God, I Need You

For your Bibles tonight, if you would join me in Psalm 119, I'm excited for tonight's message. I feel like some of these sermons out of Psalm 119 are so important for us to frame our life by Psalm 119, and we're going to read 33-48. Psalm 119, verse 33-48. Psalm 119, verse 33, the Bible says, Teach me, O Lord, the way of Thy statutes, and I shall keep it unto the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep Thy law.

Yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart. Make me to go in the path of Thy commandments, for therein do I delight. Incline my heart unto Thy testimonies, and not to covetousness. Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity, and quicken down me in Thy way, or revive me, or make me alive in Thy way. Establish Thy word unto Thy servant, who is devoted to Thy fear.

I'm ringing up here if you guys can adjust me. Thank you. I can only handle it so long. Verse 38, establish Thy word unto Thy servants, who is devoted to Thy fear. Turn away my reproach, which I fear, for Thy judgments are good. Behold, I have longed after Thy precepts. Quicken me in Thy righteousness. Let Thy mercies come also unto me, O Lord, even Thy salvation, according to Thy word.

Verse 42, So shall I have wherewith to answer Him that reproacheth me, for I trust in Thy word. And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, for I have hoped in Thy precepts. So shall I keep Thy law continually forever and ever. I will walk at liberty, for I seek Thy precepts. I will speak of Thy testimonies also before kings and will not be ashamed. I will delight myself in Thy commandments, which I have loved. My hands also will I lift up unto Thy commandments, which I have loved.

I will meditate in Thy statutes. And God, that is our desire, that is our longing, that we would delight ourselves in the Lord, that we would delight ourselves in the Word of God, and that Your will would be accomplished in our hearts and lives. Lord, how much we need You. Our need of You is greater than anything else. Help us to see that.

Help us to grasp it. Help us to walk away tonight realizing how small we are. Help us to look at the glory of Your presence through the image and mirror of Your Word that might reflect to us that we are desperately in need of a God who sustains us, who not only saved us, but who upholds us. And Lord, if You were not to hold us up, who could stand? We would not be able to accomplish anything without You, Lord. As Jesus said, without Me, You can do nothing. And we believe that. And so You are our sufficiency and we pray that You would be glorified in not only how we hear this message, but how we apply it in faith and obedience. In Jesus' name we pray that. And God's people said, Amen.

You may be seated. Well, the older I have become as a Christian, the more I have realized how much I need God to live for God. I need God to live for God. When I was a young Christian, I did not understand the level of dependence. And I think that's a problem that most people have when they're young. They have a level of confidence in their self, self-assurance, self-confidence. We're in the selfie generation. It's nothing like going to the ocean and the magnificence of the waves in the sky and somebody's just consumed with taking 500 pictures of themselves.

It's okay to take a picture or two, but when you're just focused so much on yourself. But we live in that world where people can often think more of themselves than other people. And when I was a young Christian, I didn't realize the pride, I think, that was clearly in my heart.

And I think most people can fall into that. But I was like Peter. I will never fail you, Lord. But the older I've become, the more I find myself alongside the apostle Paul. You know, Paul said in Romans 7, he says, the things I want to do, I don't do. And the things I don't want to do, those are the things that I do. He says, in my flesh dwells no good thing, for the desire to do right is present with me, but how to perform it, I don't have that.

I can't accomplish what I want to do. And he concludes in that chapter, chapter 7, verse 24, he says, O wretched man that I am. He realized the struggle was real. He realized the inability was real, that he did not have the ability to accomplish what God had called him to do on his own. Paul is saying he has no ability to do the things he knows he's supposed to do on his own. He is not spiritual. He is carnal. He even says, I am sold as a slave to sin.

Nothing good dwells in me, he claims. If that is true of the apostle Paul, where does that put us? In 2 Corinthians 3, 5, he writes and says, not that we are sufficient to think anything is of ourself, our sufficiency is of God. And so as we age, wisdom will lead us to take our weaknesses and lean them into God's omnipotence.

That kind of wisdom is what we find from the psalmist here in Psalm 119. This faithful man of God who so loved the word of God that he writes the longest chapter in the Bible, 176 verses. He takes every one of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet and writes eight stanzas, starting with that letter for each one of those eight different stanzas. And that's why you have 22 times eight equals 176.

