Have you Nailed it this Christmas and New Year?
Have you nailed it this Christmas and New Year? We cannot nail a crocked nail into wood. A crooked nail is of no use. To nail it means to get something perfect. My elder daughter was born on Christmas day, a perfect Christmas gift for me and my wife. I called her Kezia after Job’s daughter and that too before I came to The Lord. I want to show you the nail of God’s perfect Love and perfect gift.
Celebration of a birth is less offensive than celebration of a death. The birth of our Lord is the embodiment of this perfect love. This embodiment of God made possible Christ’s death on the cross, or else there would have been no resurrection and we would still be in our sins. There would be no hope. The hope we have of resurrection of our bodies to everlasting life. God is Love (1Jn 4:8). As a preacher said, it does not say that God loves or that God is loving. The Word says God is love! It is an attribute - it is God’s very being. “Is” is the conjugation of the verb “to be”, so without conjugating the verb it will read like this “to be love”, a derivative of to exist. Love is God’s very being, is it not? Do you not feel love around Christmas, even the atheist does? If he does not like it like Grump, he will come around to feeling it! The marketplace distorts this Christian symbol, but it cannot hide the love of God that is all pervasive and prevailing around the world. It is this love of God in His word that our passage speaks of today.
Let us read Ps 119:41-48.
(Psa 119:41 ESV+) “Waw”, Let your steadfast love come to me, O LORD, your salvation according to your promise;
(Psa 119:42 ESV+). Then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me, for I trust in your word.
(Psa 119:43 ESV+) And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, for my hope is in your rules.
(Psa 119:44 ESV+) I will keep your law continually, forever and ever,
(Psa 119:45 ESV+) and I shall walk in a wide place, for I have sought your precepts.
(Psa 119:46 ESV+) I will also speak of your testimonies before kings and shall not be put to shame,
(Psa 119:47 ESV+) for I find my delight in your commandments, which I love.
(Psa 119:48 ESV+) I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes.
Summary:
The psalmist calls upon the loving kindness of the Lord that he sees in His word and his promised salvation to counter the adversary that taunts him. He affirms the truth of the word of God and will counter the taunts as he trusts in the promises of God. The psalmist prays that God fulfils His promises, He won’t shut his mouth having no answer for his adversary, because he trusts God’s promises. He avers this will motivate him strongly to always live a life according to His word, he will also live this life of freedom in his walk. He will testify of the Lord’s word even to authorities or powerful adversaries. The psalmist does this as He says “Lord you know I delight in living a life according to your word as I love you and your word. And as for the answer I seek for my adversary who taunts me, I will leave the judgement to you and the promise in your word that I love, and I will seek you continuously in your word”.
God always delivers according to His love and promise, so always love and trust Him by being faithful to His word, leaving all to Him
The Psalm is an acrostic psalm, and this section begins with “waw”. The symbol for this letter is a tent peg or a big nail. Let’s nail it today by understanding God’s love better. Thus, we can experience it and so that we can make a resolution that is the fountainhead of all the New Year resolutions we may want to make.
1. Christmas the embodiment of God’s Love 41-42
This book that we, the Gideons, distribute free is the complete panorama of God’s love, the embodiment of God’s love; the incarnation of Christ is at the fulcrum. Christmas did not begin in a manger in Bethlehem. Christmas began even before the foundation of the world. We first hear of it in Gen 3:15, the Protoevangel Gospel. The consistency of the embodiment of God’s love that led up to the Christ Jesus the babe with whom we celebrate the season, spans 6 millennia from the garden of Eden to Seth, to Noah, Abraham to Jacob, to Judah, to David, to Christ, to he Cross. Let us not shy away! The word love occurs 18 times in this psalm and 3 times in this section in the English ESV. The whole psalm is about the psalmist’s love for God in His word. It is seen more so in this section, throwing light on God’s love. (Psa 119:41 ESV+) Waw Let your steadfast love come to me, O LORD, your salvation according to your promise; This Christmas let us pray with confidence as the psalmist did. Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord, this Christmas so that I may nail it and understand it perfectly from your word.
