1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:05,640 Hello and welcome to the Church Newtown Square Podcast. 2 00:00:06,480 --> 00:00:10,640 If we can serve you in any way, or if you'd like to learn more 3 00:00:10,680 --> 00:00:15,560 about our church, family or the X29 network, please visit us at 4 00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:23,280 Church NS q.org. That's CHVRCHNS q.org. 5 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:26,240 And now let's listen in to today's teaching. 6 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:34,250 So when I was a kid. I remember lying in bed at night 7 00:00:34,250 --> 00:00:39,530 before falling asleep and asking some of the big questions of 8 00:00:39,530 --> 00:00:46,330 life silently to myself. Specifically, I remember 9 00:00:46,330 --> 00:00:52,250 thinking about the universe and how big it is and thinking about 10 00:00:52,250 --> 00:00:58,050 God's existence, and it seemed to be that every time I would 11 00:00:58,050 --> 00:01:02,930 entertain the notion. Of God's existence, my thoughts 12 00:01:03,250 --> 00:01:08,010 would lead me down a path of doubt, and as I really 13 00:01:08,010 --> 00:01:14,970 considered the possibility that God may not exist, my heart 14 00:01:15,330 --> 00:01:21,130 would begin to be heavier and faster, and feelings of panic 15 00:01:21,530 --> 00:01:26,130 and fear would begin to well up from my stomach and into my 16 00:01:26,130 --> 00:01:29,130 chest until it felt like my mind. 17 00:01:29,550 --> 00:01:33,350 Was going to explode and I had to stop thinking about it. 18 00:01:34,750 --> 00:01:38,310 Now God revealed himself to me and I became a follower of Jesus 19 00:01:38,310 --> 00:01:41,390 Christ. When I was in my mid 20s, I 20 00:01:41,390 --> 00:01:45,470 first heard the Lord speak to me when a man of God shared a set 21 00:01:45,470 --> 00:01:50,990 of verses with me which told me that God had plans to take care 22 00:01:50,990 --> 00:01:56,870 of me and to give me a future and a hope and what blew my mind 23 00:01:56,870 --> 00:02:00,150 the most. Was not so much what God had 24 00:02:00,150 --> 00:02:05,070 said, though that was amazing too, as much as it was that the 25 00:02:05,070 --> 00:02:11,710 God of the universe was speaking to me as this man who shared 26 00:02:11,710 --> 00:02:15,630 those set of verses with me began to disciple me and mentor 27 00:02:15,630 --> 00:02:18,710 me. I remember having a conversation 28 00:02:18,710 --> 00:02:21,910 with him months later, and in the normal course of our 29 00:02:21,910 --> 00:02:26,510 conversation, I told him that there was no doubt in my mind. 30 00:02:27,300 --> 00:02:32,420 That what I have come to believe about God, that he is real, that 31 00:02:32,420 --> 00:02:37,900 he speaks, that he is personal, that I am a Sinner before him, 32 00:02:37,900 --> 00:02:45,020 and that he sent his son to die for me and redeem me, is all 33 00:02:45,020 --> 00:02:49,460 true. And after I confessed this as my 34 00:02:49,460 --> 00:02:55,140 discovery, I remember he smiled at me lovingly and echoed. 35 00:02:55,670 --> 00:02:59,830 What Jesus said to Peter and Matthew 16 when he confessed him 36 00:02:59,830 --> 00:03:04,750 to be the Messiah, and he said flesh and blood has not revealed 37 00:03:04,750 --> 00:03:09,590 this to you, but my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. 38 00:03:10,750 --> 00:03:15,550 And by the grace of God in that moment I realized that it was 39 00:03:15,630 --> 00:03:21,350 was nothing that I had discovered on my own, but with 40 00:03:21,350 --> 00:03:26,620 God in His grace and mercy. Had chosen to reveal to me. 41 00:03:28,460 --> 00:03:32,860 And so this morning I want to present to you Psalm 19 as it 42 00:03:32,860 --> 00:03:36,300 relates to the topic of the revelation of God. 43 00:03:38,500 --> 00:03:41,500 So this first section of Psalm 19, I'm sorry. 44 00:03:41,860 --> 00:03:43,900 So if you have your Bible on you and you haven't turned there 45 00:03:43,900 --> 00:03:48,660 yet, Psalm 19 is considered to be a wisdom hymn. 46 00:03:49,060 --> 00:03:51,740 OK? In other words, it's a song of 47 00:03:51,740 --> 00:03:55,310 praise to God. Which reflects and imparts 48 00:03:55,310 --> 00:03:58,470 wisdom. And we're going to break it down 49 00:03:58,470 --> 00:04:02,390 into three parts this morning. OK, so if if you're taking notes 50 00:04:02,390 --> 00:04:04,390 or following along, here's the outline. 