We sing, I love to tell the story,
but I like this better. I love to hear the story. And
instead of saying, it will be my thing in glory, to hear him
enthroned in glory. That's a good hymn anyway. Boy,
I like that better. That was a blessing. Turn to Psalm 19,
please. You know, these songs we sing
ought to reflect the glory of God and the truth of the gospel.
Every time. A song that doesn't do that ought
not be sung. Psalm 19. Now, if you knew that
God wrote a book, wouldn't you want to read it? If you knew
the living God The creator of the universe wrote a book. Wouldn't
you want to read it? Well, he has. As a matter of
fact, he's written two books. The book of creation. And the
book we call the scriptures. God's two books. Now, in these first six verses
of Psalm 19, David speaks of the first book God wrote, the
book of creation. Or you could call it the book
of nature, but I prefer the book of creation. David says the heavens
declare the glory of God. And the firmament showeth his
handiwork. During the French Revolution,
one of the goals was to get rid of all religion. That was their
purpose. And one of the revolutionists
told the poor French peasant, we're going to tear down all
the houses of worship to rid you of any memory of God. And the peasant replied, you
can do that, but you can't tear down the stars. The heavens declare
the glory of God. the great expanse, showeth forth
his handiwork, creation cries, God is. God is. Look in verse two. Day unto day
uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There
is no speech nor language where the voice is not heard. In North
America, in South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, the
Arctic, anywhere you go in this world, God's creation says God
is. There's no place where this voice
is not heard. Verse four, their line is gone
out throughout all the earth and their words to the end of
the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, which
is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber and rejoiceth
as a strong man to run away. Grace. His goings forth is from
the end of heaven, and his circuits unto the ends of it, and there
is nothing hid from the heat thereof. The sun says, God is. And we've enjoyed the warmth
of the sun today. The creation tells us that God
is. And this creation renders all
men without excuse. There is enough light in creation
to tell us God is, and he's to be worshipped. Turn with me to Romans one for
a moment. There is enough in the book of
nature that should cause a man to seek the Lord, but that's
not the effect it's had. Romans chapter one. Verse 20. For the invisible things
of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being
understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power
and Godhead. Creation tells us that, His eternal
power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. Will God punish an innocent heathen
who has never had the opportunity of hearing the gospel? You find
me an innocent either. There's no such thing. All men
are without excuse. Creation says God is and he's
to be worshipped and he's to be sought. Let's go on reading
in verse 21 of Romans, chapter one, because that when they knew
God. They glorified him, not as God.
Neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and
their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise,
they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible
God into an image, made like the corruptible man, and to birds,
and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave
them up to uncleanness, through the lust of their own hearts,
to dishonor their own bodies between themselves, who changed
the truth of God into a lie. and worshiped and served the
creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. Now, while this book of creation
is a good book, it renders all men without excuse. No one has
ever been saved by the light of this book. This book of nature,
this book of creation, doesn't tell us if God will forgive sin.
It doesn't tell us of God's justice and of God's holiness. It lets
us know nothing of God's grace or God's mercy. It's a good book. It tells us that God is, but
it doesn't give a saving revelation of God. We can surmise some things
about him from this book, but we can't know him. Now, in verses
six through nine of Psalm 19, David talks about God's other
book. In verse 7-9, now, let's read verses 7-9 together. He
uses six words to describe the Scriptures. 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 commandments of the Lord
is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord are
true and righteous all together. Now, this is what the word of
God is to those who hear believingly. First, he speaks of the law of
the Lord. That's the word tori. You've
probably heard that the law of the Lord, my marginal reasoning
says the doctrine of the Lord is everything he says. His word
is perfect. It's without error. It's without
blemish. It's the perfect Word of God. Everything God says is without
error. His Word is complete, without
blemish. It's the doctrine of who God
is. It's the doctrine of who we are. It's the doctrine of
how He saves sinners. It's perfect. It's without error. And it has such power that it
converts the soul. It invades the soul. The Word
of God gets in a man. It turns him. It turns him toward
the living God. That's what God's Word does.
A man can't turn himself. I can't turn anybody. I can't
turn myself. But when God, by His Word, by His Spirit, puts
His Word in a man's heart, it converts him. It turns him. I'm living proof of that. The
Word of God has converted me. It converts me all the time.
You know, I need to be converted continually. And the Word of
God converts me. It turns me. I sure need to be
turned all the time. Turn thou me, and I'll be turned. It converts the soul. The testimony of the Lord is
sure, making wise the simple. Now, the Bible claims inspiration. All Scripture is given by inspiration
of God. 2 Timothy 3.16. Now, if that's
so, and it is, the Word of God is authoritative. It possesses
authority, undiluted, inerrant Word of God. And God cannot be
known personally apart from this book. You can know things about
him, but you can't know him apart from his testimony regarding
himself. That's what the Word of God is.
