SPEAKER_00: Please follow along as I read from Psalm 19.
SPEAKER_00: To the choir master, a Psalm of David.
SPEAKER_00: The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
SPEAKER_00: Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.
SPEAKER_00: There is no speech, nor are there words whose voice is not heard.
SPEAKER_00: Their voice goes out through all the earth, and the words to the end of the world.
SPEAKER_00: In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom, leaving his chamber, and like a strong man runs its course with joy.
SPEAKER_00: Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them.
SPEAKER_00: And there is nothing hidden from its heat.
SPEAKER_00: The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.
SPEAKER_00: The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
SPEAKER_00: The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart.
SPEAKER_00: The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
SPEAKER_00: The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever.
SPEAKER_00: The rules of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
SPEAKER_00: More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold, sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb.
SPEAKER_00: Moreover, by them is your servant warned.
SPEAKER_00: And keeping of them is great reward.
SPEAKER_00: Who can discern his errors?
SPEAKER_00: Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
SPEAKER_00: Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins.
SPEAKER_00: Let them not have dominion over me.
SPEAKER_00: Then I shall be blameless and innocent of great transgression.
SPEAKER_00: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight.
SPEAKER_00: O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
SPEAKER_02: Good morning.
SPEAKER_02: Today we will continue on the series meditating on the Psalms.
SPEAKER_02: So let's pray.
SPEAKER_02: Father, we pray this morning.
SPEAKER_02: We come to you with our hearts, ready to receive your word.
SPEAKER_02: God, touch our heart, touch our mind.
SPEAKER_02: Talk to us and lead us by your Holy Spirit.
SPEAKER_02: In Jesus' name.
SPEAKER_02: Amen.
SPEAKER_02: There is a famous novel written by Daniel Defoe called Robinson Crusoe.
SPEAKER_02: In this novel, the author tells us or tells the story of a castaway in his survival on the desolate island.
SPEAKER_02: For a while, Robinson believes that he is the only human being on the island.
SPEAKER_02: Until some something suddenly happens.
SPEAKER_02: So Robinson says, one day I was surprised to discover footprints on the sand.
SPEAKER_02: I stopped, shocked, listened and looked and looked around carefully, trying to hear some noise, but I did not perceive anything.
SPEAKER_02: I climbed a dune to be able to better observe the beach everywhere.
SPEAKER_02: However, there was nothing.
SPEAKER_02: So this novel is very much related to Psalm 19 this morning.
SPEAKER_02: In this first part of the psalm, David wants to communicate that this universe is full, full of footprints that point to the Creator, to God.
SPEAKER_02: Creation reveals the existence of a God full of power, of wisdom.
SPEAKER_02: And although this revelation does not teach us everything we need for our salvation, this revelation is enough to know that God is there for sure.
SPEAKER_02: He has left clear footprint for us to draw near to Him.
SPEAKER_02: C.S.
SPEAKER_02: Lewis considers Psalm 19 to be one of the greatest poems in the Bible, highlighting the greatness of God through creation and divine revelation.
SPEAKER_02: David makes some amazing statement about the sun in verses 4 to 5.
SPEAKER_02: He says that the sun is like a bridegroom who leaves his chamber in all glory, beauty, and magnificence, the sun rises each morning.
SPEAKER_02: This text talks about the sun moving through the universe from one end to the sky to the other, following a kind of circuit through vast space.
SPEAKER_02: This hymn of David can be seen in several ways.
SPEAKER_02: The author speaks of non-verbal revelation and then a verbal revelation.
SPEAKER_02: One unwritten revelation and one written revelation.
SPEAKER_02: So the author claims that God reveals Himself in these two ways: general and special revelation.
SPEAKER_02: We can see also the psalm as the voice of the creation, the voice of the word, and also the voice of the sinner in the last part of the chapter.
SPEAKER_02: Notice that this phrase of the Lord, of the Lord, of the Lord, is repeated six times in verses five until sorry, seven until nine.
SPEAKER_02: So that there is no confusion about who the author is.
SPEAKER_02: For sure, God is the author.
SPEAKER_02: God is the creator.
SPEAKER_02: I personally see David presenting this psalm from major to minor.
SPEAKER_02: He starts with the revelation, the general revelation, and then he continues with the special one and finishes talking to the heart of man.
SPEAKER_02: So I think this morning I'm going to talk about how important is to meditate on the scripture.