The life of Christ, including his first advent was no accident or chance. It is the fulcrum of God’s love in His word (1Co 15:3 ESV+) For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, (1Co 15:4 ESV+) that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. In Christ we can see, touch feel or experience the fullness of God’s love with all our senses. Keep looking at the nail and it will touch you. Gandhi’s freedom struggle in India ended with him being assassinated. He gave his life for every Indian’s freedom. Few Indians believe that he is going to heaven because of it. Why then do Christians believe that the vicarious sacrifice of Christ Jesus has bought heaven for those who believe this? That is because God’s love had His life, suffering, death and resurrection in His plan always and because Christ is LORD. We see this in Bible history and prophecy. Christ fulfilled some 100 prophecies in His lifetime. Tony Evans a noted Bible scholar in his book The Best Is Yet To Come, said that someone good with numbers calculated the probability of this happening in one man and estimated that “it would require 200 billion earths populated with 4 billion people each to come up with one person who could achieve 100 prophecies accurately with no errors in sequence”. This nails it! God fulfills His perfect Love in His perfect plan in Jesus Christ’s life in his birth. There are three aspects of God’s love we see in the first two verses of our section 41-42
(Psa 119:41 ESV+) Waw Let your steadfast love come to me, O LORD, your SALVATION according to your PROMISE; (Psa 119:42 ESV+) THEN SHALL I HAVE AN ANSWER for him who taunts me, for I trust in your word.
There is a boldness in his prayer as God is an unchanging God and is true to his word while He has seen the judgement of God on his nation when He sent them to exile. The psalmist has also seen a restoration in keeping with God’s promise through Jeremiah, the prophet. God’s love is unfailing and not dependent on us and his salvation is sure and also not dependent on us. He keeps His promise. Here the psalmist probably seeks protection from his enemies who taunt him. His enemies may be powerful as he talks of rulers and kings. The psalmist knows that the Lord is all powerful.
a. God’s Love (always) delivers
The Psalmist calls upon the steadfast love of the Lord to deliver him and he takes this deliverance for granted as He says that God has already promised it His word and He trusts His word.
The love of God is revealed in His word. It is the only surest thing you can count on. His love will always deliver you. He has revealed this repeatedly with Israel and in His good news, finally spoken to us by Christ who is the very radiance of His Glory, the exact imprint of His nature Heb1:1-4. He has fully and finally spoken to us through His Son Jesus Christ and by His love, through Him redeemed us Jn3:16 to everlasting life. For this assurance, go back to His word and be born again of His living and abiding word 1Pe1:23. God is Love, period, and He always delivers. The book of Judges that spans many generations of Israel’s history repeatedly tells us how Israel repeatedly turned away from God, but God always raised up a deliverer, Gideon being one of them, after whom our organisation is named. Finally, He Himself came into the world to deliver all those who believe in Him. They nailed Christ to the cross. When He said, “It is finished” it was because the act of redemption was completed. This grace is the last chance. There are no more chances given. He comes again to judge the living and the dead. This Christmas seek this deliverance. Look on the practical side. What is your struggle? What are you seeking the Lord’s deliverance from? Are you taunted at work by a boss or colleague who does not appreciate your work? Or is it more personal? Is it an addiction? Pray with the psalmist and, like the psalmist, trust in God’s word. He has showed His love in His embodiment as Jesus Christ. Look at the babe Jesus this Christmas. Do you see the creator of this universe who emptied himself, appeared as man, beginning as a babe. Nurtured and carried by earthly parents! God will answer your prayer if only to bring you to faith, or back to faith. We forget, and it is good to maintain a journal on you walk with God. The work of the church illustrates the outpouring of God’s love through His saints. Know that God is Love and God’s love always delivers. Have you nailed it this Christmas?
b. God promised His loved: Trust in His word
As we have seen, the surety of God’s promise in the fulfilment of a prophecy that leads to Christmas, the first coming of our Lord. He will fulfil the consummation of the salvation He already brought, when He comes again. He promised a saviour and sent Him. God fulfilled the embodiment of His love in His promised son. He gave Him to us to be one of us. Will he not, with His love, grant us the deliverance we seek this Christmas and New Year? (Rom 8:32 NIV) He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not , along with him, graciously give us all things? And His word promises that nothing can separate us from His Love. If we find ourself in a tunnel, it is best to know that the God who is light, is the light at the end of the tunnel. God promised His love in His word, so trust in His word. as God cannot lie Tit 1:2. Have you nailed it this Christmas and New Year?
