1 00:00:04,814 --> 00:00:07,623 Speaker: Everybody has 24 hours in a day. 2 00:00:08,073 --> 00:00:09,074 That's probably not news to you. 3 00:00:09,154 --> 00:00:11,464 You probably have known that for a long time. 4 00:00:11,794 --> 00:00:13,683 Uh, but I wonder if you know how many minutes you have in a day. 5 00:00:13,713 --> 00:00:17,834 You have approximately 1,400 minutes in the day, 1,440 minutes. 6 00:00:17,834 --> 00:00:21,053 That's, that's a full day, 1,440 minutes. 7 00:00:21,484 --> 00:00:24,424 A- and so the question I want you to start with this morning is, why should 8 00:00:24,424 --> 00:00:26,223 I give some of that time to the Bible? 9 00:00:27,154 --> 00:00:27,934 Why should I take… 10 00:00:28,004 --> 00:00:31,443 I only have 24 hours, a- and I'm sleeping for a, a good portion of 11 00:00:31,443 --> 00:00:33,574 those hours, depending on maybe you've got a newborn at home, maybe 12 00:00:33,574 --> 00:00:36,273 you're sleeping for three hours, maybe you're sleeping for more than that. 13 00:00:36,734 --> 00:00:40,084 But the time that I'm awake, which is even less than this, why should I 14 00:00:40,084 --> 00:00:41,334 give some of that time to the Word? 15 00:00:42,694 --> 00:00:45,874 I preached last week and, and introduced something called the, the Quiet Time 16 00:00:45,874 --> 00:00:48,133 Challenge, saying, "Hey, for the next 12 weeks, I'm gonna challenge you to 17 00:00:48,133 --> 00:00:49,683 be in God's Word every single day." 18 00:00:50,503 --> 00:00:53,564 And some of you may have thought to yourself, "Well, okay, but, uh, the 19 00:00:53,564 --> 00:00:55,244 Bible doesn't tell me I have to do that." 20 00:00:56,233 --> 00:00:57,064 And you're right, it doesn't. 21 00:00:58,183 --> 00:01:00,784 But I'm gonna actually suggest this morning that the Bible tells you or 22 00:01:00,784 --> 00:01:06,538 suggests that we should have more than that, more than that I- it's imminently 23 00:01:07,198 --> 00:01:11,428 w- valuable to us to, to think about what we possess in the, the scriptures. 24 00:01:12,098 --> 00:01:14,838 And it's so important for us to think about the fact that not only should 25 00:01:14,838 --> 00:01:18,347 we take advantage of what we have and, and give ourselves over to the reading 26 00:01:18,347 --> 00:01:21,568 of it, but we need to realize that what God expects of us is, is, I would 27 00:01:21,568 --> 00:01:25,327 say, more even than just having a, a daily quiet time in the scriptures. 28 00:01:26,247 --> 00:01:30,478 God wants us to be a word-saturated people, and what will h- help us 29 00:01:30,478 --> 00:01:35,667 get there is if we understand the goal of what it is we're doing 30 00:01:35,667 --> 00:01:36,568 when we pick up the Word of God. 31 00:01:37,668 --> 00:01:40,078 And so this morning you may be in, in one of three places. 32 00:01:40,078 --> 00:01:42,688 You may be here this morning saying, "I, I don't really read 33 00:01:42,688 --> 00:01:44,426 the Bible on a regular basis." 34 00:01:44,957 --> 00:01:47,898 And if that's you this morning, I hope this morning's message is going 35 00:01:47,898 --> 00:01:49,968 to address some of your objections. 36 00:01:49,968 --> 00:01:52,277 I hope this morning's message is gonna encourage and motivate you to, 37 00:01:52,558 --> 00:01:54,957 to even see, man, there's, there's good to be found in reading the Word. 38 00:01:55,517 --> 00:01:58,198 A- and if I approach it with the right aim, the right goals, that 39 00:01:58,198 --> 00:02:01,017 there's even a, it's life-giving and this is a good thing for me to do. 40 00:02:01,367 --> 00:02:03,848 A- and that maybe this morning you'll walk away with a game plan to say, 41 00:02:03,848 --> 00:02:05,267 "I wanna get into the Word more." 42 00:02:06,267 --> 00:02:08,527 Or maybe the second group out here this morning may be those that 43 00:02:08,527 --> 00:02:12,498 are, are in the Word, but you're in the Word with the wrong motives. 44 00:02:12,638 --> 00:02:16,558 You're in the Word because you feel a burden that you have to do this because 45 00:02:16,558 --> 00:02:19,278 there's some sort of expectation that good Christians do this, and if you don't do 46 00:02:19,278 --> 00:02:20,337 this, then you're not a good Christian. 47 00:02:20,977 --> 00:02:23,248 Or maybe you're in the Word because you're thinking to yourself, "Well, 48 00:02:23,248 --> 00:02:26,488 I, I want to be a smarter Christian, and so I'm gonna study my Bible." 49 00:02:26,657 --> 00:02:29,287 Or maybe you're in the Word because you're thinking to yourself, "Well, I, I want 50 00:02:29,287 --> 00:02:33,466 to know more than my atheist coworker so that I can give a defense for the gospel." 51 00:02:33,966 --> 00:02:37,327 Not all of those are bad reasons, but they're not the main reason either. 52 00:02:37,617 --> 00:02:40,348 And so for you, I hope this morning that this message is gonna give you 53 00:02:40,348 --> 00:02:43,037 three other aims or motives when you pick up the Word of God that 54 00:02:43,037 --> 00:02:45,858 are gonna encourage you to dive in deeper and to get after it even more. 55 00:02:46,808 --> 00:02:48,937 The third group is the group that's here, you're in the Word 56 00:02:48,937 --> 00:02:51,067 of God, and you're thriving in your relationship with the Lord. 57 00:02:51,878 --> 00:02:53,977 And for you, I just hope that this morning's message is gonna encourage 58 00:02:53,977 --> 00:02:55,817 you in that, to say, "Keep going. 59 00:02:56,098 --> 00:02:56,767 This is good." 60 00:02:57,178 --> 00:03:00,458 And you'll be able to listen to what the psalmist has to say, our author has to say 61 00:03:00,458 --> 00:03:02,797 to us in Psalm 119 and say, "Yes and amen. 62 00:03:02,928 --> 00:03:03,397 I get that. 63 00:03:04,017 --> 00:03:04,687 I get that." 64 00:03:04,867 --> 00:03:08,058 But I mentioned I, I think God wants us to be saturated with the 65 00:03:08,058 --> 00:03:09,197 Word of God a- and here's why. 66 00:03:09,197 --> 00:03:10,278 Passages like these. 67 00:03:10,668 --> 00:03:12,967 So Deuteronomy chapter six says this. 68 00:03:13,658 --> 00:03:17,268 It says, "And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 69 00:03:17,548 --> 00:03:20,108 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of 70 00:03:20,108 --> 00:03:22,808 them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when 71 00:03:22,808 --> 00:03:25,227 you lie down, and when you rise. 72 00:03:25,558 --> 00:03:27,647 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be 73 00:03:27,798 --> 00:03:29,578 as frontlets between your eyes." 74 00:03:29,578 --> 00:03:31,647 In other words, you should always be focused on them. 75 00:03:32,177 --> 00:03:34,817 "And you shall write them on the doorpost of your house and on your gates." 76 00:03:35,677 --> 00:03:37,597 I look at that and I think that's, that's more than just a, 77 00:03:37,597 --> 00:03:39,808 a daily hat tip to God's Word. 78 00:03:39,808 --> 00:03:41,817 I think that's a, a life that's saturated by the Word of God. 79 00:03:42,897 --> 00:03:44,418 Or in Joshua chapter one verse eight. 80 00:03:44,817 --> 00:03:46,938 Joshua chapter one verse eight says this, "The Book of the Law shall 81 00:03:46,938 --> 00:03:50,658 not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night." 82 00:03:50,658 --> 00:03:53,938 Notice that, meditate on it day and night. 83 00:03:54,894 --> 00:03:57,634 So that you may be able to be careful to do according to all 84 00:03:57,634 --> 00:04:00,524 that is written in it, for then you will make your way prosperous, and 85 00:04:00,524 --> 00:04:01,933 then you will have good success. 86 00:04:02,823 --> 00:04:04,784 Again, that's a life that's saturated with the Word of God. 87 00:04:04,784 --> 00:04:09,564 Or Psalm 1:1-2, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, 88 00:04:09,564 --> 00:04:13,234 nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his 89 00:04:13,234 --> 00:04:18,814 delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night." 90 00:04:19,334 --> 00:04:21,533 Again, day and night, saturation. 91 00:04:22,894 --> 00:04:24,943 I'm gonna flank it here in Psalm 119:105. 92 00:04:24,943 --> 00:04:27,704 We're gonna get here in our study eventually, but Psalm 119:105 93 00:04:27,704 --> 00:04:30,544 says, "Your word is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path." 94 00:04:31,684 --> 00:04:34,553 Uh, uh, anytime I have to wake up in the middle of the night when 95 00:04:34,553 --> 00:04:37,204 something's going on with one of my kids or something like that, I, I grab 96 00:04:37,204 --> 00:04:38,504 my phone and I turn my flashlight on. 97 00:04:39,144 --> 00:04:40,864 Now, I know what my house looks like. 98 00:04:41,094 --> 00:04:42,224 I know what my room is like. 99 00:04:42,324 --> 00:04:45,683 I've been through there and walked that path a, a hundred of times, m- 100 00:04:45,683 --> 00:04:49,713 more than a hundred times, and yet I still have the, the light, because when 101 00:04:49,713 --> 00:04:50,963 it's dark, I need the light to see. 102 00:04:52,403 --> 00:04:56,653 Your light, your path as Christians is illuminated by the Word of God. 103 00:04:57,664 --> 00:05:02,453 Again, it suggests a, a, a c- constant companion to our, our walk. 104 00:05:03,313 --> 00:05:04,124 New Testament, okay? 105 00:05:04,124 --> 00:05:04,934 That's all Old Testament. 106 00:05:04,934 --> 00:05:05,983 Let's talk New Testament. 107 00:05:06,233 --> 00:05:07,834 Is there this expectation in the New Testament? 108 00:05:07,834 --> 00:05:11,294 Matthew 4:4, Jesus answered, "It is written, 'Man shall not live 109 00:05:11,294 --> 00:05:14,014 by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" 110 00:05:15,074 --> 00:05:16,654 So I need the Word of God for my nutrients. 111 00:05:16,654 --> 00:05:18,413 I need the Word of God as a daily intake. 112 00:05:18,413 --> 00:05:20,144 The way I need food, I need God's Word. 113 00:05:21,804 --> 00:05:29,294 John 8:31-32, Jesus said, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples." 114 00:05:29,364 --> 00:05:31,743 To abide in something is to remain in it. 115 00:05:32,144 --> 00:05:33,224 It's to stay there. 116 00:05:33,254 --> 00:05:37,183 "If you remain in my word," if you marinate in my word, in other 117 00:05:37,183 --> 00:05:39,364 words, "you will be my disciples." 118 00:05:40,584 --> 00:05:45,394 Ephesians, or, uh, before Ephesians, John 15:7, Jesus said, "If, if you abide 119 00:05:45,394 --> 00:05:48,523 in me," and not only should we abide in the Word, but His words abide in us. 120 00:05:49,654 --> 00:05:52,624 So we, we want to abide in His Word and His words to abide in us. 121 00:05:52,883 --> 00:05:54,913 "Ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." 