[0:00] Good morning. Welcome to the House of the Lord. It's good to be back in your midst.
[0:14] It always feels like a gap after we miss a Sunday, which is not very often, but this past, last week, we were worshiping, fellowshipping in Jacksonville, Florida, with a church group there, and enjoyed the service there as well.
[0:39] In our bulletin, there was a praise item, and it speaks about our cup being filled, referring to me and Sadie.
[0:51] Well, I want to affirm this morning that our cups were filled. We really enjoyed the teaching at the conference.
[1:02] It was a three-day event for the men and for the ladies. It was a two-day event, and a lot of encouraging teaching on pastoral ministry, identifying a lot of the challenges, discouragements that come our way, and addressing them, and always the thrust in the Lord.
[1:25] We keep going, and it's all about Jesus. And so, yes, our cups are filled. We are glad to be back, and yet it was good to go and to be refreshed.
[1:37] I thank the church for standing behind us in this as well. I just, you know, every church goes through challenges, and the one that was hosting the event was the downtown church in Jacksonville, and they're a First Baptist church, and they shared some of their struggles.
[2:08] And they had built their buildings in 1921, kind of their start. And they had grown to encompass 11 city blocks, their church, four of them being parking lots, and a church of 13,000 people that were attending.
[2:36] It was a huge gathering, in our books at least, and yet they shared our struggle is today we're down to 3,000.
[2:49] And the population of Florida is rapidly increasing, and people are going away. And they're not going to other churches. They're simply going away.
[3:00] They're leaving. They don't have time for God. How do we embrace that? So very, very profound, different challenge for them to what are our next steps.
[3:17] And they were going to put a whole bunch of real estate on the market because they couldn't sustain that. So I found that a little bit interesting. There are different challenges in different areas.
[3:31] All right. Dave alluded to I would share on the announcements here a little bit. So in regard to baptism, we've had this. I would like to start this coming Saturday with some classes.
[3:47] I've had one confirmed request for baptism. A couple are interested. So I'd like to start Saturday during the day sometime. So if we could, if anyone is interested in checking out the baptism class, meet me after church in the foyer, and we'll arrange the time on Saturday.
[4:08] I'd like to do it either morning or afternoon if possible. And just to fit it into our schedule, we'll work with you as much as we can to make it work.
[4:19] And then secondly, also pursuing membership. We're going to offer those classes. We had broken off with the previous baptism group before Christmas.
[4:31] We had the baptism. But we're opening it up for membership classes. It's a set of three, four classes. And we want to begin that this coming Saturday at 7 p.m.
[4:46] 7 p.m. It's going to conflict with the eldership, the leadership classes. Run them at the same time. And Brother Peter's going to do one, and I'll be doing the other one. And so I would encourage, if you're attending here, and you know that this is home, this is where you want to serve and be served, then that you would consider taking that step of membership, of making that application of commitment to continue to be here.
[5:29] And we don't put membership in the category of a salvation issue. It is identifying with a local group.
[5:43] And so we don't hold to that is your ticket to heaven at all. In fact, that is wrong.
[5:54] But it's simply a symbol of this is where I belong. This is where I'm committing to serve. And we can expect and count on here. They're serving.
[6:07] They're people that we can rely on as well. So if you're unsure, come check it out. Come take the first class or a couple or all of them and decide.
[6:22] In membership, we do ask for your written testimony of how you came to the faith, where and when or more when you gave your heart to Jesus, when he took over your life.
[6:40] And at a membership service, we do ask you to share that publicly here so that the rest of the congregation knows your background and they too are assured that you are a believer.
[6:53] You've come to the saving faith. And it's, for many of us, that is quite nerve-wracking. I realize that. I remember when I first did it.
[7:05] It is. And yet the Lord leads us and shows us the way. So if there are any questions about that, I'm going to talk to myself or to Peter or one of the other brothers.
[7:19] But we're going to start this coming Saturday at 7 o'clock. All right. With that, why don't we just take a moment, greet our neighbor.
[7:33] Stand up, greet your neighbor, and we'll get settled down for the message here. Thank you.
[8:08] All right.
[8:26] So we have been progressing in this short study on the Scriptures, the Holy Word of God. This is message number four.
