[0:00] before we look at God's word we'll unite our hearts again in a short word of prayer Father we thank you for your word in which we have just sung there indeed who in the heavens do we have oh Lord we turn to you now oh Lord as we look at your word and as we do so Lord we pray for the children we went through next door a moment ago our prayer is that you would bless them and be with them in a very real and special way they're such a blessing to us Lord and we ask for your protection and we ask that you would bless them and be with them and we thank you for their Sunday school teachers Father we remember those who are ill and going through treatment at this time and Father we ask that you would heal them and Father we thank you for our health service and all that it means to us Lord we are so privileged and so blessed to have so many to care and to look after those who are sick we remember those who are struggling with addiction Lord and we just pray that you would take away the bondage of drink and drugs and other addictions Lord and Father as we look at your word now we sense your nearness and your presence and Lord may we say with one another when we leave this place that it was good for us to be here that we have met with the living God we have tasted and we have seen that indeed he is good
[1:42] Lord you know our fragility you know our weakness so we ask that you would grant liberty in the preaching and in the hearing of your word turn back with me please to that portion of scripture that we read in Psalm 119 Psalm 119 and at verse 105 Psalm 119 and at verse 105 words we know well your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path I have sworn an oath and confirmed it to keep your righteous rules I am severely afflicted give me life O Lord according to your word in his treasury of David Charles Spurgeon wrote 349 pages on Psalm 119 on Psalm 119 alone yet even he was beaten by the Puritan
[2:48] Thomas Martin who wrote a three volume work with each volume coming in at 600 pages so that was nearly 1600 pages on Psalm 119 alone and you will be thankful that we are only looking at three verses today so why the great interest in Psalm 119 well it is simply this the psalmist and the psalm praises God for his word the Bible he praises God for giving him his word the Bible and the psalmist praises God that through this Bible and through this word of God we can come to know who God is and how to praise him as Francis Schaeffer once said and wrote in the 1970s he is there and he is not silent
[3:51] God is there and God is not silent we come this morning to worship a God who communicates with his people we do not come before a God who is aloof and is unconcerning about us here this morning we come before a God who loves his people we come before a God who wants those who are yet outside of Christ to make their peace with Christ here today and that is what he communicates through his word and another striking feature of Psalm 119 is that in each verse of this long psalm with only a couple of exceptions it refers to the word of God the scriptures and you will find in this psalm also that the number 8 is stamped all over it
[4:53] I remember as a football player in school and playing for the school and playing for the side I'm playing for point I remember it was the number 8 I used to wear on my back and nobody else would get that number 8 shirt well the number 8 is stamped all over this and when you read the psalm and if you hear of the word law or if you hear of the word precept or if you hear of the word regulation it is talking about the whole of God's word from Genesis to Revelation the whole of God's word is meant by the psalmist when he talks about law or precept or regulation the number 8 in Hebrew means abundance we have more than enough within the scriptures and the big picture of not only the scriptures but of Psalm 119 is this this is the big picture if you seek to live your life in conformity to the word of God you will be blessed if you seek to live your life in conformity to the word of God you will be blessed and the opening to the psalter shows us that blessed is the man whose delight is in what is in the law of the Lord blessed is the man who loves
[6:26] God's Bible or the woman who loves God's Bible blessed is the man or woman who wants to communicate with God and hear from God through the word of God and by the power of the Holy Spirit what the psalter is all about and in a sense Psalm 119 it is almost like a sermon or an exposition of the beatitude that is Psalm 1 you all know Psalm 1 don't you it's like an exposition of Psalm 1 it's an extension of Psalm 1 it's an explanation of Psalm 1 it goes into more detail in Psalm 1 and it shows us how to live before God and it shows us to believe in him and the opening to Psalm 119 has these words blessed are those whose ways are blameless who walk in the law of the Lord blessed are those who keep his testimonies who seek him with their whole heart if you have the scriptures and the Holy Spirit and if you have Christ that is all you need for a life of godliness and a life of service indeed more so the bible shows us that we cannot live this life perfectly the bible shows us that we are sinners and the bible shows us and the bible points to a saviour whose name is Jesus Christ the son of God and that is what the Lord wants to communicate to you and to me this morning but there is a saviour who is willing to deal with our sin when our life is not in conformity to the word of God there was only one one man whose life was ever lived in conformity to the word of God and that was Jesus himself because he has done it for us now is that a license to go and live a life any way we want and claim to be Christians no it doesn't points to a saviour and as we study a couple of these verses we will also see that