That's how this is laid out. It's a song to God, but it's out of 176 verses, there's only three or four verses that don't reference God or reference the Bible, the word of God. There's eight different words utilized in this chapter referring to the word of God, precepts, the law of God, the word of God, the statutes of God, the judgments of God, the fear of the Lord is actually one of the synonyms for the word of God in this chapter. And so you see them just totally focused, consumed with the word of God. And for me I think it's somewhat selfish for me to want to preach through this because I just want to get near a man who loves the word of God like that because when you love the word of God, you love the God of the word.

And he is giving us some wonderful insights. And if we could just rub shoulders with people like this, it will help you grow. Some people in life will stretch you. I bet all of us tonight could point to somebody who helped advance your life spiritually or even physically, emotionally, mentally, maybe in your job, helped you to get to the next level and I can tell you if you want to grow spiritually, rub shoulders with people who are growing spiritually. You need to be on an upward trend.

Don't get around people that are going to constantly pull you down if you're wanting to grow. And so tonight's message is entitled, God, I Need You. God, I Need You. And the first thing we find in verse 33 and 34 saying to God is that God, I need you to teach me.

Let me ask you two questions. If it were not for the aid of God, do you believe you would be able to effectively learn the Bible? If it were also not, second question, for the aid of God, do you believe you would be able to faithfully live out the Word of God? And I think that's something that we all have to ask.

Can I effectively learn it? And can I effectively live it without the aid of God? This section starts out with a prayer of dependency. The psalmist does not believe that he has the ability to learn or keep the Word of God without the God of the Word enabling it.

And that is a true reality. Here the psalmist sees God as the teacher, the instructor, and if God is the teacher, then that makes us the students and learners. There's two things are prayed here. He says that you would teach me, God. The word teach is the Hebrew word yara.

It is a word actually that's used of archery, of shooting an arrow in the direction that you want it to go. And it's the idea that you're seeking one to point you in the direction that you need to go in a cognitive learning capacity. Point me in the right direction of learning.

Teach me, instruct me. Jesus made clear that those who come to him for salvation are those who have been taught by God. Listen to what John 6 verse 44 through 45 say.

These are some eternally massive verses, very important. He says, no man can come to me. So no one can come to Jesus, and then he says this, except the Father which has sent me draw him. No one will ever come to know Jesus if they are not drawn by the Father.

Is that true? Is that what Jesus just said? And I will raise him up in the last day. It is written in the prophets and they shall all be taught of God.

And then look what he says. Every man therefore that hath heard and hath learned of who? Of the Father. So you can't come to Jesus except the Father draws you.

How does he draw you? He will teach you something. You have to hear it and you have to learn it of the Father. And when that happens, he says you will come to me. Notice what he says. Every man therefore, every man that hath heard and hath learned of the Father cometh to me.

No one, these are massive statements. No one can come except the Father draws me. And then everyone who hath learned of the Father, who hath been taught by the Father comes to me. So coming to Jesus speaks of believing in Jesus. The Father teaches you who Jesus is. You believe in him and then you're saved. That's why verse 47 in John 6 says this, verily I say unto you, he that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

You believe on him because the Father has taught you. Remember when Jesus said who do men say that I the Son of Man am? And they're like well some say Elias, some say John the Baptist or Jeremiah or one of the prophets.

Everybody got it wrong. And then he's like well who do you say that I am? And he says, Peter says thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And what did Jesus say? Peter, you are such a good listener. You are so smart and intelligent. Your IQ is off the charts. You must have been reading the Torah again.

Is that what he said? He said blessed art thou Simon Bar Jonas. Simon Bar Jonas just means Simon Bar means son of son of Jonas or Jonah. He says for flesh and blood didn't reveal that to you.

Is that interesting? It wasn't a human being that taught you that. He says but my Father which is in heaven. You came to that conclusion because God taught you.

What does that mean tonight right now for you? If you believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior, the Father in heaven, your Creator taught you that. He taught you that.

It's the only reason you believe it. I didn't teach you that. Flesh and blood doesn't teach you that.