122 00:05:57,134 --> 00:06:01,554 Now Ephesians 6:17, "Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the 123 00:06:01,554 --> 00:06:02,844 Spirit, which is the Word of God." 124 00:06:03,793 --> 00:06:06,814 Talking about spiritual warfare, that every single day we have an enemy 125 00:06:06,814 --> 00:06:10,253 who's prowling around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour, and 126 00:06:10,283 --> 00:06:12,804 the Apostle Paul tells us here in Ephesians that God's Word is the 127 00:06:12,804 --> 00:06:15,054 sword to help fend off his attacks. 128 00:06:15,054 --> 00:06:17,754 And like we talked about in that message back from 1 Peter Chapter 5, 129 00:06:17,984 --> 00:06:21,324 He's not taking a day off, which means that we shouldn't take a day off. 130 00:06:21,324 --> 00:06:24,984 In fact, not only is He not taking a day off, He's not taking an hour off. 131 00:06:25,904 --> 00:06:26,994 He's not taking a second off. 132 00:06:28,224 --> 00:06:29,233 Meditate on it day and night. 133 00:06:29,233 --> 00:06:29,964 Be saturated by it. 134 00:06:29,964 --> 00:06:33,064 Colossians 3:16, I think this is the clearest en- encouragement for us 135 00:06:33,064 --> 00:06:37,564 here in the New Testament, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly." 136 00:06:38,793 --> 00:06:40,604 Let God's Word dwell in you richly. 137 00:06:41,233 --> 00:06:43,154 Fill yourself up with the Word of God. 138 00:06:43,393 --> 00:06:46,124 Be saturated by the Word of God such that if someone were to wring you 139 00:06:46,124 --> 00:06:47,613 out, what would come out is Scripture. 140 00:06:49,704 --> 00:06:53,013 2 Timothy 3:16 and 17, "All Scripture is God-breathed." 141 00:06:53,854 --> 00:06:57,473 Now, when Paul is writing this to Timothy, his primary thought process here 142 00:06:57,473 --> 00:06:59,454 is the Scripture of the Old Testament. 143 00:07:00,154 --> 00:07:02,553 So what Paul is saying here is Deuteronomy, Leviticus, 144 00:07:02,553 --> 00:07:04,383 Numbers, it's God-breathed. 145 00:07:04,734 --> 00:07:06,553 1 and 2 Chronicles is God-breathed. 146 00:07:07,853 --> 00:07:10,213 He's saying this is God-breathed, and not only is it God-breathed, but he 147 00:07:10,213 --> 00:07:13,873 says it's, it's also profitable for teaching and reproof and correction 148 00:07:13,873 --> 00:07:17,064 and training in righteousness, in order that the man of God may be complete 149 00:07:17,064 --> 00:07:18,234 and equipped for every good work. 150 00:07:18,293 --> 00:07:20,963 Again, I think the Bible is not just saying, "Hey, you 151 00:07:20,963 --> 00:07:21,813 need to be in the Word daily." 152 00:07:21,813 --> 00:07:23,082 I think the Bible is saying more than that. 153 00:07:23,082 --> 00:07:25,954 You should be saturated by the Word of God. 154 00:07:26,623 --> 00:07:31,943 1 Peter 2:2, as we end this list of Scripture verses here, he says 155 00:07:31,943 --> 00:07:34,594 this, "Like newborn infants long for the pure spiritual milk," that 156 00:07:34,594 --> 00:07:37,263 is the milk of God's Word, "that by it you may grow up into salvation." 157 00:07:37,324 --> 00:07:38,063 Long for it. 158 00:07:38,644 --> 00:07:39,853 Long for it. 159 00:07:40,303 --> 00:07:43,294 Uh, bef- earlier this morning, I was, I was back doing some final 160 00:07:43,294 --> 00:07:47,524 prep, and I was, I was watching these videos of these remote tribes that 161 00:07:47,524 --> 00:07:49,954 were receiving the Bible in their own language for the first time. 162 00:07:51,303 --> 00:07:54,514 Uh, one of them was the, the Kimyal people, and they were in, 163 00:07:54,593 --> 00:07:57,343 in a remote area in, in Africa. 164 00:07:58,133 --> 00:08:00,944 And they received the, the Word of God in their own language 165 00:08:00,944 --> 00:08:02,343 for the first time, and they… 166 00:08:02,343 --> 00:08:05,874 The celebration was so great in their village that they danced for six hours. 167 00:08:07,724 --> 00:08:10,374 And one of the pastors being interviewed there said, "God has 168 00:08:10,374 --> 00:08:12,203 finally spoken to us in our language." 169 00:08:14,254 --> 00:08:19,514 Christian, God has spoken to you in your language, and not just in 170 00:08:19,514 --> 00:08:24,514 the English Standard Version, but also in the NIV and the NLT and the 171 00:08:24,514 --> 00:08:26,873 Christian Standard Bible and the LSB. 172 00:08:27,443 --> 00:08:33,643 I mean, the wealth that we have in the Word of God is unrivaled at 173 00:08:33,683 --> 00:08:34,864 any other time in human history. 174 00:08:35,893 --> 00:08:39,014 And what I'm saying to us this morning is I think what God has called us 175 00:08:39,014 --> 00:08:43,674 to is not just to pursue a life of sermons and Christian devotion books 176 00:08:43,674 --> 00:08:48,733 and worship music, but foundationally, before all of those things, to pursue 177 00:08:49,013 --> 00:08:50,864 a life of time in the Word of God. 178 00:08:52,323 --> 00:08:53,693 To pick up the Word, to read the Word. 179 00:08:53,893 --> 00:08:56,853 And, and, and again, maybe you're not there this morning, and I, and I get 180 00:08:56,853 --> 00:08:59,954 that, and I, I understand that it's hard. 181 00:09:00,684 --> 00:09:03,283 But that's where I hope that this morning's sermon is gonna help you 182 00:09:03,564 --> 00:09:06,834 reframe your approach to the Word, that you're gonna think about your 183 00:09:06,834 --> 00:09:07,643 approach to the Word differently. 184 00:09:07,643 --> 00:09:09,434 Why am I picking up my Bible, in other words? 185 00:09:09,974 --> 00:09:13,013 What is really there for me as I take up the Word of God 186 00:09:13,053 --> 00:09:13,983 and as I read the Word of God? 187 00:09:14,823 --> 00:09:18,853 And so we get into it in these first three verses here in Psalm 119:9-11. 188 00:09:18,853 --> 00:09:21,353 It says, "How can a young man keep his way pure? 189 00:09:21,664 --> 00:09:23,414 By guarding it according to your word. 190 00:09:23,904 --> 00:09:27,633 With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments. 191 00:09:27,914 --> 00:09:32,184 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I may not sin against you." 192 00:09:32,544 --> 00:09:35,823 So the psalmist opens with this question: How can a young man keep his way pure? 193 00:09:35,823 --> 00:09:38,323 And it's not just young men, it's all of us. 194 00:09:38,934 --> 00:09:40,453 How can we keep our way pure? 195 00:09:40,453 --> 00:09:43,783 To, to keep your way pure is to live a life of godliness. 196 00:09:44,313 --> 00:09:46,984 And the reason that frames, I think, everything else that he's gonna talk 197 00:09:46,984 --> 00:09:52,813 about here is this: We will only be as close relationally to God as we are godly. 198 00:09:53,364 --> 00:09:55,713 Now, salvation has reconciled us. 199 00:09:55,713 --> 00:09:56,624 We've been brought near to God. 200 00:09:56,624 --> 00:09:57,974 That's a total work of Jesus. 201 00:09:58,294 --> 00:10:02,423 Your experience of your relationship with God after salvation has 202 00:10:02,423 --> 00:10:06,343 to do with how much you are like Christ, how godly you are. 203 00:10:06,904 --> 00:10:10,353 And so the psalmist's question should grab our attention because it should cause 204 00:10:10,353 --> 00:10:13,673 us to stop and think to ourselves, "Oh man, he's, he's opening the door to… 205 00:10:14,023 --> 00:10:16,173 For me to ask and, and answer the question, 'How can I 206 00:10:16,423 --> 00:10:17,383 draw nearer to the Lord? 207 00:10:18,264 --> 00:10:20,124 How can I improve my relationship with God? 208 00:10:20,124 --> 00:10:21,264 What does that look like for me?'" 209 00:10:21,794 --> 00:10:23,334 How can a young man keep his way pure? 210 00:10:23,834 --> 00:10:30,104 To live a godly life, to, to pursue that, that lifestyle, is to draw closer 211 00:10:30,104 --> 00:10:31,433 to the Lord by, what does he say? 212 00:10:31,683 --> 00:10:33,964 By keeping it according to your word. 213 00:10:34,804 --> 00:10:36,263 By keeping it according to your word. 214 00:10:36,673 --> 00:10:40,423 And so if we want to draw near to the Lord, in other words, we can't do that if 215 00:10:40,423 --> 00:10:45,293 we have set the Word of God aside and our only Bible intake is what we're hearing 216 00:10:45,293 --> 00:10:50,536 right now this morning Again, does God say, "Thou shalt be in my Word every day"? 217 00:10:51,005 --> 00:10:51,316 No. 218 00:10:51,505 --> 00:10:52,155 I think He says more. 219 00:10:53,306 --> 00:10:56,535 And so as we look to this, i- i- i- it is worth our attention to say, 220 00:10:56,785 --> 00:10:59,755 "Okay, so then what does it look like to guard it according to His Word? 221 00:11:00,186 --> 00:11:01,075 How do I do this?" 222 00:11:01,585 --> 00:11:03,675 Well, that's where the rest of our passage comes in. 223 00:11:04,336 --> 00:11:05,916 That's where the rest of our passage comes in. 224 00:11:06,646 --> 00:11:10,695 A- as we get into this, the first thing that we should see here is what I was 225 00:11:10,765 --> 00:11:14,506 beginning to unpack a, a moment ago, that when you come to the Bible, you 226 00:11:14,506 --> 00:11:18,996 come to the Bible first and foremost, f- before any other reason, for God. 227 00:11:19,985 --> 00:11:21,755 You come to the Word of God for the God of the Word. 228 00:11:22,255 --> 00:11:24,735 You come to the Bible to have an encounter with Him that is 229 00:11:24,735 --> 00:11:26,915 relational at its very foundation. 230 00:11:27,376 --> 00:11:29,525 So when you pick up the Bible, there's a lot of different reasons you might 231 00:11:29,525 --> 00:11:32,935 pick up the Bible, but the main and first reason you should ever pick 232 00:11:32,935 --> 00:11:36,795 up the Bible, anytime that you pick it up, daily and more, is this. 233 00:11:36,985 --> 00:11:40,435 You wanna pick up the Bible first and foremost to pursue intimacy with God. 234 00:11:40,466 --> 00:11:41,935 First point this morning is this. 235 00:11:41,935 --> 00:11:43,566 Make Bible reading relational. 236 00:11:44,275 --> 00:11:45,955 Make Bible reading relational 237 00:11:48,491 --> 00:11:51,352 I told the first service, I'll tell you this too, this AI did this new, 238 00:11:51,352 --> 00:11:52,652 uh, this new slide deck for me. 239 00:11:52,652 --> 00:11:53,462 It's my content. 240 00:11:53,722 --> 00:11:56,531 I wrote the sermon, I wrote the slides, but I, I, I dumped 241 00:11:56,531 --> 00:11:58,012 my, my old slides in there. 242 00:11:58,012 --> 00:11:59,022 I was like, "I don't… 243 00:11:59,022 --> 00:11:59,812 This is ugly. 244 00:12:00,062 --> 00:12:01,291 Make this look better." 