[9:00] God's word what we have before us here is absolutely clear about this the theologians call it the clarity of scripture or the perspicuity of scripture in other words the scriptures are clear that even a child can understand we are fallen we are sinful and we need Jesus Frank Delitz the famous German commentator wrote these words about Psalm 119 and this is what he says here we have set forth an inexhaustible fullness he says what the world of God is to a man and how a man is to behave himself in relation to it more recently John Frame in his book on Christian ethics says this the point of Christian ethics that is the Christian life the point of the Christian life is not to be as liberal as we can nor is it to be as conservative as we can but to be as biblical as we can to live lives in conformity to the world of God now that was the plea and that was the experience of the psalmist the psalmist knew his weakness the psalmist knew his fragility and he knew that this
[10:24] God was a communicating God and that he wanted to live his life in conformity and to please God and he knew that this word of God is clear and it is not only clear in and of itself it is also clarifying now what does that mean it means that we can see other things in our life clearly by it our work where we live our relationships with other people how to treat other people all of these things are made clear by the word of God all of these things and the first thing the psalmist talks about here in verse 105 is the pathway that he is on your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path and we hear it so often at the prayer meetings and the prayers of the elders and God's people thanking the
[11:28] Lord for his word Lord that word your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path or as the message puts it does anyone read the message Bible great wee Bible by your words I can see where I am going the message says by your words I can see where I am going you know and if you look back to the Old Testament you remember the fire by night that led the Israelites out of the place of Egypt and through the dark wilderness in the time of the Exodus we too are directed by God by his word and by his spirit because let's not kid ourselves let's not kid ourselves we live in a dark and we live in a sinful and we live in a fallen and we live in at times a cruel world where things do not make sense in our experience even in our own lives a dark and a fallen and a cruel world and we need this world of God and his spirit to act as a torch as we navigate and as we pilgrim through this world to all another world where
[12:37] God's people belong and we have the Holy Spirit working alongside this word and it is absolutely necessary in your life and my life to have the guidance of Christ through the scriptures in all that we do it is necessary for it in the dark if we walk around in the dark and we have a torch we can see where we're going it's the same with God's word it's absolutely essential not only does God's word shine a light on what we are to believe what are we to believe well we've said it we are to believe in the gospel we have fallen we cannot save ourselves we need Jesus we need to believe in him we cannot merit salvation we cannot work for our salvation we've got to cry out Lord Jesus save me I believe your word I believe your gospel come into my life and come into my experience I cannot walk through this world any longer without you there is the gospel and Jesus comes
[13:42] Jesus comes to bind up the broken hearted Jesus came for the lost he came for the sheep that have gone astray he hasn't come for the righteous he has come for the unrighteous and we all ultimately are unrighteous that is the gospel and then when our faith and our trust and we experience the grace of Jesus in our lives we are clothed in his righteousness and when God looks at you when you are in Christ he sees you through a lens and you know what that lens is it's his son who he loves so much it's his son who he gave to us to die on a cross he sees us through the lens of Jesus the gospel that is what we are to believe but the word of God also shows us how to live in this world it shines a light on how we are to live you know God's word will also expose wrong sinful paths that we take and we're sinners we're prone to wonder we're prone to wonder to the left and to the right even as
