I'm going to look at Psalm 119,
and our pastor jokingly said, not the whole thing. I said,
no. There's a lot here just in the first eight verses, so that's
where I'm going to try to just stick. But it's a blessing. That was when
he first asked was a couple of weeks ago, and it took me a few
days just to figure out what I wanted to read. But I'm going
to read the first eight verses here. Blessed are the undefiled
in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are they
that keep his testimonies and that seek him with the whole
heart. They also do no iniquity. They walk in his ways. Thou hast
commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. O, that my ways were
directed to keep thy statutes. Then shall I not be ashamed when
I have respect unto all thy commandments. I will praise thee with uprightness
of heart, When I shall have learned thy righteous judgments, I will
keep thy statutes, O forsake me not utterly." Like I said,
after I kind of decided with the Lord and opened it up to
me that this would be the text, I felt confirmed. My brother Paul, he looked at
it a couple of verses last week, and my brother Ron read from
it. Not the text I'm looking at, but the psalm, and the psalm
is Every word of it almost talks about our word, talks about God's
word. And like Paul said last week,
Christ is the word. You can substitute his name for
everywhere it mentions his word, and it would make sense. We're
going to start here with verse 1. And our pastor, he did a great
deal of talking about blessed, blessed are the undefiled. Being blessed, we've been set
apart, which means sanctified, holy. God's people have been
set apart. We've been blessed to hear his
word, blessed to have been brought to a place where we can hear
his word. And I just, when I read Are They
Undefiled, you know, that speaks of Christ. He's the only one
without any defilement. There can't be nobody else. But
I wanted to be like him. I wanted to be that undefiled.
And the margin says it's someone who's perfect or sincere, undefiled. And those that are found in Christ
are perfect and sincere. Genesis 17, 1 says, when Abram
was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said unto him, I'm
the almighty God. Walk before me and be thou perfect.
In Genesis 6, 9. Noah was a just man, perfect
in his generations, and Noah walked with God. And all these
similarities, they all walked with God. Job 1-1, there was
a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was
perfect and upright, and one that feared God and eschewed
evil. But none of these men were without
sin. They were all sinners, but they walked with God, and God
pulled them out of the world. He felt, Noah found grace in
God's sight. They all walked, they all communed
with God. And by nature, man is defiled. Man is nothing but, nothing but
sin. From the top of our head to the
sole of our feet, we're nothing but sin. But we, that's why we are in
the way of God. We're found out of the way of
God, but we're in the way of God when he puts us in his way. That's the way to say it. He
puts us in his way. How does he do that? How does
he get this defilement off by the blood? Being washed in the
blood of Christ. We have, like I said, we've been
converted. We found other ways to be converted.
He did the converting. He's the one who converted us,
put us in the way, put us in the way of Christ, the way of
peace. And we walk in the, like the
rest of the verses, we walk in the law of the Lord. How can
we not be blessed if we do not walk in the law of the Lord?
God's law is not not wrong or bad. God's law is good. It's
not to the saving of our soul, but His law is good. There's
nothing wrong with His law. Turn to Psalm 19, if you would, please. And I thought of this. Like I said, man added the chapters
and things and the numbers. But, you know, the Lord has the
ultimate control of all this. And like some of the Psalms seem
to, Psalm 27 and 37 seem to go together. I think Psalm 19 and
119 seem to go together. But Psalm 19 verses 7, starting
with verse 7. The law of the Lord is perfect,
converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is
sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are
right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is
pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean
and dual forever. The judgments of the Lord are
true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than
gold, yea, than much fine gold, sweeter also than honey and the
honeycomb. Moreover by them must our servant mourn, and in keeping
of them there is great reward. And who is our reward? Our reward
is Christ. He is our reward. But the Lord's people are not
idle. Like I said, it's a walk. We walk through life, but we're
being carried. We're being carried all the way,
but we walk through this life. We're not idle. We're longing
to walk towards and forward with Christ and longing for that better
day, for that day when we are without this sin, not this old
man. But until then, we'll still struggle.
Second verse, blessed again. Blessed are they that keep his
testimonies. That keep. I love that word keep. To have something, you have to
get it. You have to receive it. When
you perceive it, you want to hold on to it. If it's something
worth holding on to, and that would be God's Word, it's worth
holding on to. By searching the Scriptures,
coming to an understanding of them, loving them, continuing
in the practice of them, we get to keep it, hold on to it, keep
searching, keep looking for Christ in everything we do. I know we
get out in this world, and this world is cruel, and it's harsh,
and I dread going back out in it after we've been in here and
enjoying some, like you said, it's an oasis, you know, away
from those things. So he says, keep it. Keep it
away from the fowls of the air, thorns, and thistles that will
choke it out. We need to hold on to it. But how do we hold
on to it when we're so quick and so prone to wander? Well,
we need someone to keep us, don't we? And that's Christ. So we need to be kept. Let's
look at 1 Peter 1, chapter 1, real quick, please. Alright, there we have it. It
says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again
unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth
not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the
power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed
in the last time. And also, look at John chapter
10. I'm trying not to turn to too many, but I still like to
see it when I'm out there. I think it just helps me to see
it. John chapter 10, verse 27. My
sheep hear my voice, and I know them,
and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal
life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them
out of my hand. My Father which gave them to
me is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out
of my Father's hand. We are kept. We are kept in his hand, and
said he carries us the whole way. Back to the text. Blessed are they that keep his
testimonies, verse 2. Blessed are they that keep his
testimonies and that seek him with the whole heart. Not a divided
heart. Not with the brain either. We've
got to come to this with the heart. This is a heart work.
