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God's Speech

God's Holy Book

Sep 17, 2017


by: Jack Lash Series: God's Holy Book | Category: Scripture | Scripture: Psalm 19:1–14
  1. Introduction
    A. Psalm 19 has two parts: so distinct from one another that at first it’s hard to figure out why they have been put together in the same psalm. 
      1. The first half (1-6) is about the heavens declaring the glory of God.
      2. The second half (7-14) is about the law of God and what a blessing it is to us.
     B. But then you notice that both halves of the psalm are about God speaking: first through the heavens and then through the Scriptures. 
     C. In Ps.19 we see God as the God who speaks, both through creation and through Scripture. 
    II. Psalm 19:1–6 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. 4 Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, 5 which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. 6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.
     A. What is packed into the words “heavens” and “sky”?
     B. Sun
      1. Brightness, warmth
      2. Sunrise/sunset —Some of which last for weeks down in Antarctica & up around the Arctic Circle!
     C. Moon: crescent, full, orange on horizon
     D. Stars: 100-400 billion stars in the Milky Way, including the constellations 
      1. And some of those things which look like stars are actually planets (with all their different colors/sizes/compositions, streaks and spots, some with rings, moons – Cassini space probe),
      2. And some are galaxies. How many other galaxies? The guestimation until recently was 1-2 hundred billion galaxies, but this year astro-physicists have begun to think that more likely there are around 2 trillion galaxies. Goddard story about Hubble photos
     E. Shooting stars, which are actually meteoroids (space rocks) which come shooting through our atmosphere and burn up  
     F. Meteors (in 2013 explosion in Russia: at an altitude of 16–19 miles in a momentary flash as bright as the sun and generating a shockwave that injured more than 1,000 people)
     G. Comets, asteroids 
     H. Eclipses: lunar and solar
     I. Aurora borealis (northern lights) and the southern equivalent (aurora australis) 
     J. Blue sky
     K. Clouds, storms
     L. Rainbows
     M. Tornados and waterspouts 
     N. “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”
     O. The heavens as representative of the whole creation
    III. Psalm 19:7-14 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. 11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. 12 Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. 13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. 
     A. 7-9 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.
      1. What is meant by “the law of the Lord”? 
       a. It is not limited to the commandments, but includes all of the truths and precepts of God’s word.
       b. Parallels: not only commandment and rules, but testimony and precepts 
      2. This section speaks about how good the word of God is and what good the word of God does.
      3. How good the word of God is!
       a. The law of the Lord is perfect, the testimony of the Lord is sure, the precepts of the Lord are right, the commandment of the Lord is pure, the rules of the Lord are true & righteous altogether. 
      4. What good the word of God does!
       a. Falling all over itself to advertise the benefits to mankind which come from the word of God.
       b. The law of the LORD revives the soul; the testimony of the LORD makes wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the LORD rejoices the heart; the commandment of the LORD enlightens the eyes.
      5. So, each of us has to answer two kinds of questions:
       a. Do we want our souls revived? Do we want to become wise? Do we want our hearts to rejoice? Do we want our eyes enlightened? It’s not an easy question to answer. 
        (1) You see, it takes some humility to answer yes to these questions. 
        (2) It means admitting that in yourself you are to some extent dead, foolish, unhappy, & blind. 
        (3) You see, there’s something wrong with man’s soul. It needs reviving. 
         (a) Man is unwise on his own, and needs the Lord to instruct him.
         (b) Man is in peril and needs to be warned to change his path.
         (c) By nature man is blind and needs to have his eyes opened.
        (4) But man’s heart is also proud, and so it’s hard for him to admit these character deficiencies.
        (5) And if a person refuses to acknowledge this, he will never get much out of the word of God.
       b. The second question we each need to answer is this: Do I believe what Psalm 19 says here that God’s word has this kind of power to do these things in my life? 
        (1) Do we really believe it is THE perfect place to go for wisdom? 
        (2) Do we really believe it is THE sure place to go for life? 
        (3) Do we really believe it is THE right place to go for wisdom? 
        (4) Do we really believe it is THE true place to go for happiness? 
        (5) Do we really believe it is THE righteous place to go for clarity and understanding? 
        (6) Or do we run elsewhere? Do we search for happiness in people, or fun, or drugs, or drink?
     B. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. 
      1. They are of immense value.
       a. More important than making money. 
      2. They are delicious — sweeter than honey.
       a. In 21st century America we have a lot of sweet things in our diet, because human taste buds love sweetness. Even things like ketchup and peanut butter are packed with sugar. 
       b. But there are not actually very many things in nature which are sweet. 
       c. Until the last few centuries, one of the few really sweet foods known to man was honey. 
       d. ?Human Planet TV show on people who live in the jungle, Bayaka man climbing tall trees in the Congo jungle for honey.
       e. That’s the ancient context of honey: virtually the only source of sweetness. That’s how we should read: “More to be desired than much fine gold and sweeter than the drippings of the honeycomb.”
     C. 11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. 
      1. God’s word warns us. 
       a. Warnings precede negative consequences.
       b. God’s word tells us what will happen to us in the future if we don’t heed His word. 
       c. There is great danger coming, Florida reporter who was reporting in perfect weather about the approaching storm. He had special knowledge. 
       d. We don’t like warnings. They ruin our day. They make us think about unpleasant things. And I understand how insensitive & cruel warnings are IF THERE’S NO ACTUAL DANGER. 
       e. But if there is indeed danger, a warning is the most loving thing you can give to someone. 
      2. There is great reward promised for those who keep God’s word. 
       a. Not just escape from negative consequences. 
       b. Glory, relief, liberation, health, power, sinlessness, comfort, joy, eternal life, perfect love
      3. And for us, keeping God’s word means putting our whole hope and trust in Jesus and what He did for us, for that is what God’s holy book tells us we must do. 
     D. 12-14 Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. 13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
      1. These are not random thoughts stuck here for no particular reason. They continue the theme of our relationship to God’s word, telling us several things about the role of God’s word in our lives. 
      2. We need God’s help to avoid the more subtle sins which are unconscious.
       a. God’s word is not enough, because we have the capability to be blind to our sin.
        (1) e.g. it says God despises the proud, but we don’t see our pride, we think we’re humble.
        (2) There are all kinds of subtle, tricky sins, which we don’t pick up on: greed, selfishness, pride, a sense of superiority, anxiety, harshness, self-sufficiency, ingratitude, earthly-mindedness, love of human approval.
       b. Even Bible experts – like the Pharisees – fall into presumptuous sins.
       c. It’s not enough to read the Bible and examine your heart, you also need the HS to lead you and show you. 
      3. But it’s not just each one individually who needs the Lord’s help. It’s not only the meditation of my heart that needs God’s blessing, it’s also the words of my mouth. We teach one another and communicate truth to one another, and we need God’s blessing on that as well. 
      4. One thing the church is: it is a teaching center. It is a place where the Bible is taught and explained. It is a place where God’s people talk together about God’s word. 
      5. And if that’s not happening in the church, then the church isn’t doing its job.