245 00:12:01,321 --> 00:12:01,722 And it did. 246 00:12:02,111 --> 00:12:02,472 It did. 247 00:12:02,682 --> 00:12:05,681 Pastor Rob's been trying to get me on AI for a long time, and so 248 00:12:05,681 --> 00:12:08,882 I'm, I'm starting to see the light just a little bit in certain areas. 249 00:12:09,142 --> 00:12:13,822 I promise you, you have my word, I will never write a sermon with AI, ever. 250 00:12:13,851 --> 00:12:17,002 I, I went through far too much seminary to throw that all away 251 00:12:17,002 --> 00:12:18,252 to let a computer write a sermon. 252 00:12:18,572 --> 00:12:21,042 That's also an abdication of duty, and a man should not be 253 00:12:21,042 --> 00:12:22,112 a pastor if he's gonna do that. 254 00:12:22,772 --> 00:12:23,712 That's not why I'm using AI. 255 00:12:23,932 --> 00:12:25,171 But it did make it look prettier, right? 256 00:12:25,261 --> 00:12:25,441 Yeah? 257 00:12:25,642 --> 00:12:26,112 A little bit? 258 00:12:26,112 --> 00:12:26,261 Okay. 259 00:12:26,631 --> 00:12:27,991 But that's why all three points are up there. 260 00:12:28,311 --> 00:12:30,482 I heard from some people in the first service, they appreciated that. 261 00:12:30,811 --> 00:12:33,261 They're like, "I was able to kinda see your argument as we got into that." 262 00:12:33,261 --> 00:12:33,932 So whether you like… 263 00:12:33,962 --> 00:12:35,542 If you like it, I'd love to hear from you. 264 00:12:35,572 --> 00:12:38,592 If you don't like it, have a great week afterwards, you know? 265 00:12:38,702 --> 00:12:39,831 I, I mean, just do. 266 00:12:40,121 --> 00:12:40,572 We love you. 267 00:12:40,612 --> 00:12:41,092 Read the Bible. 268 00:12:41,702 --> 00:12:45,741 Um, anyways, make it relational. 269 00:12:46,941 --> 00:12:51,171 M- every time you pick up God's Word, you are, are picking up the Word of God. 270 00:12:51,171 --> 00:12:55,801 God is speaking in your language, in other words, and He's speaking to you, and He's 271 00:12:55,881 --> 00:12:57,731 having a, a, a relationship with you. 272 00:12:57,762 --> 00:12:58,451 It's like this. 273 00:12:58,822 --> 00:13:02,292 I, I could, I could get to know my wife in a lot of different ways. 274 00:13:02,292 --> 00:13:06,421 So when I was in college, I, I got to know her through in, first through what 275 00:13:06,421 --> 00:13:10,661 we called Stalker Net, which is a, a very pleasant name for the online directory. 276 00:13:10,832 --> 00:13:12,031 I, I was like, "Hey, she's cute. 277 00:13:12,031 --> 00:13:13,051 What's her class schedule?" 278 00:13:13,082 --> 00:13:16,142 And for whatever reason, the administrator saw fit to give us access 279 00:13:16,142 --> 00:13:19,622 to everybody's class schedule, and so I was able to s- to plan my routes to 280 00:13:19,622 --> 00:13:21,661 try to run into her from time to time. 281 00:13:22,252 --> 00:13:24,131 And then, you know, I could also get to know her, I could, I 282 00:13:24,131 --> 00:13:25,182 could look at her Facebook page. 283 00:13:25,231 --> 00:13:26,222 What are, what are her likes? 284 00:13:26,222 --> 00:13:26,771 What are her dislikes? 285 00:13:26,771 --> 00:13:27,281 Who's her family? 286 00:13:27,281 --> 00:13:27,731 Things like that. 287 00:13:28,122 --> 00:13:31,201 I could get to know her by talking to her friends who know a lot about her. 288 00:13:31,201 --> 00:13:33,271 And I could get up next to her friends and be like, "Hey, why 289 00:13:33,271 --> 00:13:34,222 don't you tell me about Amanda? 290 00:13:34,252 --> 00:13:35,822 I wanna know as much as I can about Amanda. 291 00:13:36,142 --> 00:13:36,921 You know her. 292 00:13:36,921 --> 00:13:37,851 You love her a lot. 293 00:13:37,851 --> 00:13:38,991 You tell me about her." 294 00:13:40,311 --> 00:13:45,271 See, I could do all that, but that would not be nearly as effective as what it 295 00:13:45,271 --> 00:13:50,402 took, which is to spend time with her, to get to know her, to talk to her. 296 00:13:51,462 --> 00:13:54,182 That's where my relationship really was formed with her. 297 00:13:55,731 --> 00:13:59,032 Talking to friends a- about her is like listening to somebody who 298 00:13:59,032 --> 00:14:02,101 preaches great sermons without you ever getting into the Word of God. 299 00:14:03,551 --> 00:14:06,702 You may hear people that can help you understand God's Word, and that's great. 300 00:14:06,922 --> 00:14:08,111 It's not the same thing as the Bible. 301 00:14:09,092 --> 00:14:10,172 In fact, let me tell you this. 302 00:14:11,001 --> 00:14:13,891 If you would say, "Well, my primary devotional time is just listening to 303 00:14:13,891 --> 00:14:18,101 good sermons, and I get a lot out of that, and, and so I, I don't do, I 304 00:14:18,101 --> 00:14:20,241 don't read the Bible on my own," I, I… 305 00:14:20,592 --> 00:14:26,678 If your pastor is worth his salt, he would be mortified to hear that Because nothing 306 00:14:26,757 --> 00:14:31,928 I say, unless I'm quoting scripture, has the authority of the word of God itself. 307 00:14:32,738 --> 00:14:37,057 Nothing I say is going to be as, as impactful in the Spirit using it in 308 00:14:37,057 --> 00:14:39,118 your life as the word of God itself. 309 00:14:40,248 --> 00:14:43,858 I'm not saying preaching is, is pointless, otherwise I would just retire, right? 310 00:14:44,577 --> 00:14:47,267 It has its place, but it can't be your primary meal. 311 00:14:47,927 --> 00:14:49,028 You wanna get to know God? 312 00:14:49,487 --> 00:14:51,007 Don't just talk to people that know Him. 313 00:14:51,618 --> 00:14:52,247 Talk to Him. 314 00:14:53,128 --> 00:14:53,888 Get in the Bible. 315 00:14:53,948 --> 00:14:54,788 Read the Bible. 316 00:14:55,097 --> 00:14:55,987 Look at what the psalmist says. 317 00:14:55,987 --> 00:14:58,277 He says, "With my whole heart I seek you. 318 00:14:58,738 --> 00:14:59,738 How can I keep my way pure? 319 00:14:59,738 --> 00:15:00,918 By keeping it according to your word." 320 00:15:00,918 --> 00:15:02,517 And then right away he says, what does that look like? 321 00:15:02,517 --> 00:15:04,067 First and foremost, I gotta be seeking Him. 322 00:15:05,398 --> 00:15:06,918 I gotta want the relationship with God. 323 00:15:07,367 --> 00:15:10,247 When I pick up my Bible, I gotta want God more than I want the biblical 324 00:15:10,247 --> 00:15:12,988 knowledge, or to be smarter, or to check a box, or to get somebody 325 00:15:12,988 --> 00:15:15,087 off my back, or to make a defense. 326 00:15:15,538 --> 00:15:17,558 The first thing I have to do when I pick up the Bible is 327 00:15:17,558 --> 00:15:18,677 I have to say, "I want God. 328 00:15:19,558 --> 00:15:20,367 I want you, Lord." 329 00:15:21,977 --> 00:15:25,968 And, and that informs a lot about the, the time and the place that 330 00:15:25,968 --> 00:15:28,378 we pick up the Bible and do our devotional time, have our quiet time. 331 00:15:29,567 --> 00:15:32,237 Having your quiet time on the way to work by just listening to the Bible, 332 00:15:32,478 --> 00:15:35,608 maybe not super effective when the guy cuts you off and you're having 333 00:15:35,608 --> 00:15:38,777 regressive sanctification in that moment instead of progressive sanctification. 334 00:15:40,928 --> 00:15:42,027 Carve out some time. 335 00:15:43,408 --> 00:15:46,367 Susanna Wesley famously would take her apron and, and put it up over her head, 336 00:15:47,298 --> 00:15:48,327 'cause she had that many children. 337 00:15:49,388 --> 00:15:52,977 That was where she got her quiet time, and she trained her children to know 338 00:15:52,977 --> 00:15:55,708 when Mom's got the apron over her head, she's spending time with God. 339 00:15:57,668 --> 00:15:58,978 Find time, right? 340 00:15:58,978 --> 00:16:00,238 This is what Jesus did, didn't He? 341 00:16:00,808 --> 00:16:04,027 In Mark's gospel it opens up, Jesus is doing a, a run of miracles. 342 00:16:04,027 --> 00:16:06,388 He's healing a bunch of people as they're bringing them, and He's healing the sick, 343 00:16:06,388 --> 00:16:08,877 and then it says, "The next morning He got up and He went away by himself to a 344 00:16:08,877 --> 00:16:11,398 desolate place to be with his Father." 345 00:16:12,938 --> 00:16:15,688 Whatever your time is or place, it doesn't have to be in, early in the morning. 346 00:16:16,528 --> 00:16:20,727 But find time, find place to truly seek Him, as he says 347 00:16:20,727 --> 00:16:22,178 here, with your whole heart. 348 00:16:23,358 --> 00:16:24,128 Be fully devoted. 349 00:16:24,128 --> 00:16:24,858 Be undistracted. 350 00:16:25,827 --> 00:16:28,448 Last week I, as I introduced the quiet time challenge, I said it would be good 351 00:16:28,448 --> 00:16:34,088 for us to begin before we get into the Word each day to pray, and this should 352 00:16:34,088 --> 00:16:38,257 be part of that prayer: "Lord, help me to seek you right now with my whole heart. 353 00:16:39,068 --> 00:16:39,888 Help me to be undistracted. 354 00:16:39,888 --> 00:16:43,417 Help my attention to be undivided and to be fully fixed on you." 355 00:16:44,537 --> 00:16:47,098 And so whatever that looks like for you, to find that time, to find that place, 356 00:16:47,098 --> 00:16:50,588 to put the phone away, to turn off the notifications, to get away from the noise, 357 00:16:50,787 --> 00:16:53,298 to get away from everything else and say, "Lord, this is about me and you." 358 00:16:53,298 --> 00:16:57,767 Because your relationship with Him is what's happening there dynamically, 359 00:16:57,767 --> 00:17:00,768 perhaps more than any other time, when you pick up the Word and you read, 360 00:17:01,247 --> 00:17:02,548 God's talking to you in your language. 361 00:17:03,327 --> 00:17:03,618 Read it. 362 00:17:04,527 --> 00:17:04,827 Own it. 363 00:17:05,407 --> 00:17:05,787 Believe it. 364 00:17:06,157 --> 00:17:07,857 He says, "With my whole heart, I seek you." 365 00:17:07,907 --> 00:17:10,777 The Word of God is not a, an end in and of itself. 366 00:17:10,808 --> 00:17:11,738 It's a means to an end. 367 00:17:12,657 --> 00:17:16,048 It's a means to an end, and that end is a deeper relationship with God 368 00:17:18,762 --> 00:17:21,424 What that looks like as it works itself out, look at verse 10, the rest of it. 369 00:17:21,424 --> 00:17:25,772 He says this, he says, "Let me not wander or stray from your commandments. 370 00:17:25,973 --> 00:17:29,313 I've stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." 