Psalms: 119

INTRO:

• Merrill Tenney – on reading the Word of God
  • “Reading the Word is not so much a technique as a spirit, it is the spirit of eagerness which seeks the mind of God; it is the spirit of humility which listens to the voice of God; it is the spirit of adventure which pursues earnestly the will of God, it is the spirit of adoration which rests in the presence of God.”
  • The word of God – THE SCRIPTURES – THE BIBLE
  • What comes to mind when you hear those words?
    • Most likely a multitude of things for many of you
      • Maybe ill start with this question, “Do you know God?”
        • If you answered YES in your heart, why do you think you know Him?
          • Is there evidence in your life that you know Him?
  • Let me tell you the QUICK version of William Tyndale’s story
    • What is about this Word (HOLD UP BIBLE) that has caused men like Tyndale to be willing to give their life so others can read it for themselves, and also cause men like the bishop and King to stop with deadly force those who would propose that it be possessed and read by everyday people?
  • The Psalms: I Didn’t Know That
    • Quickly review the last 2 weeks
      • Psalm 23 – Shepherd
      • Psalm 51 – Repentance

• The most frequently cited verses from Psalm 119
  • Psalms 119:105
    • Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
  • Psalms 119:11
    • I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
  • Psalms 119:9
    • How can those who are young keep their way pure? By living according to your word.
  • Psalms 119:89
    • Your word, LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.
  • Psalms 119:97
    • Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.
  • Psalm 119:103
    • How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
      • Is the Word of God like that to you?
• What you may not know:
  • Psalm 119, the longest single chapter in the Bible
    • 176 verses
    • It has more verses and words the letter/book of Philippians has in its 4 chapters total
  • It is an acrostic poem
    • 22 sections, each of 8 verses, corresponding to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
      • This made it easier to memorize. YES MEMORIZE!
      • It was expected to be memorized and used as a kind of “Worship tool” for God’s people, and it remains such today.

• Terms for the word of the Lord in Psalm 119
  • Ps 119 uses 8-10 different Hebrew terms for the word of the Lord. Each of these synonyms refers to God’s word in its own way, emphasizing different aspects of that word.
    • Law(s)
    • Precepts
    • Statutes
    • Commands
    • Judgements
    • Word
    • Ordinances
    • Ways
    • Decrees
    • Promises

MESSAGE: (Stand for the reading of the word)

• (SLIDE) Psalm 119:1-8

1 Blessed (Heb ‘ešer – “How happy!” – see also beatitudes in Matthew and Psalm 1) are those whose ways are blameless,
    who walk according to the law of the Lord.
2 Blessed are those who keep his statutes
    and seek him with all their heart—
3 they do no wrong
    but follow his ways.
4 You have laid down precepts
    that are to be fully (Heb mᵊ’ōḏ – greatly, diligently, exceedingly) obeyed.
5 Oh, that my ways were steadfast
    in obeying your decrees!
6 Then I would not be put to shame
    when I consider all your commands.
7 I will praise you with an upright heart
    as I learn your righteous laws.
8 I will obey your decrees;
    do not utterly forsake me.

• Charles Spurgeon
  • “To enjoy this beatitude a holy walking must become habitual. This sacred exercise is very different from sluggish piety. ‘Blessed are the undefiled in the way who walk in the law of the Lord.’ A man may sit down in the road without soiling his skin or fouling his apparel, but that is not enough. There must be progress – practical action – in the Christian life; and in order to experience blessedness we must be doing something for the Master.”
  • TO LIVE IN OBEDIENCE ACCORDING TO HIS WORD/HIS WAY WE MUST GO BEYOND READING
  • JESUS VIEW OF SCRIPTURE WAS INCREDIBLY HIGH…
    • Matthew 5 Jesus frames what we call the Sermon on the Mount with a few powerful statements on scripture and the law
    • In John 14, Jesus says this:
• (SLIDE) John 14:21,23-24
  • 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
  • 23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
    • To have His commands and keep them demonstrates that we love Him, that you love Him, that I love Him
• You cannot live out & practice the way of Jesus, you simply cannot know Him in any personal way if you are not regularly consuming His word and being consumed by His Word.
  • Scripture is not designed for scrolling & skimmingThat is the approach we take to try and pick up some information quickly but Scripture is to be engaged for our formation
• If you’re too busy to read the Bible, you’re too busy.
  • Get a new job
  • Sacrifice: sleep – hobbies – meals (fasting) – TV – Social Media

CONCLUSION:

• It is just so difficult to read and really understand
  • Søren Kierkegaard , great philosopher, offers two suggestions for the reader who tackles difficult portions of the Bible.
  • First, read it like a love letter, he says.
    • As you struggle with language, culture, and other barriers, look on them as the necessary work to get to the main, crucial message from someone who loves you. 
  • Second, act on what you do understand = OBEY
    • Kierkegaard dismisses the objection “There are so many obscure passages in the Holy Scriptures, whole books which are almost riddles” with the reply that he would only consider that objection from someone who had fully complied with all the passages that are easy to understand!
    •  
• PSALM 119 SHOWS WHAT A HEART FEELS AND WHAT A LIFE DOES WHEN DELIGHTING IN GOD’S WORD.

