1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,000 Lord God, we thank you for today, and we are grateful that 2 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,600 we are able to gather together to study Your word. 3 00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:10,320 Thank you for the word of the Lord and thank you Father, for 4 00:00:10,600 --> 00:00:14,440 the opportunity you give us to dive deep into it to understand 5 00:00:14,440 --> 00:00:17,840 more of what you have for us. We truly are a blessed people. 6 00:00:18,360 --> 00:00:19,800 Thank you for those who are here tonight. 7 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:21,760 Thank you for the journey that they have made. 8 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:26,160 We know, Lord, things sometimes are difficult for families to 9 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:28,720 get out during the middle of the week, but we're grateful for the 10 00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:31,880 opportunity to come and for those who are here and pray that 11 00:00:31,880 --> 00:00:35,840 you bless them in a special way because of the effort they have 12 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:39,600 made to to be here tonight. And pray, Lord, that as we study 13 00:00:39,600 --> 00:00:43,920 your word, the truths that we learned would be indelibly fixed 14 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:47,600 in our hearts and minds that we might live in line with them. 15 00:00:47,600 --> 00:00:51,920 We pray in Jesus name, Amen. Take your Bible if you would, 16 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:55,400 and turn with me to Matthew chapter 5. 17 00:00:56,200 --> 00:01:01,800 Matthew chapter 5, the Sermon on the Mount, Living like a child 18 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:07,600 of the King is the title that we've titled this three chapter 19 00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:12,040 sermon that our Lord gave in Matthews 5-6 and seven. 20 00:01:12,680 --> 00:01:18,040 And he begins by interpreting the identity of a child of the 21 00:01:18,040 --> 00:01:22,280 king, by going through the Beatitudes after he interprets 22 00:01:22,800 --> 00:01:26,480 the identity of those children. And then he articulates the 23 00:01:26,480 --> 00:01:30,080 authority of those children. And it falls into two 24 00:01:30,080 --> 00:01:34,320 categories. 1 is their peculiarity because they are 25 00:01:34,320 --> 00:01:37,360 salt and light. That's peculiar because they are 26 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:40,600 the ones who are persecuted. But the ones that are persecuted 27 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:44,480 are the solution to a world that's decaying in the world 28 00:01:44,480 --> 00:01:48,000 that's dark. And then he goes into their 29 00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:52,440 their veracity, the the veracity of God's truth, because that's 30 00:01:52,440 --> 00:01:54,720 the authority by which they live their lives. 31 00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:57,880 And that's in verse 17. So follow along with me as we 32 00:01:57,880 --> 00:02:00,880 read this, please, and we'll spend a a couple of weeks here. 33 00:02:00,880 --> 00:02:03,760 It says verse 17. Do not think that I came to 34 00:02:03,760 --> 00:02:06,960 abolish the law of the prophets. I did not come to abolish, but 35 00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:09,440 to fulfil. For truly, I say to you, until 36 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:13,200 heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke 37 00:02:13,200 --> 00:02:16,560 shall pass from the law until all is accomplished. 38 00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:20,800 Whoever then annulls one of the least of these commandments, and 39 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:24,800 teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the 40 00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:28,440 Kingdom of heaven. But whoever keeps and teaches 41 00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:32,440 them, he shall be called great in the Kingdom of heaven. 42 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:36,440 For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses 43 00:02:36,440 --> 00:02:41,480 that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter 44 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:47,480 the Kingdom of heaven. Now Christ says these words 45 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:50,960 because I'm sure that as the audience sat there and listened 46 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:55,640 to the Lord speak, they had all kinds of questions about this 47 00:02:55,880 --> 00:03:00,440 preacher, this prophet. They are taken back by the 48 00:03:00,440 --> 00:03:04,760 things that he says, but at the same time they they wonder by 49 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:08,520 what authority does he speak? He will never quote a rabbi. 50 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:12,280 He will never quote another source because he is the source 51 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:15,040 of all truth. And so that I'm sure that there 52 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:16,840 were there questions among the people. 53 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:23,560 So in their minds, he knows that they are probably wondering, is 54 00:03:23,560 --> 00:03:27,800 this guy a follower of what the Old Testament scriptures teach? 55 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:33,480 And so Christ begins to tell them that he's not come to know 56 00:03:33,480 --> 00:03:37,840 the law, abolish the law, get rid of the law, but instead he 57 00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:44,720 is here specifically to fulfill the law, accomplish all the laws 58 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:48,920 requirements. And the statements that the Lord 59 00:03:48,920 --> 00:03:54,440 makes are quite incredible. And we're going to sum them up 60 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:58,480 in 4 categories. 1 is the brilliance of the law. 61 00:03:59,360 --> 00:04:06,960 The next is what we will call the importance of the law. 62 00:04:07,920 --> 00:04:12,360 Then we'll look at the endurance of the law and then the 63 00:04:12,360 --> 00:04:17,399 relevance of the law. By looking at the brilliance of 64 00:04:17,399 --> 00:04:21,600 the law, I'm going to take you back to the Old Testament, to a 65 00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:26,080 passage of Scripture that describes for us the magnificent 66 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:32,240 brilliance of the law of God. It's a summation of Psalm 119, 67 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:37,800 which is 176 different verses. But this summation is found in 68 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:42,400 Psalm 19, both written by David himself. 69 00:04:42,840 --> 00:04:45,280 So if you got your Bible, turn back with me, viewer to Psalm 70 00:04:45,640 --> 00:04:48,080 19. And we want to look at what the 71 00:04:48,080 --> 00:04:53,640 word of the Lord says in terms of the brilliance of the law. 72 00:04:54,480 --> 00:05:00,280 David makes 6 statements about the law of God, six statements 73 00:05:00,280 --> 00:05:06,160 that sum up the nature of the law and then he gives the the 74 00:05:06,160 --> 00:05:11,760 consequences of that title and then the benefits of that part 75 00:05:11,840 --> 00:05:14,720 of scripture. To help you understand the the 76 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:18,400 absolute brilliance of the law of God. 77 00:05:19,920 --> 00:05:27,880 Psalm 19 verses 7 to 14. In the 1st 6 verses he talks 78 00:05:27,880 --> 00:05:32,200 about the work of God. The remainder of the chapter he 79 00:05:32,200 --> 00:05:39,040 talks about the Word of God. The works of God describe His 80 00:05:39,040 --> 00:05:46,880 beauty, the Word of God describe His brilliance, and so with that 81 00:05:46,880 --> 00:05:51,360 He gives us general revelation that speaks to us about God. 82 00:05:52,160 --> 00:05:55,640 And they talks about the special revelation which is the Word of 83 00:05:55,640 --> 00:05:58,720 God to help us understand the effects of it. 84 00:05:59,480 --> 00:06:02,960 So he says in verse #7 the law of the Lord is perfect, 85 00:06:02,960 --> 00:06:06,280 restoring the soul, the testimony the Lord is sure, 86 00:06:06,280 --> 00:06:10,520 making wise the simple, The precepts of the Lord are right, 87 00:06:10,520 --> 00:06:13,440 rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is 88 00:06:13,440 --> 00:06:17,240 pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, 89 00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:19,280 enduring forever. The judgment of the Lord are 90 00:06:19,440 --> 00:06:21,360 true, they are righteous altogether. 