[14:54] Christians we are prone to wonder and when I am not following God and when I am not following the Bible by the power of the Holy Spirit that word and spirit together will bring to light what is wrong in my life and your life and by the power of the Holy Spirit and the power of God we are brought to that place of repentance where we turn away from that sin Lord we thank you that you have shown us this wrong path that we're going down the word of God will show us the wrong paths we are on what did Jesus say Jesus said I am the light of the world whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life if you have Jesus here this morning you know the right direction if you have
[15:56] Jesus here this morning but you're veering on another path on a wrong path you know the way back and I know the way back to Jesus you know because the Lord will never let us go he will never let us go and if we ever walk down that wrong sinful path even as Christians the Lord will take us back and he will say thus far you shall come and no further no further read Ecclesiastes read the experience of Solomon and when you see all of God's people in the Old Testament you see their weakness you see their fragility you see them going down wrong sinful paths and you read them you see yourself in these characters I see myself in these characters well the psalmist too knew he knew the right direction and contained within this verse 105 your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path there is a prayer there is the nuance of a prayer contained within it within this short there is a plea the living bible puts it this way lord keep me from stumbling keep me from stumbling in other words lord keep me from going astray you know often times as christians we may become discouraged because the bible has nothing to say specifically on whether we are to say for instance leave school and go to university or go and get a trade whether to marry this person or whether to marry that person whether if we are able to take this treatment or to take that treatment or if our car is broken down is it the alternator or is it the van belt you know the word of god might not have much to say on specific things in your life and in my life but that does not mean that the lord god is not interested in the minute details of your lives it's what faith is all about what faith is all about and sometimes as christians we may become discouraged we don't hear from the lord in certain situations whether we're to buy this house or that house whether we're to live here or to live there or whether I'm called to the ministry or whether I'm not or whether I'm called to go on mission or whether I'm not you know he's intimately interested and concerned but yet by faith the lord will direct your path in every way and my path so whether we take out a trade or go and do a degree whether we buy this house or that house marry that person or this house there are sometimes in our experience where we are to wait upon the lord just wait
[18:59] I remember not long after I was saved I went to see my granny my granny said to me you remind me of people in the bible you are so rash and you are so impulsive you've got to remember to wait upon the lord so true but there are often times in our christian experience where we tarry so long that we just don't go anywhere which is the other side of the coin as well there are times we are rash and impulsive there are other times we are waiting so long and we're not hearing from the lord but in whatever experience you find yourself in today in whatever station in life you find yourself in today your prayer ought to be keep me from going astray keep me from going astray this should be a priority in our prayer life yet how often in my own experience do I lack that prayer lord keep me from going astray it was the prayer of the psalmist who knew and loved god yet knew fragility and knew he was just martin teen say about what yeah on the screen so there can çık depends on you. In other words, just do something.
[20:42] Thomas Watson the Puritan says this, Christ went more readily to the cross than we to the throne of grace. Christ went more readily to the cross than we go to the throne of grace. Lord, keep me from going astray. It only takes one wrong decision or one bad decision to go astray.
[21:04] There are times in our Christian experience and when we're close to the Lord, we're to wait upon the Lord. Yet there are other times we must act.
[21:18] We must move forward. And all our experiences are different. We all worship the same God. But that wisdom from on high is on offer to each and every one of us here today, from the oldest to the youngest.
[21:36] Ask God for wisdom and he will give it to you in abundance. So whether we're waiting or whether we're moving forward, it's all about faith and trust.
[21:52] Whether you're going through good times or whether you're going through bad times. But faith and trust and being directed by God's word and remaining close to Jesus.
[22:06] Has anyone ever read any books by Kevin D. Young? Anyone? No? No? Okay, listen to a title of one of Kevin D. Young's books.
[22:19] Here's a title for a book for you. Just do something. A liberating approach to finding God's will or how to make a decision without dreams, visions, fleeces, open doors, random Bible verses, casting lots, living, writing in the sky, etc.