• Have you let God, by His Spirit radically transform you and reorient your life?
  • YES or NO?
    • You can DO the Christian Life really well — especially if you have been around it for a while now — you can be about it really well and even know a lot of what the Bible says without letting Jesus actually radically transform you.

RESPONSE:

• There’s a story that used to be well known about the German theologian Paul Tillich. Tillich’s theology was considered dangerous by many Christians in the U.S. Supposedly one time after delivering a lecture on the authority of Scripture, he was approached by a passionate seminary student. The student held tightly in his hand a large, black, leather-bound Bible and challenged Tillich, asking,
  • “Do you believe this is the Word of God?”
    • Tillich glanced at the student’s clenched grip around the Bible and responded,
      • “Not if you think you can grasp it. Only when the Bible grasps you.”
        • With those few words, Tillich captured a profound truth: The Word of God is not something we own or control—it is something that claims us.
• You see we have never had more books and articles available to try and help us solve our world problems and family problems, but we are more broken, torn, and hurting then ever.
  • Why?
    • We haven’t taken the word of God into account
      • IT HAS NOT BECOME OUR DELIGHT THAT WE BUILD UPON
        • God has given us HIS commandments and instructions for our lives, our families, our church and too often we’ve broken them or disregarded them in some fashion.
• This is a call for us to come back to the Bible, to the things God values, and build our lives and families obediently on the Word of God.
  • His help and His hope for you and your family and mine, as the Psalmist so adamantly reminds us in 119Do you treasure His word in your life? ARE YOU BUILDING YOUR LIFE UPON IT IN EVERY SEASON?

• Day-to-day Practice
  • Read Regularly
  • Memorize
  • Meditate
  • Obey
  • Share the Word

• In Psalm 119:33-40 the psalmist uses these phrases:
  • TEACH ME
  • KEEP ME
  • DIRECT ME
  • TURN MY HEART
  • TURN MY EYES
  • PRESERVE MY LIFE
  • FULFILL
  • TAKE AWAY

https://www.bible.com/events/49456697

Church of the Nazarene – East Rockingham Campus

The Psalms Part 4- Psalm 119

The essential nature of God’s word.

Today we are concluding our teaching series in the book of Psalms.

We are doing an intentional deep dive into 4 different Psalms. Our goal is to study each Psalm to understand how these words from thousands of years ago still offer wisdom and hope for our lives today.

The book of psalms is a large collection of poems written by various different authors across the span of 1000 years.

Many of these poems were lyrical in nature and intended to be set with music. The content of these psalms covers a large range of our human experience and relationship with God.

Their diversity makes them a valuable tool for our faith walk today.

our series concludes today in Psalm 119

Psalms 119:1-8

Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord. Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart— they do no wrong but follow his ways. You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed. Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees! Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands. I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws. I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me.

Psalm 119 is the single longest chapter in the entire bible.

It has 176 verses, containing 2,445 words in the NIV.

It’s also interesting that Psalm 119 is organized into an acrostic so that it would be easy to memorize.

There are 22 sections, each section containing 8 verses, and each verse begins with the same letter of the alphabet.

One more thing before we begin, there are 8 to 10 different terms that refer to the word of the Lord. You will see things like Law, statutes, ways, precepts, decrees, word, promise, and command.

While all of these different terms have nuance in their meaning, and emphasize different aspects of God’s word, we should understand for our study today that they are all pointing back to the expressed and written word of the Lord himself.

Psalms 119:1-3

Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord. Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart— they do no wrong but follow his ways.

The life of blessing is marked out by a few specific things

Blessed are those who ways are blameless or pure

Blessed are those who walk according to the law of the Lord,

Blessed are those who keep his statutes.

This picture is of someone who lives their every day, ordinary life from a place of relationship and devotion to the Lord and his word. This person Is not just someone who knows the word, it’s a picture of someone who LIVES the word.

The way they talk, the way they act, the way they relate to others, is all lived according to the word of God.

Psalms 119:4

You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed.

The relationship that Psalm 119 shows us with God’s word does not allow for us to make our own judgements, to be selective about what we think is important- it doesn’t allow us to skip the uncomfortable parts.

Friends, this is a good point to stop and look into the mirror of this passage and ask the hard question: Do I believe this? Do I view the instructions and words of the Lord as essential to be fully obeyed in my life?

Psalms 119:5-8

Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees! Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands. I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws. I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me.

I think if we spend some honest time reflecting on our relationship with Gods word, and how we are doing in living it out.

I think if we are humble and honest, we might arrive at a place of feeling a little low. Desperate maybe. Realizing that we need help in this area.

Friends, I think that’s what the Psalmist realizes too.

Psalm 119 continues for 21 more sections like this, each one looking to the Lord, holding God’s word and his instruction as the essential for life and relationship with the Lord.

Within this massive work, there is one subtle invitation i dont want us to miss.

The invitation to live into an essential relationship with God’s word.

Not just to see the facts about God’s word, but to experience it for yourself.

Will you commit to pursing the Lord in and through his word as an essential part of your life?