SPEAKER_02: How important is to come to the Lord and pour out our heart and listen, and then God can feed us with His Word.
SPEAKER_02: Psalm 19 is perfect to meditate this week.
SPEAKER_02: Psalm 19 is an amazing, amazing chapter.
SPEAKER_02: I encourage you to do it.
SPEAKER_02: Meditate on the Lord this week and this Psalm.
SPEAKER_02: Rather than reading, reading it and forgetting, as James remarked in chapter 1, verses 22-24.
SPEAKER_02: So my first point today is God wants us to meditate on the greatness of creation.
SPEAKER_02: We meditate on what God created for us.
SPEAKER_02: But I remember in my previous uh pastor in um in other places here, in other locations, uh one member came to me and said, you know, Pastor, God doesn't speak to me.
SPEAKER_02: But beside, he doesn't listen to me.
SPEAKER_02: I'm experiencing a lot of problems, a lot of difficulties, and I have the sense that I don't know where it is.
SPEAKER_02: God where it is.
SPEAKER_02: This is like uh I often uh happen in our experience when we have to drive, and maybe happen to you too, um driving 95 or any road in America, and then uh uh you turn the station, radio station, and let's say 91.9, and uh keep driving, and suddenly you remember that, right?
SPEAKER_02: And then why what you do with that?
SPEAKER_02: And my wife usually helped me to you know to find the you know the right uh radio station.
SPEAKER_02: Then what what really we need to do is going back, you know, close to the antenna, and then we are gonna be able to listen in uh in the right way.
SPEAKER_02: It's it's the same concept with the spiritually talking.
SPEAKER_02: The farther you we get from God, the weaker the signal.
SPEAKER_02: The biblical terms to going back is repentance.
SPEAKER_02: That means to return to meet the father just as the prodigal son, he got all the inheritance and then ran away.
SPEAKER_02: And one day he discovered that he needed going back to home.
SPEAKER_02: And he he came home and he said to the father, Father, I have sinned against you.
SPEAKER_02: That is the attitude when we come to the scripture with an open heart, you know.
SPEAKER_02: You don't have to count on powerful telescopes to understand the message that the heavens proclaim.
SPEAKER_02: David surely did not have one.
SPEAKER_02: Paul in Romans 1, 19 to 20 states that this revelation is clear enough for all to understand.
SPEAKER_02: This uh verses 19 to 20 says, Since that may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them, for since the creation of the world, God's invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature have seen, clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
SPEAKER_02: Although this first part of the psalm is usually used for to reach maybe unbelievers trying to present the gospel, this message of creation is meant for us as well.
SPEAKER_02: The creation is there just for us for believers to to meditate, contemplate the creation of God.
SPEAKER_02: Francis Chaeffer said, God is not distant or silent being, but one who actively reveals himself.
SPEAKER_02: God is talking through the creation to us.
SPEAKER_02: Creation reveals the power of greatness of God.
SPEAKER_02: And by his grace he has made us, his children, to Christ by faith.
SPEAKER_02: His creation serves as a reminder of his care in all aspects of our lives.
SPEAKER_02: Therefore, there is one thing to trust in him.
SPEAKER_02: Matthew 6, 2026 confirm this.
SPEAKER_02: Behold the birds of air, which do not sow, not rip, not gather into barns, and your heavenly father feeds them, how how you not worth more much more than they?
SPEAKER_02: If God cares for the birds and their creation, how much more will he not take care of you?
SPEAKER_02: If you are struggling with difficulties this day, and you are wondering, God, what's going on?
SPEAKER_02: God is taking care of you.
SPEAKER_02: He understands he's not too busy, he's working for you because you are his son, his daughter, a special one.
SPEAKER_02: And he loves you.
SPEAKER_02: And for us.
SPEAKER_02: When you meditate on the greatness of God, is it isn't your heart impacted?
SPEAKER_02: Hopefully so.
SPEAKER_02: After God took Job on a tour of the universe, showing him the greatness of his creation and who he is, Job declared.
SPEAKER_02: But now my eyes have seen you.
SPEAKER_02: What Job is trying to say, God, I knew it here.
SPEAKER_01: I knew it.
SPEAKER_01: I knew it intellectually.
SPEAKER_01: I knew it theologically, I knew it doctrinally.
SPEAKER_01: By now.
SPEAKER_02: I understand in my heart who you are.
SPEAKER_02: There's a huge difference.