[22:37] It's a great title for a book, isn't it? Just do something. A liberating approach to finding God's will on how to make a decision without dreams, visions, fleeces, etc.
[22:48] There's nothing wrong. The Lord will reveal himself to you in a myriad of ways, but primarily through his word. But that's still small voice in your heart. Listen to it. It's God. God's speaking to you.
[23:02] So, if the Bible is not specific on certain aspects of our lives that we want it to be specific on, then how do we live?
[23:15] How do we live? Well, it teaches us whether we work in a supermarket or work in an office, whether we are married or whether we are not, whether we are retired, whether we are not, whether we are, whatever we are at, it teaches us this.
[23:32] It teaches us to love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself. It teaches you that.
[23:42] It teaches you that. What else does it teach us? It teaches us that love is patient and kind.
[23:55] It teaches us that also. that love does not envy or boast. It teaches us that. It is not arrogant or rude.
[24:05] It does not insist on its own way. It is not irritable or resentful. It teaches us that. Wherever we are in life's experience, it teaches us that.
[24:16] It teaches us that. It teaches us also, likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for us. We ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
[24:29] Have you ever prayed with just groanings? Yes. It teaches us that. Teaches us that too. But it also teaches us this, and this is primary.
[24:44] It teaches us this. This is absolutely paramount. It teaches us to lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the author and the perfecter of our faith.
[25:01] It teaches us that. It teaches us that. Lord, keep me from going astray.
[25:15] Help me to keep my eyes focused firmly on Jesus. I am weak. I am feeble. I am sinful. I need you every day for a closer walk with God.
[25:28] Do not get discouraged here today if there are things going on in your life and you cannot fathom it and you are reading the scriptures and it is not coming to you.
[25:41] Do not be discouraged. It tells you to look to Jesus. Do you remember the last part of that verse in Hebrews?
[25:51] Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before and endured the cross, despising the shame and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
[26:09] What more do we need? What more do we need? God will direct our paths. Whether we're having to wait on the Lord or whether we're having to make that decision of whatever it is in our life situation, keep your eyes fixed on Jesus because his eyes are fixed on you.
[26:37] It teaches us to have that faith in Jesus and it teaches us that today is the day of salvation. I ask you today, do you know this Jesus?
[26:53] Do you know him? Have you met with him? Have you experienced him? You know you will never be disappointed with Jesus.
[27:10] And he calls on you today. Calls on you today to come to him.
[27:22] He teaches us that. You know we let each other down so often, don't we? We let each other down so I'm terrible.
[27:33] I let people down all the time. Yes, I'm going to come and visit you. I'll see you next week or the week after and I haven't. Three years later you see the same person again. I've let them down again. And I say I'm sorry.
[27:45] We let each other down so often but Jesus never lets us down. Never. Jesus will never let you down. He says I am the resurrection and I am the life.
[27:58] The pathway. That's the pathway the psalmist was on. He said the pathway that you're on. Your world is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Do we understand what this word teaches us?
[28:12] Secondly, we have the promise. I have sworn an oath. Look at verse 106. I have sworn an oath and confirmed it to keep your righteous rules. Or as the Living Bible puts it, I've said it once and I'll say it again and again.
[28:26] I will obey these wonderful laws of yours. You know, when the psalmist is talking about these righteous rules, he has, and I mentioned this earlier, he has in his mind the whole of what the scriptures teach.
[28:39] It's not just the Ten Commandments he's talking about here. He's talking about the whole encompassing word of God, the Bible, that you have there. And he talks about this and he says, I want to obey it again and again.
[28:52] I will obey these wonderful laws of yours. For instance, in the High Free, we were studying through the book of Esther. And within the book of Esther, God's name is not even mentioned.
[29:05] And in the book of Esther, there are all rules or regulations, but yet in that little book in the Old Testament, it teaches us so much about the sovereignty of God. It teaches us so much about the love of God.
