 237 00:14:37,500 --> 00:14:40,010 edged sword. It goes to those places of our 238 00:14:40,020 --> 00:14:43,990 heart and can lovingly confronts us in those places that we need 239 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:47,580 to hear the truth. Now you may not believe that and 240 00:14:47,590 --> 00:14:52,350 that's OK, but I still encourage you to engage the scriptures as 241 00:14:52,360 --> 00:14:55,750 best you can because even a knife that you don't believe is 242 00:14:55,760 --> 00:14:59,460 sharp, if it is sharp, it's still going to cut you, right? 243 00:14:59,560 --> 00:15:01,670 Regardless of whether you believe it's sharp or not. 244 00:15:01,840 --> 00:15:05,230 That's what the word of God is. And so take it up, take it 245 00:15:05,240 --> 00:15:10,010 seriously and allow it. Allow the Word to do ministry to 246 00:15:10,020 --> 00:15:15,760 your soul, loving surgery to your soul, God rooting out all 247 00:15:15,770 --> 00:15:20,250 the lies and all of the all of the stuff that's gonna cause us 248 00:15:20,260 --> 00:15:24,000 to stumble and bring us into the kind of life that we were called 249 00:15:24,010 --> 00:15:30,050 to live. Let's keep moving verse 172 may 250 00:15:30,060 --> 00:15:35,450 my tongue sing of your word for all your commands are righteous. 251 00:15:35,520 --> 00:15:38,330 This is what I was hopping into made my tongue sing of your 252 00:15:38,340 --> 00:15:40,030 words. So we singing over to God's 253 00:15:40,040 --> 00:15:42,350 word. Why because all of the commands 254 00:15:42,360 --> 00:15:46,010 you remember commands it's referring as just a synonym for 255 00:15:46,020 --> 00:15:48,630 all of Scripture. It's all righteous. 256 00:15:49,020 --> 00:15:52,460 It's all right because it's a reflection of who God is. 257 00:15:53,970 --> 00:15:58,610 Back to that one verse 137 You are righteous, Lord, and your 258 00:15:58,620 --> 00:16:02,350 laws are right. Everything you see, Scripture is 259 00:16:02,360 --> 00:16:05,250 God breathed. And so whatever the Scriptures 260 00:16:05,260 --> 00:16:09,050 are reflection of who God is and God is righteous. 261 00:16:09,380 --> 00:16:11,670 He is right. He is pure, He is holy, and that 262 00:16:11,680 --> 00:16:15,940 means that everything that is in this book, the whole of the 263 00:16:15,950 --> 00:16:24,200 Scriptures, are righteous. Now here's God revealing himself 264 00:16:24,210 --> 00:16:27,060 to us in His Word. This is how we get to know Him. 265 00:16:27,820 --> 00:16:30,540 So we get to know him, but we also get to know ourselves, 266 00:16:30,550 --> 00:16:33,130 because in contrast to the righteousness of God, what we 267 00:16:33,140 --> 00:16:38,250 see in the Scriptures is the brokenness of humanity. 268 00:16:38,540 --> 00:16:45,210 We see ourselves in these texts and thank God that He is 269 00:16:45,220 --> 00:16:48,070 gracious and kind towards sinners, right? 270 00:16:48,220 --> 00:16:50,470 This is the good news, right? We're not getting what we 271 00:16:50,480 --> 00:16:52,980 deserve. We get grace. 272 00:16:53,050 --> 00:16:55,930 We get mercy. This is the kind of God that we 273 00:16:55,940 --> 00:16:59,170 serve. But it's hard to read about the 274 00:16:59,180 --> 00:17:01,910 righteousness when we know that we fall far short there. 275 00:17:01,920 --> 00:17:05,430 There are areas of Scripture where like God is revealing His 276 00:17:05,520 --> 00:17:08,500 Holiness to us. And some of it's like, man, 277 00:17:08,510 --> 00:17:10,980 that's too bright. Like there's some things in the 278 00:17:10,990 --> 00:17:13,589 Bible that offend our sensibilities, right? 279 00:17:14,250 --> 00:17:15,460 We're gonna get into some of them. 280 00:17:15,470 --> 00:17:20,970 And 1st in, in, in First Samuel that can turn us off of the 281 00:17:20,980 --> 00:17:23,050 Bible. But my encouragement to us is 282 00:17:23,060 --> 00:17:28,089 just just ease into it and allow God give God an opportunity to 283 00:17:28,099 --> 00:17:33,230 reveal his righteous character to you in the reading of the 284 00:17:33,240 --> 00:17:37,210 Scriptures. Take some time to acclimatize to 285 00:17:37,220 --> 00:17:40,370 the word of God. That's what this this practice 286 00:17:40,380 --> 00:17:43,630 is all about. You know, some Psalm 19. 