SPEAKER_02: And God is calling us to get closer to him.
SPEAKER_02: Because he wants to touch our heart and change our love, our heart, our life.
SPEAKER_02: When we meditate on his majesty and sovereignty, it is when the heart surrenders to the Lord of Lords.
SPEAKER_02: So, my second point today is God wants us to meditate on his truth.
SPEAKER_02: We have the creation, but a God wants to take us to the scripture and talk to us.
SPEAKER_02: Thomas Watson says, Meditation is the soul that withdraws itself.
SPEAKER_02: When the Christian is ready to meditate, he turns away from things that distract.
SPEAKER_02: The Hebrew word for meditation means to remember and intentionally put thoughts together.
SPEAKER_02: It's not superficially, intentionally.
SPEAKER_02: In the Old Testament, Isaac went out to meditate in the field before meeting Rebekah.
SPEAKER_02: God counseled Joshua to do so.
SPEAKER_02: The prophet Ahai exhorted people to meditate well on their ways.
SPEAKER_02: Mary practiced deep meditation for a long time.
SPEAKER_02: Luke 1, verses 5 says, But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.
SPEAKER_02: Thomas Watson says, We have to turn away from the things that distract, and then we will have the best perspective of heaven.
SPEAKER_02: Get close to God.
SPEAKER_02: Go to your secret place and meditate in the scripture in the word of God.
SPEAKER_02: Don't let the noises of this world distract you from meditating on the truth.
SPEAKER_02: Just as many men of God in the scripture set aside time to meditate, as I mentioned before, Christ regularly did the same.
SPEAKER_02: He prayed, and we know, and I know that, I'm pretty sure that he meditated too.
SPEAKER_02: Pastor Josh told us a few weeks ago about this.
SPEAKER_02: Biblical meditation is not an emptying of the mind to reach a certain experience or state of being, but involves filling the mind with the word of God.
SPEAKER_02: Meditation is taking a truth and showing it until it fills our mind and draws our heart to God.
SPEAKER_02: That is meditation.
SPEAKER_02: We must not be like a horseman of the pony's press who galloped through towns and did not notice everything, nothing.
SPEAKER_02: But rather we must be like a painter who fixes his gaze, gaze, and landscape and its entire composition.
SPEAKER_02: So the painter he observes symmetries, colors, shapes, proportions, details.
SPEAKER_02: I see my daughter many times, he really loved to paint.
SPEAKER_02: And I see one one of the pictures, a frame there and one area in our home.
SPEAKER_02: Well, sometimes asking, say, okay, when she's gonna finish.
SPEAKER_02: But anyway, and she is there for a long time, months.
SPEAKER_02: So and I can see the progress.
SPEAKER_02: And she's investing time.
SPEAKER_02: Oh my goodness, need dedication.
SPEAKER_02: So when we come to the scripture, it's the same, same concept.
SPEAKER_02: So, but in a negative way, we don't like my negative things, but uh sometimes it's good to mention not meditating can lead us to indifference.
SPEAKER_02: That affects our devotion, our holiness, and service to the Lord.
SPEAKER_02: And uh, you know, as a member of APC, we have a lot of opportunities to serve here.
SPEAKER_02: If you are not serving here at APC and you have been attending the church, or maybe you are already a member, I encourage you to consider that to serve in a way here.
SPEAKER_02: There's always opportunities.
SPEAKER_02: And God wants us to use our gift all the time.
SPEAKER_02: Let me share with you what impact does scripture have when we meditate on it.
SPEAKER_02: The first one in verse 7, you can follow the scripture and your volume.
SPEAKER_02: The law of the Lord is perfect that converts the soul.
SPEAKER_02: Convert the soul.
SPEAKER_02: James Boy says, the word of God being perfect revives the soul.
SPEAKER_02: And to be perfect means to be so complete as to cover all aspects of life.
SPEAKER_02: It means that the Bible is not deficient in any way, it is a totally sufficient revelation.
SPEAKER_02: Brothers, the Bible refreshes and realign your life, our life, with God's purposes.
SPEAKER_02: You can go to a doctor for your body needs, you can go to college for your mind's need.
SPEAKER_02: You can only go to the scriptures for the needs of your soul.
SPEAKER_02: We need his word.
SPEAKER_02: When was the last time when you stopped to shoe on the truth?
SPEAKER_02: It doesn't matter how far you have come, not matter how deep you have fallen.