[29:16] It teaches us that this God will not let us down. It even teaches us to trust in this God. It tells us that he is a kind God. Whenever you look in Scripture, it teaches us all these things about God.
[29:26] But primarily, it teaches us that he is a Savior God. You know, every page of Scripture teaches us that one thing. The psalmist here has made a covenant with God.
[29:38] And more so at a later date, he has confirmed that covenant. He has in his covenant with the Lord shown that he takes his faith very, very, very seriously.
[29:50] It's the main thing in his life is this walk with God. He did not say, I will select some of what God says in his word and I will choose and throw away these parts and keep those parts.
[30:02] No. The psalmist obeyed God as best he could. Does that mean that the psalmist was perfect? Absolutely not. He was no different to you or I.
[30:13] Absolutely no different to you or I. Yes, he heard from God and he wrote that the Lord used him to write the Scriptures. But he was no different to you or I. But yet he says, I am going to obey these rules of yours and he knew that obeying these rules would not save him.
[30:28] He knew that he had to be right with God first and foremost. The psalmist obeyed God's law as best as he could and over and over and over again the psalmist reveals to us through the whole of Psalm 119 that he delights to follow God all the days of his life.
[30:47] He states in verse 101, I hold back my feet from every evil way, he says. I hold back my feet from every evil way. Go back to Psalm 1. What does the psalmist say?
[30:58] I do not sit with sinners, she says. Perhaps the psalmist woke up every morning and said, Lord, lead me not into temptation.
[31:12] Lead me not into temptation. I am a weak and I am a fragile sinner. That was his prayer. You see, the law of God, the scriptures, it's like an x-ray.
[31:24] You know, the Bible is like an x-ray. It will reveal a problem but it cannot fix it. An x-ray will not fix the problem but it will reveal the problem. And that is what the Bible does.
[31:35] And when we come and when we come to read the Bible, how often we come to read the Word of God and we come our way after reading the Word of God and we realize that the Word of God has been reading us.
[31:47] The Word of God has been reading us because the author is God himself. You see, our lives as God's people must be in accordance with the Word of God.
[32:03] And that Word that we have before us has both a moral code how to live our lives but it also has a commission to go out and tell the world about Jesus.
[32:14] Jesus. And you know, and sometimes when we follow God's law and we live as Christians, no matter how poor a Christian and how weak our faith is, we sometimes come into conflict with the world.
[32:33] You know, a psalmist here, he shows traits of possessing a teachable spirit. Why do you not know any teachers? Any teachers? Come on, there's bound to be teachers in here.
[32:44] No, no, no one's a teacher. Yeah, good stuff. Teachers. Now, I ask you, is there anything as endearing as having a child with a teachable spirit?
[32:56] Isn't a child with a teachable spirit a great thing? But more so, even an adult. For us to have teachable spirits, God loves people with teachable spirits.
[33:09] It doesn't matter whether we're elders or ministers or doctors, it doesn't matter about where our standing is in life, the Lord wants us all to have teachable spirits.
[33:21] Teachable spirits. And the psalmist has that, that endearing teachable spirit that I don't think there is anything more pleasing to God. He was open to being corrected. And when he went down the wrong, a wrong path, he was open to being corrected and he was open to being shown what was wrong in his life.
[33:43] Now, sometimes we do not like criticism. The old man and the old woman in us rises up and says, no, that's not me. But how often it is, though, teachable spirit, we should pray for a teachable spirit.
[33:57] Read the book of Proverbs and it's all about having that teachable spirit to be taught by God how to live. Abraham Lincoln, I love Abraham Lincoln stories. I'm not going to go on too much longer, okay.
[34:10] Abraham Lincoln, okay, he got caught up in a situation where he wanted to please a politician. So he issued this command during the civil war to transfer a certain amount of regiments from one end of the country to the other end of the country.
