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Psalm 119:9-16
Stephen Caswell © 2000
Perfect Yardstick In London
After ten years of patient work, experts in London finished what is said to be the most perfect yardstick in the world.
It is made of platinum and iridium, and was designed to be used as the standard of the British government.
Every year for ten years it will be examined and if it varies by even a millionth of an inch it will be rejected.
The Bible is the Christian’s standard for his rule of conduct.
It tells us how to live.
A sergeant in the army once said to a young private in his regiment the Bible will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from the Bible.
Introduction
Tonight I would like to address the question, /How can young people live a clean life in a wicked society?/
Although evil is increasing in the world this is not a new problem for believers.
The Psalmist addressed this issue 3,000 years ago.
*Psalm 119:9* *says:* /How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word.
/This verse states both the question and an abbreviated answer which he elaborates in the next 7 verses.
A persons */way/* refers to their manner of life or their conduct.
The words */take heed/* mean */to keep or observe/*.
God's Word reveals how to live a clean life in an evil world.
In fact the */Word/* reveals */God's will for our lives/*.
The Psalmist shares 2 main points regarding God's Word.* *
* *
I. Searching God's Word & II.
Sharing God's Word
/Firstly/ Searching God's Word
You may think searching God's Word is an easy task.
Certainly God gave us His Word to live by, but He will not be fobbed off with 5 minutes in the morning.
If we desire to know God's Word it will take time and effort.
The Psalmist reveals four steps in this.
*/Investigation, Memorization, Application & Education.
/*
*/a.
Investigation /*
*/ /*
*Psalm 119:10* /With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!/
/ /
When we study God's Word our desire should be to meet with the God of the Word.
We study the Word to know the Lord better and His will for us.
The Psalmist /sought the Lord/ /with His whole heart/.
He was devoted to God and longed to know Him better.
This was not a once in a while meeting, but a regular time with God.
The word */sought/* means */to seek with care, to inquire of, to investigate./*
It is in the */perfect tense/* which means that he sought the Lord with the result that he kept on seeking Him.
This speaks of the Psalmist's diligence.
God wants us to earnestly seek Him.
*Jeremiah 29:12-13 says:* /Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart./
God reveals Himself to those who take the time to earnestly seek Him.
In *Psalm 27:8* David said this: /When You said, Seek My face, My heart said to You, Your face, Lord, I will seek.
/The Psalmist sought the Lord and asked for help to keep His commandments.
We need God's help to keep His commandments because we can't do it on our own.
*/Firstl/*y, to know God and His Word requires */diligent investigation/*.
*/b.
Memorization /*
*/ /*
*Psalm 119:11a* /Your word I have hidden in my heart, /
The Psalmist wasn't content to just understand God's Word, he wanted it with him all the time, so he memorized it.
Copies of the Scriptures were not common in those days.
Usually you had to go to the temple to read God's Word.
Even if you owned a portion of God's Word, you couldn't it everywhere.
Such a position wasn't acceptable to the Psalmist.
So he hid God's Word in his heart like a treasure.
He recognized how precious God's Word was and stored it up in His heart.
Today we have fond memories that we like to bring out at special times.
Mary treasured the things she heard from Jesus in her heart too.
If we hide God's Word in our heart we can bring it out and share it at appropriate times.
We can draw on it's wisdom for guidance each day./
*But Scripture memorization requires effort!*/
*/ /*
Records Of Bible Memorization
Ÿ Tertullian devoted his days and nights to Bible reading, so much so that he learned much of it by heart, even its punctuation's.
Ÿ Theodosius the Younger could repeat any part of the Scripture exactly, and discourse with the bishops at court as if he himself were a bishop.
Ÿ Origen never went to meals or to sleep without having some Scripture portions read.
Ÿ Eusebius said that he heard of one, whose eyes were burned out under the Diocletian persecution, repeat from memory the Scriptures in a large assembly.
Ÿ Beza could repeat all of Paul’s epistles in Greek at the age of 80.
Ÿ Cramer could repeat the New Testament from memory, learning it on his trip to Rome.
*/Ÿ /*Ridley also memorized the entire New Testament during his walks in the Pembroke Hall of Cambridge.
*/ /*
*/c.
Application /*
*/ /*
*Psalm 119:11b*/ That I might not sin against You!/
*/ /*
The main reason that we hide God's Word in our hearts is so that we can avoid sin.
Verse 9 revealed this general principle.
We can /cleanse our ways or lifestyle by taking heed of God's Word./
Here the Psalmist says that hiding God's Word in one's heart enables them to overcome sin.
It's hard to overcome sin if you don't know what it is.
The Word tells us what sin is.
When we hide God's Word in our hearts we can apply it to our daily lives.
*Ephesians 6:17* *says:* /And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;/
When Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness He used God's Word to overcome the temptations.
The */Word/* rhma is the appropriate portion of God's Word for the situation.
We should follow Christ's example.
We mustn't allow Bible study and Scripture memorization to stop just there.
God wants us to apply it in our lives.
God wants us to learn and memorize His Word so that we might stop sinning.
*Psalm 119:105* /Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
/We follow God's Word so that we can walk in His ways.
It applies to our everyday conduct.
*Colossians 3:16* /Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
/
Airline Pilots
A friend of mine is an airline pilot.
He didn't become one overnight.
It took him a lot of hard work, time and money to accomplish this.
He had to study many books, practice flying on simulators and in small aircraft.
/But why all of this effort?/
To make sure that he can safely fly the public around.
He has to memorize safety procedures for all sorts of problems.
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