[8:37] Brother Peter shared last Sunday on the bread of life. And previous to that was the fountain of life, the living waters.
[8:51] And so this morning, I was going to focus on the Bible, our source of counsel. Our source of counsel.
[9:03] And as I was preparing, I found this is one of the most difficult messages that I've put together because that topic would take us all over and it would take weeks or months to go through it.
[9:23] And so I've chosen an aspect of it because counsel is so big. The word counsel is simply advice, advisor to give advice.
[9:37] And Jesus was identified in prophecy. One of his names in Isaiah 9 was, he shall be called wonderful counselor, advice giver.
[9:55] And so we have the entire Scriptures provide counsel for us. And so this morning, I've entitled the message still, The Bible, Our Source of Counsel.
[10:09] And, but we're going to, we're going to narrow down on the aspect that was presented in the word that was read for us. This morning, as in every morning, what is the greatest sin?
[10:35] Unbelief. Jake says unbelief. Do we agree? Is there a greater sin than unbelief? Blaspheming the Holy Spirit would be in the category of unbelief, right?
[11:03] Okay. And so, in the sense that we, that we stay in unbelief, it is the same as, well, in the, in the category of, of not having forgiveness.
[11:17] And the theme is, instead of coming to faith, it is ascribing to Satan, the credit. And, and so it is, in that sense, very similar.
[11:30] So the greatest, the greatest sin is that of not embracing the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. I think we would all agree with that.
[11:45] All other sins are beside the point if we don't turn to Jesus. We can confess as many sins as we want, but if we don't embrace Jesus Christ, it is for nothing.
[12:08] And, and so that is, that is critical. critical. Now, to follow up on that, who is he who created you?
[12:24] Who created you? Jesus. God. Every one of us has been created by our living God in his image.
[12:41] And, therefore, in this context of counsel, who then would be qualified to tell us how to live?
[12:59] Our creator. Our creator. See, it's very simple. It's very simple. Now, we, we don't understand the power, the ability to create like God has and God alone has that he created out of nothing.
[13:23] I can create things out of things. And I'm sure all of us can. I can make something out of wood. It might not look very pretty, but I can make something.
[13:35] But the wood was there. It's created. God created us in his image and, therefore, he alone who engineered us has the, the sole right in understanding of how we can live before him.
[13:58] and hence he has given us the word of God to tell us how to live. I'm not hearing any amens.
[14:13] Is that correct? It is, right? It is. It is the only source of truth that covers how many aspects of our life.
[14:29] Every one of them. From marriage to relationships to raising children to how to deal with your boss at work to, to unforgiveness to, there's every aspect of life.
[14:46] Hurts, wounds, it's all there. And, so it is our source of counsel like none other. And, and yet, why are so many refusing to see this as the answer?
[15:22] We don't want to acknowledge there's a God? Okay. I think I heard another answer somewhere. Because of sin? Don't want to give it up? The flesh.
[15:34] Right? And so, it is God's way or it is my way? How many of us have tried my way?
[15:47] I think every hand should go up. And does it work? No, it doesn't. It surely doesn't. And does God's way work? Has God's way ever, ever failed?
[15:59] See, it's very simple. It's black and white. God's way works, ours doesn't.
[16:14] And yet, it isn't so simple. And that is in the struggle within to God's way. even as believers. To surrender to God's way of doing marriage, of doing everything.
[16:32] And hence, we see the struggles in life. You know, the statistics are, I'm kind of picking on marriage here a little bit, the statistics are that the marriage, the divorce rates in the American churches is as big as outside the church.
[16:55] There's hardly a difference. Now, how can that be when, when we would think the believers are all doing it God's way? When we do it God's way, does a marriage fail?
[17:10] No. No. Never. But it's when self is in control. And, and so, it's, it's, it's very, very clear then that this is the word that we need to embrace all the way.
[17:33] I want to focus this morning on, on Hebrews 4, just getting, gleaning a few thoughts out of here as in the, the counsel of God.
[17:45] Scripture, the whole theme of the word of God is redemption. In the Old Testament and through the New, it is God preparing and sending a Savior to save us out of our sins.
[18:05] That is counsel. and so, the word of God as a whole counsels us embrace what I have for you.
[18:17] I have made a way for you to be in right standing with your creator. That is the number one counsel in scripture and we want to just look at that this morning.