The Father teaches you that. So how could a pastor ever gloat? You ever hear that person, you know I led 10 people to Christ.

Oh did you really? When did you get converts? Your converts don't go to heaven but God's do.

You know and now again I know sometimes people can misspeak when they say things like that and misunderstand what they're talking about. You and I don't lead people to, we don't save, when people say well you know we don't save anyone. God saves them. We are just merely messengers. But God does use messengers and He speaks to people through people. That's why the Bible says God has chosen the foolishness of preaching to save them which believe. And now it's not just a preacher that preaches. Every one of us carry the message, don't we?

Queruso, it's they herald the message in the Greek. It's you proclaim the truth of Christ. You declare who He is. Now consider then the implications back on John 6 45 along with Matthew 16 when He says they shall be all taught of God. Every man that hath heard and hath learned of the Father cometh to me. If those who learn from the Father come to Jesus what should be our prayer? Our prayer should always be that the Father would teach people who Jesus is. Father please teach people who you who your son is.

Show them Christ. Use that frail preacher that's up there whether Josh or Braden. His calves are a little stronger than mine.

My left calf could probably hang but not my right one. He never seems to want to come back. So the psalmist prays teach me and notice O capital L O R D when it's like that you know that is the covenant name Yahweh. Teach me O Yahweh and if we are taught by God then we will be the children of God. Again Jesus says everyone who's been taught comes to me. Have you ever prayed that God would teach you? If you're not saved, pray that. God if Jesus is the Christ the Son of the Living God teach me. Open my eyes.

I must know it. Or are you too close minded to pray something like that if you're not a believer? Are you afraid of the implications? If God does not exist He can do nothing. But if He is He'll radically change your life and the implications are eternal. You and I could not we friend you can't afford to be wrong about God can you? This was the constant prayer of the psalmist. This prayer was said at least eight times in chapter 119.

Psalm 119 12 blessed art thou O Lord teach me thy statutes verse 26 teach me thy statutes verse 64 the earth O Lord is full of thy mercy teach me thy statutes he repeats this on and on the cry of the heart of this man of God is father teach me teach me and listen when the father teaches you about Christ he doesn't stop teaching you about Christ. That's why Jesus says everyone who hears my voice follows me and I give eternal life to them. That's why that's why when you have a church that preaches the Word of God and it's not just Lighthouse when you have there's many other faithful churches when you have a church that heralds the message of the Word of God and there are hearts that are drawn to that.

They're like man my heart is longing for that I want that. I had such a thrilling conversation with the 26 year old young man this last week he said he said I'm so tired of churches that just elevate emotions and stir up feelings and and just try to reach you on an emotional level. He said I don't need that emotion I need truth. He said I'm driven for the truth and he said my peers we have a podcast and and and we do with apologetics and he was sharing with me what he's doing and I said man that's fantastic and and he was just so enthralled with the truth and I'm like I said there is something happening in the younger generation in our day. There is a sense of revival that is stirring up in young people in our culture. It is unexpected but they are being drawn to God.

They are being drawn to God by God and we have to herald a message that the Father can utilize to speak into their hearts as well. That's why those who came to church before COVID baby boomers which are the 65 and up I'm not trying to pick on you that group. I'm so thankful for that age group but they had a 0% increase from before COVID to after COVID. Gen X which is like 45 year olds up to 64 year olds had a 29% increase in church attendance from pre-COVID to post-COVID. 29% increase compared to baby boomers which is like 0%.

It's like what happened? But you know what's crazy? The millennials, the sissy millennials. I'm on the tail end of that thing man. I'm like I'm stuck with the millennials.

I'm like right on the edge man. The millennials have an 86% increase in church attendance from pre-COVID to post-COVID. Is that incredible? How did that generation just take off? I mean baby boomers it looks like this. Gen X is starting to move up quick. That's crazy.

But millennials? God's moving. You see some of these college campuses? That's incredible. That's God. Again I've not dug deep into all of them but I know even at Ohio State some of those guys were preaching the word of God sharing Christ, people getting saved man.