51 00:04:05,430 --> 00:04:08,390 The first part we're going to look at in verses one to six, 52 00:04:08,510 --> 00:04:11,150 which is the revelation of God in nature. 53 00:04:11,150 --> 00:04:15,110 OK, so one to six, the revelation of God in nature. 54 00:04:15,350 --> 00:04:20,430 The second part we'll look at in verses 7 to 11 and that I've 55 00:04:20,430 --> 00:04:26,020 subtitled the revelation of God. In the Bible, and then the third 56 00:04:26,020 --> 00:04:30,620 and final part for this morning in verses 12 to 14, we're going 57 00:04:30,620 --> 00:04:34,780 to look at the Christian response to God's revelation. 58 00:04:37,260 --> 00:04:41,980 So in this first section of Psalm 19, the psalmist here 59 00:04:41,980 --> 00:04:45,340 directs us to God's revelation in nature. 60 00:04:45,740 --> 00:04:49,660 Okay, now the Psalm is poetry. It's a hymn. 61 00:04:50,660 --> 00:04:55,700 The superscription tells us just above verse one that it's a a 62 00:04:55,700 --> 00:05:00,260 song directed to the choir master, a Psalm of David for the 63 00:05:00,260 --> 00:05:05,380 worship and praise of God. Now the point of noting that is 64 00:05:05,380 --> 00:05:09,220 that the psalmist Tim of praise here is simply a natural 65 00:05:09,220 --> 00:05:15,660 response of reflecting on the glory, majesty and infinite 66 00:05:15,660 --> 00:05:19,380 power of God that is shouting out around him. 67 00:05:20,070 --> 00:05:24,310 He looks up to the sky in the day and the universe at night, 68 00:05:25,310 --> 00:05:30,470 and he observes the handiwork of God, reflecting the glory of 69 00:05:30,470 --> 00:05:35,310 God. Now when we stop and think about 70 00:05:35,310 --> 00:05:39,630 it, what we observe in the sky is really incomprehensible. 71 00:05:40,830 --> 00:05:43,830 We can't even begin to get our minds wrapped around our own 72 00:05:43,830 --> 00:05:46,790 Galaxy. For instance, there are 73 00:05:46,790 --> 00:05:52,510 somewhere between 200. And 400 billion stars just in 74 00:05:52,510 --> 00:05:57,950 our Milky Way Galaxy alone. And there are said to be 500 75 00:05:57,950 --> 00:06:05,870 million galaxies That for you mathematicians that would be 2 * 76 00:06:05,870 --> 00:06:10,950 10 to the 23rd power stars. OK, an incomprehensible number 77 00:06:12,590 --> 00:06:16,350 aside from the Sun, the closest star in the solar system. 78 00:06:16,780 --> 00:06:21,580 Would take 76,000 years to get to with current spacecraft 79 00:06:21,580 --> 00:06:25,820 technology. Now that's a couple facts about 80 00:06:25,820 --> 00:06:28,860 the stars. The Sun is even more amazing. 81 00:06:30,100 --> 00:06:36,780 The Sun accounts for 99.8% of the total mass in our solar 82 00:06:36,780 --> 00:06:40,700 system. OK, that means that the Earth is 83 00:06:40,700 --> 00:06:45,380 a fraction of a fraction of the total mass in our solar system. 84 00:06:46,300 --> 00:06:51,300 You could fit 1.3 million Earths inside the Sun. 85 00:06:52,780 --> 00:06:57,180 To match the energy generated by the sun, you would have to 86 00:06:57,180 --> 00:07:03,340 detonate 100 billion tons of dynamite every second. 87 00:07:05,420 --> 00:07:10,460 The Sun holds our entire solar system together, and everything 88 00:07:10,460 --> 00:07:14,460 in the solar system revolves around the sun. 89 00:07:16,470 --> 00:07:21,710 Not one thing on earth could exist without the sun. 90 00:07:24,270 --> 00:07:27,070 Now, the psalmist obviously didn't have all these facts that 91 00:07:27,070 --> 00:07:31,670 we do today, but he did know that the sun sustained life. 92 00:07:32,710 --> 00:07:36,590 That's why cultures in ancient times worshipped the sun as a 93 00:07:36,590 --> 00:07:39,990 God. But the psalmist here doesn't 94 00:07:39,990 --> 00:07:43,750 deify the the sun. He personifies it. 95 00:07:44,280 --> 00:07:48,760 As a bridegroom leaving his chamber and a strong man running 96 00:07:49,040 --> 00:07:53,920 to demonstrate that even the sun, along with all of creation, 97 00:07:54,240 --> 00:07:59,520 is there and exists to testify to the glory of God and the 98 00:07:59,520 --> 00:08:04,720 revealing of God's power, majesty, and handiwork in all of 99 00:08:04,720 --> 00:08:10,960 creation, one just needs to look up to see that God exists. 