CLEARING THE WAY-part 5—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.
Previously we had 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)
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)
All these disciplines can either be limited to your little world or they can be brought into the realm of service to God.
8—Clearing the Way(for Father’s Day) demands...
An OPEN Heart(:12b)
Explanation:(:12b)Enterprising student
:12—“...Teach me Your statutes!”
Recognizing the blessed” position of God, the young man submits his endeavors to be “taught” God’s “statutes.” A godly young man sees the benefit of God’s “statutes” & offers his own mindset & energy to learning them. He is aware that in knowing the “statutes,” he knows the mind of God. He does not merely learn some rules of approach but rather seeks the very heart of God.
“Teach”—dml law-mad’—Piel(intensive/intentional/repeated/extended) Imperative—1) To learn. teach, exercise in—1b) (Piel)--To teach. Strong—a primitive root; properly--To goad, i.e. by implication--To teach(the rod being an Oriental incentive).
“Statutes/Decrees”(See :16—hqx)—qx khoq—1) Statute, ordinance, limit, something prescribed, due—1a) Prescribed task, 1b) Prescribed portion, 1c) Action prescribed (for oneself), resolve, 1d) Prescribed due, 1e) Prescribed limit, boundary, 1f) Enactment, decree, ordinance, 1g) Enactments, statutes.
Argumentation:
**Mat. 10:24-25—“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, & a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!”
**1Tim. 2:9-12—“in like manner also[as per the men lifting up holy hands in prayer], that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety & moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works. Let a woman learn[manyanw] in silence[hsucia] with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence[hsucia].”
1Tim. 6:13-16—“I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, & before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing, which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed & only Potentate, the King of kings & Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor & everlasting power. Amen.”
**Ps. 119:27, 33, 64, 66, 68, 71—“Make me understand the way of Your precepts; So shall I meditate on Your wondrous works.”.....“Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes, And I shall keep it to the end.”....“The earth, O LORD, is full of Your mercy; Teach me Your statutes.”.....“Teach me good judgment & knowledge, For I believe Your commandments.”.....“You are good, & do good; Teach me Your statutes.”.....“It is good for me that I have been afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes.”
2Kgs. 17:21-41—“For He tore Israel from the house of David, & they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. Then Jeroboam drove Israel from following the LORD, & made them commit a great sin. For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they did not depart from them, until the LORD removed Israel out of His sight, as He had said by all His servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away from their own land to Assyria, as it is to this day. Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Ava, Hamath, & from Sepharvaim, & placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; & they took possession of Samaria & dwelt in its cities. And it was so, at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they did not fear the LORD; therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which killed some of them. So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The nations whom you have removed & placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the rituals of the God of the land; therefore He has sent lions among them, & indeed, they are killing them because they do not know the rituals of the God of the land.” Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, “Send there one of the priests whom you brought from there; let him go & dwell there, & let him teach them the rituals of the God of the land.” Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came & dwelt in Bethel, & taught them how they should fear the LORD. However every nation continued to make gods of its own, & put them in the shrines on the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in the cities where they dwelt. The men of Babylon made Succoth Benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima, & the Avites made Nibhaz & Tartak; & the Sepharvites burned their children in fire to Adrammelech & Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. So they feared the LORD, & from every class they appointed for themselves priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the shrines of the high places. They feared the LORD, yet served their own gods--according to the rituals of the nations from among whom they were carried away. To this day they continue practicing the former rituals; they do not fear the LORD, nor do they follow their statutes or their ordinances, or the law & commandment which the LORD had commanded the children of Jacob, whom He named Israel, with whom the LORD had made a covenant & charged them, saying: “You shall not fear other gods, nor bow down to them nor serve them nor sacrifice to them; but the LORD, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power & an outstretched arm, Him you shall fear, Him you shall worship, & to Him you shall offer sacrifice. And the statutes, the ordinances, the law, & the commandment which He wrote for you, you shall be careful to observe forever; you shall not fear other gods. And the covenant that I have made with you, you shall not forget, nor shall you fear other gods. “But the LORD your God you shall fear; & He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.” However they did not obey, but they followed their former rituals. So these nations feared the LORD, yet served their carved images; also their children & their children’s children have continued doing as their fathers did, even to this day.” **Lk. 24:44-48—“Then He[Jesus] said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses & the Prophets & the Psalms concerning Me.” And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, & thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer & to rise from the dead the third day, & that repentance & remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things.”
**Mat. 11:29—“Take My yoke upon you & learn from Me, for I am gentle & lowly in heart, & you will find rest for your souls.”
Illustration:
*’Star Talk’ TV show hosted by noted astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson/I recorded 2 episodes which leaned heavily upon an outspoken atheist intellectual—Richard Dawkins—& a Jesuit priest—Rev. James Martin/Their ‘purpose’ was to explore the ‘collision’ of religion & science/Though I disagree with Martin’s thought regarding evolution, I applaud his composure/Martin well informed the ignorant-but-intellectual represented scientific community(represented by Tyson) on many surprising points/The scientific community needed An OPEN Heart
Metrolina Greenhouses(Huntersville, NC)—Wholesellers of annual plants to big volume retailers such as Wal-Mart & K-mart, etc./The greenhouses are a huge network of greenhouses/They were growing annual vinca/The flats have to be of uniform consistency & height, which is controlled by very specific temperature, light, watering & feeding regimens—Constant attention!/I went to work with them as a ‘grower’s assistant’/I had to follow & perform according to the ‘head grower’ for the particular area/Had to learn much new to me/The ‘grower’ had to keep an open heart in order to train others/An OPEN Heart
Any on the job training—Those who do not learn do not last!/An OPEN Heart
Application:
?You fulfilling God’s demand as a father in providing An OPEN Heart? Your family needs it!