287 00:17:43,780 --> 00:17:46,970 So it's, it's interesting. Psalm 19, Psalm Psalm 19 is also 288 00:17:46,980 --> 00:17:50,300 about God's word. But the psalmist says the law of 289 00:17:50,310 --> 00:17:54,370 the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. 290 00:17:55,040 --> 00:17:59,450 The fact that every aspect of God of the Scriptures are 291 00:17:59,460 --> 00:18:03,610 perfect, it's ultimately getting us in touch with the giver of 292 00:18:03,620 --> 00:18:05,810 life and it's going to refresh our souls. 293 00:18:06,240 --> 00:18:13,370 So dig in and receive that life giving water. 173 May your hand 294 00:18:13,380 --> 00:18:16,870 be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts. 295 00:18:17,950 --> 00:18:22,090 This is an interesting one. I've chosen your precepts, I've 296 00:18:22,100 --> 00:18:24,570 chosen your word, I've chosen to go with your word, and I'm going 297 00:18:24,580 --> 00:18:27,280 to live this word out. And because of that, I'm 298 00:18:27,290 --> 00:18:29,820 anticipating that you're going to give me some assistance. 299 00:18:31,560 --> 00:18:35,030 It's like, OK, OK. I, I'm, I'm gonna go live out 300 00:18:35,040 --> 00:18:38,090 what I know I'm supposed to be doing according to God's word. 301 00:18:38,160 --> 00:18:40,930 And I'm trusting that you're gonna be with me in this Lord. 302 00:18:41,420 --> 00:18:47,290 Like I'm gonna go confess to my employer that I lied to them and 303 00:18:47,300 --> 00:18:52,070 there's going to be some fallout, and I'm anticipating 304 00:18:52,080 --> 00:18:55,370 that you're gonna assist me in doing what is right, no matter 305 00:18:55,380 --> 00:18:59,450 how painful that might be. I'm gonna choose to tithe my 306 00:18:59,460 --> 00:19:02,910 income, 10% of my income, because your word tells me that 307 00:19:02,920 --> 00:19:07,160 that's a bare minimum. And I don't know if I'm going to 308 00:19:07,170 --> 00:19:10,260 make ends meet by the time months end. 309 00:19:10,880 --> 00:19:13,370 And so I'm trusting. I'm anticipating that you're 310 00:19:13,380 --> 00:19:18,470 gonna assist me in this or I'm gonna go and restore a 311 00:19:18,480 --> 00:19:23,010 relationship that is broken, and I'm not looking forward to that. 312 00:19:23,380 --> 00:19:28,110 And it could get messy, but I'm anticipating that you're gonna 313 00:19:28,120 --> 00:19:30,260 give me the assistance that I need in order to do that. 314 00:19:30,270 --> 00:19:31,880 That's what that's what the song is saying. 315 00:19:32,750 --> 00:19:36,560 I know I can have great confidence to do hard things 316 00:19:36,870 --> 00:19:40,780 because it's in His word. And whatever he calls us to, 317 00:19:40,790 --> 00:19:42,260 He's going to meet us in the midst of it, right? 318 00:19:43,180 --> 00:19:48,470 That's the kind of God we have. Let's keep moving, 175. 319 00:19:49,820 --> 00:19:52,870 I think we're at no one. No 174. 320 00:19:52,920 --> 00:19:58,360 I long for your salvation, Lord, and your law gives me delight. 321 00:19:59,730 --> 00:20:02,130 He's longing for God's salvation. 322 00:20:02,140 --> 00:20:03,880 He's not necessarily talking about heaven. 323 00:20:03,890 --> 00:20:06,660 He just wants God to save him in the middle of the the trouble 324 00:20:06,670 --> 00:20:09,780 he's experiencing right now. He hasn't received it yet, but 325 00:20:09,790 --> 00:20:13,840 he is delighting in the Word of God while he waits. 326 00:20:14,970 --> 00:20:17,900 Absolute delight. He sees it as a joy. 327 00:20:17,910 --> 00:20:23,050 He just sees This is such a gift and I'm gonna cherish it. 328 00:20:24,020 --> 00:20:30,490 I'm gonna delight in it. And he says that in he said in 329 00:20:30,500 --> 00:20:33,950 verse 72, just a just a probably a page back in your Bible. 