Latest / Tabernacle Talk - A Bible Study Podcast with Pastor Bryon Self / Psalm 119:89-96 - Lamed

Transcript

Psalm 119:89-96 - Lamed · Tabernacle Talk - A Bible Study Podcast with Pastor Bryon Self

• 0:00
  Welcome to Tabernacle Talk. Tabernacle Talk is a Bible study
• 0:03
  podcast brought from Tabernacle Baptist Church in Essex, MD.
• 0:07
  I'm your host, Brian Self. We hope this podcast encourages
• 0:10
  you to know Christ, grow in his word, and show his love to
• 0:14
  others. Let's dive right in.
• 0:15
  Welcome back to Tabernacle Talk. Today we're in Psalm 119 and we
• 0:20
  are looking at the verses that all begin in Hebrew with the
• 0:24
  Hebrew letter lamed, lamed. And in these verses we see that
• 0:30
  God's Word lasts forever. God's Word lasts forever.
• 0:36
  Now, that's a common thing that we read about in Scripture, that
• 0:39
  there's not going to come a day where the truth of God has
• 0:43
  become, if you will, obsolete. There's never going to be a time
• 0:48
  when it is not right to be loving or gracious or kind or
• 0:53
  generous. What God has established will
• 0:56
  always be so we can always follow His commands, His
• 1:00
  precepts, His ordinances, and as we do so, we can find His
• 1:04
  blessing that He has promised. He is unchanging and what He has
• 1:08
  decreed is consistent throughout all of time.
• 1:13
  So let's read through these verses and we'll see what the
• 1:17
  Lord has for us even today. Yahweh, your Word is forever.
• 1:22
  It is firmly fixed in heaven. Your faithfulness is for all
• 1:27
  generations. You established the earth, and
• 1:30
  it stands firm. Your judgments stand firm today,
• 1:34
  for all things are your servants.
• 1:37
  If your instruction had not been my delight, I would have died in
• 1:41
  my affliction. I will never forget your
• 1:44
  precepts, for you had given me life through them.
• 1:47
  I am yours. Save me, for I have studied your
• 1:51
  precepts. The wicked hope to destroy me,
• 1:55
  but I contemplate your decrees. I've seen a limit to all
• 1:59
  perfection, but your command is without limit.
• 2:04
  I love these. There's just something about the
• 2:07
  way that this is phrased, the contemplation about something
• 2:12
  that doesn't fluctuate. I, I'm only 28 years old and I
• 2:18
  know that I still have a lot of life that I need to live, but I
• 2:22
  have seen things come and go and all various aspects of my life
• 2:29
  have changed and people that I grew up with, even in church,
• 2:34
  many that now do not follow the Lord.
• 2:37
  I grew up with parents and listening to them and obeying
• 2:42
  them. And then now I'm an adult and
• 2:45
  I'm on, you know, I more or less I'm on my own.
• 2:48
  And though I still have a great relationship with my parents,
• 2:51
  it's a different relationship than the relationship between,
• 2:55
  you know, parents and child. I think about our world and the
• 3:02
  political and economic state of the world.
• 3:05
  Even over the past five years, there's just been a stark
• 3:09
  difference. Things that I grew up hearing
• 3:12
  about right and wrong that have changed with the times that
• 3:16
  things that certain political parties held on to as really
• 3:21
  important back, you know, 1520 years ago now, they abandoned
• 3:26
  that in favor of new positions that they think might be more
• 3:29
  popular with more people instead of remaining on what is timeless
• 3:35
  and timeless good principles. When I think even about
• 3:39
  churches, I'm in a different, if you will, denomination than I
• 3:43
  grew up. And I grew up independent
• 3:45
  Baptist and had a certain way that that church was done.
• 3:49
  And the translation of the word of God that I read from and that
• 3:54
  I memorized 13 books of the Bible out of the songs that I
• 4:00
  sang at that time and some of the people that I looked up to.
• 4:05
  And now many of those people have have passed.
• 4:08
  They're with the Lord now. I am now a Southern Baptist and
• 4:13
  a part part of a new kind of family of churches, but it's
• 4:16
  meant so much in my life has changed.
• 4:19
  But the one thing that has remained is my God and the one
• 4:25
  thing that has remained is his consistency that I can remember
• 4:29
  back to when I was a kid and and I memorized children.
• 4:32
  Obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
• 4:35
  And that has stuck with me. I remember whosoever shall call
• 4:39
  upon the name of the Lord shall be saved, and it's still true
• 4:43
  today. I remember reading that neither
• 4:46
  is there salvation found in any other, for there is none other
• 4:49
  name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved,
• 4:52
  then the name of Jesus. And that is so true even today.