371 00:17:30,813 --> 00:17:34,353 And so for the psalmist to seek Him with his whole heart looked like allowing 372 00:17:34,383 --> 00:17:37,834 the Word of God to then take root in his life and cause it to transform his life. 373 00:17:37,834 --> 00:17:40,104 In other words, he said, "Lord, I want to seek you with my whole 374 00:17:40,104 --> 00:17:43,244 heart, and then I want to own your Word and I want to obey it." 375 00:17:44,623 --> 00:17:48,883 A lot of times we can pit obedience and relationship against each other. 376 00:17:48,883 --> 00:17:53,544 A- a- and we l- we like to hear about our relationship with God, but as 377 00:17:53,544 --> 00:17:56,794 soon as we start hearing about the need to obey God, somehow we, we pit 378 00:17:56,794 --> 00:17:58,064 those two things against each other. 379 00:17:58,283 --> 00:18:01,344 And what the psalmist is saying is, that is what our relationship with God is. 380 00:18:03,184 --> 00:18:05,653 God is pleased when we submit ourselves to Him. 381 00:18:06,574 --> 00:18:09,044 We draw nearer to Him as we obey Him. 382 00:18:09,693 --> 00:18:12,724 And so the psalmist says, "I, I don't want to wander from your commandments. 383 00:18:12,724 --> 00:18:14,254 I don't want to stray from your rules. 384 00:18:14,513 --> 00:18:16,324 Lord, I want to treasure them up." 385 00:18:16,324 --> 00:18:18,984 That's what he means there in verse 11, "I've stored up your word in my heart 386 00:18:18,984 --> 00:18:20,653 that I might not sin against you." 387 00:18:21,403 --> 00:18:24,464 But notice here that the, the relationship is still in view. 388 00:18:24,894 --> 00:18:28,234 "Let me not wander or stray from your commandments, Lord. 389 00:18:28,424 --> 00:18:32,573 I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." 390 00:18:34,094 --> 00:18:35,644 I think that's in- informative for us. 391 00:18:35,644 --> 00:18:38,513 He doesn't just say, "Uh, let me not wander from the Bible. 392 00:18:38,513 --> 00:18:40,024 Let me not wander from the law. 393 00:18:40,414 --> 00:18:43,524 I've stored up the, the Bible in my heart that I might not sin." 394 00:18:44,443 --> 00:18:46,623 He's using these personal pronouns because the psalmist is 395 00:18:46,623 --> 00:18:47,873 saying, "This is about you, God. 396 00:18:47,873 --> 00:18:49,373 When I read the Word, it's about you. 397 00:18:49,373 --> 00:18:50,884 It's about my relationship with you. 398 00:18:51,284 --> 00:18:52,924 It's about deepening my relationship with you." 399 00:18:54,214 --> 00:18:56,693 And so whatever our reasons are that we pick up the Word of God, we pick 400 00:18:56,693 --> 00:19:00,894 up the Word of God first and foremost because of our relationship with Him. 401 00:19:01,914 --> 00:19:04,803 We store it up because we want to live it out, which is gonna 402 00:19:04,803 --> 00:19:06,884 cause us to draw near to Him 403 00:19:09,163 --> 00:19:13,003 Charles Spurgeon described what this life looks like, and he said it this way. 404 00:19:13,704 --> 00:19:18,444 He said, "Let each person, young or old, who desires to be holy and have 405 00:19:18,444 --> 00:19:22,953 a holy watchfulness in his heart, and to keep the Holy Bible open before 406 00:19:22,953 --> 00:19:27,093 his open eye, there he will find every turn of the road marked down, every 407 00:19:27,093 --> 00:19:31,134 slough and miry place pointed out, and with a way to go through unsoiled. 408 00:19:31,193 --> 00:19:36,193 And there, too, he will find light for his darkness, comfort for his weariness, and 409 00:19:36,193 --> 00:19:40,873 company for his loneliness, so that by its help he will reach the benediction of the 410 00:19:40,873 --> 00:19:44,553 first verse of the Psalm, which suggested the Psalmist's inquiry and awakened 411 00:19:44,553 --> 00:19:46,404 his desires, that he might be blessed." 412 00:19:47,613 --> 00:19:50,273 And so Spurgeon is saying it, it's, it's about drawing near, and we 413 00:19:50,273 --> 00:19:52,593 draw near through this holiness, and this is the impact that the 414 00:19:52,593 --> 00:19:56,064 holiness has in and through our lives. 415 00:19:56,064 --> 00:19:56,814 And y'all, here's the thing. 416 00:19:56,814 --> 00:19:59,543 We have a, an advantage over David, over the Psalmist. 417 00:19:59,543 --> 00:20:02,683 We have an advantage over so many of the, the people in the Old Testament that we 418 00:20:02,683 --> 00:20:05,374 read about under the New Covenant, because we've got the Holy Spirit dwelling within 419 00:20:05,374 --> 00:20:10,413 us to help us do all this, to help us understand the Word, to help us desire 420 00:20:10,413 --> 00:20:12,724 the Word, to help us apply the Word. 421 00:20:12,724 --> 00:20:15,714 And so as Christians, we should expect when we come to the Word of God that He 422 00:20:15,714 --> 00:20:18,964 is going to illuminate the scriptures for us, show us how we can apply it 423 00:20:18,964 --> 00:20:21,814 to our lives, and that all of that, in the end, is gonna cause us to have a 424 00:20:21,814 --> 00:20:23,184 deeper and closer relationship with Him. 425 00:20:24,663 --> 00:20:26,894 This is why we pick up the Bible. 426 00:20:27,714 --> 00:20:31,153 We pick up the Bible because it is first and foremost a pursuit 427 00:20:31,153 --> 00:20:33,214 of a deeper relationship with God. 428 00:20:34,733 --> 00:20:37,053 In that deeper relationship with Him, though, one of the things that 429 00:20:37,053 --> 00:20:40,434 He's gonna be doing through that time is He's gonna be teaching us. 430 00:20:41,314 --> 00:20:42,504 He's gonna be helping us understand more. 431 00:20:43,083 --> 00:20:44,284 He's gonna be instructing us. 432 00:20:45,424 --> 00:20:48,314 Have you ever tried to teach somebody something who isn't really teachable? 433 00:20:49,294 --> 00:20:51,464 All the parents in the room said, "Amen." 434 00:20:52,394 --> 00:20:55,354 Trying to convey something to some- somebody about, uh, wisdom that you 435 00:20:55,354 --> 00:20:57,384 have and they, they don't really want the wisdom that you have. 436 00:20:58,644 --> 00:21:00,464 Trying to help them when they don't want your help 437 00:21:02,763 --> 00:21:05,763 We need to be careful not to have that posture and that attitude 438 00:21:05,763 --> 00:21:06,644 when we come to the Word of God. 439 00:21:08,413 --> 00:21:10,813 We need to be careful that when we come to the Word of God, we recognize 440 00:21:10,813 --> 00:21:13,414 that we are coming to the God of the Word, who is there to teach us. 441 00:21:14,694 --> 00:21:17,244 And that's what he's saying here in Psalm 119, verses 12 through 13. 442 00:21:17,244 --> 00:21:18,374 He says, "Blessed are you, Lord. 443 00:21:18,774 --> 00:21:20,303 Teach me your statutes. 444 00:21:21,293 --> 00:21:22,184 Teach them to me. 445 00:21:22,943 --> 00:21:24,844 With my lips I declare the rules of your mouth." 446 00:21:25,914 --> 00:21:28,754 And so the second way that we approach the Word of God, not only do we wanna 447 00:21:28,754 --> 00:21:31,973 approach the Word of God and make it relational, because it is, that's the 448 00:21:31,973 --> 00:21:35,114 foundation of our pursuit of the Word, but the second thing that we wanna do as 449 00:21:35,114 --> 00:21:37,673 we approach the Word of God, the second goal, the second aim that we have, is 450 00:21:37,673 --> 00:21:40,724 we wanna come hungry and come teachable. 451 00:21:41,173 --> 00:21:43,564 Second point, come hungry and come teachable. 452 00:21:44,684 --> 00:21:47,103 One of the men in our church, uh, loves to, to bless us as 453 00:21:47,103 --> 00:21:50,204 pastors, uh, by occasionally taking us to Hutchins Barbecue. 454 00:21:51,263 --> 00:21:54,193 And so he'll extend the invitation, and he'll be like, "Hey, we're gonna 455 00:21:54,193 --> 00:21:56,623 go to Hutchins this week," and then he'll follow it up with this statement. 456 00:21:56,623 --> 00:21:57,533 He'll say, "Come hungry. 457 00:21:58,123 --> 00:21:58,564 Come hungry." 458 00:21:59,243 --> 00:22:00,763 He doesn't have to tell us twice, right? 459 00:22:01,234 --> 00:22:03,524 And, and, and Hutchins is th- the… 460 00:22:04,004 --> 00:22:04,853 It's the pinnacle. 461 00:22:05,024 --> 00:22:05,814 It is the best. 462 00:22:06,204 --> 00:22:07,223 Uh, at least for brisket. 463 00:22:07,914 --> 00:22:11,193 Tender has an, an argument for ribs, but for brisket, no place 464 00:22:11,193 --> 00:22:12,333 is, is as good as Hutchins. 465 00:22:12,984 --> 00:22:15,494 And you show up there, and when you get to Hutchins, you wanna make sure that 466 00:22:15,494 --> 00:22:16,634 you've got an appetite for Hutchins. 467 00:22:16,634 --> 00:22:17,174 So what does that mean? 468 00:22:17,174 --> 00:22:18,723 That means that morning I'm not eating. 469 00:22:18,833 --> 00:22:19,744 I'm not eating breakfast. 470 00:22:20,704 --> 00:22:22,964 A- and when I get to the office that morning and I'm doing my 471 00:22:22,964 --> 00:22:26,214 study and my stomach starts to gnaw me, I'm not going for the, the 472 00:22:26,214 --> 00:22:27,583 snacks that we have in the office. 473 00:22:27,954 --> 00:22:28,863 I'm not touching those. 474 00:22:29,083 --> 00:22:30,753 In fact, I'm not even, really even drinking water. 475 00:22:30,753 --> 00:22:34,583 I'm showing up at Hutchins hungry and dehydrated, because I want as much room 476 00:22:34,583 --> 00:22:39,693 in my stomach as possible to eat that meal, because that meal is so good. 477 00:22:41,034 --> 00:22:43,674 And, and when you get to Hutchins, right, what do you do when you get to Hutchins? 478 00:22:43,674 --> 00:22:44,484 Well, you go through the line. 479 00:22:44,484 --> 00:22:46,634 If you've not been there, uh, what's first? 480 00:22:46,634 --> 00:22:47,884 What's first is the star of the show. 481 00:22:47,884 --> 00:22:48,454 It's the meat. 482 00:22:49,573 --> 00:22:51,024 They don't give you the sides first. 483 00:22:51,693 --> 00:22:53,693 You're not showing up at Hutchins going, "Okay, I want the okra, and I 484 00:22:53,693 --> 00:22:56,613 want the mac and cheese, and I want the beans, and I want the slaw, and 485 00:22:56,613 --> 00:22:59,104 I want the potato salad," and then getting to the meat and being like, "I 486 00:22:59,104 --> 00:23:00,464 don't have any room for the meat left." 487 00:23:01,594 --> 00:23:02,784 What a tragedy that would be. 488 00:23:04,134 --> 00:23:06,013 It's not like the, the mac and cheese is bad. 489 00:23:06,013 --> 00:23:06,503 It's good. 490 00:23:06,503 --> 00:23:07,274 It's great even. 491 00:23:08,013 --> 00:23:09,894 Potato salad is, is decent too. 492 00:23:10,984 --> 00:23:12,353 But none of those compare to the meat 493 00:23:14,382 --> 00:23:17,042 Church, when we pick up the word of God every day, we gotta have that hunger. 