Thinking God's Way

There is great reward if following God's Word. As we work through Psalm 19, we see how God is on display. Then, we see how it calls us to reconstruct our worldview. As we look around, God's word restores what sin distorts. We must recognize the value in listening to God and following him. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

If you've ever put on someone else's prescription glasses, you probably know how it feels. You look around the room, everything looks a little distorted, everything feels a little off. But the thing is, the room hasn't changed. It's just your perception of what you see has changed. Everything looks distorted, but what's interesting is when you have been wearing those glasses for a certain amount of time, you don't even realize your vision is blurry anymore. Now all of a sudden you've been viewing the room through this new lens, and now you've tricked your brain into believing that's just normal. Well, this morning we're talking about thinking God's way because as we look around this world, the truth is we all have some type of lens that we see it through. The same thing happens spiritually. We don't walk into the room neutral. We have one of various lenses on. We have different assumptions about things. There's a story of a man who bought a brand new TV, a big, let's say, 70-inch TV, put it on his wall. He was so excited. He turned it on, and the picture was blurry. There were everything just was kind of out of focus. There were lines across it. He went in and changed the settings over and over again, trying to get his picture to look right, but he just couldn't seem to make the picture look good. So he was frustrated. So he got the box and he looked up the phone number and he called customer service and he said, I just got this brand new TV and it's not working. The picture's blurry. I need a new TV. The guy on the other end said, Sir, did you take the plastic off the front of the TV? He said, No. And so all of a sudden, he's going through all this because what he's looking through has a filter on the front. It's changed his perception of what is supposed to be a clear, beautiful image of a brand new TV. And the truth is, as we look around our society, if I say the word freedom, you might have one idea of what that means, but someone on the other side may think something else. We all have a different lens. We have assumptions about what love means. I may say I love you to one person, and maybe it means something different to them, and then it goes the same way the other way. We all have a different lens. We all have assumptions about what success is or identity, what happiness means, where we need to reach to achieve that level of success in our lives. And the question this morning is not whether you have a worldview, because we all do. The question for us this morning is who formed it? Who did you allow to form the way you see the world? Psalm 19 says, God's word doesn't just give us information, it gives us a vision. You see, God's word reshapes how we see reality. And that's the main point this morning as we enter into this lesson. We're going to come back to this truth over and over again because if we really dive into God's word, it should give us a new lens of how we see everything else as a result. And that's the truth that we find in Psalm chapter 19. So if that's true, if God's word truly reshapes how we see reality, then scripture is not something we should just consult occasionally. It's not something we should tap into just on Sundays. But it's something that we should continually live in. Something we should have on the forefront of our minds, something that continually reforms us over and over again. You see, creation declares, scripture defines. And if we work our way through Psalm 19, it begins with the heavens declare the glory of God. Because creation tells us that God is powerful. We can look around and see that we serve an awesome God, but it doesn't tell us how to live as a result, just looking at the world itself. Creation does not correct our distorted thinking. So in verse 7, David shifts the conversation. Now we go from the sky to the scripture, what Luke read for us this morning. And this is not just random poetry, this is worldview reconstruction. So he says, look at the greatness of creation. And now as you recognize who God is and the power that he welds in this world, this is how you should respond. This should be the result of that thinking. Because as we look around, God's word restores what sin distorts. It says there on your screen if you're using your outlines. God's word restores our thinking. The law of the Lord is perfect, it says, reviving the soul. And for the rest of our time, if you want to open your Bibles, we will be in Psalm 19, verses 7 through 11, there. And this is in verse 7. It says, the law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The words in there are important. The law, meaning the Torah, talking about instruction, the instructions we get from God. It says it's perfect. It means it's whole, it's complete. And then it says reviving or restoring us. Because sin distorts our thinking. We don't drift away toward clarity. We drift away from God towards confusion. See, in this culture right now, definitions that were stable for centuries are now all of a sudden fluid. We decide that we're gonna go a different direction. Concepts like truth, gender, morality, even what it means to be human, are now redefined almost weakly. But let's not just point outward. We also distort things personally. I may step on some toes here, but the truth is we all justify sin in our lives. I bet you could probably look at some area of your life right now where you've been falling short. And then we tend to justify that. I was busy, I didn't have time for that, or there's a reason behind it. It's leading me towards something else. And we tend to make excuses for the sin we allow in our lives. We minimize, we minimize pride, we exaggerate offenses of others, we redefine selfishness as self-care. About it, as we put that mirror on ourselves, we tend to do the exact same thing that we look at and accuse the world of. This world, the brokenness of it, leads us away from him. And if we're not focused on God, our