100 00:08:12,950 --> 00:08:16,910 Now I want to backtrack a minute to verses three and four and 101 00:08:16,910 --> 00:08:18,790 hear. The psalmist presents us with a 102 00:08:18,790 --> 00:08:22,990 paradox. And he says there is no speech, 103 00:08:23,150 --> 00:08:26,710 nor are there words whose voice is not heard. 104 00:08:28,150 --> 00:08:33,270 Their voice goes out to all the earth and their words to the end 105 00:08:33,270 --> 00:08:37,870 of the world. In other words, inaudible noise. 106 00:08:38,390 --> 00:08:42,030 Words are being spoken without being spoken. 107 00:08:44,140 --> 00:08:46,780 Eugene Peterson paraphrases it this way. 108 00:08:47,020 --> 00:08:51,860 In the message he writes. Their words aren't heard, their 109 00:08:51,860 --> 00:08:56,700 voices aren't recorded, but their silence fills the earth. 110 00:08:57,860 --> 00:09:01,780 Unspoken truth is spoken everywhere. 111 00:09:04,700 --> 00:09:09,940 And so the question becomes, well, what is God saying and 112 00:09:09,940 --> 00:09:11,980 what he's saying to the whole world? 113 00:09:12,520 --> 00:09:20,160 Is look up I exist. I'm real Here is the evidence. 114 00:09:22,240 --> 00:09:25,760 Now that begs the question, OK, at least for me as someone who 115 00:09:25,760 --> 00:09:30,040 tries to think logically and rationally, does it really make 116 00:09:30,040 --> 00:09:36,040 sense to believe in God now? Philosophically speaking, there 117 00:09:36,040 --> 00:09:40,480 have been 3 broad explanations for existence or what we see 118 00:09:40,480 --> 00:09:42,060 around us. Okay. 119 00:09:42,500 --> 00:09:47,660 The first explanation is that everything that exists came from 120 00:09:47,660 --> 00:09:49,820 nothing. All right, so let me just 121 00:09:49,820 --> 00:09:51,740 briefly illustrate what that looks like. 122 00:09:52,180 --> 00:09:58,380 You have nothing, then you have nothing outside of nothing, and 123 00:09:58,380 --> 00:10:02,580 then all of a sudden you have something that's actually one 124 00:10:02,580 --> 00:10:04,260 explanation that's been put forth. 125 00:10:04,660 --> 00:10:08,380 The 2nd explanation for existence is that everything 126 00:10:08,380 --> 00:10:11,320 that exists. Came from an impersonal 127 00:10:11,320 --> 00:10:14,200 beginning. OK, so you had something like 128 00:10:14,200 --> 00:10:19,000 matter or mass or energy, something that just always 129 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:24,200 existed, impersonal, and then over billions or trillions or 130 00:10:24,360 --> 00:10:27,800 however many years you want to say, combusted together and poof 131 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:32,200 popped out with all this design. Now we could talk about the 132 00:10:32,200 --> 00:10:36,960 statistical improbability of that, but really there would be 133 00:10:36,960 --> 00:10:41,130 no meaning or purpose in life. If that's true, in fact, we 134 00:10:41,130 --> 00:10:44,690 wouldn't even be able to ask the question, what is the meaning or 135 00:10:44,690 --> 00:10:49,570 purpose to life? The third explanation for 136 00:10:49,570 --> 00:10:53,690 existence is that everything that exists came from a personal 137 00:10:53,690 --> 00:10:58,490 beginning, okay, which would infer a personal infinite 138 00:10:58,810 --> 00:11:05,890 creator, and it's this third explanation that gives us 139 00:11:05,890 --> 00:11:09,830 meaning and purpose. And I would submit to you this 140 00:11:09,830 --> 00:11:14,430 morning that it's not only logical, but it's really the 141 00:11:14,430 --> 00:11:17,070 only explanation that makes sense. 142 00:11:19,030 --> 00:11:20,990 And so the answer Does it make sense to believe? 143 00:11:21,150 --> 00:11:23,310 The question does it make sense to believe in God? 144 00:11:23,310 --> 00:11:27,150 Is yes, it makes complete sense to believe in God. 145 00:11:28,670 --> 00:11:33,430 The most obvious thing in the world is that God exists. 146 00:11:37,130 --> 00:11:38,690 Now that leads to another question. 