Loyal Subjects

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Psalm 119:121-128

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We continue tonight in our exposition of the hundred and nineteenth psalm
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There used to be a time in American history Well, maybe
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I guess you wouldn't say everybody but you would say at least most people had a shared
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Sentiment about you know, the importance of what it meant to be an American They cared about Being a good
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American citizen, you know if we talked about someone being a good American citizen Even during my lifetime
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We kind of understood what that meant, you know, they they paid their taxes They were a good neighbor or whatever and they they cared about the country
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I certainly don't agree with everything from John F Kennedy But or his his policies or his morals
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But he did have that line that famous line in the speech ask not what your country can do for you
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But what you can do for your country and there was this idea. I think in America at least popularly it seemed that We wanted to have a great country and we wanted to be good citizens
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Of course in the year of our Lord 2024 that has seemingly fallen by the wayside
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But I want to bring that thought this evening as we enter into our text
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I want to bring that thought to this section of Scripture. I wonder if you think about Not being a good
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American citizen though you should think about that But I wonder if you think about being a good citizen of the kingdom
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I Wonder if you think about what it means to not be a loyal subject so much of the
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United States So certainly there's nothing wrong with that. But tonight I want you to consider.
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What does it mean to be a loyal? subject of Christ What does it mean to be a loyal subject of our
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King and that's where we're at Psalm 119 and beginning in verse 121 let's stand and honor the reading of God's Word The psalmist says
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I have done what is just and right Do not leave me to my oppressors
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Give your servant a pledge of good Let not the insolent oppress me my eyes long for your salvation and for the fulfillment of your righteous promise
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Deal with your servant according to your steadfast love and teach me your statutes.
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I am your servant Give me understanding that I may know your testimonies.
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It is time for the Lord to act for your law has been broken Therefore I love your commandments above gold above fine gold
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Therefore I consider all your precepts to be right. I hate every false way father
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Would you help us to understand tonight your word help me Lord, you know I'm in need of your grace to preach tonight.
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I pray that you would supply that over and above Lord our Congregation is in need of your grace to hear to hear well to hear in such a way that they apply it
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Lord, we pray the Spirit of God Holy Spirit that you would apply The word preached to our hearts may
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Christ be exalted Lord Jesus, we pray that you would reign supremely and we would gladly recognize and rejoice in your sovereign reign
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And we'd love you increase our love for you. Bless our church. We pray in Jesus name.
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Amen Tonight we want to talk about loyal subjects loyal subjects
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Number one loyal subjects. What does it mean to be a loyal subject of the king? Okay number one loyal subjects practice
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God's ways Number one if you're going to be a loyal subject you're going to practice
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God's way now look there in verse 121 and tell me He says
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I have done. What is just and Right. I've done.
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I'm just making sure the front row there I won't call anything make sure we're locked in I have done
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What is just and right? Now there's a lot of truth there that you may not consider and that is have you ever thought much about The standard of what is just and right in other words a number of years ago.
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This is probably like 10 years ago I saw the renowned atheist Richard Dawkins Say that if a baby was diagnosed with Down syndrome
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He said the mother ought to abort that baby That was Richard Dawkins position now the question
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I have for you tonight is Was he arguing for the right thing to do or not?
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Now I know that we're all going to we're all going to resoundly put our foot down and say no We shouldn't you shouldn't murder a child simply because that sweet baby is diagnosed with Down syndrome.
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That's that's not right But what I'm asking you tonight is is there a stand for standard for that?
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right, but because we live in a day and age that Idolizes Subjective morality.
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What do I mean guys on the back y 'all need to think about that because I know this is really pressing with your age group, but that is
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Subjective morality means I get to decide what is morally right and what is not if I want to Hook up with my girlfriend.
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I can you can't get in my business I get to choose what is right or or it might be a man and another man, right?
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That's the world we live in if I want to be a boy or a girl or whatever the case may be if I want to murder my child if I want to be a
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Communist whatever the case may be I can do whatever I want. You can't tell me because morality is
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Subjective, but the psalmist says here in verse 121 I Have done what is just and right?
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Now, what does that imply if he says I have done what is just and right friends that implies?
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That there is a standard Right that implies that in God's eyes
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There is something that tells us what is right and what is wrong now.
