Blessed is He that Readeth
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Psalm 119:1-16
This the first Sunday of 2024.
You are starting off right—You Are in Church!
Last week I introduced the theme for 2024 - The Time Is at Hand.
This theme is from
3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
And let me tell you the time is at hand!
The Lord could come at any moment!
I don’t believe there is anything that needs to happen, regarding prophecy before the Lord comes for His bride.
There is a promise here in this verse to the person that does three things.
The promise is being blessed.
The word blessed is the same Greek word found in Matthew 5:3-12 in the Beatitudes...
Blessed are the poor in spirit
Blessed are they that mourn
Blessed are the meek, etc.
The Greek word is makarios - meaning possessing the favor of God, being marked by fullness from God., it is the idea of happiness and fulfillment.
Here in this verse there are three requirements to receive this blessing from God.
Read
Hear
Keep
Today we are looking at the first one...Blessed is he that readeth…
We really ought to make reading the Bible a daily practice.
Practice make perfect, they say…and this is true about reading the Bible as well.
We may never become perfect while we are in this flesh…but we can become more like Christ!
There is a lot of talk about claiming the promises of God, but the truth is We cannot claim the promises of God unless we read them, and know what they are…including their context and interpretation.
We need to be faithful to read the Word of God!
America was founded on the Bible, and many of our leaders throughout our history have sought the pages of the Word of God for wisdom.
George Washington said, “It is impossible to righteously govern the world without God and the Bible.”
It used to be assumed that this was where you needed to turn if you were to have God’s blessing on your life!
Today statistics show that only about 10% of Christians read their Bible every day.
Only upwards to 30% read it once per week.
And yet the Bible is God’s way of revealing to us everything that we need to live this life.
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
God has given to us through the knowledge of him (that is the Bible) everything that pertains to life and godliness.
Everything we need to live this life...
Everything we need to live godly lives, we can find in the Bible.
But we are going to have to be faithful to read it!
The truth is there are many blessings we can gain by reading the Word of God.
What are the benefits of reading God’s Word:
If you read the Bible you will learn, first of all, of...
I. God’s Promises
I. God’s Promises
It would be too many to mention if I were to list all of the promises of God found in the Bible.
I don’t know if this true in your life as it is in mine from time to time...
But there are times when the promises of God is the only thing I have...
The only thing I can see over the mound of problems that I face.
There are times that I feel so over run by this life, that I don’t know if I can make it…but I force myself to pull out a piece of this holy ammunition, and I place it in my gun of prayer, and I shoot up that flare to God, and say…You said…____…I’m going to hold to that!!!
And we need all the ammunition we can get to use against our Accuser.
In one of the pinnacle passages regarding God’s Word, we find several promises...
A. To Make Us Better
A. To Make Us Better
7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: And in keeping of them there is great reward.
Converting the Soul - means to restore the soul,
making wise the simple,
rejoices the heart,
enlightens the eyes
He promises to Make Us Better and He gives us His promises...
B. To Help Us
B. To Help Us
He wants to help us, so He gives us promises that to show that He will!
Like for instance that...I can Do everything God puts along my path through Christ
13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
He helps us in supplying all our need
19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
He has promised to be with us
10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: Be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; Yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
He has promised to help us by leading us through this life!
8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.
23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: And he delighteth in his way.
24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: For the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.
even bad situations will be used by God
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
God Promises in His word to help make us better, to help us in this life, and...
C. To Give to Us
C. To Give to Us
In His word, God promises to give us some things...
God gives peace
3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on thee: Because he trusteth in thee.
He will give us rest, even in the midst of working for Him!
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
He promises salvation to all who call upon Him!
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
give us Long life
12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
everlasting kindness and love
10 For the mountains shall depart, And the hills be removed; But my kindness shall not depart from thee, Neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, Saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Wisdom
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
Forgiveness
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
He promises an over abundance of blessings
10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be meat in mine house, And prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, If I will not open you the windows of heaven, And pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
You will only know the promises and blessings that are available to you if you read His Word.
While reading the Bible you learn of God’s Promises, but you also learn of...
II. God’s Expectations
II. God’s Expectations
Nearly every, if not all promises in the Bible have a condition, or requirement, to see the promise fulfilled.
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me
If we confess our sins he is faithful to forgive...
thy days may be long if you honor your father and mother
etc.
God has expectations for His Children, just as we have for ours.
Any good parent will teach their children how to work, and expect them to do their part in the home.
Any wise parent will expect their child to represent their family well in the community.
God has expectations for us as well!
But if we are to know what is expected of us, we really must be reading the Bible!
2 Timothy 3:16 tells us that ALL of scripture is given to us for a purpose,
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
we find four purposes here in this verse…to show us...
A. What is Right
A. What is Right
Doctrine - in short it the teaching of truth, what is right.
God loves us enough to not only to give us a spirit, a conscience if you will, that tells us right from wrong, but also gives us a rock solid standard by which to train that conscience.