330 00:20:33,960 --> 00:20:38,870 The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of 331 00:20:38,880 --> 00:20:43,340 pieces of silver and gold. Think about that in today's 332 00:20:43,350 --> 00:20:46,220 terms. Thousands of pieces of silver 333 00:20:46,230 --> 00:20:47,620 and gold. What would that be worth? 334 00:20:47,690 --> 00:20:52,610 Now think of your the, the, your dream home, the house that you 335 00:20:52,620 --> 00:20:54,590 always wanted. Think about your nest egg that 336 00:20:54,600 --> 00:20:58,670 you're looking forward all of these things like no, that that 337 00:20:58,720 --> 00:21:03,590 pales in comparison to the law of God, the living God, the one 338 00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:06,230 who's created the universe and created us. 339 00:21:06,340 --> 00:21:10,870 He is speaking to me and these are words of life. 340 00:21:11,080 --> 00:21:14,710 I am not going to neglect this. I'm gonna cherish it. 341 00:21:15,890 --> 00:21:19,190 I'm gonna cherish his words. This is what the psalmist is 342 00:21:19,200 --> 00:21:25,010 saying. 175 let me live that I may praise you. 343 00:21:25,020 --> 00:21:27,670 It's like, OK, I I know that the very reason why I'm living and 344 00:21:27,680 --> 00:21:30,130 breathing right now is to give Him praise because He is 345 00:21:30,140 --> 00:21:35,270 everything to me. And may your laws sustain me. 346 00:21:37,100 --> 00:21:40,050 See, the word is meant to sustain us. 347 00:21:41,230 --> 00:21:43,840 The laws that God gives, they're meant to sustain us. 348 00:21:43,850 --> 00:21:50,520 We we, we are not saved by obeying the law. 349 00:21:51,340 --> 00:21:53,370 Gotta make sure that's that's, that's clear. 350 00:21:53,500 --> 00:21:59,030 We're saved by grace alone through faith, But now that 351 00:21:59,040 --> 00:22:01,670 we've entered into a relationship with God through 352 00:22:01,680 --> 00:22:05,320 Jesus Christ, it's it's his word that sustains us. 353 00:22:06,140 --> 00:22:08,630 It helps us to maintain the relationship. 354 00:22:08,680 --> 00:22:11,030 And so he recognizes this is real help. 355 00:22:11,100 --> 00:22:12,940 This is gonna actually help me in my spiritual life. 356 00:22:13,670 --> 00:22:15,880 Is anybody struggling in their spiritual life? 357 00:22:15,950 --> 00:22:18,360 The word of God is meant to help us with that. 358 00:22:18,370 --> 00:22:21,500 And that help comes from the outside, right? 359 00:22:21,790 --> 00:22:23,760 The Bible is very different from self help. 360 00:22:23,770 --> 00:22:28,320 Self help is just that, it's us trying to help ourselves and 361 00:22:28,330 --> 00:22:34,200 that has limited potency. But the Bible, God's Word, comes 362 00:22:34,210 --> 00:22:37,140 from outside of ourselves and speaks into our current 363 00:22:37,150 --> 00:22:41,150 circumstance, and so it literally does help us and 364 00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:50,460 sustains us through this life. Last verse, my favorite verse. 365 00:22:50,550 --> 00:22:52,840 This, you know, this might be one of my favorite verses in the 366 00:22:52,850 --> 00:22:54,890 whole Scripture. It it might, I don't think it 367 00:22:54,900 --> 00:22:58,240 actually is the number one, but it's really close. 368 00:22:58,290 --> 00:23:04,040 So close it's scary. No 176 I have strayed like a law 369 00:23:04,050 --> 00:23:06,340 sheet. This, this is this is his final 370 00:23:06,350 --> 00:23:10,960 words after 176 verses. I have strayed like a lost 371 00:23:10,970 --> 00:23:14,930 sheep. Seek your servant, for I have 372 00:23:14,940 --> 00:23:20,850 not forgotten your commands. That's a profound statement. 373 00:23:24,380 --> 00:23:27,930 He loves God's Word, but he's wandering all over the place. 