The Bible is God's Word, therefore our only rule of faith and practice. We don't need anything else.
We don't need big creeds and big long bylaws and all that. We don't need them. The Bible
is our only rule of faith and practice. The Bible gives the
precepts of God. Therefore, it's our only rule
of duty and responsibility. You know, we're looking at marriage
in Bible study. And how do you know what to say
about marriage? Because of what God's Word says. We bow to what
God says in all things. It's our only rule of precepts. The Bible is about the promises
of God, therefore it's our only rule of hope. If I have a hope,
I better be able to turn to the scriptures and tell you why I
have that hope. A hope that's not founded on the Word of God
is not a good hope. I have to be able to turn to
the Word, some promise of God that gives me some hope. This
is the Bible. It's the testimony of the Lord.
And the scripture says it's sure, making wise the simple. Now, we don't have to strain
as to what this testimony of the Lord is. Turn with me to
Second Timothy, chapter one for a moment. The testimony of the
Lord is absolutely sure, making wise the simple. Second Timothy, chapter one. Verse 8. Be not thou therefore ashamed
of the testimony of our Lord. Here it is, this testimony of
the Lord that's sure. Here it is. Be not thou therefore ashamed
of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me, his prisoner, but
be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the
power of God. Now here's God's testimony. He saved us and he
called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to His own purposes. and grace which was given us
in Christ Jesus before the world began, but is now made manifest
by the appearing of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who hath abolished
death and hath brought life and immortality to life through the
gospel. Whereunto I am appointed a preacher,
and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles, for the which
cause I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I am not ashamed,
for I know whom I have believed, And I'm persuaded that he's able
to keep that which I've committed to him against that day. That
is the testimony of the Lord. And it sure, it makes wise the
simple. You know, the simple is the easily
seduced, the spiritually stupid. The scripture makes wise the
simple. You know, if you're a believer,
you're a wise man. Somebody who trusts Christ and
sees him as everything in salvation, They're wise, made wise by the
Holy Spirit. But that's true wisdom. Somebody
that doesn't believe the gospel is a fool, a very foolish man. Oh, thank God for the testimony
of the Lord that makes wise the simple. I know the gospel. I know the testimony of the Lord
makes wise the simple. Go back to our text in Psalm
19. He says in verse 8, The statutes
of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. Now, if you're a believer,
the statutes of the Lord will rejoice your heart. Now, here's
a big question. What statutes mean? What's a statute? Well,
a statute is an appointment. It's a decree. It's a fiat. You see, everything God says
is a decree. I mean, if He says it, It's a
decree. Now, the statutes of the Lord,
the decrees of the Lord, what He has purposed, what He wills,
what He decrees. It's right. It's right. And it rejoices the heart. Turn
with me to 1 Peter 2. Hold your finger there in Psalm
19. We're going to be coming back, but I want you to see an example
of the statutes of the Lord. 1 Peter 2. Verse 7. unto you therefore which believe,
he is precious. But unto them which be disobedient,
the stone which the builder is disallowed, the same is made
the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense,
even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient,
whereunto also They were appointed. What's that mean? Exactly what
it says. How else are you going to get
around that? I don't understand it all, but I believe it at all,
and I trust my God that whatever he does is right. Whatever he
does is right. And if he appointed these people
to this, it's right that he did it because whatever he does is
right. You see, we bow to whatever he does and right because he's
the Lord. Now, there is his appointment.
Now, I can't explain that. I just see it in the Scripture.
Well, there it is. But let's go on reading verse
9. But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, and a holy
nation, a peculiar people that you should show forth the praises
of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. You're a chosen generation. This
is the difference. This is what a believer is. He's
been appointed to salvation. as many as were ordained to eternal
life, believe. That rejoices my heart. When
I read Romans 9-11 to the children, being not yet born, neither having
done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election
might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth. Do you know
that rejoices my heart? Because it tells me that my evil
works are not going to keep me from being saved. It tells me
that my good works have nothing to do with salvation, the children
being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the
purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works. Does that rejoice your heart?
It rejoices my heart to know that salvation is not of works,
that it is in the Lord Jesus Christ. The statutes of the Lord
are right because He did them, and they rejoice the hearts. I love a God who is in control.
I love the God of election and predestination, the God who determines
everything. The statutes of the Lord are
right and they rejoice the heart. Back to Psalm 19. The commandment of the Lord is
pure. Verse 8. Everything God says
is a commandment. The commandment of the Lord is
pure, enlightening the eyes. The commandment of the Lord. Everything he says is a commandment.