 THE PSALMS

• WELCOME- GLAD YOU ARE HERE
• WELCOME ONLINE CAMPUS
• THIS BOOK IS DIFFERENT- US TALKING TO GOD

PSALMS 5 PARTS

1. PSALMS 3-41
2. PSALMS 42-72
3. PSALMS 73-89
4. PSALMS 90-106
5. PSALMS 107-145

PSALMS 146-150    HALLELUJAH

• BEFORE WE GET TO THE PSALM TODAY THE STORY THAT LEADS TO THIS PSALM IS LOCATED IN

PICTURE OF COUPLE

• 11-12 YEARS OLD
• WAS A THURSDAY- CHURCH-50 MINUTES AWAY
• SPOKE ON PSALMS THAT NIGHT

HOW IS YOUR HEART?

• BEFORE WE GET TO THE PSALM TODAY THE STORY THAT LEADS TO THIS PSALM IS LOCATED IN

2 SAMUEL 11

• 1. In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. But David remained in Jerusalem. ² One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, ³ and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” ⁴ Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (Now she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness.) Then she went back home. ⁵ The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.” ⁶ So David sent this word to Joab: “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent him to David. ⁷ When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going. ⁸ Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him. ⁹ But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master’s servants and did not go down to his house. 1⁰ David was told, “Uriah did not go home.” So he asked Uriah, “Haven’t you just come from a military campaign? Why didn’t you go home?”
• ¹¹ Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my commander Joab and my lord’s men are camped in the open country. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and make love to my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!”

DAVID BATHSHEBA

THEN THE PROPHET NATHAN CONFRONTS DAVID

DAVID IS ABOUT 50 YEARS OLD- MID LIFE CRISIS

• DAVID SITS ON THIS ABOUT A YEAR
• WHEN YOU DON’T  ENGAGE IN THE BATTLE
• END UP ON ROOFS LOOKING AT THINGS YOU SHOULDN’T BE LOOKING

PRESENTS A PARABLE- YOU ARE THAT MAN DAVID

• DAVID DESIRES
• DAVID HOLDS ALL THE POWER
• DAVID IMPREGATES HER
• LURES HER HUSBAND HOME
• GETS HIM TO TRY AND SLEEP WITH HER
• COVER UP- DRUNKENESS
• HAS URIAH KILLED IN BATTLE

PSALM 51:1-2

1. “HAVE MERCY (RAHAM-MOTHER WITH HER CHILD) ON ME OH GOD, ACCORDING TO YOUR UNFAILING LOVE; ACCORDING TO YOUR GREAT COMPASSION, BLOT OUR MY TRANSGRESSIONS. WASH AWAY ALL MY INIQUITY AND CLEANSE ME FROM MY SIN.

SIX WORDS DEALING WITH SIN

   TRANSGRESSIONS- BLOT OUT (MOSES LANGUAGE)

     INIQUITY- WASH AWAY

      SIN- CLEANSE

DEFINITIONS OF SIN

   SIN: HAMARTIA

A MILITARY SHOOTING TERM MEANING TO “MISS THE MARK” MISS THE BULLS EYE.

“WILLFULL TRANSGRESION OF THE KNOWN LAW OF GOD.”  JOHN WESLEY

“REMEMEBR IT IS SIN TO KNOW WHAT YOU OUGHT TO DO AND THEN NOT DO IT,”  JAMES 4:17

DISOBEDIENCE TO WHAT GOD DESIRES”

SIN IS THE EXPRESSION OF BROKEN RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

 PSALMS 51:3-4

• FOR I KNOW MY TRANSGRESSIONS, AND MY SIN IS ALWAYS BEFORE ME. AGAINST YOU, AND YOU ONLY, HAVE I SINNED AND DONE WHAT IS EVIL IN YOUR SIGHT; SO YOU ARE RIGHT IN YOUR VERDICT AND JUSTIFIED WHEN YOU JUDGE.

PSALM 51:5-6

• SURELY I WAS SINFUL AT BIRTH, SINFUL FROM THE TIME MY MOTHER CONCEIEVED ME. (ORIGINIAL SIN) “YET YOU DESIRED FAITHFULNESS EVEN IN THE WOMB; YOU TAUGHT ME WISDOM IN THAT SECRET PLACE.

PSALM 51:7

• CLEANSE ME WITH HYSSOP, AND I WILL BE CLEAN; WASH ME, AND I WILL BE WHITER THAN SNOW.”

HYSSOP- PLANT USED CLEANSING FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS

JESUS ON THE CROSS – SOMEONE GRABS A HYSSOP PLANT AND EXTENDS IT TO JESUS- DYING FOR THE FORGIVENSS OF SINS

HYSSOP PLANT GROWS WAILING WALL IN JERUSALEM

HYSSOP PLANT APPLY THE BLOOD OVER DOOR POSTS

PSALMS 51:9-10

• “HIDE YOUR FACE FROM MY SINS AND BLOT OUT ALL OF MY INIQUITY. CREATE IN ME PURE HEART, O GOD, AND RENEW A STEADFAST SPIRIT WITHIN ME.