374 00:23:28,300 --> 00:23:31,720 He's still straining, and the reason he knows that he's 375 00:23:31,730 --> 00:23:36,080 wandering and that he's off is because he knows God's Word. 376 00:23:37,040 --> 00:23:40,920 I've not forgotten your word and that's how I know when I'm off 377 00:23:40,970 --> 00:23:45,550 course. The word of God is like a Plumb 378 00:23:45,560 --> 00:23:48,520 line for a builder. I know what's straight, 379 00:23:49,310 --> 00:23:52,040 everything else is crooked and I can see that that's what it 380 00:23:52,050 --> 00:23:53,940 does. The word of God is like a lamp. 381 00:23:53,950 --> 00:23:57,240 It's like a a, a light helmet for a miner in the dark. 382 00:23:57,250 --> 00:24:00,280 I know which way to go and I know when I'm veering off 383 00:24:00,290 --> 00:24:01,920 because I've got the light in front of me. 384 00:24:01,990 --> 00:24:03,900 The word of God helps us to stay true. 385 00:24:03,960 --> 00:24:06,620 We might think, well, is this really depressing because I 386 00:24:06,630 --> 00:24:10,280 can't, I can't follow through all the time. 387 00:24:10,410 --> 00:24:14,370 And this is exactly what the psalmist the same you're saying. 388 00:24:14,380 --> 00:24:18,240 I know the commands, I just can't keep them the way that I 389 00:24:18,250 --> 00:24:20,760 think I should. And who is not in that boat? 390 00:24:21,510 --> 00:24:25,310 We're all in that boat, but that doesn't mean we just dump it. 391 00:24:25,400 --> 00:24:29,590 And that's the easy thing to do. We say because if I can, if I 392 00:24:29,600 --> 00:24:32,420 cannot read this, then I don't have to be confronted with the 393 00:24:32,430 --> 00:24:34,650 things that I know I need to be confronted with. 394 00:24:34,720 --> 00:24:36,940 I don't have to have someone to tell me that every once in a 395 00:24:36,950 --> 00:24:41,980 while that I'm off kilter. But you see what the Bible does, 396 00:24:41,990 --> 00:24:46,680 it's never meant to condemn us. It's meant to drive us to the 397 00:24:46,690 --> 00:24:52,280 Savior who has come. You see, Jesus is the only one 398 00:24:52,290 --> 00:24:57,080 who has obeyed the whole word. He's walked it out, He's lived 399 00:24:57,090 --> 00:25:00,880 it. He has kept the law on our 400 00:25:00,890 --> 00:25:03,050 behalf. This is the beautiful thing. 401 00:25:03,060 --> 00:25:06,200 This is the gospel. Jesus literally lived that 402 00:25:06,210 --> 00:25:11,480 perfect life for you and me because we have been unable to 403 00:25:11,490 --> 00:25:14,950 do it. And he also died that 404 00:25:14,960 --> 00:25:18,030 sacrificial death that we deserve to die for not being 405 00:25:18,040 --> 00:25:19,690 able to, not following through on the law. 406 00:25:19,700 --> 00:25:24,110 He's got us completely covered and so we can rejoice in what 407 00:25:24,200 --> 00:25:30,620 God has done. So it's kind of pull a few 408 00:25:30,630 --> 00:25:36,730 threads together here. This book is a gift from God to 409 00:25:36,740 --> 00:25:41,640 us, and that gift came in person. 410 00:25:42,520 --> 00:25:47,850 The author of this book came in person, took on flesh bone and 411 00:25:47,860 --> 00:25:53,510 walked among us, gave his life for us, and now he's ascended 412 00:25:53,520 --> 00:25:56,110 into heaven and he's sent his Holy Spirit to be with us 413 00:25:56,380 --> 00:25:58,770 because we don't read this book by ourselves. 414 00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:02,100 It is the Holy Spirit of God, God himself, who is teaching us 415 00:26:02,110 --> 00:26:04,620 as we read this word. He's illuminating the scriptures 416 00:26:04,630 --> 00:26:08,640 to us, and what we're meant to do is to reflect on it, to 417 00:26:08,650 --> 00:26:13,150 cherish it, to cherish it and to reflect on it and to live it 418 00:26:13,160 --> 00:26:15,210 out. To live it out. 419 00:26:15,220 --> 00:26:16,930 How do we live it? How do we live it? 420 00:26:16,940 --> 00:26:23,640 We immerse ourselves in it. Interwrite gave a great example. 421 00:26:23,650 --> 00:26:27,660 I thought he he, he said, you know, if we had found you see 422 00:26:28,040 --> 00:26:30,900 this back up a bit. What we have in the Scriptures, 423 00:26:30,910 --> 00:26:35,980 the Bible is we have the history of humanity from the very 424 00:26:35,990 --> 00:26:40,380 beginning, the day the first human beings were created all 425 00:26:40,390 --> 00:26:44,920 the way up until the end of Acts, which is a few years into 426 00:26:45,470 --> 00:26:48,290 the Christian Church. And then we have some letters 427 00:26:48,300 --> 00:26:49,870 that are there, but in terms of narrative. 