494 00:23:17,042 --> 00:23:18,981 We have, we have to come hungry to the word. 495 00:23:19,782 --> 00:23:24,171 And, and here's the thing, your sermons and your podcasts and your Christian 496 00:23:24,171 --> 00:23:27,192 living books written by John Piper and all the other superstars in the world, 497 00:23:27,791 --> 00:23:30,342 that's the mac and cheese and the okra. 498 00:23:30,951 --> 00:23:32,461 That's the, the beans. 499 00:23:32,812 --> 00:23:33,552 That's the slaw. 500 00:23:33,552 --> 00:23:34,621 That's the potato salad. 501 00:23:35,892 --> 00:23:38,351 They're good in the right context, but they're no 502 00:23:38,351 --> 00:23:39,841 replacement for the main course. 503 00:23:41,382 --> 00:23:42,771 The Bible's the main course. 504 00:23:43,621 --> 00:23:46,641 The word of God is what you come hungry for every day. 505 00:23:47,692 --> 00:23:50,372 It's coming hungry saying, "God, I wanna feast on your word." 506 00:23:50,582 --> 00:23:54,821 A- and so we come hungry, but we also come teachable to the word, and those 507 00:23:54,821 --> 00:23:56,001 two things have to both be there. 508 00:23:56,672 --> 00:24:00,512 We're picking up the word to sit under it, not to sit over it in judgment of it. 509 00:24:01,341 --> 00:24:04,442 A- and so in Matthew 18, the disciples are, are arguing together, and 510 00:24:04,442 --> 00:24:05,602 they're gonna ask Jesus a question. 511 00:24:05,602 --> 00:24:08,712 They say, "Teacher, who's gonna be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" 512 00:24:09,422 --> 00:24:12,321 And Jesus doesn't answer them the way that maybe they thought He would. 513 00:24:12,321 --> 00:24:14,512 He doesn't say, "You know, the, the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, 514 00:24:14,512 --> 00:24:16,462 it's gonna be the one that's been walking with me the longest." 515 00:24:17,201 --> 00:24:18,782 He doesn't say, "The greatest in the kingdom of heaven, it's the 516 00:24:18,782 --> 00:24:19,932 one that's the most righteous." 517 00:24:20,852 --> 00:24:22,712 He doesn't say, "The greatest in the kingdom of heaven is the one that 518 00:24:23,091 --> 00:24:24,542 is the most powerful here on Earth." 519 00:24:26,201 --> 00:24:27,072 Instead, what does He do? 520 00:24:27,072 --> 00:24:28,042 He picks up a child. 521 00:24:29,292 --> 00:24:30,922 He picks up a child, and He says this. 522 00:24:31,322 --> 00:24:34,382 He says, "Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you 523 00:24:34,382 --> 00:24:35,551 will never enter the kingdom of heaven." 524 00:24:36,651 --> 00:24:39,771 He's saying a lot in that, but one of the things that I believe He's 525 00:24:39,771 --> 00:24:45,021 saying is we need to have a childlike humility in our posture of pursuit 526 00:24:45,021 --> 00:24:46,081 of the word every single day. 527 00:24:47,362 --> 00:24:51,081 My kids ask me questions all the time, questions that I often am like, "Really? 528 00:24:51,271 --> 00:24:53,142 You don't, you don't know how to do this? 529 00:24:54,172 --> 00:24:56,322 You've been with us for this long, and we failed you to this 530 00:24:56,322 --> 00:24:57,632 point 'cause you can't do this?" 531 00:24:58,572 --> 00:25:00,221 But at the same time, I'm delighted that they ask me 532 00:25:00,221 --> 00:25:01,451 because it's a childlike humility. 533 00:25:02,661 --> 00:25:05,032 They're coming to me saying, "Dad, teach me," because they know that I know 534 00:25:07,947 --> 00:25:10,798 We need to be before the Father saying, "Father, teach me." 535 00:25:11,928 --> 00:25:14,668 We need to have that childlike humility every time we come to the word of 536 00:25:14,668 --> 00:25:16,407 God, expecting Him to teach us. 537 00:25:16,768 --> 00:25:20,027 Blessed are you, O Lord, teach me your statutes. 538 00:25:20,577 --> 00:25:23,197 That word blessed is, is not the word for happy like it was earlier. 539 00:25:23,197 --> 00:25:24,118 There was another word for blessed. 540 00:25:24,118 --> 00:25:25,268 This is the word for praise you. 541 00:25:26,188 --> 00:25:26,938 God be praised. 542 00:25:27,918 --> 00:25:28,887 Teach me your statutes. 543 00:25:28,887 --> 00:25:32,168 The word teach there in the, the original language, it's, it's intensified 544 00:25:32,168 --> 00:25:35,477 in its form and it's intensified in its form, and it even suggests a 545 00:25:35,477 --> 00:25:37,608 continual repetitious ongoing pattern. 546 00:25:37,977 --> 00:25:39,237 Lord, teach me and keep teaching me. 547 00:25:40,327 --> 00:25:41,388 I never wanna be done learning. 548 00:25:41,668 --> 00:25:43,348 Keep showing me the things that I don't know. 549 00:25:43,348 --> 00:25:45,598 I said earlier, we should be praying before we come to the word that the 550 00:25:45,598 --> 00:25:49,377 Lord would give us a, a, a fully devoted heart to seek Him with all that we are. 551 00:25:49,918 --> 00:25:52,098 This is another part of our prayer before we pick up the word of God 552 00:25:52,098 --> 00:25:53,188 that we should have, "Lord, teach me. 553 00:25:54,537 --> 00:25:55,958 Teach me when I come to your word this morning." 554 00:25:56,857 --> 00:25:59,487 Instead of coming to Second Chronicles and being like, "Oh man, Second 555 00:25:59,487 --> 00:26:03,147 Chronicles, I don't know that I'm gonna get much out of this today," instead 556 00:26:03,147 --> 00:26:05,967 of that, we should pick up the word of God and say, "Lord, I need you because 557 00:26:05,967 --> 00:26:06,987 I'm gonna be in Second Chronicles. 558 00:26:06,987 --> 00:26:08,918 I need you more than I've ever needed you before. 559 00:26:10,057 --> 00:26:10,998 Teach me, Lord. 560 00:26:11,818 --> 00:26:13,227 Teach me through what this is. 561 00:26:13,877 --> 00:26:15,227 Teach me what you would have for me today." 562 00:26:16,657 --> 00:26:19,007 And if you walk away with one thing, praise God for that. 563 00:26:20,218 --> 00:26:21,578 Teach me your statutes, Lord. 564 00:26:21,928 --> 00:26:22,587 I wanna be hungry. 565 00:26:22,587 --> 00:26:23,178 I wanna be humble. 566 00:26:23,407 --> 00:26:28,038 I- I- imagine th- this is, this is God, the, the only God that exists. 567 00:26:28,038 --> 00:26:28,858 There's only one, right? 568 00:26:29,487 --> 00:26:31,928 And he's saying that he's here and, and the psalmist is saying that you 569 00:26:31,928 --> 00:26:33,178 can say to him, "Will you teach me?" 570 00:26:34,227 --> 00:26:37,367 I- imagine being a painter, an artist, which I'm not by any stretch of the 571 00:26:37,367 --> 00:26:42,108 imagination, but imagine if you were, and Rembrandt was your instructor. 572 00:26:43,767 --> 00:26:47,668 To learn at his feet, to say, "Wow, he might even be able to 573 00:26:47,668 --> 00:26:49,218 help me get beyond stick figures." 574 00:26:50,748 --> 00:26:53,517 That would be amazing to have somebody like Rembrandt teach me how to paint. 575 00:26:54,568 --> 00:26:58,127 Or, or imagine if you're a chef and you had one of the, the greatest chefs 576 00:26:58,127 --> 00:27:02,687 in the world teaching you how to, to, to prepare your food, and you had 577 00:27:02,687 --> 00:27:05,517 access to that person at any time. 578 00:27:07,197 --> 00:27:12,797 Or whatever your hobby is, you had the greatest at it that's ever lived, past, 579 00:27:12,797 --> 00:27:18,647 present, or future, at your disposal whenever you wanted it to say, "Can 580 00:27:18,647 --> 00:27:19,817 you teach me something right now? 581 00:27:20,328 --> 00:27:20,867 I need your help 582 00:27:23,979 --> 00:27:25,989 We have the God of the universe 583 00:27:28,142 --> 00:27:28,581 Right here 584 00:27:30,894 --> 00:27:33,426 Such that we can say to him, "Teach me 585 00:27:35,566 --> 00:27:37,046 Teach me your statutes 586 00:27:40,398 --> 00:27:42,118 Have you ever seen a hungry baby go after baby food? 587 00:27:43,667 --> 00:27:47,358 Your spoon, the, the spoon feeding age where they, they have no control over 588 00:27:47,358 --> 00:27:51,108 their, their limbs at this point, but yet they know if they did, they would 589 00:27:51,108 --> 00:27:54,988 just grab that spoon and eat that jar way faster than you're feeding it to them. 590 00:27:55,687 --> 00:27:56,328 And so what happens? 591 00:27:56,328 --> 00:27:59,467 Their eyes get really big and they, they just start hyperventilating 592 00:27:59,467 --> 00:28:02,568 and their li- limbs flail about because they're trying to communicate 593 00:28:02,568 --> 00:28:03,928 to you, "Will you feed me faster? 594 00:28:03,928 --> 00:28:04,738 I want more food." 595 00:28:08,526 --> 00:28:11,825 We could do with a little bit more of that when it comes to the Word of God. 596 00:28:13,855 --> 00:28:16,136 To recognize again what we have 597 00:28:18,926 --> 00:28:19,836 in what we have 598 00:28:22,094 --> 00:28:24,653 No generation has had the access to the Word of God that we have 599 00:28:27,470 --> 00:28:29,809 I mean, you think back again, those jungle tribes that are, are, are 600 00:28:29,809 --> 00:28:32,689 receiving God's Word, and their response is, "We're gonna stop what we're doing. 601 00:28:32,689 --> 00:28:35,281 We're gonna dance for six hours to praise God for this." 602 00:28:37,835 --> 00:28:42,255 Tears being shed as a pastor says, "God has finally spoken to us in our language." 603 00:28:46,443 --> 00:28:48,173 And we, we, we fill up on other things 604 00:28:51,019 --> 00:28:53,220 We have God saying, "Hey, I'm here. 605 00:28:53,990 --> 00:28:57,370 I got everything necessary for life and godliness, and I'm willing to teach you 606 00:29:01,262 --> 00:29:03,301 Are we going and sitting at His feet? 607 00:29:03,771 --> 00:29:06,551 Are we longing like newborn babes for the pure spiritual milk of the Word? 608 00:29:06,832 --> 00:29:11,211 Uh, there's a, a story in the Bible where there's two sisters, and, and 609 00:29:11,512 --> 00:29:14,852 one of them's name is Mary, the other one's, other one's name is Martha, and 610 00:29:14,852 --> 00:29:16,192 they're getting ready to host Jesus. 611 00:29:17,091 --> 00:29:20,641 Now, ladies, I'm sure that you can probably relate to Martha in this one. 612 00:29:21,802 --> 00:29:22,852 Jesus is coming over. 613 00:29:23,612 --> 00:29:25,032 We need to get the fancy guest towels out. 614 00:29:26,212 --> 00:29:27,282 Jesus is coming over. 615 00:29:27,782 --> 00:29:28,421 We need to vacuum. 616 00:29:29,081 --> 00:29:30,212 Hey, Jesus is coming over. 617 00:29:30,762 --> 00:29:31,671 I have to prepare a meal. 618 00:29:32,581 --> 00:29:33,572 Jesus is coming over. 619 00:29:34,151 --> 00:29:35,502 I need to make sure everything's ready. 620 00:29:37,262 --> 00:29:38,381 And so that's what Martha does. 621 00:29:39,741 --> 00:29:40,552 And, and that's fine. 622 00:29:41,282 --> 00:29:44,881 Nowhere in the interaction does Jesus tell Martha, "Hey, what you're doing is wrong." 