Complexity II - Part 1 of 2

Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise, the worries of my God and King, the triumphs of his grace.

This is DeSara Bradley Jr. welcoming you to another broadcast of the Baptist Bible Hour. I have sworn and will perform it. I will keep thy judgments bright.

I'm afflicted, Lord, in torment. Strengthen me, Lord, with thy might, because thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Because thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Lord, accept the offerings of my mouth.

Teach me, Lord, thy judgment's all. Oh, my soul's continually in thy hand, yet I'll not forget thy law, because thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Because thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. They have laid a stair to bind my feet, yet I'll falter none more strain.

Let thy heritage, my heart rejoice. I'm inclined to perform always, because thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Because thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. We're still in Psalm 119. We're looking at verses 161 through 168, and I've entitled this section, Complexity. I hope that the studies we're doing in this portion of God's Word are proving to be a special blessing to you.

We'd love to hear from you if they are. Our address is Baptist Bible Hour, Box 17037, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. Curer in heart, O God, help me to be. May I devote my life wholly to thee.

Watch thou my wayward feet. Guide me with calm so sweet. Curer in heart, help me to be. Curer in heart, O God, help me to be. Teach me to do thy will most lovingly. Lead thou my friend and guide.

Let me with thee abide. Curer in heart, help me to be. Curer in heart, O God, help me to be. That I thy holy face one day may see. Keep me from secret sin. Rank thou my soul within.

Curer in heart, help me to be. I want to go back to that segment of scripture in Psalm 119 that we were last looking at. Segment verse 161 through 168, and we will take time to read that again. Psalm 119 verse 161. Princes have persecuted me without a cause, but my heart standeth in awe of thy word. I rejoice at thy word as one that findeth great spoil. I hate and abhor lying, but thy law do I love. Seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgments. Great peace have they which love thy law, and nothing shall offend them. Lord, I have hoped for thy salvation and done thy commandments. My soul hath kept thy testimonies, and I love them exceedingly. I have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies, for all my ways are before thee. We've entitled our study of this section, The Complexity of Christian Experience.

First, we see trials. The psalmist talks about persecution. The trials encountered by God's people are many and varied. And yet, in spite of all of the troubles and difficulties that they encounter, God has promised to be with them, to sustain them, even to teach them in the midst of their sufferings. And in it all, the psalmist says, my heart stands in awe of thy word. Though persecution may come, though it may be fierce opposition, I'm going to continue to do what's right. I'm not willing to compromise, just as the apostles, when they were threatened and told to preach no more in Jesus' name, asked the question, whether it is right for us to obey you, or should we obey God?

And the issue always is that our obligation is to obey God, no matter what persecution, what temptation or trial we are facing. Second thing we see is joy in verse 162. I rejoice at thy word. I rejoice as one that findeth great spoil, as the armies would go out invading their enemies, they would come upon valuable treasures. Sometimes it was a very surprising thing for them to discover something far beyond what they expected. And that's the picture that is here painted, that I have found great spoil. I have found something that is attractive and appealing and something that is better than I even had thought. So it conveys the thought that rather than just reading the scriptures out of a sense of duty, we're digging into them.

We're learning the valuable treasures that are contained in them and finding them to be of great benefit. And so we're excited about what we have discovered in God's word. The third thing we see in the passage is hate. I hate and abhor lying, but I love thy law. And as we pointed out previously, we ought to hate the sin of lying.

First of all, hate it in our own experience. It's possible for us to lie to ourselves. The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.

Who can know it? So we pray, Lord, search me, help me to know what's within me. I don't want to deceive myself.

I don't want to lie to myself. Certainly to be careful about the things we speak, that we speak the truth. We're not guilty of misrepresenting things, of passing information along just because we heard it when it may not be valid and we're guilty of gossip, which would harm and destroy somebody else. And then hate the lies that others speak. False testimony, false counsel, false doctrine.

It's not just a matter of saying this is a another opinion. If it is a blatant denial of biblical truth, it is something that we should despise. I point out again, we're not talking about differences that arise among good brethren and sisters as to their understanding of a given passage, but we're talking explicitly about such things as Paul deals with in Galatians chapter 1 verses 8 to 9 and as John deals with in his first epistle in chapter 2 verses 21 to 22, that if one is denying the truth about Jesus Christ, denying that he is the God-man, he says this is the spirit of Antichrist.

