Clearing The Way-2 Series

CLEARING THE WAY—Psalm 119:9-16

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 &/or fatherhood can properly maintain his way in the world.

How can a man(person) entering adulthood maintain/make his(their) way in the world?

How can a Christian man maintain/make his way in the world?

12 Disciplines to maintaining/making your way in the world.

This morning we found that Clearing the Way(for Father’s Day) demands sustained...

1. A PURIFYING Heart(:9a)

2. A KEEPER’s/GUARD’s/PROTECTOR’s Heart(:9b)

All these disciplines can either be limited to your little world or they can be brought into the realm of service to God.

3—Clearing the Way(for Father’s Day) demands...

A HUNTER’s Heart(:10a)

Explanation:(10a)Heart

:10a—“With my whole heart I have sought You;...”

The “cleansed way”(:1) demands “taking heed”(:1) “with nothing less than one’s “whole heart.” The entirety of one’s being...the very desire of one’s ‘heart-of-hearts’ is to be directed toward his “seeking” YHWH—the biblical covenant God of Israel.

In order for his path to be free of ‘debris’ & ‘weeds’ & ‘deadfalls,’ every conscientiously godly young man must enter into a personal quest for relationship with YHWH.

Likewise every area of a godly man’s heart must be given to his seeking God.

“Whole/All”(See :14)—lk kol—Noun Masc.—1) All, the whole. Strong—properly--The whole; hence--All, any or every(in the singular only, but often in a plural sense).

“Heart”(See :11)—bl leb—1) Inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding—1a) Inner part, midst. Strong—The heart; also used(figuratively) very widely for--The feelings, the will & even the intellect; likewise for--The center of anything.

“Sought/Seek”—vrd daw-rash’—Qal Perfect—1) To resort to, seek, seek with care, enquire, require. Strong—a primitive root; properly--To tread or frequent; usually to follow(for pursuit or search); by implication--To seek or ask; specifically--To worship.

Argumentation:

Mat. 13:44-46—“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found & hid; & for joy over it he goes & sells all that he has & buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went & sold all that he had & bought it.”

Lk. 15:3-10—“So He spoke this parable to them, saying: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, & go after the one which is lost until he finds it? “And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends & neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ “I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, & search carefully until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls her friends & neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!’ “Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Jer. 29:10-14—“For thus says the LORD: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you & perform My good word toward you, & cause you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace & not of evil, to give you a future & a hope. Then you will call upon Me & go & pray to Me, & I will listen to you. And you will seek Me & find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the LORD, & I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations & from all the places where I have driven you, says the LORD, & I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.”

Illustration:

We are headed to the St. George Island State Park beach/We pack up everything—kids, grandkids, bathing suits, hats, sunscreen, chairs, beach umbrella, lunch, cooler/I take my place in driver’s seat & Mama(my wife) asks me if I have the keys & my wallet/Oops! No wallet!—The whole operation has to stop!...because I need some things which are always in my wallet—Driver’s license, Money, State Park Pass/Whenever I have lost something of importance I give up what is my current focus to find what is lost/A HUNTER’s Heart

Good medical doctors searching for the source of a patient’s ailment/Some quit searching after much effort—Some never expend any energy in their search at all, while others search consistently & conscientiously/A HUNTER’s Heart