THE DRIPPINGS OF THE HONEYCOMB
Psalms 19:7-11
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: GETTING DENTURES FROM THE LAKE
1. An old preacher was at the lake fishing when he had an enormous sneeze and blew his dentures into the water, where they sunk out of sight. He began to wail, “Oh, my dentures!”
2. A lady in a boat nearby heard his cry. She came over and offered to help. She said, “Aren’t you a preacher?” “Yes.” She said, “Then I can get them back.” She took out a length of fishing line, opened her picnic lunch, and took out a fried chicken leg and tied it to the string and lowered it into the water.
3. After a minute there was a jerk and she pulled up the chicken leg & the dentures were clamped tight to it. The preacher said, “Thank you! But why did the dentures latch onto the chicken?”
4. She said, “Ever since the rooster crowed and got Peter in trouble, preachers have always had it in for chickens. That’s why chickens are called ‘The Gospel Bird’ and are preacher’s favorite food!”
B. TEXT
7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. 8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. 11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward” Ps. 19:7-11.
C. THESIS
1. The Psalmist David compared the effect of the Word of God on the lives of men & women as being so sweet that it was like eating a honeycomb.
2. Tonight we’re looking at 6 traits and 6 effects of the Word. The title to this message is, “The Drippings of the Honeycomb.”
I. GOD’S WORD IS PERFECT, CONVERTING THE SOUL
A. “PERFECT” = WITHOUT FLAW, FAULTLESS
1. How many of you here tonight think you’re perfect? It means “without fault: it’s flawless.” The doctrine of Inspiration says that when the Holy Spirit penned the Word in its original manuscripts, they were without error. Of course, later copyists could have made mistakes in copies, but today, with 25,000 manuscripts of the N.T., we can confidently say we have the original word from God.
2. ILLUS.
a. A Muslim young woman came to Daniel Wallace with six single-spaced pages of supposed discrepancies in the Gospels. She said to me, “You're going to have to answer every single one of these before I can believe anything about Christianity.” Daniel’s response was, “Don't you think this list proves that the writers didn't conspire and collude when they wrote their Gospels?” She said, “I've never thought of it that way.”
b. Daniel said, “If you look at the places where the Gospels agree you’ll find a core message that is revolutionary: Jesus was confessed as the Messiah by his disciples, he performed miracles and healed people, he forgave sins, he prophesied his own death and resurrection, he died on a Roman cross, and he was raised bodily from the dead. Jesus IS the only Savior! So now, what are you going to do with Jesus?”
c. Lee Strobel asked, "What happened to her?" Daniel replied, "Two weeks later, she became a Christian, and now she's a student at Dallas Seminary." [Strobel, Lee. The Case for the Real Jesus.]
B. IT’S PERFECT IN ITS TRANSFORMATION
1. “Converting the soul” in Hebrew is ‘meshibath nephesh’ “bringing back the soul.” Paul said that the Bible perfectly fits the end to which it’s designed – to make the men and women of God perfect in Christ, 2 Tim. 3:17. It shows us our sinfulness, misery, and the indispensable need of our return to God.
2. IT TRANSFORMS. It has the power to transform our souls from death to life, from Satan to God, from Hell to Heaven, and from darkness to light. “It IS the power of God unto salvation” Rom. 1:16.
3. BECAUSE IT’S PERFECT, IT NEEDS NO ADDITION. Nothing is to be added to it nor taken from it. The Apostle John warned, “If anyone adds to these [words], God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book” Rev. 22:18-19.
4. THE WORD IS WORKING MIGHTILY IN YOU! Paul said, “...the Word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe” 1 Th. 2:13. This means its promises of healing (can be) working in you, its promises of prosperity are meant to work, its promises of power over sin are to work. Claim the promises and see them come to pass in your life!
II. GOD’S WORD IS SURE, MAKING WISE THE SIMPLE
A. THE BIBLE IS A SURE WORD FROM GOD
1. When we talk about something being a “sure thing,” that means you can count on it. God’s Word is sure -- it’s absolutely true and verified in real-life experience.
2. We can confidently stake our lives on it. It will never fail us. Its promises are certain to come to pass. It’s firmly established; “Heaven & earth WILL pass away, but My words will never pass away” Mt. 24:35.
3. It is an IMMOVABLE FOUNDATION. 1 Cor. 15:58 says, “Therefore, beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord....”
4. RELIABLE, TRUSTWORTHY. It’s God’s testimony. The Holy Spirit of God breathed-out every word (theopneustos, 2 Tim. 3:16). The voice that speaks to us from the Bible IS the Voice of God. It’s the owner’s manual that comes with Man; it’s God’s road map for our lives.
B. MAKES WISE THE SIMPLE
1. “Your commands...make me wiser than my enemies. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.” Ps. 119:98-99.
2. Reading the Bible imparts to you the wisdom from God. It’s like reading the writings of the greatest minds, or being in the company of deep thinkers or around creative minds whose genius can span not only the movements of the galaxies but also the minuscule feelings of a tiny newborn lamb.
3. Using God’s Word makes us wise to salvation, 2 Tim. 3:15. It gives us insight into the invisible spirit-world and glimpses into the distant future. It summons us to our best work and secures to us our brightest future. It informs us of our humble nature, our tendency to folly, and makes us willing to be taught by the Maker of all things.