91 00:06:21,440 --> 00:06:23,200 They are more desirable than gold. 92 00:06:23,200 --> 00:06:26,880 Yes, and much fine gold, sweeter also than honey and the 93 00:06:27,080 --> 00:06:30,600 drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them your servant 94 00:06:30,600 --> 00:06:32,960 is warned. In keeping them there is great 95 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:36,360 reward. Who can discern errors? 96 00:06:36,800 --> 00:06:40,640 Equip me of hidden faults and keep back your servant from 97 00:06:40,640 --> 00:06:44,240 presumptuous sins. Let them not rule over me. 98 00:06:44,240 --> 00:06:47,320 Then I will be blameless, and I shall be acquitted of great 99 00:06:47,320 --> 00:06:50,560 transgression. Let the words of my mouth and 100 00:06:50,560 --> 00:06:54,640 the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O 101 00:06:54,640 --> 00:07:03,520 Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Now there is not one thing 102 00:07:04,840 --> 00:07:12,600 imaginable, not one issue that the Word of God does not 103 00:07:12,600 --> 00:07:17,560 address. God's Word is absolute truth, 104 00:07:17,560 --> 00:07:23,920 and it gives us the truth concerning everything in life. 105 00:07:25,600 --> 00:07:30,880 In fact, Peter says it this way. In first Peter 1 he says this 106 00:07:32,160 --> 00:07:35,920 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything 107 00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:41,760 pertaining to life and godliness through the true knowledge of 108 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:45,760 Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 109 00:07:46,840 --> 00:07:50,120 In other words, God has granted to us everything that we need to 110 00:07:50,120 --> 00:07:59,160 know about life and how to live godly in that life according to 111 00:07:59,160 --> 00:08:02,360 the true knowledge of God himself. 112 00:08:03,240 --> 00:08:06,480 And that true knowledge, of course, comes through the 113 00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:11,800 written Word of God. In fact, Isaiah said it this 114 00:08:11,800 --> 00:08:15,360 way. Isaiah chapter 55, verse #10 For 115 00:08:15,360 --> 00:08:19,280 as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not 116 00:08:19,280 --> 00:08:23,400 return there without watering the earth, and making it bare 117 00:08:23,400 --> 00:08:27,600 and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower, and bread to the 118 00:08:27,600 --> 00:08:31,680 eater, so will my word be, which goes forth from my mouth. 119 00:08:32,480 --> 00:08:36,039 It will not return to be empty without accomplishing what I 120 00:08:36,039 --> 00:08:41,720 desire and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. 121 00:08:42,720 --> 00:08:48,560 In other words, God's Word, when it goes forth, accomplishes 122 00:08:48,560 --> 00:08:51,600 everything He designs it to accomplish. 123 00:08:52,920 --> 00:08:57,040 In fact, it never doesn't accomplish what He wants it to 124 00:08:57,040 --> 00:09:01,240 accomplish. That's the the power of the Word 125 00:09:02,200 --> 00:09:06,280 of the Lord. And so the Bible says these 126 00:09:06,280 --> 00:09:10,760 words in Second Timothy chapter 3, verse 16. 127 00:09:11,400 --> 00:09:16,280 All Scripture, both Old Testament and New Testament, is 128 00:09:16,360 --> 00:09:23,200 inspired by God or literally God breathed and profitable for 129 00:09:23,200 --> 00:09:27,040 teaching. It's profitable on how to know 130 00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:32,320 that which is right. It's profitable for reproof, how 131 00:09:32,320 --> 00:09:35,640 to be right. It's profitable for correction 132 00:09:36,720 --> 00:09:40,800 how to get right. It's profitable for training in 133 00:09:40,800 --> 00:09:47,800 righteousness how to stay right so that the man of God may be 134 00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:54,040 adequately equipped for every good work. 135 00:09:55,040 --> 00:09:58,640 In other words, every work that God has designed you to 136 00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:02,640 accomplish. The Word of God equips you not 137 00:10:02,640 --> 00:10:07,200 only to know that which is right, not only to be right, get 138 00:10:07,200 --> 00:10:10,560 right, and stay right, but to make sure that it accomplishes 139 00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:14,040 everything in your heart and life so that you can do what God 140 00:10:14,040 --> 00:10:16,240 has called you to do. So if you're here tonight and 141 00:10:16,240 --> 00:10:21,400 you are, you are hurting. God's Word has all the tools to 142 00:10:21,400 --> 00:10:27,720 fix those who hurt. If you're hungry, God's Word has 143 00:10:27,720 --> 00:10:33,560 all the food to feed you. So whatever need that you have, 144 00:10:33,800 --> 00:10:38,960 God's Word meets that need. There is no need that you have 145 00:10:39,120 --> 00:10:43,480 that God's Word doesn't meet. Now, it's hard to imagine that 146 00:10:43,480 --> 00:10:48,360 because you can combine all the literature in the world, put it 147 00:10:48,360 --> 00:10:52,680 all together under one roof, but it cannot accomplish what the 148 00:10:52,680 --> 00:10:55,200 living and abiding Word can accomplish. 149 00:10:55,680 --> 00:11:01,000 One book made-up of 66 different other books into one called the 150 00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:04,680 Bible is the answer to all of your needs. 151 00:11:06,040 --> 00:11:10,040 Every situation that you encounter is answered by the 152 00:11:10,040 --> 00:11:18,160 truth of the living God. So when when Pilate asked Christ 153 00:11:19,360 --> 00:11:26,080 about truth, Christ said, I have come to fulfill all truth. 154 00:11:27,400 --> 00:11:30,040 I've come to speak to you about all truth. 155 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:36,920 Truth concerning life, truth concerning death, truth 156 00:11:36,920 --> 00:11:41,840 concerning eternity, truth concerning heaven, truth 157 00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:47,920 concerning hell, truth concerning creation, truth 158 00:11:47,920 --> 00:11:54,960 concerning man's destiny, truth concerning marriage, truth 159 00:11:54,960 --> 00:11:59,280 concerning morality. No matter what the truth is, God 160 00:11:59,280 --> 00:12:01,440 came to fulfill that truth and to speak that truth. 161 00:12:02,320 --> 00:12:06,800 And so we have the word of God, the one book that has the answer 162 00:12:06,800 --> 00:12:13,200 to everything that makes foolish men wise and helps us understand 163 00:12:13,200 --> 00:12:17,600 what it is God wants for us and how we might be able to 164 00:12:17,600 --> 00:12:21,400 accomplish those things for His glory. 165 00:12:22,440 --> 00:12:26,360 So it's important to understand the the the power and the 166 00:12:26,360 --> 00:12:29,600 authority of God's word. Paul would say these words in 167 00:12:29,600 --> 00:12:33,360 the book of Romans. He says in verse #9 of chapter 168 00:12:33,360 --> 00:12:35,160 1. For God, whom I serve in my 169 00:12:35,160 --> 00:12:40,800 spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness 170 00:12:40,800 --> 00:12:45,560 as to how unceasingly I make mention of you always in my 171 00:12:45,560 --> 00:12:49,920 prayers, making request, If perhaps now at last by the will 172 00:12:49,920 --> 00:12:52,360 of God, I may succeed in coming to you. 173 00:12:52,360 --> 00:12:58,280 For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift 174 00:12:58,560 --> 00:13:02,040 to you, that you may be established. 