428 00:26:49,880 --> 00:26:53,910 And then it's and then the next point is revelation, which is 429 00:26:53,920 --> 00:26:57,590 when we meet Jesus face to face when he comes and he to restore 430 00:26:57,600 --> 00:27:00,400 all things. And there's this gap in the 431 00:27:00,410 --> 00:27:02,010 middle, and that's what we're living in right now. 432 00:27:03,290 --> 00:27:06,610 And you and I have an opportunity to write that 433 00:27:06,620 --> 00:27:11,080 history in the power of the Holy Spirit back to NT, right? 434 00:27:11,170 --> 00:27:14,940 He said. Suppose that we were were found 435 00:27:14,950 --> 00:27:18,300 in incomplete work of of William Shakespeare and we had the first 436 00:27:18,310 --> 00:27:21,860 five acts and then a little bit of the last act, the 7th act. 437 00:27:22,640 --> 00:27:25,990 How would we be able to write what came in between? 438 00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:27,720 What's missing? Well, he says. 439 00:27:27,730 --> 00:27:31,460 Well, we probably probably do is we would get some awesome 440 00:27:31,470 --> 00:27:35,630 Shakespearean actors to immerse themselves in the first five 441 00:27:35,740 --> 00:27:39,610 acts and the last little bit of the of the last act and then 442 00:27:39,620 --> 00:27:43,360 improvise to join the two together. 443 00:27:44,680 --> 00:27:48,570 And in many ways, that's what you and I are called to do as 444 00:27:48,580 --> 00:27:51,870 followers of Jesus Christ, to immerse ourselves in the 445 00:27:51,880 --> 00:27:58,140 Scriptures that we do have in order for us to live in many 446 00:27:58,150 --> 00:28:02,700 ways without a safety net. Walking through. 447 00:28:02,710 --> 00:28:04,400 We do have a safety net. We have the Lord. 448 00:28:04,850 --> 00:28:10,910 But walking through this life in the direction of power of the 449 00:28:10,920 --> 00:28:12,980 Holy Spirit that has been illuminated, that has been 450 00:28:12,990 --> 00:28:14,950 illuminating our word. Now, the great thing that we, 451 00:28:14,960 --> 00:28:16,560 you know, the great advantage that we have over any 452 00:28:16,570 --> 00:28:19,100 Shakespearean actor is that we have the author. 453 00:28:19,170 --> 00:28:22,280 And the author is with us and he's walking us through this 454 00:28:22,290 --> 00:28:24,260 thing. And we can turn to him at any 455 00:28:24,270 --> 00:28:26,400 moment and know we got this right. 456 00:28:26,730 --> 00:28:31,250 We got this right. This is a call, so this is a 457 00:28:31,260 --> 00:28:36,670 gift. And one verse, verse 16 in Psalm 458 00:28:36,680 --> 00:28:41,270 119, the psalmist says this. I delight in your decrees, Lord, 459 00:28:42,160 --> 00:28:47,170 I will not neglect your word. I will not neglect your word. 460 00:28:48,260 --> 00:28:54,840 How do you not neglect his word? Daily reflection, just a little 461 00:28:54,850 --> 00:28:57,640 bit every day. Just a little bit every day. 462 00:28:57,700 --> 00:29:00,300 That's what the journal that I referred to earlier is all 463 00:29:00,310 --> 00:29:02,480 about. Just to just to help us, to give 464 00:29:02,490 --> 00:29:05,500 us that little nudge to get into the word a little bit every day 465 00:29:05,510 --> 00:29:07,990 and reflect on that word. There's nothing that's going to 466 00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:10,880 make a bigger difference in your spiritual life than that 467 00:29:10,890 --> 00:29:14,600 practice right there, knowing that it's an encounter with God. 468 00:29:14,690 --> 00:29:18,020 So I just wanna, I just wanna leave you with a couple things 469 00:29:18,030 --> 00:29:22,810 to keep in mind as we engage the scriptures #1 start where you 470 00:29:22,820 --> 00:29:25,220 are. This is the point that Jacob 471 00:29:25,230 --> 00:29:27,350 actually made a couple of months ago. 472 00:29:27,360 --> 00:29:29,570 But