Highlights: Psalm 119 - Week 1

Hey man, we're we're starting a brand new series today. Um. And you know, we like to really creatively title series around here, so we're gonna be going through, um, uh, Psalm one nineteen for a few weeks. So we titled this one Psalm one nineteen. Uh. We like to do that because you know, we like to flex our creative muscles. Um. But we like to be clear so that so that you know what we're doing. Here's your homework through the rest of the summer. We're gonna be going through Psalm one nineteen for probably, I don't know about the next eight weeks. Um. So uh so here's your here's your homework is just keep reading Psalm one nineteen over and over and over and over again. Listen. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, Oh, well, I'm gonna read that four or five times a day. I'm gonna get you're not gonna read it four or five times a day. It's the longest chapter in the entire Bible. So uh so just read it. When you get to the end of it, start back over in verse one and read it again and meditate on that word. Listen. A lot of times, especially we as Americans, because more is better. Come on, somebody, you know we've had that that instilled it was more is better that we like those plans where we can read through the entire Bible in a week. You know, that's what we think we're supposed to do. But meditation is one of the most um misunderstood and misused spiritual disciplines in all of scripture. And when you spend when you spend a lot of time on the same passage of scripture, it allows you to meditate upon that scripture and that to sink deep down on the inside of you. So I want to encourage you to continue, just to read Psalm one nineteen over and over and over again. So Psalm one nineteen. Um, Now listen, don't laugh when I tell you where to open your bibles. We're in our series call Salm on nineteen where we're gonna be going through the book of the chapter Song one nineteen. So everybody, open your bibles to Glatians chapter five. I know Galatians chapter five, but I say walk by the spirit. Glacians chapter five, verse sixteen. But I say walk by the spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh for the desires of the flesh are against the spirit, and the desires of the spirit are against the flesh. For these are opposed to each other to keep you from doing the things you want to do. Father, I pray right now or that you speak deeply to our hearts, Father, that you reveal things that we do unintentionally and intentionally, Lord, that that deep would call deep. Today we ask it in Jesus name, Amen, Amen, and amen. So you know, um, when we get saved, when you get saved, um. And if you're here and you're not saved, and you don't know what that means, Um, that means when you surrender yourself and you repent of your sins, and you surrender yourself um to Jesus Christ as Lord, and you allow him to wash you. I just broke that. It's okay though. I don't need that part. It's like those pieces that are left over when you put something together, right, if they're still in the bag when you get through putting it together. You don't need those pieces, right. I don't need that peace. Um. So, so we we get saved, and the blood of Jesus makes us righteous. And this is the way we describe it. Most of the time when we say that that that we are made righteous through the blood of Jesus, that we're washed white and clean, and it's a brand new start, and there's nothing there. But that's not actually, that's not that's not really correct, because it's not that there's nothing there. There are some new things there, So you're not starting from the beginning. As a matter of fact, when you get saved, the moment you get saved. The reason I just want to show of hands, when you had your your grace collision, when you when you surrendered your life to Jesus, when you got saved, how many of you would describe it as feeling like a million pounds lifted off your shoulders. That it was a freeness and a lightness that came upon you. And the reason that happens is not because everything is just lifted, but because there are some other things that weren't there, that were placed there. Because when we get saved, He washes away our sin, and the Holy Spirit lives in our life at the moment listen to me, at the moment of salvation, Holy Spirit lives in my life. God doesn't save u us and leave us empty. He saves us and Holy Spirit is resident in our lives. That is the difference between the New Testament experience of salvation and what they experienced in the Old Testament. Is now we have the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. Now, well, I thought we had to be filled with the holiespit. Yes, yes, we believe in baptism of the Holy Spirit. But that's when when God continues to pour in you more of what was in you at salvation until it overflows. And now that which was in you is now upon you. Amen. Two different things, both needed, but only one needed for heaven. The other helps a lot with living. So the Holy Spirit is there, and we're filled with the fruit of the Spirit. The moment we're saved. That's while we feel the way we feel. There's love, there's patience, there's goodness, gentleness, joy, kindness, self control, faithfulness, peace. Those things are resident in our lives. That is the that is the that that feeling of euphoria, if you will, that we experience at least for a short time after we're saved. Now, many times what happens is we get saved, the devil really gets stirred up about it. Amen. He doesn't like to lose one off his team, and you're in a fight with somebody before you can get to the car, and you start thinking those old thoughts. Well, I'm gonna take care of this. Tell you what. Somebody pull within three feet in my car leaving the parking lot, and you're this far out of the parking space. I'm never going back to that church. These things. That's the way the devil works. He begins to stir things up on the inside of us. But we have to understand that that is the flesh doing battle with the spirit and