Take the Ten Commandments. I love the Ten Commandments,
don't you? They enlighten the eyes and tell me who God is.
They're a reflection of His holy character. I'm not afraid of
the Ten Commandments because I've kept them in the Lord Jesus
Christ. That's why, let me say this, and let me say this right.
I don't try to keep the law. I've kept it. Now, does that
mean, well, we don't need to worry about keeping the law?
Well, no, not in the sense of, I've kept the law. I'm perfect
in Christ. Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness to everyone that believes it. Now, that doesn't
mean we're going to go out and look for a reason to break the
law because we kept it. Not at all. Believers aren't going to
respond that way to the gospel. But the commandments of the Lord,
they're pure. They enlighten the eyes. But
I think he's talking mainly about the command of the gospel. Turn
to 1 John chapter 3. Here's his commandment, verse 23, and this is his commandment, that we should believe on the
name of his son, Jesus Christ, and love one another As he gave
us commandment. Now that enlightens the eyes.
Here's his commandment to believe on the name of his son. The name
of his son. His name is my entrance into
heaven. I'm relying upon his name. That enlightens the eyes
as to how God saves sinners through the Lord Jesus Christ. And this
look. Here's his commandment that we
love one another. That gives me some light as to what happens
to somebody when God saves them. They start loving people. They
love God, and they love others when God does a work of grace
for them. You see, the commandments of the Lord are pure. They enlighten
the eyes. There's so much light in the
commandments of the Lord. Back to Psalm 19. He says in
verse 9, The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. You know, one thing that this
word produces is the fear of God. The respect, the reverence,
the awe of God. He's God. And I'm afraid of Him. I'm afraid in this sense. I'm
afraid of sin because I'm afraid of Him. And I'm afraid to look
anywhere but Christ alone is everything in my salvation. I'm
afraid to look anywhere else. That's what this Word produces.
And that is clean. It endures forever. It endures
forever because it's What happens to someone when God saves them?
They're given this nature that fears God, and it's going to
be forever. The fear of the Lord would summarize
what every word from God teaches. And then he says in verse nine,
and the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. Now, every this book is about
the judgments of the Lord and they're all true and they're
righteous altogether. Now, you think of the judgments
of the Lord. You think of his condemnation
of Adam. True and righteous altogether. Adam had everything his heart
could desire. He had it made. And his act was
an act of great wickedness. And him condemning us in Adam,
that's true and righteous altogether. And there's hope in that. You
know, the fact that he condemned us in Adam. And he did. By one
man's disobedience that many were made sinners. By the offense
of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation. The fact
that he condemned me and you for Adam's sin gives us some
hope of salvation. Because if you just stand on
your own, how have you done? There's no hope for you. But
if you can be condemned because somebody else has sinned, you
can be saved because of somebody else's righteousness. It's good
news, isn't it? I mean, there's gospel in that.
His judgments are righteous altogether. You think of His judgment on
the cross. When our Lord was nailed to a
cross, do you know everything that happened to Him was a righteous
judgment of God? He deserved damnation. He deserved the wrath of God
because my sin became His so that He actually became guilty
of it. And when God poured His wrath
upon Him, He had it coming. Amen. Praise God. What He did
was right. His judgments are true and righteous
altogether. But because of that judgment,
now He can save me in a way that's true and righteous altogether. You see, just as truly as He
was made sin, I'm made the very righteousness of God in Him.
I have His righteousness covering me. And when God saves me, it's
because I deserve to be saved. I've got the very righteousness
of God. You see, all of his judgments in the Scripture, the truth and
the righteous all together. Verse 10. Considering his. Law. His testimony. His statutes, his commandments,
his fear, his judgments, His Word, verse 10, more to be desired
are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold, sweeter also
than honey and the honeycomb. Now the Word of God is infinitely
above anything this world has. Do you believe that? It's much more. What would you
rather have, the scriptures or a million dollars? That's a no-brainer. I'd rather have the Word of God.
This is the one perfect revelation of God. And it's more to be desired
than gold, than fine gold. Yea, it's sweeter than honey.
Isn't the gospel sweet? It tells how God saves people
like me. Thank God for the gospel of His
free grace. It's sweeter than honey in the
honeycomb. Verse 11. Moreover, by them,
by God's word, is thy servant warned. Aren't you thankful for
the warnings of the scripture? What direction would you go without
the warnings of the Scripture? I mean, we'd go in every wrong
direction, but thank God for the Word of God. We have a compass.