623 00:29:46,151 --> 00:29:49,111 But while Martha is busy doing all of these things, her 624 00:29:49,111 --> 00:29:51,201 sister Mary has welcomed Jesus. 625 00:29:51,721 --> 00:29:54,931 Jesus sits down, and Mary sits at Jesus' feet and listens 626 00:29:54,931 --> 00:29:57,122 to Him and says, "Teach me." 627 00:29:58,752 --> 00:30:02,041 A- and Martha, as she's doing everything, she's looking over her shoulder probably 628 00:30:02,041 --> 00:30:04,331 thinking to herself, "Well, I'd love to do that too, but we've got all 629 00:30:04,331 --> 00:30:05,581 this stuff that we need to get done. 630 00:30:06,861 --> 00:30:08,361 I'm too busy to sit at Jesus' feet." 631 00:30:10,001 --> 00:30:14,302 And so Martha says, "Teacher, can you send my sister over here, please? 632 00:30:15,041 --> 00:30:16,242 I could use some extra hands." 633 00:30:17,522 --> 00:30:21,181 And Jesus looks at Martha, and He doesn't say, "Hey, Martha, 634 00:30:22,272 --> 00:30:23,232 what you're doing is wrong. 635 00:30:24,321 --> 00:30:25,842 Hey, Martha, what you're doing is not worth it." 636 00:30:27,192 --> 00:30:30,672 Rather, He says, "Martha, Mary has chosen the better portion." 637 00:30:30,672 --> 00:30:36,162 She's chosen the better portion, to sit at the feet of Jesus and say, "Teach me." 638 00:30:37,971 --> 00:30:40,202 I don't know what your life looks like, except I guarantee you it's 639 00:30:40,202 --> 00:30:46,041 busy because that, aside from good, i- if, if we were to take a poll, 640 00:30:46,081 --> 00:30:47,351 when somebody says, "How are you?" 641 00:30:48,122 --> 00:30:51,321 my guess is number one answer would be good, number two answer would be busy. 642 00:30:52,781 --> 00:30:54,541 And there's probably both of those things in your life right now. 643 00:30:55,581 --> 00:30:58,281 And now you've got a pastor that's up here telling you that, man, it, 644 00:30:58,281 --> 00:31:00,141 God doesn't just want you to be in the Word daily, He wants you 645 00:31:00,141 --> 00:31:02,672 to be in the Word more than that. 646 00:31:02,821 --> 00:31:04,232 He wants you saturated with the Word. 647 00:31:04,232 --> 00:31:06,482 And, and you already told me, "I only have 24 hours, and I only 648 00:31:06,482 --> 00:31:09,111 have 1,440 minutes, and I, I'm spending a lot of that time asleep. 649 00:31:09,111 --> 00:31:10,922 And then I've gotta get up, and I've gotta go to work because I've gotta 650 00:31:10,922 --> 00:31:14,851 support my family, and I've got meetings that I can't move on my calendar." 651 00:31:14,851 --> 00:31:17,051 And m- maybe you're, you're a stay-at-home mom. 652 00:31:17,051 --> 00:31:19,452 You're thinking, "Uh, okay, but I've got my kids, and I gotta make sure that 653 00:31:19,452 --> 00:31:22,582 they get up, and, and I've gotta feed them, and I've gotta get them breakfast. 654 00:31:22,582 --> 00:31:24,842 And I've gotta plan their day because I don't wanna just sit them 655 00:31:24,842 --> 00:31:26,372 in front of the TV all day long. 656 00:31:26,372 --> 00:31:29,211 And we've got a playdate over here, and I've got doctor appointments over 657 00:31:29,211 --> 00:31:31,631 here, and I have to get to the dentist appointment that I made for myself. 658 00:31:31,631 --> 00:31:34,762 And then tonight we're having this family over, and the house has to get ready, 659 00:31:34,762 --> 00:31:37,812 and the house is not ready because I have children that mess it up for a 660 00:31:37,812 --> 00:31:39,842 living, and so I have to clean it up. 661 00:31:40,422 --> 00:31:43,642 And so I've got all of these things going on, and now, Pastor, you're telling me 662 00:31:43,892 --> 00:31:46,961 that I need to come and, and I need to be hungry and teachable before the Lord." 663 00:31:49,205 --> 00:31:52,465 And I'm just saying, y'all, none of those things are wrong 664 00:31:54,766 --> 00:31:56,206 But Mary has chosen the better part 665 00:31:58,702 --> 00:32:03,832 And so whatever that looks like for you, to find the time to sit with Jesus 666 00:32:03,912 --> 00:32:05,542 and to say, "Teach me your statutes." 667 00:32:07,412 --> 00:32:11,281 To give yourself to the study of the Word of God, to open your heart up 668 00:32:11,281 --> 00:32:14,545 to, to what he has to tell you through the Word, it's gonna be worth it 669 00:32:16,779 --> 00:32:18,730 whatever needs to be changed. 670 00:32:19,670 --> 00:32:23,610 Find time to be Mary in the midst of all of the stuff that you're being Martha with 671 00:32:26,955 --> 00:32:27,805 Teach me your statutes. 672 00:32:27,805 --> 00:32:29,886 A-a-and it doesn't just stay with the receiving, it's also 673 00:32:29,886 --> 00:32:31,286 then what the declaring is. 674 00:32:32,005 --> 00:32:34,866 'Cause look, he says, "With my mouth I declare your, your rules. 675 00:32:36,335 --> 00:32:37,766 With my lips I declare the rules of your mouth." 676 00:32:37,766 --> 00:32:39,905 To declare is, is to recite or to recount. 677 00:32:41,136 --> 00:32:43,266 A-and so one of the signs that we know something is that then 678 00:32:43,266 --> 00:32:44,956 we can teach it to someone else. 679 00:32:45,626 --> 00:32:48,255 So when we have Adventure Club up here, that we had this, this last 680 00:32:48,255 --> 00:32:50,466 Wednesday and we did the closing ceremonies, it was, it was awesome. 681 00:32:50,466 --> 00:32:51,716 It was cool to see all these kids up there. 682 00:32:51,956 --> 00:32:54,456 And they're memorizing all of these verses, and one of the things that we 683 00:32:54,456 --> 00:32:57,145 do is we have them memorize the verse and not just show up and say, "I did 684 00:32:57,145 --> 00:33:00,065 it," but we have them memorize the verse and show up and then recite it. 685 00:33:01,295 --> 00:33:03,786 Because that shows us that it's, it's something that they've stored 686 00:33:03,786 --> 00:33:05,495 up, that it's there, they know it. 687 00:33:06,506 --> 00:33:09,236 And so it's inevitable that when we come before the Lord and we say, "Teach 688 00:33:09,236 --> 00:33:11,935 me your statutes," that if, if we're doing that faithfully, that it's gonna 689 00:33:11,935 --> 00:33:14,736 fill us up and then we are gonna start talking to other people about it. 690 00:33:16,745 --> 00:33:19,696 Charles Spurgeon had a, a great admiration for John Bunyan, and 691 00:33:19,696 --> 00:33:20,766 he said this of John Bunyan. 692 00:33:21,416 --> 00:33:23,986 He said, "Prick him anywhere and his blood is bibline." 693 00:33:23,986 --> 00:33:25,682 In other words, he bleeds the Bible 694 00:33:28,107 --> 00:33:30,058 The very essence of the Bible flows from him. 695 00:33:30,268 --> 00:33:33,567 He cannot speak without quoting a text, for his very soul 696 00:33:33,567 --> 00:33:34,918 is full of the Word of God. 697 00:33:35,347 --> 00:33:37,328 Again, does the Bible say, "Read me every day"? 698 00:33:37,328 --> 00:33:38,317 No, I think it's more than that. 699 00:33:39,548 --> 00:33:40,197 Be saturated. 700 00:33:40,197 --> 00:33:41,128 Be like this 701 00:33:43,305 --> 00:33:45,936 One more thing on, on Hutchins really quick, and I, I know it's the 11 o'clock 702 00:33:45,936 --> 00:33:47,885 service, and this is cruel 'cause lunch is right around the corner. 703 00:33:47,885 --> 00:33:49,376 You're going, "Okay, Pastor, you're talking about barbecue. 704 00:33:49,376 --> 00:33:49,825 Come on now." 705 00:33:50,445 --> 00:33:52,405 You don't have to tell anybody that you've been to Hutchins. 706 00:33:52,405 --> 00:33:52,956 You know why? 707 00:33:53,935 --> 00:33:55,596 You're gonna smell like you've been to Hutchins. 708 00:33:56,416 --> 00:33:59,475 It's the worst part about it 'cause three or four hours later, when you're 709 00:33:59,475 --> 00:34:02,885 stuffed full of Hutchins, the last thing that you want is to smell meat and 710 00:34:02,885 --> 00:34:05,286 smoke, and it just seeps into your body. 711 00:34:05,795 --> 00:34:07,916 And until you take a shower and burn the clothes, you're not 712 00:34:07,916 --> 00:34:09,074 gonna not smell like Hutchins. 713 00:34:10,335 --> 00:34:11,536 I used to love it in California. 714 00:34:11,536 --> 00:34:14,356 I'd come visit out here, and I was homesick 'cause this is home for me. 715 00:34:14,356 --> 00:34:16,094 And I even went to Hutchins once. 716 00:34:16,155 --> 00:34:19,266 I, I bought a T-shirt from Hutchins, and I took it home with me, and it 717 00:34:19,266 --> 00:34:21,966 smelled like the Hutchins smoke, and I just left it in my drawer, and I 718 00:34:21,966 --> 00:34:26,496 didn't wash it 'cause before I was satisfied with Hutchins, I-- the smoke 719 00:34:26,496 --> 00:34:27,975 was like, "Oh, I want more of this." 720 00:34:29,536 --> 00:34:31,126 Once you've been to Hutchins, people know you've been to Hutchins. 721 00:34:32,405 --> 00:34:33,864 Do people know that you've been sitting with Jesus? 722 00:34:35,594 --> 00:34:40,594 Can people smell, hear, see the impacts of your time in the Word in your life? 723 00:34:42,185 --> 00:34:43,114 Are you so hungry? 724 00:34:43,146 --> 00:34:46,196 Are you so satisfied in your pursuit of Jesus that it is 725 00:34:46,755 --> 00:34:51,955 flowing from you such that people would say, "He's been with Jesus. 726 00:34:51,955 --> 00:34:52,396 She's been with Jesus"? 727 00:34:54,931 --> 00:34:55,891 That's our, our aim. 728 00:34:55,891 --> 00:34:57,072 Come hungry, come teachable. 729 00:34:58,552 --> 00:35:02,882 And, and here's the glorious reality of all of this in the end, is none of 730 00:35:02,882 --> 00:35:04,382 this is meant to be a burden to you. 731 00:35:05,561 --> 00:35:09,021 None of this is meant to be drudgery to you. 732 00:35:10,202 --> 00:35:13,312 Maybe that's where you're at at this point, but the good news, the promise of 733 00:35:13,312 --> 00:35:14,771 the Bible is that it won't stay there. 734 00:35:16,372 --> 00:35:16,812 Keep going. 735 00:35:16,812 --> 00:35:19,212 In, in verses 14 through 16, he says this: "In the way of 736 00:35:19,212 --> 00:35:20,952 your testimonies, I delight. 737 00:35:21,571 --> 00:35:25,511 In the way of your testimonies, I delight as much as in all riches. 738 00:35:26,261 --> 00:35:29,231 I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. 739 00:35:29,301 --> 00:35:30,902 I will delight in your statutes. 740 00:35:30,942 --> 00:35:32,582 I will not forget your word." 741 00:35:33,262 --> 00:35:35,672 In the way of your testimonies, I delight. 742 00:35:36,771 --> 00:35:39,602 Uh, do you remember the first time that you ever tried coffee? 743 00:35:39,931 --> 00:35:40,292 Anybody? 