Here’s the Delight

Psalm 1:2 | January 19, 2020

What’s your happy song?

You know – that song that immediately improves your mood.

Here’s a few songs from one list I came across:

• I Got You by James Brown
• All You Need Is Love by The Beatles
• Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and The Waves
• What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong

There are thousands of songs out there that people may use as a happy song – and usually there is a story behind their song.

One of my top ones is by Greg Long and it is called “Sufficiency of Grace” and the story behind it involves the Pitt County Hospital in Greenville, North Carolina, and the Target and the Chick-Fil-A down the road from the hospital.

But maybe you don’t have a happy song – have no fear because Imogen Heap has one for you called…“The Happy Song”.

This past week The New York Times Magazine published an article by Mark O’Connell of Dublin, Ireland, where he confessed that he plays “The Happy Song” about 10 times every single day.

Why?

Because of the impact it has on his 18-month-old daughter – if she is cranky or tired or screaming or crying “The Happy Song” immediately calms her down.

How does one song have that kind of impact?

Well, it was sort of designed specifically for his daughter.

An agency in London on behalf of the baby-food company Cow & Gate surveyed parents and tested sounds to try and scientifically engineer a piece of music to delight children between the ages of 6 months and 2 years.

Why?

Well, seemingly ultimately to sell baby food.

Unfortunately for Cow and Gate, O’Connell has not bought any baby food because of the song, but he said this about it:

Mark O’Connell

The world is a complex and, in many ways, unthinkably dark place, and I am well aware that the window of time in which it is possible to transform my daughter’s unhappiness into joy by playing a jaunty little song is already closing.

Mark O’Connell

It won’t work forever, because she won’t forever be so small and innocent. But right now it works. Right now it’s the greatest song ever written.

No matter who you are and no matter what is happening in your life you need a happy song – right now.

Why?

Because the world is a complex and frustrating and aggravating and dark and confusing and discouraging and dangerous place.

And you need a song – not just one for right now – you need a song that truly lasts forever.

So, what is that song?

What’s the soundtrack that gives us hope that can start right now and will last forever – hope that cannot for any reason die?

Let’s find out.

Listen to Psalm 1, verse 2:

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,

Why does he start this sentence with “but his delight”?

Because he’s changing directions – you don’t want to do “that” but you do want to do “this”.

So, what was “that”?

He just got through saying what will not bring you delight.

Psalm 1:1

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!

If you plan your daily life around advice from people who have no regard for God and if you submit to the activities of people who reject God’s ways and if you have a critical attitude toward God and people in the church then you will not be blessed.

Now, will you find some delight in those things?

Absolutely!

• The advice of the world usually feels good in the moment
• The activities of the world usually feel good in the moment
• Criticizing other people usually feels right in the moment

In fact, those things might feel good right up to the moment you die, but when you wake up on the other side of death you will discover that God is not an old man sitting in a rocking chair welcoming anyone and everyone who went to church on Christmas and Easter.

Rather, you will find, by his own proclamation, that God is holy and unswervingly just.

And if you are not truly a follower of Jesus – not just someone who prayed a sinner’s prayer once or even joined the church – but a true follower of Jesus – you will not be blessed.

Jesus said the language on that day for you will sound something like this:

Matthew 25:41

Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels…

This is no Hallmark movie.

And I know that sounds mean and harsh and not like a happy song at all, but as followers of Jesus our church is compelled to try and love your soul by graciously and pleadingly sharing what Jesus said in his own words:

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Blessed and happy and fortunate and forever satisfied is the person who believes in Jesus and keeps believing in Jesus and keeps following Jesus.

For the good of your soul, don’t simply rest in a sinner’s prayer or a baptism or a church membership from long ago – are you following Jesus today?

Listen, none of us are ever going to perfectly follow Jesus because none of us are perfect, but are you even in the ballpark?

What’s one tool you can use to find out?

Well, ask yourself this question:

What makes you happy?

What brings you excitement and joy?

• Family
• Friends
• Football
• Fresh bacon
• Mostly fresh doughnuts

Those are all good and have their place.

But, can you – from your heart – honestly repeat these words from the psalmist?

Do you delight in the law of the Lord?

Someone might say:

• “Law?”
• “I’m not an impeachment attorney!”
• “Why would anyone delight in law?”