• 4:58
  And so though all my life changes, though culture changes,
• 5:02
  though churches change, though people change, my relationships
• 5:07
  with them change, God is consistent.
• 5:11
  And so I, I want to look through these verses just shortly today
• 5:15
  and get some, get some joy, get some holy safety and rest and
• 5:21
  security in knowing what does not change verse #89 Yahweh.
• 5:29
  Your word is forever. It is firmly fixed in heaven.
• 5:35
  God has given what he has said and he's not changing it.
• 5:39
  We don't have to worry about if the way of salvation will
• 5:42
  change. It is set, it's secure.
• 5:45
  Once God is given the decree, he's not going to go, oh,
• 5:48
  actually, never mind. I was, I was wrong on that.
• 5:50
  I'm going to take that back. I'm going to switch this up now,
• 5:54
  I do want to say, because I have taken special pains to note this
• 5:59
  as we've walked through Scripture, especially when we're
• 6:01
  in the Old Testament. I'm thinking right now of when
• 6:05
  we were in the book of Leviticus, looking at the
• 6:08
  sacrificial system and some of the specific laws that God had
• 6:12
  for the Levites or for the nation of Israel back then that
• 6:17
  he does not have for us today. And you might say, OK, well,
• 6:20
  what makes you determine on whether or not God is going to
• 6:24
  change? Like he used to say shellfish
• 6:26
  are bad, but now you say it's OK to eat shellfish.
• 6:29
  Why would you say that? Because the word of God says it.
• 6:33
  So you read through the book of Acts, actually the first book
• 6:36
  that we went through together on Tabernacle Talk.
• 6:38
  You go through the book of Acts and you can see where God says,
• 6:41
  yes, I had said this, this was for a specific purpose, for a
• 6:46
  specific time. But now I have a new purpose for
• 6:50
  you. And so this actually still
• 6:52
  informs the way that you think about the world world and how
• 6:57
  you think about your relationship with God and how
• 6:59
  you treat people. I forget if it was in Tabernacle
• 7:02
  talk that I mentioned this previously or if it was in the
• 7:06
  the Tabernacle Baptist. I think the sermon podcast,
• 7:11
  there was a lesson that I was teaching through on how to
• 7:15
  interpret the Bible. And I mentioned how the New
• 7:19
  Testament authors, even when there's an Old Testament
• 7:23
  command, it still influenced the way that they thought about
• 7:28
  their relationship with God and what their responsibilities
• 7:30
  were, even when the command itself was no longer necessary.
• 7:36
  So the strict interpretation of don't muzzle an ox while he's
• 7:41
  treading out the grain, that's the command.
• 7:45
  And in a non agricultural, non farming society, you could say,
• 7:49
  OK, well then that doesn't apply to me because I don't have an
• 7:53
  oxen. But the apostle Paul says
• 7:56
  Corinthian church, you are supposed to pay, you're supposed
• 8:01
  to support so that they can live your spiritual teachers.
• 8:06
  Because the Old Testament says this.
• 8:08
  And so it still gives us light even when we don't have to obey
• 8:14
  all of the commands that are given to ancient Israel, we can
• 8:18
  still obey the heart of God. And you might go, OK, well, how
• 8:23
  do we determine what we do, what we don't do?
• 8:25
  Look to the New Testament, because the New Testament
• 8:27
  actually makes it really, really clear.
• 8:29
  Here are the lasting commands that you keep, that you continue
• 8:34
  doing that continue to guide how you interact in the world.
• 8:37
  And then for the commands that no longer directly apply, use
• 8:41
  their principles to be able to direct how you live in the world
• 8:46
  now. So that's little bit of a rabbit
• 8:49
  trail, but I think it's valuable when we think about the lasting
• 8:53
  nature of God's Word and that we don't do all of the things that
• 8:58
  are written in the Old Testament.
• 9:00
  And it's important that we know why we don't do all of those
• 9:03
  things anymore. And it's because God
• 9:05
  specifically said that part's done away with and now we are on
• 9:10
  this page. OK, continuing in verse 90, your
• 9:13
  faithfulness is for all generations.
• 9:16
  You establish the earth and it stands firm just as certainly as
• 9:21
  the world still exists. We have not blipped out and, you
• 9:24
  know, lost gravity and been, you know, consumed in the sun or
• 9:29
  knocked out of orbit and spun out into space via, you know,
• 9:34
  giant meteor or something. God established the earth and it
• 9:38
  stands firm as a result. So just as certainly as the
• 9:41
  earth continues to spin and exist and be a safe haven for
• 9:47
  life itself, we can know that that is how faithful our God is.