175 00:13:03,160 --> 00:13:07,000 Paul says, I want to, I want to impart to you some spiritual 176 00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:09,440 gift. Now that is not spiritual gifts 177 00:13:09,440 --> 00:13:13,920 like signed gifts or support gifts or speaking gifts as are 178 00:13:13,920 --> 00:13:19,040 outlined in Ephesians 4 and first Peter 4, Romans 12, and 179 00:13:19,840 --> 00:13:22,240 1st Corinthians 12. He's not talking about spiritual 180 00:13:22,240 --> 00:13:24,960 gifts because spiritual gifts are not imparted by another man. 181 00:13:25,240 --> 00:13:28,080 They're given to you by the Spirit of God at the time you're 182 00:13:28,160 --> 00:13:31,520 you're born again. But he wants to impart something 183 00:13:31,520 --> 00:13:36,200 spiritual to them because he wants to establish them. 184 00:13:36,200 --> 00:13:38,680 It's where we get our English word steroid. 185 00:13:38,680 --> 00:13:40,280 It's the, it's the word steroidzo. 186 00:13:40,880 --> 00:13:42,640 And so he wants to strengthen them. 187 00:13:42,800 --> 00:13:46,120 He wants to make them firm. He wants to establish them by 188 00:13:46,120 --> 00:13:48,280 imparting to them something that's spiritual. 189 00:13:48,880 --> 00:13:50,800 It could be through the preaching of the word, the 190 00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:53,960 expectation of the word, the teaching of the word, something 191 00:13:53,960 --> 00:13:56,440 along those lines, because that's how he's going to do it. 192 00:13:56,520 --> 00:13:59,440 We know that because of how Paul speaks all throughout his 193 00:13:59,440 --> 00:14:02,120 epistles. For example, this is what he 194 00:14:02,120 --> 00:14:07,040 says over in First Thessalonians chapter 2. 195 00:14:07,880 --> 00:14:11,200 He says these words. For this reason also, we 196 00:14:11,200 --> 00:14:14,040 constantly thank God that when you receive the word of God, 197 00:14:14,040 --> 00:14:17,320 which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of 198 00:14:17,320 --> 00:14:20,560 men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also 199 00:14:20,560 --> 00:14:23,080 performs its work in you who believe. 200 00:14:24,320 --> 00:14:30,440 So Paul says you receive the word of God and the word of God 201 00:14:30,480 --> 00:14:33,280 actually performs its work in you. 202 00:14:33,720 --> 00:14:38,960 If you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, God's Word truly works 203 00:14:39,160 --> 00:14:42,920 in your life. In fact, earlier he says this, 204 00:14:43,040 --> 00:14:47,280 he says in verse number two he talks about we came to speak the 205 00:14:47,280 --> 00:14:51,400 gospel of God to you in verse #4 We have been entrusted with the 206 00:14:51,400 --> 00:14:55,080 gospel in verse #8 We have a fond affection for you. 207 00:14:55,080 --> 00:14:58,040 We were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of 208 00:14:58,040 --> 00:15:01,960 God, but also our own lives. And then he says in verse #9 For 209 00:15:01,960 --> 00:15:05,480 you recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, how working night 210 00:15:05,480 --> 00:15:08,880 and day, so as not to be a burden to any of you, we 211 00:15:08,880 --> 00:15:11,120 proclaim to you the gospel of God. 212 00:15:11,320 --> 00:15:15,120 You are witnesses and so is God. How devoutly and uprightly and 213 00:15:15,320 --> 00:15:18,720 blamelessly we behave towards you believers, just as you know 214 00:15:18,720 --> 00:15:22,320 how we are, or we're exhorting and encouraging and imploring 215 00:15:22,320 --> 00:15:26,120 each one of you as a father would his own children, so that 216 00:15:26,400 --> 00:15:29,720 you would walk in a manner worthy of God who calls you into 217 00:15:29,720 --> 00:15:33,400 his own Kingdom and glory. So again, Paul is saying, look, 218 00:15:33,480 --> 00:15:36,760 we wanted to make sure that we imparted the gospel to you, not 219 00:15:36,760 --> 00:15:39,040 just the word of God, but our own lives as well. 220 00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:42,760 But the gospel is that which we have presented to you, that you 221 00:15:42,760 --> 00:15:47,120 might walk worthy of your calling, because God words, 222 00:15:47,160 --> 00:15:50,560 God's Word works. In fact, over in Colossians 1, 223 00:15:50,840 --> 00:15:55,720 he says this in verse #5 He says this, I'm sorry, verse #6 the 224 00:15:55,720 --> 00:16:00,480 gospel which has come to you, just as in all the world also, 225 00:16:00,600 --> 00:16:06,080 it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing even as it has 226 00:16:06,080 --> 00:16:13,200 been doing in you also since today you heard of it and 227 00:16:13,200 --> 00:16:17,680 understood the grace of God in truth. 228 00:16:18,680 --> 00:16:21,680 Now did you get that? He says that when you receive 229 00:16:21,680 --> 00:16:26,360 the Word, it was already bringing fruit and bearing fruit 230 00:16:26,360 --> 00:16:29,400 in your life and is constantly doing that. 231 00:16:30,280 --> 00:16:32,520 See, we live in a world where where people are saying, well, 232 00:16:32,520 --> 00:16:35,440 you know, I, you know, I love the Lord, I believe in the Lord, 233 00:16:35,440 --> 00:16:37,400 I, I love his word. But there's no fruit in their 234 00:16:37,400 --> 00:16:40,480 lives. That's the contradiction in 235 00:16:40,480 --> 00:16:43,000 terms. If you're a Christian, there is 236 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:45,880 fruit in your life. If there's no fruit, you're not 237 00:16:45,880 --> 00:16:47,680 a Christian. Why? 238 00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:52,440 Because Paul testified to the fact that when you receive the 239 00:16:52,440 --> 00:16:57,960 Word, you began to bear fruit. And that fruit is increasing and 240 00:16:58,280 --> 00:17:02,000 unceasingly happening in your life on a regular basis. 241 00:17:03,080 --> 00:17:07,079 You see, we, we, we don't want to think that someone's not 242 00:17:07,079 --> 00:17:11,680 saved because they said a prayer, or we were with them or 243 00:17:11,720 --> 00:17:14,760 they made a profession of faith, but their lives are a 244 00:17:14,760 --> 00:17:16,760 contradiction to what the Bible says. 245 00:17:18,079 --> 00:17:21,200 If your life is a contradiction to what the Bible says, then you 246 00:17:21,200 --> 00:17:25,800 do not know the Lord because God's Word actively changes the 247 00:17:25,800 --> 00:17:28,280 life. God's Word goes forth, 248 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:31,840 accomplishes its purpose, and always does its work and those 249 00:17:31,840 --> 00:17:35,800 who believe. So Paul says because God's work 250 00:17:36,680 --> 00:17:39,760 work, God's Word works. And those who believe, when you 251 00:17:39,760 --> 00:17:43,280 hear it, it changes your attitude, it changes your 252 00:17:43,280 --> 00:17:46,920 actions, it changes your conversation, it changes your 253 00:17:46,920 --> 00:17:50,160 relationships, it changes everything about you. 254 00:17:51,200 --> 00:17:54,680 You cannot say you're a Christian and live an unchanged 255 00:17:54,680 --> 00:17:57,040 life. That doesn't happen. 256 00:17:57,880 --> 00:18:00,200 Why? Because God uses His Word 257 00:18:00,200 --> 00:18:05,360 constantly in your life to do a fruit bearing kind of work. 258 00:18:05,840 --> 00:18:10,400 And when God sends forth His His Word, it always accomplishes the 259 00:18:10,400 --> 00:18:12,600 objective. That's why Paul would go on in 260 00:18:12,600 --> 00:18:16,040 Second Timothy 4 verse #2 and tell Timothy, Timothy, make sure 261 00:18:16,040 --> 00:18:20,320 you preach the Word because God's words profitable for a man 262 00:18:20,440 --> 00:18:25,240 to know right, to be right, to get right and to stay right, and 263 00:18:25,240 --> 00:18:28,640 to make sure that that man is thoroughly furnished to 264 00:18:28,640 --> 00:18:31,000 accomplish every work that God's given to him. 265 00:18:31,160 --> 00:18:34,000 So therefore preach the Word, because you're going to live in 266 00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:37,600 a day where men will turn away from the Word and they will 267 00:18:37,640 --> 00:18:43,200 gather for themselves preachers who will speak to them things 268 00:18:43,200 --> 00:18:47,400 that will tickle their ears. But you need to box their ears 269 00:18:47,960 --> 00:18:50,760 by giving them the truth of the Word of God that they might 270 00:18:50,760 --> 00:18:57,440 understand what God's Word says. And when you come to Psalm 19, 271 00:18:57,520 --> 00:19:01,320 you have this commentary on the brilliance of the Word. 272 00:19:02,240 --> 00:19:06,480 Because what God's Word does is producing us the kind of joy 273 00:19:06,640 --> 00:19:09,840 that we so desperately need, the kind of understanding, the 274 00:19:09,840 --> 00:19:12,200 clarity that we need to make it through life. 275 00:19:12,720 --> 00:19:16,320 It helps us to understand how it is God works in us through the 276 00:19:16,320 --> 00:19:19,040 power of the Word of the living God. 277 00:19:20,120 --> 00:19:23,680 So I want you to notice several things about the brilliance of 278 00:19:23,680 --> 00:19:25,880 the Word. They're in your notes, you're in 279 00:19:25,880 --> 00:19:28,800 your outline. First of all, you need to know 280 00:19:29,040 --> 00:19:35,200 that God's Word is precious. It's precious. 