SPEAKER_02: God has given you the map to return to fellowship with Him.
SPEAKER_02: So the second impact about the truth is it makes the simple wise.
SPEAKER_02: Verse 7, second part.
SPEAKER_02: Maybe you may not like the description simple.
SPEAKER_02: But David is not referring to a fool.
SPEAKER_02: Simple in the Bible often describes someone who is open-minded and ready to learn.
SPEAKER_02: You remember the Paul, the Apostle Paul story?
SPEAKER_02: One day he was going to persecute, to kill Christians, put in jail believers, and then Jesus Christ stopped him.
SPEAKER_02: And he said, Jesus, why are you striking yourself against the point of the spear?
SPEAKER_02: What happened with Paul?
SPEAKER_02: Paul had to humble himself before Christ and be simple of heart.
SPEAKER_02: That was happening with Paul.
SPEAKER_02: And today he is recognized as the most influential of the apostles.
SPEAKER_02: God wants to talk with us, but he's expecting a simple heart, humble heart, because he wanted to talk to us.
SPEAKER_02: A veteran missionary in Haiti collected up and preserved distinctive prayers from villagers during the Bible, Bible studies over the years.
SPEAKER_02: And this is one of the prayers.
SPEAKER_02: I think this guy who prayed this prayer was not stupid, was not foolish.
SPEAKER_02: He was simple, humble.
SPEAKER_02: Scriptures gladdens the heart.
SPEAKER_02: Verse 8, the first part.
SPEAKER_02: Remember the happy man in Psalm 1 that the pastor Josh explained, verse 2.
SPEAKER_02: Say like that.
SPEAKER_02: But this delight is in the law of the Lord.
SPEAKER_02: And on his law, he meditates day and night.
SPEAKER_02: The entire Old Testament leads us to Christ.
SPEAKER_02: And that should be our meditation.
SPEAKER_02: And through Christ is the only way to find the true and real joy.
SPEAKER_02: The world today is looking for peace and joy and many things.
SPEAKER_02: But the only way, the only one who can fill us with the real joys is Jesus Christ, the powerful one, the only one.
SPEAKER_02: The full impact of the Word of God in our life.
SPEAKER_02: God's law will clarify your vision.
SPEAKER_02: And verse 8, second part, the commandment of the Lord lights up the eyes.
SPEAKER_02: Scripture is just like one day.
SPEAKER_02: You are in the dark in the woods with almost no light.
SPEAKER_02: And maybe you experience that, going on vacation somewhere, and then you are in the dark in the evening, night, and then you go trying to go back and you found your place and you turn the light in a cabin, let's say, for example, you turn the light on, and then maybe it's like a you're born again.
SPEAKER_02: When we open the scriptures, when we open the Bible, it's the light comes to us and penetrate our heart for the Holy Spirit.
SPEAKER_02: And he starts working and changing our mind, our heart, our thoughts, our ideas sometimes are not really aligned with the scripture of God.
SPEAKER_02: And the last one, the last impact, that's the truth is God is just in all that he does.
SPEAKER_02: Verse 9, second part.
SPEAKER_02: Also Psalm 145, verse 15 tells us the Lord is just in all his ways and kind in all his doings.
SPEAKER_02: The truth tells me how this corrupt system we live in lies to me.
SPEAKER_02: And we cannot ascribe unjust to him.
SPEAKER_02: Since God's character is perfect.
SPEAKER_02: Sometimes people accuse, attack God, and say, Oh God, why are you not doing this?
SPEAKER_02: Why are you not bringing solution to this or that?
SPEAKER_02: God is just.
SPEAKER_02: David acknowledges his inability to comprehend the magnitude of his sins.
SPEAKER_02: And one of the biggest mistakes made in devotional practice is to seek information over and above seeking the transformation of the heart.
SPEAKER_02: Before we can count a thousand sins, we will commit ten thousand more.
SPEAKER_02: There's no way can begin to remember all your sins to confess them.
SPEAKER_02: You need and we need a redeemer who will see them all and pay the penalty for all of them.
SPEAKER_02: Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_02: He is the way to eternal life.
SPEAKER_02: In verse 13, David prays for sins of presumption.
SPEAKER_02: These are deliberate sins that is in total rebellion against God.
SPEAKER_02: He prayed in verse 13, keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins.
SPEAKER_02: Let them not have dominion over me.