Salvations of the heart. He changes our heart. Ezekiel
18, verse 31 says, cast away from all your transgressions
which you whereby you have transgressed and make you a new heart and
a new spirit. In Ezekiel 11 verse 19 says,
and I will give them one heart and I'll put a new spirit within
you and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh. I'll
give them a heart of flesh. Verse 20, that they may walk
in my statutes and keep my ordinances and do them and they shall be
my people and I will be their God. The Lord has put this heart
of flesh before we will even consider doing these things,
that we will even try to keep His testimonies about flesh.
We just, in our own natural state, we just want to run the opposite
way. We just want to, and that'll
be eternal destruction, just run the opposite way, away from
God. He says here with a whole heart,
and in several places in this chapter of the same psalm, Verse
58, I done treated thy favor with my whole heart. Be merciful
unto me according to thy word. And verse 69, the proud affords
to lie against me, but I will keep thy precepts with my whole
heart. And verse 145, I cried with my whole heart.
Hear me, O Lord. I will keep thy statutes. We
can't pursue this. half-heartedly. We have to pursue with the whole heart.
Like I said, the heart that the Lord has given us to look to
Christ, to want to do his commandments. Like I said, not in salvation,
but just that they're good, that they're good for life. But Christ did the law. He was
the end of the law. If somebody loves somebody or
you love somebody, you don't want to do things that go against
them. You don't want to do things to hurt them. That's what we
do when we run the opposite way, when we go against Christ and
His law. But I'm thankful that this is
not up to me. I'm so thankful. Verse 3, they also do no iniquity. They walk in His ways. I looked
at this and I said, I'm full of iniquity. Can we turn to 1
John chapter 3? I just want you to see this.
It would bless my heart. 1 John chapter 3. Book of 1 John. And it's in verse 9. Whosoever
is born of God does not commit sin, for sin remaineth in him,
and he cannot sin because he is born of God. That sounds amazing. Born of God in Christ, through
Christ. In chapter 5, verse 18, same
book, it says, We know that whosoever
is born of God sinneth not, but he that is begotten of God keepeth
himself. And that wicked one toucheth
him not. What does it mean to be born
of God? Let's look at John, the epistle of John. I'm not the
epistle, the book of John, chapter 3, the gospel. Verses 3 through 8. Jesus answered,
and he's talking Nicodemus here. Jesus answered and said unto
him, verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again,
he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him,
how can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second
time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, verily,
verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of
the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which
is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the
Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must
be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth,
and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it
cometh, and whither it goeth. So is every one that is born
of the Spirit. Our Lord, as this new birth, we must be born in
amazing grace to be found in Christ, such amazing grace. Back
in the text. So they also do no iniquity.
They walk in his ways. Like I said, this walk. Walk in his ways. And walking
is mentioned many times in the scriptures. About this walk. Psalm 86 verse 10. Teach me thy
way, O Lord. I will walk in thy truth. Unite
my heart to fear thy name. Psalm 26 verse 3 says, For thy
lovingkindness before mine eyes, and I have walked in thy truth. And our pastor, he looked at
this one last week, Psalm 1-1. It tells us where not to walk. Blessed is the man that walketh
not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners,
nor sitteth in the sect of the scornful. So, this walk is a
walk of life. Going through here, but thankfully,
He's the one that's carrying us. He's taking us through all this.
He's giving us this new heart to walk in the love and rejoice
in His Word. Verse 4, Thou hast commanded,
I love any time it says commanded. The Lord commands, He gives a
commandment. Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. The word diligently, it means
earnestly or constant, persistent, attentive. That don't sound like
me, but by grace. He gives the grace. He gives
the increase. We would just fall away if he
didn't do that. He gives the commandment. I'll
just read this, Psalm 33. Bless me this morning, I was
looking at it again. Nothing new in God's Word, but he sheds
a light sometimes, and he has shed some light on some things
that I didn't see before. Psalm 33, verse 6, By the word
of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them
by the breath of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the
sea together, and he layeth up the depths and storehouses. Let
all the earth fear the Lord. Let all the inhabitants of the
world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done.