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I understand I'm with the Sunday night crowd We know the answer
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What is it what tells us what is right and what is wrong?
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We have the Bible We have the scriptures the scriptures bear the highest authority in our lives, and I'm tired
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Aren't you tired living in the Bible belt and people play fast and loose with the Bible and they use it when it's convenient
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Or they quote it when they want to But it actually bears the highest authority and so those who are loyal subjects to the king
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We actually want to practice God's ways we can Definitively stay we can stand.
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I don't care who says it. I don't care if it's Donald Trump I don't care if it's Kamala Harris. I don't care if it's the
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Supreme Court of the United States We can stand before all in power and we can hold the Bible and we can say it is morally wrong to kill a child
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No matter what stage if that child's ten years old ten days old ten seconds old one second old
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It's not okay Why can we say that? because we have an objective standard of morality
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We have the scriptures loyal subjects desire to practice God's ways we said
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It's been a while since we started psalm 119, but we said when we started that This psalm was going to show us not just the importance of the
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Word of God But how to take it and apply it practically to our lives. And so here's one of those ways
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So friends what I'm saying is we don't want to just read the Bible. We're going to get to that later We don't want to just read the
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Bible and understand what the Bible says But Jacob pastor Jacob did a really good job this morning talking about it.
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We must apply it So so what if you know what the Greek and the Hebrew means and you're expert theologians and you can pass the seminary exam
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So what if we don't practice God's ways you listening tonight
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So what if we don't practice the ways of God if we don't say what the psalmist says in verse 121
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I have done what is just and what is right? Which we see the opposite of right in verse 128
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Therefore I consider all your precepts to be right. I hate every false way
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So we want to do what is right according to the Scriptures We don't want to just read the
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Bible, but we want to apply it We want to do what it says we practice God's ways
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Because the Bible shows us clearly what those ways ours and what those ways are it shows us, right?
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It shows us wrong. It shows us morality. It shows us immorality and we want to do what is just and right
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Let's say this quickly, too We don't do what is just and right in order to be a
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Christian We do it because that's what a Christian does in other words It doesn't flow into being a
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Christian it flows out of being a Christian God works these things in us to will and the works is in us a desire like the psalmist to do what is just and right
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So let me encourage you this week Sunday night. So tomorrow tomorrow most of you probably get a little bit of a break
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Labor Day But Tuesday you go to work you have to make decisions before every decision
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What is just what is right? the Scriptures teach us
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Secondly loyal subjects practice God's ways Secondly loyal subjects plead for God's work.
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So notice that this is a prayer So we practice God's ways we plead for God's work.
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So verse 121. I have done what is just and right Do not leave me to my oppressors and then listen prayer.
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Give your servant a pledge of good Let not the insolent oppress me my eyes long for your salvation and for the fulfillment of your righteous promise now the psalmist is
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Making an appeal in other words. He's saying father or he's saying God because I have
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Done what you've called me to do Do not let the oppressors
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Oppress me do not let the insolent Oppress me loyal subjects pray to God Loyal subjects plead for God to act we plead for God's work.
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Look at verse 126 it is time for the Lord to act for your law
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Has been broken Isn't that true isn't that true in our country today, isn't that true in our town today?
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Isn't that true in our world today? It is time for Yahweh to act for your law has been broken
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How is it God that those who claim your name even in our area act wickedly?
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How do they get by with that? How do those even politician? I've never known a politician who doesn't say they they follow
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God, right? Have you have you ever known one? Have you ever known one that will stand up before a congregation or before a sorry not a congregation?
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But stand up before a crowd and say oh, I don't follow God No, they still appeal to God's name and yet they seem to go in Ways contrary to his word or why do false teachers prosper or how come we see so many who seem to be
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Christians in name? only but they live like the world and and they seem to be the ones that get the raises or Succeed in the eyes of the world.
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And and so we cry out. Oh God, won't you act? This entire psalm is a prayer remember in essence.