This isn't an acceptable difference. Somebody comes along says that they are a part of the Christian faith and yet they deny the divinity of Christ. That is not Christianity.

Christianity is the truth concerning the Son of God, God in the flesh coming to save sinners. So having looked already at our last message at these first three matters, we look now at verse 164. Seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgments. I praise thee. The number seven in the scripture signifies completion or that which is complete. So he's not setting up a legalistic rule that literally I've got to have a countdown every day and be sure that seven times I'm praising God, but it means that he is praising God perpetually.

It's an ongoing part of his life. I'm continuing to praise him. Psalm 34 verse 1 says, I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. I will bless the Lord at all times. I'm going to praise him in good times and those times that I perceive to be bad times, in difficult times, challenging times, in the dark days. I'm still going to praise him because God is good.

He's my help. He's the only one that can sustain me and deliver me in the midst of those trials. In Psalm 192 verse 1 it says, it is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord and to sing praises unto thy name O Most High, to show forth thy loving kindness in the morning and thy faithfulness every night. Psalm 33 and verse 1 says that it is comely to praise God and Psalm 135 verse 3 says it is pleasant to praise him. So looking at these verses, we see that we are to be praising him at all times, in all seasons, under all circumstances, that it is a good thing to praise him. So if it's a good thing, it's something we ought to be doing. It's good to praise the Lord.

It's a comely thing. It's a beautiful thing and indeed it is beautiful to be in the presence of those that are finding pleasure in praising God. Even as you sang here a few minutes ago, some of those songs in particular just seem to have such a ring to them that you could sense that the congregation was joining their hearts and voices in praising God, in rejoicing that he is king. It's a beautiful thing to praise him and it's a pleasant thing. You know it's really not very pleasant after all to murmur and complain. No doubt all of us have done our share of it, but that's not really very pleasant.

After we've finished voicing our complaints, we don't feel better about it. We're going to feel guilty that we drifted into such a spirit and an attitude, but when you're praising God, it's pleasant. It's pleasant for you as the one who participates in it and it's pleasant for those that hear it. And so we are to be praising our God. Praise should be a vital part of prayer. Too often we think of prayer only as being a time to express our request, laying out before God our many needs, and certainly that's in order, but there's another part of prayer.

In fact, this other part of it is to precede the making of requests. Philippians chapter 4, the fourth verse, we're admonished to rejoice always in the Lord. Verse number six, we're admonished not to worry, be careful for nothing. Am I going to do that? Am I going to be able to rejoice always? My emotions don't cooperate with that.

Times that you are up and times that you're down. How am I going to rejoice? Well, we're going to rejoice because the Lord is the same, but he's going to give us some specific information about how this can be accomplished. After telling us to rejoice always, he says, do not worry.

And at that point it's very easy to throw up your hands and say, well, I can't do either one of those. I can't rejoice all the time and I can't quit worrying. And some people just kind of rare back like, no need for me to try because I am a worrier. They've identified themselves as being that particular type of sinner.

I'm one who worries all the time and since worry is a sin, they're confessing their sin but digging their heels in as though I don't intend to change because I've always worried and I always will. But when we see our sinfulness, it ought to bring us to repentance, to confess our sin, acknowledge it, and turn from it. But then he tells us something else that must be done to overcome worry and enable us to be able to rejoice. And that is to make our prayer unto the Lord in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Let your requests be made known. How many times do you neglect that? Rust right into prayer and start asking the Lord for this, that, and the other, and you haven't thanked him for anything.

He says, make your requests known with thanksgiving. What a difference it makes if you start really going down the list and becoming explicit. Not just saying, Lord, I thank you for your many blessings. Identify them. Talk about what they are.

Name them. As the hymn says, count your many blessings, name them one by one. It will surprise you what the Lord has done. So you go to the Lord with thanksgiving and in that you are praising him. That should be a part of our prayer life. Now, of course, I've talked to people who were in such a low state that they couldn't think at the moment of anything for which they were thankful and they needed some help to get started.

And maybe you have to talk to some of your loved ones and friends from that standpoint to just look to some of the most basic things that can easily be overlooked and talk about how it is right that we give thanks for all of our daily benefits. But if we can't think of anything to really stir our heart at the moment, we ought to look at some of the praise testimonies that are given in Scripture to inspire us. Luke chapter 2 verse 13. And suddenly there was with the angel, there's been one angel appearing to these shepherds who had said, I bring you good tidings of great joy. That's exciting, but now suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts praising God and saying, glory to God in the highest and on earth peace good will toward men. Indicates that this multitude is just a vast number.

