THE TRUTH MATTERS TO GOD! Pt. 2
Reading Psalm 19v7-8.

Introduction:

In part one of this study we noted the Psalmist bringing to our attention the need to treat the Word of God in a profoundly serious manner and not as some would have us treat it today. Adding to it or subtracting from it!

Sadly, many dear Christians’ approach God’s Precious Word in a very casual manner indeed. As the Epistle of James reminds us they take a quickie look in the mirror of that word, they get their morning emotions real fast but never do anything about what they see or read. Others come with a curious manor. They close the eyes, let the Bible fall open and treat what they read at random like a horoscope and hope it will be enough to give them some buoyancy for the rest of the day. Yet others come with a critical manor. Their purpose in looking into the Word of God is to score a point over an opponent, to win an argument; they are always looking for someone to hammer on the anvil of God’s Word. Still others come to God’s Word with a carnal manner, they twist and turn that wonderful word to their own ideals and desires, and they make it mean exactly what they want it to mean.

Let me warn you about that beloved, you misuse this precious book and you will be the loser. This book is extensive, executive, expressive, explosive and exclusive and you cannot afford to fool about with it.

In fact, the Lord Jesus said,

John 14v21. "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me; and he that loveth me shall be loved of my father, and I will love him, and manifest (or make known) myself to him."

Thomas Boston was an evangelical pastor in Ettrick, Scotland in the early 1700’s. He was a prolific author in the Puritan tradition, and although the word pragmatism would not be invented for another two hundred years, in this quote Thomas Boston delivers a powerful assault against the pragmatic approach in the use of God’s Word.

(A pragmatist is one who holds to the belief of a philosophy or philosophical method that makes practical consequences the test of truth).

Our Lord’s command "follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Matt. 4v19 implies a renouncing of our own wisdom. Human wisdom cannot and must not be our guide Matt. 16v24, we must deny ourselves.

Paul refused to preach with the wisdom of words 1 Cor. 1v17. Nor would he follow the rules of man’s wisdom, which was only carnal.

Therefore, Oh my soul, renounce your own wisdom, seek that wisdom that is from above; seek to preach the words of the living God, and not your own. End quote.

So we turn again today in part two of our study, ‘The Truth Matters To God’.

The Purity Of The Scriptures! Ps.19v8b.
"The commandment of the Lord is pure, (clean) enlightening the eyes."

Yes, the Scriptures are instruction, testimony and precept. But the Psalmist is reminding us today, the Scriptures are commandment! That means authority, or to put it yet another way, the non-optional character of Scripture. You see dear folks, the Bible is not a lot of suggestions for us to ponder over and decide which we will accept or reject. They are not items on trays in a cafeteria from which you chose the one you like best and leave the rest.

The Bible is binding authority and it’s obedience to his authority our God looks for in his children, however unpalatable that is to us.

The hymn writer John Henry Sammis had it right when he penned those amazing words.

When we walk with the Lord,

in the light of His Word,

What a glory He sheds on our way!

While we do his good will,

He abides with us still,

And with all who will trust and obey!

You may well ask, well pastor how best should I then come to God’s Holy Word? Well, if I may turn to the book of James once more Ch.1v25.

"But whosoever looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth in it, he being not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed."

Hang on the words, "He that continueth." Read and study your Bible diligently, daily, devotionally and doctrinally. Why? Because our text of Psalm 19v8b highlights for us that "the commandment of the Lord is pure" or clear. That is it is not mystifying, not confusing, the Word if read with a submissive spirit will be crystal clear.

It means easy to see, giving the correct direction for my life. There is no need to take a wrong road; clear direction is always available.

Isaiah 35v8. "And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called the way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for those; the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein."

It penetrates the darkness with the Very light of God. When we don’t know the why of things happening around us the way they do, the scriptures can make it clear. This again, in contrast to the muddled musings of those around us who themselves are somewhat bemused.

The text concludes with, "Enlightening the eyes" to be able to see truth so clearly in a world around us in such darkness. To understand right from wrong, to be comforted in times of deep sorrow, to face confidently the severest times of trouble and testing, and know the Word of God is the only clear revelation we need.

Proverbs 6v23 "For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is the light."

Is the bible so lacking in sufficiency that we must seek wisdom from this world, that we must inquire of men as to what is happening around us, must we draw on further revelation, must we call in the psychoanalyst to deal with our spiritual problems? Is the Bible so incomplete that we have to consult with

Science to explain origins, philosophy to explain life and sociology to explain sin? No! All the light of life is in the Word of God.

Psalm 119v140. "Thy Word is so pure; therefore thy servant loveth it."

Your Word is so clear, I love it for giving me such light!

Come, Holy Ghost, for moved by thee

The prophets wrote and spoke;

Unlock the truth, thyself the key,

Unseal the sacred book. John Calvin.

Isaiah reminds us in Ch.66v2.

"But to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my Word."

Through Isaiah, God says, the man or woman who has humbled themselves and is lowly in spirit and respects my Word to the point of true obedience, to that one will I look and make myself transparent before them.

