The Word is Right - 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 LeSary Bradley, Jr., welcoming you to another broadcast of the Baptist Bible Hour. The title for the message today is, The Word is Right.

This is from Psalm 119, verses 137 through 144. I hope you'll take time to write. Let us know that you've listened.

Mention the call letters of the station over which the broadcast comes to you. Our address is Baptist Bible Hour, Box 17037, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. I want to read from Psalm 119, the eight-verse segment, beginning with verse 137. Psalm 119, verse 137. Righteous art thou, O Lord, and upright are thy judgments. Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous and very faithful. My zeal hath consumed me because mine enemies have forgotten thy words. Thy word is very pure, therefore thy servant loveth it. I am small and despised, yet do I not forget thy precepts. Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth. Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me, yet thy commandments are my delights. The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting.

Give me understanding, and I shall live. There are three lessons prominent in this section of Scripture. First of all, God is right. Secondly, God's Word is right. Thirdly, God and His Word are always right. Some basic principles, but interestingly presented to us in this portion of Psalm 119.

God is right. According to verse 137, righteous art thou, O Lord, and upright are thy judgments. Verse 142, thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth. We can't emphasize too much the fact that God is a holy God, because this essential part of His character is often downplayed or ignored even among many Christians today. So much attention is given to people feeling good about themselves, that they have lost sight of who God is and what God says about Himself and His Word. The more we understand about the greatness and glory and holiness of God, the greater will be the impact in our own lives so that we may bring glory to His name.

We turn to the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 32, verse 4. He is the rock, His work is perfect, for all His ways are judgment. A God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He. God is right. He's right because He is perfect. His ways are the way of truth. He is without iniquity.

He is just. Someone responds by saying, but I do not understand why God would work in this particular fashion, or why God did not intervene in this situation. But the fact that we do not understand does not discredit God. God is right even though we fail to comprehend all that God is doing and understand His works and His ways. In Psalm 92, references being made to the fact that the righteous shall flourish like the palm tree and that they shall continue to bring fruit in old age. Verse 14 says, they shall still bring forth fruit in old age.

They shall be fat and flourishing to show that the Lord is upright. He is my rock and there is no unrighteousness in Him. He is right.

He is upright. No unrighteousness, no fault, no flaw. You know, many of the Greek gods were vicious, warlike gods, corrupt and evil gods. How good to know that the true and living God, the one who is the only God, is good, is right, is just, is always right. Since God is just and since He is right, He is right when He sends punishment. Whether He was sending judgment on the pagan nations which were driven out by the Israelites when they entered into the land of Canaan or sending a corrective judgment upon His own people because of their departure, their iniquity, their idolatry, God was right in doing it. And when the people were properly convicted and had the proper attitude, they admitted that God was right even in what He had sent upon them.

We see a couple of examples of that. First of all, in the book of Nehemiah, chapter 9. In this prayer, they have acknowledged the great mercies of God, that the Lord did not consume them in spite of their great sin and said in the 33rd verse, howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us for thou has done right but we have done wickedly. Lord, we cannot complain the judgments that thou has brought upon us we deserved. What thou has done is right. We admit we have sinned. We have done wickedly but thou art right. How important it is that we always maintain that attitude, that we're not sitting in judgment on the Lord, that we're not complaining, we're not suggesting that God has treated us unfairly, that we were entitled to a smoother path than what we have had, that there were greater blessings that should have been ours but somehow God did not favor us as we expected that He should have.

Their confession is we have done wickedly. Lord, we have sinned, we have strayed, we've neglected thy law, we've neglected thy ordinances, we have been influenced by the pagan worship around us and in that thou has given us times of great trouble and difficulty thou art perfectly just, thou art right in what thou has done. Another example is found in the book of Daniel chapter 9 the 14th verse. Therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil and brought it upon us? For the Lord our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth, for we obeyed not his voice.

Look at the preceding verse there just a moment. As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil has come upon us, yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God that we might turn from our iniquities and understand that thy truth. Lord, thou didst send all this upon us but even then we had not been humbled as we should have been. We did not direct our prayer to the Lord in asking forgiveness or to pray that He would enable us to turn from our iniquities and to better understand His truth. Therefore, in view of this, the Lord has brought all of this upon us and He is righteous in all of His works for we obeyed not the voice. We were wrong. God is right.

That's rather basic, isn't it? And yet, often you hear in the world today the exact opposite. I don't understand what God has done or what He is doing or why He is failing to intervene. Doesn't seem to me that God is fair, that God is just, or that God is good, or that God is powerful. All kinds of accusations are brought against God, but there's that ever attempt being made to defend self.

The person indicates, well I'm not all that bad. I think I'm basically a pretty decent person and so my views are correct and my course of action is in order, but God doesn't always do just exactly what I think He ought to do. His ways are not always to my liking. And so there's a defense of self and a criticism of God. But when we come to His Word, we see a totally different picture. God is the one who is right. God is the one who is just. God is the one who is perfect. And we as a part of Adam's family are sinners and we're unworthy of the least of His mercies and therefore can make no demands upon Him. God then is right when He sends judgment and He is right in bestowing mercy.