That's exciting isn't it? Now the second part of this opening prayer is that God would not only teach him the truths but also show him how to apply it. He said teach me O Lord the ways of thy statutes. This is not just give me knowledge.

I want to know how to apply this. God I need you to show me the truth and then I need to know how to live the truth. When's the last time that you asked God how can I apply?

And I want you to ask yourself this question right now. When's the last time you read the Bible and then asked the question what does that mean? Followed by the very important question how can I now apply that? So I read it. Reading is good. Studying is much better.

Applying it is the best. You can study the Bible and not apply it right? And then you can read the Bible and not study it right?

So we need to apply it. If you do hear journals that's the method we use isn't it? Anybody that's doing hear journals you're like that's what we do. You read the Bible, you study it, then you ask how can I apply this?

And you write a response for that. If you're not involved in hear journals come Sundays at five o'clock you need to do that. You say well I just I'm telling you it's hard to stay pacing yourself in life if you don't have accountability.

You just need accountability and whether you're able to do that on Sunday night or your family's doing that you need to do that you just do. I'm telling you you get one shot at this thing called life you need to push yourself spiritually. I just finished memorizing the book of Philippians and I'm working on Ephesians right now.

I want to grow in this. I spend 15 to 20 minutes every day memorizing the Word of God. I want to continue to increase in my knowledge and capability of knowing the Word of God to be able to have it in my heart. There's nothing greater for me than that. I have other things I need to do sometimes but there's nothing more important than that. And so make time to prioritize God's Word and I would encourage you not to waste time.

We are living in a culture of wasting time. Now what is the result of God being our teacher? Verse 33 says I shall keep it unto the end.

I will keep it unto the end. The perseverance of our faith is not dependent on manpower but it's God's power. God fills us with the knowledge as we seek and pursue him and we are dependent upon him as a result he fills us with the knowledge of the truth and that truth keeps us. You think about back in John chapter 6 we won't go through the story but remember after Jesus made bread they're like let's make Jesus king he made us food so they wanted to give him a crown he's like I don't need your crown doesn't want their crown he says stop laboring for meat that perishes and labor for the meat that endures to everlasting life. And then he starts preaching a message to them they don't want his message they just want the meal. Is that possible for people to have heaven? So he gives them the message and guess what they all get offended and leave.

Everybody leaves in fact. They get so offended at Jesus' preaching out of thousands of people he's got a dozen left. Anybody think you would say yeah it's a pretty bad day preaching?

Right? You just ran off 99% of your crowd Jesus. That's the kind of Jesus that if he did that back in his day what do you think he would do to churches in our day?

You wouldn't believe me? People like oh I don't like those preachers that get kind of worked up. Listen I know some guys get radical and I don't like that either but it's not emotionalism that Jesus did it was truth that he gave.

And that's potent and powerful. But do you remember when he says are you going to go away also? Do you remember what Peter said? He said Lord where will we go? You have the words of eternal life and we are sure and persuaded and he was convinced of who Christ was and where would we go?

You have the words. We didn't come here for a meal of bread we came for a meal of the truth. And that's what was drawing him and that's what sustained him. Jesus had many many followers many who were called disciples but in the end only a few remained. Not everyone who starts out good ends good. You know a lot started out good but ended bad. Samson started out faithful but his life became a mess. King Saul started out good but ended bad. Solomon started out great but ended in apostasy. Demas started out faithful and ended falling away. The Christian who ends faithfully serving God is the Christian whose heart has been taught by God.

We're not in a sprint we're in a marathon. And so we have to understand that we don't just jump in and sprint and act like a maniac for God but we're in a disciplined focused life that is diligent to stay on course with the things God's called us to. Now this kind of prayer by the Psalmist shows that he understands his dependency upon God.

Dependent people pray this kind of thing. So he says in verse 34 give me understanding and I shall keep thy law yea I shall observe it with my whole heart. That phrase give me understanding is very very similar to back in verse 18 when he said open down mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. I want to make a clear statement that those who truly understand and I want you to get this. Those who truly understand God's word will always be those who live according to God's word.

That is a simple statement it is extremely profound. If you and I do not live according to the word of God it's because we don't understand it. Because if we truly understood it for the truth that it is and what it really means our obedience would be unquestioned. Rebellion to the truth of God is always and only by those who don't truly grasp what they're disobeying. They don't fully get it.

