I believe I'm on again. Good morning. Thank you. It's good to be back with you. I am Dan Henley. A number of you I expect were not here last week. I have the privilege of being with you three consecutive Sundays. This is the second of those three and I'm grateful to Jim for inviting me to share with you and this opportunity. It's been a very eventful week in my life. Can you tell I'm different this morning from last Sunday? I got a haircut. Thank you. That's right. And I'm also a father-in-law this morning, which I was not last week. My son was married right here in the Chapel of Reform Seminary yesterday afternoon and we had a wonderful time with that. So praise the Lord for that. And he's on his way to Key West today. But I have some extra family that's in town as well. And it's a really rare treat for some of my siblings to get together, but this was such an occasion for that. So I've got extra family with me this morning. My daughters are here, Hannah and Sharon. Wave at me guys. And my wife, Beth, she was here with me last week. My brother, George, from the Dallas area. George likes to call himself the better-looking more intelligent of the two of us there. And my oldest sister Joyce is over there and she's got her husband, Shane and her two children, Russell and Natalie here with all of them from the Raleigh Caring area of North Carolina. So it's great to have them with us. We've had a wonderful week together giving my son away in marriage, but it's good to be back with you guys. We find ourselves today in week two of a three-week look at themes from the 119th Psalm. We began that last week looking at the theme of revival, the 119th Psalm being the longest chapter of scripture, 176 verses. Now, you can find that in your own Bible or you can utilize the scripture sheet inside your bulletin, which has all the scriptures we'll look yet from Psalm 119 and elsewhere. And on the backside, an outline that will help you track with me today, should you find that at all difficult. So there's several verses from Psalm 119. We're gonna look at in just a moment. But first, let's talk about football. This is the first full weekend of football action around our nation, both college and prose, doing their thing and I love it. Although basketball became my athletic love when I was in high school, my first love was actually football. My goal as a young child was to become a great quarterback. My heroes were all, that's me, yeah. My heroes were all quarterbacks back then. And Johnny United, Sonny Jurgensson got more pictures up there. Yeah, those kind of got Steve Spurrier, was a big hero of mine growing up in Ocala. I was in Gator Country then. Now, I have a question to ask a little quickie poll. How many of you, the name Johnny United means nothing? You don't know who he is. Raise your hand. See, when I was eight years old, I would have been disgusted with people like you. One more survey, this time, the name is Joe Nameth. How many of you are familiar, not familiar with Joe Nameth, raise your hand. See how that compared? Just a few of you are not familiar. Interesting. Nameth is not quite so old as Johnny United's. Not nearly as great a quarterback, really, but he became immensely famous in the 1960s for his lifestyle, his playboy image, and his famous promise that his upstart New York Jets would upset the mighty Baltimore Colts and the Super Bowl in 1969. Back in 1969, everyone thought that was outlandish. The height of arrogance to make such a claims, such a promise, a guarantee, but Nameth said, I will, and he did. Now, you can find in Joe Nameth arrogance or resolve, but arrogance will certainly not explain what we're about to read from Psalm 119. One of the major themes of Psalm 119 is the resolve, the determination, the commitment of the Psalmist to remember and to obey the law of God. He says, over and over again, I will. Look at the scriptures with me starting at verse 69. The arrogant have forged a lie against me. With all my heart, I will observe your precepts, verse 93, I will never forget your precepts, 95, the wicked wait for me to destroy me. I shall diligently consider your testimonies. Verse 112, I have inclined my heart to perform your statutes forever, even to the end. Verse 145, I cried with all my heart, answer me, O Lord. I will observe your statutes. And then earlier in the same chapter, verse 30, I have chosen the faithful way. I have placed your ordinances before me, verse 32. I shall run the way of your commandments for you will enlarge my heart. Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes. And I shall observe it to the end. And then, verse 57, the Lord is my portion. I have promised to keep your word. Promises, promises, promises. The Psalmist is full of promises. And he continually tells the Lord that he will keep his word. He commits himself to the way of God. And some of you will probably think, this is an odd question, but for this crowd, I assure you it is not, is that a good thing? Should we be going around making commitments to the Lord and talking about our future obedience? For many in the church, this would be an expression of arrogance and for a number of reasons. Some will say, some will say something like this. We need to get the focus off of ourselves and what we do and focus completely and entirely on Jesus and what he does. Now, that sounds spiritual and is making a good point, but is it biblical, is it balanced? Others would suggest that anyone who speaks like the Psalmist is arrogant, does not really understand his own sinfulness. These will emphasize that we cannot possibly obey God's law and should not speak as if we could. Hmm, what do you think? Is the example of the Psalmist here one to follow or one to avoid? Well, that's rather an odd question in a group like this, where we affirm the scriptures and the writers of the scriptures to have been inspired of God. Of course, the example of the Psalmist is a positive one. Of course, what he says is good and right, but amidst the many, and I do mean many teachers now days claiming otherwise, our first point this morning is that resolve and commitment to obedience is a good thing. I bring into evidence all the testimony of Psalm 119 full of such affirmations as we find in verse 69 with all my heart, I will observe your precepts. Now, we can't be sure what's going on in the heart of a man who says something like that, but it is folly to argue that a commitment to obey like this arises out of naivete or out of some kind of ungodly self-focus. It cannot be that such an expression is only a display of humanity, striving in the flesh, holy resolve, holy determination. I've always been a part of the devotion of God's people. Some of my heroes consider Jonathan Edwards possibly the greatest saint that the America has ever seen throughout his life, Edwards developed a list of personal resolutions, things like this, resolved, never to lose one moment of time, but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can, resolved to live all with all my might while I do live, resolved, never to do anything which I should be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life, resolved to be endeavoring to find fit objects of charity, resolved to never do anything out of revenge. Bill Gothard once said something I thought was interesting, I thought of it often, he said that we essentially become what we have chosen and determined in our hearts to be and do. That is that our resolutions and commitments tremendously shape what we become as men and women and Edwards is a great example of that. In our denomination, the Presbyterian Church in America, when we take in new members, we ask them to take a vow in which they resolve and promise and humble reliance upon the grace of the Holy Spirit that they will endeavor to live as becomeeth followers of Christ. And I am setting forth that that's a good thing, not a presumptuous thing or a naive thing or an arrogant thing, but a good thing to do. In the great commission in Matthew 28, Jesus tells us to go therefore and make disciples of all the nations baptizing them and teaching them to observe all that he has commanded us.
That is what it means to make a disciple. And if that is what it means to make a disciple, then to become a disciple surely must involve committing yourself to that kind of course of life or bang all that he commanded. And so the Psalmist says in verse 30, I have chosen the faithful way, verse 32, I shall run the way of your commandments, verse 57, I have promised to keep your words, verse 69, with all my heart, I will observe your precepts, verse 93, I will never forget your precepts, verse 112, by having climbed my heart to perform your statutes that in 145 I cried with all my heart, answer me, O Lord, I will observe your statutes. Now, let me ask this question next. Why does the Psalmist say this so often? What is behind his resolutions? And I would propose a couple of different answers. The first is that such resolutions are statements of devotion that flow from a heart of gratitude and love. There's statements of devotion that flow from a heart of gratitude and love. When you are in love, you tend to make these kinds of statements to your beloved, oh honey, I would do anything for you. I will always be there for you. I will give you anything, you ask strong feelings, bring forth strong statements of devotion like these and speaking for myself, I like hearing those kinds of statements about things that deserve that kind of commitment. If you're a cross-country coach, how would you feel if one of your athletes came to you and said, coach this summer in the off season, I'm gonna run 10 miles every day? Well, I think you would be excited, delighted to hear that kind of commitment. You may question whether they're really gonna have the follow through to get it done, but you're gonna be glad that they're speaking that positive about their attitude and commitment. I love hearing people speak in a devoted and determined way. Even better is to see them live it, but speaking it is certainly a positive part of the equation. So the Psalmist is overflowing in love for God and says he will run in the way of his commandments, not running 10 miles, but running in the way of God's commandments. Now, does he do it? Verse 69, with all my heart, I will observe your precepts. Does he keep the commandments of God with all his heart? Well, yes and no. He sins, he fails, he wonders, he isn't perfect, but I bet that obedience was indeed the general direction