Well, don’t get unnecessarily distracted with the word.

The psalmist is simply referring to the Bible as it was known in his day – the Torah – the book of the law – what we know as the first five books of the Old Testament.

In his kindness, God inspired 61 other books to help us in our daily lives.

But how do we know those 66 are really the Bible?

There is a full buffet of resources out there to answer that question with depth and helpfulness.

Scroll down to the bottom of my sermon notes on the website and I will include some links to some resources but let me just make a few quick practical comments about the Bible.

• 66 books
• 39 Old Testament, 27 New Testament
• 40 different human authors inspired by one divine author
• Divided: Law, Prophets, Wisdom, Psalms, Gospels, Epistles
• Written over the course of about 1,500 years
• Written in three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek
• Written from Africa, Europe, and Asia
• Chapters added in the 1200’s and verses added in the 1500’s

Why do those facts matter?

Because they don’t paint a picture of some religious cult that is designed to trick people into wasting their time and their money and their energy and their intelligence at a local church.

Rather, it paints a picture of a global, multi-cultural, book that is both divinely inspired and good for every generation and helpful not only for human life and human behavior, but uniquely good for providing hope and salvation to the human soul.

Ravi Zacharias tells the story of a young man defending his doctoral dissertation in front of a panel of academics.

He was reprimanded for using a lot of hearsay evidence in his dissertation and this is how he responded:

“Just because something is written does not make it any more certain, does it?”

The chairperson of the panel had a brilliant comeback:

“All right then, I just want you to know that we will be granting you the degree, but it will not be in writing. You can just take our word for it.”

Ravi goes on to say this about the Bible:

Ravi Zacharias

Over the span of life, the Word can be tested time and time again and its truths will stand tall as our culture's fascination with the subjective proves itself to be hollow and false.

Ravi Zacharias

By contrast, the biblical documents have withstood the most scrutinizing analysis ever imposed upon any manuscript and have emerged with compelling authenticity and authority.

Ravi Zacharias

No other ancient literature demonstrates such a high degree of accuracy. Yes, repeatedly the Bible rises up to outlive its pallbearers.

The 66 books that make up the Bible have mountains of authority and experience behind them.

Around 67 A.D., the Apostle Paul wrote it this way to Timothy:

2 Timothy 3:16-17

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

Ravi Zacharias goes on to say:

Ravi Zacharias

…all pursuits apart from God lead to alienation and loneliness that only the touch of Christ can resolve. The Christian, therefore, stands in the position to proclaim and live the truth that reaches the mind, stirs the heart and purifies the imagination.

Ravi Zacharias

The regenerative power of the Word is what makes it indispensable to every culture in every century.

• Why should you read the Bible?
• Why does it matter?
• How can it impact your life?

King David describes the truth of the Bible this way in Psalm 19:

Psalm 19:7

The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

 

Psalm 19:8

The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.

 

Psalm 19:9

The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether.

 

Psalm 19:10

They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.

 

Psalm 19:11

Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward.

Why should you read the Bible?

There is great reward in the pages of the Bible – what kind of reward are we talking about?

The reward of the truth about you and God.

Romans 3:23

…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…

 

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death…

• Falling short is not just a D on a geometry test
• Falling short is not just going 5 miles over the speed limit
• Falling short is not just skipping a few reports on your taxes
• Falling short is not just being an accomplice to a crime

No, falling short means eternal death.

Not death like dying and never feeling anything again.

But death like dying and in some sense spiritually and emotionally and physically experiencing the kind of horror and terror that can’t truly be described in human terms.

That’s how the Bible describes falling short.

That doesn’t sound like a reward.

But that’s the beauty of pure truth – it gives the bad news and the good news – here’s the good news:

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

• In Christ Jesus there is great reward!
• In Christ Jesus there is great help and hope for today!
• In Christ Jesus there is great life that lasts forever!

Why should you make reading the Bible a priority in your life?

Why should you make reading the Bible with your spouse and your kids and your grandkids a priority in your life?

John Ortberg

It generates life. It creates faith. It provides guidance. It makes the foolish wise. It makes the faltering strong. It makes the discouraged hopeful. It is the first book to read to a little child. It is the last best book to read to a dying man.

John Ortberg

It is so simple and yet so deep that the early church fathers and mothers used to say, "A gnat could swim in it, but an elephant could drown in it."

