Why We Believe Obedience Brings Persecution

(Psalm 119:17-24)



I. Introduction.
A. Orientation.

So far, weve seen

Living according to the commandments

(1) Brings blessing,

(2) And its how we can realize

The purity we hope to achieve

As we set our eyes

On the prospect of being with the Lord

One day in heaven.


B. Preview.

This evening,

Lets consider something of the price

We must be willing to pay

To live this kind of life.


If our desire to be with God

Is strong enough to move us

To walk in His ways,

We need to understand

There will be persecution.

II. Sermon.
A. Deal bountifully with Your servant, that I may live and keep Your word.

What psalmist asking for here?

Psalmist prays,

That Lord deal bountifully

That He be gracious to him, abundantly so.

Wanted abundant living life to the full.

What did he mean?

Was he asking for things

Those who preach abundant life mean?

Things of this world? No.


Wanted two things:

1. To live.

2. To keep Gods Word.


By living, meant either

To really live

By living holy life

Or to live and not die

Because of persecution.

I think means latter

Because of what rest of section says.


But he also wanted to keep Gods Word

He only wanted to live

If by so doing,

Wouldnt have to compromise.


Psalmist had priorities straight:

Whats use of living,

If cant obey the Lord?

Real life abundant life

Is walking with the Lord.


In rest of this section,

His prayer addresses both concerns.

Since this Gods Word

And given for our example,

This is what we should seek as well.


B. Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your law (v. 18).

How can you effectively keep Gods Word?

Eyes must be open.

Need to understand what God wants.

But must also want what He wants.


So he prays, Open my eyes.

In what way?

Theres no reason to think was blind.

Perhaps open eyes of reason:

That through more study might understand,

Who He is,

What He wants,

How might apply His truth,

How might do it.


Wants more than understanding:

Wants to see wonderful things from His Law.

Is he asking for new discoveries?

To make mark in world,

To be remembered for great insight?

No.

But that might see Gods glory in Law.

Wanted to see same thing Moses desired:

Said, Let me see your glory.

Moses couldnt wait to get to heaven to see it.

Wanted the beatific vision now.

Its what saints desired throughout centuries.

But sadly something we dont think much about today

Or desire as we should:

To see God!


Why should you want to see God?

Because He is the sum of all beauty

Just as we enjoy hearing beautiful sounds,

Or tasting delicious foods,

Or smelling fragrant odors,

We also like looking at beautiful things:

The beauty of a face,

Or a lush forest,

Or majestic mountains,

A fiery sunset,

A starry sky, etc.


If these things bring pleasure,

Then how much more

What is infinitely more beautiful?

Its impossible to understand,

And when see, wont able to take all in.

But do know something of it

By the Spirit who reveals.


The psalmist is praying for illumination:

And so should you

That God would open your eyes

To the beauty of Gods truth,

Who He is,

But particularly, what He is like

That youd know what pleases Him,

That you could live that way,

And walk on the road

Of fellowship with Him.


C. I am a stranger in the earth; do not hide Your commandments from me (v. 19).

What should you experience if Lord answers this prayer?

Once you see this beauty

That can only see once Spirit opens eyes

No amount of world can satisfy.

Want more of God!

More than even best things

The Lord puts in this world can provide,

More than father or mother,

More than husband or wife,

More than children,

Or houses, cars, etc.


You want God,

You hunger and thirst after Him,

Nothing else will satisfy

And so world no longer has

The appeal it had before.

And you confess with psalmist,

I am a stranger in the earth.

The author to Hebrews will tell us

That this is what those who have faith

Find to be true:

All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and
having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were
strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear
that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been
thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had
opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a
heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has
prepared a city for them (11:13-16).

If the Lord has opened your eyes,

This is what you want,

Not just because the alternative is hell,

But because God is in heaven.


The Puritans correctly said,

Those who love God

Would rather be in hell,

If God was there,

Rather than in heaven,

If He were not.

If you love God

You want to be with Him.


But what is the path

That leads to heaven?

Theres only one:

The highway of holiness,

The way of obedience.

And so he prays, Do not hide Your commandments from me.

Show me the path that leads to you.


Would He hide them?

He may to discipline us.

Or the world or our sins

May keep us from seeing the way.

And so you should pray

That you might see them

That if theyre hidden from you

God would show you the way.


D. How much should desire

To know His way

That you might walk in it?