c. God’s love empowers
What does the psalmist say? “I will answer he who taunts me” It will empower him by God’s love that delivered him to answer the one who taunts him. He can then testify to God’s love and his salvation.This filled church history with life stories of the saints. Let me relate an incident relevant to the season of Christmas to show how God’s love empowers those who have truly experienced it. In the 8th century, Boniface later ordained as bishop, and also canonised, with the blessings of the Bishop of Rome, worked to evangelise Germany, which was mostly a pagan nation. There was a village that worshiped Thor. They worshiped around an enormous tree. The ethnic people practised human sacrifice. They sacrificed children to appease Thor. Boniface with his retinue went to convert this village and stop this practice. His retinue was afraid that the villagers would kill him. He and his team came to this village when the priest of Thor was ready to sacrifice the village Chief’s son, with hammer raised to smash the little boy’s skull. Boniface, who was in the crowd, hooked his hand with a staff and the hammer of Thor fell on the altar and broke it. He preached to them Christ, a sacrifice once and for all. Boniface cut down the oak. He then cut off a branch and told the villagers to keep it as a reminder of Christ’s sacrifice. Church tradition has it that the tradition of the Christmas tree has its roots in this village. Did not the love of Christ empower Boniface to great works. God’s love empowers trust in His word. He cannot lie. Have you nailed it today?
Let’s nail up these three aspects of God’s love:
? God’s love always delivers no matter what your situation in life now is. Did he not send His son the embodiment of his love, as promised in His word, to deliver us, despite our unworthiness and rebellion?
Yes! God promised His love, and He cannot lie. He keeps His promise.
? God’s love empowers to help you reach beyond yourself. When you cannot do anything even though you tried all and failed, God’s love will empower you to do the impossible.
2. The Lord’s Justice is true: Christmas and hope in it (43). This is the second point.
Let us read verse 43 in the KJV that translates it as (Psa 119:43 KJV) And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth; for I have hoped in thy judgments. God is not only love, God is also just, and His justice is true. In his communion with the Lord the psalmist is looking for an answer for His adversary who taunts him and He in boldness prays “if you O Lord according to your steadfast love deliver me as is your promise in your word then I won’t shut my mouth. I have hoped for your judgements. I will have an answer. I will testify to my enemy about you and your word.”
Jesus Christ’s birth which we celebrate at Christmas led to the cross, where God’s perfect love, mercy and justice met in the body of Christ and as we have seen God’s embodiment as Jesus Christ, is the only way they made this possible. He promised that he would do it and He did. This is the ultimate truth. There is no other way that man may be justified in the sight of God. (Gal 2:16 NIV) know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. We, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law, no one will be justified.
You may follow whatever rituals that are laid down by religion. Take a dip in the Ganga or attend church regularly or any ritualistic ceremonies. Christmas is the embodiment of this hope. Christmas is an answer to the question of the Justice of God. We, who have experienced His love, have understood this, and will not shut our mouths, but testify as the psalmist has promised he will do.
We can never be without sin, but will place our hope in Him. He is our Immanuel, God with us. We trust His perfect life. He is the propitiation for our sins. We hope to be removed from the presence of sin when He comes again so that the all misery that is the consequence of sin may also be removed and there will be no more tears. Faith in Him brings a remission of sin. (Act 10:43 KJV) To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. The KJV uses the right word, “remission”. Remission means correction. Like diabetes, when controlled, we say the patient to be in remission. This means the disease is still there, but controlled and will produce less, or no harm at all.
Faith brings remission of sin, minimises the ill consequences of sin. Llet us take an extreme example of the sin of infidelity or even a milder form that of dishonesty. Remission will minimise if not prevent both all together because of remission.
We have arrived. This brings us to our new year’s resolution. THE resolution to make, so that we can appropriate this remission. Knowing that by faith in God’s love, the embodiment of which was birthed in Jesus, Immanuel God with us, promised by God, a promise fulfilled, will empower us to do what we have set out to do. Keep his commandments forever as the psalmist has avowed. This is the natural outcome of receiving God’s love.
3. Resolution as outcome: Make ‘THE’ Resolution
(Psa 119:44 KJV) So shall I keep thy law continually for ever and ever.
a. Keep his commandments forever: This is hyperbole with a sense that His motivation to live a life according to His word would be much stronger.
God’s will help and when you are at the end of his rod or protected by his staff draw comfort from it as David did. Let us take the example of Ruth who was a Moabite but after her husband’s death, who was an Israelite, resolved to follow her mother-in-law and said to her (Rth 1:16 KJV) And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: and we know the end of the story how God restored Ruth’s life, which was in utter despair. God grafted her into the ancestry of Christ Jesus and is one of the five women mentioned in His genealogy. Ruth, from another faith, accepted the God of the Bible. God restored her life. She followed the law and customs, also the Israelites.