?You Clearing the Way for Father’s Day?
9—Clearing the Way(for Father’s Day) demands...
A CONFIDENT TEACHER’s Heart(:13)
Explanation:(:13)
:13—“With my lips I have declared All the judgments of Your mouth.”
An honest true believer has no problem sharing(not brow-beating) the truth that they live out before & with others. God’s truth is always on his/her “lips.” Such people do not rely on other people to tell the story of Jesus, but rather “declare” it from their own “lips.” These people have a personal testimony as to God’s working in their lives, though they may not share their testimony in the same manner(pulpit/Sunday School/work environment/home/spouse/meals/play/vacations, etc.). Such a person walking a cleansed path(:1) relates or recounts all that God has blessed them with. They recount to others the perfection/magnificence/love/majesty/providence/provision/mercies/grace, etc. of YHWH God.
*Rom. 10:6-13—“But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’”(that is, to bring Christ down from above) or,” ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’”(that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth & in your heart”(that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus & believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, & with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew & Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”
There is no subject from which the true ‘blood-bought believer’ shies away from(“All the judgments”). He/she may not know the answer at the time or ever, but they are willing to openly admit personal ignorance of details. However they always do this with a view toward dispelling their ignorance as well as that of others. And they know the Good News of salvation by grace thru faith in Christ.
The believer with a cleansed path(:1) is quick to “declare” all that God determines in His heart & has revealed(“of Your mouth”), because God’s “judgments” are pertinent to the course of everyone’s life.
However we are rightly cautioned about becoming “teachers” in an ‘official’ capacity(Js. 3:1-2). One’s ‘testimony’ is different/separate yet related to one’s calling. These are specifically called of God to that specific task & gifted for such service by the Holy Spirit...A different animal than what every Christian is called to do...Though all Christians share by the Spirit as well. *Js. 3:1-2—“My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.”
“Lips”—tps sef-eth'—1) Lip, language, speech, shore, bank, brink, brim, side, edge, border, binding—1a) Lip(as body part), 1b) Language, 1c) Edge, shore, bank (of cup, sea, river, etc). Strong—probably from hpo[Scrape together] or hpv[To abrade/Bare] through the idea of termination (compare Pwo[A termination]); The lip(as a natural boundary); by implication--Language; by analogy--A margin(of a vessel, water, cloth, etc.).
“Declared/Told/Recount/Proclaim”—rpo saw-far’—Piel(intensive/intentional/repeated/extended) Perfect—1) To count, recount, relate—1c) (Piel)--To recount, rehearse, declare—1c1) To recount (something), rehearse, 1c2) To talk, 1c3) To count exactly or accurately. Strong—a primitive root; properly--To score with a mark as a tally or record, i.e. by implication--To inscribe, & also to enumerate; intensively--To recount, i.e. Celebrate.
“Judgments/Ordinances/Laws”—jpvm mish-pawt'—1) judgment, justice, ordinance— 1b) Justice, right, rectitude (attributes of God or man), 1c) Ordinance, 1d) Decision (in law), 1e) Right, privilege, due (legal), 1f) Proper, fitting, measure, fitness, custom, manner, plan. Strong—properly--A verdict(favorable or unfavorable) pronounced judicially, especially a sentence or formal decree(human or [participant's] divine law, individual or collective), including the act, the place, the suit, the crime, & the penalty; abstractly--Justice, including a participant's right or privilege(statutory or customary), or even--A style.
“Mouth”—hp peh—1) Mouth—1a) Mouth(of man), 1b) Mouth(as organ of speech), 1c) Mouth(of animals), 1d) Mouth, opening, orifice(of a well, river, etc.), 1e) Extremity, end. Strong—The mouth(as the means of blowing), whether literal or figurative(particularly--Speech); specifically--Edge, portion or side; adverbially(with preposition)--According to.
Argumentation:
Acts 4:8-21—“Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people & elders of Israel: If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, & to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Now when they saw the boldness of Peter & John, & perceived that they were uneducated & untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, saying, “What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, & we cannot deny it. But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.” And they called them & commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter & John answered & said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen & heard.” So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done.”
Acts 20:18-21, :26-28—[Paul to the elders of the church at Ephesus]—“And when they had come to him, he said to them: “You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you, serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears & trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews; how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, & taught you publicly & from house to house, testifying to Jews, & also to Greeks, repentance toward God & faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.”.....“Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. “For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. Therefore take heed to yourselves & to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”
2Tim. 2:1, 2—“You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”
Ps. 40:9-10—“I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness In the great assembly; Indeed, I do not restrain my lips, O LORD, You Yourself know. I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness & Your salvation; I have not concealed Your lovingkindness & Your truth From the great assembly.” Lk. 12:8-12—“Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven. Now when they bring you to the synagogues & magistrates & authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
Illustration:
My math tutor/I can’t remember exactly when I was tutored but it probably had to do with geometry or algebra in jr. high(middle) or high school(?)/She declared to me the whole counsel of math(in the particular discipline)/Why?/Because she was knowledgable about the subject/A CONFIDENT TEACHER’s Heart
Application:
?You fulfilling God’s demand as a father in providing A CONFIDENT TEACHER’s Heart? Your family needs it!
?You Clearing the Way for Father’s Day?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
Clearing the Way(for Father’s Day) demands...
8. An OPEN Heart(:12b)
9. A CONFIDENT TEACHER’s Heart(:13)
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)
Pts. 8-9 Presented 07/26/2015pm to:
FBC C’belle
206 Storrs Ave SE(A Ave. SE)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
