“Vital Resolutions” – FBC Morning Light (5/10/2024)

Well, a good Friday morning to you. So today we're continuing in our reading of the Psalms. We're coming to the end of this week and looking forward to the weekend.

I trust God has blessed you through the course of this week. And today we're reading Psalm 69, 86, and Psalm 101.

I want to focus on Psalm 101 today and to kind of set the tone for what we want to see in this psalm is,

I'm reminded of Jonathan Edwards and something he did in 1722 and 23.

Remember, Jonathan Edwards is considered to be one of the most eminent theologians on American soil.

And when he was still in the midst of his ministerial training as a young man, a very

He penned a series of resolutions, and it seems that most of them he wrote at one time, and then some more, he wrote some more later, and he came back over a period of another couple of months and wrote some more.

He wrote a total of 70 of these resolutions, and really some of them are quite insightful and fascinating.

So for example, he says, I'm resolved, this is resolution number four, resolved never to do any manner of thing, whether in soul or body, less or more, but what tends to the glory of God, nor be, nor suffer it, if I can possibly avoid it.

The next one he says, resolved never to lose one moment of time, but improve it the most profitable way

I possibly can. And then he says, number six, resolved to live with all my might while I do live, and so on.

And he does 70 of these different psalms. Now there's a difference between a resolution and a vow to God.

He's resolved to try to live like this, this is what he wants, this is the way he wants to live. All right?

Now with that in mind, what's the value of that? What's the value of that? Well, as a young man, and he's going into the ministry, these are guiding principles.

These are things that he's intending to shape and direct his way of life for the rest of his life.

And I think that's obviously a very helpful thing to do. Oh, that all of us had such maturity when we were 17, 18 years of age, to be so thoughtful and deliberate with our lives.

Well, I bring all that out because of what we read in Psalm 101. And Psalm 101 is like a series of resolutions on the part of David.

And I just want to notice them, I summarize them in five headings. And I think these are commitments or resolutions that would be wise for all of us to make.

Here's number one. I will praise the Lord, worshiping him in spirit and in truth.

The Psalm begins this way. I will sing of mercy and justice. To you,

O Lord, I will sing praises. Jesus said the Lord seeks those who worship him in spirit and in truth.

May this be the commitment of our heart, that we will praise the Lord, worshiping him in spirit and truth.

Secondly, I will think and meditate on the way that is blameless and be a man of integrity everywhere.

Verse two, David says, I will behave myself wisely in a perfect or a complete way.

Oh, when will you come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.

In other words, he's not talking about sinless perfection. That is not possible. What he's talking about is being a man of integrity.

I will think and meditate on the way that is blameless and be a man of integrity everywhere.

Number three, I will not deliberately choose to look upon that which is worthless.

First part of verse three, I will set nothing wicked before my eyes.

I will not deliberately do that. Oh, think about that when you're going to sit down and watch

TV and what you're going to turn on. You're considering a movie to watch, go to, whatever, you know.

We need this kind of commitment before we engage in such activities, to have that kind of a commitment.

I will not deliberately choose to look upon that which is worthless. Number four,

I will not learn any evil way, but instead, to the extent that it's possible,

I will rid its influence from my life. Now, remember David wrote this. David was the king, so he could, there were some things that a king could do that maybe you and I can't do, but listen to the commitment.

Verse three, I hate the work of those who fall away. It shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall depart from me.

I will not know wickedness. Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him

I will destroy. The one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, him

I will not endure. Again, we may not be able to do what

David did as a king, but we can have this kind of a commitment that I'm not going to learn wickedness,

I'm not going to learn an evil way. I'm going to do everything I can to keep it from influencing me and entering into my brain.

And then the fifth commitment, I will fellowship with godly people and stay away from those who are wicked.

Verse six, my eyes shall be on the faithful of the land that they may dwell with me.

He who walks in a perfect way, he shall serve me, but he who works deceit shall not dwell within my house.

He who tells lies shall not continue in my presence. Early, I will destroy all the wicked of the land.

I'll get them out of my influence. They will not influence me at all. I will fellowship with godly people and stay away from those who are wicked.

Now, that last commitment, well, that kind of enters into the weekend, doesn't it? I will fellowship with godly people.

Is it your commitment to fellowship with godly people as much as you possibly can?

Now, I don't know about your church, but our church offers plenty of opportunities for God's people to fellowship together.

We have Sunday Bible study, we have Sunday morning service, Sunday evening, a fellowship service, a

Wednesday night prayer time together. These are opportunities to fellowship with godly people.

I think we need to commit ourselves to doing so. It's helpful. The psalmist understood that,

David knew it, and I hope you do too. Our Father and our God, thank you for these challenging commitments on the part of David.

May they be reflective in our life as well. We pray in Jesus' name, amen.

All right, well, listen, have a great weekend and encourage a follow -through on that commitment on the Lord's Day, fellowship with godly people.