[34:23] Now he did not inform his secretary of war whose name was Edwin Stanton. I should have asked that. Does anyone know who's Lincoln? Well, it was Edwin Stanton who was his secretary of war and he did not inform Stanton.
[34:37] And when Stanton found out and received the order, he absolutely refused to carry it out and he said this, this is what he said of the president. He said, the president was a fool and he would not carry it out and when Lincoln was told what Stanton had said, do you know what Lincoln's reply was?
[34:57] Stanton says, I'm a fool then I'm a fool because he's always right and Stanton was right, a teachable spirit. We should be able to be corrected.
[35:10] It doesn't matter where we are in life, we all ought to have that teachable spirit for he is nearly always right, Lincoln said of Stanton. Conflict.
[35:26] Sometimes having that teachable spirit and being a child of God in this world will bring us into conflict with this world and we know that we live in a fallen world and of course Jesus himself said give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and give to God the things that are God.
[35:46] The psalmist will uphold God's way as it applies to every specific situation in his life. You see his ethics are absolute, they are not flexible and relative.
[35:56] They are not determined by particular context which only finds himself. He is resolute and he is consistent. For instance, the Christian student away to university for the first time who's living in the halls of residence and the parties are going on everywhere, he or she must say no.
[36:17] When we're filling out our timesheets for work and one or two others might be fiddling the timesheet, the Christian must say no. And that might bring conflict for us in this world, but we must be resolute and we must be courageous and the psalmist is showing traits of this.
[36:37] The psalmist says the Bible directs me every day of my life, but we all know that we let the Lord down every day, don't we? We all let the Lord down every day, that he is forgiving and he is merciful.
[36:59] You know, you might be here this morning and saying, I have gone too far in my sin. and I can never be forgiven. Some of the things I've done are also, God can never forgive me for that.
[37:20] I say to you this morning, God's grace is greater than any of your sin or my sin. Read the book of Romans. God's grace is greater than anything we've ever done.
[37:32] God's grace is greater than any of your sin. God's grace is greater than any of your sin. God's grace is greater than any of your sin. Yet we are called as Christians to be different. But the thing is, as we walk as pilgrims in this world, we do not do it alone.
[37:46] We are all together here, one with another. You do not have to do it alone. You have the Holy Spirit of God and Christ himself with you, but you also have each other.
[37:58] You also have a wonderful minister. You also have wonderful elders and deacons and such a missionary church this is. You all serve, you all have one another and you encourage one another and you uphold one another.
[38:14] I also hope that you correct one another as well. But if you see your friend falling into sin, say so, say something. Don't let it slide.
[38:25] Take them aside lovingly and say and likewise, our friends will come along to us and say, you know, sort it out. You're a Christian. But we all ultimately fail, yet we do not do it alone.
[38:43] You know, Calvary has made sure of that. Everything that Jesus did at Calvary has made sure of that. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[38:53] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. There's 107 and I'm not going to be long. I am severely afflicted. Give me life, O Lord, according to your word.
[39:06] I am severely afflicted. Give me life, O Lord, according to your word. We have the pathway, verse 105. We have the promise from the psalmist, verse 106.
[39:19] And you'd think I would have a third and final point that is more positive than calling it problems. I am severely afflicted.
[39:33] You know how the message puts it? Everything's falling apart on me, God, put me together again with your word. Isn't that beautiful? Everything's falling apart on me, God, put me together again with your word.
[39:48] You know, we follow a crucified savior, not a pampered one. God's people will suffer in many ways. You know, the apostle John knew this when he said, the reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
[40:07] I am severely afflicted, give me life, O Lord, according to your word. Everything's falling apart. Have you ever had everything falling apart in your own life and in your own experience? Do you know what's going on here?
[40:20] Do you know that James in the New Testament says this, count it all joy, my brother, when you meet trials of various kinds? For you know that the tasting of your faith produces steadfastness and let steadfastness have its full effect that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
[40:42] Do you know what's going on there? Suffering actually completes the Christian. Suffering actually completes the Christian. for the Christian to be whole again, you may have to suffer.