keeps us from doing the things that we want to do. Because we all want to live in joy and peace and love and kindness and all of those things. We all want to live right here. I don't know why you would not want to live right here. But it is work, the gift of God, the free gift of God, Salvation. It is a free gift. As a matter of fact, that I don't know. Y'all are a little down because it's raining, So repeat this after me, say Salvation is a free gift. Don't don't say anything else. I say, Okay, salvation is. Y'all gonna keep quoting me the whole sermon, just to be funny. I know that, so I just stop you right there. Salvation is a free gift. After you get the free gift of salvation, everything after that's work. Come on, somebody. After that, it's work. I was I was deer hunting and sitting in the stand, and I listen. I will usually do this all the time. I really do all the time. And I dozed off. Come on, somebody. I dozed off. And when I shook away, I could tell I had even been snoring, because you know, your throat feels that way when you're snoring. And I looked for eight point walking just right out in front of my stand. I thought, God, thank you for this gift. I have worked so hard. Now I'm just kidding. I said, God, thank you for this gift that listen. It was a gift that dear, just it did I did everything wrong. It did everything wrong, but it ended up being right for me. Amen. It's like salvation. It's a free gift. But the moment you squeeze the trigger, the work starts. You gotta drag it out and clean it and process it and do all those things. Listen, After you get saved, everything else's work, and we should embrace the work, because the work helps us expand on the free gift. You are blessed with your job, but then you got to start working after you get it. And the harder you work, and the better you work, the more you will make because you will get rewarded for your effort. So we start right here with this free gift. Now jump with me to Psalm chapter one, nineteen, starting in verse one. Psalm one nineteen, Verse one, Blessed are the undefiled in the way who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity, they walk in his ways. You have commanded us to keep your precepts diligently. Owe that, Owe that my ways were directed to keep your statutes. Then I would not be ashamed when I look into all your commandments. Let's stop right there. We're gonna keep reading, but let's stop right there. He says, Listen, you want me to do what you say you have you have called me. It's when it shifts from righteousness to holiness. Righteousness free gift of God. Holiness is our gift back to God. When we try to walk in his statutes and his precepts. And the reason we do that is not because he makes us, but because we don't want to be ashamed, because we don't want to live in the shame of missing the mark. We don't want to let the one who gave us everything down come on somebody. So we walk in these precepts. But when we don't, we take this canvas and we've already we already talked about. Uh, we already talked about. You know, we leave here and and before we get to park about we're in a fight. So uh so anger, anger happens. And then you know, we walk out there and you know that person park next to us, you know they got a nicer car than us. So we start reconciling these This is American view of spirituality, where you know, what I just got saved, I should have a nice car too, And then jealousy takes over, and then you know, we we got one of those jobs where we we we uh we deal with a maybe we deal with cash and you know we we we we don't get paid enough. I don't get paid enough on my job. So it's not gonna hurt because I draw. I I need a happy meal after work. So I'm just gonna steal a little or maybe young people, maybe maybe Um. You know, you forgot to study for that test, and you, first of all, you're gonna this is another one that God don't lie. You're gonna blame the teacher for not reminding you that there was a test. Now she did, but she didn't call you at ten, right before you went to bed and remind you again. Come on, somebody, and I'm gonna blame somebody. And then because I didn't study, she didn't, I'm gonna cheat. And then she's gonna ask me if I cheated, and I'm gonna say no, and I'm gonna lie. Then once I lie, I'm starting to dig myself in a deeper and deeper hole. I'm gonna go back to one of my old excuses again, and I'm gonna blame somebody else. And before long, this slate that I had at Salvation where he placed all of these things that are about me experiencing life in a pure way, these things that make me filter life so it's pleasant. When I move into that place, everything begins to get munked up. And you go long enough and you can't even read what was on the slate to begin with, because there are layers and layers and layers of disobedience and actions on top of the clean slate of salvation. See that salvation is the canvas that we write things upon, whatever those things are. And here the Psalmist says what we should do is we should do everything we can to walk in the precepts of the Lord. Let's finish reading the verse seven. I will praise you with uprightness of hearts when I learn your righteous judgments. I will keep your statutes and listen to what he says. Oh, do not forsake me utterly. The psalm says, the worst thing that could happen is that you would walk away from me. Now we know God doesn't walk away from us. But he said, you do these things for me. And the last thing I want is, now that I've experienced you, to not have you anymore. But let's talk about the origin of when these things again, it says, blessed are the undefiled in the way who walk in the law of the Lord. How how do we go from righteous to defiled? What does that even mean? Jump with me to Matthew chapter fifteen, Verse ten, Matthew, Chapter fifteen, verse ten. It says, when he had called the multitude to himself, he said to them, here and understand. Listen, I don't want you to just hear. I want you to hear and understand. It's not enough or to just pass through your ears. It needs to settle on the inside of you. Hear and understand. Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man. Then his disciples came and said to him, do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this, saying foul. I just want to I want to. I want to lay something out that's gonna help you with a lot of things that are going on in society as well. Okay, it's not just gonna help you with the message today, but it's going to help you process a lot of things that are being thrown at you in the world in society today. If someone is offended because you want to protect something, their intention was to perpetrate what you're trying to protect. In other words, if you say protect children and they're offended at the fact that you say protect children, their intention is to harm children. Amen if you make the statement protect marriage, and they're offended by the fact that you stand up and say protect marriage, their intention is to destroy marriage. If you say protect the lives of the unborn, and they're offended by that, their intention is to destroy the life of the unborn. Whatever you're offended by, is the thing you intend to do. They were offended because he said, it's not what goes in that defiles, it's what comes out that defiles. I want to just explain something to you, and I love it when I study and then I have an opportunity to quote a scripture that I've studied, and over the past week I've been able to quote, Hey, it's not what goes in, it's what comes out. Love it when God sets that up like that. Because I'm not really that smart, Amen, it says just I just I study stuff, and then God opens doors for me to talk to you about what I'm studying, because I usually I don't even remember what I preached last week. Amen. I hope you do, but I don't really want you too. But if I need, I'll go back. I'll watch it online too. Amen. Gosh, listen, I want to tell you how much I love y'all that you actually listen to me preach, because when I go back and I listen to me preach, I think, boy, I would not go to that church. But thank y'all for coming and being faithful. Love y'all for it, Love you for it. Maybe you come from the music because it's really good. Whatever, you just keep coming. Amen, But listen, we are inundated by things that are anti christ all the time. We're inundated not just by things that are in but things that are anti Christian, things that are militant against what we believe. And you can't go through the course of a day unless you live under a rock without having some kind of input into you. That is not what you want. But the teaching here is that even though we're inundated by those things, we don't have to be affected by those things. Come on, somebody, I don't have to allow those things to affect me. I get questions from parents all the time. Should my child watch this? Should my child listen to this? Should my child go with this place? Go that place? Here is the answer that I'm give one hundred percent of the time is you have to part your children through things rather than wrapping them in bubble wrap and putting headphones on them so that they can't here. Come on, somebody parent them through the situations, in the circumstances that they face, because ultimately there's going to come a day where they experience things and you're not there. And if we lead them through understanding that, hey, this situation may come, but it's not that it went in you. It's if it comes out of you is what defiles you. It's the desire that it awakes. And if you act on that desire and it comes out of you, that's what defiles you. So parent them through that. If you have a question about a TV show, instead of sending them to their room with an extra set of batteries and just saying take care of yourself, sit down and watch it with them, and when those questionable things happen, pair it through that and explain scriptural print Come on, somebody, explain scriptural principles. I won't ever forget. Somebody got so mad, so mad at me because they found out that one of my daughters was reading Harry Potter, I mean like leaving the church mad. And I sat down with this person and I said, listen, you realize you realize that she teaches and preaches the word of God, that she lives an upright life, and she has she's not involved in any kind of romantic relationship, she's careful about what she views online, she does all those things, and she lives a life that's a testimony for Jesus. She is not going to suddenly grab a magic one to start running around and hocus focusing. Sitting down to have a conversation with her about this before you get mad, because the reality is she's going to face things like this in real life, and we have conversations about these things, and we talk about these things, and we we live life through these things so that we're not overwhelmed by those things when there's not that protective guidance around. Because it's not what goes in, it's what comes out. And listen, had she read it and she started sliding towards some dark, mystical, magical place, but I took the book away from her, But I was involved in her life to the point where I knew if it was affecting her or not. Be involved in your children's lives to the point where you know what affects them and what doesn't affect them and parent them through things. Send the emails to me about that here, and understand it's not what goes into the mouth that defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man. Then his disciples came and said to him, do you not know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying? But he answered them, saying, they're crazy. It's not really what he said. But he answered, he said, every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Left them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind, and if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch. When you look around and see the world right now, it's the spiritually blind reading leading the spiritually blind, and they're going to fall in