Sermon Tone Analysis

SCRIPTURE

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Today, we will continue learning from our text how God’s laws, ways, and words give understanding to those who follow them.

Last Sunday, we considered how understanding is the ability to accurately see what once was abstract or unclear to you.

​1001 More Humorous Illustrations for Public Speaking: Fresh, Timely, and Compelling Illustrations for Preachers, Teachers, and Speakers 45 TOPIC: Appearances Involuntary DisobedienceInvoluntary Disobedience

The attendant at a movie theater was walking up and down the aisle between showings of the movie.

While doing so, he noticed that in the back of the theater there was a man lying across three seats.

The attendant told the man that he would need to sit up in one chair.

The only answer that came from the man was a muffled groan; the man did not even turn around and look at the attendant.

The attendant went to get the manager.

The manager approached the man who was still lying across the three seats in the back of the theater.

“Sir, you cannot lie down in this theater; you must sit up or I will have to insist that you leave!”

The man responded to the manager the same way he had responded to the attendant.

The manager warned the man once more, but the reaction was the same.

The frustrated manager returned to his office and called the police.

A police officer arrived and spoke to the man who was lying across three seats in the back of the theater: “I understand there is a little problem here; I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to leave this theater.

So, what do you have to say for yourself now?”

With great hesitation, the man slowly turned toward the police officer and groaned out an answer, “You don’t seem to understand at all; we have a big problem here: I fell from the balcony and can’t get up!”

Understanding often takes time to develop.

Wisdom: to do (apply)—they applied what wisdom they had based on their knowledge

Understanding: to see—seeing the full story changed everything

Understanding often takes time to develop.

God’s words and ways are eternal, already established truth.

God’s words and ways are eternal, already established truth.

If we can get understanding from them, we can avoid much ignorant discovery attempts.

We saw an exclamation of love for God’s law in the beginning of the text.

The Psalmist’s love for God’s law goes on to be explained as he describes the understanding and wisdom gained from it.

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O how…love…law

My meditation all the day

I love God’s law greatly and think on it often!

As has been stated previously, the Psalmist’s love for God’s law is obvious in this Psalm.

God’s law and ways are of utmost importance to him.

As followers of Christ, we ought to have a similar mindset toward God’s laws, ways, and words.

What God says should matter to us.

SEVEN BENEFITS OF GOD’S LAW

So true.

God’s words and ways cannot be moderately important to one who truly believes Him.

In our text today, we not only see a love for God’s laws but we also see practical reasons for the Psalmist’s love for God’s laws.

The reasons can be summed up as giving the Psalmist understanding, but let’s take a look at them individually verse by verse.

SEVEN BENEFITS OF GOD’S LAW

1) Having God’s commands always with me can make me wiser than my enemies.

Commandments: what God has commanded

Wise: trust and fear of God that works out faithfulness to God in the practical details of life; able to apply knowledge to bring success in life and situations

God’s commandments, when followed, make one wise.

1) Having God’s commands always with me can make me wiser than my enemies.

First, consider that those who practice evil do not understand true judgement.

​ KJV5 Evil men understand not judgment: But they that seek the Lord understand all things.

Evil people don’t understand God or His ways.

This makes sense since we see the fear of the LORD (and what He says) is the very beginning of wisdom.

​ KJV10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: And the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

We also see here that the knowledge of the holy is the beginning of understanding.

Those living in rejection of God and His Gospel, no matter how worldly wise and knowledgeable, have not even begun to attain wisdom and understanding in those things which most matter in this life—the eternal things of God.

Secondly, consider how God’s commands help us act wiser than enemies.

By enemies, think of those who would scorn, mock, or even cause harm to you.

Knowing how to act around and respond to enemies can be tricky.

Think about how Jesus was around His enemies.

Discerned their thoughts and intentsHeld back knowledge that was not prudent to share with themAsked them questions that led them to a truceWarned others of their ways

Having God’s commands in our heart and mind give us trustworthy foundational thinking and helps us expose what is not trustworthy.

Being able to discern between truth and error helps us act and respond wisely to scorning, deception, and attacks.

It helps us also have love and mercy for those lost, living in rejection of God and His wisdom.

1) Having God’s commands always with me can make me wiser than my enemies.

2) Meditating on God’s testimonies can give me more understanding than my teachers.

2) Meditating on God’s testimonies can give me more understanding than my teachers.

​ KJV99 I have more understanding than all my teachers: For thy testimonies are my meditation.

Testimonies: what God testifies to be His willMeditation: to think and contemplate

​1001 Quotations that Connect: Timeless Wisdom for Preaching, Teaching, and Writing St. JeromeI beg you, my dearest brother, to live among these [sacred books], to meditate on them, to know nothing else, to seek nothing else.

Does not this seem to you to be a little bit of heaven here on earth?

Citation: St. Jerome, in one of his many letters to the church

​10,000 Sermon Illustrations We Yearn For ShortcutsHuman beings grow by striving, working, stretching; and in a sense, human nature needs problems more than solutions.

Why are not all prayers answered magically and instantly?

Why must every convert travel the same tedious path of spiritual discipline?

Because persistent prayer, and fasting, and study, and meditation are designed primarily for our sakes, not for God’s.

Kierkegaard said that Christians reminded him of schoolboys who want to look up the answers to their math problems in the back of the book rather than work them through...We yearn for shortcuts.

But shortcuts usually lead away from growth, not toward it.

Apply

Understanding, seeing, God’s testimonies comes from slow contemplation and prayer in them.

Having understanding is worth the time.

1) Having God’s commands always with me can make me wiser than my enemies.2) Meditating on God’s testimonies can give me more understanding than my teachers.

3) Obeying God’s precepts can give me more understanding than the aged.

3) Obeying God’s precepts can give me more understanding than the aged.

​ KJV100 I understand more than the ancients, Because I keep thy precepts.

Ancients: aged, eldersPrecepts: what God has appointed to be done

There is no one as aged as God’s precepts.

What God has appointed to be done is as old as His eternal knowledge.

So, obeying these eternal precepts can give me wisdom far beyond my years.

Beyond that, not all aged people are necessarily wise.

It was said in Job:

​ KJV9 Great men are not always wise: Neither do the aged understand judgment.

Today, we will pick up at verse 101 and see how God’s Word gives us understanding that really changes who we are.

Status and age do not always equal wisdom.

Get wisdom by obeying God’s precepts.

1) Having God’s commands always with me can make me wiser than my enemies.2) Meditating on God’s testimonies can give me more understanding than my teachers.3)

Obeying God’s precepts can give me more understanding than the aged.

4) Keeping God’s word is important enough for me to avoid evil ways.

When God’s words prove faithful in our lives, we stay away from things that would pull us away from His Word.

Some on the other hand, look for reason not to keep God’s word.

Moral revolutions way from God’s commands attempt to replace God’s law with rationale.

Haven’t you ever noticed how rationale and logic can be used to “prove” all sorts of justifications and positions?

As complex thinkers as we are, how do we determine what is right and best?

God’s Word.

God’s Word reveals the expectations of our Creator, Ruler, and Saviour as well as the purposes for us.