starting where you are, this is so important because we 473 00:29:29,580 --> 00:29:33,140 think, oh man, I'm so guilty. I have like, if, if, if regular 474 00:29:33,150 --> 00:29:36,460 daily Bible reading is not part of your practice, but you know 475 00:29:36,470 --> 00:29:38,600 that it should be. You're maybe feeling quite 476 00:29:38,610 --> 00:29:40,560 guilty right now. And that is not the intention of 477 00:29:40,570 --> 00:29:42,690 this message. And usually what we do is we 478 00:29:42,700 --> 00:29:45,790 say, OK, I'm going to read an hour a day, you know, which 479 00:29:45,800 --> 00:29:49,290 would be awesome, of course, but just start where you are. 480 00:29:50,440 --> 00:29:54,710 Just it might even just be a verse a day, but whatever is 481 00:29:54,720 --> 00:29:58,870 going to enable you to get into the word daily and get that 482 00:29:58,880 --> 00:30:00,730 habit going. Do that. 483 00:30:01,060 --> 00:30:03,350 So don't shoot for the stars right away. 484 00:30:03,360 --> 00:30:08,040 And then grow up, kind of grow with it and, and, and expand 485 00:30:08,050 --> 00:30:10,130 that time. You know, it would probably take 486 00:30:10,140 --> 00:30:12,790 about 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how fast of a 487 00:30:12,800 --> 00:30:15,870 reader you are, 15 to 20 minutes reading the Bible every day. 488 00:30:15,880 --> 00:30:18,090 And you'd get from cover to cover in one year. 489 00:30:18,520 --> 00:30:20,670 OK. So maybe work up to that, to 490 00:30:20,680 --> 00:30:24,360 that place, but in the meantime, just take that small amount. 491 00:30:25,150 --> 00:30:28,360 Small amount, just turn to God. Lord, I'm so sorry that I've 492 00:30:28,370 --> 00:30:31,650 neglected your word. Thank you for forgiving me. 493 00:30:31,840 --> 00:30:35,990 Now enable me to enter into this word on a daily basis. 494 00:30:36,060 --> 00:30:39,530 Second thing, anticipate and encounter. 495 00:30:40,920 --> 00:30:43,390 I don't know if I can emphasize this more. 496 00:30:44,860 --> 00:30:47,970 Overemphasize this anticipate and encounter. 497 00:30:48,220 --> 00:30:51,270 You're not just reading a book. This is an encounter with a 498 00:30:51,280 --> 00:30:55,630 living God. This word is alive and active. 499 00:30:59,090 --> 00:31:03,050 It's an act of faith to do that. That's why every time we read 500 00:31:03,060 --> 00:31:05,370 the scriptures on a Sunday morning, we whisper a prayer to 501 00:31:05,380 --> 00:31:08,700 God, open our eyes and that that, that that prayer. 502 00:31:09,330 --> 00:31:13,040 What verse is that? Verse 18, Open my eyes that I 503 00:31:13,050 --> 00:31:15,950 may see wonderful things from your law. 504 00:31:16,700 --> 00:31:21,440 So, so significant. I'm going to expect that God's 505 00:31:21,450 --> 00:31:23,890 going to meet me here and he's going to show me something and 506 00:31:23,900 --> 00:31:26,330 that what he shows me may not be for today, it might be for 507 00:31:26,340 --> 00:31:28,330 tomorrow, might be from years from now. 508 00:31:28,400 --> 00:31:32,320 But I know that because all Scripture is God breathed, it is 509 00:31:32,330 --> 00:31:35,280 useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, training, and 510 00:31:35,290 --> 00:31:37,590 righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped 511 00:31:37,600 --> 00:31:41,080 for every good work. In other words, all Scripture is 512 00:31:41,090 --> 00:31:43,900 breathed by God, anticipate and encounter. 513 00:31:44,270 --> 00:31:47,540 And it may just be 5 minutes. And there's two ways that you 514 00:31:47,550 --> 00:31:50,900 can approach 5 minutes in the word. 1 is to say, OK, I got to 515 00:31:50,910 --> 00:31:53,160 get through this thing and I'm going to read it and then I'm 516 00:31:53,170 --> 00:31:54,710 going to check it off and move on. 517 00:31:55,110 --> 00:31:57,460 Pastor John will be really happy with me that I did 5 minutes. 