This morning I have $1440 in my pocket. It¡¦s pretty rare day that I have less than $1000 in my pocket. What if I took this money and give it to someone in this room. Let¡¦s say I give it to you, not only will I give this to you, but I will give it to you everyday for the rest of your life. But here¡¦s a catch you have to take $20 of that $1440 and spend it on me everyday. How many of you will take that deal? Would you do it? Would that be a real grudge on you. Oh I am gonna spend $20 on you. I don¡¦t know. Most likely you would say yes sure. Oh I¡¦ll buy him a shirt here you go. Once in awhile you feel generous you¡¦ll spend $25, $30, and $400 on holidays. No big deal. Do you know that every minute of your life is a gift from God. He is not obligated to give that to you. It¡¦s not something he gives to you freely, it¡¦s something you can do on your own. He enables you to live. He gives that to you as a gift. Do you know that every single day God gives you 1440 minutes everyday of your life. Is it too much to ask to spend 20 minutes of that on God. Just thank Him for the day, just have a relationship with Him. The God who gives you every minute that you have. No I can¡¦t. I¡¦m booked for the whole day. I don¡¦t¡¦ have time for you God. What? It¡¦s like me giving you that money and you telling me that I spent it all on myself. I don¡¦t have enough to give you something back? Are you kidding me. When you put it on those terms it sounds ridiculous. Yet I wonder how many of you spend 20 minutes with God everyday. If we expect to grow in your relationship with God, is you need to spend time with God. If you would even spend 15 minutes having a relationship with God it will change your life.
When Should We Start? v9a
How can a young man keep his way pure?.
Here the Psalmist asks the question, how can young people keep His way pure. The answer is really simple by living according to the Word of God. The Bible gives us numerous examples of young men who decided for God early to lived according to the Word of God.
Daniel = When Daniel and his three friends were taken from their home in Jerusalem
and brought to Babylon to serve the court of King Nebo. In 1:7-8 But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself. Daniel made up his mind and his heart when he was a teenager not compromise the laws of God. Shadrack, Mechach, and Abednego also when they were a teen-ager made up their mind and heart not to compromise the commandment of the Lord.\
What Should We Do? vv9b-11a
By living according to your word. [10] I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. [11] I have hidden your word in my heart
1. Living According to the Word
By living according to your word. (verse 9b)
Here the Psalmist is calling us to live out (obeying) the Word of God. James tells the professing Christians - Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
2.Seeking God with All Our Heart
I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. (v10)
How many of us here could say ¡§I seek you with all my heart.¡¨ I want you more than anyone or anything. But here the Psalmist says¡¦ I seek you with all of my being. All of me, my very core. All throughout the Book of Psalms we hear words like 84:2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Do you beg the same thing. Ps 27:8 My heart says of you, "Seek his face!"Your face, Lord, I will seek. Ps 42:1-2 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. [2] My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?
Illustration: Anatoli Shcharansky, Psalms 119:161 Rulers persecute me without cause, but my heart trembles at your word.
3.Hide God¡¦s Word in Our Heart
I have hidden your word in my heart. (v11a)
When the psalmist says, "Thy word I have treasured in my heart," the word is being hidden and stored up there as something valuable -- like a treasure. Hiding his Word in our hearts means not just to read it but also to study it and especially memorizing it. When the Word of God is readily available in our minds that we are able to recall it in moments of temptation and need.
Remember after the Baptism of Christ, he was led by the Holy Spirit to the wilderness. To be tempted by the devil for forty days. #1 Turn stone to bread, #2 Power and Glory, #3 Throw yourself down from here. All 3 times Jesus quoted Scripture from the Book of Deuteronomy. Job while going through his trials said this 23:12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread. I beg you this week to flood your heart with the Word of God. Jer 15:16 When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight,for I bear your name, O Lord God Almighty.
Illustration: Michael Billester, a Bible distributor who visited a small village in Poland shortly before WW II. He gave a Bible to a Villager, who was converted by reading it. The new believer then passed pages from the Book to others. The cycle of people coming to the Lord continued till 200 people had become believers through that one Bible. When Billester returned this group of Christians met together for a worship service in which he was to preach the Word. He normally asked for testimonies, but this time he suggested that several in the audience recite verses of Scripture. One man stood and said, ¡§Perhaps we have misunderstood.¡¨ Did you mean verses or chapters? These villagers had not memorized a few select verses of the Bible but whole chapters and books. 13 people knew the whole book of Matthew, Luke, and half of Genesis. Another person the book of Psalms. That single copy of the Bible given by Billester had done its work.
Why Should We Do It? V11b
that I might not sin against you.
Now we ask why should we do it? What is it for? The Psalmist here tells us that we might not sin against God. How many of us here desires not to sin. Many of us. In this lifetime we as Christians will never be sinless but we could sin less. In 2 Tim. 3:16-17
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, [17] so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
How Can We Do It? vv 12-16
1. By Being Teachable
Praise be to you, O Lord; teach me your decrees. (v12)
The Psalmist here ask God to teach me your Word. He recognizes that it is God the Holy Spirit who teaches. Paul in 1 Cor. 2:13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.
In John 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. John 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
2.Share It With Someone
With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. (v13)
One of the best ways to Hide God¡¦s Word in your heart is to share it with someone. He would talk about it. When was the last time you read something from God¡¦s Word and struck you then you shared it with someone else. In 2 Tim. 2:2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. In Jeremiah 20:9 But if I say, "I will not mention him or speak any more in his name," his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot. God does not call us to just read it, but to share to someone.
3. Rejoice on What you Read
I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. (v14)
Remember the time when you read a verse from the Word of God and you say ¡§oh man¡¨ that hurts Lord you want to do that, you want me to change. But the Psalmist here say¡¦s I am excited to follow God¡¦s command. Remember also the time when you are tempted and you walked away from it. Don¡¦t¡¦ you feel good, joyous when you won that temptations. It¡¦s a great feeling to lived without guilt. Genesis 39:9 No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" Luke 12:12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say."
4. Meditate on Your Word
I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. (verse 15)
It¡¦s not just reading it once, but meditating the whole day. Joshua 1:8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Luke 2:19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
5. (Remember) Not to Forget His Word
I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word. (verse 16)
The Psalmist here say¡¦s I will not, I am going to do it. Some people say I know what the Bible say¡¦s ¡§But¡¨ We as Christians should never say that. That¡¦s dangerous phrase. God said that¡¦s it. I am going to do it without question.