5. The Protection Of The Scriptures! Ps. 19v9a.

"The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever."

On this occasion the Psalmist uses the word "fear" as a synonym for Scripture: Why? Because Holy Scripture intends to convey the idea of awesomeness, reverential awe, which in turn should cause hearts to worship in spirit and in truth. The word is used here in the sense of what it seeks to produce. The Scripture desires to produce a Holy Fear, a Holy Awe, and a Holy Respect in our approach to a Holy God. You see, because it’s the habit of the human soul to worship and because God seeks worshippers John 4, the Scripture instructs us who and how we are to worship.

So the question we should be asking ourselves, just about now, with deep sincerity is what is worship?

"When we find ourselves deficient in wisdom, it is not because the Word of God has pages missing, but because we have not seen all there is on the pages we already have. It is not another book we need, but better attention to the book we have; it is not more knowledge we require, but better vision to see what has already been revealed in Jesus Christ."

Eugene H. Peterson in Living the Message.

Worship Is The Goal Of Salvation!
The common New Testament word for worship is "Proskuneo" and it means, "to kiss" or "reverence" it speaks of bowing before a superior with a sense of awe and homage.

Dr. Vance Havner makes the point well.

"Too many church members sit smugly in church on Sunday, some closing the eyes, others eyeing the clothes, and with a dozen other things ahead of God in their lives."

Heb. 12v28-29. N.A.S.V.

"Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire."

Acceptable worship is the goal of the saved soul, yet that worship never reaches its fullness until we willingly offer ourselves completely to God in total surrender, and folks listen, only our understanding of the Scriptures produce that kind of holy awe and respect.

After reading impressive church statistics, who can help asking, "with this much light and salt, why is there such darkness and corruption?" We can and should make a difference in this world!

B. Worship Is The Gauge Of Salvation!

How can we cultivate a heart for worship? How can we keep the desire alive in us to worship? How can we keep fresh and true to real worship?

Well, worship really is the gauge or measuring rod to progress in this Christian life. We don’t want some kind of second hand performance that has no real salvation attached to it, surely we want the real thing or nothing.

You know, don’t you, when that oil gauge starts flashing in your vehicle, it’s time to do something about it or you are in big trouble, it’s a warning to let you know something is wrong and needs attention.

Well, we have a built in gauge, we ignore it at our peril, but that gauge only operates as the power is switched on and we are fully charged. How do we do that? By centring our thoughts on God, we discover a truth about God in Scripture; we meditate on that truth until it captivates our hearts, which in turn will lead to true worship.

Historian Edward Gibbon says, "the Greek Church Fathers of the tenth century who handled the literature of early Christians held in their lifeless hands the riches of their fathers without inheriting the spirit which had created and improved that sacred work. They read, they praised, they compiled but their languid souls seemed incapable of thought and action." So do men handle the Scriptures today and the living book of the dead becomes the dead book of the living. End quote.

You see beloved, worship is based on meditation and meditation is built on our understanding of God’s Holy Word. Time spent with God in prayer and meditation of His Word, brings such understanding, which will open a whole New World of scriptural and spiritual insight.

Do not ever expect to know blessing from the preached Word if you know little or nothing of blessing through your reading of the Word.

You know, don’t you, that we are rooted and grounded in Christ, but how deep our roots will grow and how delightful our fruit appears to be will depend, to a

large degree, on our progress in understanding through meditation on His Holy Word. Where there is little or no understanding, there will be no meditation, where there is no meditation; there will be no true and real worship.

The tendency today that seems to have penetrated church life is that Christianity is miserable, preaching is boring, and coming to church a chore. And friends, the only one way I know to change that attitude is, through the study of God’s Word, which brings me to an understanding of my Lord and into a deeper relationship with Him. That in turn promotes within my soul an ongoing desire for meditation on those glorious scriptural and spiritual truths, making them my own and by so doing the Lord fills my heart with praise and worship to His Holy name.

"There are delights that the heart may enjoy in the awesome presence of God that cannot find expression in language; they belong to the unutterable element in Christian experience. Not many enjoy them because not many know that they can. The whole concept of ineffable worship has been lost." A. W. Tozer.

C. Worship Is The Glory Of Salvation!

Throughout the Old Testament God has given some instructions on how we should worship which ought to be seriously thought through just here.

One of those instructions is to be found in Exodus Ch.30v34-38.

And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight:

And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy:

And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy.

And as for the perfume which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to the composition thereof: it shall be unto thee holy for the LORD.

Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people."

This was probably the most fragrant perfume ever. But God is saying it will cost the people their lives if they made it or used it for themselves. The reason being, this fragrance was Holy, designed only for a Holy God. When this incense rose to God, it was to be unique to Him and Him alone. You see, what is happening here is, God is making quite clear to his people that worship is a Holy act that comes from the heart but must be given to God alone.

It is in John’s Gospel that we are given the most delightful example of this kind of worshipping attitude in action. John 12v1-3.

"Then Jesus six days before the Passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.

There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.

Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment."