John Ortberg

It corrects the erring. It inspires the daring. It encourages the despairing. It humbles those who are overbearing.

John Ortberg

Reading the Bible honors God and worries the Devil. It reminds the lonely they have love for this life and heaven in the next. I promise you on your deathbed there is no book that will speak to you the way this book will.

John Ortberg

In this book we discover not so much how the world got made as by whom and what for.

John Ortberg

From this book you will learn your identity and your family and your Enemy and the awful calamity of your sin and the royal pedigree of your life as a child of the King and your eternal destiny as a citizen of heaven.

John Ortberg

If that were not enough, in this book you will meet Jesus who alone mastered life and conquered death.

John Ortberg

The story of his actions, the unmatched brilliance of his teachings, the eyewitness account of his death on a cross and his resurrection are simply found nowhere else but this book.

Nowhere else.

You will not find the truth your soul is longing for outside of the Bible.

So, please, for the good of your soul and the good of the souls of your family and friends, read the Bible.

If you don’t have one, come find me after church and we will get you one – or if there is one in the pew in front of you, take it – you aren’t stealing – we openly give you permission because we don’t want anything coming between you and what is best and most glorious for your heart and mind and soul.

If you have a smartphone there are plenty of free Bible apps out there and for $30 you can get the Dwell app and listen to some cool-designed readings of the Bible.

Whatever it takes, delight yourself in the law of the Lord.

And when should you do that?

When should you delight yourself in the truth of God?

Listen to what the psalmist says next:

2 And in His law he meditates day and night.

Someone’s already thinking:

• “Day and night!”
• “I can’t read the Bible day and night!”
• “I’ve got work and school and yoga class and NCIS to watch!”

Look, I don’t want to give you tickets for a guilt trip, but let’s just engage with this for a moment.

What did you do yesterday?

Really, just think through your day.

• Did you have coffee?
• Did you read the paper?
• Did you scroll through social media?
• Did you go play paintball?
• Did you wash clothes?
• Did you go to the mall?
• Did you get your haircut?
• Did you do some work in the garage?
• Did you do some work in the yard?
• Did you do some homework?
• Did you watch TV?
• Did you grill some steaks?
• Did you bake some cookies?

 

Great!

Those things are fun (except for the homework) and I hope you had a super Saturday!

But, none of those things have great reward!

None of those things show you or remind you how the wages of your sin can be paid and the gift of eternal life can be applied to the spiritual account of your soul.

Brian Tabb is a husband and father who lives in Minnesota.

Brain Tabb

Delight is a response of the heart to the beauty and value of something or someone – in this case, to God’s Word.

We understand the concept of beauty and value, right?

It’s why a guy slows down when he sees a Ferrari parked downtown.

It’s why a woman slows down when she walks by the front window of a jewelry store.

It’s why a kid slows down when he walks by the Lego store.

It’s why a teenager slows down when they walk by – actually, never mind, teenagers don’t slow down for anything.

It’s why I slow down when I walk by that tall, spinning glass display of desserts in a restaurant.

We know beauty and value and we know what it means to delight in something.

So, why don’t we delight more in God’s Word?

I think, maybe, it’s because we ignore this second instruction from the psalmist – we don’t meditate.

Brian Tabb

Our lives are unbelievably distracted. We are experts at multi-tasking, surfing, and skimming, but it is harder than ever to meditate.

The word meditate means “to mutter”.

You might be thinking:

“Wait, you mean I’m supposed to start acting like that crazy old man in town with the long hair and the Buffalo Bills Super Bowl Champion hoodie who walks up and down the street carrying a dog leash that has never had a dog in it and constantly mutters to himself all day?”

Not necessarily.

The idea of meditating on the Bible is just to make sure you don’t think about it only once a day.

As the saying goes:

Unknown

The Bible is bread for daily use, not cake for special occasions.

Far too many of us hear a little Bible on Sunday morning and we are done – or maybe during the week we read a little Bible in the morning and we are done.

But the reward is not just in the reading.

The reward is in the meditating – the reward is in the muttering.

One little boy said this:

Unknown boy

Thinking is when your mouth stays shut and your head keeps talking to itself.

Meditating is when your head keeps talking to itself and muttering the great rewards of the truth of God.

So, yes, I’m telling you to start muttering to yourself.