You may stumble, but keep your eyes on the nail and He will lift you up again.
We can quickly go to the next points which are the consequences of this key resolution, to live a life according to His word.
b. The psalmist will walk in freedom because he seeks the Lord in His word: besides he will have freedom to follow His word both in his personal capacity as he can testify to God’s goodness and also freedom from the ruler’s taunts
The road ahead in the New Year is a little clearer. A blameless life empowered by God’s love and love for His word, to live by it, from all accusations. The Devil, the chief accuser of the saints’ mouth, will be shut. So will the mouth, those of detractors we in every walk of life, be shut. You detractors may not like it but you do have a clear conscience.
c. The psalmist says God will vindicate him as he will have a ready answer for the authorities.
Be ready to testify to God’s love and His goodness to shut the mouth of the detractors. I was at a petrol bunk once. I was witness to a New Born- ain believer from another faith to Christianity, testifying to Jesus Christ. She did so enthusiastically and vocally at the petrol bunk. Her name was Indriani. There was so much joy on her face. She told them some powerful truths about the errors of their belief.
The question for you today is will you be able to keep this New Year’s resolution. Well, our psalm provides an answer.
If he has experienced God’s steadfast love and deliverance are there are also three consequences that the psalmist says will help in living a life according to His word
4. Resolutions Kept
a. His delight is in (following) His commandments
b. He embraces His commandments for a ready answer
c. He will seek the Lord even more in His word by meditating
Let us examine the first of the consequences he mentioned
a. His delight is in (following) His commandments
(Joh 15:10 KJV) If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.(Joh 15:11 KJV) These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
He follows his commandments because God has his first petition. God’s steadfast love has come to him in his deliverance. This then fills him with delight to follow God’s commandments, as all it avoided the evil of disobedience. Don’t take my word for it. This is what we see in the text. Our Lord Jesus Christ again confirmed it. By the way, abide is a verb, a doing word, requiring action but the beauty of it is that through faith abiding becomes easier. It is a cycle of: FAITH (in Him)-ABIDING (In Him)-FOLLOWING HIS COMANDMENTS-ABIDING (in His Love)- FAITH (in increased measure).
This empowers, and you can reach beyond yourself. There is a twist In the next consequence. The psalmist’s particular situation is that he has detractors and he wants to shut their mouths by testifying of God’s love a ready answer for them, but here he says something.
b. He embraces His commandments for a ready answer
(Psa 119:48 KJV) My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in thy statutes.
What does he mean when he says He will lift his hands to his commandments? “Hand lifted” in the Bible is associated more often with God being ready for judgement or his judgement. (Psa 10:12 KJV) Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble. Is the psalmist leaving the judgement of His detractors to the LORD? Maybe, but the favoured interpretation is that He embraces the LORD’s commandments for a ready answer to his detractor.
Embrace His word and you will embrace Him and He you
c. He will seek the Lord even more in His word by meditating on it
In it is an application to seek the Lord in His word by meditation on it. We will leave it as self-explanatory. This developed in an earlier section.
Summarising all this, we know God is Love. Love is his very being in his love he always delivers. He has promised this, did not the babe Jesus come? God’s Love empowers you. God tempers his love with his justice, for as much he is loving he is Just but faith in Him brings remission from sin and prevents its evil consequences. A resolution to keep His commandments is THE resolution to make this new year. It is a cycle of: FAITH (in Him)-ABIDING (In Him)-FOLLOWING HIS COMANDMENTS-ABIDING (in His Love)- FAITH (in increased measure) This is possible by embracing His commandments and meditating and spending time with His word. This is not something new. we have consistently preached it. It is the message of the history of the Church. Yes, we have nailed it today.
Conclusion
God’s love is absolute. Keep in focus this Christmas that His word is absolute truth. Reach out to His love and He will deliver and resolve to live a life according to His word. God’s grace covers your failure.
Applications
a. Is there an example to follow?
Trust in the mercy and salvation of the Lord promised in His word, just as the psalmist has averred.
b. Is there a prayer to repeat?
Pray this entire section to renew your love and commitment to Him and His word.
c. vs 46 is a verse to remember as a case for evangelism.
d. Is there a challenge to follow?
Do not be ashamed to testify to the love of Christ even before kings