[18:31] in Hebrews in both the third and fourth chapters we have we have the author using the illustration of the children of Israel in the Old Testament in the wilderness wanderings.
[18:54] and we are all familiar with at least partly with their 40 years in the wilderness we have just covered that in Sunday school here how out of 600,000 men and women and children on top of that only two made it into the promised land only two even Moses was denied because of disobedience and so the author here picks up on that and he uses that as a warning to the church in chapter 3 I'm going to read a couple verses there he says in verse 12 of chapter 3 beware brethren lest there be in you be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living
[19:58] God but exhort one another daily while it is called today lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin and then I'll go down to verse 17 now with whom was he angry forty years was it not with those who sinned whose corpses fell in the wilderness and to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest but to those who did not obey see so we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief unbelief chapter four verse one therefore since a promise remains of entering his rest let us fear lest any of you seem to come short of it for indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them but the word which they heard did not profit them not being mixed with faith in those who heard it the children of
[21:13] Israel they witnessed God's miraculous hand in so many vivid demonstrations the ten plagues the red sea parting they're being sustained by the hand of God they're being fed bread and meat daily their shoes didn't wear out their feet didn't get sore God kept them and verse 2 here says the gospel was preached to them as well as to us they had every opportunity to repent and to put their trust and faith in God and yet in the 19th verse of the previous chapter they could not enter in because of unbelief it was not mixed with faith they saw
[22:25] God at work and yet a refusal to trust and so their corpses were scattered in the desert in the wilderness they had to die off that is the greatest sin unbelief unbelief and it keeps us separated from our God let's read on in chapter four for we who have believed do enter that rest as he had said so I swore in my wrath they shall not enter my rest although the works were finished from the foundations of the world for he has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way and God rested on the seventh day from all his works and again in this place they shall not enter my rest since therefore it remains that some must enter it and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience again again he designates a certain day saying in
[23:44] David today after such a long time as it has been said today if you hear his voice do not harden for if Joshua had given them rest then he would not have afterwards spoken of another day there remains therefore a rest for the people of God for he who has entered his rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from his this this teaching of being in the faith of of embracing the preaching the teaching the gospel by faith is likened to entering the rest of God the Sabbath rest and we go way back in the Old Testament to creation where very clearly
[24:48] God created and on the seventh day he rested and when he gave the law he commanded them six days you shall work and on the seventh day you shall rest and here we see a deeper fulfillment of that we all acknowledge that need a day off we need it at least I do and I think I can safely say all of us do whether we acknowledge it or not it is healthy it is a day where we put aside our work and we focus on our creator and so we have that theme throughout scripture but here the author is saying there is a deeper application to this that
[25:51] Sabbath rest is a is a further reference to us finding peace with our God and resting in Jesus it's a a stopping a ceasing from our own efforts in life our own efforts to make our way or to try to please God it is a giving up of that and find Sabbath rest in in our Lord and and so we see then in part in the Old Testament it was for a physical rest even as today we still need it and yet it pointed to the ultimate rest that God desires for us what God has for us and it is in him and it is a spiritual rest where our hearts are at peace in him and we cease to struggle any longer against God so the teaching in here is is very very clear on that and because of that he says today if you hear his voice do not harden your hearts if you are struggling with unbelief with surrendering to God today do not harden your heart stop fighting and turn to God you know verse 13 of chapter 3 says the second half of it says today lest any of you be hardened through the deceit of sin he is saying sin is leading us deceitfully away from God and it's hardening our hearts it's hardening our hearts and so a very stiff warning to the the
[28:20] Hebrews in in in the New Testament time don't make the mistake of your fathers in the wilderness they too heard the word but let it count embrace it by faith and therefore entering the rest that God has for you hence we see in the New Testament with the coming of Jesus and when Jesus came out of the grave and the church was born the believers finding that Sabbath rest the true rest of God and they started to meet on the first day of the week instead of the Sabbath the fulfillment of what God had for us right from the beginning Jesus