Those who are obedient recognize that he is the pearl of great price a treasure that would be worth selling everything to have. One way you know you don't understand the word is you don't value it. You don't obey it. You don't seek it.

You don't follow it. Jesus told the woman at the well he said if you knew the gift of God if you knew but you don't understand it yet but if you did understand it and you knew you would ask me some questions. You would ask me to give you living water and it would give you everlasting life if you really knew who I was but you don't understand it yet. You don't understand it. I just wonder if Jesus would come to us tonight and say if you really understood this if you really knew who I was well I know who do you really know if you really knew that book that was written if you really knew the word of God if you really knew it the impact would be unstoppable in your life it would just constantly flood your heart you would wake up with this you would go to bed with you your desire would always and only be to obey him because it's like what else would I do? That doesn't mean you go around like preaching all day long to people because the Bible says you need to go to work you need to provide if you don't provide for your own family you're worse than an unbeliever means you need to go love your family love your kids it means you need to there's things you do but you would be a witness you would be a light we would be obedient so God I need you to teach me secondly God I need you to keep me on the right path verse 35 he says make me to go in the path of thy commandments for therein do I delight here the psalmist not only depends upon God to teach him and give him understanding but also to keep him on the right path make me to go in the path of thy commandments doesn't that seem a little bit reformed doesn't that seem a little bit leaning all on God and not on self make me make me to go in the path of thy commandments but he doesn't even say lead me like help me Lord I need you to make me this is like a child telling his parents like force me to do what's right why would you say that because you realize inward depravity you get Romans 7 you get it I know that in my flesh was no good thing the will is present with me to how to perform that which is good I don't find it the things I want to do I don't do the things I don't want to do that I do that's Paul sounds like he's schizophrenic or something but actually he just realizes the battle is real the battle within is intense make me to go in thy path the believers so often referred to as sheep you know the problem with sheep is they have a tendency to go astray sheep are so foolish we have chickens and they drive me nuts I'm like do they even have a brain I'm not quite sure yet you know they dig they eat a little bit they peck each other and and then when you you ever let them out to try to get him back in on their own they're just we we let him run around one day and somebody came out the bush hog the field out here and the chickens were out there and there was so much area where they're like you know if I walk over there's 90% of grass if I walk over there I'll live but there's a bush all coming I'm gonna go down and I'm gonna stay here and I'm afraid so I will huddle here and is that a mower yes that and they just laid there and got bush hogged over like all of them Fred and Dan and Joe and Wilma was all the ladies they're all him so that's what chickens do right ignorant animals pea brain not even pea brain sand brain like little flakes not much going on there you know we got God compares us to sheep sheep are very foolish like a chicken they do dumb things they will eat themselves to death if you don't like watch them they'll eat so much that they'll fall over and they call them like like like cast a sheep gets cast down and it can't get up it'll die right there unless a shepherd comes in like picks it up and gets it back on its feet it's near they're near-sighted they get scared very easily they have no defensive mechanism they run but they're not real fast you ever seen the video I thought about showing it sometime there's a crack in the earth about like this and sheep had jumped down in it and a shepherds pulling this sheep out you know he's wrestling out wrestling out better could get it out gets it out the sheep it's like ha it runs and it jumps about 20 yards in front of him right back in the same hole raise your hand if you've ever seen that is that's sheep God's like you're a bunch of sheep I'm like we're like yes we like jump right back in the hole Lord can you get me out of here you know and then we're like don't let me go back over there Lord because I have a tendency I know myself I want to jump right back in that's what he's praying he's like I get it prone to wonder prone to leave the God I love right I mean this is the ignorance of of our life sometimes we've all said it before I you ever said I can't believe I did that what was I thinking he says make me to go he says in verse 35 for therein do I delight and you know Paul even said it around the Romans 7 22 for I delight in the law of God after the inward man like he delighted in this he wanted to be on the right path he wanted to avoid foolish tendencies of going astray you know sometimes it may seem shocking how fast a Christian can fall away from the things of God the the slide can be quick the soul must delight was to live in obedience to God's Word but I would ask the question can someone truly be taught by God and at the same time fill obedience is a burden and not a blessing to see obedience as a drudgery instead of a