6-7 TIMES IT ADDRESSES SIN OR SINNER

 PSALM 51: 11-12

  11. DO NOT CAST ME FROM YOUR PRESENCE OR TAKE YOUR HOLY SPIRIT FROM ME. RESTORE TO ME THE JOY OF YOUR SALVATION AND GRANT ME A WILLING SPIRIT, TO SUSTAIN ME.

PSALM 51: 13-14

  13. THEN I WILL TEACH TRANSGRESSORS YOUR WAYS, SO THAT SINNERS WILL TURN BACK TO YOU. DELIVER ME FROM THE GUILT OF BLOODSHED,”

• THE HEART IS THE CENTER OF THE PERSON-
• NOT JUST THE PHYSICAL

 IDIOMS ABOUT THE HEART

• CHANGE OF HEART
• HEART OF GOLD
• EAT YOUR HEART OUT
• HEART TO HEART
• LOSE HEART
• HEART OF STONE

EZEKIEL 36:26

   I WILL GIVE YOU A NEW HEART AND PUT A NEW SPIRIT WITHIN YOU; I WILL TAKE THE HEART OF STONE OUT OF YOUR FLESH AND GIVE YOU A HEART OF FLESH

• WHEN DAVID WAS CHOSEN- REMEMBER HAPPENED
• It speaks to the deep pain we feel inside us when we sin, and then it shows us the mercy of God. His is the love of a Father who sees his child’s stricken face — washes the tears away — and then reaches inside to create in us “a clean heart;” to breathe “a new and right spirit” within us. Sarah Christmyer

I SAMUEL 16:6

   6. “WHEN THEY ARRIVED, SAMUEL SAW ELIAB AND THOUGHT, “SURELY THE LORD’S ANNOINTED STANDS HERE BEFORE THE LORD.

I SAMUEL 16:7

   7. BUT THE LORD SAID TO SAMUEL, “DO NOT CONSIDER HIS APPEARANCE OR HIS HEIGHT, FOR I HAVE REJECTED HIM. THE LORD DOES NOT LOOK AT THINGS PEOPLE LOOK AT. PEOPLE LOOK AT THE OUTWARD APPEARANCE, BUT THE LORD LOOKS AT THE HEART.

DAVID IS CHOSEN- GOD SAYS IM INTERESTED IN HEART

 PROVERBS 4:23

  23. “GUARD YOUR HEART ABOVE ALL ELSE, FOR IT DETERMINES THE COURSE OF YOUR LIFE.”

BIBLE TALKS 830 ABOUT YOUR HEART-METAPHOR FOR WHO YOU ARE

STATISTICS ON GLOBAL HEART DISEASE

 STATISTICS ON US HEART DISEASE

• THE THING THAT IS KILLING ALL THESE PEOPLE
• IT IS PREVENTABLE

MANY OF US GRIEVE OVER THE CONSEQUENCES OF SIN BUT NOT THE SIN ITSELF

_________________________________________________________

• MAN WITH A HEART SURGERY GETS TO MEET DR
• MAN GETS TO SEE HIS OLD HEART

• YOU HAVE A NEW HEART
• YOU CANNOT LIVE LIKE YOU DID BEFORE

HOPE IS FOUND IN FORGIVENESS-

HOW IS YOUR HEART? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?

HOPE IS FOUND IN ALLOWING THE LORD TO USE YOU

PSALM 51:13 SAYS IT WELL

  13. THEN I WILL TEACH TRANSGRESSORS YOUR WAYS, SO THAT SINNERS WILL TURN BACK TO YOU. DELIVER ME FROM THE GUILT OF BLOODSHED,”

• LORD YOU CAN REDEEM ALL THIS
• AND I WILL POINT PEOPLE TO YOU

MATTHEW 26:26-29

  WHILE THEY WERE EATING, JESUS TOOK BREAD, AND WHEN HE HAD GIVEN THANKS, HE BROKE IT AND GAVE IT TO HIS DISCIPLES, SAYING, “TAKE AND EAT; THIS IS MY BODY.”

27. THEN HE TOOK THE CUP AND WHEN HE HAD THANKS, HE GAVE IT TO THEM, SAYING “DRINK FROM IT ALL OF YOU. 28. THIS IS MY BLOOD OF THE COVENENANT, WHICH IS POURED OUR FOR MANY FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS. 29. I TELL YOU, I WILL NOT DRINK FROM THIS FRUIT OF THE VINE FROM NOW UNTIL THAT DAY WHEN I DRINK IT NEW WITH YOU IN MY FATHERS KINGDOM.”