When you leave here today, keep preaching the gospel to yourself – keep using the Bible to mutter the beautiful, valuable, everlasting truth of God to yourself.

I read a story this week about a thug in Sicily who years ago attacked a book dealer who sold devotional books about the Bible.

The thug started a fire and was going to burn the man's books, but he stopped and read one of the pages for a moment.

It was Psalm 23 – the account of the Good Shepherd.

Then he read another page – it was about the Good Samaritan.

Then he read another page – it was 1 Corinthians 13 about love.

And as the story goes each time, he would say, “That's good. We won't burn that. That's good. We won't burn that.”

He ended up stealing all of the books and took them with him.

Years later, he showed up again, but he was no longer a thug – he had become a minister of the gospel.

Listen, don’t burn up the days of your life with social media and video games and depressing thoughts or criticizing everyone that doesn’t do things your way.

Delight yourself in the law of the Lord and meditate on it day and night – mutter it to yourself over and over.

Why?

Because only the truth of God can make your soul happy.

You see, the gospel of Jesus Christ is the only happy song that lasts forever.

Message by Dow Welsh |

January 19, 2020 © Holland Avenue Baptist Church

 

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Above are pre-sermon manuscript notes, not sermon transcript

Sermon scriptures NASB unless otherwise noted

Lots of help from many pastors and theologians

Weekly help from Bruce Hurt at www.preceptaustin.org

https://www.rzim.org/read/just-thinking-magazine/biblical-authority-and-cultural-relativism

https://www.epm.org/blog/2011/Aug/22/recommended-books-authority-and-reliability-script

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/top-10-books-on-the-bibles-authority/

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/video/tim-keller-authority-scripture/