He commanded, and it stood fast. He commanded. Our Lord gives
the commandment, and nothing's going to stop it. He commanded
us to be brought here this morning. He commanded us to hopefully
hear thy word, hear his word. He gives the commandment. And
that thrills my heart, because it's not up to me. Like I said, diligently. He said,
command us to keep thy precepts diligently. Be diligent, be attentive. Ask the Lord before you come
here, ask the Lord in your closet and ask Him to reveal it, reveal
it to you again. We need to hear it daily, hourly. And the reason to remain diligent,
this came from An old writer I read says the reason to remain
is very good. The reason to remain is because
our adversary, the devil, he seeks to snare us by the transgression
of us. And he is diligent in tempting
us. So how much more do we need to be diligent? And ask the Lord. to help us to hold on to this
Word, to come here with a heart to receive it. Like I said, that's
nothing we can do. That's nothing that we can accomplish
on our own. We've got to ask for it. We have
to ask Him to give that to us. In verse 5 in our text, back
in Psalm 119, I was on my ways were directed
to keep our statutes. When I first read this, this
is what came to mind. I do want us to turn here. It's
Romans 7, because if anything speaks to me about what I want
to do but I can't do, it's Romans 7. And I think it'd just be good
to hear it again. Lord put it in my mind, or just
to hear that, when I heard that, that's what came to my heart. I'm going to start with verse,
start with verse 9 in chapter 7. I'm going to read several
verses. For I was alive without the law
once, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment, which was
ordained to life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taken
occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.
Wherefore, the law was holy, and the commandment holy, and
just, and good. Was then that which is good made
death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it
might appear sin, working death in me, by that which is good,
that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. For
we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.
For that which I do, I allow not. For what I would, that do
I not. But what I hate, that do I. If
then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that
it is good. Now then, it is no more I that
do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me,
that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing. For the will is
present with me, but how to perform that which is good I find not.
For the good that I would, I do not, but the evil which I would
not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not,
it is no more than I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in
me. I find in a law that when I would do too good, evil is
present with me. For I delight in the law of God
after the inward man, but I see another law in my members, warring
against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to
the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that
I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank
God through Jesus Christ our Lord, so that with the mind I
myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of
sin. I'll read a couple of verses in that chapter. There is therefore
now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk
not after the flesh but after the spirit. For the law of the
spirit of the life and Christ Jesus hath made me free from
the law of sin and death." Thank God. That's what came to my mind.
Oh, that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes. He has
to give the commandment. He has to do that. Because like
Paul says here, we want to do, but we do not. We go the opposite
way. There is no glory for man in
this. It is God's people's desire to do, but it is only through
our Lord Jesus Christ that it is possible that we can even
attain any of these things. That is why this speaks of Christ
so clearly here. He did the work and it is finished.
But I want to be like, I want to be this undefiled man. Read verse 6. Then shall I not
be ashamed? when I have respect unto all
thy commandments. Verse 80, the same psalm here. Verse 80, it says, Let my heart
be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed. Romans 1 verse 16 says, For I
am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power
of God unto salvation to every one that believeth, to the Jew
first and also to the Greek. Psalm 40, verse 14 says, Let
them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul
to destroy it. Let them be driven backward and
put to shame that wish me evil. There's no shame in Christ. There's
no shame. He was a lamb slain. He was without spot or blemish. But there's shame in sin. Everything
we do is shameful. It's a state of this world today.
They're not even shameful of anything. God's people, they're
ashamed. But not for Christ's sake. And
not to Christ. We can say that with a heart. Be honest. We're not ashamed
of Him or His Word. Verse 7 in our text again. I
will praise Thee with uprightness of heart. Praise God. Praise
Christ. the brightness of heart, this
new heart that he's given us, this new heart, heart of flesh,
when I shall have learned the righteous judgments. John 6 verse 45 says, Our Lord
said in this verse, Every man therefore hath Heard and hath
learned of the Father, cometh unto me. So not just knowing it in the
head, but in the heart, walking in it, practicing. And Lord help
us to do all these things. Like I said, His law is good. This old man is just contrary
to it. Verse 8, I will keep thy statutes,
O forsake me not utterly. That's his resolution, I believe
David wrote this, but the revolution of the believer, that I will
keep thy statutes. But it's our purpose to keep
the law, but we, like I said, we'll go astray, we'll fail. So that's why he says, the very
last part of verse 8, he says, O forsake me not utterly. Because
he knows, we know what's in us. We know we'll turn astray. And
if we do go astray, pray, Lord, like you said, not utterly, not
forever, not to our loss of salvation. There are times and moments when
we feel like we don't feel him as close. But he'll always rekindle
that fire, Lord. leave us for Psychus early. I
pray that's been a blessing to y'all. Thank you.