lives tend to drift away. That's why it's so important that we get involved with the church. That's why it's so important that we stay glued to Scripture. Not just an occasional reading, not just something we we do once a week, but it's a part of our lives because that is what renews us. That is what reorients us to the truth. Because God's word restores our thinking. See it? And if we depart from it too long, we'll find ourselves headed the complete opposite direction. Think about physical therapy after an injury. Has anybody done that before? If you tear a ligament, your body begins to compensate. Maybe you uh hurt a muscle in your leg, so now you start walking a little differently to avoid the pain. But over time, that con that compensation creates new problems because now all of a sudden I'm hip, I'm limping this way, now my hip on the other side hurts, my back begins to hurt, all because this one original problem. So I have hip issues, back issues, imbalance. You may feel normal, but you're not aligned. Physical therapy doesn't punish you, it restores you. It's not easy, but you gotta go through it in order to get that muscle back, in order to get that strength back. Scripture is spiritual physical therapy. Because in it, it brings you back to God, it brings you back in alignment with the truth of God's word. God's word brings us back to what is real, and that's what we have to recognize in our life. And how do you know the truth? Well, you gotta be in it. You gotta spend some time in his word. And you may say, Well, I've I've studied it my whole life. Well, there's still a lot more to learn. You know, I just yesterday reading through Judges, I came across some new things that I hadn't really thought about before, about what God is teaching us in this moment, about being aligned to his will, how the people are commanded to go into the land that God had promised them. And he says, drive out everyone that is there and tear down the altars. They decided, you know what, these people can be useful to us. We'll we'll maybe maybe we won't drive them out. Maybe we'll just put them to work. It seems like a good idea in the moment, right? There's some wisdom in that. We'll we'll put them into forced labor. They can be beneficial to us. But the problem is they weren't obedient to God's word and the things that He had called them to do. And so now all of a sudden, because they didn't listen to what God said, these people are in the land. The altars to the false gods are still there. And before long, it wasn't their culture that influenced those other people, it was the culture around them that influenced them. So before you know it, they're bowing down the false images. They're bowing down to Baal. Why did that happen? Because they weren't obedient to God's word. And as we spend time in God's word, we find more and more truth about Him. It informs on His relationship with His people. It informs us about how to live the best way we can in this world. God's word reorders our desires. If you're using your outlines this morning, it says in verse 7, the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. Think about that word, the simple. In Proverbs, uh, the simple is not the ignorant person, it's the inexperienced person, the one who is open but unformed. Let alone the simple are shaped by the loudest voice if they're left to themselves. Whatever the loudest voice coming in is the one we tend to listen to. And today, as we look around our culture, what are the loudest voices? They aren't always the most wise. Algorithms are shaping people's beliefs. It's social media feeds that are discipling more effectively than any of the churches out there. The average teenager spends hours per day absorbing narratives about identity, about sexuality, about self-worth, about happiness. And it's all right there on a screen. We're allowing it to feed us. But wisdom in Scripture is not IQ. Wisdom is a skill in living under God's design. It's taking what He has told us and putting it into action in our lives. But if you don't know it, it's not going to make a difference. If you're allowing the narratives of this world and what the things that are told to us shape what we believe, we're missing out on the truth of what God has to say. Proverbs 1:7 says, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. That's how we began this quarter. As we talked about what wisdom is, it begins with recognizing who God is. We're talking about fear, we're not talking about being scared and running the other direction. It's just a healthy respect of the power that He holds and the influence he should have on us on a daily basis. Here's the cultural lie. Just follow your heart. Ever heard that one before? Just do what feels right. But Jeremiah 17, 9 says, the heart is deceitful. Wisdom doesn't start by trusting your own instincts, it starts by trusting God's testimony. That's watching its parents prepare for the journey south for the winter. Dad's flying around making preparations, and he's telling his family, it's time for us to leave. We're gonna head south for the winter. And the baby bird looks up and says, Well, how do I know which way I'm supposed to go? And the dad looks down at him and says, Well, we just know it's our instincts. The baby bird looks up at the dad and says, Well, my instincts too, but it doesn't tell me which direction to go. We rely on our instincts instead of God's wisdom. We're missing the point. We end up flying in a direction that God doesn't want us to go. Wisdom doesn't start by trusting your instincts, it starts by trusting God's testimony. Back in 1999, John F. Kennedy Jr. died in a plane crash. Investigators believe he became spatially disoriented while he was flying over the water at night. He didn't have visible reference points. And without those reference points, the body's senses can mislead a pilot. So, in other words, you can feel like you're level when you're actually banking. Pilots are trained to trust the instruments over their feelings. Well, God's word is our instrument panel in this life. Your heart can be deceitful. Anybody been there before? Maybe you made a choice outside of God's word because it's what we wanted in the moment. It's what our heart was leading us to. But when we make those