Society is pulling away from what is right, they no longer recognize what is right because they are pulling away from God’s Word!
B. What is Wrong
B. What is Wrong
…for reproof...
The word literally means to convict - The Word of God is given to us to convict us when we are wrong and to show us what is wrong.
11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: And in keeping of them there is great reward.
But he doesn’t just point out what is right and what is wrong and leave it there!
The Bible also tells us...
C. How to Make the Wrong Right
C. How to Make the Wrong Right
…for correction...
The Bible contains the instruction we need to make something wrong into right.
This last week I had to replace a part that had gone bad in a dryer.
I had know clue what I was doing, but the website that sold me the part, had a step by step instruction video on how to repair it.
I would have never known how to make the dryer that was acting wrong into a right and working dryer had it not been for the instructions.
The Bible gives us many corrections, for example
4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
It teaches us what is wrong (provoking children to wrath) and then the right thing to do (bring them up in nurture and admonition of the Lord).
Or Pro. 15.32
32 He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: But he that heareth reproof getteth understanding.
What is wrong (refusing instruction) what is right (hearing reproof and gaining understanding).
God loves us…and he wants us to do right, but when we mess up…he doesn’t just abandon us…he teaches us how to make the wrong right!
But we need to be in the Word of God to see it!
D. How to Keep the Right Right
D. How to Keep the Right Right
...for instruction in righteousness.
God teaches us how to maintain the right.
The Bible teaches us how to manage our time...
15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
5 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.
It teaches us how to raise our children...
6 Train up a child in the way he should go: And when he is old, he will not depart from it.
It gives us examples of lives who were yielded to God
11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
It will do no good, however, if we do not read it.
Truly, we must go further than that!
After we hear the truth, we must obey it!
23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
And so to do this…we must have the third thing that we find that Scripture gives us...
III. God’s Grace
III. God’s Grace
Theologians for millennia have called reading the scripture one of the Means of Grace.
That is things that we can do that invite God’s grace in our lives!
The Bible tells us all through out it’s pages of the benefits of this book.
When we read it’s pages, we gain the Grace of God to help us...
A. Gain More Faith
A. Gain More Faith
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Faith comes from hearing the word of God.
As we read the Word, we gain more faith to obey it.
Reading the Word will also help us
B. Gain More Purity
B. Gain More Purity
17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
God’s word purifies us from the inside out.
As we read the truth…the Word of God…Jesus said it sanctifies us.
The word meant o make clean, to render pure.
How does it do that, well that is connected to the next point...
C. Gain More Cleansing
C. Gain More Cleansing
9 BETH. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word.
The Word of God helps us to cleanse our way
have a cleaner walk in this life.
Billy Graham said, “The very practice of reading [the Bible] will have a purifying effect upon your mind and heart. Let nothing take the place of this daily exercise.”
D. Gain So Much More
D. Gain So Much More
For instance for leaders...It will help keep them leading righteously
18 And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:
19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:
20 That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.
It will give everyone wisdom and understanding
130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; It giveth understanding unto the simple.
It will help you grow in grace and knowledge
18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
And truly so much more!
It is an education that your cannot afford to miss!
Theodore Roosevelt said, “A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education.”
Conclusion
Conclusion
Kenyon Wilson, a professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, wanted to test whether any of his students fully read the syllabus for his music seminar.
Of the more than 70 students enrolled in the class, none apparently did.
Professor Wilson said he knows this because on the second page of the three-page syllabus he included the location and combination to a locker, inside of which was a $50 cash prize.
“Free to the first who claims; locker one hundred forty-seven; combination fifteen, twenty-five, thirty-five,” read the passage in the syllabus. But when the semester ended on Dec. 8, students went home and the cash was unclaimed.
“My semester-long experiment has come to an end,” Mr. Wilson wrote on Facebook, adding: “Today I retrieved the unclaimed treasure.”
Christians hold within their hands the vast riches of the Scriptures, and yet so many never read it.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
We have the answer…the combination to unlock the joys of this life…but we must do the work and read the syllabus!
Within the pages of this Bible you will find many great and precious promises,
But with those promises comes expectations of how we ought to live,
But God does not give us unreasonable expectations…In fact he gives us the His Grace to fulfill those expectations.
What are you going to do this year with the Bible that you hold in your hand?
Are you going to allow it to remain closed, or will you open it daily and help bring the blessings of God upon our church?
PRAY
Communion
Matthew 26:26–29 (KJV)
26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.
27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.
Matthew gives a very short account of the Last Supper.
But here we see the establishment of an ordinance of the church.
Jesus tells us that we are to celebrate this communion time together regularly to remember Him, and what He has done for us.
This time ought to be set apart in our own lives as a holy time.
And we ought to come to the table today with clean hearts.
Let’s take a moment and ask the Lord to show us if there is any sin that we have left unconfessed…and let’s take care of it now before we join in.
PRAY