147 00:11:38,690 --> 00:11:44,210 Okay, if it's so obvious, then why do so many people reject 148 00:11:44,210 --> 00:11:47,650 God? Well, the Bible has an answer 149 00:11:47,650 --> 00:11:50,210 for that. And I would ask you now if you 150 00:11:50,210 --> 00:11:53,490 have your Bibles on you to turn to Romans chapter one. 151 00:11:54,370 --> 00:11:58,250 And we're going to look at this explanation in verses 19 to 21. 152 00:12:00,930 --> 00:12:05,330 And I would submit to you this morning that the reason so many 153 00:12:05,330 --> 00:12:10,010 people reject God. Is not primarily an intellectual 154 00:12:10,010 --> 00:12:12,730 issue. OK, let's look at what's written 155 00:12:12,730 --> 00:12:15,970 in Romans one. It should be up on the screen, 156 00:12:15,970 --> 00:12:21,890 and we'll begin in verse 19. For what can be known about God 157 00:12:22,130 --> 00:12:26,850 is playing to them because God has shown it to them, for his 158 00:12:26,850 --> 00:12:32,170 invisible attributes, namely his eternal power and divine nature, 159 00:12:32,450 --> 00:12:36,660 have been clearly perceived. Ever since the creation of the 160 00:12:36,660 --> 00:12:40,700 world and the things that have been made so they are without 161 00:12:40,700 --> 00:12:43,580 excuse. And here's the key verse for us 162 00:12:43,940 --> 00:12:48,420 this morning, verse 21. For although they knew God, they 163 00:12:48,420 --> 00:12:53,100 did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became 164 00:12:53,140 --> 00:12:59,020 futile in their thinking and their foolish hearts were 165 00:12:59,020 --> 00:13:05,800 darkened. The reason so many people reject 166 00:13:05,800 --> 00:13:09,240 God is not an intellectual issue. 167 00:13:10,800 --> 00:13:13,800 It's a hard issue. They're blind. 168 00:13:14,520 --> 00:13:19,120 And so were we at one point. And what's happening is that the 169 00:13:19,120 --> 00:13:24,760 God of this world, that is Satan, has blinded the minds of 170 00:13:24,760 --> 00:13:28,680 unbelievers that they may not come to a knowledge of the 171 00:13:28,680 --> 00:13:31,240 truth. And so now. 172 00:13:32,130 --> 00:13:38,890 The only way to regain sight is for God to reveal himself to us 173 00:13:39,490 --> 00:13:42,330 outside of His revelation in nature. 174 00:13:44,290 --> 00:13:49,770 And the good news is that He has revealed himself to us in and 175 00:13:49,770 --> 00:13:53,050 through His Word, in and through the Bible. 176 00:13:53,970 --> 00:13:56,610 And so that takes us to our second part for this morning, 177 00:13:56,930 --> 00:14:00,050 the revelation of God in the Bible. 178 00:14:02,190 --> 00:14:06,550 Now we'll get to verse seven in a minute, but at first I just 179 00:14:06,550 --> 00:14:09,910 want to point out that at first glance, the Psalmist seems to 180 00:14:09,910 --> 00:14:14,630 abruptly transition from verse six in talking about and 181 00:14:14,630 --> 00:14:17,990 finishing up with talking about the the revelation of God in 182 00:14:17,990 --> 00:14:21,790 nature to beginning in verse 7, where he begins talking about 183 00:14:21,790 --> 00:14:24,070 the revelation of God in his word. 184 00:14:24,950 --> 00:14:28,310 And as I was meditating on this Psalm, trying to understand its 185 00:14:28,310 --> 00:14:31,070 unity, I just felt like I was getting nowhere. 186 00:14:32,230 --> 00:14:36,230 And so I turn to a helpful commentary which referenced an 187 00:14:36,230 --> 00:14:41,870 insight by CS Lewis, who said this, that the transition from 188 00:14:41,870 --> 00:14:47,990 verse 6 to verse 7 hinges on the clause and there is nothing 189 00:14:47,990 --> 00:14:52,510 hidden from its heat. That is the sun's heat and it's 190 00:14:52,510 --> 00:14:57,350 in this phrase or that marks the transition between the two 191 00:14:57,350 --> 00:15:00,620 parts. And at the same time links them 192 00:15:00,660 --> 00:15:06,860 intimately together. So just as the sun lights up the 193 00:15:06,860 --> 00:15:13,740 sky during the day and provides a way for life to exist in the 194 00:15:13,740 --> 00:15:20,340 physical sense, so too the word of God lights up the human heart 195 00:15:21,380 --> 00:15:26,220 and provides a way for life to exist in the spiritual sense. 