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We we get to read a One -sided conversation between the psalmist and in God, but let me just encourage us tonight
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I'll show you something in verse 124 in just a second, but let me just encourage us tonight we don't only as Christians practice
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God's ways But we plead for God's work. We need to be more committed to prayer
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We need to be more committed to prayer as families. We need to be more committed to prayer as individuals
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We need to be more committed to prayer as a church We plead for God to work
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Now look at verse 124 Now he's not just saying hey
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You should answer my prayer because I've done what is just in right? But he also said in the verse 124 deal with your servant according to your steadfast love
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In other words, this is you remember this is the Hebrew word chesed We've talked about it before just means covenant to loyalty faithful love steadfast love
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I'm not sure what other translations may say I think sometimes the King James just translates it as mercy But it's a very strong word and the idea here is the psalmist wants
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God to act toward him Not based on what he's done only right?
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So listen, by the way, it is okay to pray to God Lord Look, I've done this.
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Would you bless like we feel kind of weird? We feel kind of weird to pray that way, but I'm just telling you that's what this that's how the psalmist prays, right?
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I have done what is just in right do not lead me to my oppressors. Okay, but You better not live in that kind of prayer because verse 124 reminds us.
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It's not just about that. We need God's grace We don't want God to do in other words. We don't want to say
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God I want what I deserve God give me what I deserve because what do you deserve you deserve
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God's? Justice, but instead we want to pray for God's grace So we say pray God deal with this not according to what we've done deal with us according to your steadfast
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Love Deal with this according to what your your your grace and your mercy and and we pray as believers
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We pray in Jesus name. That's not actually something you just tack on at the end in Jesus name.
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I pray Amen, the idea is the whole prayer. I'm that's okay, right? I'm not saying that's wrong I'm saying is it's more than just that the whole prayer is in Jesus name
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We want you father to accept this prayer not based on what we've done not based on our righteousness
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But ultimately you must accept this prayer based on the righteousness of Christ We make an appeal through his blood through his death on the cross for our sins through his resurrection
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That's the only way that we're able to have fellowship with God. And so we say God would you work in our lives?
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Would you work in our country according to your mercy according to your faithfulness to yourself? according to your steadfast love
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As we practice God's ways and plead for God's work we ground these things in the gospel
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We ground these things in the finished work of Jesus now look at verse 122 Give your servant a pledge of good
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Let not the insolent oppress me as I thought about that verse this week For the
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Christian is there a greater pledge of good that God has given us than Christ Think about this
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The psalmist says let not the insolent oppress me But what happened to Christ the father let the insolent
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Oppress the son Why? So that he could give his people a pledge of good
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Christ suffered at the hands of wicked men and one sense This prayer is not answered for Jesus in one sense don't press that too far not trying to be weird
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But it's the verse 121. I've done what is just and right do not leave me to my oppressors Imagine our
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Lord Jesus praying that except God in one sense. You would say it's not answered I've done what is just and right who has done more justice more righteousness
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Who has ever done justice or righteousness other than our Lord Jesus Christ and yet he does this and what happens he's left to his oppressors
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The insolent Oppress him Why does the father do that?
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So that he could give his people a pledge of good So that he could give us
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Christ Christ suffered at the hands of wicked men under the sovereign will of God in order that God would win his people to himself for his glory
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So we we practice God's Word and we plead with God to work and are pleading with God to work is all
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Based on what Jesus has done for us. Here's the thing and the New Testament writers make this argument
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So Paul says things like this If God has given us the greatest thing
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Damn paraphrasing this Romans 8 right if God has given us the greatest thing How will he not give us all these other lesser things, too?
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If he's given us Christ if he's given us this pledge of good if he's given us the
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Lord Jesus Then how can we be so anxious and worried about all these other things?
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So we plead with God to work we pray to God and we're confident That he's going to take care of us
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Before I move on let me just ask this question. Have you experienced this pledge of good? Have you experienced the
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God's goodness in Christ have you psalm 34 8 tasted and seen we sing in that this month
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Have you tasted and seen that God is good? okay, so if you haven't what do you do well,
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I Hold this verse 122 out to you. Give your servant a pledge of good I hold out the pledge of good to you tonight the pledge of good that God offers
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Providence Baptist Church to the people sitting here to the children to the adults if necessary What God offers the pledge of good that God offers is
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Christ the promise of forgiveness of sins the promise of justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone the promise of eternal life the promise of Reconciliation the promise of future hope all of these pledges of good are held out to us tonight in Christ Will you take it by faith
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Christian? Will you be reminded again tonight that this is the good that God has promised his people will you take this good by?
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faith Loyal subjects. Are you a loyal subject?