SPEAKER_02: Then I shall be blameless and innocent of great transgression.
SPEAKER_02: It is one thing to sin and not be conscious, and another thing to do intentionally.
SPEAKER_02: It's not the same.
SPEAKER_02: Acknowledging that human cannot perfectly obey his commandment.
SPEAKER_02: The law highlights the necessity of God's grace, Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_02: And David is not only praying for forgiveness of his blindness, but because of his offenses.
SPEAKER_02: And David ends the Psalm by praying, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight.
SPEAKER_02: Verse 14.
SPEAKER_02: How easy it is to have wrong desires, right?
SPEAKER_02: Our flesh is pulling us to do the wrong things.
SPEAKER_02: So it seems that David is praying in this way, something like this.
SPEAKER_02: Lord, I am blind to my own weaknesses.
SPEAKER_02: I am capable of the worst sins.
SPEAKER_02: I constantly need an evaluation of myself.
SPEAKER_02: And we come to meditate in the scripture, we can discover that sometimes I'm not really right as I am thinking.
SPEAKER_02: Like Paul the Apostle when he was persecuting Christians.
SPEAKER_02: He thought he was right.
SPEAKER_02: He was doing really well.
SPEAKER_02: But and then he had an encounter with Jesus Christ, and he discovered that he was not doing okay.
SPEAKER_02: When we humbly meditate on his truth, a prayer should arise of repentance and worship.
SPEAKER_02: And there be an inner transformation and alignment with God's word.
SPEAKER_02: This is to say, for example, I'm thinking south.
SPEAKER_02: But the scriptures is telling me, no, it's not south, my son, it's north.
SPEAKER_02: I have to make a decision.
SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna obey God, or I will go following, or I will do my will.
SPEAKER_02: Sometimes, you know, as a believer, we must be or we will be probably as a Salmon, you know, the Salmon, going against the current.
SPEAKER_02: That is not easy, especially these days.
SPEAKER_02: It's tough, it's hard.
SPEAKER_02: But if we are committed with God when Jesus Christ, sometimes we are gonna we need to stand on the truth.
SPEAKER_02: David in the end of the verse 14 recognizes that God is his rock and his redeemer.
SPEAKER_02: Rock stability, redeemer, atoning sacrifice.
SPEAKER_02: David recognizes that the splendor of the heavens demonstrate God's power.
SPEAKER_02: However, in the it is in the Bible, special revelation that reveals God as our redeemer from sin and our rock.
SPEAKER_02: David, by referring to God as his rock and redeemer, acknowledges him as the firm foundation for our lives and the Savior who frees us from him.
SPEAKER_02: The ancient uh Greek philosopher Pythagoras isolated himself from society and lived an entire year, whole year in a cave.
SPEAKER_02: You know to do what?
SPEAKER_02: To meditate in philosophy.
SPEAKER_02: Good for him.
SPEAKER_01: How much more should we withdraw to meditate on the glory of God?
SPEAKER_01: Just ten minutes.
SPEAKER_01: Not the whole year.
SPEAKER_01: Just ten minutes.
SPEAKER_01: Open and dig deeply.
SPEAKER_01: And find.
SPEAKER_02: Okay, God, talk to my heart and be simple, be humble.
SPEAKER_02: And ask the Lord, please, Lord, tell me what is the truth?
SPEAKER_02: What is right?
SPEAKER_02: It is okay what I am doing, I've been doing all these years.
SPEAKER_02: Oh, it's okay what I am doing right now.
SPEAKER_02: Show me.
SPEAKER_02: Let's say, like David, oh, how I love my law, thy law.
SPEAKER_02: All day long it is my meditation.
SPEAKER_02: All day long is my meditation.
SPEAKER_02: Hopefully, we will be able to say the same as David.
SPEAKER_02: Let's pray together.
SPEAKER_02: Heavenly Father, thank you for your gift, gifting us the creation that speaks clearly to us of your existence.
SPEAKER_02: And at the same time, you give us your infallible word that exhorts us to draw closer to you, seeking the direction of Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_02: God, forgive us.
SPEAKER_02: We apologize for not taking enough time to get to know you better.
SPEAKER_02: Free us from the daily distraction of life.
SPEAKER_02: Teach us how to meditate.
SPEAKER_02: We need you desperately, God.
SPEAKER_02: I pray all this in Jesus' name.
SPEAKER_02: Amen.