281 00:19:36,080 --> 00:19:40,400 And not only is it precious, but it's pleasurable, it's 282 00:19:40,400 --> 00:19:45,320 protective, it's powerful, it's priceless. 283 00:19:46,520 --> 00:19:52,080 And then, well, probably not tonight, but we'll give you some 284 00:19:52,080 --> 00:19:55,480 principles that come from the brilliance of the word of God. 285 00:19:56,000 --> 00:19:58,320 OK, first of all, it's precious. Why? 286 00:19:58,320 --> 00:20:01,920 Look what he says. He says the law of the Lord is 287 00:20:01,920 --> 00:20:04,080 perfect. Notice he, he calls the 288 00:20:04,080 --> 00:20:07,800 Scripture the law, the testimony, the precepts, the 289 00:20:07,800 --> 00:20:10,280 commandment, the fear, and the judgments. 290 00:20:11,560 --> 00:20:16,560 He he says that the law of the Lord is perfect, that the law 291 00:20:16,680 --> 00:20:25,480 simply is all. Of God's manual for living his 292 00:20:26,080 --> 00:20:29,680 kind of life. It's the law of God. 293 00:20:30,120 --> 00:20:33,080 It's God's standard. God has a standard. 294 00:20:33,800 --> 00:20:37,480 He's given us his law that we might meet that standard. 295 00:20:38,520 --> 00:20:43,120 And that law is, as he says, perfect. 296 00:20:44,160 --> 00:20:47,960 Perfect not meaning that there are no errors in it, although 297 00:20:47,960 --> 00:20:53,400 there are no errors in it, it means that it's complete, it's 298 00:20:53,400 --> 00:20:57,200 sufficient, it's all-encompassing. 299 00:20:58,120 --> 00:21:02,640 So the law of the Lord is absolutely sufficient for 300 00:21:02,640 --> 00:21:07,080 everything. It's it's complete for 301 00:21:07,080 --> 00:21:09,120 everything. It's more than just adequate, 302 00:21:10,320 --> 00:21:12,920 it's sufficient. Albert Barnes in his commentary 303 00:21:12,920 --> 00:21:14,720 says this about the word perfect. 304 00:21:14,720 --> 00:21:18,080 He says the meaning of perfect is is that Scripture lacks 305 00:21:18,080 --> 00:21:23,040 nothing for us. It's complete nothing in order 306 00:21:23,040 --> 00:21:24,800 that it might be what it should be. 307 00:21:25,480 --> 00:21:28,080 It is complete as a revelation of divine truth. 308 00:21:28,840 --> 00:21:31,120 It is complete as a rule of conduct. 309 00:21:31,680 --> 00:21:35,920 It is absolutely true. It is adopted, or, excuse me, it 310 00:21:35,920 --> 00:21:42,280 is adapted with consummate wisdom to the needs of man. 311 00:21:43,240 --> 00:21:45,920 It is an unerring guide of conduct. 312 00:21:46,520 --> 00:21:51,400 There is nothing there which would lead men into error or 313 00:21:51,400 --> 00:21:54,400 sin. There is nothing essential for 314 00:21:54,400 --> 00:22:01,160 man to know which may not be found in the Word of God. 315 00:22:02,440 --> 00:22:06,640 Everything is here. Your whole life is in this book 316 00:22:07,680 --> 00:22:11,480 and God has given to us by His grace and the law of the Lord is 317 00:22:11,480 --> 00:22:14,920 perfect. And it says restoring the soul 318 00:22:14,920 --> 00:22:21,080 or converting the soul or transforming the soul. 319 00:22:22,520 --> 00:22:25,120 This is this is the testimony of the word of God. 320 00:22:26,040 --> 00:22:31,720 God's law is so sufficient and so complete that it is that 321 00:22:31,720 --> 00:22:36,960 which transforms, changes, revives, and restores the soul. 322 00:22:37,680 --> 00:22:40,320 In other words, you can't be in the Word, you can't read the 323 00:22:40,320 --> 00:22:43,840 Word, you can't sit under the Word without that transforming 324 00:22:43,840 --> 00:22:46,680 nature power of God working in your life. 325 00:22:46,960 --> 00:22:48,880 Unless, of course, you don't know the Lord. 326 00:22:49,160 --> 00:22:51,880 Now, if you don't know the Lord, sitting and preaching of the 327 00:22:51,880 --> 00:22:54,160 Word and reading the Word is going to make no difference to 328 00:22:54,160 --> 00:22:59,080 you whatsoever. It's just another nice sermon. 329 00:23:00,280 --> 00:23:04,960 But if you know the Lord, then it works actively in your life, 330 00:23:04,960 --> 00:23:08,840 bearing fruit in your life. You, you leave with conviction, 331 00:23:09,080 --> 00:23:12,000 knowing you're marching orders, knowing what you need to do 332 00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:15,880 next, knowing what God's call upon your life is. 333 00:23:16,640 --> 00:23:19,680 And that's why we, we could constantly preach the word to 334 00:23:19,680 --> 00:23:21,600 you. We teach the Bible to you 335 00:23:22,360 --> 00:23:27,360 because the law of the Lord is, is perfect, converting and 336 00:23:27,360 --> 00:23:32,200 restoring the soul. Soul is the nephesh. 337 00:23:32,360 --> 00:23:34,880 It's the, it's the inner part of of the man. 338 00:23:34,880 --> 00:23:37,480 It's the real you. It's the real you. 339 00:23:38,680 --> 00:23:42,400 That's which is in the inside. That's who you are. 340 00:23:43,080 --> 00:23:46,920 And God's law works in that capacity. 341 00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:53,000 And so it says that the law of the Lord is whole, complete, 342 00:23:53,880 --> 00:24:03,720 sufficient, so much so that it converts, refreshes, transforms 343 00:24:05,120 --> 00:24:09,400 the soul. Listen to what the psalmist said 344 00:24:09,400 --> 00:24:13,080 in Psalm 119. Remember, Psalm 19 is a 345 00:24:13,080 --> 00:24:19,000 summation of all of Psalm 1/19. He just sums it all up for you. 346 00:24:19,920 --> 00:24:30,880 And look what he says in Psalm 119 verse #25 My soul cleaves to 347 00:24:30,880 --> 00:24:35,400 the dust. Revive me according to Your 348 00:24:35,400 --> 00:24:39,800 word. My soul cleaves to the dust. 349 00:24:40,240 --> 00:24:45,560 I'm down, I'm out. But Lord, you can revive my 350 00:24:45,560 --> 00:24:48,280 soul. You can restore my soul. 351 00:24:49,560 --> 00:24:53,880 You can enliven my soul according to Your word. 352 00:24:54,160 --> 00:24:57,240 Verse 28. My soul weeps because of grief. 353 00:24:58,360 --> 00:25:00,320 How many people you know that are that are weeping today 354 00:25:00,320 --> 00:25:03,840 because of the grief that encompasses their their lives 355 00:25:03,840 --> 00:25:08,320 and family? Strengthen me according to your 356 00:25:08,320 --> 00:25:10,560 word. Strengthen me. 357 00:25:11,480 --> 00:25:14,160 It's the same thing that Paul was saying in Romans chapter 1. 358 00:25:14,680 --> 00:25:17,280 I want to part something spiritual to you that I might 359 00:25:17,400 --> 00:25:21,480 strengthen you, establish you. That's why he said to the 360 00:25:21,560 --> 00:25:24,200 Ephesian elders in Acts 20, I commend you to God and the word 361 00:25:24,200 --> 00:25:27,320 of His grace, which is able to build you up, strengthen you. 362 00:25:27,320 --> 00:25:31,480 I'm going to leave, but I'm not leaving without giving you the 363 00:25:31,480 --> 00:25:36,920 word of grace, which strengthens you, establishes you, build you 364 00:25:36,960 --> 00:25:40,320 up. So important to understand this. 365 00:25:41,160 --> 00:25:46,680 And then from verse #28 look what it says over in verse #92 366 00:25:49,720 --> 00:25:53,760 Excuse me. 93 I will never forget your precepts, for by 367 00:25:53,760 --> 00:25:59,440 them you have revived me. Psalm 107 I am exceedingly 368 00:25:59,440 --> 00:26:02,120 afflicted. Revive me, Restore me, O Lord, 369 00:26:02,240 --> 00:26:04,040 according to your word. Are you afflicted? 370 00:26:05,120 --> 00:26:07,360 The psalmist? New Lord, I need Your word to 371 00:26:07,360 --> 00:26:12,840 revive me, to restore me and then over in 116 sustain me 372 00:26:12,880 --> 00:26:17,640 according to your word that I may live. 373 00:26:17,640 --> 00:26:24,960 Since psalmist knew that that God's law is complete, it is 374 00:26:24,960 --> 00:26:29,960 more than sufficient to do what God has designed it to do. 375 00:26:31,520 --> 00:26:33,840 And so David says the law of the Lord is perfect. 