• 9:51
  Every day that you wake up and the earth is still here, your
• 9:54
  God is continuously faithful to you.
• 9:58
  And so we can believe what he has said.
• 10:01
  Verse 91 your judgments stand firm today for all things are
• 10:06
  your servants. I love that thought.
• 10:08
  They're all things are your servants.
• 10:11
  Whether or not we acknowledge God's moving and his sovereignty
• 10:17
  and his rule and his working in our lives, He is still the one
• 10:21
  in control. He is still our king regardless.
• 10:24
  I was listening to a video slash podcast put out by Gavin Ortland
• 10:30
  with the channel Truth Unites, which is a tremendous blessing
• 10:34
  by the way. If you get the chance, listen to
• 10:37
  that, like imbibe as much of that as you can.
• 10:40
  It will be a blessing to your life.
• 10:43
  And Gavin was talking about a particular theological system.
• 10:49
  And one of the example verses that he used was in Genesis 50,
• 10:54
  where Joseph talking to his brothers who had sold him into
• 10:57
  slavery. And as a result of that, years
• 11:01
  later, Joseph was able to save all of the family through the
• 11:05
  food that he had saved from the crops of Egypt over the course
• 11:11
  of seven good years in his position as an advisor to
• 11:15
  Pharaoh. And Joseph tells the brothers
• 11:18
  who are afraid after the passing of Jacob that Joseph is going to
• 11:22
  take revenge on them. And Joseph tells them, you
• 11:26
  intended it for evil, but God intended it for good.
• 11:33
  And it just blows my mind that, like, people can have their
• 11:37
  actions and their reasons for doing things, but it doesn't
• 11:41
  change what God does. And you, you could wonder about,
• 11:45
  OK, if the brothers hadn't done that, how would God have saved
• 11:52
  Israel and his sons and all of their descendants when that time
• 11:57
  of famine came? And you can certainly wonder
• 12:00
  that. But Joseph says mankind is
• 12:03
  working. They're making their decisions.
• 12:05
  They're doing what they want to do, but God is working behind
• 12:08
  the scenes and God accomplishes it all.
• 12:11
  I think of Romans 828 that all things work together for good to
• 12:16
  those who love God, to those who are the called according to his
• 12:19
  purpose. And all things, those all things
• 12:22
  that are working together for good, they are all the servants
• 12:26
  of God. And so it means in my life, I
• 12:28
  don't have to freak out. I don't have to live in anxiety.
• 12:31
  I don't have to live in depression.
• 12:34
  And it can be easy to fall into those things, especially as we
• 12:37
  see our world and all of its craziness.
• 12:41
  But I don't have to worry because my God handles it all.
• 12:45
  And if His eye is on the Sparrow, then I know He watches
• 12:49
  me. And I'm thankful that no one
• 12:52
  ever cared for me like Jesus. There's no other friends, so
• 12:55
  kind is He. There's no one else who could
• 12:58
  take the sin and sorrow from me. Oh, how much He cares for me and
• 13:03
  for you. And you can rest today in the
• 13:07
  judgments of God, because everything serves His ultimate
• 13:12
  purpose. It doesn't mean that each moment
• 13:14
  is good. There is evil that is inflicted
• 13:17
  on us by our sin, cursed and fallen world.
• 13:20
  There is sin that is brought on to us by sometimes our decisions
• 13:24
  and sometimes by the decisions of others.
• 13:26
  But our God is good throughout it, and He has everlasting good
• 13:32
  plans for you and for me that we can rest.
• 13:35
  In verse 92, if your instruction hadn't been my delight, I would
• 13:39
  have died in my affliction. God's Word can give you joy and
• 13:44
  hope and perseverance and endurance in the darkest
• 13:48
  moments. And so cling to Him, because His
• 13:52
  Word will not die when everything else does.
• 13:55
  His Word will not abandon you when everyone else does.
• 13:59
  His Word will never fail to be enough.
• 14:01
  When all of your human resources fail you, He will stick by you
• 14:07
  even as He did with Jesus on the cross.
• 14:11
  I've mentioned before Psalm 22, Jesus begins quoting it.
• 14:14
  My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
• 14:17
  But the end of that Psalm that Jesus was quoting says He has
• 14:22
  not forsaken me. He has not abandoned me to the
• 14:25
  grave when the same is true for us, that He is with us
• 14:29
  constantly. Verse 93, I'll never forget your
• 14:32
  precepts because you have given me life through them.