WHEN RHEY HAD SUNG A HYMN- THEY WENT OUT TO THE MOUNT OF OLIVES

Psalm 51 offers a powerful example of genuine repentance. profound sin.
God’s forgiveness is available and freely given to those who humbly seek Him,
regardless of the severity of your sin.
The more that we know about the author of this Psalm, David, the better we will
understand it. David, is one of the most important people of the Old Testament.
King David had a humble beginning as a shepherd boy. David is known as a great
warrior. David was also a skilled musician.
After King Saul and his son Jonathan died in battle, David became king of Israel,
first over Judah and then uniting all the tribes under his rule.
Many of the psalms are attributed to David who despite being known as “a man
after God’s own heart”, had the propensity to sin.
Psalm 51:
For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to
him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your
great compassion blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my
transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. 5 Surely I was sinful
at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that
secret place. 7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be
whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 9 Hide
your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.
This psalm highlights the importance of a heart that is deeply remorseful and
sorrowful for wrongdoing, God’s mercy, and the transformative power of
confession and forgiveness that leads to personal healing, strengthened
relationships, and spiritual growth, serving as a model for believers today.
Psalm 51 is a prayer of deep repentance. It reveals God’s great love through
several key aspects:

• God’s boundless mercy and compassion.
• God’s desire for genuine inner transformation.
• God’s power to restore and renew.
• God’s acceptance of a broken heart genuinely seeking forgiveness and
  reconciliation.
  Psalm 51 shows that God’s love is not limited by sin or brokenness. God offers
  forgiveness and restoration to those who repent and seek His grace.
  You may have unconfessed sin in your life, big or small, that you can’t seem to
  let go of. You may be asking the question, “What do I do with my sin?”
  Psalm 51 is God announcing from the hills, “I will make your darkest sin whiter
  than snow, your greatest emptiness full of my Holy Spirit.”
  It is important that you know the back story of what compelled King David to
  write Psalm 51. God will take your worst sin and turn it for His best.
  2 Samuel 11:1-15 tells us that it is ‘in the spring, at the time when kings go off to
  war …David remained in Jerusalem when he should have been off to war.
  The Bible tells us that David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of
  the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. When you choose to be in
  the wrong place you are likely to get into trouble.
  Here are several examples of being in the wrong place at the wrong time:
• For someone who is recovering from alcohol addiction, going to a bar can
  be a significant temptation for you to drink.
• If you are someone who is tempted to overeat, going down the snack aisle
  of the grocery store makes it much harder for you to resist.
• Surfing the internet and you are engaging in activities where you are likely
  to be exposed to pornography in the hidden place of your home, it can be
  hard to resist.
• Or you are wrestling with God when He wants to be first place, and you
  continue to put work over His call on your life.
• And there are many other examples that could be listed.
  Sin is subtle. It is very sneaky in how it gets your attention. Being in the wrong
  place for King David caused him to sin.
  The woman was very beautiful and David gazed upon her. King David lusted upon
  Bathsheba.
  David sent someone to find out about her. Then he sent messengers to get her.
  She came to him, and he slept with her.
  When our eyes go where they shouldn’t then you are likely to act upon it to sin.
  When you act upon sin, it will only take you to more sin.
  King David also sinned in that he plotted to take Bathsheba. He coveted Uriah’s
  wife and suddenly he had committed the sin of adultery.
  We learn that Bathsheba sends word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.”
  Immediately David plots the cover up. David encourages Uriah to go home,
  hoping that he will go home and be with his wife, Bathsheba, and then Uriah will
  think that he got her pregnant.
  Uriah felt it would be wrong to be with his wife when his men were on the
  battlefield. Uriah says he can’t go home as he must go back to war.
  It’s not enough that King David had violated a married woman, committed
  adultery, and lied to a loyal friend, now he makes the decision to murder Uriah.
  David writes a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah saying to “Put Uriah out in
  front where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck
  down and die.”
  The next day, Uriah takes his own death to Joab. David betrays Uriah with the
  sentence of death in order to cover up his sin.
  Bathsheba mourns the appropriate days for Uriah’s death, then King David calls
  for her, and they are married.
  2 Samuel Chapter 12 informs us that the Prophet Nathan, with humility and love,
  confronted David privately of his sin using a parable about a rich man who stole a
  poor man’s lamb.
  The story closely resembled David’s actions with Bathsheba and Uriah, which
  caused David to realize the gravity of his actions and that he was dirty in the eyes
  of God.
  If you don’t know you are dirty, you have no idea that you need to be cleaned.
  Nathan’s parable exposed David’s abuse of power and his exploitation of those he
  was meant to protect, leading to David’s confession.
  It reveals the depth of David’s brokenness after his sin with Bathsheba and the
  murder of her husband, Uriah, and his plea for cleansing and restoration.
  God is immediately ready to forgive us when we ask, but there is the ramification
  of the sin. The consequences of sin can be powerful, but, God’s forgiveness is
  ever more powerful.
  Psalm 51. Now I am going to unpack this prayer from King David expressing his
  deep sorrow for his sin, his desire for cleansing, and his hope for a renewed
  relationship with God.
  For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to
  him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.
  Verse 1: 1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according
  to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
  King David is asking God to blot out his sins, in heaven and before God, meaning
  to blot them out, white them out, just like they never happened.
  God’s forgiveness is not earned but freely given out of the abundance of His
  lovingkindness, a love so vast it can cover even the most serious sins.
  Verse 2: 2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
  David knows his sin is twisted, perverted, falling short, missing the mark of God’s
  loving kindness. David knows he has sinned greatly. David grieves over his sin
  against God.
  God’s love goes beyond merely forgiving the outward actions, seeking to
  transform us from the inside out.
  Verse 3: 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
  David acknowledges his sin. David realized that he had sinned, not just once, but
  many times.
  Verse 4: 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight;
  so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.
  David said ‘Against you, you only, have I sinned.’ Not true. David sinned against
  Bathsheba, Uriah, others, and even against himself.
  David was focusing on his sin against God, because he knew the root of his actions
  was his rebellion against God’s will, thus causing harm to others.
  David was in a state of unconfessed sin. He never escaped this awareness. He
  could always remember his sin before God.
  Maybe you haven’t murdered or committed the sin of adultery, but you need the
  same forgiveness.
  Verses 5-6: 5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother
  conceived me. 6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me
  wisdom in that secret place.
  David was not trying to excuse his sin. He is saying that he was born in the nature
  of a stubborn attitude, with a heart bent towards sin.
  All humans are born of a sinful nature. Look at precious little children as an
  example.
  Children as beautiful as they are; and how innocent that they are, we all know:

1. They all know how to lie.
2. They are selfish.
3. They know how to act up, scream and cry, unless of course, they are with
   their grandparents.
   Verse 7: 7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be
   whiter than snow.
   David knows that he could be washed clean. He knew his sin was deep and that
   he could be forgiven. David spoke with the voice of faith!
   In the Old Testament, hyssop was used in various purification rites such as
   sprinkling blood or water to cleanse individuals, particularly after sickness or sin.
   While the literal use of hyssop was physical, David’s plea is for spiritual cleansing.
   David is yearning for cleansing that only God can provide, foreshadowing the
   ultimate cleansing that would come through the sacrifice of Jesus, whose blood is
   represented by the sprinkling of the hyssop.
   Verse 8: 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
   David felt the conviction of the Holy Spirit crushing his soul. This statement is a
   metaphor for the emotional spiritual distress he was experiencing.
   He is describing the weight of his sin, to that of having his bones crushed,
   symbolizing profound suffering.
   It is important to take responsibility and to be honest. Stop making excuses so
   even the bones that God has broken will praise the Lord.
   When we experience God’s forgiveness, we experience relief from the burden of
   guilt and sorrow, thus is the joy and gladness that comes from God.
   God’s love has the ability to mend brokenness and restore us to fellowship with
   Him, even after serious sin has damaged our relationship.
   Bring your sin to the Lord.
   Verse 9: 9 Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.
   David is pleading with God not to look upon his sins with condemnation. This
   verse uses the metaphor of erasing a record, or wiping the slate absolutely clean
   to express the desire for complete forgiveness. He is asking God to remove all
   traces of his wrongdoing.
   God’s love embraces us in our vulnerability and brokenness, valuing genuine
   remorse and repentance.
   This Psalm is a plea for forgiveness and restoration, written at what was perhaps
   the lowest point of David’s life.
   Psalm 51 shows that God’s love is not limited by sin or brokenness. God offers
   forgiveness and restoration to all who will repent and seek His grace.
   I am living proof of God’s grace and forgiveness. I can relate to King David and his
   plea for mercy in Psalm 51.
   There was a time in my life when I was walking in rebellion to God and I was
   absolutely miserable, to the point that I didn’t want to live anymore. I was
   depressed and hopeless.
   In my mind, “My sins were unforgivable” and “I could never stop sinning”, lies
   that I had convinced myself of as I continued to walk in rebellion to God.
   I was destined to keep on sinning. I had tried to change over and over, only to fall
   backwards. It seemed that I just couldn’t change.
   I remember the day when I publicly confessed and repented of my sin,
   acknowledging my need for God’s mercy. I remember going forward to pray at
   the altar. I like to say “If there was a way to see what God cleaned out of me that
   day; that the altar would have been completely full of my sin.”
   My past behaviors had had a negative impact on my life; and my choices had
   affected others around me including my relationships with them.
   On May 23, 1993, I prayed for God’s mercy and forgiveness and instantly God
   restored my joy, and His transforming power changed my heart, mind, and soul.
   That day God gave me victory over my past. He allowed me to experience
   freedom from my bad habits that I had lived with from the age of 13 years old to
4. 
   If you would like to hear more of the details of my salvation story, I am always
   willing to share. I am not proud of my past, but I must never forget who I once
   was before Jesus. I live with a grateful heart with every breath that I take. I know
   IF God could rescue me, then there is absolutely no one outside of His reach.
   The Bible defines sin as the transgression or violation of God’s law.
   Sin is stepping outside the boundaries defined by God’s Word, and missing the
   mark.
   There are two types of sin:

• Sins of commission
• Sins of omission
  Sins of commission, are actively doing something God forbids such as lying,
  stealing, gossip, and pride. Sins of commission include any action, thought, or
  attitude that is contrary to God’s law.
  The book of James, says the sin of omission happens when someone knows what
  they should do, but they don’t do it, there is a lack of action, a neglect of duty, or
  a failure to fulfill your responsibility.
  Today, the Holy Spirit is speaking to your heart, about your small hidden sin, or
  your big public sin, just as the Prophet Nathan spoke to King David.
  Let me tell you something, there is no sin hidden from God’s eyes.
  The difference between a thriving Christian and an apathetic Christian is true
  repentance.
  If you mess up, say something that you shouldn’t say, or do something that you
  shouldn’t do, be fast to repent. I promise you, your Father is fast to forgive.
  Psalm 51 reminds us God’s grace is sufficient to cover even the most grievous
  sins. By faith in Jesus, you can be confident that God will forgive and restore you.
  It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, and it never will. Bring it to Jesus. God’s
  amazing love and forgiveness is available to all.
  Psalm 51 points us to Jesus.