376 00:26:33,840 --> 00:26:39,120 It restores the soul and then he says this, he says the testimony 377 00:26:39,120 --> 00:26:45,160 of the Lord is sure making wise the simple the testimony of the 378 00:26:45,160 --> 00:26:51,320 Lord. The Bible is the testimony of 379 00:26:51,320 --> 00:26:56,120 the Lord Jesus. It's the written testimony of 380 00:26:56,120 --> 00:27:04,000 who Jesus is and what he's done. So the law of the Lord is a 381 00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:08,040 witness. It's a testimony to the 382 00:27:08,040 --> 00:27:12,240 character and nature of God. He says the testimony of the 383 00:27:12,240 --> 00:27:19,320 Lord is sure. Remember in John 5 verse 39 when 384 00:27:19,480 --> 00:27:23,320 Christ said that the Pharisees you search the scriptures for in 385 00:27:23,320 --> 00:27:24,320 them. You think that you have eternal 386 00:27:24,320 --> 00:27:29,440 life, but they are that would speak of me see they they they 387 00:27:29,440 --> 00:27:33,840 were looking for something other than the Christ but but all of 388 00:27:33,840 --> 00:27:37,160 the Bible speaks about the Lord. It's his testimony. 389 00:27:38,080 --> 00:27:42,760 And so the so David calls it the testimony of the Lord, and now 390 00:27:42,760 --> 00:27:44,920 he's only referring to the Old Testament because that's all 391 00:27:44,920 --> 00:27:47,320 there was, right? So he's only referring to the 392 00:27:47,320 --> 00:27:49,880 law of the prophets. And he's talking about how this 393 00:27:49,880 --> 00:27:54,560 is a testimony to the character in nature of the Lord, the God 394 00:27:54,560 --> 00:27:56,680 of Israel, the Messiah who's coming. 395 00:27:56,800 --> 00:28:02,800 This is his testimony and it's absolutely sure. 396 00:28:03,240 --> 00:28:07,040 It's unwavering. It's it's unmistakable. 397 00:28:08,080 --> 00:28:14,480 It's absolute. God's testimony about who he is 398 00:28:15,520 --> 00:28:21,000 is the most sure thing ever. Let me, let me give you an 399 00:28:21,000 --> 00:28:23,320 example of that. Turn back with me if you would, 400 00:28:23,320 --> 00:28:30,360 to first Peter, chapter 2. I'm sorry, second Peter, second 401 00:28:30,360 --> 00:28:33,080 Peter chapter one, sorry, second Peter, chapter 1. 402 00:28:33,880 --> 00:28:37,560 Listen to Peter's testimony, he says in verse 16. 403 00:28:37,560 --> 00:28:41,280 For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known 404 00:28:41,280 --> 00:28:45,120 to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we 405 00:28:45,120 --> 00:28:47,560 were eyewitnesses of His Majesty. 406 00:28:48,080 --> 00:28:52,400 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, such 407 00:28:52,440 --> 00:28:57,880 an utterance as this was made to him by the majestic glory. 408 00:28:58,120 --> 00:29:01,600 This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased. 409 00:29:01,600 --> 00:29:05,360 Now Peter is giving a testimony as to what happened on the, on 410 00:29:05,360 --> 00:29:08,480 the mount of Transfiguration there in the in the land of 411 00:29:08,480 --> 00:29:10,880 Israel. He's going back to that time 412 00:29:10,880 --> 00:29:13,640 where Peter, James and John went up with the Lord up to the 413 00:29:13,640 --> 00:29:15,280 mountain. I, I believe it's mountain 414 00:29:16,080 --> 00:29:20,240 Herman up in the northern part of of Israel, because that 415 00:29:20,240 --> 00:29:23,160 really is a high mountain and it falls in the context of them 416 00:29:23,160 --> 00:29:25,920 being an accessory of Philippi, which is at the base of Mount 417 00:29:25,920 --> 00:29:27,440 Hermon. But they went up into this 418 00:29:27,440 --> 00:29:31,080 mountain and, and the Lord unzipped his flesh and the glory 419 00:29:31,080 --> 00:29:34,800 of the Lord, the brilliance of the Lord would shine out and a 420 00:29:34,800 --> 00:29:38,640 great cloud consumed them and, and the majestic glory of God 421 00:29:38,640 --> 00:29:41,920 said, this is my beloved son, and whom I am well pleased. 422 00:29:42,560 --> 00:29:45,640 And they saw Moses and they saw Elijah, right? 423 00:29:45,760 --> 00:29:48,600 And Peter said, let's, let's build 3 tabernacles here. 424 00:29:48,680 --> 00:29:50,680 This is a great opportunity for us. 425 00:29:51,640 --> 00:29:57,320 So Peter's giving testimony to what he experienced in life and 426 00:29:57,320 --> 00:29:59,200 the Bible records that experience. 427 00:30:00,200 --> 00:30:07,760 But then he says this, and we ourselves heard this utterance 428 00:30:08,120 --> 00:30:12,720 made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. 429 00:30:12,720 --> 00:30:18,880 So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do 430 00:30:18,880 --> 00:30:22,520 well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place 431 00:30:23,000 --> 00:30:26,400 until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your 432 00:30:26,400 --> 00:30:29,440 hearts. He says we have something more 433 00:30:29,440 --> 00:30:35,160 sure than my experience because this is my experience. 434 00:30:36,560 --> 00:30:41,560 It's subject to the surety of God's testimony, God's law, 435 00:30:41,800 --> 00:30:45,400 God's word. We have a prophetic word, the 436 00:30:45,400 --> 00:30:49,200 word of God made more sure than my experience. 437 00:30:49,400 --> 00:30:51,840 That's why we always tell people, well, I experienced this 438 00:30:51,840 --> 00:30:54,400 or I experienced that, and we say, OK, if that's your 439 00:30:54,400 --> 00:30:58,800 experience, match it with the sure word of the Lord, because 440 00:30:58,800 --> 00:31:00,760 we can't match it with the sure word of the Lord. 441 00:31:00,920 --> 00:31:04,640 Your experience Trump's the surety of Scripture and the 442 00:31:04,640 --> 00:31:07,560 authority of Scripture, and therefore you have put yourself 443 00:31:07,560 --> 00:31:10,400 above God in His word. Can't do that because you're 444 00:31:10,400 --> 00:31:13,520 subject to God in His Word. So whatever your experience is, 445 00:31:13,560 --> 00:31:16,960 if it doesn't match what the God's Word says, you probably 446 00:31:16,960 --> 00:31:19,520 had too much chilly the night before as to why your experience 447 00:31:19,520 --> 00:31:22,720 was the way it was. The bottom line is, is that 448 00:31:22,720 --> 00:31:27,120 God's Word is absolute surety. He says so. 449 00:31:27,240 --> 00:31:30,560 The testimony of the Lord is unwavering. 450 00:31:31,720 --> 00:31:36,560 It's ironclad. It's sure you can bank on it. 451 00:31:36,800 --> 00:31:48,640 It's absolute truth making wise the simple, making wise the 452 00:31:48,640 --> 00:31:51,200 simple. God's Word is so sure, so 453 00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:57,880 absolute, so true that the simple person can become very 454 00:31:57,880 --> 00:32:02,440 wise. Now note this, the word for 455 00:32:02,440 --> 00:32:06,480 simple is the word that means open door. 456 00:32:07,520 --> 00:32:10,680 Open door. You've heard people say, well, 457 00:32:10,800 --> 00:32:12,960 you know, I, I, I'm really open about this. 458 00:32:12,960 --> 00:32:16,600 I, I have an open mind that that's not a good character 459 00:32:16,600 --> 00:32:19,320 quality to have. That's a bad character quality 460 00:32:19,320 --> 00:32:23,400 to have. For example, if I, if, if I say 461 00:32:23,400 --> 00:32:26,360 to you, do you open your door at night when you go to bed? 462 00:32:28,440 --> 00:32:29,960 No. What do you do? 463 00:32:29,960 --> 00:32:31,120 You lock your door. You shut your door. 464 00:32:31,120 --> 00:32:32,080 You lock your door. Why? 465 00:32:32,440 --> 00:32:34,480 Because you don't want anything on the outside coming on the 466 00:32:34,480 --> 00:32:36,680 inside. So what do you do? 467 00:32:36,680 --> 00:32:39,480 You shut your door, you bolt your door, you lock your door, 468 00:32:39,520 --> 00:32:42,600 you set your alarm because you don't want anybody coming in, 469 00:32:42,600 --> 00:32:45,680 right? That's a closed door mentality. 470 00:32:45,920 --> 00:32:49,280 That's the right mentality. An open door mentality says I'm 471 00:32:49,280 --> 00:32:51,920 just going to leave it open. All the books can come in. 472 00:32:52,520 --> 00:32:54,440 All the burglars can come in. It's OK. 473 00:32:54,800 --> 00:32:58,120 I have an open door policy. I have an open mind policy. 