• 14:35
  God's Word can help you in your darkest moments and God's Word
• 14:39
  can reinvigorate you for new life and ministry and purpose
• 14:45
  and joy. Then verse 94, I am yours.
• 14:49
  Save me, for I have studied your precepts.
• 14:54
  I love this. Cast yourself mentally,
• 14:57
  spiritually into the hands of your good God time and time
• 15:01
  again that you say, God, I belong to you.
• 15:05
  And so if something happens to me, it's really something
• 15:09
  happening to you. And so God save me because I
• 15:12
  belong wholesale to you. And then actually act like
• 15:16
  that's true. Act like God is in charge of you
• 15:20
  and that he loves you and that you answer to him and that you
• 15:23
  follow his ways. Don't say God, I am yours.
• 15:26
  And then live all of your life and your words and your actions
• 15:30
  and your attitudes and how you treat people.
• 15:32
  Don't, don't live your life as though you belong to yourself.
• 15:36
  And then when you get into trouble, say, oh God, I really
• 15:39
  belong to you. And so how could you let this
• 15:41
  happen? No, like let's live for God in
• 15:45
  the day today, and then when trouble comes, then we're able
• 15:49
  to say truthfully now God loves you, He cares for you even when
• 15:53
  you don't treat him as your Lord.
• 15:56
  But how much better if we would actually live the life that God
• 15:59
  has called us to, following him in his way, allowing him to call
• 16:03
  the shots That would be such a better existence for us to have.
• 16:08
  Verse 95 the wicked hope to destroy me, but I contemplate
• 16:12
  your decrees. What's the best thing to think
• 16:15
  about when you're going through hard times with other people?
• 16:18
  Think about the Word of God. Think about how the Word of God
• 16:21
  calls you to treat other people. Think about how the Word of God
• 16:24
  would have you to operate in humility.
• 16:26
  Think about how the Word of God tells you how Jesus was maligned
• 16:30
  or hurt by people and what his response was to them.
• 16:33
  Think about the apostles and the disciples that went through
• 16:37
  hardships. Think about all the difficulties
• 16:39
  that Paul went through on his journeys and how he responded to
• 16:42
  the people that hurt and harmed him and let all of that convince
• 16:47
  you of the right path to go when the wicked hope to destroy you.
• 16:52
  Contemplate the unchanging decrees of God.
• 16:55
  He's the same God that he was for the apostles.
• 16:59
  He's the same God that he was for David.
• 17:01
  He's the same God that he was for Noah and for everyone in
• 17:05
  between. And so you can rest in him and
• 17:08
  trust in him because he is unchanging.
• 17:11
  Verse 96 As we end the day, I've seen a limit to all perfection,
• 17:16
  but your command is without limit.
• 17:18
  He says everything in this world, it comes to an end.
• 17:23
  Not everything is perfect. Not everything is idyllic.
• 17:26
  Even the greatest things you know you can make of the
• 17:28
  greatest companies in the world right now.
• 17:31
  I, I have some Apple products and Apple makes some great stuff
• 17:38
  and I'm thankful for the blessing that I'm able to use it
• 17:41
  for ministry. Like literally every day of my
• 17:43
  life. I'm grateful for that.
• 17:46
  But it's imperfect and it has, you know, it has bugs and it
• 17:50
  has, you know, differences that, you know, even in the company
• 17:54
  itself that, that they would embrace things that are anti God
• 17:58
  and, and anti scripture. But I'm thankful that even
• 18:02
  though everything else in life has flaws, the word of God
• 18:05
  doesn't. That the way I live my life has
• 18:09
  imperfections, but the word of God is completely perfect.
• 18:14
  My church, I love my church, I love our people.
• 18:17
  We are all imperfect there. There are 1000 flaws that we
• 18:22
  have, but our God and His Word are perfect.
• 18:26
  And so I love this statement. I've seen a limit to all
• 18:30
  perfection, but your command is without limit.
• 18:34
  So let's allow God to comfort us, to encourage us to be with
• 18:37
  us in our darkest moments, to remind us as the earth continues
• 18:41
  to spin each day that He is in control and that He loves us and
• 18:45
  He wants to give us life and purpose.
• 18:48
  And as we do that, we can rejoice here with the Psalmist
• 18:51
  Yahweh. Your word is forever.
• 18:53
  It is firmly fixed in heaven. And that's where we're going.
• 18:57
  And we're going to see the one who has given us all of this
• 19:00
  through his grace. Thanks for tuning in today.
• 19:03
  I hope that you have a wonderful day.
• 19:05
  See you next episode.