delight it doesn't mean you're perfect because if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us we understand first John 1 8 but when God has filled your heart with his truth he will have your heart the heart that hath been taught by God is also a heart that delights in the Word of God it desires it it's it's like food and 1 Peter 2 2 we we hunger for this now notice the psalmist in verse 35 make me to go in the path of thy commandments for therein do I delight the Christian who is in love with God will be in love with the word they delight in that psalm 40 verse 8 he says I delight to do thy will why oh my God yea thy laws within my heart outward obedience is from inward delight that's why that's why that's why it's like I've always I've raised my children with a with a freedom to ask questions with a desire if they you know hey don't just believe this because dad said it believe it because it's the truth every one of my kids at some point have come to me and say how do we know there's a God I'm like that's a great question I'm not mad at you good question let's talk about that every one of my kids have come to me and said well how do we know the Bible is true I'm like that's a great question let's talk about that how do we know Jesus is the only way that's a great question let's talk about that and so let's dig into that and and and that's that's the way you need to pursue that is is but if they came to you with those questions are you ready for those answers and if you're not ready with those answers what's that say be ready always to give an answer right so go look up on got questions dot org that's a good place to find some good clean answers and good solid biblical answers some of those things for you but but we should have those ready ready on our heart to be able to share now the psalmist was constantly speaking about delighting in the Word of God and and I've always desired my kids to delight in the Word of God because if they delight in the Word they'll delight in the will of God and and and and that's true for a church that's why you don't want to you don't want you don't want people just to well if you don't obey this and then just really run run our lives down it's saying let's love him so much that we will obey what he asks someone 1916 I will delight myself in thy statutes what does that result in I will not forget thy word someone 1924 thy testimonies also are my delight in my counselors someone 1947 I will delight myself in the commandments which I have loved someone 1992 unless thy law had been my delight I should then have perished in my affliction on and on he talks about this so God I need you to teach me secondly God I need you to keep me on the right path and then thirdly God I need you to protect me from distractions do we live in a world where there's a lot of distractions do you remember the days when there was no cell phones you guys seemed excited about that who would like to go back to those days and all on it oh my who would be like I don't even I don't remember a day without a cell phone raise your hand if that's you raise it you're afraid okay so look at a little bit like don't beat on me preacher don't beat on me is Alex your hand up oh that was time oh okay yeah so so we have some listen when I was in college I think back that you know I didn't have a cell phone they're like my kids are like how did you even communicate with Candace how did you communicate with mom I'm like I don't even know and so she had something she needed to get a hold of you I'm like I know we would just have to wait till the next day like the whole day like what if you were stressed out about what they were thinking I'm like I know we'd have to write a letter and say like read this like you it's crazy stuff like that how did you drive I'm like I know we like roll this map out remember it's f-37 we're right there get off you know it's like whoa man we got it made these days only and and but but but there was a day where no one could call you text you email you ding you buzz you now no matter where you're at you're available you're available you're available for work you're available for your friends you're available for your children when you're out on a date with your wife while you're celebrating her birthday which was yesterday and they want to call and it's like why do you want to call no please but it's it's not only the cell phones but it's the watches people people now get our watches I'm like hey let me get one of those smart watches you go out and take a walk and it's like are you walking I'm like how do you don't ask me a question weirdo you're following me around like what is going on here and then it tracks you it's like he knows how many steps it knows your heart rate it's it's and then you make a call on it you can you can check your emails you can do all this stuff you know and there's a lot of benefit there are some things that can be very beneficial with that but but it does create in a I think in in the realm of humanity we have we are living in a day where there's more opportunity for distraction than ever before and we have to recognize that and say how does that affect me spiritually and I think the only way we can avoid distractions is we have to learn to mute some of that stuff and it's probably best that's why in my opinion spending time with the Lord first thing when nobody else is not a lot of people are up at that time get with the Lord before you can start getting pestered by all the outside noises learn to mute things learn to get alone with God it's so important look what he says in verse 36 incline my heart under thy