DESPERATION FOR THE WORD OF GOD

Bobby Howell

Psalm 119 • Sermon • Submitted 4 years ago

Psalm 119:129–136

Longing

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A sermon addressing desperation for the Word of God as displayed in certain ways

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DESPERATION FOR THE WORD OF GOD

On April 26, 2003 American outdoorsman Aron Ralston was descending into the Bluejohn Canyon in Utah. While climbing down, a boulder came loose and pinned his right arm against the canyon wall.

After five days, Mr. Ralston amputated in arm with a dull pocket knife, freeing himself from certain death. But his fight for survival was not over. After his self-amputation, Ralston rappelled down 65 feet, and hiked 7 miles to safety.

What would drive a human being to use a dull pocket knife to amputate his own arm? Desperation, and in this case, desperation for survival.

Human beings can do incredible things when faced with desperation. Desperation caused Nick Harris to lift a car off a 6 year old girl to save her life. Desperation allowed the crew of Apollo 13, as well as main control, to bring those three astronauts back safely to earth.

Now, human life is important. That goes without saying. But we see the supreme importance of God’s Word in our psalm. And it is toward God’s Word that we must be desperate.

In our text this evening, we are going to see different ways that Desperation for the Word of God manifests itself. And doing so, we will see many ways that we can pray for and practice this desperation for God’s Word in our own lives.

I. DESPERATION FOR THE SUPREMELY VALUABLE WORD OF GOD- 119:129, 131

II. DESPERATION FOR THE LIVE-GIVING DIRECTION OF THE WORD OF GOD- 119:130

III. DESPERATION FOR THE GRACIOUS GOD OF THE WORD- 119:132, 135

IV. DESPERATION FOR THE PURITY OF THE WORD- 119:134

V. DESPERATION FOR THE FREEDOM OF GOD- 119:134

VI. DESPERATION FOR SUBMISSION TO THE WORD- 119:136

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I. DESPERATION FOR THE SUPREMELY VALUABLE WORD OF GOD- 119:129, 131

We note first that the Word of God is supremely valuable, and this point demands desperation. The problem, however, is that we often do not realize the value of the Word of God. This may be intentional or not, but our actions and motivations demonstrate what we value.

For example, if we value our automobiles, we ensure they have regular check ups with the mechanic. We use higher quality gas. We park them in the garage. We wash and wax them regularly. We demonstrate our value of the vehicle through actions.

It is the same with our children. How can you tell a parent values their child? When they take care of them, spend time with them, and love them.

It is no different with the Word of God. It is valuable, a fact of Scripture as much as the fact that there is one God and three persons. The psalmist simply recognizes it with the phrase, “Your testimonies are wonderful.”

God’s Word is an infinitely valuable treasure, but we too often neglect to realize its value. How can we know this? How often does the average Christian spend reading and studying the Bible? How many hours do we spend watching television, scanning our phones, or reading the newspaper instead of reading the Bible?

Now, I am not saying that we should only read the Bible and that is all. It would be a little hypocritical with all of my books! But what I am saying is, does our use of time and attention demonstrate our value of the Word of God? We could summarize this point in these statements:

THE WORD OF GOD IS SUPREMELY VALUABLE

THEREFORE, I KEEP IT WITH THE ENTIRETY OF MY BEING

I say with the entirety of my being because the psalmist uses the phrase “my soul keeps them.” We have briefly examined the range of definitions for the word soul, but in this context it refers to the entirety of the psalmist’s being.

Additionally, the psalmist discusses this same thought in verse 131. He, like a deer desperate for water, longs for God’s Word. Knowing the supreme worth of the Word of God, he seeks for fulfillment and satisfaction from it in desperation.

As Joel Beeke and Mark Jones remark,

“The Word feeds our passion and love for God which He graciously placed in our hearts. If we would have our zeal aroused, we must not neglect to fuel it. If we would have this seed of grace come to full fruition in every area of our lives, we must cultivate it to full blossom.”—Joel Beeke and Mark Jones

THE WORD OF GOD IS SUPREMELY VALUABLE

THEREFORE, I KEEP IT WITH THE ENTIRETY OF MY BEING

I. DESPERATION FOR THE SUPREMELY VALUABLE WORD OF GOD- 119:129, 131

II. DESPERATION FOR THE LIVE-GIVING DIRECTION OF THE WORD OF GOD- 119:130

The second aspect that should create desperation in our hearts is the life-giving direction of the Word of God. God’s Word offers light and understanding to the simple. It provides direction.

Have you ever wondered what to do? What the next step should be? How do we navigate moral and ethical issues?

The psalmist, in desperation, realizes that it is through the life-giving direction of the Word of God that we know. But there is a stated necessity prior to that life giving direction: “the unfolding of your words.” As the Word of God, through the illumination of the Spirit of God, is opened to us, we understand and apply it accordingly.

Matthew Henry, the great biblical commentator, says,

“God’s testimonies are not only wonderful for the greatness of them, but useful, as a light in a dark place.”—Matthew Henry

The practicality of the Word is not limited to the intelligentsia of the world, it is available to “the simple.”