the ditch. Are you going to follow his precepts? Are you going to chase after him so you're the one that comes along and pulls them up out of the ditch, or will you be in the ditch too? Just in a different smelling mud, Just a thought, just a thought, because God's word is active and alive, and it's not something to be memorized, it's something to be lived out. The Psalmist says, listen, this is this is transformational to me. I do your precepts because I don't want to find myself a shame. I do your priests else because I know blessed is he who is undefiled. There's blessings when we try to live holy, when we do live holy, when we accomplish those there's blessings that go along with it. And I want that blessing in my life. God. So I'm chasing after you, and I'm shunning the things that come out of my life that are a negative impact. And I know some of you are sitting there and you're struggling right at the very lettering foundation of this thing. Well, you know what, if I watch certain things, that's something going in but it's not coming out, it does because there's a desire there, a desire to be acted upon. There's some things that if you choose to partake of them, it will immediately make an impact and try to come out of your life just because of the way we're built to human beings. But we move through those things every let them along. They're blind leaders of the blind. If the blind leads the blind, they'll fall into a ditch. Then Peter answered and said to him, explain this parable to us. Peter said, listen, I still don't quite get it. Explain it one more time, So Jesus said, are you still without understanding? Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated. When we build the filter of our mind so that it desires the things of God, it doesn't allow things to drop into the heart and get captured. I'm not gonna tell my coffee story again, but revert back to coffee story. Not changing the filter, renewing your mind, helping your children live with the renewed mind, helping your students at school, your co workers live with the renewed mind. It's about knowing what the filter rejects and what it accepts. The things of God. It accepts those things that are good, those things that are noble, those things that are it's what it accepts. Those things drop into our hearts. The other things are kicked out, immediately ejected from our lives. It comes into our stomach and it leaves our bodies. Jesus is giving a natural example of a spiritual principle, says, it's not what goes in, that's what comes out, he says. But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. The reason I am raise his precepts, the reason I do what the Psalmist is telling us to do, that we love his precepts, that we fall in love with his precepts, is so that our heart stays pure and clean. So our heart the life part of us, the part that that connects with God and humanity. See, that's the great commission, it's the great commandment. So those things fitting together, the heart is where those things happen. The spirit man, the spirit man is just being God. The flesh is just me battling me and sometimes the devil and sometimes the world. And the flesh has a hard time. Come on, somebody's got a lot of competitors. But the soulish man, my mind, my will, my emotions, that's where if I do a good job of rejecting things, that the love of God can turn into the love of people. That processing center where life has lived out, he says, that's the part that is the vital part, because that's where everyday life happens. And you don't want to defile the world and yourself by what comes out of your life. So master his precepts, master his commandments. Know the word, not just to quote the word, but to live the word. And when you get there, you are living as a disciple of Christ. Discipleship is about doing, not just hearing. But I want to call time out on something that just hit me. This was not part of my prepare message. I said, Harry Potter. Listen, your kid may not need to read Harry Potter. That's between you and your child, that's your family. That's how you pair it, because it may affect your child. The point where there was not let them read Harry Potter. I thought some of y'all heard that. Some of y'all are mad. You already made yourself a note to complain about it. I was not endorsing Harry Potter as a book. I was simply saying, be involved in your child's life and know what affects them and impart them through things. Amen. Might not be appropriate for your child to read. Amen, Amen, Amen, My homesteading material may not be appropriate for your child to read. Because they want to drop out of school and be a farmer. Trust me, they need to finish school. Then be a farmer. Everybody needs to be a farmer. But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. Clint, you guys can come and get ready Galatians chapter five. Jump back to Galatians chapter five with me and those things who belong to Christ Jesus, and those who belong to Christ Jesus, and those who belong to Christ, and those who belong to Christ Jesus, who belongs to Christ Jesus, those who were doing His precepts. That we want to live in holiness. We want to maintain righteousness. We want that freedom that we experience. We want that and allows those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. I'm gonna read Psalm one nineteen those first eight verses again, Blessed are the undefiled in the way who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek Him with their whole heart. They also do no iniquity, they walk in His ways. You have commanded us to keep your precepts diligently. Oh, that my ways were directed to keep your statutes. Then I would not be ashamed. When I look into all your commandments, I will praise you with uprightness of heart. When I learn your righteous judgments, I will keep your statutes. Oh, do not forsake me utterly. You know. All through the Book of Psalms, we have this recurring theme, don't leave me. Don't leave me, God, Please don't leave me. God, Please don't forsake