We have the Word of God, and it warns us not to go anywhere
but to Christ, to look to Christ, to abide in Christ, to look nowhere
else. Aren't you thankful for that
warning? And then he says in verse 11, And in keeping of them,
the words of God, guarding them, believing them, receiving them,
There is great reward. You think of the reward of the
righteous. God said, I am thy shield and thy exceeding great
reward. If you believe the gospel, you
have the Lord Jesus Christ. You have the peace of knowing
that he's your peace before God. You have the joy of knowing that
everything God requires of you, you have. You're complete in
the Lord Jesus Christ and you need nothing else. You have the
joy of this promise. All things work together for
good. To them who love God, to them who are called according
to His purpose. Oh, what great reward there is
in keeping His Word. Now, in considering the Word
of God, I think David makes kind of an interesting turn here.
He's been considering the Word of God, how great it is, how
glorious it is. He said in another place, Thy
commandment is exceeding broad. And in considering the greatness
of the Word of God, look what he says about himself. Who can
understand his errors? Here's what happens when we know
the Word of God. We say, I don't even have a clue. as to how sinful
and stupid and erroneous I am. Now that is a response to the
Word of God. Who can understand their errors,
their faults, their mistakes? You and I don't even have a clue.
We don't have a clue. The only one who knows how bad
we are is God Himself. And I'm glad. I don't want to
know. It's a blessing to have that information withheld. Who
can understand his errors? And then David says, cleanse
thou me from secret faults. Sins I labor to keep in secret
that nobody sees but God. Sins that I'm not even aware
of. Boy, there's a lot of those. I'd say I have a whole lot more
sins I'm not aware of than sins that I am aware of. But cleanse
thou me. And that means make me blameless.
Make me pure. Wash away my secret sins. The sins that rip me and that
greed me. Oh, wash them away. Now, you
come to the light of the Word of God, and you see you don't
even understand your errors. And your cry is, cleanse thou
me from secret faults. Verse 13. Keep back thy servant also from
presumptuous sins. Keep me back, restrain me, prevent
me from committing presumptuous sins, arrogant, insolent sins. Lord, don't let me commit them. If you don't keep me from them,
I will commit them. And so I'm asking you, Lord,
keep me from it. Don't let me even be tempted.
Don't let me be put in a position where I can commit these sins.
Put a hedge around me. Don't let me be tempted. Keep
back thy servant from presumptuous sins. Don't let them. Look what he says next in verse
13. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins. Let them
not have dominion over me. Then shall I be upright and shall
be innocent from the great transgression. Don't let them have dominion
over me. Now, here's a blessed scripture. Thank God for the
scripture. Sin shall not have dominion over
you. And here's why. Because you're
not under law, but you're under grace. Now that's a promise from
God. Lord, keep your promise. Don't let sin have dominion over
me. Lord, keep me. back from presumptuous
sins. Now, if you have any sense at
all spiritually, if I have any sense at all spiritually, we
know that we'll be as bad as the devil himself if God doesn't
restrain us and keep us. So we pray, Lord, keep back thy
servant from presumptuous sins, sins of arrogance, sins of insolence.
Oh, keep me from that. And then Shall I be innocent
from the great transgression? And I think he's talking about
the unpardonable sin there. The sin against the Holy Spirit.
Keep me back, and then I'll be innocent from this great transgression. Oh, Lord, preserve me from that. And then he says in verse 14, Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord." Now, how can the words of my
mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in His sight? There's only one way to answer
that question. Ephesians 1, 6 says, He hath made us accepted in the
Beloved. So, Lord, let the words of my
mouth and the meditation, the thoughts, the feelings of my
heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord. I love the way he calls
him this, my strength and my redeemer. And this I know,
I do not possess spiritual strength. He must be my strength. And any strength I have is Him. You know that, don't you? O Lord,
my strength, and O Lord, my Redeemer, the One who has redeemed me from
my sins. Now this is what someone understands
when they have some understanding, when they're given some understanding
of the Holy Word of God. They learn something about the
Lord being their strength and their Redeemer. That's His work
in you, and that's His work for you. You know it's His work and
His work alone. Let's close with Psalm 130. Psalm
130. And this is about how the Lord
is the Redeemer of Israel. Oh, out of the depths have I
cried unto thee, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice. Let thine ears be attentive to
the voice of my supplications. If thou, Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with
thee, that thou mayest be feared." I wait for the Lord. My soul
doth wait. And in His Word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord
more than they that watch for the morning. I say, more than
they that watch for the morning. Let Israel hope in the Lord. For with the Lord there is mercy,
and with Him is plenteous redemption. Oh, the redeeming blood of Christ. The redeeming blood of Christ
washes away the sins of everybody He died for, so that they have
no sin. With the Lord there is plenteous
redemption. Oh, the vast ocean of His redemption. verse 8, and he shall redeem
Israel from all his iniquities. The Lord my strength, the Lord
my redeemer. Now that's our response to the
Word of God. Let's pray.