https://menlo.church/series/the-way#/modal/message/5521/mlo

So what's your happy song? You know that song to you? Listen to And it just immediately put you in a good mood. Just just changes your attitude all the way around. What is your happy song? There's a lot of happy songs out there. I came across a list. I thought it was here. Just a few that most people would say This is a happy song. Ones by James Brown Take a guess. I feel good. I knew you were going to say that. That's actually not the name of the song. Yeah, The name of the song is I got you, I got you right there at the end. Of course, that's a happy song. The Beatles All you need is love Very good. Ah, you need love, Katrina and the Waves Somebody already hates that song, man and I have a song They play it all the done walking on sunshine Sometimes you gotta do that, Louis Armstrong. What a wonderful world. Just a few happy songs and there's thousands out there, you know? I mean, everybody in this room could have a different happy song. There's so many different happy songs out there and most happy songs. No matter where you here more where you're playing, I'm aware you're paying attention to. There's a story connected to him, right? There's some kind of story connected to that song. Probably one of my top two Top three Happy Songs is a song by a guy named Greg Long, and the song is sufficiency of Grace, and the story behind it connects Pitt County Hospital in Greenville, North Carolina, with the target and the Chik fil A down the road from the hospital that my friend Elton had just lost both of his legs in an accident on his farm, and I had just been over to see him at the hospital. Elton's life has fallen apart in a 1,000,000 different ways, and he spent the whole time encouraging me with God's work. He said. Hey, let's just read the Bible together for a little bit Now we just We just need to get God's work in our mind. And I left there and I went to Target. I bought the CD, I went into Chick fil A, went through the draft. You actually got a big mega thing of Coke. Also got a two liter of Coke inside of Target and I drove home. It was an hour drive back to my house from the hospital. I drank all of that coke on the way home. Needless to say, the next day I was standing in the back of the Remember the first name of it the Pentecostals, something holding this church up there at a funeral. I left the funeral early, drove straight to my doctor because my heart was racing 100 miles an hour and he goes, he'd been drinking much caffeine, just attack. So this story behind the song and how God used it to encourage my heart in a moment. But maybe you don't have a happy song. Maybe there's no happy song in your life. And if so, then we've got one for you. Imaging Heap has written a song just for you. It's called The Happy Song. Yeah, that's the name of this past week in New York Times Magazine. They publish an article by Mark O'Connell, author from Dublin, Ireland, where he confessed in the article that he plays the Happy song about 10 times a day. Now. Why does he play the song about 10 times a day? we plays it that much because of the huge impact it has on his 18 month old daughter. If she is screaming, if she is crying, if she is cranky, if there's anything going wrong with her and he starts playing the happy song, she immediately calms down. How in the world is this possible? Well, technically, the song was written just for his daughter. It seems there's an ad agency in London on behalf of the baby food company Cow and Gate. They survey parents. They tested a bunch of sounds and music because they were trying to find a song that would scientifically be written in such a way that it would delight Children from ages six months to two years, six months to two years. Why, I'm pretty sure they're trying to sell baby food. You know, little little control factor there, you know, get a little song playing, and maybe people will go buy some baby food now, Mark O'Donnell said. Unfortunately, he and his wife, neither one of them, have gone and bought any cow and gate baby food. But he did say this about the impact of the song. The world is a complex and in many ways unthinkably dark place. And I am well aware that the window of time in which it is possible to transform my daughter's unhappiness into joy by playing a jaunty little song is already closing. It won't work forever because she won't forever be so small and innocent. But right now it works. Right now, it's the greatest song ever written you got, Baby. We'll get the happy song downloaded today. My advice to you Sounds like a good one. Every single one of us need a happy song, and we all need a happy song right now. Why? Because he's right. The world is a very complex place. It's a confusing place. It's a frustrating place. It's an aggravating place. It's a fearful place. It's a worrisome place. This is stressful place. It's a dark place of discouraging place, at times, a depressing place. So we need a happy song. But we don't just need a happy song right now. We need a happy song. That's more than just right now. We need a happy song that can bring hope all the time. Ah, happy song that has a message that doesn't die, that we won't out grow a song that truly will last forever. What song is that? What kind of soundtrack provides that kind of hope into our daily laps? Let's see if we can find out someone first to psalmist rights. But his delight is in the law of the Lord. Now why does he start the Senate's with but his delight? Well, he's changing directions. He's saying, Don't do this and start doing this. Okay, So what was the Don't do what he just got through saying it in verse one. Look at it, how blessed is the man who does not walk in the Council of the Wicked nor stand in the path of sinners nor sit in the seat of scoffers if you plan your daily life around the advice of people who have no regard for God, if you submit yourself to the activities of people who reject God's ways, if you have a critical attitude toward God and toward the people of the church, then you will not be blessed. You will not be happy. Those things do not bring delight now. Will they bring some delight? Sure, most of the time, generally speaking, when it comes to the advice of the world. It feels right in the moment most of the time. Generally speaking, when it comes to the activities of the world, it feels