196 00:15:29,490 --> 00:15:38,050 Just like there could be no life on earth without the sun, so too 197 00:15:38,050 --> 00:15:43,530 there can be no hope and salvation and eternal life 198 00:15:44,690 --> 00:15:53,490 without the word of God. The Bible contains the words. 199 00:15:53,960 --> 00:15:58,400 By which we not only come to a saving faith, but by which we 200 00:15:58,400 --> 00:16:03,960 nourish our spiritual lives. This is why Moses told the 201 00:16:03,960 --> 00:16:07,720 people of Israel in reference to the words of God's law. 202 00:16:08,320 --> 00:16:14,600 For it is no empty word for you but your very life, and by this 203 00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:19,040 word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the 204 00:16:19,040 --> 00:16:23,510 Jordan to possess. This is why the Lord says to 205 00:16:23,510 --> 00:16:27,470 Joshua, this book of the law shall not depart from your 206 00:16:27,470 --> 00:16:32,750 mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, That that you 207 00:16:32,750 --> 00:16:36,350 may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. 208 00:16:36,950 --> 00:16:41,710 For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will 209 00:16:41,710 --> 00:16:47,030 find good success. Now as we look at verses 7 to 210 00:16:47,030 --> 00:16:49,380 11. We find that the Psalmist here 211 00:16:49,380 --> 00:16:54,660 refers to the word of God in six ways and attaches to those ways 212 00:16:54,780 --> 00:16:59,860 6 characteristics out of which flow 6 benefits for the 213 00:16:59,860 --> 00:17:05,020 Christian. Now, there's overlap here, but 214 00:17:05,020 --> 00:17:09,060 the I think one of the the best way to imagine it is like facets 215 00:17:09,500 --> 00:17:12,900 of a of the most purest diamond imaginable. 216 00:17:13,420 --> 00:17:16,980 OK, so let's go to verse seven, it says. 217 00:17:17,329 --> 00:17:20,770 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. 218 00:17:21,569 --> 00:17:24,930 Now, it's important to note here that the word law here is not 219 00:17:25,250 --> 00:17:28,050 strictly referring to the 10 commandments. 220 00:17:28,050 --> 00:17:30,650 Okay. It's the Hebrew word Torah which 221 00:17:30,650 --> 00:17:32,690 means instruction. Okay. 222 00:17:34,010 --> 00:17:36,170 It's the it's it's more the Lord's instruction. 223 00:17:36,170 --> 00:17:39,170 The Lord's teaching the whole council of God. 224 00:17:40,010 --> 00:17:41,810 We should look at it. Look at it not in the 225 00:17:41,810 --> 00:17:45,170 restrictive sense, but in the instructive sense. 226 00:17:45,490 --> 00:17:47,720 Okay. A good image would be like a 227 00:17:47,720 --> 00:17:51,720 parent holding a toddler's hand for the first time as he's 228 00:17:51,720 --> 00:17:56,400 learning how to walk. The Torah or the Law, OK, shows 229 00:17:56,400 --> 00:18:01,600 us how to walk and the direction that we should take so that our 230 00:18:01,600 --> 00:18:06,560 souls can be revived and transformed and restored. 231 00:18:09,280 --> 00:18:13,160 Following God's instructions will transform you. 232 00:18:14,250 --> 00:18:16,410 It will give you purpose and meaning. 233 00:18:17,250 --> 00:18:22,570 It will heal your soul. God's word passed down to us in 234 00:18:22,570 --> 00:18:26,410 the Bible is actually medicine for our souls. 235 00:18:28,170 --> 00:18:32,530 Now the word perfect here is inferring completeness or 236 00:18:32,530 --> 00:18:36,330 wholeness. It's an extension of God who 237 00:18:36,330 --> 00:18:40,890 always existed. The second part of verse 7 says 238 00:18:40,890 --> 00:18:43,250 the testimony of the Lord is sure. 239 00:18:43,740 --> 00:18:49,540 Making wise the simple Now, the word for testimony here is 240 00:18:49,820 --> 00:18:53,580 derived from a word that means to witness or to testify. 241 00:18:54,740 --> 00:18:59,900 Observing God's testimonies or statutes keeps one from 242 00:18:59,900 --> 00:19:02,780 advancing illegitimate ambitions. 