statutes and not unto covetousness now one of the things that he was concerned that would distract him is covetousness what is covetousness well covetousness is to materialism what lust is to physical sexual desires it is a it is a wrongful longing for possessions and things and and the reason that it's so bad is is covetousness is an assault on God that says what I have is not enough it is an assault on thankfulness it is an assault on contentment I need more I want more Paul labeled it as the sin of idolatry that needs to be mortified in Colossians 3 5 he said more to flock mortify therefore in your members which are upon the earth fornication uncleanness inordinate affection evil concupance and covetousness which is idolatry Satan fell because of covetousness didn't he I mean he wanted more did Adam and Eve fall because of covetousness right think about Achan Elisha his servant Gehazi fell remember when the the the gentleman was healed my brain is foggy right now with his name Haman thank you Alex is Alex will always help me with that Haman was healed by dipping in the river and he was going to give a good reward to Elijah he wouldn't take it but Gehazi went after him and took it and and brought on leprosy on his own self because of it in 2 Kings 5 interesting story the rich young ruler chose the possessions over Christ he missed eternal life for the riches of the world in Luke 18 Jesus said in Luke 12 15 take heed and beware of covetousness why he said for your life does not consist in the abundance of the things that you possess it's not that's not what your life is the quantity and the quality and the makeup of your life it's not based on that the key to victory over covetousness is really contentment and godliness first Timothy 6 6 and 7 godliness with contentment is great game and contentment means that you believe what you have in life you're sufficient with you don't need anything more if God chooses to give you more and I would say this if we can't learn to be content with what we have we will not be content with what we think we need Spurgeon was right when he says can we need to learn to be content with the things that we have that that that fulfillment is not going to be found in in gaining more things contentment is not getting what you want he said it's wanting what you have learn to want the things that you have and thank God for them Matthew Henry said those that would have the love of God rooted in them must get the love of the world rooted out of them and that's so true think about Demas left Paul because he loved the present world Paul warned Timothy says they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare he says while they coveted after these things they erred from the faith it says in verse 10 you know the author of someone 19 love the word of God more than riches he says in Psalm 119 72 the law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver verse 127 therefore I love thy commandments above gold ye above fine gold I have through the years seen several people who have been called to the ministry who even were ministering in ministry begin to get plugged into some different outside opportunities begin to get wildly successful in business and they left the ministry because they were so successful in the world I believe Satan can make people extremely successful at times to pull them away from God the most money I ever made in my life was the last few months before I went into full-time ministry early 20s making a thousand dollars a day that's pretty good money and I could have stayed there and guys were like why are you going somewhere else I'm like well because I want to make like half of what I make in a day for a whole week over here but it's so much more worth it and and that's I don't say that to lift myself up that's God is so much you know and when Brayden had a great job where he was it's a big financial step down for him to come and work for our church I can tell you God has blessed him though and used him his son just gave his life to Christ yesterday which is awesome so just just know that I believe that God can sometimes bless people financially but I think Satan can tempt us financially I think he can offer us things I've seen through the years as a pastor for 15 years here and five and a half years in Chillicothe where some families were doing very well some job opportunity opened up that they could do so well and they moved to some other city and it's been crazy to watch over these years how their lives have just fallen off the cliff it's so most the time when that happens it's what happens I'm not saying if God opens up a door that that's wrong to go go get a job somewhere but I would say this make sure you put your spiritual life before your physical finances your family needs a man of God or a woman of God more than they need money the dream can turn into an American nightmare real fast God can can bless us financially but just be discerning there be very discerning so he says Lord protect me from covetousness don't let me get off course those distractions stay off maybe Pinterest I don't know right don't don't shop a lot shopping shouldn't be a hobby listen I always appreciate things I have until I start looking around you ever notice that number four and we'll wrap this up God I need you to fulfill your word to me verse 38 he says establish thy word and to thy servant who is devoted to thy fear establish thy word to thy servant or make good thy promises unto thy servant the promise of aid and support in all times of temptation and difficulty I am devoted he says that I fear which is one of the eight different