choices based on how we feel instead of what God's word says, it leads to disaster every single time. Leads to hurt, leads to disappointment, brokenness. Your feelings are not always reliable indicators of truth. And I think wisdom, as our theme for this quarter, wisdom is seeing life the way that God designed it. Not what I want, not what I think is important, the way God has set it into motion, the way God has planned it, the way He designed it. You see, God's word produces joy, not oppression. Verse 8, the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. I think this confronts another lie that our culture tries to tell us. We assume that commands kill joy. You may have heard, well, God just doesn't want us to be happy. Like I want to be happy, that's why I don't follow God's word. But David says it's God's commands that create joy in our life. And the truth is it's because joy flows from alignment with reality. When we can step in tune to what God says, it leads us to truth, it leads us to joy. When God says, be faithful in marriage, when he says, forgive your enemies, when he says, speak truth, when he says, live generously, he's not trying to limit your life, he's trying to lead you into something better, he's protecting your joy in those moments. Because my guess is if you're like me and have stepped outside of those commands at times, then it leads to hurt, it leads to brokenness. And whenever we get out of line, out of step with his reality, we probably have to face some consequences as a result. So he's not limiting your life, he's leading you to something better. And the way I often say it is don't you think the one that created this world, the one that created you, knows the best way for you to live? Probably knows a lot better than you do. But yet so often we tend to trust our own thoughts, our own instincts instead of trusting in his word and what he has to say. He's calling you to something better, he's pointing you to the best life. So often we just ignore it. Jesus said in John 15, 11, the things I've spoken to you that my joy may be in your life. Why does he tell us these things? Because he wants you to find joy in this world. It doesn't mean life's gonna be perfect, we're gonna be far from it. But he's calling us to a joy that passes understanding, a peace that passes understanding, a joy beyond what really makes sense because we trust in him and his way. Even when things go off the rails at times, we can still stay in step with God. Find joy in him. Consider financial debt in America. There's studies that show that consumer debt is one of the leading causes of stress and marital conflict. Has anybody been there before? When God warns against loving money, against greed, against living beyond your means, it's not because he's anti-joy. He's not trying to take away experiences or things from your life. But God is very anti-destruction and hurt. You see, God's commands are guardrails. They're not prison bars. They're leading us to something better. We stay in touch with Him. Guardrails are placed in dangerous places, not to restrict freedom, but to preserve life. And so God commands, His commands, guard your joy. God's word enlightens our eyes. Again in verse 8, the commands of the Lord, the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. Truth is, sin blinds. It's sin that you put on those glasses that don't belong to you and you start to see funny. 2 Corinthians 4 4 says, the God of this world blinds minds. We don't always see clearly. Truth is we often overestimate our righteousness, we underestimate our pride, we misjudge God's character. Probably heard a few critiques about that in recent years, but scripture is what enlightens. Scripture shows us who God truly is. Scripture points to the truth of who you truly are. And then scripture also points us to what eternity holds. The importance of being in alignment with God's word. Think about light pollution. Get in a big city, try to look up at the stars. When there are a lot of lights around you, you can't really see the stars. But if you get out in the country, get out away from the big city lights, lay down on the ground and look up at the sky. There's stars as far as you can tell. Totally a beautiful thing. But I want you to think about what is happening there. When too many artificial lights fill the sky, like when you're in a city, you can't see what is actually there. Here's the truth, and what it's all pointing to. In our world today, our culture is filled with artificial light. Promises are made about your joy and how this can make you happy and this can then can bring you peace. And if you can just get here, and if you if you abandon this, and if you if you trust in this, our culture lies to us. Endless noise, endless opinion. Anybody thought that recently scrolling through social media? All the noise, all the opinions, all the commentary about what's going on in the world. It's all artificial light. Want the true light? Want to see the stars? Open up God's word. I mean, that's the truth of it. Scripture takes us out to the country. Scripture takes us to the clear air, where you can see clearly, where you can find the truth. It lets us see what is always there. See, God's word clears the fog from your vision, allows you to see Him. Using your outlines or your final blank, God's word is good. It's not restrictive. That's the point of all of this. He's leading us to something better. But too often we begin to think he's keeping us something. But our text today is a reminder of his goodness. So in this, David moves from description to desire. He says verses 9 through 11 there, more to be desired than gold, sweeter also than honey. Notice the shift as we read through the text. It's so important in his life. And if scripture reshapes reality, then it must be valued. We got to put some value on his word. And if you think it's important, probably means you're spending time in it. So if I ask you, do you think God's word is important? And I and I say, if I were to ask, I don't have to because I know what's going to happen. Who in this room thinks God's word is important? Everybody in here would raise your hand. Is it an important part of your life? Does God's word shape you? Everybody's gonna raise their hand. Yes. What's