744 00:35:41,062 --> 00:35:41,321 Yeah? 745 00:35:41,531 --> 00:35:41,661 Okay. 746 00:35:42,021 --> 00:35:45,692 Uh, for me it was a, a tiny little thimble, and the first time I tried 747 00:35:45,692 --> 00:35:48,902 it, it was the most disgusting thing I've ever tasted in my entire life. 748 00:35:49,632 --> 00:35:53,422 I was like five or six years old at the time, and I just remember thinking to 749 00:35:53,422 --> 00:35:55,001 my parents, "You're trying to poison me. 750 00:35:55,551 --> 00:35:56,161 Why?" 751 00:35:56,461 --> 00:35:59,251 And then I rem- remember asking myself the question, "Why do you guys drink this? 752 00:35:59,811 --> 00:36:00,832 This does not taste good." 753 00:36:02,472 --> 00:36:04,622 Now, I drink a cup of coffee every single morning. 754 00:36:05,512 --> 00:36:05,781 Why? 755 00:36:05,781 --> 00:36:08,701 Because I've, over the course of my life, acquired a taste for it. 756 00:36:10,251 --> 00:36:12,561 If we give ourselves to the study of the Word of God, we will, the 757 00:36:12,561 --> 00:36:15,141 promise is, acquire a taste of the Word of God so that it becomes 758 00:36:15,141 --> 00:36:16,662 our delight more than all riches. 759 00:36:16,662 --> 00:36:19,302 So our final point this morning along those lines is that acquire a 760 00:36:19,302 --> 00:36:20,741 taste for the riches of God's Word. 761 00:36:21,571 --> 00:36:22,522 Acquire a taste for it. 762 00:36:22,881 --> 00:36:24,762 Cultivate the flavors, the, the, the taste. 763 00:36:25,112 --> 00:36:26,001 And, and here's the thing, y'all. 764 00:36:26,211 --> 00:36:29,292 When, when I first started drinking coffee, it wasn't the 765 00:36:29,292 --> 00:36:30,522 just straight black coffee. 766 00:36:31,042 --> 00:36:34,931 I was starting out with the, the, you know, the, the entry level drug that 767 00:36:34,931 --> 00:36:36,501 Starbucks pedals, the Frappuccinos. 768 00:36:37,662 --> 00:36:40,412 So I was getting the Frappuccino, which had the espresso in it, but it 769 00:36:40,412 --> 00:36:43,582 was way outweighed by all the rest of the sugar and stuff in there. 770 00:36:44,181 --> 00:36:47,031 And so I would, I would drink that, and I'd be like, "Well, I'm drinking coffee." 771 00:36:47,461 --> 00:36:47,961 And I was. 772 00:36:47,991 --> 00:36:49,001 I was drinking a little bit of coffee. 773 00:36:49,461 --> 00:36:51,222 And then I had a lot of help with that too, right? 774 00:36:51,881 --> 00:36:54,631 And, and then I got into college, and I tried to start the, the latte 775 00:36:54,631 --> 00:36:57,131 thing, and I was like, "Okay, I'm, I'm venturing out a little bit more. 776 00:36:57,131 --> 00:36:59,391 I taste more of the coffee in here, but this is still tolerable." 777 00:36:59,711 --> 00:37:02,631 And then I got to seminary, and out of absolute necessity, I had 778 00:37:02,631 --> 00:37:06,182 an IV just hooked up to my li- veins, which is black coffee just 779 00:37:06,182 --> 00:37:07,121 pouring through me the whole time. 780 00:37:08,412 --> 00:37:10,022 This morning, like any morning… 781 00:37:10,022 --> 00:37:12,302 In fact, I got in a fight with my coffee pot this morning, so that's 782 00:37:12,302 --> 00:37:13,231 another story for another time. 783 00:37:13,231 --> 00:37:14,852 But, um, spiritual warfare. 784 00:37:15,251 --> 00:37:18,281 Uh, but this morning I sat down, and I had a, just a cup of straight 785 00:37:18,281 --> 00:37:19,412 black coffee, and I love it. 786 00:37:20,171 --> 00:37:22,272 And the thing is, it's, it's not just that I love the effects. 787 00:37:22,352 --> 00:37:23,811 I don't just love that it helps me wake up. 788 00:37:24,182 --> 00:37:25,022 I love the taste. 789 00:37:25,171 --> 00:37:25,671 I crave it. 790 00:37:25,751 --> 00:37:26,371 I desire it. 791 00:37:27,121 --> 00:37:29,781 So I went from five and six years old trying that thimble of coffee going, 792 00:37:29,781 --> 00:37:32,972 "This is the worst thing I've ever had," to now I'm like, "How do I get more?" 793 00:37:33,882 --> 00:37:36,401 I'll drink decaf at night just 'cause I, I like the flavor 794 00:37:39,589 --> 00:37:40,479 God's Word, right? 795 00:37:40,849 --> 00:37:44,040 Maybe you're, you're with the thimble right now of God's Word, and you're, 796 00:37:44,040 --> 00:37:46,500 you're just saying, "I, I, I'm struggling right now to, to want it." 797 00:37:48,568 --> 00:37:51,099 And, and maybe you're looking at, at us saying, "Hey, the daily Bible reading. 798 00:37:51,099 --> 00:37:52,279 Be in the daily Bible reading plan. 799 00:37:52,279 --> 00:37:53,538 Read the Old Testament, read the New Testament. 800 00:37:53,538 --> 00:37:54,069 Do it every day." 801 00:37:54,069 --> 00:37:56,529 And, and you're going, "Whoa, that sounds like you're just asking me to, 802 00:37:56,529 --> 00:38:00,138 to take a giant mug of black coffee and just down it, and, and that's not very 803 00:38:00,138 --> 00:38:01,518 palatable for where I'm at right now." 804 00:38:03,079 --> 00:38:05,369 Listen, u- unabashedly, we, we want you to get there. 805 00:38:06,809 --> 00:38:07,959 And, and so here's what I'm gonna say. 806 00:38:08,809 --> 00:38:12,389 If that looks like the Frappuccino start of saying, "You know what? 807 00:38:12,389 --> 00:38:14,609 I'm just gonna jump into the New Testament right now. 808 00:38:15,649 --> 00:38:16,959 I'm gonna read a chapter in the New Testament. 809 00:38:17,979 --> 00:38:19,479 I'm gonna read some of God's Word right now. 810 00:38:19,998 --> 00:38:22,708 I'm gonna get into the, the, the, the area that's a little 811 00:38:22,708 --> 00:38:23,969 bit more palatable right now." 812 00:38:24,958 --> 00:38:26,158 And, and here's why I'm okay with that. 813 00:38:26,978 --> 00:38:27,478 Here's why, y'all. 814 00:38:27,868 --> 00:38:30,278 Because I trust what God's Word says about itself. 815 00:38:31,539 --> 00:38:34,908 And so if you have the Spirit of God dwelling within you, I trust that if 816 00:38:34,908 --> 00:38:39,268 you will begin to do that, to say, "I'm gonna start by just reading 817 00:38:39,268 --> 00:38:42,789 the New Testament," you will want more and more and more and more. 818 00:38:43,699 --> 00:38:48,138 The Spirit of God will cultivate a taste for His Word in your life. 819 00:38:48,579 --> 00:38:50,888 And before you know it, you'll be reading the Old Testament, you'll 820 00:38:50,888 --> 00:38:51,839 be reading the New Testament. 821 00:38:51,839 --> 00:38:52,528 You'll be with us. 822 00:38:52,528 --> 00:38:53,598 You'll be asking questions. 823 00:38:53,598 --> 00:38:55,799 You'll be writing in questions to the podcast going, "Hey, what about this?" 824 00:38:56,138 --> 00:38:56,668 But here's the deal. 825 00:38:56,668 --> 00:38:59,329 As your pastor, I'd rather you, you be in a little bit of the 826 00:38:59,329 --> 00:39:00,759 Word than none of the Word at all. 827 00:39:02,539 --> 00:39:08,113 And so whatever that looks like for you to, to, to wade into it, do that 828 00:39:10,165 --> 00:39:12,856 A- and again, you might be out there going, "Yeah, but the Bible doesn't say 829 00:39:13,106 --> 00:39:14,165 I have to be in the Word every day." 830 00:39:14,165 --> 00:39:15,415 No, it says more than that. 831 00:39:16,466 --> 00:39:19,525 And if you're a Christian, and the Spirit of God dwells within you, 832 00:39:20,365 --> 00:39:23,905 you should have an, an inert, uh, in- an inherent desire within you 833 00:39:24,146 --> 00:39:25,985 to say, "I want more of the Word." 834 00:39:27,716 --> 00:39:32,156 And so if you're not there right now, let's work to get there, 'cause He 835 00:39:32,156 --> 00:39:35,056 says, "In the way of your testimonies, I delight as much as in riches." 836 00:39:35,755 --> 00:39:37,986 I don't want you leaving the riches of God on the shelf. 837 00:39:38,845 --> 00:39:41,865 I don't want you forfeiting the blessings of God by not being in the Word of God. 838 00:39:43,855 --> 00:39:45,936 And when we get there, we begin to do what He says in verse 15, 839 00:39:45,936 --> 00:39:49,626 to, to meditate on His precepts and to fix our eyes on His ways. 840 00:39:50,146 --> 00:39:53,405 Uh, to meditate in, in, in our culture means to empty your mind. 841 00:39:54,126 --> 00:39:58,105 To meditate in the Bible means to fill your mind, to fill your 842 00:39:58,105 --> 00:40:00,515 mind with the Word of God, to keep it mulling over in your mind. 843 00:40:01,335 --> 00:40:04,195 All right, I, I've set your appetite up, now I'm about to kill your appetite. 844 00:40:04,195 --> 00:40:05,486 So just, um, warn you. 845 00:40:06,045 --> 00:40:07,646 Um, have you ever seen a cow eat? 846 00:40:09,276 --> 00:40:10,486 This is in keeping with Hutchin's, right? 847 00:40:10,486 --> 00:40:11,725 Cows, Hutchin's, barbecue. 848 00:40:12,776 --> 00:40:16,935 The, the cow that you enjoy as brisket, it used to eat grass, and what it 849 00:40:16,935 --> 00:40:19,765 would do is it would eat the grass, and then it has multiple stomachs. 850 00:40:19,765 --> 00:40:21,965 And that's as far as I'm gonna go on that 'cause I don't even remember how st- how 851 00:40:21,965 --> 00:40:23,106 many stomachs it has, but it has many. 852 00:40:23,636 --> 00:40:27,045 Um, and it eats the, the grass, and it swallows it, but then that meal's 853 00:40:27,045 --> 00:40:30,795 not over, and this is where it gets a little unappeti- uh, appetizing for us. 854 00:40:31,445 --> 00:40:33,816 What it's gonna do is it's gonna take that grass that it was eating, and it's 855 00:40:33,816 --> 00:40:38,715 gonna regurgitate it back into its mouth, and that's what we call the cud, C-U-D. 856 00:40:38,755 --> 00:40:40,136 I say we as though I'm a farmer. 857 00:40:40,585 --> 00:40:42,545 That's what, that's what is, we call the cud. 858 00:40:43,236 --> 00:40:45,895 Um, and it's gonna take that cud, and what's it gonna do? 859 00:40:46,066 --> 00:40:46,895 It's gonna keep chewing on it. 860 00:40:47,405 --> 00:40:47,706 Why? 861 00:40:47,786 --> 00:40:50,986 Because it's got more that it can get out of it, and it's gonna do that multiple 862 00:40:50,986 --> 00:40:53,725 times before it fully digests the cud. 863 00:40:55,185 --> 00:40:56,386 That's biblical meditation. 864 00:40:57,585 --> 00:40:59,556 You begin to delight in the Word of God so much. 865 00:41:00,015 --> 00:41:03,585 And maybe at the Frappuccino level, you're like, "Hey, I read a gospel, uh, part of 866 00:41:03,585 --> 00:41:06,816 the Gospel of John today for the daily Bible reading, and I took away something. 867 00:41:06,816 --> 00:41:08,176 Here's, here's the thing that I took away." 868 00:41:08,876 --> 00:41:12,045 Again, it may not be four or five seminary level insights, but it may be 869 00:41:12,045 --> 00:41:15,026 one insight that God is teaching you right now, and praise God for that. 870 00:41:15,026 --> 00:41:15,655 And so guess what? 871 00:41:15,655 --> 00:41:16,655 Meditate on that all day long. 872 00:41:17,435 --> 00:41:19,045 Chew the cud on that thing all day long. 873 00:41:19,805 --> 00:41:21,465 Get as much out of that as you can all day long. 874 00:41:23,045 --> 00:41:24,795 Learn to delight in the Word of God that way 875 00:41:26,862 --> 00:41:28,151 He says, "I will delight in your statutes. 