words in reference to the Word of God here the soul must simply ask God to do what God said he would do God you gave us your word you made me your child you have given us your Holy Spirit now instruct me teach me give me understanding God as you shepherd me on the right path keep me from wrongful things as Christians we need to learn I think as I've said often to pray the scriptures pray the promises of God he says in verse 38 establish your word into your servant let it come to pass in my life like take God's Word and claim it for your life Joshua 1 8 he says if you keep the law of the Lord he says you're gonna prosper wherever you go Psalm 1 you're gonna be like a tree planted by the rivers of water then God plant me like that let me delight myself in the law of the Lord bring to pass your will in my life give me provision Matthew 6 33 seek the Lord and all these other things will be added to you right make make these your prayers God I need boldness to share the gospel pray Acts 1 8 you'll receive power after the Holy Ghost has come upon you the prayer is for God's Word to be fulfilled in our life Psalm 40 verse 7 and 8 couple of my favorite verses he says then said I lo I come in the volume of the book it is written of me I delight to do I will oh my God I laws within my heart that is a verse referring to Christ it should refer to every believer let it be written in the volume of our life that we have delighted in his law I said that was the last one we have one last one number five is God I need you to make me righteous I need you to make me righteous verse 39 turn away my reproach which I fear the word fear is a strong word referring to dread and what what he dreads here is that something could happen in his life that could cause people to reproach him that he could fall into some sin that got him off the right past path whether his covetousness or vanity or some sinful foolish thing and that his life would be devoured by those who would mock him and bring him down you ever notice how some lost people can't wait for a Christian to fall into sin so I'm 39 verse 8 deliver me from all my transgressions make me not the reproach of the foolish that's why Paul told Timothy said if somebody wants to be a pastor an elder he says make sure that they have a good report with those who are without lest they fall into reproach in the sneer of the devil verse 40 says behold I have longed after thy precepts quicken me or revive me or make me alive in thy righteousness righteousness here speaks about living right for God God I need you to revive me to allow me to live for you the right life is the righteous life to line your life up with God Matthew Paul says as I desire that I may be dull and dead in affections to worldly vanity so Lord make me lively and vigorous and fervent in the work and service of God and then verse 41 let thy mercies come also unto me O Lord even thy salvation according to thy word David Guzik says the word of God doesn't merely point us toward a mercy and salvation as if it were a self-help book it actually brings mercy and salvation to us so let thy mercy come also to me O Lord and thy salvation now I'm gonna wrap this up very quickly I'm summarizing these last few verses here when the Word of God accomplishes its work in the believer when when the prayers that he's saying teach me in verse 33 give me understanding verse 34 make me go in the path of thy commandments verse 35 incline my heart to thy testimony 36 turn away my eyes from beholding vanity and evil and he keeps saying God do these things in my life do these things in my life when it comes to pass notice notice what what flows out of that life verse 42 so shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproaches me for I trust in thy word now the fruition is happening now the fruit of this life is happening verse 44 so shall I keep thy law continually forever and ever verse 45 and I will walk at liberty for I keep seek thy precepts verse 46 I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings and will not be ashamed verse 47 I will delight myself in thy commandments which I have loved verse 48 my hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments which I have loved and I will meditate in thy statutes those who fall into total dependence upon God pray like this man does in verse 33 through verse 40 and the fruit of their life pours out in verse 41 through 48 it just organically happens when God's truth flows in God's truth will flow out of you so tonight I pray that we feel the weight of the humility from this passage in the heart of the psalmist I pray that we all rub shoulders with this guy and recognize our own insufficiencies may we all agree and pray God I need you to teach me God I need you to keep me on the right path God I need you to protect me from destructions and distracting things God fulfill your word in my life and God I need you to make me a righteous man you know Paul said if the man thinks himself to be something when he's nothing he's deceived himself first Corinthians 10 12 says wherefore let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall and I close with John 15 5 when he says I am the vine you are the branches he that abides in me and I and him the same brings forth much fruit he says for without me you can do how much that's dependence isn't it he didn't say you can do something he says you can't do nothing so we come as branches and we're saying Lord as my vine supply all my needs according your riches and glory fill me up that I may flow out the fruit that would bring you glory amen so I'll stand this evening with heads bowed nights closed.