right in the minute. And when you are criticizing someone, it feels right in the moment. In fact, all of those things could feel good right up to the moment that you die. But when you wake up on the other side of death, you will discover that God is not an old man sitting in a rocking chair welcoming everybody in the heaven that ever went to the Christmas Eve service. No, When you wake up, you'll discover that God is holy and unswervingly just. And if you are not in Christ, if you are not following after Christ, Not not just praying the center's prayer not just getting baptized or joining a church. If you are not following Jesus, then you will not be blessed. Jesus says it. Very interestingly, he saysthe language on that day could be like this for you. Matthew, 25 41 depart for me, the cursed ones into the eternal fire, which has been prepared for the devil and his angels. Well, that's no happy song down. Come on now, with this truth, it's It's a happy song. This is This is no homework movie. But see his followers of Jesus we as a church, we're we're compelled to graciously and pleading. Lee proclaimed to you the words of Jesus from his own mouth. This is what Jesus said for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only begotten son that whoever believes in him and trust in him and relies on him and clings to him will not perish will not come to destruction, but rather will have eternal, ever lasting life. Blessed and happy and fortunate and forever satisfied, is the man or the woman or the teenager with a boring girl that discovers that the greatest thing in the universe is believing in Jesus and they believe in Jesus and they keep believing in Jesus, and they keep following Jesus for the good of your soul. Don't rest here, eternity, just on a sinner's prayer or a baptism. Our church membership from long ago. Are you following Jesus today? Are you following him today? What's the gauge? What's a What's a measure? What's a helpful way to find out. Well, you can find out a lot by just asking one question. What makes you happy? What makes you happy? What do you delight in family friends, Maybe a around a football this afternoon? Couple NFL games going on the boat coming up, maybe some fresh bacon. You delight in that. Maybe some mostly fresh doughnuts. Maybe. Maybe you delight in that. That's great, but those were all good. Those are all fine. But can you? From your heart, I agree with these words from the summers. Do you delight in God's law? Do you delight in the law of God? Someone might be thinking delight in law, not an attorney. Why anybody want a delight in law? That sounds crazy, but don't get too caught up in the word. The Psalmist is just referring to the Bible in the in the language that was known. It was the Torah, the book of the law. What we know is the 1st 5 books of the Old Testament. He was just referring to It is he knew it got in his grace and his kindness added 61 other books to those 1st 5 books to help us know him and to help us find him. But someone might say, Well, how do we know that those 66 books are really the Bible? Well, there is a full buffet of resource is out there for you to look out on that. If you'll go to the end of my sermon notes this week out, I put just a few Resource is some links that you can go to. You can scroll down to the bottom, my notes online, and there's some places you can go and read a little more. But there's there's a lot out there. I just want a few quick comments about the Bible. There are 66 books. There are 39 in the Old Testament, 27. In the new, there's 40 authors inspired authors inspired by one divine author. The Bible is broken down into six sections. We have the law, the profits, the wisdoms, the wisdom books, the Psalms, the Gospels and the epistles. It was written over the course of about 1500 years, is really written in three languages. Hebrew and Greek and Aramaic. Around the 12 hundreds, they added chapter verses, and around the 15 hundreds, they added the versus to the chapters. Now why don't I share those little bit of facts? Is a little bit of details because it doesn't sound like the kind of book this trying to trick the world. It doesn't sound like the kind of book is trying to call you into the little colt, so you can waste your intelligence and you can waste your time and you can waste your money and you can waste your energy in the local church. Rather, this book sounds like this global, multicultural, amazing inspired message from God, a message that is not just for human life and human behavior, but a message that brings hope for the human soul. Ravi Zacharias tells a story of a young man who was defending his doctoral dissertation in front of a panel of academics he was reprimanded for using here say in his dissertation. In other words, he didn't have any documentation for a lot of his information. That was just stuff that he had heard and knew about so after he was reprimanded. This is what he responded to the panel. Just because something's written doesn't make it any more certain, does it? The chairman of the panel had a fantastic comeback. To that, he said this All right, then I just want you to know that we will be granting you the degree, but it will not be in writing. You can just take our word for it. It matters sometimes, if it's written down, probably goes on to say this over the span of life. The word can be tested time and time again, and its truce will stand tall as our culture's fascination with the subjective proves itself to be hollow and false. By contrast, the biblical documents have withstood the most scrutinizing analysis ever imposed upon any manuscript and have emerged with compelling authenticity and authority. No other ancient literature demonstrates such a high degree of accuracy. Yes, repeatedly, the Bible rises up toe outlive its Paul Bears. That's good. There are plenty of people that are trying to put the Book of God to death. They're tryingto carry it to its death. But the Bible just keeps rising and keeps rising and keep surviving and keeps proclaiming the glory of God. Around 67 80 the Apostle Paul wrote it this way. To Timothy, All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training and righteousness so that the man of God, maybe adequate, equipped for every good work the Bible exists to equip you for every good work in life, from being single to being married, to be an apparent, to be in a grand parent toe, having a job, being unemployed, whatever it is that happens in your life. The Bible exists to equip you for that work. And for that moment, Robbie goes on to say this all pursuits, apart from God, lead to alienation and loneliness that on Lee the touch of Christ can resolve. The Christian, therefore, stands in the position to proclaim and live the truth that reaches the mind, stirs the heart and purifies the imagination. The regenerative power of the word is what makes it indispensable toe every culture in every century. 