[29:20] Christ in him we have this rest now going down to verse 11 in the fourth chapter let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience and and then verse 12 for the word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword piercing even to the division of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart so how does this verse fit in with what we've just read that the word of
[30:20] God is living and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword cutting very finely piercing even to the division of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow this is a reference that you cannot deceive God you cannot deceive the word the word of God is able to see right through you it is living it is Jesus we cannot fight the word of God and this is speaking now to unbelief it compares to the division of soul and spirit it we teach that the soul and the spirit are both immaterial they're not physical parts of us in the three part human being of spirit soul and body the spirit and the soul are not physical and he says the word of
[31:57] God can penetrate and divide the soul and the spirit the word of God can pierce through your thoughts the deceitfulness of your heart and expose it and bring conviction we can hide it from men but not from God so it is living it is powerful I look at my life and I know how God exposed my inward corruptness and I trust he has done it for you the word of God able to to divide to the soul and the spirit in the physical as well the joints and the marrow our body which is our outward movements and then the marrow which is our physical
[33:04] I'm not a doctor but marrow is in our bones it is essential to life contains our stem cells and so it is it is a critical life giving part of us and God says the word of God is able to discern to split to divide where it counts is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart so God will reveal who you are God will reveal who you are and in the Old Testament many of them could not enter in to that rest the land of Canaan being a symbol of rest and yet God is still continuing to offer it today and it's in his son
[34:06] Jesus there's no creature hidden from his sight but all things are naked and open to the eyes of him to whom we must give account this is the counsel of God come today is the day do not harden your hearts do not allow sin to harden but turn and embrace the living God as his spirit calls you this is the counsel of the Bible and I would I would encourage I would plead with anyone here this morning if you're unsure if you're unsure where your heart is at today is the day turn to him don't make that mistake as well because all of us are designed by God to be in peace with him to find that rest it's his desire and it is here before us as I sum up this part we we look we look to counsel we we often go to others for advice it's a good thing church counselors are often very busy personal problems marriage problems but did you know that no counselor can heal you except the one of the
[36:21] Bible Jesus God uses friends brothers sisters counselors pastors to maybe expose help you identify the root but then it has to go to Jesus to get fixed no human being can fix it for you and so the Bible from front to back is there for us to God with our problems let us do that we're going to turn to Psalm 16 as I close this part and then we're going to have some four men come up to share on Psalm 119 but Psalm 16 and the seventh and the eighth verses this thought was fitting the Psalm of David he says
[37:44] I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel my heart also instructs me in the night seasons I have set the Lord always before me because he is at my right hand I shall not be moved David is saying I will bless always because he has given me counsel he has shown me the way he has directed my path my steps my heart instructs me in the night season I have set the Lord always before me he is searching even in the night the ways of the Lord the word he's meditating on scriptures and I shall not be moved it's
[38:47] David's heart I shall not be moved because I put my trust in God and God alone Psalm 119 is full of similar advice we've heard a good portion of it already but we want to close the service this morning with four more guys that are going to share so Peter Harms is going to start in verse 97 to 104 and then Willie Martins Peter Reimer and John Neufeld so if you can come up in that order and just take a few minutes and share some thoughts so Peter would you start us off morning everyone I'll start by reading Psalm 119 97 to through 104 says oh how I love your law it is my meditation all the day you through your commandments make me wiser than my enemies for they are ever with me
[40:02] I have more understanding than all my teachers for your testimonies are my meditations I understand more than the ancients because I keep your precepts I have restrained my feet from every evil way that I may keep your word I have not departed from your judgments for you yourself have taught me how sweet are your words to my taste sweeter than honey to my mouth through your precepts I get understanding therefore I hate every false way so yeah as I went reading these throughout the week it mainly talks about how would I say it the way I see meditating on this word throughout I guess yeah like it says here verse 97 how I love your law it is my meditation all the day so when
[41:15] I think about meditation I think it's myself like when I we can meditate on things that might not even be God's word itself but whatever that is we can if we meditate long enough on it we will actually eventually turn to those things and start applying whether it's something good or not so as we apply God's commandments or his word if we start meditating on it we will actually end up applying that in our lives so I thought that was really interesting how that works what that is the way it is and it says I'm not sure if I'm going to go through everything but I have more understanding than all my teachers your testimonies are my meditations so if we have God's word we will have more wisdom and knowledge than any human because we have God and he will be revealing his word and his ways to us
