Unbelievable - Girls Skipping Stunt

? Temple Baptist Church - 1-28-2024Psalm 119:33-40? Introduction.? ? A.? Tonight, we will look at the 5th? stanza of Psalm 119: HE is the 5th? letter in the Hebrew Alphabet.? It carries the meaning of Lo or Behold.? The best Biblical definition of the word “Lo” is found in the New Testament.? Matthew 28:20? Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.? (“lo” – you need to get a firm grip on what I am about to say.)? B.? The first 4 stanzas of Psalm 119 dealt with undefiled or purity, holiness and meditation, unhappiness, depression and discouragement which are often a by-product of spiritual growth or the lack thereof.? ? C.? Physical growth is something that God does with which we can help.? Spiritual? growth is something that we do that God helps with!? Two of the things that will stunt both physical and spiritual growth:? 1.? A lack of appetite. Healthy children and adults will have a healthy appetite.? When a person becomes sick or old, they will often lose their appetites and it is vitually impossible to get them to eat.? They do not eat because they do not feel like eating.? How often, in the end of life of a loved one, tell them that they have to eat for strength, but they refuse food.? Thus the physical man and the spiritual man will lose strength.? 2.? An appetite for the wrong things.? I love buying cakes at Walmart.? You know, the ones with an inch of icing and all the flowers and designs add to the icing MADE OF PURE SUGAR.? I love ice cream which, I am sure, is not the healthiest of foods.? Meat, bread, and vegetables grow strong bones and muscles.? Cake and ice cream grow big bellies and fat.? Physically and spiritually, we must eat a proper diet.? D.? The Apostle Paul spoke of this in one of the Warning Sections of the Book of Hebrews: “Dull of Hearing.”? Hebrews 5:11-13? Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.? (12)? For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.? (13)? For every one that? useth milk? is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.? This is an age-old problem as all believers tend to get “a little out of sorts” at times.? This is because, though saved, we are still human.? The problem is not the condition; it is remaining in that condition.? E.? Peter addressed spiritual growth in 1 Peter 2:2: “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:”? F.? In our stanza for tonight, HE (Lo or Behold), the verses show us essentials of spiritual growth.? 1.? Verse 33 – Teach me.? The importance of the teaching of God's Word.? Taught by the Spirit of God; taught by personal reading and study; taught by being faithful to the house of God, the pillar and ground of the truth.? ? A believer will never spiritually grow as they should until they become learners. A person can go to college, spend a fortune, goof off and party, and never get an education.? One must apply themselves to learn properly.? Isaiah 54:13? And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.? John 6:45? It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.? 2.? Verse 34 – Enlighten me.? Help me to understand God's Word.? Learning can be a set of facts memorized, but enlightenment gives the learner the wisdom and knowledge it takes to excel.? The Enlightener is the precious Holy Spirit? Proverbs 4:7? Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.? Psalms 36:9? For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.? 3.? Verse 35 – Lead me.? In order to follow God's lead, we need to learn to trust the Lord in His leading.? “Make me to go!”? Asking the Lord to remove all our ways and force us to do His will.? ? Psalms 23:2? He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.? Give me no options! Believers are free moral agents.? God has given to each of us the right of choice, but the serious child of God does not want to unknowingly make the wrong choice.? ? I often ask God to close all other doors so that I have only the right door to choose.? I personally wanted out of the Bible Belt.? My desire was to go to New Hampshire and start a church but each night I would say, “Dear Lord, if New Hampshire is not your will for my life, close the door.”? He did and I am here!? ? James 1:22-25? But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.? (23)? For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:? (24)? For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.? (25)? But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.? 4.? Verse 36 – Draw me.? Draw us near in heart through the Scriptures.? That we may spend quality time with the Lord.? Relationships are established with conversion.? You speak to God in prayer and allow God to speak to you through the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.? One of the greatest enemies of the believer in these days of plenty is the sin of covetousness.? Can't hep its and gotta have its.? Through the lure of the world, so many believers have lost their excitement and desire for God's Word.? ? Romans 8:6-8? For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.? (7)? Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.? (8)? So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.? 1 John 2:15-17? Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.? (16)? For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.? (17)? And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.? 5.? Verse 37 – Turn me.? One of the three areas of sin concerns the eyes.? Eve saw and took; Lot vexed his righteous soul by hearing and seeing.? In today's society, we see more by accident than people in years gone by saw on purpose.? ? Turn my eyes from: Things that are not good, things that are temporal instead of eternal, things that tear down instead of build up, things that are ungodly or worthless.? We cannot help what we see but we need the help of the Lord to turn our eyes from the sinful sights.? Ask God for “spiritual blinders.”? Proverbs 4:25? Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.? Genesis 3:6? And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.? 2 Peter 2:8? (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)? 6.? Verse 38 – Establish me.? Stabilize us.? Establishment in the unshakable Word.? Help us to be stable minded instead of doubleminded.? ? ? The world and churches are full of unstable people.? One of the most important aspects of spiritual growth, stability, having a firm foundation found in the Word of God.? ? James 1:8? A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.? 1 Peter 2:2? As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:? John 8:31-32? Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;? (32)? And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.? 7.? Verse 39 – Encourage me.? In the Word, in the Lord, and in the church.? Every child of God needs encouragement.? This is why the Bible commands us to faithfully assemble.? Faithfulness and communion bring about encouragement.? ? Hebrews 10:25? Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.? Verse 40 – Quicken me.? Biblical spiritual growth makes the child alive in righteousness.? ? Psalms 51:10? Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.?