243 00:19:05,100 --> 00:19:09,340 We're instructed in Philippians to do nothing from selfish 244 00:19:09,340 --> 00:19:14,630 ambition or conceit. But in humility, count others as 245 00:19:14,630 --> 00:19:20,150 more significant than yourself. Psalm 119 says it this way. 246 00:19:20,310 --> 00:19:25,110 Incline my heart to your testimonies and not to selfish 247 00:19:25,110 --> 00:19:29,950 gain. A good way to know if we're 248 00:19:29,950 --> 00:19:34,230 being selfishly ambitious with the pursuit or a task is to ask 249 00:19:34,230 --> 00:19:38,950 ourselves this question. Is what I am pursuing, promoting 250 00:19:39,070 --> 00:19:43,470 only my own self-interest? We're also the interest of 251 00:19:43,470 --> 00:19:47,670 others Is what I am pursuing, promoting only my own 252 00:19:47,670 --> 00:19:50,590 self-interest. We're also the interest of 253 00:19:50,590 --> 00:19:55,710 others. The word simple here in infers 254 00:19:55,710 --> 00:19:59,830 foolishness. Psalm 14, verse one says that 255 00:19:59,910 --> 00:20:03,670 the fool says in his heart there is no God. 256 00:20:07,430 --> 00:20:11,510 Verse 8 The precepts of the Lord are right rejoicing the heart. 257 00:20:11,740 --> 00:20:14,580 OK, the word of God creates rejoicing. 258 00:20:16,060 --> 00:20:20,460 That word means peace or tranquility, which is rooted in 259 00:20:20,460 --> 00:20:23,660 a life of moral uprightness before God. 260 00:20:23,660 --> 00:20:28,940 OK, In other words, there's a There's an objective standard 261 00:20:29,140 --> 00:20:34,980 for morality, and living moral lives actually rejoices the 262 00:20:34,980 --> 00:20:39,100 heart. It is pleasurable to keep. 263 00:20:40,300 --> 00:20:44,740 The commandments of God. James calls it the perfect law 264 00:20:44,740 --> 00:20:49,020 of liberty, which makes one blessed or happy when living 265 00:20:49,060 --> 00:20:55,540 uprightly in true freedom. The second part of verse 8 says 266 00:20:55,540 --> 00:20:59,460 the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. 267 00:21:00,460 --> 00:21:05,060 In other words, the Bible gives us clarity that we can actually 268 00:21:05,060 --> 00:21:08,460 know what it says. The Bible is actually written in 269 00:21:08,460 --> 00:21:11,990 a way. That it can be understood now, 270 00:21:11,990 --> 00:21:13,990 just because it can be understood, doesn't mean we 271 00:21:13,990 --> 00:21:21,470 don't put in time and effort and energy to to to looking what it 272 00:21:21,470 --> 00:21:25,230 says and offering up a willingness to obey it, and of 273 00:21:25,230 --> 00:21:27,350 course receiving help from the Holy Spirit. 274 00:21:28,030 --> 00:21:32,670 But it can be understood, and of course our clarity will never be 275 00:21:32,670 --> 00:21:38,940 perfect on this side of heaven. Deuteronomy 3014 says, But the 276 00:21:38,940 --> 00:21:43,940 Word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your 277 00:21:43,940 --> 00:21:51,780 heart so that you can do it. Verse 9 says the fear of the 278 00:21:51,780 --> 00:21:57,300 Lord is clean, enduring forever. OK, the fear of the Lord here in 279 00:21:57,300 --> 00:22:01,340 first reverence for God. And so it's in this reverence 280 00:22:01,340 --> 00:22:04,940 for God which is rooted in the response. 281 00:22:05,320 --> 00:22:12,880 To God's perfect instructions. And finally, first the second 282 00:22:12,880 --> 00:22:17,600 part of verse 9 says the rules of the Lord are true and 283 00:22:17,600 --> 00:22:22,160 righteous altogether. Now we have to skip verse 10 and 284 00:22:22,160 --> 00:22:24,640 go to verse 11 to get to the benefit here. 285 00:22:25,400 --> 00:22:30,680 And the benefit is that by them, by the word of God, we receive a 286 00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:36,850 warning and we receive a reward. And it's with this warning and 287 00:22:36,850 --> 00:22:42,010 reward that we gain endurance to live out the will of God. 288 00:22:44,850 --> 00:22:50,050 There are rewards both in this life and the life to come, 289 00:22:50,890 --> 00:22:54,370 everlasting life to keeping the word of God. 290 00:22:56,850 --> 00:23:00,330 Now if we go back to verse 10 for a minute, verse 10. 291 00:23:03,570 --> 00:23:08,890 The Psalmist gives us he says, that the word of God is more to 292 00:23:08,890 --> 00:23:13,250 be desired than gold and honey. OK. 293 00:23:13,450 --> 00:23:17,610 In other words, the word of God is to be desired more than money 294 00:23:18,090 --> 00:23:21,650 or food. A a more Broadway to say that 295 00:23:21,650 --> 00:23:25,730 would be to say that the word of God is more to be desired than 296 00:23:25,890 --> 00:23:29,890 earthly security or earthly satisfaction. 