A Road Map for Your Journey • Psalm 119

49:32 Teaching begins

Notes

It’s always amazing for me to be in the Northwest. I haven’t lived here for 32 years and it is always wonderful to see, hear, smell, taste, the things that are so familiar, that say to me, “home”.

I’ve been meditating in Psalm 119. I know and maybe you do as well, that it’s an acrostic psalm. Each stanza of eight verses begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. It seems more like the Proverbs, with unrelated ideas thrown together.

As I meditated I thought I better zip on through or else I’ll never get through this in my lifetime. Then I thought, well, I’ve been going through Psalms for ten years. Who cares how fast I go? When I slowed down and just had a good time I began to see a theme emerge from the verses.

That theme is, this life is a journey, not a destination. There is a way through this life that leads to eternal life. The rest of the ways lead to death. This psalm amounts to a road map through life. When you travel your goal is to stay on the right road and avoid the roads that don’t go to your destination.

This morning we get to consider this: you are on a journey. Here in Psalm 119 you have a road map for your journey.

1. This psalm is about complete happiness, v. 1-8.

A. This psalm opens with this exclamation: oh, the bliss of those whose way is tamim: blameless, complete, sound, no blemish, no defect.

B. This is the word used for a sacrifice acceptable to God. It had to be perfect, without any disease, no weakness, nothing missing, absolutely perfect. Only perfection is acceptable to God.

C. Now, imagine that your life was complete and filled and perfect, lacking nothing. Are you perfect? Are you filled this morning? Or are you aware of what is missing, what is lacking, what is sick, what is corrupted, what is broken and can’t be fixed.

D. There are parts of my physical body that don’t function as designed and can’t be fixed. I’m aware of the lack. I miss the good old days when everything worked.

2. The psalmist says that perfection and completeness comes from going God’s way.

A. This word “way” is used 13 times in this psalm. The word “path” is used five times. The idea of “walking” and “running” is used, also the idea of “wandering”.

B. The idea of “way” implies journeying, traveling, going from one place to another. It implies distance. It implies time, effort, planning, preparation, even perseverance. It implies purpose and destination.

C. There are several ways mentioned in Psalm 119: my ways, other people’s ways, and God’s way. They are not the same.

1. For example, verse 26 I have told of my ways, and You have answered me; teach me Your statutes. I’ve talked to God about my ways, the ways that I live my life. My purposes and my goals, what I want to accomplish, what means anything to me, my values. What I think results in completeness and perfection. God answers, and whatever God answered made the psalmist change his mind and direction to say, teach me YOUR statutes. You alone are complete and perfect. I want You.

2. There are lots of ways in this life. It’s like a labyrinth that has lots of passages, lots of directions. There are different professions a person can learn. Many causes to volunteer for. Lots of purposes. One of the big problems is to figure out, what shall I be? What shall I do? What’s my hobby? Who am I?

3. But there’s only one way that leads out of this existence, to eternal life. That way is God’s way.

3. The psalmist knows that his best is not sufficient to go God’s way, v. 10.

A. You may have heard people quoting verse 9 and then skip to verse 11. And you could get the idea that going God’s way is a piece of cake. Ya wanna be pure? Take the word of God, put it in your heart, bingo. Now, have you tried doing that? Is it simple, clockwork, one, two, three? You put a quarter of scripture in your heart, you get a quarter of holiness out?

B. The psalmist in verse 10 sought the Lord with all his heart. A united heart, loving the Lord his God with all his heart, all his soul, all his mind, all his strength. And yet he prays, do not let me wander from Your commandments. How can you pray a prayer like that? Because you have lost your way and gone off some other way that isn’t God’s way. It is the most natural thing in the world to do.

C. So the psalmist is confessing that he cannot go God’s way without God. Unless God gives and supports and provides there’s no way we can go God’s way by ourselves, alone. The positive way to say this is, going God’s way means going with God.

D. This implies that God’s way is faith in Him. This has always been how you go God’s way. You depend upon Him. You trust in His promises, trust in His power, His love, His salvation, His provision. You go God’s way by faith in Him.

4. This way of God is the way through this life, meaning, this life is not the end in itself. It’s a path, not a destination, v. 19, 54.

A. A stranger is a foreigner, an alien, doesn’t belong to the country he lives in. He wasn’t born here, he was born somewhere else. He’s a native there. He belongs to that place by birth.

B. I’ve been a stranger for a little over half my life.

1. I’ve lived as a stranger in Japan, in Germany, in England. I’ve been a stranger in China, in Austria, in France, in Netherlands, in Sweden, in Poland, Italy, Mexico, Canada, Russia, Israel, South Africa, Congo, Hong Kong, South Korea.

2. Everyone in these places know I’m not from there. I don’t speak the language, I don’t know the customs. I don’t look like anyone there. I remember trying hard to fit in in Germany, speak the language. But “American” is evidently tattooed on my forehead. I don’t fool anyone. I’m not from here.

C. It was amazing to go to the American Embassy in London and see the line and realise that was for the foreigners needing a visa to go to the U.S. But I get to walk right in. I’m a citizen. I belong here. I’m a native. Great country, by the way. All the stupid people saying how bad the U.S. is is pushing a lie.

D. But look what the psalmist says, I am a stranger in the earth.

1. This existence on this planet is foreign to me. I am a foreigner here in this life. But I don’t belong here. I am travelling through. I can’t stay here. This isn’t home, I’m passing through on my way home.

