Sermon Central
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Clearing The Way-6 Series
Contributed by Byron Sherman on Aug 13, 2015 (message contributor)
Summary: 6 of 7. The psalmist described the means by which a young man was to cleanse his way or make his way straight in the world. One's way is to be properly maintained. But How? Clearing the Way(for Father’s Day) demands sustained..
CLEARING THE WAY-part 6—Psalm 119:9-16
Building a house.
There must be no liens on the land.
Permits/legalities must be satisfied.
The land must be cleared!
There must be no obstructions to pouring the foundation.
There must be no dangerous objects in the soon to be yard.—safe for walking
There must be no underlying problems such as poisons from chemical spills.
If you’re in the country, the land must ‘perk.’
If you have children of any age, the moral fortitude of the neighbors must be considered.
—Much must be considered when CLEARING The WAY.
The psalmist described the means by which a young man was to cleanse his way or make his way straight in the world.
A young man entering adulthood can properly maintain his way in the world.
How can a person make their way in the world?
12 Disciplines to maintaining/making your way in the world.
We have previously found that Clearing the Way demands...
1. A PURIFYING Heart(:9a)
2. A KEEPER’s/GUARD’s/PROTECTOR’s Heart(:9b)
3. A HUNTER’s Heart(:10a)
4. A NAVIGATOR’s Heart(:10b)
5. A TREASURING Heart(:11a)
6. A REASONING Heart(:11b)
7. An ADORING Heart(:12a)
8. An OPEN Heart(:12b)
9. A CONFIDENT TEACHER’s Heart(:13)
All these disciplines can either be limited to your little world or they can be brought into the realm of service to God.
10—Clearing the Way demands...
A DRIVEN Heart(:14)
Explanation:(:14)Supplied
:14—“I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, As much as in all riches.”
The man, truly on the cleansed path of God’s choosing, absolutely exults “in” God’s “way,” which is disclosed thru His “testimonies.” God’s open declarations of Himself, His attributes, His purposes, His heart are testimonials to His character & thereby to our “way” in Him by Christ Jesus.
If any young man(:1) is bent on cleansing his way by the Lord God, then he will be filled with the light of God in Christ & be unable to hold it back for the joy lodged within his soul. Such a reliance readily leaves diamonds, gold & acquisitions to the dust they are. For the young man there is absolutely nothing tangible which can provide a joy which YHWH offers those who are His.
Mat. 6:19-21—“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth & rust destroy & where thieves break in & steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys & where thieves do not break in & steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Some within earshot today may care more about ‘your stuff’ than about the One you claim is your Lord! You have chosen “riches” over God’s “testimonies” to your detriment.
?What gets in the way of your service to God?
Your personal satisfaction...What drives it?
A Christ-honoring man is joyful of the journey he is on, because his joy is tied to the integrity of his service to God.
If you look for bad you will always find bad...But if you look for good you will always find good!
Rom. 12:21—“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Why can’t you be pleasant to be around? Not that you have to talk a lot(most guys don’t) or be buddy-buddy with everyone or gregarious.
“Rejoiced”—sws soows—Qal Perfect—1) To exult, rejoice—1a) (Qal)--To exult, display joy. Strong—a primitive root; To be bright, i.e. Cheerful.
“Way/Following”(See :9; 15—xra)—Krd deh'-rek—1) Way, road, distance, journey, manner. Strong—A road(as trodden); figuratively--A course of life or mode of action, often adverb.
“Testimonies/Decrees/Statutes”—twde ay-doowth'—1) Testimony. Strong—feminine of de[concretely--A witness; abstractly--Testimony; specifically--A recorder, i.e. Prince]; Testimony.
“All”(See :10)—lk kol—
“Riches”—Nwh hown—Noun Masc.—1) Wealth, riches, substance—1a) Wealth, 1b) Price, high value. Interjection—2) Enough!, sufficiency. Strong—Wealth; by implication--Enough.
Argumentation:
**Mat. 6:24-34—“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one & love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one & despise the other. You cannot serve God & mammon. Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food & the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; & yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, & tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ “For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God & His righteousness, & all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