of his life if not the total perfection of it. These things flow out of a heart of devotion. He's honored, God is honored by our commitments, by our resolutions, by our devotion that is expressed toward him, understanding that our follow through may be less than perfect. Well, the second reason for speaking like the Psalmist does here is for the purpose of persuasion. And here I'm suggesting that in saying what he does about his commitments to obey, the Psalm is to sort of preaching to himself. He is keeping his goal in the forefront of his own mind. He may also be practicing the art of positive mental reinforcement. You know what that is? I heard of a woman living in a retirement home who was a good example of this. She went up to a man on a bench there at the retirement center where she lived and she looked at him and looked him over closely and she said, you look like my third husband and he looked back at her and he said, how many husbands have you had? And she said, two.
Now that's an example of what I mean. Keeping the goal in focus. Now there are those even within the church who teach what some call positive confessionalism. They claim that by saying things, we actually change external realities. We can change our circumstances by the words that come out of our mouths. They suggest that if the doctor tells you you have a tumor that you simply say to yourself, no, I am in perfect health. I am in perfect health. I'm in perfect health and you keep saying it until you are. Folks, that is nonsense. That is contrary to Christianity. However, there is some truth there to what they're saying. We can alter our own performance by the messages we send ourselves. The military commander who wants his troops to be victorious in battle doesn't tell them to go out there and fight even though they don't have a chance. He doesn't get them ready to fight by making them scared of the enemy by imposing doubt in their thinking. No, he tells them that they will win. He tells them to go out and fight bravely and he encourages that kind of resolve in his men because it does make a difference in our performance and how we live. I believe the primary motivation behind the resolutions of the Psalmist here is his devotion to God, but I believe very possibly he was also speaking this way to encourage his own heart in the way of the Lord. So what are you planning to do today? What expectations have you set before your eyes? Are you planning to sin? Or are you planning to obey? Huh? Are you wanting to be obedient to your God the day? And if so, how much? I hear comments like these. If he does that, I'll kill it. Or if she doesn't stop that, I'm going to go nuts. Now my children are here. They can tell you that when they make statements like that, I'll often look back at them and sort of sarcastically say, good planning. Now, of course, they aren't planning those reactions necessarily, but my suggestion to them is that they really ought to be planning the opposite, that they ought to plan to stay patient and to stay sane and to do the right things, even when others are not. We all head into our days and our weeks and our months with some kind of plan in mind. My favorite prayer when I'm praying early in the morning is this. Lord, make this the most obedient day of my life. Now, you can take the word obedient out and put in all kinds of words. The happiest day of the most joyful day, the most loving day, the most humble day, whatever you like. But make this the most obedient day of my life. And in praying that prayer, I am also planning that course and let me suggest, now let me state plainly to you. If you cannot say that, then my friend, you're sort of planning to sit. I for one and with the psalmist, my plan is going to be to obey and I will say with Joshua, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Good plan. Now, some folks get real nervous when we talk like this. They've been put on alert against what is sometimes called ferrisism or legalism or fleshly striving. They've been told a number of things that are partly true and having believed those things, they are incapable of biblical thinking, biblical praying, biblical living, according to what many preachers are saying now days, there is absolutely no place in the Christian life for personal resolutions, such things they say are indicators of a theology of self effort instead of a theology of grace. Personal effort in the way of sanctification is constantly being put down as something hostile to grace. This is a hostility though that was never noticed by David or by Paul or by Jesus. But lots of bright teachers now claim it is there. In a book by the president of a prominent reformed seminary, I read this to my amazement and I quote, attempts to conform our character to God's requirements by our actions is arrogant. Let me say that again. Attempts to conform our character to God's requirements by our actions is arrogant, really. Efforts towards obedience, that's now arrogant. This distresses me. I heard another pastor from our own denomination say this in a sermon he said, you cannot please God and it's a sin to try. Paul said that his ambition in life was to be pleasing to the Lord. Now we understand and I would say plainly that you cannot win