Sermon Central
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Clearing The Way-7 Series
Contributed by Byron Sherman on Jan 19, 2016 (message contributor)
Summary: 7 of 7. The psalmist described the means by which a young man was to cleanse his way or make his way straight in the world. One's way is to be properly maintained. But How? Clearing the Way demands sustained...
CLEARING THE WAY-part 7—Psalm 119:9-16
Attention:
Three mischievous boys went to the zoo one Friday for an outing, since they had been at school all week.
They decided to visit the elephant habitat, but soon enough, they were picked up by a policeman for causing a commotion.
The officer hauled them off to security for questioning. The supervisor in charge brought each of them in separately & one-by-one he asked each of them to give their names & tell what happened at the elephant habitat.
The first boy innocently said, “My name is Gary, & I was just throwing peanuts to the elephants.”
The second added, “My name is Larry, & all I was doing was throwing peanuts to the elephants.”
The third boy, came in & was a little shaken up—the officer knew this one would spill the beans. The boy, said, “Well, my name is Harry, but all my friends call me Peanuts.”
Much must be considered when CLEARING The WAY.
The psalmist described the means by which a young man was to cleanse his way or make his way straight in the world.
A young man entering adulthood can properly maintain his way in the world.
But How can a person make their way in the world?
12 Disciplines to maintaining/making your way in the world.
We have previously found that Clearing the Way demands...
1. A PURIFYING Heart(:9a)
2. A KEEPER’s/GUARD’s/PROTECTOR’s Heart(:9b)
3. A HUNTER’s Heart(:10a)
4. A NAVIGATOR’s Heart(:10b)
5. A TREASURING Heart(:11a)
6. A REASONING Heart(:11b)
7. An ADORING Heart(:12a)
8. An OPEN Heart(:12b)
9. A CONFIDENT TEACHER’s Heart(:13)
10. A DRIVEN Heart(:14)
11. A MEDITATIVE Heart(:15)
All these disciplines can either be limited to your little world or they can be brought into the realm of service to God.
12—Clearing the Way(for Father’s Day) demands...
A FIXED(fixated) Heart(:16)
Explanation:(:16)Affectionate/Fascination/Committed/Retain/Fixated
:16—“I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.”
FIXED—Settled/Set/Seated &/or Repaired/Restored
For the person on the path of God’s desire, there is a personal “delight” in ‘caressing/fondling’(to caress lovingly, affectionately, or tenderly) God’s word. God’s “statutes” are not cumbersome/unwieldy but are rather enamored objects to such an extent that we are blinded to all else in the world.
Example: Cell phones—We can’t leave them alone, can’t do anything without them.
Mat. 11:28-30—Mat. 11:28-30—“Come to Me, all you who labor & are heavy laden, & I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you & learn from Me, for I am gentle & lowly in heart, & you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy & My burden is light.”
Rom. 7:22—[NASB]“For I joyfully concur with[“Delight in”—sunhdomai] the law of God in the inner man,”
Due to this young man’s being blinded to the world’s pull, thru “delight” in God’s “statutes,” he will thus not be oblivious or indifferent to God’s “word.” He will actively keep himself from neglecting that which God has said & says. In not laying aside God’s “word” God’s man thus becomes fruitful for God’s kingdom.
Mat. 13:3, 7, 22-23—“Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow.”.....“And some fell among thorns, & the thorns sprang up & choked them.”.....“Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, & the cares of this world & the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, & he becomes unfruitful. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word & understands it, who indeed bears fruit & produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
I am not ‘fix-ated' on the word of God simply because it may be fascinating for whatever reason(s), but rather, I am ‘fixed’ upon it because it is God-breathed.
We may even become so fixed upon a particular verse of Scripture, that we exclude all else presented in the Word!
Love for example—Deciding for ourselves what love is thru society & culture rather than learning/knowing its truth thru God in Christ.
“Delight”—eev shaw-ah’—Hitpalpel(causative/reflexive/reciprocal) Imperfect—1) To stroke, be smeared over, be blinded—1c) (Hithpalpel)--To blind oneself, be blinded; 2) To sport, take delight in—2c) (Hithpalpel)--To delight oneself. Strong—a primitive root; (in a good acceptation)--To look upon(with complacency), i.e. Fondle, please or amuse(self); (in a bad one)--To look about(in dismay), i.e. Stare. Used 9X.
“Statutes/Decrees”(See :12—qx)—hqx khook-kaw'—1) Statute, ordinance, limit, enactment, something prescribed. Strong—feminine of qx, & meaning substantially the same—[An enactment; hence, an appointment(of time, space, quantity, labor or usage)].
“Forget/Neglect”—xkv shaw-kakh’—Qal Imperfect—1) To forget, ignore, wither. Strong—a primitive root; To mislay, i.e. To be oblivious of, from want of memory or attention.
“Word”(See :9; :11—hrma)—rbd daw-baw'—1) Speech, word, speaking, thing—1a) Speech, 1b) Saying, utterance, 1c) Word, words, 1d) Business, occupation, acts, matter, case, something, manner(by extension). Strong—A word; by implication--A matter(as spoken of) or thing; adverbially--A cause.