2. Home is a place I’ve never been to. But it will be more familiar and more home than any place I’ve ever known. When I come back to Seattle everything says, “Home!” But where the psalmist is going everything says HOME, and everyone will be there. Heaven is one big “Hello!” There is no “goodbye”. We’ll be home and we get to stay home with God forever.

E. The object of this existence is to arrive at my destination and not wander off on some other way that doesn’t lead where I want to go, and get lost.

5. Some people aren’t going to make it through life successfully, v. 21.

A. Psalm 119:21 You rebuke the arrogant, the cursed, who wander from Your commandments.

B. There are arrogant ways. They don’t go God’s ways because they are smarter than God. They think, there is no God. Why should I cringe and grovel because of a fairy tale meant to scare children? I’m going to do what I want and no God and no one is going to tell me what to do. Okay. Go ahead.

C. But these people wander. That means to move about without a fixed purpose or aim. To go astray. To get lost. Lost means unable to find the way. It also carries with it the idea of futility. The completeness and perfection is hopelessly unattainable. It’s a lost cause.

D. Arrogance ends with being cursed.

1. The way of God is blessed. God Himself is involved in this way, He supplies everything needed. The end of this way is to be with God forever. That’s blessed. That’s the goal. That’s where we’re headed.

2. If you disobey God, if you know better than God, then you will be lost forever without God. That’s cursed.

E. God rebukes now so you won’t be cursed.

1. If you read God’s word you’ll be rebuked. That means you are told you are wrong, you’re being disobedient, and you need to go the other way.

2. Rebukes for correction are the way of life, did you know that? If you never find out you’re wrong you can never be made right. You will always be wandering, arrogant and lost.

3. God will actually get in your face and tell you you’re wrong. That’s a mercy. If you get used to it you will be made humble, and God gives grace to the humble. That’s His way.

6. God gives us life, but we need more than life in order to live rightly, v. 27.

A. I find this interesting, each of us is given life. We exist. That is a gift, a miracle of God. This life He gives is so precious. It is sacred. You do not touch another life to do violence, to take life.

B. Yet, without understanding what the purpose of life is, you can live badly in an unworthy way. God will judge the way we lived our lives and either approve or condemn our way. Either we went His way, or we wandered arrogantly and wasted our time, our opportunities, and especially, rejected His invitation to walk His way.

C. Living requires understanding. This understanding God is the highest and most important understanding there is. Without understanding you will forfeit the life given to you.

D. So the psalmist prays, give me understanding so I can live rightly. We need God to reveal Himself to us, to know His ways, to know His paths.

E. Teaching is included in our salvation, therefore David prays in Psalm 25:4-5 Make me know Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day.

F. Psalm 25:8-10 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore He instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in justice, and He teaches the humble His way. All the paths of the LORD are lovingkindness and truth to those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.

7. When we have understanding then nothing will swerve us from the right path, vv. 22, 23, 28, 37, 39, 42, 46, 50, 51.

A. Everyone who goes God’s way is going to be persecuted. You would think, “Who cares if I want to go God’s way?” I just want to mind my own business, but some people aren’t going to like that.

B. Opposition from people: 23, princes sit and talk against me. 42, him who reproaches me. 46, speaking before kings and not being ashamed. 50, the arrogant utterly deride me. 61, cords of the wicked encircled me.

C. There is emotional difficulty 22, reproach and contempt. 28 grief, 39, reproach which I dread. 50, affliction.

D. Competition for the right way, 37, turn away my eyes from looking at vanity.

E. There are forces outside us that want to swerve us from God’s way. There are inward impulses that tend to take us away from God. But if we have understanding we keep our eyes on the goal.

F. Psalm 119:33 Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes, and I shall observe it to the end.

1. That word end can be translated consequence. Result, what comes at the end of a set of conditions.

2. If we go God’s way, the end of that is eternal life, immortality, and glory. That’s home. That’s where we belong. That’s the destination.

G. We know this is trustworthy because this is the very way that Jesus Himself went when He came into this life. He knew He wasn’t going to live here forever. He set His course to live a blameless life according to the word of God. Nothing could swerve Him from accomplishing the will of God, which was to die for our sins. Three days later God raised Him from the dead, and He is in the presence of God for us. He is the guarantee that all who follow Him will also arrive in the presence of God, alive forevermore.

8. So what?

A. Here we have a trustworthy road map. Are you on it? Are you aware that you are on a journey through this existence? What way are you on? Is that way God’s way? If you aren’t going through life with Jesus then you are wandering. You are lost. You need to be on the only way through this life that leads to eternal life and home. Every other way ends in death. What does it profit you to go your own way, yet at the end of it you are cursed forever? Turn from your own way and ask Jesus to help you go His way. Jesus died for your sins to bring you through this life to eternal life.

B. If you are trusting in Jesus prepare for your exit.

1. You might think, that’s morbid. It’s not. This isn’t thinking about death, this is about laying hold on eternal life indeed. This is the exit to where you are headed because you are in time and time has a beginning and an end.

2. The average person is not thinking about the end of their life in this world. Therefore they live wandering without a purpose even if they have a purpose. Everything in this world might last longer than me. But I am not going to stay here indefinitely. I’m leaving whether I like it or not. This is not the destination.

C. But there is a purpose and a goal and an end for our life. We live keeping in mind this purpose.

1. We are headed for eternity. Do not settle down here. Be a sojourner in this life. Embrace being a stranger here. This life will be over so soon.

2. You become different by having eternal motives, eternal goals. Seek understanding from God to go His way. You need to know your God. Then you will be okay in this life and prepared for the next life.

Let’s pray.