your way to heaven. That is a gift that we received by faith alone but for those who have received that gift. Our goal is not to be pleasing to the one who has so loved us and rescued us by his grace. It concerns me that so many now think that that is Phariseeism. My son was given a book a few years back entitled Grace Walk, a book that repeatedly derives the notions that Christians should be living according to rules. And you hear this kind of thing and it often contrasts living by rules to living in relationship and certainly our Christian life is a relationship with God but every relationship I know of has certain rules written or unwritten that govern that relationship. But when I hear that kind of thing I wonder how people can open up the scriptures and read them because that statement makes a mockery of vast portions of the scripture which consists of rules for living which God expects to be the rule of life for those that he has freely rescued by his grace. The fact that we are disturbed by the biblical language of moral resolve reveals something as skew in our own thinking. Jesus said in Matthew 5.48, you shall be perfect as your father in heaven is perfect. Should I not endeavor to keep that command of my Savior? The Apostle in Philippians 3.12 says, not that I have already obtained it, will have already become perfect, but I press on that I may lay hold of that for which I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Paul speaks of the purpose for which he was laid hold of by the Lord and that purpose had to do with his being perfected, that's the goal. Now Paul denies that he ever reached that goal but his attitude was so different from what I see in many. Paul said, I haven't reached it yet, but I do what? I press on in my attempt to do so. I disagree with those schools of thought that claim that we can reach a point of absolute perfection in this life. I think that's unbiblical, but it is even more unbiblical as I see in so many, to have this attitude that I refer to as endolent imperfectionism, it's a long one, endolent imperfection is a long one. It's the attitude that says, well, we can't be perfect, so why try? We'll never overcome our sin, so don't bother trying. Just get used to your sin and be glad that God forgives my friend, any true appreciation of forgiveness or mercy or grace is an appreciation that will energize us to obey and to honor that gracious God who says to us, be blameless, don't wallow in the mire of endolent imperfectionism. Alexander McClarin wrote this, it is more blessed to be smitten with the longing to win the unone than to stagnate in ignoble contentment with partial attainments, better to climb with faces turned upward to the inaccessible peak than to lie at ease in the fat valleys." Now we must never confuse our pursuit of a holy life with the obtaining of God's grace, that grace is freely given to sinners, but with it comes the upward call of God and Christ Jesus to move on in grace and become holy men and holy women who display the character of Jesus Christ, who died on our behalf, but he dies for his church as Ephesians 5.26, that he might, but sanctifier, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word that he might present to himself the church in all of her glory, having no spot or wrinkle, but that she should be holy and blameless. Now certainly there's a yeah but to be mentioned at this point, there's the realization that moral resolve will not in itself be sufficient for the job of living a godly life. We don't have what it takes to obey the commandments of God on our own. We need help. We need the Lord absolutely, but our native inability does not negate the importance of moral resolve and commitment to righteous living. It simply means that we are to strive independence upon the grace of the Holy Spirit. That's what the third vow of our membership vows mentions. I resolve in humble reliance upon the grace of the Holy Spirit that I will endeavor to live as become at the follower of Christ. Who does it then? Who does it then? Is God responsible for our obedience or are we?
Don't don't tell me that's an either or please. That's a both-and. The Apostle Paul who so often uses the language of moral striving, fighting the good fight, standing firm, pressing on. He says this in Philippians 2 just as you have obeyed not as in my presence only but now much more in my absence. Work out your own salvation and fear and trembling knowing what it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. So who works? You were God. It's both. It's both. But in our learning to obey and our sanctification we are made holy by the grace of God working in us and with our works, with our efforts, with our determined resolve. Now the scriptures teach you understand that we have nothing whatsoever to do with our regeneration being dead and sin. We cannot participate in that. God does that completely on his own but once we are made alive by the grace of Christ then the Lord works not apart from us but with us in this great work of perfecting us according to his image. Trust in God, personal commitment. They're not contradictory concepts. They're complementary ones. We see that in Philippians 2, 12 and 13. We also see it in our Psalm. Look again at Psalm 