[40:58] You may have to suffer. Give me life, oh Lord. The psalmist is crying out for help and he knows that God is near and he knows that it is only God who can revive him.
[41:09] Give me life, oh Lord, according to your word. In his suffering and in his time of darkness, the psalmist is turning to the Bible where he found God in prayer and he found the living God and he finds all God's promises in this world and it's the only thing that gives him comfort.
[41:29] What gives you comfort here this morning? Is it the Lord or is it something else? Is it the Lord or is it something else?
[41:41] It was God's presence and it was God's promises that gave him comfort and kept him going day by day. If ever there was light on his dark path, it was then when he opened the pages of scripture and he met with Jesus.
[41:58] When he opened his Bible, we opened the pages of scripture and what do we read when we're having our darkest days? Even when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, yet will I feel no evil?
[42:12] For you are with me, your rod and staff, they comfort me. We read that. The Lord is my life and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is my strong one for my life.
[42:23] Of whom shall I be afraid? We read that on the words of Jesus. Peace I leave with you.
[42:34] My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives it do I give it to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. in your darkest moments, where do you turn to?
[42:48] Make it Jesus. Make it Jesus. You know oftentimes, the Lord does calm the storm. Oftentimes, in our experience, the Lord will calm the storm.
[43:02] But sometimes, he will let the storm rage, but he will calm his child. He will calm his child. I am severely afflicted.
[43:18] Give me life, O Lord, according to your word. Everything is falling apart. Put me together again with your word. Make me whole and make me complete. It's the prayer on the plea of the psalmist.
[43:30] If you are broken here this morning, and if you think that you are falling apart, take these promises to heart and read every promise in this word and believe that God is directly talking to you.
[43:47] You see, we worship a God who entered into time and space. We worship a God who entered into our very experience, in and through Jesus Christ, his Son.
[44:00] And the reason and the way we become whole again is because he was broken. The reason we can become whole again is because he was broken.
[44:16] What did he say on the night he was betrayed? Take, eat, this is my body, which is what? Broken for you.
[44:29] Do this in remembrance of me. Do you want to be whole today? Do you want to be unbroken today? Take every promise that is contained within this Bible.
[44:45] I believe that God is speaking directly to you. Your word indeed is a light to my path, but one day we will not have this word before us, because one day if you're in Christ, you will be with Christ.
[45:07] You will be with Christ. Abraham Kuyper, and I close with this quote, Abraham Kuyper was a theologian from the Netherlands, who actually was the Prime Minister of the Netherlands for a while, and he says this, in the state of glory there shall be no more temple in the city, but also no more Bible in the oratory.
[45:30] A Bible in the oratory is a sign that you yourself are still a sinner in a sinful world. I want to repeat that. Listen to what he's saying.
[45:41] In the state of glory, that's in heaven, in the state of glory there shall be no more temple in the city, but also no more Bible in the oratory. A Bible in the oratory is a sign that you yourself are still a sinner in a sinful world, because you know that contained within the gospel, one day if your faith and trust is in Jesus, you will be with Jesus and you will be perfect.
[46:05] No more sin, no more letting the Lord down, no more letting each other down, and we'll be gathered around the throne, worshipping the land that was slain before the foundation of the world.
[46:23] What a promise. I've come on far too long. Let us pray. Eternal God, we thank you for your word. We thank you for all the promises that are contained within it.
[46:35] Father, we pray that each and every one of us, Lord, would know and experience the love of Jesus this day, that we would turn to you in our times of need, but also in our times of joy.
[46:50] Father, we pray for one another and Lord, may you touch our hearts in a way, Lord, where we will say, I have met with Jesus today. Go before us now and pardon sin for Jesus' sake.
[47:02] Amen.