Think of what that must have been like. A great host of angels more than could be counted all blending their voices and singing praises to God. Well even though you might not be in the best mood at the moment and you've kind of forgotten some of your own mercies, you go back and read that account and think about what a delight it must have been to have heard those heavenly messengers coming here and singing the praises of God at the birth of the Savior Jesus Christ.

I believe that'll have some kind of impact on you. Certainly any person who has a relationship with Jesus Christ delights to hear about praise being given to him. Just to hear his name mentioned in a positive vein. Hear somebody talk about his greatness and his glory and to think of this angelic chorus coming and singing so beautifully at the birth of our Lord sets a pace for us as to what praise is about. And then another is found in the book of Revelation chapter 5 verse 11. And I beheld and heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beast and the elders and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands. That's a lot isn't it?

Great number. Thousands of thousands ten thousands and thousands of thousands sang with a loud voice worthy as the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing and every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea and all that are in them heard I saying blessing and honor and glory and power unto him that sitteth upon the throne and under the Lamb forever and ever. What a song. A great multitude singing praise to the Lamb that was slain to Jesus Christ. That will be the delight of the blood-washed family forever. Never grow weary and tired of singing praises to the Lamb that was slain. And so we are to be praising God. Seven times a day he says I have praised him.

It's something that's continually on my mind. I'm not just waiting till I go to the temple as David would have in his time and we must not say well I'm going to praise God when I go to church on Sunday. No we need to be praising him every day and several times throughout the day. And as he says here we should praise him for his righteous judgments. Throughout this psalm the judgments of God are sometimes equated to his word, his law, his commandments. And we ought to give thanks for what he has given us in that regard. Isaiah chapter 25 and verse 1. O Lord thou art my God I will exalt thee. I will praise thy name for thou hast done wonderful things. Thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth. I just think about it for a minute.

Think of how impoverished we would be if we did not have the word of God. You're faced with a challenge. You've got issues that need to be resolved. You're perplexed.

You say where can I go for the answers? If you didn't have a book given by divine authority how great the struggle would be. We had to just depend on how we felt at the moment, how mistaken we sometimes could be. You ever look back over some past experiences and think that at a given time you felt real good about what you were doing and then now you can look back and say how did I ever feel good about that? That wasn't the right direction.

That wasn't the right choice. So you know you can't rely on your feelings but you can rely on the word of God. So how blessed we are to have this book to be able to read it and study it and find the answers and to be able to make the application of it in our life. Therefore we should praise Him for His councils. They are faithfulness and truth.

They are of tremendous value to us. How sad then that many professed Christians neglect them. Rather than going to the council of God they read after the philosophers of this world. They hear somebody on a talk show who represents themselves as being a professional and just buy into all of their ramblings when there's no biblical authority for it at all. God's word is truth.

You hear me hammer on that a lot don't you? Brother Huffman comes and preaches the same thing. God's word is the ultimate source of authority. That's where we need to turn and yet how easily we can become influenced by the world around us. When you think that there are billions of dollars being spent every year to influence how people think, don't imagine that you can escape it all. That you're not going to ever potentially be influenced. There are influences that come from the materials that you read, the things that you might look at on television, the things to which you're exposed in your workplace. You think that in most large companies today that the business philosophy is something that is biblically based?

I don't think so. Well I'm sure that there are some companies that operate very ethically and we're glad for that but certainly not based on principles that should guide the thinking of Christians. So much of it is self-focused, it's a greedy spirit. What are young people facing in the educational institutions?

Whether it's at the elementary level, high school, go to college, wherever it is. Going to find a lot of counsel, a lot of thinking, a lot of philosophy, a lot of ideas that are not in harmony with God's Word. And some of it sounds very reasonable and that's the reason so many young people are sucked into it. And by the time they've graduated from college they've denied the faith and turned away from Christianity entirely. So we have to keep coming back reminding you God's Word is that upon which we must rely for the counsel that we need both as to how we're going to live and what we're going to believe. Just a reminder that if you would like to help with the support of this program you can do so by going to our website at BaptistBibleHour.org. Till we greet you at the same time tomorrow this is LeSaire Bradley Jr. bidding you goodbye and may God bless you. Praising my Savior.