Mary did not use water to wash the Saviour’s feet; she used a most expensive perfume. That of course is the essence of true worship, it is self-effacing and lavish at its root. This was an act of true worship; it was the symbol of a worshipful heart. That’s what God desires from His people.

When we give to God today we tend to mark out very carefully what we should give rather than give that which costs us sore. And beloved, it’s only as we know the fear of the Lord and realise it "is clean", "ta-hor" that is it is free

from impurity, filthiness, defilement and infection, that this Word "endures forever". It’s a Word that has been proven again and again in the fires of trial.

Psalm 12v6.

"The Words of the Lord are pure words, like silver purified seven times in the earthen furnace."

It’s when that Word truly grips our hearts; it draws from us extravagant worship.

Worship Is The Goad Of Salvation!
What is goad? Well, a goad is a sharp pointed stick often tipped with sharp iron and is mainly used for driving oxen. It’s a stimulus to urge forward.

Oxen as we all know are a very stubborn animal and need to be continually prodded or goaded on in the right direction.

Something like that is our need as Christians today. This is a day of Anarchy in the world, it’s a day of apostasy in the professing church and it’s certainly a day of apathy in the true church. And sadly many dear Christians are unaware of the situation. The situation is desperate but the saints are not. The awful apathy amongst us blinds us to the fact that so many are falling away from the truth, so many are going back into the way of the world, and the truth to tell is we don’t seem to care much. We desperately need to be goaded on somewhat to a true kind of worship that urges us forward with our faces set as a flint to go all the way for our great God.

Listen beloved, we have as I see it in my own simple way three possibilities in this age in which we now live.

The return of the Lord is a certainty and His coming may be imminent!
If our Lord tarry, judgement may fall hard on this unrepentant land!
A Spiritual awakening, a heavenly visitation in revival on God’s people!
And beloved, if any of those three scenarios occurs I want you dear folks here to be in a right relationship with our God. And listen! Listen! True worship will goad you on to maintaining that relationship with your Lord and master.

Heb 10:22

"Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water."

The phrase, "let us draw near" is a call to worship and we should understand that acceptable worship does not happen spontaneously, preparation is essential. How do we prepare for that kind of worship? By looking into the Scriptures and realising as never before "The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever."

"More spiritual progress can be made in one short moment of speechless silence in the awesome presence of God than in years of mere study."

A. W. Tozer.

6. The Perfection Of The Scriptures! Ps. 19v9b.

"The judgements of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether."

The Scriptures are spoken of here as judgements or ordinances. It means divine verdict. The Bible is God’s Divine judicial for the life and destiny of every Christian. And my brothers and sisters, that being so we ought to pay particular attention to God’s Word. What is the Psalmist saying? Simply this, the Word of God is your judge and jury. You want to know if you really are in the faith, if you really are a true Christian, then let the Word of God be your Divine Judicial. Why? Because it will be your judge at the end.

You see, those who allow the Word of God to be judge and jury now will have a good judgement at the end.

I believe one of our greatest difficulties in church life especially is retention.

We find it difficult to retain what the preacher says and very often the reason for that is we don’t take him seriously and what we don’t take seriously we take forgranted.

Well now, here you are, Monday morning has arrived, you go into your work place, you have not been there since Friday evening but guess what? You just start where you left off on Friday. Now is that not strange, no one had to come and remind you what you have to do, it’s just the most natural thing in the world for you to take up your work and keep going until you are finished at the end of the day. Now what’s the difference? Well you know by now you must be competent and proficient at your job or you just won’t be there. So you take an interest from day one, you take seriously what you have to do and you retain you job because you have retained the know how of your job. And how did you do that? Why, you applied yourself to it.

So it is beloved with the Word of God. We need to apply ourselves to it and it will become second nature to us to abide by it. And of course we could not do better for the Psalmist says His Word is true.

Do you know how difficult it is to find truth today, in any part of the world?

Yet here we have the Word of the Lord which is always true, always dependable, always relevant, always applicable. And folks, when we listen to the distortions of men we should be glad to take seriously the precious Word of God.

The scriptures are always trustworthy. The fact is that God has given into our hands a perfect expression of His eternal will to establish all necessary truth for spiritual life and duty. To believe anything less is to strike a blow against the integrity of the living Word.

Now what is the result of the truthfulness of Scripture? Why it’s altogether righteous, that is to say, it is completely right all the time. It is comprehensive in rightness, there are no errors, it is a complete source of truth.

"Soak and soak and soak continually in the one great truth of which you have had a vision; take it to bed with you, sleep with it, rise up in the morning with it, continually bring your imagination into captivity to it, and slowly and surely as the months and years go by God will make you one of his specialists in that particular truth." Oswald Chambers.

Are we to believe what we are being told today, that we need more revelation, more visions, and more words of prophecy? No! No! The Word of God is enough!

Psalm 119v160.

"Thy Word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgements endureth forever."

The Scripture then is a complete source of spiritual truth necessary for spiritual living and perfectly meets the need of all that will live godly in Christ Jesus.