876 00:41:28,151 --> 00:41:29,121 I will not forget my word." 877 00:41:30,512 --> 00:41:32,981 Acquire a taste for the riches of the Word of God. 878 00:41:33,311 --> 00:41:34,432 Find delight in it. 879 00:41:35,391 --> 00:41:35,992 Y'all, here's the thing. 880 00:41:35,992 --> 00:41:41,221 I, I delight in my relationship with my wife, but if I treated my wife 881 00:41:42,341 --> 00:41:47,203 the way that a lot of Christians treat our Bible My relationship 882 00:41:47,203 --> 00:41:48,493 with my wife would be in shambles 883 00:41:51,435 --> 00:41:56,416 I- if I pursued my wife like a lot of us pursue God, my relationship with 884 00:41:56,416 --> 00:41:57,938 my wife would be on a life support 885 00:42:01,675 --> 00:42:04,755 I could maybe come home from work and my wife wants to tell me something, 886 00:42:04,755 --> 00:42:07,146 and if I treated her the way that a lot of us treat the Bible, I would look 887 00:42:07,146 --> 00:42:09,975 at her and be like, "Uh, what you're saying right now, it, it bores me. 888 00:42:11,345 --> 00:42:12,366 I'm not interested in this. 889 00:42:12,366 --> 00:42:16,156 I'm gonna skip ahead to sections that interest me." 890 00:42:18,204 --> 00:42:20,425 Or if she came to me and she was sharing her heart with me and, and 891 00:42:20,425 --> 00:42:21,521 I, I looked at her and I was like 892 00:42:23,701 --> 00:42:27,171 Um, yeah, I, I, I don't really have time for this conversation right now. 893 00:42:28,321 --> 00:42:29,781 Can we, can we find another time to meet? 894 00:42:31,232 --> 00:42:32,462 I've got a couple minutes on the way to work. 895 00:42:32,491 --> 00:42:34,141 Do you wanna call me while I'm in the car? 896 00:42:36,555 --> 00:42:38,815 Or if my wife came to talk to me and I said, "No, no, no, it's okay. 897 00:42:38,865 --> 00:42:39,385 I'm, I'm good. 898 00:42:39,656 --> 00:42:42,045 I talked to other people who know you about you today. 899 00:42:43,105 --> 00:42:45,605 And, and I heard from them how much, how awesome you are, and they told me 900 00:42:45,605 --> 00:42:47,876 how much they love you and how much I should love you, and they gave me 901 00:42:47,876 --> 00:42:48,885 reasons why I should love you, too. 902 00:42:49,145 --> 00:42:50,385 A- and so I, I'm good. 903 00:42:50,385 --> 00:42:51,276 I'm, I'm filled up. 904 00:42:51,376 --> 00:42:51,706 We're good." 905 00:42:54,635 --> 00:42:56,135 Can you imagine the state my marriage would be in? 906 00:42:58,475 --> 00:43:02,126 And, and we wonder why we feel distant from God? 907 00:43:03,255 --> 00:43:07,425 We wonder why God's not doing more in our church than he is? 908 00:43:08,305 --> 00:43:09,296 We wonder why 909 00:43:12,910 --> 00:43:20,390 You know, I think, I don't think, I know if we set ourselves to truly 910 00:43:20,979 --> 00:43:24,090 become the biblically saturated church that I think God wants us 911 00:43:24,090 --> 00:43:27,949 to be, that He would do far more in our midst than He's doing right now. 912 00:43:29,649 --> 00:43:31,739 We wouldn't be taking away chairs in the back of the room 913 00:43:31,950 --> 00:43:33,059 for the 11 o'clock service. 914 00:43:34,330 --> 00:43:35,420 We'd be adding a service. 915 00:43:37,360 --> 00:43:39,030 We'd be saying, "Hey, we gotta have more baptisms." 916 00:43:40,709 --> 00:43:43,399 We'd be saying, "Oh man, look at what God's doing in this marriage in 917 00:43:43,399 --> 00:43:46,029 redeeming this and redeeming that, and fixing this and doing this," and, 918 00:43:46,299 --> 00:43:47,540 and, and, and it would be everywhere. 919 00:43:47,689 --> 00:43:53,500 And, and, and yet it comes down to not a deficiency. 920 00:43:53,500 --> 00:43:54,990 We're, we're not lacking anything. 921 00:43:56,930 --> 00:43:59,090 It comes down to whether or not we wanna do anything with what we have 922 00:44:01,742 --> 00:44:02,521 He's given it to us. 923 00:44:02,521 --> 00:44:03,761 He's spoken in our language. 924 00:44:04,541 --> 00:44:06,722 The God of the universe has condescended to us to be able to 925 00:44:06,722 --> 00:44:09,582 speak in our language such that we would be able to understand Him 926 00:44:12,075 --> 00:44:13,646 And so here it is at the end of the day, y'all. 927 00:44:14,315 --> 00:44:20,655 I can't do anything to change what you're gonna do tomorrow morning with 928 00:44:20,655 --> 00:44:25,275 the Bible or the next six days between now and the next time we meet together. 929 00:44:25,596 --> 00:44:27,436 I can't, I can't do anything on that. 930 00:44:27,726 --> 00:44:30,066 Just like when somebody preaches to me, they can't do anything 931 00:44:30,066 --> 00:44:31,090 in my heart about that either 932 00:44:33,739 --> 00:44:36,779 And, and, and maybe, you know, you're frustrated with this pastor that's 933 00:44:36,779 --> 00:44:39,199 up, up here telling you all of these things, and you're going, "Okay, this 934 00:44:39,199 --> 00:44:40,720 is just a read my Bible more sermon." 935 00:44:41,130 --> 00:44:42,409 It, it is, unapologetically. 936 00:44:42,710 --> 00:44:43,819 Unapologetically it is 937 00:44:46,144 --> 00:44:50,753 The only difference I'm asking for you is to read what we're studying right now, 938 00:44:50,753 --> 00:44:55,434 read what it's saying, and to ask yourself the question, do you believe this? 939 00:44:57,163 --> 00:44:57,663 Forget me. 940 00:44:58,434 --> 00:44:58,764 Forget me. 941 00:45:00,673 --> 00:45:01,793 Some of you are like, "Yeah, forget you." 942 00:45:02,784 --> 00:45:03,163 Forget me 943 00:45:05,355 --> 00:45:10,666 Just read, read His Word and ask yourself, "Do I believe the 944 00:45:10,666 --> 00:45:12,945 promises that are here in His Word? 945 00:45:14,655 --> 00:45:16,346 Do I want what He's holding out to me? 946 00:45:18,325 --> 00:45:24,185 And am I willing to do what it takes to access it? 947 00:45:25,985 --> 00:45:27,895 Do I want a difference in my relationship with God? 948 00:45:29,225 --> 00:45:31,945 Do I wanna know more because I want Him to teach me more? 949 00:45:33,185 --> 00:45:35,535 Do I wanna find delight in the Word of God? 950 00:45:35,535 --> 00:45:37,330 Do I want those things?" 951 00:45:39,534 --> 00:45:42,633 If you do, the roadmap is clear. 952 00:45:43,733 --> 00:45:44,849 The goals are out there 953 00:45:46,958 --> 00:45:47,768 But you have to want it. 954 00:45:49,378 --> 00:45:51,318 And that want, I think, is gonna come back to the question of 955 00:45:51,318 --> 00:45:53,042 do you actually believe this? 956 00:45:55,310 --> 00:45:57,810 It's one thing, as Pastor Rod was saying about the song that we sang, it's sh- 957 00:45:57,960 --> 00:45:59,220 same thing when it comes to the Bible 958 00:46:01,451 --> 00:46:04,832 We can agree on the surface, but do we believe it? 959 00:46:06,872 --> 00:46:09,271 If we believe it, I think it has to make a difference in our lives. 960 00:46:10,382 --> 00:46:11,751 I think it has to transform us. 961 00:46:12,441 --> 00:46:15,091 I think it has to, to say, "Let's go. 962 00:46:16,731 --> 00:46:17,431 God's word is here. 963 00:46:17,672 --> 00:46:20,391 He's written to us in our own language, in a way that we can understand it. 964 00:46:20,542 --> 00:46:21,282 He's given it to us. 965 00:46:21,511 --> 00:46:22,111 It's right here. 966 00:46:23,471 --> 00:46:25,942 Let's get after it." 967 00:46:25,942 --> 00:46:27,621 Again, with the right motives, with the right goals. 968 00:46:28,352 --> 00:46:32,662 I think it will transform our church, it will transform your lives, it 969 00:46:33,072 --> 00:46:35,611 will transform marriages, it will transform individuals, it will 970 00:46:35,611 --> 00:46:42,922 transform our culture, our community, if we can get serious about it. 971 00:46:42,922 --> 00:46:44,161 Let's pray. 972 00:46:45,762 --> 00:46:48,812 Father, we thank you for your word, that you have spoken to us 973 00:46:48,812 --> 00:46:49,892 in a way that we can understand. 974 00:46:49,892 --> 00:46:52,082 You've spoken to us in our language. 975 00:46:52,082 --> 00:46:55,412 You've spoken to us in a way that, that makes sense, that we can read it and see. 976 00:46:55,412 --> 00:46:58,021 And, and while there are some parts that, yes, are confusing, 977 00:46:59,122 --> 00:47:01,501 Lord, there are so many parts of it that, that are abundantly clear. 978 00:47:02,241 --> 00:47:05,081 And even the parts that are confusing aren't reason for us to just throw in 979 00:47:05,081 --> 00:47:06,081 the towel and say, "Well, I give up. 980 00:47:06,081 --> 00:47:07,081 I'm not gonna do this anymore." 981 00:47:08,372 --> 00:47:10,952 And so, God, I pray that you would help us to have a great hunger for your word. 982 00:47:10,952 --> 00:47:13,822 I pray that you would keep us teachable, sitting at the feet of your word. 983 00:47:13,822 --> 00:47:17,441 I pray that you would keep us like Mary, that we would carve out time to just 984 00:47:17,441 --> 00:47:21,272 sit and be in your presence and get to know you, pursuing you relationally. 985 00:47:21,272 --> 00:47:24,101 That we would sit in your presence to say, "Lord, teach me 986 00:47:24,342 --> 00:47:25,721 that I might know more of you." 987 00:47:26,122 --> 00:47:30,061 And that we would find over time that we grow in our appreciation for our time 988 00:47:30,061 --> 00:47:33,552 in the word, that we begin to delight more and more as we see the benefits of 989 00:47:33,552 --> 00:47:37,011 it, as we live a life of faithfulness to you and draw nearer to you every day. 990 00:47:37,892 --> 00:47:40,381 Lord, your word is such a valuable, precious resource 991 00:47:40,381 --> 00:47:41,532 that we hold in our hands. 992 00:47:42,191 --> 00:47:45,241 I pray that we would use it the way that you've intended us to use it, 993 00:47:45,241 --> 00:47:46,682 that we wouldn't waste what we have. 994 00:47:47,162 --> 00:47:49,411 We've been given access to it like no generation in human 995 00:47:49,411 --> 00:47:50,892 history has ever had access to it. 996 00:47:52,042 --> 00:47:53,701 And so, Lord, help us not to squander that, I pray. 997 00:47:53,701 --> 00:47:58,402 I pray that we would be a biblically saturated church, that people would know 998 00:47:58,671 --> 00:48:00,362 anywhere we go that we've been with Jesus. 999 00:48:00,892 --> 00:48:01,722 We pray this in his name, 1000 00:48:02,591 --> 00:48:03,502 amen.