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We practice God's ways we plead for God's work Finally, I'll mention tonight
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We pursue God's Word We practice God's ways we plead for God's work we pursue
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God's Word verse 124. So deal with your servant according your steadfast love and then and then listen to these listen to these requests
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Teach me your statutes First one 125. I'm your servant.
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Give me understanding That I may know Your testimonies so look at these requests and just think about them.
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So what is he praying? So let me ask you this. Let me just pause this would be a little bit meddling
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Oftentimes in your prayer life. You're thinking about these external things. You're thinking about God.
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Bless my day at work today God help me with this situation. I have God help me with the doctor report We can pray and we should pray for those things.
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Give us this day our daily bread That's how the Lord Jesus teaches us to pray that God would provide for our needs and that's okay
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But what I'm asking you guys is how often do we pray like this like the psalmist prays? Hey father
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Would you help me? Would you teach me your word? Would you teach me your statutes?
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Would you give me understanding into your word, would you help me that I may know what your
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Bible has to say? Okay why the reason that he wants to learn and know is so that he can grow in the
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Lord that he can grow and knowing the Testimonies of God and it isn't the cry of every regenerate heart tonight that I want to know this book better That I want to know this
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Bible more Isn't it the heart of a loyal subject to say I've got this book that you've given me and honestly every one of us
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I'm not I'm not just standing up here pointing the finger at you. I'm up here I'm I'm with you in this every single one of us we could say so much
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Travail and sorrow and difficulty has happened in our life because we've left this thing unread
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We've left this thing unknown We haven't searched its scriptures. Well, we haven't searched its verses
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There's a long time before I I came to the theology that I'm settled in now and part of the reason obviously we
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I Remember being an arrogant 21 year old thinking.
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Yeah, I pretty much know the Bible Well, I hadn't even read through the whole Bible at that point in my life
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This is the way we treat this Word of God And I'm saying to us friends.
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Let it not be true of us Let us be people that pursue God's Word Now look at verse 127
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Therefore I love your commandments above gold II above fine gold
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I know for some Believers, it's very difficult when we have to choose between What God has said and money,
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I mean it's difficult on the surface it shouldn't be difficult, but if we have to choose between doing what
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God's Word says or making extra money or whatever the case may be or or Where our loyalties lie does it lie in?
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Gold and fine gold or does it lie in trying to understand the Word of God? We've talked about this a lot during Psalm 119.
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I feel like but do you love God's commandments tonight above money? Loyal subjects pursue
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God's Word. It's not like a drudging pursuit either Okay, what's it like?
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I think everybody probably were can resonate with this. But what's it like? what's it like when you shoot a
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Big old buck, right? Alex you get there one day What's it like when you shoot a big old buck, right and that thing runs off and you're like We got a track it and you're not like you're not like man.
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We got a track it Well, I really rather be you know playing Xbox, but I guess I'll go track this this big buck
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No, what do you you want to do it? Right? You're pursuing it. You're excited about it.
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Why it's a trophy. There's a prize There's something at the end. You're looking at the blood tray like oh, there's blood there's blood
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There's blood all sudden you've walked like if you would have done this normally like just walk six miles or something You'd be like, oh man, that was so hard, but you don't even notice it right because you're after that trophy
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You're going you're pursuing friends. This is what it's like with God's Word. I'm not waking up. I'm like, oh man
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I have to read the Bible. They know I'm hungry. I want to be hungry I mean, I'm often so slothful and and they have to deal with remaining sin
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And but this is the way we should want to be right God. I'm hungry. I want your word. I want to do this
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That's the desire of the Christian heart Are you one who pursues God's Word not just desire to pursue
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God's Word, but do you pursue it? Do you love it? You dig into it. Do you read it?
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Listen, if not, let me just say this tonight if not why and and and more than that If not, how can
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I help you? How can pastor Jacob help you? There's no and then we're not the only ones in this church
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How can there be other brothers or sisters in this church help you? Don't be prideful in that don't be like, hey, well, so I'm not doing like I need to but I'm not gonna ask nobody about it
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No, this church. I think our entire church. This is what I love about a church family I think our entire church family understands this and Wants this and if you were to go to a brother or sisters and you were to say them
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Look, I'm not reading the Bible like I need to can you help me? I am confident that each person in this church
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Would not begrudge such a request in fact, maybe some you'd they'd be like I'm not either let's go to someone else, you know, like That's the kind of culture that we want to have
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Now people pursuing God's Word and helping each other in this Are you glad in God's Word?