51 years ago, when this building was dedicated, you know the only reason that church existed because of the word of God. 51 years from now, if this church is still here, it will only exist because the word of God see the word of God is what gives life to every generation and every century because it is God's truth from before the foundation of the world. Why should you read the Bible? Does it matter? How can it impact your life? King David was one of the wisest and wealthiest and most successful people in history. And he has some amazing things to say about the truth of God, that the law of God and some 19 listen to these original walk Really slowly. The Law of the Lord is perfect. Restoring the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure making wise, simple the precepts of the Lord the right rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure enlightening. The eyes The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever The judgments of the Lord. They're true. They're righteous altogether, they arm or desirable than gold. Yes, and then much Feingold sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honey comb. Moreover, by them, your servant is warned and keeping them there is great reward. Great reward. What kind of reward is the Bible give? What kind of reward can you find in the pages of the Bible? It's the reward of knowing the truth about you and God. Andi, Here's the truth. Rummage Chapter three, Verse 23 All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God all and that truth continues in Roman 6 23 for the wages of sin. His death Falling sword is not just getting a D in geometry. Falling short is not just going five miles over the speed limit. Falling short is, is not just skipping a few of your reports on your taxes. Falling short is not just being an accomplice to a crime. Falling short is eternal death. But that's how the Bible describes falling short, not deaf like you dine. You don't feel anything anymore. But death like you die and then physically and spiritually and practically somehow, the most awful terror in the universe follows every part of your soul forever. But that's how the Bible talks about falling short of God's glory. That ain't no happy song, but see, that's the beauty of pure truth because pure truth gives you the bad news and it gives you the good news. Here's the good news continued on in Roman six for the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord in Christ, Jesus, there is a reward. And Christ Jesus. There is help for today, and there is hope for today in Christ Jesus. There is a great life that lasts forever and ever and definite. Why should you make reading the Bible a priority? Why should you care if your spouse or your kids or your grandkids or your friends make reading the Bible a prod? What's the big deal? Listen to a sermon by John or Berg this past week, and hey made just this this beautiful breakdown of the Bible. It's what he said. The Bible generates life. It creates faith. It provides guidance. It makes the foolish wise. It makes the faltering strong. It makes the discouraged hopeful. It is the first book to read to a little child. It is the last best book to read to a dying man, he goes on. It is so simple and yet so deep that the early church fathers and mothers used to say a gnat could swim in it, but an elephant could drown in it. It corrects the airing. It inspires the daring. It encourages the despairing it humbles those who are over bearing reading. The Bible honors God and worries the devil. It reminds the lonely they have love for this life and heaven in the next. I promise you on your deathbed there is no book that will speak to you the way this book will. In this book, we discover not so much how the world got made as by whom and what four. From this book, you will learn your identity and your family and your enemy and the awful calamity of your sin and the royal pedigree of your life as a child of the king and your eternal destiny as a citizen of heaven. He says this if that were not enough. In this book you will meet Jesus, who alone mastered life and conquered death. The story of his actions, the unmatched brilliance of his teachings, the eyewitness account of his death on a cross and his resurrection are simply found nowhere else but this book nor off. You will never find what your soul longs the most for in any other book God designed for your soul to find satisfaction and hope and joy in the pages of the Bible. So please, for the good of your soul, for the good of the souls of your family and your friends. Read the Bible Re Bible. If you don't have one and come find me after church and we'll get you one. There's one in the pew in front of you. Take it. It ain't stealing. We're telling you right now, take it with you. We don't want anything to come in between you and discovering what your soul needs the most. Got a smartphone? There's tons of free Bob laps out there for $30 a year. You can use the dwell app and they have these amazing readings of the Bible with great background sounds and cool voices. It's fantastic. I use it every day, whatever you have to to do it, whatever movement you can make to make sure that you find a way to start delighting in the law of the Lord make that movement. And when should you do that? When should you delight in the law of the Lord? Look at this. Ah, Mrs. Next and in his law, he meditates day and night. Somebody's already thinking who day and night. Come on. I can't read the Bible day and night. I got stuff to do. I gotta go. The gym. Got to go to yoga class. I got work. I got school. I need to watch N c. I s man. I just can't read in the Bible day and night. Look, I'm not handing out tickets for a guilt trip, okay? But let's just let's just think through this for a living, okay? What'd