How to be Acceptable to God
And They Remembered His Words • Sermon • Submitted
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· 16 viewsA message examining the implications of David's Prayer in Psalm 19.14.
Notes
Transcript
14 Let the words of my mouth, And the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.
Pre-Sermon Ice-Breaker
Pre-Sermon Ice-Breaker
A Spanish magician, the Great Magnifico, told the audience he would vanish on the count of three. He said: “Uno, dos” and then disappeared without a tres.
Introduction
Introduction
Paul Froese and Christopher Bader, professors at Baylor University conducted a survey and found that Americans view of God falls into four catagories.
About 28 percent of Americans believe in an “authoratative God.” These individuals believe in a God that is very judgmental and very engaged in the world at the same time. 22 percent of Americans characterize God as a “Benevolent God” who is throughly involved in their lives but is loving, not stern. Still others believe in a “critical God” who is removed from daily events but will render judgment in the afterlife. The fourth and final way that those surveyed view God is as a “Distant God” who sets the universe in motion, but is disengaged.
Professor Froese says, “A persons conception of God is central to how they perceive their world and behave in it.”
How do you view God? Is He authoratative, benevolent, critical or distant?
More importantly what does the Bible say about God?
15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
We want to study God’s word so that we might be approved or acceptable to God. In Psalm 19 David writes and tells us about God and his revelation to us. In verses 1-6 we are introduced to God’s General Revelation in the World, in verses 7-14 we see David present God’s Special Revelation in the Word. We look specifically at the attributes of the Word, David’s appreciation for the Word and finally the Application of the Word.
In verse 14 David offers a prayer. This God-ordained prayer reveals to us 3 vital truths to understand how we can be acceptable to God. Let’s look at them together today?
Body
Body
Acceptable Words
Acceptable Words
14 Let the words of my mouth, And the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.
Notice the comma’s. David begins by saying, “Let the words of my mouth be acceptable in thy sight.
37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
The apostle Paul warns against “vain words” in Ephesians 5. For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth.
10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
Acceptable Heart
Acceptable Heart
14 Let the words of my mouth, And the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.
Again as we look at the verse we notice David says this: Le the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight.
What do you think about?
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; And in his law doth he meditate day and night.
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, That bringeth forth his fruit in his season; His leaf also shall not wither; And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
Hebrew word for meditate is Hagah. It means to mutter, to ruminate. Two pictures come to mind, the first is someone muttering to themselves, as if they cannot stop obsessing over a thought. The second is the image of cow chewing it’s cud.
18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Acceptable Focus
Acceptable Focus
14 Let the words of my mouth, And the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.
O LORD
Notice the Capital letters. This is talking about Jesus! David is pointing us to Christ the messiah and identifying the focus of his words and meditation. It is the Lord his strength and redeemer.
MY STRENGTH
Have you ever thought as you faced something, “I can’t do this, I am not strong enough?”
Maybe it is a temptation, or a trial. a task.
It could be the death of a loved one, it could be trying to memorize scripture, it could be overcoming an addiction, it could be learning a new way of doing a task at work. You may not be strong enough in your own strength
13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
MY REDEEMER
13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
Conclusion
Conclusion
I look for patterns in the Bible. I try to notice when I read Scripture things that I have seen before. As I read this verse there was a pattern that jumped off the page at me. Words and heart. Where had I seen this pattern before? Have you seen this pattern before?
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
What makes us acceptable to God? It is not the words we speak, it is not the thoughts we think, it is not the things we do. It is the Lord we trust. When we trust in Christ, he makes us acceptable.
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
How do you view God?
Is He authoratative, benevolent, critical or distant?
In Luke we read the story of the prodigal son. The word prodigal does not actually appear anywhere in the Bible.
It is used to describe the son because it means spending money or resources freely, recklessly, wastefully, extravagantly. Back in May we studied the Prodigal Son. And we learned that it is truly the story not of a Prodigal Son, but of a Prodigal Father. A Father who so loved us that he forgave extravagantly giving his only son to pay the price for our sin.
Today receive Christ and you shall become Acceptable to God.