III. GOD’S WORD IS RIGHT, REJOICING THE HEART
A. RIGHTNESS OF THE WORD
1. The statutes of the Lord are CORRECT. You never need fear the Bible will be proven wrong; in the end it will always be proved right.
2. What God says is accurate in the physical and spiritual realms. There IS good and evil, moral and immoral, right and wrong, regardless of what the blind guides in universities say. God’s Word demarcates the divides between good & evil.
3. Sin is not a culturally relative thing; it’s absolute, because it violates God’s holy nature.
B. OBEYING GOD’S WORD MAKES US HAPPY
1. A recent study showed that only 12% of Americans identify as “very happy.” Of this small group, 67% said they highly value marriage and are moderately or highly religious. Translation? The happiest people are people who love the Lord! [Fact Check Team: Small group of Americans are 'very happy' by Janae Bowens & Konner McIntire, 4/28/23].
2. That’s why David said, “In His presence is fullness of joy; at His right hand are pleasures forevermore” Ps. 16:11. The Holy Spirit fills us with joy unspeakable and full of glory. The Lord Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full” John 15:11.
3. When we’re not right with God we feel an inner conflict. When we repent and are forgiven, there is peace between us and God (Rom. 5:1), and we experience God’s favor and joy. “The joy of the Lord is our strength!” Neh. 8:10.
IV. THE WORD IS PURE, ENLIGHTENING OUR EYES
A. GOD’S WORD IS PURE
1. David said, “The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.”
2. The Word of God is pure -- it’s free from the pollution of error or moral taint. It’s unmixed. It is light without any shadow of darkness; it’s perfectly clean of all defilement.
B. IT IMPARTS VISION
1. The NIV of verse 8 says, “The commands of the Lord are RADIANT, giving light to the eyes.” The Word possesses so much light that when we absorb it, its radiance, like lightning, drives back our darkness and enables us to see.
2. Ps. 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Ps. 119:130 says, “The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” So the Word is a bright light that we can see by. Next, David says...
V. THE WORD IMPARTS A FEAR OF THE LORD
A. IT’S A CLEAN FEAR
1. Since all the rest of this chapter is focused on the qualities of the Word, we can assume the writer is describing in this verse another aspect of the Word: that it imparts the fear of the Lord.
2. Many fears are not clean. They give us dread, they make us cower and draw back. They are unhealthy, mentally and spiritually. No so the fear of the Lord: it only has good fruit.
3. Now we’re not talking about a “fear of the Lord” being manipulation by a preacher to illicit a response. Unless he is correctly handling the Word he may actually give people unhealthy fears of abandonment or torment.
4. The fear of the Lord is a clean fear; it leaves you with a life-controlling respect for God, yet an all-encompassing love for God.
5. It’s a fear that impels us to “cleanse our way,” Ps. 119:9. It’s like a purifying wind that blows out all the dust and dirt. If we’re set apart to God, He owns us body, soul, and spirit. God allows no impurities in us if He’s going to indwell us. “With Him the wicked cannot dwell” Ps. 5:4.
B. FEAR OF THE LORD LASTS FOREVER
1. Just like the Word endures forever, the posture of the redeemed toward God – a posture of respect and reverence – will never cease to exist among God’s people.
2. A billion years from now we will still be celebrating the grace of God that saved us from the darkness and brought us into His marvelous light.
VI. THE WORD’S JUDGMENTS ARE TRUE & RIGHTEOUS
A. GOD’S JUDGMENTS ARE TRUE
1. The judgments of the Lord (all his precepts) are true because they are based on His omniscience. Because God has complete knowledge, He knows what is right and correct. There is no possibility of mistake.
2. The range of human knowledge will always be so limited that we’re likely to make wrong judgments, even with AI. (AI is only based on human knowledge, which is a small fraction of God’s divine knowledge.)
3. The best course is to trust God’s judgments. If we don’t, this shows that we don’t trust God; but this is silly since He created us. If He had bad motives toward us He could have squashed us long ago, but He declares He loves us and only wants our good.
B. IT’S RIGHTEOUS ALTOGETHER
1. The Word of God is righteous because it’s a communication of God’s holy nature. It has the effect of imparting holiness to those who receive it.
2. Of course, the linchpin is Jesus Christ. Only in Christ are we forgiven and redeemed. If we’re “in Christ” we’re accepted. As the Apostle John put it, “And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” 1 John 5:11-12.
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUS.: BIBLE SAVES FROM CRACK COCAINE
1. Sandra Stoddard was addicted to crack cocaine for eight years. Her two-year old daughter and she were living in a house owned by a crack dealer when she finally became weary, sick, and tired of her life of drugs.
2. She took her daughter and spent four days and nights in a motel, and found a Bible. As she read that Bible, she gained strength to say no to the drugs and make changes in her life.
3. By the grace of God, she became a Christian and a witness for God. She’s quit using drugs, and God has blessed her life tremendously. “Thank you for making God’s Word available to people when they need it most.” Sandra K. Stoddard, South Carolina
B. THE CALL
1. David said the commandments of God are “more to be desired than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward" (vss. 10-11).
2. God’s Word is a Treasure: it converts your soul, it makes wise the simple, it gives joy to your heart, it enlightens your eyes, it gives you fear of the Lord, and makes us righteous. Praise the Lord!
3. How many of you need Healing? Financial blessing? Promotion from the Lord? Restoration of a relationship? Peace? Joy? Jesus said, “ASK & you shall receive!” Let’s PRAY.