the most important book that's ever been written? God's word, the Bible, we'd all point to it. Here's the question How much time have you spent in it? We can say all day long it's important, but there are our lives telling the same story as those hands in the air. You can see it in their actions much more so than in their words. And in this moment, David reminds us that he doesn't just respect the word, he treasures it. It's truly important. And what you truly treasure begins to shape how you think. If it's important to you, it's gonna make a difference. You're important to them, it's gonna change the way they interact and the things they do. They're gonna make you a priority. The same goes with our study of the word. Anyone watching the Olympics? Um, there was one story from uh it's one of the first events was this uphill skiing. I don't even know the name of the event. This uphill skiing event. This guy has on skis and the poles, and he's going up the mountain in the snow, and it's like he's going at a six-minute mile pace. I think his fastest time, he would have been clocked at five minutes and 19 seconds going uphill on skis, running up the mountain. I'm like, what in the world? I can't even go outside and run straight down the road in six in a six-minute mile. In fact, very few of us in here probably could. This guy's going uphill. And and and what is amazing is there's people sitting on the couch are probably critiquing him. Well, if he would have just did that or this or that. There's an old commentary or or thought about the Olympics that they really should have just an average person go out and attempt the event. That way we have some perspective about how amazing these athletes are. Because if you or I were to go out there and skis and try to run up the mountain, we probably wouldn't make it but a maybe a 50 feet at best before we're like come plunging back down. But why are these athletes so good? It's because they shape their entire lives around these events. They change their diet, they change their relationships, they wrap their entire schedule around this event they're going to be taking part in. Why was he able to run up the mountain and skis and at a six-minute pace? Because he's been training, he lives his whole life for this moment. Because the values that we hold shape our lives. For him, running up a mountain and skis is the most important thing. And so he lives it out, and everything in his world is focused on that one thing. And so here's the truth: if God's word is something you truly believe, it's going to reshape your reality. Our habits reflect that. And it's not just about reading the Bible, it's about living it out. There's a difference in between just knowing what it says and actually putting it into practice. But it starts with knowing it. You can't practice it if you don't know it. So it all works together. But if you truly believe that God's word is important, if you truly believe that this is how we should live, it's going to begin to reshape your habits and our life forms around what God says. Look at verse 11 by them is your servant warned. In keeping them, there is great reward. Do you believe that? In following God's word, there is great reward. In being obedient to Him, there is great reward. Commands warn. Commands also reward us into something better. And I invite you to look at your own life. Think about a time you were disobedient to God's will. Where did that leave you? Now think of a time you followed him at a time when you thought you probably could have gone a different direction. Where did that leave you? God's commands show you the danger, they also show you the blessing that live in them. So Psalm 19 ultimately points forward. John 1 says, the word became flesh. So when he talks about the importance of the word, the word then becomes flesh. Jesus is the embodiment of God's wisdom. He perfectly saw reality, he perfectly lived reality. And then on the cross, he absorbed the penalty for each and every one of all the ways of our thinking. Been distorted by sin. So if your mind has been shaped more by culture than by Christ, the answer is not shame. And that's the good news. That's why we're here this morning. That's why we can, that's why I can stand up here and proclaim Christ, not because I'm great, because I'm far from it. But I can stand up here and proclaim Christ because of what Jesus did for me on that cross. And I hope you see that. And the same is true for each and every one of us. We no longer have to be slaves to sin. We no longer have to be ashamed of where we were because God has renewed us when we find our faith in Him, when we find our new life in His blood. So when we come to Jesus, it's not shame, but we come to Him in surrender. We repent of that life from before. We turn to Jesus, and in that moment we are baptized for the remission of our sin. So let God not only forgive you, but to reform you this time. Give your life to Him, be baptized, and be raised to walk in newness of life. So in closing, let's come back to the final line, the final thought, the bottom line of this sermon. God's word reshapes how we see reality. So who's shaping your thinking? Who or what is shaping your thinking right now? If you do not actively let scripture disciple you, the truth is something else will. Whether it's social media, whether it's the headlines, whether it's just the culture as a whole. So my challenge to you this week is to read Psalm 19, maybe even daily. And then you want to ask, where is my thinking out of alignment? Where do I have improvement to make? Reshape my thoughts around God's word. And then the challenge for you is to submit that one area of your life to God's word. Let's find truth in His Word and let's apply it to our lives. This is putting it into practice, putting wisdom into practice because when your vision changes, your desires change. When your decisions change, your life changes. God's word does not restrict reality. Instead, it reveals the truth. And when you learn to think God's thoughts, that you finally see clearly. Is it time to come home to Him today? Is it time to rededicate your life to Him? You need to be baptized or you just need the prayers of the church, we invite you to come as together we stand and speak.