474 00:32:58,640 --> 00:33:00,840 No, it didn't work that way. Why? 475 00:33:00,840 --> 00:33:06,480 Because when you're wise, your mind now is shut off from that 476 00:33:06,480 --> 00:33:10,080 which is corruption, that which is evil. 477 00:33:10,640 --> 00:33:14,640 That's what that which might bring harm to your life. 478 00:33:14,880 --> 00:33:17,920 See. And that's what happens with the 479 00:33:17,920 --> 00:33:22,880 testimony of the Lord that is so sure, it closes your mind to all 480 00:33:22,880 --> 00:33:25,400 the corruption and all the evil on the outside. 481 00:33:25,520 --> 00:33:30,000 So it doesn't get in because now you have wisdom, you have 482 00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:33,520 discernment. The open minded person is an 483 00:33:33,520 --> 00:33:37,880 undiscerning person. The closed minded person is the 484 00:33:37,880 --> 00:33:41,400 discerning person. He discerns between what is 485 00:33:41,400 --> 00:33:44,320 right and what is wrong, what is good and what is evil. 486 00:33:44,640 --> 00:33:47,360 He shuts the door to the evil. He shuts the door to the bad. 487 00:33:47,480 --> 00:33:50,240 He opens the door to the good and to the right and to the 488 00:33:50,240 --> 00:33:53,560 true. That's the wise person. 489 00:33:54,760 --> 00:34:01,240 You receive wisdom and wisdom is is is the application of truth 490 00:34:01,240 --> 00:34:03,920 to life. Wisdom is just not an 491 00:34:03,920 --> 00:34:10,080 accumulation of of knowledge. In fact, the the Bible says over 492 00:34:10,080 --> 00:34:15,880 in the book of Proverbs, Proverbs chapter 24 verse #14 493 00:34:16,480 --> 00:34:21,280 these words about wisdom. Know that wisdom is thus for 494 00:34:21,280 --> 00:34:25,840 your soul. If you find it, then there will 495 00:34:25,840 --> 00:34:32,280 be a future and your hope will not be cut off. 496 00:34:33,560 --> 00:34:37,040 If you find wisdom. And we know from Proverbs 497 00:34:37,040 --> 00:34:42,239 chapter chapter 3 that wisdom, excuse me, Proverbs chapter 2 498 00:34:42,239 --> 00:34:46,520 verse #6 that wisdom comes from the mouth of the Lord. 499 00:34:47,320 --> 00:34:50,880 And these words are what the mouth of the Lord has spoken. 500 00:34:52,120 --> 00:34:56,840 And so wisdom comes to us through the testimony of the 501 00:34:56,840 --> 00:35:02,640 Lord. It is absolute, unwaveringly 502 00:35:03,680 --> 00:35:12,240 sure to make the open minded person closed minded to all that 503 00:35:12,240 --> 00:35:17,000 which is on evil on the outside. So he can be very discerning by 504 00:35:17,000 --> 00:35:20,120 the wisdom of God in the decisions that he makes. 505 00:35:20,640 --> 00:35:22,680 This is the preciousness of the Word of God. 506 00:35:23,760 --> 00:35:26,320 You know you want you want to be wise in your decision making, 507 00:35:26,320 --> 00:35:29,080 don't you? You want to be wise in your 508 00:35:29,080 --> 00:35:33,080 relationships. A double minded man is unstable 509 00:35:33,080 --> 00:35:35,200 in all of his ways. If any of you lacks wisdom, let 510 00:35:35,200 --> 00:35:37,480 him ask of God, who gives to all men liberally. 511 00:35:37,600 --> 00:35:42,080 James one verse #5 but an unstable man. 512 00:35:42,320 --> 00:35:48,680 First Ada chapter 1 is is, or excuse me, double minded man is 513 00:35:48,680 --> 00:35:52,840 unstable in every one of his ways, not just certain ways, but 514 00:35:52,840 --> 00:35:55,720 all of his ways because he has no wisdom. 515 00:35:56,720 --> 00:36:00,640 But God's word gives you wisdom. And God's word is that which is 516 00:36:00,840 --> 00:36:07,920 perfect, restoring the soul. And so the psalmist says that 517 00:36:07,920 --> 00:36:09,640 the law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul. 518 00:36:09,680 --> 00:36:13,000 The testimony of the Lord is sure making wise the simple and 519 00:36:13,000 --> 00:36:21,240 the precepts of the Lord are right rejoicing the heart, the 520 00:36:21,240 --> 00:36:26,760 precepts, the statutes of the Lord, those principles that that 521 00:36:26,760 --> 00:36:32,760 guide all of our actions, those precepts that are of the Lord 522 00:36:32,760 --> 00:36:35,280 and remember each phrase says of the Lord of the Lord of the 523 00:36:35,280 --> 00:36:37,960 Lord, because he wants you to know that this is the word of 524 00:36:37,960 --> 00:36:40,120 the living God. And so the precepts of the Lord 525 00:36:40,120 --> 00:36:43,520 are are right. Now that's not right as opposed 526 00:36:43,520 --> 00:36:45,360 to wrong. That's right, in terms of the 527 00:36:45,360 --> 00:36:49,640 right way to go, the true way to go, right. 528 00:36:50,240 --> 00:36:53,000 So what you have is that the precepts of the Lord, the 529 00:36:53,000 --> 00:36:59,880 statutes of God show you which path to take always when you, 530 00:36:59,880 --> 00:37:02,440 when you, when you cry for discernment, and when you ask 531 00:37:02,440 --> 00:37:05,320 the Lord for wisdom and you ask the Lord for direction, he 532 00:37:05,320 --> 00:37:07,080 always gives it to you through his word. 533 00:37:08,400 --> 00:37:11,080 He always shows you where to go through his word. 534 00:37:11,080 --> 00:37:14,160 That's why when someone goes someplace and it goes contrary 535 00:37:14,160 --> 00:37:17,360 to the word of God, they say, well, the Lord led me there and 536 00:37:17,360 --> 00:37:19,680 I'm not sure he did because it's contrary to what God's Word 537 00:37:19,680 --> 00:37:22,560 says. See, what does God's word say? 538 00:37:23,720 --> 00:37:27,040 You know, don't make a move, don't make a decision without 539 00:37:27,200 --> 00:37:30,280 knowing you have chapter and verse behind the decision making 540 00:37:30,280 --> 00:37:34,760 process in your life. If you do that, it will affect 541 00:37:34,960 --> 00:37:37,600 everything else you do. The decision you make today 542 00:37:38,400 --> 00:37:40,320 determines your destiny tomorrow, right? 543 00:37:40,720 --> 00:37:43,960 Make a bad decision today, your future's in jeopardy. 544 00:37:44,680 --> 00:37:47,600 Make the right decision today. Your future's going to go the 545 00:37:47,600 --> 00:37:49,760 right way. That's why he says that the 546 00:37:49,760 --> 00:37:53,880 precepts of the Lord are right. They give you direction. 547 00:37:54,120 --> 00:37:56,080 They show you which path to take. 548 00:37:56,280 --> 00:37:58,400 And know what rejoicing the heart. 549 00:37:59,560 --> 00:38:01,120 See. The decisions you make about the 550 00:38:01,120 --> 00:38:04,160 path you take causes great joy in the heart. 551 00:38:04,680 --> 00:38:10,880 Not turmoil, not anxiousness, not tragedy, but causes your 552 00:38:10,880 --> 00:38:16,680 heart to rejoice, to sing songs of joy because you want to 553 00:38:16,680 --> 00:38:20,360 follow what the word of the Lord says. 554 00:38:20,920 --> 00:38:24,160 That's just so incredibly important. 555 00:38:24,440 --> 00:38:26,960 The presets of the Lord are right. 556 00:38:27,320 --> 00:38:30,920 They are. They are showing you which way 557 00:38:30,920 --> 00:38:35,080 to go, which path to take, so that your heart will always 558 00:38:35,080 --> 00:38:38,040 leave. Be rejoicing over what God is 559 00:38:38,040 --> 00:38:40,000 doing. If you're making the decision 560 00:38:40,200 --> 00:38:43,480 and your heart's not rejoicing, you probably made a bad choice. 561 00:38:44,640 --> 00:38:46,920 You probably didn't look to the precepts of the Lord. 562 00:38:46,920 --> 00:38:49,960 The statues of the Lord probably didn't look to the law of the 563 00:38:49,960 --> 00:38:52,640 Lord. You probably didn't look to the 564 00:38:52,640 --> 00:38:55,480 testimony of the Lord. Why? 565 00:38:55,640 --> 00:39:01,920 Because God's Word speaks, speaks loud, and all you got to 566 00:39:01,920 --> 00:39:04,640 do is read it. All you got to do is sit under 567 00:39:04,640 --> 00:39:08,720 it. I just hear it with an open 568 00:39:08,720 --> 00:39:13,800 heart that says, Lord, teach me that I might understand your 569 00:39:13,800 --> 00:39:16,080 precepts, your testimony, your law. 570 00:39:16,760 --> 00:39:18,520 This is the brilliance of the law. 571 00:39:19,240 --> 00:39:22,760 Look at the next one. The commandment of the Lord is, 572 00:39:22,960 --> 00:39:31,560 is pure or lucid or, or clear, enlightening the eyes. 573 00:39:32,720 --> 00:39:36,240 In other words, the commandments of God are, are absolute, right? 574 00:39:36,600 --> 00:39:40,680 They're not suggestions. God never gives suggestions. 575 00:39:42,320 --> 00:39:43,840 He doesn't even give you his opinion. 