And He does that according to His sovereign pleasure. Let's turn to the ninth chapter of the book of Romans. It speaks of the doctrine of election in this passage.

Can't be any guesswork about that. Some would speculate that other things are being considered, but when He specifically says that this is according to God's choice and that election is the subject matter. And He says, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. Verse 14 then asks the question, What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? The Holy Spirit obviously knew what questions would be raised as a clear statement is made concerning God's absolute right to bestow mercy according to His pleasure, that man in his evil inclination to question and challenge God would be saying that doesn't seem fair.

Have you ever talked to somebody about the doctrine of election or predestination and that was their response? It's the typical human response. That just doesn't seem fair. As though God was obligated to do something for the whole Adamic race. If God had passed by Adam and all of his family never saving a single soul, He would still be just and right. He wasn't obligated to save anybody. If He saved just one and left the rest to perish, He'd still be right. It's His pleasure to save a great multitude and we certainly should be thankful for that. Knowing that God is right in what He does and that the salvation of sinners is ultimately to the glory of His name.

What's the answer? The Holy Spirit raises the question knowing that man would ask it is there unrighteousness with God? Is God unfair?

The answer is God forbid. There is no unrighteousness with Him. You may not comprehend it. You may not agree with it but God is right in His purpose to bestow mercy according to His pleasure. For He sayeth to Moses I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion so that it is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that showeth mercy. You see that we're not for the fact that God bestows this according to His own will. It really would not be mercy after all. It would just be payment for what man was entitled to receive. God is not rewarding man as though He is superior, some superior to others, some more righteous than others and consequently rewarding them.

No. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. All are totally undeserving of the least of His mercies but He says I will have mercy upon whom I will have mercy. So God is right when He bestows mercy. He does it in keeping with His character with His holy nature and to the ultimate glory of His name.

God is right. And then we find also in this passage in Psalm 119 as the entire psalm puts great emphasis on the Word of God, we find here the declaration that God's Word is right. Verse 138, thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous and very faithful. In almost every verse of this lengthy psalm some reference is made to the Word of God. It is exalted before us to a very favorable position, saying it is right, it is authoritative, it is beneficial, there are great practical benefits as we read it, as we apply it, as we meditate upon it, thy word of thy hidden mind heart that I might not sin against thee, He says, thy testimonies are my counselors.

Over and over again we read of the tremendous benefit of the law, the commandments, the statutes, the truth of God all referring to His Word. His Word is right. God is a faithful God.

Whatever He promises to do, He fulfills. And since God is faithful and cannot lie, His Word is reliable. Many things today you can read and have great question about it. If you pick up the daily newspaper and read it, do you have absolute confidence that everything you're reading is the truth? You know that there's going to be a great deal of distortion, there's going to be some misrepresentation, there's going to be some inadvertent mistakes made, but you certainly can't read the newspaper with confidence that this is absolute truth. You can't pick up a book that some human being has written and say this is totally reliable.

I know that this is truth. It may be far from the truth, but when you turn to God's Word you can have confidence this Word is right because the author of it is the faithful God who is faithful in all of His ways and what He writes and conveys to us is also reliable and faithful. Psalm 18 verse 30 says, As for God, His way is perfect. The Word of the Lord is tried.

He is a buckler to all those that trust in Him. God is perfect and His Word is tried. It's tested.

It's been proven. It can be relied on. It's not like the Word of Man where men may make great bold assertions and there be no validity to it at all or make great swelling promises and never be able to fulfill them. God is faithful. So when He makes a promise we can count on it.

When He declares something we can be sure this is truth. God is a covenant keeping God. Back in that ninth chapter of the book of Nehemiah once again we read verse 33 concerning the admission of the people that what judgments were brought upon them were right. Now we go back a verse in verse 32 to see that reference is made to Him being a covenant keeping God. Now therefore our God, the great, the mighty, the terrible God who keep of covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee that has come upon us on our kings and on our princes and on our priests and on our prophets and on our fathers and on all thy people since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day. Lord please recognize that this trouble is great but they're confessing that God was perfectly right to send it upon them. But the point here is that they acknowledge that God is great, He is mighty, He is terrible, He keeps covenant. He is a covenant keeping God. And so since God is faithful His Word is reliable.

That should certainly be reassuring to us that in a world where there are so many philosophies abroad in the land, so many vain speculations that the wise men of this world propose, that there is a place we can go and find that which is absolutely authoritative, that we can depend upon it knowing it is true. Look at Psalm 12 verse 6. The words of the Lord are pure words as silver is tried in a furnace of earth purified seven times.

Thou shall keep them O Lord, thou shall preserve them from this generation forever. Words of the Lord are pure and the Lord will preserve them. Many attempts have been made to destroy God's Word. Bibles have been burned and banned but all through the years God has preserved it. Sometimes when I talk to people who question the inspiration of Scripture and question whether it's really a reliable book I say, you know you tell me that you believe that God is the sovereign, God is the creator of heaven and earth.