If you see the value of the goal

If you understand something of the beatific vision

Because God has given you a glimpse

Then you will want it more than anything:

My soul is crushed with longing after your ordinances.


Antinomians cant understand

How anyone could desire the Law.

It requires more than anyone can do, since Fall.

It can only condemn.

They think Peter called it burden

That neither they nor forefathers could bear.


If you had to keep it to justify yourself

You might look at this way.

But you dont

You could never do that

Jesus kept it so you could enter heaven.


But you dont look at it this way

Because you love Him,

Want to follow Him,

Want to please Father,

Want to be like Him,

And because you know this is path that leads to Him.


How often should you feel this way

About the commandments?

As often as the psalmist?

My soul is crushed with longing after your ordinances at all times.

Your desire to serve,

And your service,

Should not be in starts and fits

Only when it suits you,

Only when its convenient.

It should control you at all times,

As Paul said of himself, The love of Christ constrains me.


E. Is there anything else

That should motivate you?

Yes! Fear.


The psalmist was also fully aware

Of what God does

To those who conveniently

Put His commandments aside

When it doesnt suit them.

You rebuke the arrogant, the cursed, who wander from Your commandments.


Notice how the disobedience are characterized,

Because this is what they are:

They are arrogant

Its the height of arrogance

To put what you want,

Above what God commands!


Both James and Peter point out

That God resists the proud

And for good reason

Because they are cursed!


They come into this world

Under the curse of the broken covenant with Adam,

And they will leave the world cursed,

Unless they submit to God.


Dont fall into that category

Let the fear of the Lord

Move you to submit to Him,

To trust His Son,

And then to walk on the highway to holiness.


F. What will these cursed do to you

If you walk with the Lord?

They will hate you.

And so the psalmist prays, Take away reproach and contempt from me, for I
observe Your testimonies (v. 22).


There are those who say

If you obey God,

If God blesses you,

Youll have no more troubles,

No more worries.

Really?

Jesus said just opposite,

Said if world hated Him, will hate you.

Paul said, All live godly in Christ will be persecuted.

Consider that virtually everything is tolerated in this world,

Every custom,

Every sincerely held belief,

Even every perversion.

Theres only one thing not tolerated: Christianity.

Its the only one

Because its the only one of divine origin,

The only one the prince of this world hates.


If you follow Christ

If you really follow Him:

Live like Him,

Speak,

Act

This world will hate you

If not openly, secretly

Dont expect to be popular in worlds eyes

If you follow Jesus!


Jesus said this was what would be like.

Which is why He said count cost before follow

You must be willing to pay that price,

Or else you may begin, but not be able to finish

And become even larger laughing stock in worlds eyes.


G. How much hatred and persecution must you be willing to bear?

You must be willing to bear it

No matter what price you must pay,

Even if those highest in authority

Persecute you.

So the psalmist prays, Even though princes sit and talk against me, Your servant
meditates on Your statutes (v. 23).


So many today are willing to abandon Jesus

Because their friends turn on them.

What would they do if the princes of this land

If the mayor, governor, senator, president

Spoke against them

And conspired for their downfall?

What would you do?


Jesus said you must be willing

To pick up cross to follow

You must have already made the decision

That your life in this world is over,

You must be willing to die for this cause.

If youre not, youll never be able to do

What Jesus calls you to do.


H. So where will you find the strength to pay this price?

Youll only be able to do this

If God, His Son, His kingdom, and His ways

Are precious to you.

The psalmist writes, Your testimonies also are my delight; they are my
counselors (v. 24).

You must love God.

You must desire Him,

To be with Him,

Before you will take the only road that leads to Him.


Thats what Jesus did, Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so
that you will not grow weary and lose heart (Heb. 12:2-3).

Thats what Paul did, I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who
live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by
faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me (Gal. 2:20).

But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world
(6:16).

Stephen would never have been able

To testify before the Jews

And seal that testimony with his blood

If he hadnt already died to the world in Christ.


And you must not allow yourself

To listen to anyone else.

Not to the wisdom of your flesh,

The wisdom of this world,

Or the counsel of your friends,

But to God and His Word alone.


If you really want to see God,

You must be willing to do more

Than just delight in God

And His commandments,

Must be willing to do them,

Even if it means persecution and death.

You never will be able to do them

Unless youre willing to die

Unless youve already died in Christ.

If dont have that level of commitment

Pray and ask the Lord to give to you,

So that can really begin to live. Amen.

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