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
You have committed your hard-earned time & money for a hunting trip/Your purpose is to bag a massive bull-elk with bow & arrow/You travel to Idaho, in late Sept. where you hire a noteworthy guide/You look for a herd for 2 hours, find it then stalk it for 5 solid nerve-wracking hours trying not to spook them!/Trek across mountainous terrain that tests your stamina & perseverance/You hear the bull elk call/The wind is just right, You begin to pull back the string & lock your arrow—the bull appears in the clearing!—You freeze—you can’t move or the elk will bolt—Your arms weaken, your back is strained, your gazing eyes dry out but you stay perfectly still while the bull comes within range/He has no idea you’re there!/A HUNTER’s Heart
Application:
?You fulfilling God’s demand as a father in providing A HUNTER’s Heart? Your family needs it!
?You Clearing the Way for Father’s Day?
4—Clearing the Way(for Father’s Day) demands...
A NAVIGATOR’s Heart(:10b)
Explanation:(:10b)Mapper/Locator/Pin-pointing
:10b—“...Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!”
A young man must do his personal best in his relationship surrounding God to first of all, know God’s “commandments” for young men/men. God has indeed established “commandments” for His people for their proper guidance. To “wander” from those “commandments” will negatively effect the young man, & thus any man, seeking a properly maintained path of life. If he strays from the designed/designated path, he will suffer some degree of loss. He will bog down in the lack of clarity. He will bog down in the obstacles which he must himself remove, whereas the true path, which is God’s desire, is prepared & waiting for the man’s re-entry upon it.
Thus such a man will actually require & thereby seek God’s direction even in maintaining the boundaries exculpated & promulgated or detailed thru God’s stated(“commandments”) way(s).
A godly father knows his place in the Lord’s scheme of things. He knows when he is in God’s will & he knows when he is not, but he is never content to remain distant!
“Wander/Stray”—hgv shaw-gaw’—Hiphil(causative) Imperfect—1) To go astray, stray, err—1b) (Hiphil)—1b1) To lead astray, 1b2) To lead astray, mislead(mentally), 1b3) To lead astray(morally). Strong—a primitive root; To stray(causatively--Mislead), usually figuratively--To mistake, especially(morally)--To transgress; by extension (through the idea of intoxication)--To reel, figuratively--Be enraptured. Used 21X.
“Commandments/Commands”—hwum mits-vaw'—1) Commandment—1a) Commandment(of man), 1b) The commandment(of God), 1c) Commandment(of code of wisdom). Strong—A command, whether human or divine(collectively, the Law).
Argumentation:
Ps. 119:21—“You rebuke the proud--the cursed, Who stray from Your commandments.”
Ps. 119:118—“You reject all those who stray from Your statutes, For their deceit is falsehood.”
Ps. 119:133—“Direct my steps by Your word, And let no iniquity have dominion over me.”
Ps. 119:176—“I have gone astray like a lost sheep; Seek Your servant, For I do not forget Your commandments.”
Rom. 6:8-13—“Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, & your members as instruments of righteousness to God.”
Mat. 7:13, 14—“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate & broad is the way that leads to destruction, & there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate & difficult is the way which leads to life, & there are few who find it.”
1Tim. 1:3-7, 18-20—“As I urged you when I went into Macedonia--remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, nor give heed to fables & endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith. Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, & from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm.”.....“This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, having faith & a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck, of whom are Hymenaeus & Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.”
2Jn. 1:8-11—“Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward. Whoever transgresses & does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father & the Son. If anyone comes to you & does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.”
Ps. 119:101-102—“I have restrained my feet from every evil way, That I may keep Your word. I have not departed from Your judgments, For You Yourself have taught me.”
Ps. 119:105—“Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”
Illustration:
A map & compass in the hands of a hiker/Knows ‘the lay-of-the-land’—He has studied it ahead of time & is fully aware of the big picture—what body of water is near what outcropping, etc./Always knows his position/A NAVIGATOR’s Heart
Good seafaring captains are well aware of the position of their vessel at all times/In relation to known potential dangers & unknown threats present/their vessels are equipped with some means of determining depth & nearby traffic/If the captain is negligent or lazy, then his boat & all aboard & those on a collision course with his are in danger/A NAVIGATOR’s Heart
As a truck driver I was taught to pay attention to the little green numbered markers all along America’s roads/They are mile-markers marking the distance between roads & intersections/Being attentive to these makes you able to tell someone your location in case you get into trouble/A NAVIGATOR’s Heart
Google Maps/A NAVIGATOR’s Heart
Application:
?You fulfilling God’s demand as a father in providing A NAVIGATOR’s Heart? Your family needs it!
?You Clearing the Way for Father’s Day?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
Clearing the Way(for Father’s Day) demands...
3. A HUNTER’s Heart(:10a)
4. A NAVIGATOR’s Heart(:10b)
1. A PURIFYING Heart(:9a)
2. A KEEPER’s/GUARD’s/PROTECTOR’s Heart(:9b)
Pts. 3-4 Presented (Father’s Day)06/21/2015pm to:
FBC C’belle
206 Storrs Ave SE(A Ave. SE)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