Do you not believe that the God who displayed such wisdom and such power in the creation of the world is capable of providing a book for our benefit and conveying to us information that we so desperately need to know about Him, about ourselves, and about life? Surely we recognize that God in His greatness and power is able to present to us the truth that we need to know and to preserve it against all of the attacks that have been made throughout the centuries. Now in the book of Proverbs chapter 30, as we are learning about the reliability of this Word, we learn that we are not to add to it. Proverbs chapter 30 verse 5 says, Every word of God is pure.

He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him. Add thou not unto his words lest he reprove thee and thou be found a liar. You know there are a lot of people willing to make very brash statements, statements which contain only their personal point of view and yet represent it as though this is God's truth. I tell you it's a dangerous thing to start putting words in God's mouth.

It's bad to misrepresent anybody but when you misrepresent God you're treading on dangerous ground. We must not add to His words. Every word of God is pure but if you add to it you will be reproved and be found to be a liar. And so he says therefore because God's Word is right His servant loves it. He loves the Word of God.

He loves the truth that is here revealed to us. So considering the fact that God's Word is right then when we begin to apply that practically in our life we have to recognize that no matter how I feel about a particular issue, no matter what others say about a particular matter, God's Word is right. I find people periodically who say I need counsel.

I've got a problem with my life and I realize that I need help. But it soon becomes evident that they're not really looking for help. They're not really looking for God's message of truth to be applied in the situation. They're trying to find somebody who will agree with them to say that what they want to do is very acceptable and in order. Their mind basically is made up. Here's the way I view it.

Here's what I want to do. And I would like for somebody to tell me it's all right. Well so many times what we're inclined to do by our human nature is not right but God's Word is right. Let's look at a few examples. Let's go to the book of Matthew chapter 5, part of the Sermon on the Mount. The dispensationalists have often said that the Sermon on the Mount is not applicable in our day. That nobody can live up to this standard and so it's not for us.

This is for some future kingdom age. Convenient way of trying to get rid of something that is convicting and shows you that you've got to do some things that you might not in your human nature be inclined to do. But we believe that the Word is for us today. Matthew chapter 5 verse 43. Ye have heard that it hath been said thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy but I say unto you love your enemies bless them that curse you do good to them that hate you and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you. Now you can understand why somebody might say that doesn't apply to us today.

I mean this is tough. I sometimes have trouble loving my friends much less loving my enemies. But here's what he says, love your enemies do good to those that despitefully use you.

What is your natural human inclination? If somebody despitefully uses you, somebody slanders you, somebody harms you, you desire to get even don't you? I want to get back at them. Look at some of these little children find out sinful nature appears very early. You know here's a little fellow whacking another one over the head with his little truck.

What are you doing? Well he hit me first. That entitles me to clobber him and get even with him. And you know that's a problem that has to be dealt with in little children to learn oh you don't you don't do that. Even though somebody might have mistreated you, you don't turn around and try to deal with him in like manner. But how sad it is when instead of being four they're now 40 and they want to still react in the same way.

Well I feel perfectly justified to slander this person, talk about this person, do any harm to them I can because look what they did to me. But notice the emphasis that Jesus puts upon this. He says you follow my teaching that you may be the children of your father which is in heaven for he maketh his son to rise on the evil and on the good and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust. How many times have people met at a little country church in the heat of summertime and prayed Lord send rain so that the crops are not destroyed. And God was gracious to send the rain. But you know when the rain came it didn't just fall on the farms of those that went to church and prayed for it.

Maybe some man down the road that never called upon God, didn't believe in God, didn't believe in prayer, but when the rain came it fell on his farm also. He says this is how your father operates. Your father in heaven sends his son to rise on the evil of the good and his rain to fall on the just and the unjust. So when you are treating those that have despitefully used you and persecuted you in a kind gracious way you are then being identified as the children of your father. Oh how vital for us to learn these practical lessons. Are we going to conduct ourselves according to the inclinations of our own flesh?

Oh many would defend it and justify it. If you look far enough for some kind of counsel somebody will say absolutely you're you're entitled to get even. I understand exactly how you feel.

I wouldn't discourage you at all if there's some way you can get back at them. You go at it. You got to think about yourself.

Think about number one. Isn't that the philosophy that prevails? But here's Jesus saying if you're going to be like your father in heaven you're not going to try to harm those that have harmed you. You're going to conduct yourself in an honorable godly gracious way. Glad you've been with us for the broadcast today. Hope these messages from Psalm 119 are proving to be a blessing to you. If you would like to help keep us on the air you can make a donation at our website baptistbiblehour.org. Now until we greet you next time this is Lacerre Bradley Jr. bidding you goodbye and may God bless you. Praising my Savior, Praising my Savior, Praising my Savior, All the day long.