119 verse 32. I shall run the way of your commandments for what? For you will enlarge my heart. You got that? I will run the way of your commandments because you enlarge my heart. There it is. That's the great theology of the Christian life. Who runs in the way of God's commandments? I do, he says. I run says, David, running involves effort. The Christian is to extend effort. He's to try to obey but he must try in the awareness that God alone provides the grace to do it. God must enlarge the heart. Mr. Resolution himself, John of the Edwards, saw the same thing. At the beginning of his list of resolutions, we find this and I quote, being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God's help. I do humbly and treat him by his grace to enable me to keep these resolutions so far as they are agreeable to his will for Christ's sake. You got that? I can't do it without you, Lord. But by your grace, I will. Question, must every utterance that comes out of our mouth express the totality of biblical truth? Must it? Well, I hope not. We should always pray according to God's will, but that doesn't mean that after every proposition or after every supplication, we have to say if it be thy will. In the same way, we should not have to always note our dependence on the Lord. Whenever we state our personal commitments to keep his word, some balance is called for here, but that balance must reflect the biblical understanding that we are to endeavor to live an obedience while trusting always, trusting always in the grace and provision of God. Now, it's time for me to wrap up and I do so with this question. What are you going to do about your devotion, about your commitment, about what you have set as the course for your life? On your outline page, grab that, take a look at it, you haven't looked at it yet, look at it now. On the outline page on the bottom, there's a place for you to make a decision. A couple of options, option A is this. If I were God, I wouldn't count on nothing from me. Okay, that's an option. And for some of you, that's the best you can do. I feel bad for you, but if that's where you are, then be honest about it. Option B is, I pretty much like, yes, I'll try to keep your word, sometimes anyway. And since you're in church today, you probably prefer B over A, I would guess, but B is really pitiful too, don't you think? How about C? With all my heart, I will observe thy precepts. Wow, now that one sounds like the biblical option, doesn't it? I pray that would be your choice. Listen to what one man says that I think summarizes at least the spirit of the psalmist. He writes this, I'm part of the following of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit power, the die is cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of his. I will not let up. Look back, slow down or be still. My past is redeemed. My present makes sense. My future is secure. I have finished and am done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, mundane talking, chancy giving and dwarf goals. I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotion or popularity. I don't have to be right. First tops recognized, praised or rewarded. My face is set. My gate is fast. My goal is sure. My road is narrow. My way is rough. My companions view. My God is reliable. My mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, delayed or deluded. I will not flinch in the face of adversity, hesitate in the presence of adversaries, negotiate at the table of the enemy or meander at the maze of mediocrity. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. When he comes for his own, he will have no problem recognizing me because my colors are clear. So you take a minute, mark your decision on your scripture sheet and let's pray together. Our grace is God and our king. We stand before you as people very aware that we have so often resolved to do things and failed to follow through. And, Lord, you know the proneness of our hearts to be discouraged, the tactic of the enemy, to get us to quit. We confess, Lord, that is not our intention. You have given us a great and wonderful calling by your grace. And we would walk in it, even in the way of your precepts, your statutes and your commandments, which you give us by your grace to lead us into a life that is rich and full. We thank you for your pardon today. We thank you that that pardon leads us forth as well into something beautiful and wonderful, that it is your purpose for your church, that we should be holy and blameless before you in love. And so we pray that you give us this day a holy resolve, a commitment and a determination to walk in your way and to commit ourselves to those things that are worthy of our devotion and worthy of Christ dying for and teach us Lord what it means to strive not in the flesh, but entrust in reliance upon your spirit, prayerfully seeking your help every step of the way, for so we need you desperately, draw near to us Lord. And as we prepare ourselves now to come and sit at your table, refresh our hearts by meditations upon your grace and how you have committed yourself to us, that we might commit ourselves appropriately to you, for this we ask in the name of Jesus our Savior. Amen, this worship and we'll get to the board stop.