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above gold God's Word is right We pursue it because it's right look at verse 128 therefore
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I consider all your precepts to be right. I Hate every false way.
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So let me say this and we're beginning to wind down here If we pursue the
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Word of God then inevitably we won't only love what is right But we will hate
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What is evil? So for example
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This is a silly argument or silly analogy, but I just was talking about deer hunting. So let's do it You shoot the big buck.
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It's ran off. You got to find it and all the sudden it starts raining Are you excited about that or do you hate that?
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You hate that why because the rain is gonna make it difficult for you to track the buck You've got the goal in mind.
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You've got the desire in mind You're gonna chase down this deer, but now something's coming and it's getting in the way of that now
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I don't mean you hate rain like moral hatred or whatever I'm just saying you rather it not be raining because you're pursuing you're pursuing the big deer
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Okay, so think about it this way if we love God's Commandments, then we hate anything that gets in the way of that Right even more so than being frustrated with rain.
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We hate moral evil. It's okay to be hate evil To love what is good is to hate evil.
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It's okay guys. Not only it's okay. It's the right thing We should hate abortion. How do you feel about abortion?
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It's not good. I wish it didn't happen. No, we hate it Because it's evil.
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Therefore. I consider your precepts to be right. I hate every false way. How do you feel about homosexuality?
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I hate it No, no, let me be clear. What if someone's had an abortion? What if someone has?
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Committed homosexuality or calls themselves to be a homosexual. What do we do? We take the gospel to them
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We don't coddle their sin but we tell them you must repent and flee to Christ the most loving thing that we can do to any person caught in any
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Sin is to bring them the hope and the mercy and the pity and the grace of God and let me just say this church
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If if any kind of theology makes you hate people You haven't understood it right what
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I mean is if you let theology Make your heart be cold
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Towards sinners then you haven't understood sovereign grace Well enough
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Guys if God is gracious to us He could be gracious to anybody
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And so will we take this gospel to these people caught in these sins I'm just saying we should hate these things racism pride envy greed
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Let me add this to the group. Let me add this to the group because this might be like It's okay,
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I'm giving you permission because the Bible does I believe it's okay to hate communism
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You understand like don't hear that communism is just an alternative political option
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If you understand one of my friends was talking about this the other day It's demonic
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If it stems from from evil, so it's okay to stand by you know, what, you know
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I'm maybe I'll be a communist maybe not like no No, we should hate that It's okay to hate these things because the text says if we love good we hate evil
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Therefore I consider all your precepts to be right. I hate every false way
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We've we've bought into a lie in America today that it's unkind to hate evil
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Now I'm not saying you shouldn't be unkind to people You shouldn't be rude or arrogant or a scoffer.
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This is not the way of Christ but friends If we don't hate evil
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Then we're not pursuing God's Word and so We pursue
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God's Word. We build a Christian worldview We have a filter we build discernment through that we begin to have the mind of Christ That's why it's important for us to teach these truths to children even at a young age
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So as Christians our desire is to love the things God loves I hate the things God hates and to have the
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Holy Spirit use the Bible to shape all of this now Let me just close like this. I Wonder if any of these points describe your walk tonight guys
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They should are we are you a loyal subject and we need grace and we need mercy, but do you practice
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God's ways? Do you plead for God's work? Do you pursue?
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God's Word If you answer no to any of these questions tonight Do not leave this place until you've made it right with the
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Lord Repent, right? What do we do? Huh John says
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I write these things to you So that we may not sin but if anyone does sin
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We have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous Guys, I've got good news for you.
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I've and and the reality is we've all failed in these ways The good news is we have an advocate with the
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Father Jesus Christ the Righteous Will you go to him will you repent will you trust him and don't dare leave this place if these things aren't right and if There's a way that pastor
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Jacob or myself can talk with you and help you we want to do that Let's pray and then we'll sing father.
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We thank you for your word help us to be loyal subjects to our King We pray that this is not just a little saying that we say
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Christ is King but it really does permeate our life and everything that we do whether we're hunting or working or evangelizing whatever the case may be we pursue