576 00:39:45,040 --> 00:39:49,280 He just gives commands, right? And so God's word is filled with 577 00:39:49,320 --> 00:39:54,840 all kinds of of commands. And so he doesn't, he doesn't 578 00:39:54,840 --> 00:39:58,000 give you options, He gives you commands. 579 00:39:58,640 --> 00:40:01,040 This is what the word of the Lord sends. 580 00:40:01,840 --> 00:40:07,880 So the commander of the Lord is, is pure, it's clear, it's lucid. 581 00:40:08,040 --> 00:40:11,280 In other words, it's not mystifying. 582 00:40:12,560 --> 00:40:15,520 It doesn't. It doesn't boggle your mind. 583 00:40:16,760 --> 00:40:18,480 The commandments of the Lord are very clear. 584 00:40:19,800 --> 00:40:24,000 When God gives the command, he makes it very easy to 585 00:40:24,000 --> 00:40:26,840 understand. They're very clear. 586 00:40:28,160 --> 00:40:34,760 And so therefore, when you obey those commands, your eyes are 587 00:40:34,760 --> 00:40:39,120 completely enlightened. In his light you're able to see 588 00:40:39,640 --> 00:40:42,680 light. He shows you which way to go. 589 00:40:44,280 --> 00:40:47,720 He gives you clarity. He gives you direction. 590 00:40:47,720 --> 00:40:53,520 He helps you understand hope versus despair. 591 00:40:54,920 --> 00:41:00,160 And so God gives you commands that are very clear, not 592 00:41:01,120 --> 00:41:07,760 convoluted, so that you know what to do, how to live. 593 00:41:08,120 --> 00:41:10,400 The problem comes when we say, well, I don't want to do that. 594 00:41:10,840 --> 00:41:13,640 I don't want to obey that. And that's where my my sinful 595 00:41:13,640 --> 00:41:15,520 nature creeps in. And I want to do my own will, 596 00:41:15,640 --> 00:41:19,040 not God's will, but the commandments of the Lord, 597 00:41:20,080 --> 00:41:24,480 they're absolutely clear. They're pure, enlightening, the 598 00:41:24,480 --> 00:41:26,960 eyes. And then he says the fear of the 599 00:41:26,960 --> 00:41:36,800 Lord is clean, enduring forever. And this is really abnormal to 600 00:41:36,800 --> 00:41:39,040 call the word of the Lord the fear of the Lord. 601 00:41:40,120 --> 00:41:44,080 But David does. It's the fear of the Lord 602 00:41:44,880 --> 00:41:48,120 because there's something about the Scriptures, the law of God, 603 00:41:48,280 --> 00:41:52,440 the commandments of God, the statutes of God, the precepts of 604 00:41:52,440 --> 00:41:58,400 God, the testimony of God, that causes great fear in those who 605 00:41:58,400 --> 00:42:01,600 read it. That's why the Bible says 606 00:42:01,600 --> 00:42:04,720 there's forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. 607 00:42:06,080 --> 00:42:12,320 But the commandments strike fear in our hearts, knowing that God 608 00:42:12,320 --> 00:42:16,800 is serious about what he says. And so David calls it the fear 609 00:42:16,800 --> 00:42:21,360 of the Lord because he wants you to understand the magnitude of 610 00:42:21,360 --> 00:42:25,800 disobedience and the importance of following all that God says. 611 00:42:27,640 --> 00:42:34,120 It's it's a manual for how to worship the one of the Bible 612 00:42:34,320 --> 00:42:38,920 that testifies about who he is. Because the fear of the Lord 613 00:42:38,920 --> 00:42:43,960 speaks of the the reverence and the all in the all-encompassing 614 00:42:43,960 --> 00:42:47,600 admiration and affection we have for the God we serve. 615 00:42:49,320 --> 00:42:52,800 And there's nothing better than teaching you how to worship that 616 00:42:52,800 --> 00:42:57,440 God. Then the fear of the Lord and 617 00:42:57,440 --> 00:43:00,880 the fear of the Lord is is clean. 618 00:43:02,360 --> 00:43:08,560 It is free from any impurities. It is free from anything that's 619 00:43:08,560 --> 00:43:11,920 defiling. Scripture is without evil, 620 00:43:12,200 --> 00:43:16,560 without corruption, without error, without blemish. 621 00:43:17,080 --> 00:43:20,080 Psalm 12/6 says that God's word is flawless. 622 00:43:21,480 --> 00:43:28,600 So the fear of the Lord is flawless, clean, no impure, no, 623 00:43:28,640 --> 00:43:33,480 no, no impurities in it. What does it do? 624 00:43:34,840 --> 00:43:41,120 It endures forever, forever. You see, God's word is, is 625 00:43:41,120 --> 00:43:43,120 something that that is never ending. 626 00:43:43,840 --> 00:43:46,480 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass 627 00:43:46,480 --> 00:43:47,880 away. Why? 628 00:43:48,680 --> 00:43:51,760 Because His words are magnified even as His very name. 629 00:43:51,760 --> 00:43:56,960 Psalm 138 verse #2 right? So as His name is the highest 630 00:43:57,040 --> 00:44:01,360 name, his word is the highest word because they're on the 631 00:44:01,360 --> 00:44:06,440 equal, same, equal plane. And so the word of the Lord is, 632 00:44:06,880 --> 00:44:09,880 is to be obeyed and to be followed, but it endures 633 00:44:09,880 --> 00:44:12,160 forever. That means that God's word, 634 00:44:12,440 --> 00:44:15,680 because it endures forever, is relevant to every generation, 635 00:44:16,920 --> 00:44:19,600 Every generation. I can't say, well, that's Old 636 00:44:19,600 --> 00:44:21,560 Testament stuff. And that's what we apply to 637 00:44:21,680 --> 00:44:23,320 apply to us in today's day and age. 638 00:44:23,320 --> 00:44:26,120 Or that's what Paul said. And, and the culture now has 639 00:44:26,120 --> 00:44:28,480 changed. Society has changed. 640 00:44:28,600 --> 00:44:33,040 Things are now different. No, God's word is that which 641 00:44:33,040 --> 00:44:37,240 endures forever. It is as relevant today as it 642 00:44:37,240 --> 00:44:44,160 was in Genesis chapter one verse #1 when God spoke the universe 643 00:44:44,160 --> 00:44:49,080 into existence. It is so relevant that applies 644 00:44:49,080 --> 00:44:52,840 to every one of us in the room, no matter where we're from, no 645 00:44:52,840 --> 00:44:57,560 matter what we're going through, it comes to speak to us in our 646 00:44:57,560 --> 00:45:01,320 point of need. And then he says the judgments 647 00:45:01,320 --> 00:45:08,760 of the Lord are true, they are righteous all together. 648 00:45:10,160 --> 00:45:15,880 The judgments of the Lord, the ordinances, the divine verdict, 649 00:45:16,640 --> 00:45:20,160 it comes from the, the holy bench of God. 650 00:45:21,520 --> 00:45:23,720 We, we will be judged by this standard. 651 00:45:24,960 --> 00:45:29,400 This is the only standard by which man is judged, God's holy 652 00:45:29,400 --> 00:45:32,760 word. So whatever God's word says, man 653 00:45:32,760 --> 00:45:36,880 is measured against. And so therefore, they're called 654 00:45:36,880 --> 00:45:44,000 the judgments of the Lord and they, they are true, they're 655 00:45:44,000 --> 00:45:48,040 absolute. That that is just so important 656 00:45:49,240 --> 00:45:52,640 because you see, you can actually go to your philosophy 657 00:45:52,640 --> 00:45:59,200 class and say, I know the truth. I know the truth. 658 00:46:00,880 --> 00:46:05,440 Class is over. Class is done because you know 659 00:46:05,440 --> 00:46:08,440 the truth. You have the truth. 660 00:46:08,440 --> 00:46:11,920 You, you, you embody the God of truth and you hold the the truth 661 00:46:11,920 --> 00:46:16,160 of God in your hands. But the reason there's a 662 00:46:16,160 --> 00:46:18,760 philosophy class is because it's taught by people who don't know 663 00:46:18,760 --> 00:46:23,240 the God of truth, who don't understand truth, can't live 664 00:46:23,240 --> 00:46:25,880 truth because they don't know that God. 665 00:46:27,280 --> 00:46:30,440 But you do. So you can say I know the truth 666 00:46:31,840 --> 00:46:35,480 whatever question you, you have, I know the truth to the answer 667 00:46:35,600 --> 00:46:38,800 to that question because God gives me the answer in his word 668 00:46:38,880 --> 00:46:42,200 that's absolute true. The judgments of the Lord are 669 00:46:42,840 --> 00:46:45,000 true. They are righteous all together. 670 00:46:45,000 --> 00:46:47,560 In other words, they produce nothing but righteousness, 671 00:46:47,680 --> 00:46:51,600 righteous acts in the lives of those who follow them. 672 00:46:52,920 --> 00:46:59,600 This is the preciousness of the Word of God, and David sums it 673 00:46:59,600 --> 00:47:05,160 up in in in six simple statements that will change a 674 00:47:05,160 --> 00:47:11,400 person's life forever. When one person said this about 675 00:47:11,400 --> 00:47:13,160 the Bible, does it have an author? 