1. Jesus is the one that cleanses His church, you and me.
2. Jesus is the one that was never born with sin.
3. Through Christ’s sacrifice, the forgiveness and restoration sought in Psalm
   51 are made possible.
   Today we are going to participate in Holy Communion. We will wait to take the
   elements together at the very end of this explanation.
   God’s grace is freely given through Christ, despite our sinfulness.
   In the Church of the Nazarene you do not have to be a member of the church to
   take communion.
   Everyone is invited to take communion, with the understanding that this is an
   invitation for you to examine yourself before the Lord.
   Are you in a right relationship with Christ? Are you coming to the Lord with a
   “broken and contrite heart”? If so, please come now with true humility and faith
   as we partake of this holy sacrament.
   Perhaps today, you are wondering if you can come because of a sin that is in your
   life. You just heard the message of God’s forgiveness of King David because he
   chose to ask God for His forgiveness.
   God knows your heart. If you desire to repent of your sin, and to ask Jesus to
   come live in your heart, to transform your heart, please come forward now, and
   participate by partaking in this holy sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.
   The body of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was broken for you, preserve you
   blameless, unto everlasting life. Take and eat this, in remembrance that Christ
   died for you.
   The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was shed for you, preserve you
   blameless unto everlasting life. Drink this, in remembrance that Christ’s blood
   was shed for you, and be thankful.
   Let us pray:
   “Dear God, we thank You for Holy Communion, the Lord’s Supper, in which we
   have received the body and blood of your Son, Jesus. We thank You for the
   forgiveness of our sins. Please strengthen our faith. We ask that You will fill us
   with Your Holy Spirit, empowering us to be faithful in sharing the Good News of
   Jesus Christ. Guide us each day, help us with our words and actions so that we
   bring glory to You always. We love Your Lord. In Jesus Name we pray, Amen.”

• WELCOME-
• LAST WEEK INVITED YOU TO GIVE
• RICHARD AND DANIEL DUNN- PLANE CRASH
• MONEY WILL GO TOWARDS TEENS WANTING TO ATTEND CAMP/OTHER TEEN ACTIVITIES

WANT TO INVITE YOU TO PAUSE WITH ME TODAY AND PRAY:

• WE HAVE MUCH GOING ON IN OUR COUNTRY
• MUCH GOING ON IN OUR WORLD
• WARS/ PLANE CRASHES
• HOW DOES A PLANE SOLVE/FIX IT? IT DOESN’T

PSALMS SERIES

• PSALMS WRITTEN OVER A PERIOD OF 1000 YEARS
• DAVID WROTE ABOUT HALF
• DAVID WRITER OF TODAYS PSALM
• 150 CHAPTERS LONGEST BOOK
• LONGEST CHAPTER AND SHORTEST CHAPTER
• THIS BOOK IS DIFFERENT- GODS WORD TO US
• THIS BOOK IS OUR WORDS TO HIM
• 70 % OF THE BOOK IS LAMENT
• PSALMS OF LAMENT- FOLLOWED BY PRAISE
• JESUS QUOTES THE PSALMS (2 ON THE CROSS)

PSALM 22:1

“MY GOD MY GOD- WHY HAVE YOU ABANDONED ME? WHY ARE YOU SO FAR FROM HELPING ME, SO FAR AWAY FROM AWAY FROM THE WODS OF MY GROANING.”

10                     JESUS SPEAKING.                                   

 JOHN 10:10

  10. “I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD; I KNOW MY SHEEP AND MY SHEEP KNOW ME-SO I GIVE MY LIFE FOR MY SHEEP.”

 JOHN 10:27

  27. “MY SHEEP LISTEN TO MY VOICE; I KNOW THEM AND THEY FOLLOW ME.”

VIDEO SHEEP

• OVER 500 REFERENCES TO SHEEP AND SHEPHERD

 PSALM 23:1-2

1. THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD, I LACK NOTHING. HE MAKES ME LIE DOWN IN GREEN PASTURES, HE LEADS ME BESIDE QUIET WATERS

 PSALM 23:3

• HE REFRESHES MY SOUL. HE GUIDES ME ALONG THE RIGHT PATH FOR HIS NAMES SAKE.

PSALM 23:4

• EVEN THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE DARKEST VALLEY, I WILL FEAR NO EVIL, FOR YOU ARE WITH ME; YOUR ROD AND YOUR STAFF, THEY COMFORT ME.

 PSALM 23:5

   YOU PREPARE A TABLE BEFORE ME IN THE PRESENCE OF MY ENEMIES. YOU ANOINT MY HEAD WITH OIL; MY CUP OVERFLOWS.