THE WORD OF GOD IS PRACTICAL

THEREFORE, I STUDY AND PRACTICE IT

I. DESPERATION FOR THE SUPREMELY VALUABLE WORD OF GOD- 119:129, 131

II. DESPERATION FOR THE LIVE-GIVING DIRECTION OF THE WORD OF GOD- 119:130

III. DESPERATION FOR THE GRACIOUS GOD OF THE WORD- 119:131, 135

After these first two points, we may be prone to be biblio-centric in our idea of how we relate to God. In other words, we may enjoy the Word of God but fail to remember the God of the Word.

In verses 131 and 135 the psalmist anchors our Word-focused love in the God who gave the Word.

The desperation in the psalmist’s heart does not stem on base appetites. The deer, running through the woods and wastelands, is no doubt thirsty. But this is simply a picture of the need the psalmist has for God’s Word. Go back and read the previous 130 verses and you will see the psalmist’s love for the gracious God.

Our love for the Word of God should stem from our focus on the gracious God of the Word. This is evident in his prayer, “Make your face shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes.” This verse harkens our attention back to the High Priest’s blessing for the people of Israel in Numbers 6:25.

The Scriptures display the gracious God, whom we are privileged by the blood of Jesus Christ to call our Father in heaven. His wonderful acts, His deliverances of His people, His comfort, and perhaps the greatest display of His graciousness, the sending of His Son Jesus Christ to die in our place, all of these and more are found in the Scriptures! And, in desperation, we see that because:

THE GOD OF THE WORD IS GRACIOUS

THEREFORE, I WILL STRIVE TO BUILD A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM

I. DESPERATION FOR THE SUPREMELY VALUABLE WORD OF GOD- 119:129, 131

II. DESPERATION FOR THE LIVE-GIVING DIRECTION OF THE WORD OF GOD- 119:130

III. DESPERATION FOR THE GRACIOUS GOD OF THE WORD- 119:132, 135

IV. DESPERATION FOR THE PURITY OF THE WORD- 119:133

In this next display of desperation, we see the contrast between holiness and impurity. God’s Word demonstrates what is right as well as what is wrong. A variety of analogies are used, such as light and darkness, clean and unclean, righteous and unrighteous, holy and unholy.

The psalmist prays, in what I believe is desperation, for purity. He realizes that on his own his is completely incapable of growing in sanctification. Paul discusses this in Romans 6:12-14, [YELLOW TAB]

Romans 6:12–14 ESV

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

The psalmist is desperate for God’s help. While Paul describes our state in Christ in Romans 6, he describes our present help and hope for purity in Galatians 5:16 [YELLOW TAB]

Walk in the Spirit…keep steady my steps” and let no iniquity get dominion over me.

That last part is a point that we must not ignore. We tend to deal with sin too lightly. We must remember the words of John Owen,

“Be always at it whilst you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you.”—John Owen

We are in a desperate battle against unholiness, and we must be desperate for the purity of the Word of God.

GOD’S WORD GUIDES IN MORALITY

THEREFORE, I WILL STRIVE FOR HOLINESS

I. DESPERATION FOR THE SUPREMELY VALUABLE WORD OF GOD- 119:129, 131

II. DESPERATION FOR THE LIVE-GIVING DIRECTION OF THE WORD OF GOD- 119:130

III. DESPERATION FOR THE GRACIOUS GOD OF THE WORD- 119:132, 135

IV. DESPERATION FOR THE PURITY OF THE WORD- 119:134

V. DESPERATION FOR THE FREEDOM OF GOD- 119:134

We live in a country that provides freedom of worship. In the Constitution of the United States of America, the first Amendment states,

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”—The First Amendment

We should thank God for that daily, as many of our brothers and sisters the world over do not enjoy this privilege. But even with our freedoms there are issues that come along from time to time that challenge our relationship with God, or freedom to worship.

An individual at work, a family member who does not believe, and many other examples can create more difficulty in the expression of our worship. However, when we love God, we become desperate for Him in worship.

How do we respond? We call to God for deliverance. He states, “Redeem me from man’s oppression.” That was his prayer. Now, as we understand the Scriptures, we see that underneath the flesh and blood of our enemies lies spiritual forces of evil (Eph. 6:12). Our enemies are “arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God,” as Paul describes in 2 Cor. 10:5.

In desperation, then, we see that:

WORSHIPPING GOD REQUIRES FREEDOM

THEREFORE, I WILL PRAY FOR DELIVERANCE

*Distinguish between freedom to worship and worship during persecution, and the need to pray for the persecuted church

VI. DESPERATION FOR SUBMISSION TO THE WORD- 119:136

Our final point deals with Desperation for Submission to the Word. When you love God and are desperate for Him, it breaks your heart to see so many people violate the teachings of Scripture.

When is the last time you and I wept because of the violation of God’s law? When was the last time you saw the news and it broke your heart, not because your country is being destroyed but because God’s Word is being ignored? When was the last time we saw Christians violating clear teachings of Scripture and broke our hearts?

When we are desperate for God, we feel the intensity of sin deeply.

Matthew Henry wisely says,

“The sins of sinners are the sorrows of saints. We must mourn for that which we cannot mend.”—Matthew Henry

Because we are desperate for submission to the Word of God,

FAILURE TO SUBMIT TO GOD’S WORD IS IDOLATRY

THEREFORE, I WILL WEEP FOR SINNERS

CONCLUSION

I do not know what your heart is toward God and His Word. But I encourage you to see where you need to increase your desperation. I close with the words of Beeke and Jones,

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