[42:21] I just thought I would also go to Job 32 7 8 I thought I was going to read that Job 32 7 and 8 I said age should speak and multitude of years should teach wisdom but there is a spirit in man and the breath of the almighty gives him understanding so I just kind of found it fitting although we might have wisdom but if you have the spirit we get our true wisdom we get our true knowledge from that I thought that was that's kind of what came to mind when I did commentary on precepts so I couldn't really explain it well but I thought that would be fitting to read that those two verses there and verse 1 and 3 says how sweet are your words to my taste sweeter than honey to my mouth and reading that just having a desire for such a word or just to love
[43:47] God the more we will know God the more we will love his word and want to follow so I just thought that's kind of what came to my mind I was reading through it I mean I could explain the commentary as well but then it's not really what I got out of it but yeah I just thought I'd share that and I could have done some more but I'll just leave it with that thank you my portion continues from that 104 105 to 112 your word to my feet and a light to my path I have sworn and confirmed that I will keep your righteous judgments
[44:50] I am afflicted very much reveal me oh Lord according to your word accept I pray the free will offerings of my mouth oh Lord and teach me your judgments my life is continually in my hand yet I do not forget your law the wicked have laid a snare for me yet I have not strayed from your precepts your testimonies I have taken as a inheritance for forever for they are the rejoicing of my heart I have inclined my heart to prefer your statues forever to the very end couple of thoughts that came out of this to me one of them is that first verse it says your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path
[46:01] I just heard that last week and that became very real that light all we need to do to have darkness is just doing nothing if we don't have energy for light or we don't do anything we got born in darkness so then it's just dark so it takes something to have light and he says your word is the light so through his word we can shine and that that that's something we we need to yeah we need to do something if we want to show his light and one more thing that came into the whole chapter of
[47:06] Psalms 19 it's I saw that it is a fight through darkness or the wicked and the righteous it is it separates two ways almost during the whole chapter you'll see it it's the wicked ways in the righteous ways and verse 110 it says the wicked have laid a snare for me yet I have not strayed from your precepts so it becomes a fight if we go against the devil but last verse it said I have inclined my heart to perform your statutes forever to the very end so it's a surrender to God to the righteous
[48:07] Samach Samach is the 15th letter in the Hebrew alphabet it means to lean upon to uphold or to support and so I'll read 13 through 20 or 113 through 120 it says I hate the double-minded but I love your law you are my hiding place and my shield I hope in your word depart from me you evildoers for I will keep the commandments of my God uphold me according to your word that I may live and do not let me be ashamed of my hope hold me up and I shall be safe and I shall observe your statues continually you rejoice you reject all those who stray from your statues for their deceit is falsehood you put away all the wicked of the earth like drows therefore
[49:24] I love your testimonies my flesh trembles for fear of you and I am afraid of your judgments in verse 113 when he starts off with he says I hate the double minded and a double minded individual is somebody who speaks out of they can either say good things to you today and then they'll say bad things about you tomorrow it is that is a double minded individual and then you have he continues on and says but I love your law those two contradict each other absolutely if you love the Lord's law you cannot be a double minded individual because the law is solid it points into a direction and it is not double minded so it is the exact opposite and his word the law is one that we can gauge ourselves by it is not something that we gauge ourselves by each other so all too often we look at each other and we see an individual do certain things and we think well as long as he's doing it it must be okay so
[50:40] I can do the same thing the law does not do that the law is his word and it is unchanging it does not so when we gauge ourselves to his word we are gauging ourselves by a righteous law in verse 120 he says my flesh trembles for fear of you and I am afraid of your judgments that is somebody who is into his word and applying it and not that they are afraid and trembling but they are at awe of his word and as they're applying it to their life they are they're actually in awe of how it is changing their life for the better rather than the worse I don't think we can ever be afraid of God's word and simply it changes us and it leaves us in awe of his word thank you morning everybody first of all may