 PSALM 23:6

   6. SURELY GOODNESS AND LOVE (MERCY) WILL FOLLOW ME ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE, AND I WILL DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD FOREVER.”

• DAVID WRITES THIS AS A SHEPHERD- HE’S LOOKING BACK AT THAT RELATIONSHIP

 PSALM 23:1

1. THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD, I LACK NOTHING. (FIRST PERSON)

ITS PERSONAL- DOESN’T SAY HES A SHEPHERD- (MINE)

• HE MAKES ME LIE DOWN IN GREEN PASTURES, HE LEADS ME BESIDE QUIET WATERS,

                              (THIRD PERSON)

 PICTURE OF SHEEP GRAZING

• MIDDLE EAST SHEEP GRAZING/FEEDING
• SHEEP ARE LED- NOT DRIVEN
• SHEPHERD HAS TO GO OUT AND PREPARE BY LOOKING FOR PLACES TO FEED THE SHEEP

 TUFT OF GRASS PICTURE

• MIST AND SPARSE DEW COME OFF 3
• FEW BLADES HERE AND THERE TO FEED ON
• SHEPHERD IS PROVIDER

FLOODING IN THE DESERT

• WHEN IT RAINS- NOT OFTEN- IT POURS –
• FLOODING TAKES PLACE
• CREATES MUD/MIRE

PSALM 40:2

• HE LIFTED ME OUT OF THE PIT OF DESPAIR, OUT OF THE MUD AND MIRE. HE SET MY FEET ON SOLID GROUND AND STEADIED ME AS I

20

DAVID LOOKS BACK AS A KING ON BEING A SHEPHERD

I CAN LOOK BACK AND USE COACHING LANGUAGE

 PSALM 23:3

• HE REFRESHES MY SOUL. HE GUIDES ME ALONG THE RIGHT PATH FOR HIS NAME’S SAKE.  (SHEEP DOG)
• GREEK FOR REFRESH RESTORES/BRINGS BACK

 PSALM 23: 4

• EVEN THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE DARKEST VALLEY (THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH); I WILL FEAR NO EVIL, FOR YOU ARE WITH ME; YOUR ROD AND YOUR STAFF, THEY COMFORT ME.

LANGUAGE SHIFTS- GOD WALKS INTO THE SCENE

DAVID HAS A DIRECT CONVERSATION WITH HIM

• ACTUAL PLACE CONSIDERED VALLEY OF DEATH
• NOTICE YOU DON’T STAY THERE
• TWO DIFFERENT IMPLEMENTS- ROD AND A STAFF
• STAFF HAD A CROOK/HOOK ON THE END
• REACH DOWN AND RESCUE ANIMALS IN NEED
• THE ROD- THE CLUB HAD SPIKES AT THE END
• MEANT TO FIGHT OFF ANIMALS
• THOSE TWO WEAPONS BROUGHT THE SHEEP COMFORT
• THE LORD IS THE LIFTER OF OUR HEAD
• HE FIGHTS AND IT SAYS THE BATTLE IS THE LORDS

CAN’T HAVE A SHADOW WITHOUT LIGHT

23                                  SUNDAY NIGHT MID JULY     

PICTURE FOOTBALL PLAYER

• 6’8 315  POUND HUMAN
• STANDING IN DOORWAY
• WENT ANYWHERE WITH ROB- NO FEAR
• BURGER KING
• SHEPHERD IS PROTECTOR

HOW MANY GUYS SHEEP TATOO?

PSALM 23:5

• YOU PREPARE A TABLE BEFORE ME IN THE PRESENCE OF MY ENEMIES. YOU ANOINT MY HEAD WITH OIL; MY CUP OVERFLOWS.
• OIL IS USED FOR MANY THINGS
• CALM THE SHEEP
• KEEP INSECTS OUT
• SNAKE REPELLENT
• OIL SIGN ”YOU ARE WELCOME HERE”
• SO WOULD THE OVERFLOWING CUP
• HE PREPARES A TABLE BEFORE ENEMIES

PSALM 23:6

• SURELY GOODNESS AND LOVE WILL FOLLOW ME ALL THE DAY OF MY LIFE, AND I WILL DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD FOREVER.”

SHEPHERD IS PURSUER

28

• YOUNG GIRL- HORSE RIDER- HORSE INJURED
• YOUNG GIRL IS STRUGGLING
• MOM SEES HER FADING- SHE LOVES HER HORSE
• PEOPLE TOLD MOM PUT THE HORSE DOWN
• MOM DECIDES SHES RESCUE AND REACH BOTH

• ON FATHERS DAY
• WE HAVE A GOOD SHEPHERD
• HE SOMETIMES COMES AFTER US
• SOMETIMES WATCHES AND WAITS
• UNDETERED GAZE IN OUR DIRECTION
• WHEN WE TURN IN HIS DIRECTION
• HE LEADS US SAFELY HOME

SURELY GOODNESS AND MERCY (LOVE) WILL FOLLOW ME ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE AND I WILL DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD FOREVER

• PROXIMITY TO THE SHEPHERD= HIS PRESENCE
• MORE I LOVE SHEPHERD- MORE I LOVE THE SHEEP

TATOO