297 00:23:32,080 --> 00:23:34,440 It's written this way in Psalm 119. 298 00:23:34,600 --> 00:23:40,200 The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and 299 00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:47,320 silver pieces. Now, finally, we come to the 300 00:23:47,320 --> 00:23:51,080 last section of this Psalm, which I've subtitled The 301 00:23:51,080 --> 00:23:56,320 Christian Response to the Revelation of God, and in verse 302 00:23:56,320 --> 00:23:59,040 12 the Psalmist asked a question. 303 00:24:00,080 --> 00:24:04,880 And he says, who can discern his errors Now? 304 00:24:04,880 --> 00:24:08,040 At first glance, it seems like another abrupt transition, like 305 00:24:08,040 --> 00:24:11,840 we had from verse 6 to verse seven with the sun. 306 00:24:13,760 --> 00:24:19,040 But what's happening here is that the psalmist has just held 307 00:24:19,040 --> 00:24:24,960 up God's perfect standard revealed in his word, and he 308 00:24:24,960 --> 00:24:29,560 recognizes that although God through his word. 309 00:24:31,090 --> 00:24:36,930 Has revived his soul, has given him wisdom and joy and 310 00:24:36,930 --> 00:24:42,690 understanding, a right reverence for God, and a desire to do 311 00:24:42,690 --> 00:24:48,930 God's will, that he still falls short of God's standard. 312 00:24:50,890 --> 00:24:56,650 And so he prays, and he cries out to God to declare him 313 00:24:56,650 --> 00:25:00,090 innocent. Of even his hidden faults, 314 00:25:01,490 --> 00:25:07,450 because he knows, deep down at the core of his being, that he 315 00:25:07,450 --> 00:25:13,210 is guilty before a holy and righteous God. 316 00:25:17,370 --> 00:25:21,770 The response is actually a natural response to meditating 317 00:25:21,770 --> 00:25:26,330 on the word of God, just like the psalmist natural response. 318 00:25:26,700 --> 00:25:30,380 In his reflection on the glory of God in creation. 319 00:25:32,460 --> 00:25:37,940 It's like Isaiah's response in Isaiah 6 when he sees the Lord 320 00:25:37,940 --> 00:25:40,740 sitting upon a throne high and lifted up. 321 00:25:41,980 --> 00:25:48,940 And he says, woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I 322 00:25:48,940 --> 00:25:54,820 dwell amidst a people of unclean lips, for my eyes have seen the 323 00:25:54,820 --> 00:25:57,230 king. The Lord of hosts. 324 00:25:59,190 --> 00:26:02,830 It's like Peter's response in Luke 5, who has one of his first 325 00:26:02,830 --> 00:26:07,310 encounters with Jesus. And he falls to his knees and he 326 00:26:07,310 --> 00:26:12,390 says, depart from me, for I am a sinful man, oh Lord. 327 00:26:17,470 --> 00:26:22,110 And so the psalmist recognizes here that in order for him to be 328 00:26:22,110 --> 00:26:25,790 right with God that he needs to be perfect. 329 00:26:27,130 --> 00:26:32,050 But he's not. And the reality is that we all 330 00:26:32,050 --> 00:26:34,810 need to be perfect, but we are not. 331 00:26:36,250 --> 00:26:40,410 And the Bible confirms for us that all have sinned and fall 332 00:26:40,410 --> 00:26:47,930 short of the glory of God. And God is so holy and so 333 00:26:47,930 --> 00:26:53,370 righteous that God and sin cannot coexist. 334 00:26:55,720 --> 00:27:01,640 And so he does the only thing he can do, and he flings himself on 335 00:27:01,640 --> 00:27:09,400 God, knowing that it is only God who can make a way for him out 336 00:27:09,400 --> 00:27:14,600 of this predicament. And the good news of the gospel 337 00:27:14,600 --> 00:27:19,880 this morning is that God does give him a way out, and he gives 338 00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:23,960 everyone a way out who would call upon the name of the Lord 339 00:27:23,960 --> 00:27:28,390 for help. And he did this by sending his 340 00:27:28,390 --> 00:27:35,990 Son, Jesus Christ to live a perfect, blameless, innocent and 341 00:27:35,990 --> 00:27:43,030 sinless life, to die on the cross, perfectly fulfilling the 342 00:27:43,030 --> 00:27:51,590 law of God and paying the penalty that we all deserve, 343 00:27:52,470 --> 00:27:57,060 which is death. And eternal separation from the 344 00:27:57,060 --> 00:28:04,340 God of the universe, so that all those who repent and put their 345 00:28:04,340 --> 00:28:12,900 faith and trust in Jesus Christ would not perish, but would have 346 00:28:12,900 --> 00:28:16,100 everlasting life with God for all of eternity. 