[52:01] God bless y'all I've prayed over this a lot that it would not be of my own understanding but that God would speak as he did in Daniel chapter 10 where there's two places in the Bible it talks about spiritual warfare and that is one of the biggest things humankind seems to struggle with as we look on a physical level which everything is controlled of the spiritual so Psalm 119 119 I haven't read it through all the way when I was in jail I started reading it and like they were saying earlier it was sweeter than honey it was better than that's where
[53:01] I learned God's word which it was really good it transformed my life and as Peter was just reading Psalm 119 verse 120 where it says where my flesh trembles as I was sitting there my heart is pounding see what that means is that your flesh is afraid because your flesh doesn't want what God's word wants so it is afraid that it is going to lose more grip on you because when it says afraid when that is that I am you see that's the flesh that that's the I that we got to let go of so I want to be reading now Psalm 119 verse 21 121 to 128 and the reason I put this out there how we look at things but how does
[54:04] God look at things see we look at on the physical level but God's mightier than that verse 121 it says I have done justice and righteousness do not leave me to my appraisers be surety for your servant for good do not let the proud appraise me my eyes fell from seeking your salvation salvation now this word was pretty hard for me to understand so I looked it up and saw what the definition was of it when it says my eyes fell what it means is I long to seek your salvation and your righteous word deal with your servant according to your mercy and teach me your statutes what statutes mean it's his rules it's his commandments it's his ways
[55:09] I am your servant give me understanding that I may know your testimony it is time for you to act oh Lord for they have regarded your law as void therefore our love your commandments more than gold yes fine gold therefore your word therefore all your precepts concerning all things I consider to be right I hate every false way you see before you have the Holy Spirit in you yeah you don't like when wrong things happen to you but if you get away with it that's completely fine with you but once you have the Holy Spirit in you it convicts you so hard that you start hating it you hate the things you do that you don't want to do so it's
[56:16] God's testimony in you God's Spirit working in you a person is off of three parts and to explain this a little bit from the studies that I've done see the temple is a three room is your body your flesh your body your soul your spirit you're feeding off either one so there's two ways there's the darkness and then there's the light which in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 2 it says that once you were under the spirit of disobedience that's your fleshly spirit there's three spirits Romans chapter 8 verse 16 it says that the spirit will testify with your spirit that you are children of God that's the second part so this one feeds you are a spirit it either feeds off of the flesh the spirit of disobedience or the holy spirit
[57:17] John 14 verse 26 that he would send you the spirit of the helper the holy spirit so you got to deny one so is the temple in the the three rooms in the temple the first one is your sin your sacrifices and it's the holy room the most holy room where God is so if you have the Holy Spirit you have God in you it's not you that that are so holy but it's God in you that is holy because your flesh is sinful so now how do we look at things okay we can look at a person okay this guy is no good well first of all no flesh is good it's only God where Jesus says why do you call you one good so it is not you that's good it's God in you that's good that's in verse 121 that I have done justice and righteousness do not leave me to my appraisers see how people look at things we will easily judge a person which
[58:20] James 4 verse 11 and 12 speaks of it very well that we judge the law and we are a judge and not a doer there's one I can say which is God so in verse 121 be sure for your servant for good to give us a good to give us a pledge to hold on to to strive for to work for do not let the proud appraise me some people may think they know everything but we don't we only have Billy Graham explained it this way who is God okay he said we from what scientists have described we have a 3.5 brain if we could comprehend who God is we wouldn't want to worship him because then we would know more than him so we have only a certain capacity that we can comprehend so bad has to go out so new can come in so that's what it means to lay off the old self to let something new come in so for the proud they think to know it's falsehood 1st
[59:29] Corinthians 3 18 somebody thinks he is wise let him become a fool so he may become wise so in verse 23 it says my eyes this word fell my eyes long for your from seeking your salvation we long to seek God's salvation and your righteous word because his word will never disappear it says that heaven and earth will disappear but not his word it's one of the best things we can hold on to and then John chapter 15 verse 7 and 8 it talks about if you abide in God if God abides in you and you abide in his word then ask whatever you wish and it will be given to you so the father will be glorified and this proves that you are his disciple so it talks about your your fruit you produce because anything bad cannot produce anything good so that's why we've got to deny ourselves again and look on the spiritual realm not the physical verse 21 24 deal with your servant according to your mercy and teach me your statues see what did