you do yesterday? Just just think through. What did you do yesterday? Just start in the morning. Did you read the paper? Did you drink some coffee? Did you scroll through social media? Check your email. Go play paintball. Did you go the mall to get your hair cut? Do Cem Cem work in the garage, Do some work in the yard and you do some homework. Did you grill some steaks? Did you make some cookies? What did you do yesterday? Whatever you did. Great. Hope you had a fantastic sound. All that stuff is super. Maybe not the homework, but the rest of it. But none of those things have a great reward as good as any of those things. Maybe none of those things have great reward. None of those things is designed to help you see and know there is a way for the debt of your sin to be paid and for the gift of eternal life to be applied to your spiritual account, the Onley Place. You find that the only reward that you will discover of that magnitude is in the pages of my It's God's Word by his design toe let you know that in his book is found the greatest reward. So did you read your Bible yesterday? I mean, it's all the other things that happened on your Saturday that you take time to look at the book that promises you the greatest reward in the universe. Brian Tab is a husband and a father who lives in Minnesota. He said This delight is a response of the heart to the beauty and value of something or someone in this case to God's word. We get that right. We understand the concepts of beauty and value, right? It's why a guy will slow down when he sees a Ferrari parked downtown somewhere beauty in that it's why a woman will slow down when she walks by in front of the jewelry store in that window. It's why Kid slows down at the Lego store. It's why I teenager slows down. Actually, never mind. Teenagers never slow down. Just forget that. It's why I slow down when I'm walking through the restaurant that has the three level spinning tower of desert. I'm a slow down. I'm a watch that that is beauty and value to me. We know beauty and value. We understand beauty and value. So do you consider God's word beautiful? And value is the word of God, the law of the Lord something that we delight in. And we put a, ah high value only if we're honest, not so much. And why I think at least one reason is because we don't get this second part of what this Alma says, right, We we don't meditate. Brand tap goes on to say this. Our lives are unbelievably distracted. We're experts at multi tasking, surfing and skimming. But it is harder than ever to meditate. The word meditate, it means to mutter mutter So am I asking you to mutter I was thinking man, you mean I gotta be like that old man I see walking around downtown. You know, we're in the Buffalo Bill's Super Bowl champion Hoody, and he's got a dog leash when there's never been a dog in it any time I've ever seen him, and and he's just walking around, just muttering. Are you saying that's what I'm supposed to be like? That was a walk around muttering like a crazy person? Not necessarily. But do you need to mutter, Yeah, you need to mutter, as the old saying goes, which I think is just fantastic. The Bible is bred for daily use, not cake for special occasions. Victory that the Bible is there for us to meditate owned. Two to read, to digest a mutter about all day long. It's not just a book for special occasions, you know. Far too many of us. We would come to church on Sunday. We hear a little bit of Bible and we're done. You know that's enough. I mean, have a listen. That sermon God, God preached for like 30 minutes. And that enough bible for me, I don't need more of that, right. We're just done. Some of us will read the Bible for a minute, you know, 10 15 maybe in the mornings and and then and then we're done. But the value The reward is not just in the reading, the value. The reward is in the muttering. It's in the meditating. It's in the constantly engaging with one little boy said. This thinking is when your mouth stays shut and your head keeps talking to itself. Meditating is when your head may stay shut. But you keep muttering to yourself. You keep engaging with God's word. You hear the gospel, and you don't walk out of the building going, Hey, let's go to Russia's You hear the gospel and you can't stop muttering to yourself. That is the hope of my life. That is why the flame will not hurt me. That is why my God will not forsake me. No, never. No, never, no, never. I need to mutter the gospel to myself. I need to never stop muttering the gospel to myself. If I look crazy, so be it. Let me mutter the gospel to myself. Read a story this week about a thug in Sicily. Many years ago, he he attacked a book dealer. This this book dealer. All he dealt with was Bibles and devotional books about the Bible. And so this thug, he he attacked the book dealer and he took all his books and he built a fire and was going to burn all the books right there in front of him. And so he started ripping them up and started the fire. For some reason, he decided to stop and read one of the pages, and he didn't burn it. It was the 23rd song, and he decided to read another page. We read that, and it was the story of the Good Samaritan. And then he read another page, and it was what Paul Road in first Corinthians, about love. And after everyone that he decided not to burn. He would say, Well, that's that's good. We won't burn that one. That that that's good way won't burn that one. Even in that moment, he was finding a way to delight in the law of the Lord. But the story goes, the folk took all books and then he disappeared. Years later, he returned. When he came back, he was no longer a thug. He was a minister of the Gospel. He had made it the purpose of his life. to help people find Jesus. Listen, don't don't burn all the days of your life with social media and video games. Binge watching Don't burn all the days of your life with with walking after the advice of the world. Don't don't burn all the days of your life with with criticizing people just because they won't do it your way. No, rather delight yourself in the law of the Lord. Keep muttering the gospel to yourself over and over again. Why? Because God's word God's truth is the Onley fame that will make your soul happen. Or, put another way, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only song and the only happy song but last forever.