me. God, please don't please, don't move on from me. It's the fear of those who worship Him and have that life beyond when the music fades created that lifestyle of worship. The reality is God doesn't leave any of us. But God continues to move in his God fashion. He continues to call us up a little higher. He calls us day by day to have a little better mastery of the precepts of God, to push away the world and to embrace the things of holiness. God doesn't leave us. But what can happen as we allow things to come into our lives and there's a chasm that develops, it feels like a distance. God is still there. Watch this, I wanna shaw something. God is right here and here and here here, He's sitting over there with the campbels, and right down here with the old stings. He'll be in the car on the way home with the crows. He's been hugging the medcast all morning, telling them how great they are. When Mark Walker wakes up, before he gets out of the bed, he just snuggles up to him a little close and lets him know that, hey, man, I'm with you today. He's with us no matter what. He's with us. But love, peace, faithfulness, self control, kindness, joy, patience, goodness, gentleness. That's what allows us to experience, and that's what allows us to interact with them, because it's who he is, that's his connective character and nature. Those are the places where we light you on. And if we've overridden those, those receptors, those God receptors, if we've overridden them because we haven't followed his precepts, then he feels like he's not there, even though he is. Today he says, listen, come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest because my yoke is light, my burden is light. That life with me, it's not a hard like trying to cover the lies and the cheating and the deception and the emptiness and the doubt. But we have to make a decision to repent and connect through living out as precepts. Everybody stand with me all over the room. Actually, you know, I want to flip the house lights back on for me. You know, it's we're in full scale summertime now. We approached summer from a ministry standpoint a little different because it's usually just us. You know, we look around. It's just us. So maybe we teach a little more, we empower a little more, we do those things just a little more in the summer because it's just us. Sciss, this is just us. Want I ask you a question and show a hands. I want to just what you want you to be honest? How many in here? It's hard. It's hard to just always made the right decision and do the right thing. Put up your hand. It's hard to keep your hands up. Keep you if you raise them, keep them up. I want everybody to look around because it's just us. You are not alone. You may feel alone. The devil wants you to think you're alone, but you're not alone. It's hard. Put your hands down. How many of you will be honest enough to raise your hand again and say, hey, you know what, as a matter of fact, says last Sunday, I've done some things. Now, listen, we may not be talking about running from down the street naked, but we may be. I had somebody raise their hand when I I said that, Hey, I struggled with some things over the last few days, and I want to lay that down. Raise your hand. If that's you, say that's me. I struggle with some things. I want to lay down. I've had a bad attitude. I've said some things I shouldn't have said. I've have you been to a place or two that I shouldn't have been. Maybe I I crossed that line with a co worker that not having an affair, but I probably said some things I shouldn't have said. I it's the struggle of living a Christian life in a very human world, and we believe that the human struggle it's essential to our faith journey. But if we can become transparent and ask the Lord to help us through those things and make a commitment from this moment on to live in His precepts, then we've beaten the devil at least today. And I'll take a win today. So I tell you what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna count to three. If you want to lay that struggle down, if you want to if you just want to to wash away some of those letters so that your receptors are just a little clean, so that you could feel God the way you used to. I want to invite you down to the front. But maybe you're here today, and I started this message beyond the point where you are, because I started the message with salvation, and maybe you're not even there yet. But today you want to turn your life over to Jesus. Today, you want to meet him for the very first time and ask him to forgive you, to cleanse you, to fill you with love and patience and goodness and gentleness and joy and peace and faithfulness and kindness and self control. You want him to meet you right there, because that seems like a pretty pleasant place fash you, and you want to meet Jesus for the very first time today, give your life to him. When I count to three, I want you to step out from where you are and I want you to make your way to the front. Two perfect our altar team go ahead and come on and listen. They're coming down here first so they can meet you, not because they're exempt and they don't need these things, but hopefully we train them to the place where they live in repentance every day. That's our goal. Say I got some struggles, I want to lay down, or I want to meet Jesus for the very first time. On the count of three. We've already been transparent, We've already said hey, we struggle, and we all know we do. I want you to step out and make your way to the front. We're gonna pray for you quickly. This is a decision you're making to live from here on now where you're not going to fix everything in the altar. It's going to be a decision for you to live only. So on the count of three, I want you to come quickly. Don't look to see if anybody else's moving. Just purpose in your heart and get down here. One two, remove now come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on. When you get here, lift your hands and begin to worship. Lift your hands