[60:59] Daniel do Daniel chapter 10 verse 12 and 13 he set his heart on understanding not what he wanted to know but what God wanted him to know and then he humbled himself before God and Gabriel the angel that fought satanic angel for 21 days who sometimes we think we have no ability if such a powerful angel was fighting 23 days and he needed help who are we that we don't need help deal with your servant according to your mercy and teach me your statues your statues means rules your commandments all his ways so sometimes we're pretty unhappy with how things go but when I was saying that a while ago as
[62:03] Ruth she was focusing on herself there for a moment but no her her mother-in-law was focusing on herself what was happening to her but Ruth kept in faith and what happened it was for the better she remarried down the generations there comes David and further down the generation there comes Jesus Christ so if we look at it in the long terms and things that are happening in our lives these days let's say 3-4 generations down the road or 10-15 years down the road what difference is it going to make the choices we make today stick it through or are we going to give up because we think it's God is pure see a guy explained it to me like this when I was in jail my wife was getting a defibrillator implanted on her heart had a pretty rough time so and then 2nd
[63:13] Corinthians chapter 4 verse 7 to 8 explains it pretty well that God puts pressure on us but he doesn't crush us it reflects us it makes us examine ourselves again to get right with God to see what you got to change see he explained this way to me when it's something dirty you got to clean it right so God is shining you up right there if you are going through a hard time it's for a purpose he's cleansing you cleaning you shining you up so stick it through sometimes it seems unbearable but Matthew chapter 11 verse 25 to 30 it's where it says if anybody is heavy like as burdens come to him he will give you rest Isaiah chapter 30 verse 15 talks about and rest you shall be saved and entrust shall be your strength who do you trust
[64:14] Psalm 57 so it explains very well to trust him so we feed off our spirit has to feed off of one or the other so there is three kinds of spirits Ephesians chapter 2 verse 2 Romans chapter 8 verse 16 John 14 26 so y'all can probably study into that if you like and verse 125 I am your servant give me understanding that I may know your testimony see there was a pretty big impact on Daniel's fasting there where he prayed for 21 days if we long for God's understanding it will change your life it will change the way you think it will change the way you speak the way you walk the way you listen to things so God's understanding is greater than anybody can ever comprehend it is time verse 21 26 it is time for you to act oh
[65:23] Lord for they have regarded your law as void a lot of people don't like to listen to it they like to water it down it's not okay because if you ain't living by God's word it ain't right verse 27 therefore I love your commandments more than gold yes than fine gold now this verse I can relate to a lot and I'm going to take a little time to explain to you see in Texas I worked really hard just like my dad did because like he was explaining a while ago we want the better for our kids so I was doing metal buildings I didn't want our kids to go through a hard time like I did I wanted to build a company for them so they could just jump in and take over and have it made right but it wasn't God's plan it's all gone so now this is the way
[66:27] I see it I am richer now that I know God's word which I came to I am richer now than any man on this earth that owns I don't care how much money he has but if he does not have the Lord he is poor so this is the way I look at it at the time I thought that was a pretty bad thing that was happening but it wasn't it was for salvation from a soul in verse 128 therefore all your precepts concerning all things I consider to be right I hate every false way see when you have the Holy Spirit when your spirit feeds off the Holy Spirit it will automatically transform you on the inside what's the most powerful thing that can hurt the person Proverbs chapter 18 verse 21 says death and life are in the power of the tongue and those who love it will eat its fruit so how do you hurt the person the most you can punch somebody or some people would say do them wrong it will kind of go away but what do you say to them will hurt into their spirit into their soul you can literally kill people spiritually when it talks about death and life are in the power of the tongue you condemn people far enough they will throw themselves so far away they probably won't ever come back so it is important
[68:13] I think it's in Ephesians chapter 4 verse 13 or some 26 maybe there's somewhere where it talks about anyways where it talks about only speak what is to build up so our words are very important how we speak something's going to hurt somebody it's better to stay quiet so may God bless you with this have a good day thank you men for the psalm 119 is a very deep psalm it has a lot a lot in it as we've already realized it repeatedly it repeatedly uses the words statutes testimonies precepts judgments commandments and the law and in almost all the stanzas those words are all there and they're all referring to one and the same
[69:30] God's written word I love God's word so as we go through this it's our prayer that our love for God's word would increase we have one more Sunday of these readings and so there's four spots left that are empty that need filling so I would encourage four new guys to consider sharing next Sunday from the last stanzas and I'll have the sheet out there and again just take a few minutes to share some thoughts on your section may the Lord bless and with that we'll have a closing song