518 00:31:57,470 --> 00:32:02,000 No thank you. Or you can say, and this is I 519 00:32:02,010 --> 00:32:04,280 think it's Sean. Sean said this is the life group 520 00:32:04,290 --> 00:32:07,160 the other night. She says, or I can say, what 521 00:32:07,170 --> 00:32:11,490 might God wanna speak to me in these next 5 minutes? 522 00:32:11,540 --> 00:32:13,950 It's amazing what God can do in 5 minutes. 523 00:32:14,300 --> 00:32:17,710 I remember being in a prayer retreat many years ago and I had 524 00:32:17,720 --> 00:32:20,530 a whole long list of things that I was bringing to God that I 525 00:32:20,540 --> 00:32:23,150 need answers for and I had the whole day. 526 00:32:23,200 --> 00:32:26,390 And so I was bringing before God and I was kind of anxious, like 527 00:32:26,440 --> 00:32:29,590 I only have a day, like how long is it going to take for you to 528 00:32:29,680 --> 00:32:31,190 tell me what I need to know Lord? 529 00:32:31,280 --> 00:32:35,170 And he assured me in that moment, kind of, you know, I 530 00:32:35,180 --> 00:32:37,150 didn't hear an audible voice, but this is what he said. 531 00:32:39,460 --> 00:32:42,430 John, I can tell you everything you need to know in 5 minutes. 532 00:32:43,220 --> 00:32:49,430 Just be with me. Just be with me, slow down, 533 00:32:49,600 --> 00:32:53,970 enjoy my presence, and I'll speak to you everything you need 534 00:32:53,980 --> 00:32:55,590 to know. And I just open up the Bible. 535 00:32:55,600 --> 00:32:58,010 It probably didn't even matter where I opened up in the Bible 536 00:32:58,020 --> 00:33:01,820 and just started reading and God just poured out His will for me 537 00:33:01,980 --> 00:33:05,400 in that season of my life. 5 minutes. 538 00:33:05,410 --> 00:33:08,280 You can do miracles. Continue to expand it, but you 539 00:33:08,290 --> 00:33:13,950 can start there. Next thing, keep it fresh. 540 00:33:15,430 --> 00:33:17,680 Keep it fresh. There's a certain level of 541 00:33:17,690 --> 00:33:21,580 perseverance to, you know, to adopt A habit and keep it in our 542 00:33:21,590 --> 00:33:24,620 life. But if you've been, you know, 543 00:33:24,670 --> 00:33:27,310 reading the scriptures on a regular basis and nothing seems 544 00:33:27,320 --> 00:33:31,770 to be happening, the word seems dull or whatever it might be, 545 00:33:34,260 --> 00:33:36,770 take that as a bit of a bit of a wake up call and change things 546 00:33:36,780 --> 00:33:39,550 up a little bit. Maybe it might mean changing 547 00:33:39,560 --> 00:33:42,790 translations. I've been recently reading 548 00:33:42,800 --> 00:33:47,630 through the New Living Test, New Living translation, and there's 549 00:33:47,640 --> 00:33:50,820 a lot of different translations. GAIL hopped off the NIV a few 550 00:33:50,830 --> 00:33:53,840 years ago and went into the ESV. And just hearing God and a fresh 551 00:33:53,850 --> 00:33:57,280 new way. Maybe, you know, especially if 552 00:33:57,290 --> 00:34:01,540 you have trouble reading, have an audio, have someone read it 553 00:34:01,550 --> 00:34:05,210 to you through an audio lab, you know, you version, you can get 554 00:34:05,220 --> 00:34:07,840 that really great accents and stuff like that. 555 00:34:07,850 --> 00:34:10,780 People speaking the word of God. You can just hear it in a fresh 556 00:34:10,790 --> 00:34:12,900 new way. Follow along in your own Bible 557 00:34:12,940 --> 00:34:17,280 or put on your ear pods and you know, walk the streets and just 558 00:34:17,290 --> 00:34:19,040 let the word of God wash over you. 559 00:34:19,050 --> 00:34:21,400 Whatever it is that's going to help you get into the Word of 560 00:34:21,409 --> 00:34:27,840 God in a fresh new way. Do that last, last thing I'll 561 00:34:27,850 --> 00:34:32,989 just leave with you, and that is to help yourself focus, help 562 00:34:33,000 --> 00:34:34,670 yourself. But there's so many things that 563 00:34:34,679 --> 00:34:38,320 we do that prevent us, make it difficult for us to focus. 564 00:34:38,710 --> 00:34:41,280 A lot of things we can do to. And the one thing I'm just going 565 00:34:41,290 --> 00:34:45,900 to leave with you is, is use a physical Bible. 