Sermon: The Second 8 Reasons for Reading the Bible, Psalm 119.9–16

 

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12132015TheSecond8ReasonsForReadingTheBiblePsa119.9-16DonRuhl

 

Purpose: To persuade people to read through the Bible annually

The Second 8 Reasons for Reading the Bible 

Psalm 119.9–16

Don Ruhl • Savage Street, Grants Pass, Oregon • December 13, In the year of our Lord, 2015

Song Leader and Song Suggestions: Kevin Micheal – “Give Me the Bible” (154), “How Precious Is the Book” (249), “How Shall the Young Secure Their Hearts” (253), “Thy Word” (895)

Prelude: 

  1. Psalm 119 is a prayer, 
    1. making it the longest prayer in the Bible.
    2. It is a long prayer about the Bible.
      1. Have you prayed to God about the Bible?
      2. If not, what would you say to Him about His word?
  2. If you do not know what to say to God in a prayer about His word,
    1. let me lead you now in a prayer
    2. that is just 1/22 the length of the prayer that is Psalm 119,

      Dear Heavenly Father,

      How can a young man cleanse his way?
      By taking heed according to Your word.

      With our whole heart we have sought You;
      Oh, let us not wander from Your commandments!

      Your word we have hidden in our hearts,
      That we might not sin against You.

      Blessed are You, O Lord!
      Teach me us statutes.

      With our lips we have declared
      All the judgments of Your mouth.

      We have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,
      As much as in all riches.

      We will meditate on Your precepts,
      And contemplate Your ways.

      We will delight ourselves in Your statutes;
      We will not forget Your word.

      Through Jesus we pray!

Persuasion: 

  1. Psalm 119.9 – The Word Cleanses Our Way

    9 How can a young man cleanse his way?
    By taking heed according to Your word.

    1. The word is for young people.
      1. When Jesus was 12,
      2. He was separated from His parents for three days once, but
        1. eventually they found Him in the temple,

          46b …sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions (Luke 2.46).
        2. Did any of them wonder, That kid sounds like He wrote the Law!
    2. The word has the power to cleanse.
      1. John 15 records the power of the word of Jesus,

        3 “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you” (John 15.3).
      2. By His will our sins are forgiven, and
        1. He verbalizes that to us.
        2. He said for it to be so, and it is.
    3. Therefore, let us all, the young included, read the Scriptures daily.
      1. We can give the young everything, but
      2. if we do not give them the word,
        1. we have not given them anything.
        2. I fear for parents who will not encourage spirituality in their children.
  2. Psalm 119.10 – The Word Keeps Us from Wandering

    10 With my whole heart I have sought You;
    Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!

    1. We want the Lord.
      1. Is that not why we have assembled today?
      2. We pray to Him as though we have given Him our whole hearts!
    2. His commandments keep us from wandering away from Him.
      1. The last thing we ever want to lose is the Lord.
      2. Therefore, we plead with Him not to allow us to wander from His commandments.
    3. Therefore, let us all read daily till we have read all the Scriptures annually.
      1. How can I say that I seek someone with my whole heart,
      2. if I will not listen to what they have to say?
  3. Psalm 119.11 – The Word Keeps Us from Sinning Against the Lord

    11 Your word I have hidden in my heart,
    That I might not sin against You.

    1. We do not want to sin.
      1. We hate our sin.
      2. We become angry at ourselves when we sin.
    2. Hiding the word in our hearts keeps us from sinning against the Lord.
      1. If we fill ourselves up with the word of God,
      2. then that is what will come out, showing up in everything we do,

        34b “…out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt 12.34).
    3. Therefore, let us all read daily till we have read all the Scriptures annually.
      1. The first step to hiding it in your heart is reading it.
      2. Why not start reading the Bible annually in 2016?
  4. Psalm 119.12 – The Word Instructs Us

    12 Blessed are You, O Lord!
    Teach me Your statutes.

    1. Nothing surpasses the experience of blessing the Lord.
      1. Look at the lives of those who bless the Lord.
      2. I tell you, you will want to be like them.
    2. We bless Him by walking in His statutes.
      1. He will teach them to us,
      2. if we have a heart yearning to learn.
    3. Therefore, let us all read daily till we have read all the Scriptures annually.
  5. Psalm 119.13 – The Word Reveals the Judgments of the Lord

    13 With my lips I have declared
    All the judgments of Your mouth.

    1. You take the word in, you have to then speak it.
      1. Taking in the word without every verbalizing it, or living it,
      2. is like eating food, but never exercising.
    2. Therefore, speak all the judgments of the Lord’s mouth.
      1. Later the psalmist will say,

        160 The entirety of Your word is truth…
        (Psa 119.160a)
      2. Paul said,

        27 “For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20.27).
    3. Therefore, let us all read daily till we have read all the Scriptures annually.
      1. How can I do less and face God in the Judgment?
      2. Why would I want to do less?
  6. Psalm 119.14 – The Word Produces Joy Beyond Compare

    14 I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,
    As much as in all riches.

    1. The Lord created us to rejoice.
      1. That is why we can laugh, smile, and praise.
      2. He wants us to be happy.
    2. We rejoice best when we go the way of the Lord’s testimonies.
      1. We treasure His testimonies more than all riches.
      2. If you do not know the Lord and His word,
        1. it might seem strange to you
        2. that we would treasure the Scriptures above all riches.
    3. Therefore, let us all read daily all the Scriptures annually.
      1. If you were a man or woman of the world and
      2. all the riches of the world were freely available to you,
      3. would you not go after them?
        1. If you are a man or woman of the Spirit and
        2. all the riches of heaven are available to you,
        3. will you not go after them?
  7. Psalm 119.15 – The Word Is Good for Meditation

    15 I will meditate on Your precepts,
    And contemplate Your ways.

    1. The Lord created us to think, to ponder, to meditate, to contemplate.
      1. That we can ponder on instruction sets us apart from the animal kingdom,
      2. whereas failing to meditate we are nothing more than animals.
      3. When you choose to meditate in the word,
        1. you will go to heights in your mind,
        2. that you did not even know existed.
    2. The best experience you will have in life is when you meditate on the Lord’s precepts, and contemplate His ways.
      1. When a person you love wrote you letter, telling of his love,
      2. how did you treat that letter and how many times did you read it?
    3. Therefore, let us all read daily till we have read all the Scriptures annually.
      1. God loves you.
      2. You love God.
      3. Starting read of His love everyday.
  8. Psalm 119.16 – The Word Is Worth Remembering

    16 I will delight myself in Your statutes;
    I will not forget Your word.

    1. We find delight in the Lord’s statutes.
      1. They give us peace and comfort.
      2. They let us know that following Him, things will be okay.
    2. Therefore, we do not want to forget His word.
      1. We want to remember it in whatever we are doing.
      2. Forgetting His word horrifies us.
    3. Therefore, let us all read daily till we have read all the Scriptures annually.
      1. If you read it daily, you will go a long way toward remembering it.
      2. If you never read it, you will forget what little you knew.

Exhortation: 

  1. Jesus spoke sobering words,

    47 “And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day” (John 12.47–48).
  2. How can you prepare for that day, 
    1. unless you find out for yourself
    2. what His word says?