347 00:28:18,900 --> 00:28:22,540 And if you're here this morning and you have not yet. 348 00:28:23,240 --> 00:28:25,440 Put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ. 349 00:28:26,160 --> 00:28:31,480 Then that has to be your first step, because God cannot do 350 00:28:31,480 --> 00:28:36,360 anything for you until you are covered in the blood of Jesus 351 00:28:36,360 --> 00:28:42,160 Christ. But God doesn't just want to 352 00:28:42,160 --> 00:28:45,720 save us, He wants to transform us. 353 00:28:46,880 --> 00:28:50,840 And so the Psalmist shows us here that the natural response 354 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:54,840 to the revelate of to God's Revelation is not that we build 355 00:28:54,840 --> 00:28:58,960 our lives up around our own good works and say how rightly we 356 00:28:58,960 --> 00:29:02,480 live before God. We're puff ourselves up with 357 00:29:02,480 --> 00:29:07,120 pride, but we start each day with an attitude of repentance 358 00:29:09,640 --> 00:29:13,560 and we bow our hearts and humility, standing on the 359 00:29:13,560 --> 00:29:16,900 completed work. Of Jesus Christ, who has and 360 00:29:17,420 --> 00:29:22,020 will redeem all those who put their faith and trust in Him, 361 00:29:23,500 --> 00:29:28,980 and who wants to restore us to life the way God originally 362 00:29:28,980 --> 00:29:36,260 intended it to be, lived in communion with Him life more 363 00:29:36,260 --> 00:29:42,020 abundantly. John writes that Jesus Christ is 364 00:29:42,020 --> 00:29:47,870 the Word of God made flesh. Who dwelt among us, and we have 365 00:29:47,870 --> 00:29:51,390 seen his glory, full of grace and truth. 366 00:29:52,910 --> 00:29:58,550 He writes later in the in Revelation 19 that the name by 367 00:29:58,550 --> 00:30:02,030 which he is called is the Word of God. 368 00:30:05,750 --> 00:30:10,510 Jesus Christ is the one who restores, who gives us wisdom 369 00:30:10,990 --> 00:30:16,490 and joy and understanding. And he is the one whom this text 370 00:30:16,890 --> 00:30:21,930 and all the Bible points to. And Jesus Christ is our rock, 371 00:30:22,530 --> 00:30:29,330 and He is our Redeemer. And I want to end here with 372 00:30:29,330 --> 00:30:35,090 this. God elevates His word, OK 373 00:30:35,170 --> 00:30:40,690 alongside his own name. That's in Psalm 138, verse 2. 374 00:30:41,530 --> 00:30:48,050 And when we elevate His Word in our lives and build our lives 375 00:30:48,050 --> 00:30:54,970 around it, on the finished work of Jesus Christ with a believing 376 00:30:55,330 --> 00:31:01,090 and a repentant heart, He promises not only to save us but 377 00:31:01,090 --> 00:31:05,050 to transform us. The Bible says that he actually 378 00:31:05,050 --> 00:31:11,130 comes in and dines with us. The Christian response to God's 379 00:31:11,130 --> 00:31:13,970 revelation is not a one time response. 380 00:31:13,970 --> 00:31:17,610 When we get saved, it's a daily response. 381 00:31:19,290 --> 00:31:24,490 And as we go from here, may we embrace the treasures contained 382 00:31:24,490 --> 00:31:31,210 in this book more and more to read it, to meditate on it, and 383 00:31:31,210 --> 00:31:36,170 to make it such a part of our lives that God would heal us. 384 00:31:37,510 --> 00:31:42,070 Heal the people around us, and that God's glory would get to be 385 00:31:42,070 --> 00:31:47,750 revealed through us and through all of that, that we would 386 00:31:47,750 --> 00:31:52,470 simply yet so profoundly get more of God. 387 00:31:53,830 --> 00:31:57,590 The sermon you've just listened to is a presentation of Church 388 00:31:57,590 --> 00:32:00,500 Newtown Square. To find out more about our 389 00:32:00,500 --> 00:32:03,860 church, check out Church NS q.org. 390 00:32:04,300 --> 00:32:11,300 That's CHVRCHNS q.org. You are welcome to copy and 391 00:32:11,300 --> 00:32:14,060 distribute this sermon to others, as long as you do not do 392 00:32:14,060 --> 00:32:18,300 it for commercial purposes or alter, transform, or build upon 393 00:32:18,300 --> 00:32:19,700 this talk in any way.