566 00:34:46,389 --> 00:34:49,060 There's a lot of digital technology that is very, very 567 00:34:49,070 --> 00:34:54,620 helpful, but using a physical Bible, I, I think helps us in an 568 00:34:54,630 --> 00:34:57,670 awful lot, an awful lot of ways, especially in our digital, 569 00:34:57,760 --> 00:35:01,550 digital age minimizes distractions. 570 00:35:01,560 --> 00:35:04,210 When I'm reading the Bible on the phone, there are text 571 00:35:04,220 --> 00:35:07,070 messages coming in. People are doing posts and oh 572 00:35:07,080 --> 00:35:08,310 man, look at that post. I got to go. 573 00:35:08,320 --> 00:35:12,620 You know, it takes us out. That doesn't happen when we're 574 00:35:12,630 --> 00:35:20,210 reading the the physical book slows us down. 575 00:35:20,640 --> 00:35:22,110 You know, whenever in your phone. 576 00:35:24,250 --> 00:35:29,820 Got it slows us down when we open up, open up this word if 577 00:35:29,830 --> 00:35:33,280 it's you know, so if it's put in your sleep, then hey, maybe you 578 00:35:33,290 --> 00:35:36,800 need some assistance from from from from your from your phone 579 00:35:37,190 --> 00:35:39,960 and as well. I love, I love my love the 580 00:35:39,970 --> 00:35:42,170 physical bottle because I can write all over it. 581 00:35:42,930 --> 00:35:46,400 I can circle words and underline things and do my arrows and 582 00:35:46,410 --> 00:35:50,130 connect the dots and, you know, highlight stuff and put notes in 583 00:35:50,140 --> 00:35:53,380 my margin just to remember what has God spoken to me here? 584 00:35:53,390 --> 00:35:56,730 And I have that history and things that I can keep coming 585 00:35:56,740 --> 00:35:59,210 back to. Hard to do that on your phone or 586 00:35:59,220 --> 00:36:02,360 on your tablet. Anyway, I leave that with you. 587 00:36:02,610 --> 00:36:06,310 Whatever is going to take in order to get you into the word 588 00:36:06,320 --> 00:36:07,770 of God, that's what we want to do. 589 00:36:07,780 --> 00:36:12,620 Just think about it. Everything that God has 590 00:36:12,630 --> 00:36:17,300 definitively spoken to humankind is in this book. 591 00:36:19,920 --> 00:36:23,050 Everything that we can be confident that God has spoken to 592 00:36:23,060 --> 00:36:27,470 humankind is in this book. Let us cherish this book. 593 00:36:28,220 --> 00:36:34,640 Let's cherish this book. If you do not have a Bible, we 594 00:36:34,650 --> 00:36:36,670 have a gift for you. Come and talk to me or you can 595 00:36:36,680 --> 00:36:39,740 go to the welcome desk. We will give you a Bible as our 596 00:36:39,750 --> 00:36:42,120 way of saying we value the word of God. 597 00:36:42,170 --> 00:36:44,400 It'll be a gift. And as well, those journals that 598 00:36:44,410 --> 00:36:46,660 I referred to that will start us off next week. 599 00:36:47,060 --> 00:36:49,000 Those are in the in the foyer as well. 600 00:36:49,010 --> 00:36:51,240 Pick one up. If you're a youth or an adult, 601 00:36:51,310 --> 00:36:54,690 pick one up and take that home and that will be yours or gift 602 00:36:54,700 --> 00:36:57,390 to you as well. I think we need to pray. 603 00:36:57,620 --> 00:37:05,190 Let's pray, Lord, you've been gracious, so utterly kind to us, 604 00:37:05,340 --> 00:37:09,730 and giving us the gift of Your Holy Word through which you 605 00:37:09,740 --> 00:37:16,240 reveal yourself to human hearts. We are honored, Lord, that you'd 606 00:37:16,250 --> 00:37:20,940 make this connection with us. Forgive, forgive us. 607 00:37:20,950 --> 00:37:23,750 Forgive me, Lord, where I've neglected your word. 608 00:37:29,650 --> 00:37:33,250 Thank you for your forgiveness and now empower me. 609 00:37:33,300 --> 00:37:39,660 Empower each one of us, Lord, to take in a little bit of Your 610 00:37:39,670 --> 00:37:43,220 Word each day. Immerse ourselves in this 611 00:37:43,270 --> 00:37:48,420 glorious story of Your redemption over our lives and 612 00:37:48,430 --> 00:37:52,230 lead us that we can make a difference for you, that your 613 00:37:52,240 --> 00:37:55,840 name would be lifted up. We pray for your glory. 614 00:37:56,320 --> 00:37:56,780 Amen.