676 00:47:13,160 --> 00:47:17,920 It's anonymous, it says, though the cover is worn and the pages 677 00:47:17,920 --> 00:47:24,440 are torn, and though places bare traces of tears, yet more 678 00:47:24,440 --> 00:47:30,520 precious than gold is the book, worn and old that can shatter 679 00:47:31,200 --> 00:47:36,320 and scatter my fears. When I prayerfully look in the 680 00:47:36,320 --> 00:47:42,040 precious old book many pleasures and treasures, I see many tokens 681 00:47:42,040 --> 00:47:47,320 of love from the Father above, who is nearest and dearest to 682 00:47:47,320 --> 00:47:50,480 me. The old book is my guide. 683 00:47:50,920 --> 00:47:54,520 Tis a friend by my side. It will lighten and brighten my 684 00:47:54,520 --> 00:48:01,080 way, and each promise I find soothes and gladdens my mind as 685 00:48:01,080 --> 00:48:06,600 I read it and heed it today. So true. 686 00:48:08,200 --> 00:48:13,520 So many people just lay the the truth of God aside and don't 687 00:48:13,520 --> 00:48:18,000 spend time in in studying it, memorizing it, learning it, 688 00:48:18,000 --> 00:48:22,520 growing in it, reading it. This is your life. 689 00:48:24,080 --> 00:48:27,720 Every answer you have, every question you have is answered in 690 00:48:27,720 --> 00:48:33,560 this book. All you have to do is seek for 691 00:48:33,560 --> 00:48:36,800 wisdom. It comes from the mouth of the 692 00:48:36,800 --> 00:48:40,720 Lord. But not only is it precious, 693 00:48:40,720 --> 00:48:43,840 it's pleasurable. Look what he says next. 694 00:48:44,880 --> 00:48:46,640 They are more desirable than gold. 695 00:48:46,640 --> 00:48:49,240 Yes. Then much fine gold. 696 00:48:49,680 --> 00:48:51,560 David would know that he was a rich man. 697 00:48:51,560 --> 00:48:57,840 He had lots of gold. But this testimony, this 698 00:48:57,840 --> 00:49:03,000 judgement, this commandment, this law, this fear of the Lord, 699 00:49:04,120 --> 00:49:09,440 it's so precious, it's more valuable than gold. 700 00:49:10,320 --> 00:49:14,800 There is no earthly commodity that can measure or stand 701 00:49:14,800 --> 00:49:19,880 against God's word. And then he says this, he says 702 00:49:20,560 --> 00:49:29,240 sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb, that 703 00:49:29,240 --> 00:49:35,920 that's just a a marvelous statement because honey is is 704 00:49:35,920 --> 00:49:40,880 sweet to the taste. And David is thinking of the 705 00:49:40,880 --> 00:49:45,680 sweetest thing that is most pleasurable when it goes down. 706 00:49:47,440 --> 00:49:52,840 But he compares the scriptures with honey. 707 00:49:54,480 --> 00:50:01,160 Why? Well #1 honey is provided 708 00:50:01,880 --> 00:50:08,120 through the work of someone or something else other than you. 709 00:50:10,080 --> 00:50:22,320 It's provided by the work of bees #2 it's a natural food that 710 00:50:22,320 --> 00:50:27,440 means it doesn't take a lengthy time for a digestion, and it 711 00:50:27,440 --> 00:50:39,000 acts immediately to give you energy #3 the taste of honey is 712 00:50:39,000 --> 00:50:42,600 unique. There is no other sweetness 713 00:50:42,600 --> 00:50:47,880 quite like it in the richness of all tastes. 714 00:50:49,280 --> 00:50:50,880 Now compare that to the Word of God. 715 00:50:52,920 --> 00:50:57,200 You have the Word of God not by your efforts, but by someone 716 00:50:57,200 --> 00:51:00,440 else's efforts. The holy men of God spoke as 717 00:51:00,440 --> 00:51:04,440 they were moved and borne along by the Spirit of God, right? 718 00:51:05,520 --> 00:51:10,280 So you've been given this word, the Word of God's, been placed 719 00:51:10,280 --> 00:51:16,040 in your presence, and now you have it by the work of the 720 00:51:16,040 --> 00:51:18,680 Spirit of God in the lives of holy men. 721 00:51:18,680 --> 00:51:27,840 And now you obtain it #2 when you read it, when you study it, 722 00:51:29,200 --> 00:51:37,400 like honey, it goes to work immediately in your life to give 723 00:51:37,400 --> 00:51:39,280 you the strength and energy that you need. 724 00:51:41,120 --> 00:51:48,760 And #3 There is no other piece of literature known to man ever 725 00:51:48,760 --> 00:51:53,800 written that provides the sweetness of the truth of the 726 00:51:53,800 --> 00:51:57,160 living God. That's why David uses the 727 00:51:57,160 --> 00:52:00,720 comparison. He wants you to understand the, 728 00:52:00,800 --> 00:52:05,640 the, the pleasurableness of of the word of God, the sweetness 729 00:52:05,640 --> 00:52:10,200 of the word of God, the joy of the word of God, the value of 730 00:52:10,200 --> 00:52:15,200 the word of God. It is so, so pleasurable. 731 00:52:16,400 --> 00:52:20,400 And so as you think about this, you and you begin to realize how 732 00:52:20,400 --> 00:52:23,480 important God's word is. The Lord comes along and says, 733 00:52:24,400 --> 00:52:30,440 come to abolish the law. I've come to fulfill the law, so 734 00:52:30,440 --> 00:52:35,800 much so that the people of my Kingdom are committed to keeping 735 00:52:35,800 --> 00:52:38,880 that law and teaching others that law. 736 00:52:39,920 --> 00:52:45,520 In fact, those people are the greatest ones in the Kingdom. 737 00:52:48,480 --> 00:52:52,440 The greatest ones in my Kingdom understand that the law of the 738 00:52:52,440 --> 00:52:55,840 Lord is perfect and it restores the soul. 739 00:52:56,960 --> 00:52:58,360 So they want to teach others about that. 740 00:52:59,280 --> 00:53:00,800 They want to impart that truth to others. 741 00:53:01,320 --> 00:53:03,760 If you're a mother, you impart it to your children. 742 00:53:04,840 --> 00:53:06,680 You would instruct them in the ways of God. 743 00:53:07,520 --> 00:53:13,280 You're looking for someone else to teach, to invest in so that 744 00:53:13,280 --> 00:53:15,200 they can learn the truth that you, you learn. 745 00:53:17,000 --> 00:53:20,760 And God says the people in my Kingdom, they keep this word. 746 00:53:20,760 --> 00:53:25,880 They teach this word because it's a testimony about me. 747 00:53:27,880 --> 00:53:31,480 And if it's a testimony about me, it's absolutely sure. 748 00:53:33,120 --> 00:53:37,120 And it takes the open mind and closes it to all those things 749 00:53:37,120 --> 00:53:40,320 that will corrupt it. And they want to teach others 750 00:53:40,320 --> 00:53:45,440 how to do that. And the presets of the Lord are 751 00:53:45,440 --> 00:53:48,040 right. They give you clear direction, a 752 00:53:48,040 --> 00:53:50,520 clear path. They give you a true path. 753 00:53:51,440 --> 00:53:54,400 It's that your heart's always rejoicing because you're walking 754 00:53:54,560 --> 00:53:59,200 in obedience to God, in the ways of God, filled with the joy of 755 00:53:59,200 --> 00:54:05,320 the Lord, commands of the Lord, a clean, pure, undefiled. 756 00:54:06,080 --> 00:54:08,480 What do they do? They enlighten the eyes. 757 00:54:09,120 --> 00:54:14,160 You might see the things that God wants you to see, fear the 758 00:54:14,160 --> 00:54:15,920 Lord is clean and during forever. 759 00:54:17,000 --> 00:54:19,440 The judgments of the Lord are are true. 760 00:54:19,440 --> 00:54:24,320 They are righteous all together. So the Lord says, I've come to 761 00:54:24,320 --> 00:54:28,920 fulfill all that and I've come to make sure that you understand 762 00:54:29,280 --> 00:54:36,400 that this law is the most brilliant thing ever because 763 00:54:37,080 --> 00:54:41,680 Christ is brilliant and these are the words of Christ and 764 00:54:41,680 --> 00:54:45,360 therefore you want to adhere to all that he says, let's pray 765 00:54:45,360 --> 00:54:47,520 together. Father, we thank you for today. 766 00:54:48,160 --> 00:54:51,520 Yeah, opportunity to be in Your Word and pray that you direct us 767 00:54:51,520 --> 00:54:52,880 and lead us in the way that we should go. 768 00:54:52,880 --> 00:54:57,760 Thank you so much for how it is. You have articulated so clearly 769 00:54:58,440 --> 00:55:03,680 the importance of Your Word. May we as your children long for 770 00:55:03,680 --> 00:55:07,200 more of it. May we want it to be a part of 771 00:55:07,200 --> 00:55:11,600 our everyday life. May we not go a day without it, 772 00:55:11,600 --> 00:55:15,120 knowing that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every 773 00:55:15,120 --> 00:55:17,560 word that proceeds from the mouth of God. 774 00:55:17,680 --> 00:55:23,680 That's how we live our lives. You have a life giving word that 775 00:55:23,680 --> 00:55:26,720 transforms us from the inside out. 776 00:55:27,760 --> 00:55:31,440 May we see the value of that, act upon it. 777 00:55:32,520 --> 00:55:37,960 Teach others the same thing also in Jesus name, Amen.