God's Word: Road to Righteousness

Psalm 119. Psalm 119 verse 105. Tonight we're going to talk about one of those verses that's very familiar to us. It begins this section in Psalm 119: "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." God's word is the road to righteous living. God's word is that which lights the way for those of us who are in darkness. God's word does what nothing else can do. And tonight we want to be able to see that road God wants us to travel.

You know, as we look back at Israel, we realize that God did something really unique for Israel. He led them out of bondage. He led them by a cloud during the day and a pillar of fire by night. And that symbolized the presence of Almighty God as it would lead them from place to place. And God was so good when he did that because he began with Israel showing them they must always follow him who is the light of the world.

The Bible says in First John that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. As you go through the Old Testament, you realize in the book of Numbers that Jesus Christ the Messiah would be the star that would come out of Jacob. When you read Malachi chapter 4, you realize that the Messiah would be the son of righteousness who would rise with healing in his wings. When you come to the New Testament, you begin to realize that the Magi were led to Bethlehem by a star. A star that would shine and lead them each and every step of the way until they arrived at the house of Jesus Christ our Lord.

And as the shepherds were in the field, there was a great light as the glory of the Lord would shine around them. And we know that Revelation 22 says that Jesus Christ is that bright and morning star. Jesus said that he was the light of the world in John 8 verse number 12. And we also know from the book of Jeremiah the 23rd chapter the 29th verse that God's word is like fire.

You see, God over-emphasizes the fact that he is light and that light directs his people. The Bible doesn't refer to the unbeliever as the unsaved. It refers to the unbeliever as that one who is lost. They're lost. Why are they lost? Because they can't find their way. Why can't they find their way? They do not know the light that shows the way. They can't follow because they can't see. They're blind.

When we're saved, we are saved out of the kingdom of darkness, Colossians 1, and transferred into the kingdom of his dear son who is the light of the world. So we're transferred from darkness into light. And then the Bible says that we are now light in the world. We are salt. We are light. And so Paul picks up on that theme in Ephesians chapter 5 and says that we are to walk as children of light. We are to walk brightly. Why? Because we are surrounded by a world engulfed in darkness who somehow need to see where they're going. Who's going to show them? Who's going to lead them? Those who understand the light of life and those who shine and walk in that brightness so that the world around can see the true light.

God has put this whole light, this whole fire, this whole glory, this whole symbolism of himself so clearly in scripture that we are without excuse to know where we're going and to know what we are to do when we get there. God never wants his people to be lost. He wants them to know exactly where they're going. And for Israel it was easy because when the cloud moved, they moved. When the cloud stopped, they stopped. When the pillar of light would light the way, they would know where to go. When it didn't light the way, they wouldn't know where to go.

So God's word, God became a light for the children of Israel to walk through this land and lead them to a land of great promise because God is leading his dear children along. How does he lead them? He gives us a word that is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. In ancient times, no street lights. There were no cars with car lights. How did people get around at night? They had oil lamps that they would carry that would light each and every step that they would take, and that light would always shine in the steps that they would move in.

You see, God takes us one step at a time so that we can have the direction we need when we need it. God promises us to lead us down a road, a road of righteousness, a road of right living, a road that depicts his character and nature. How is he going to do that? He is going to do that simply through his word. When Israel had a pillar of fire that could lead them, God says, "My word is like fire." As that pillar of fire would light the way for Israel, so my word lights the way for the people of God to know.

And that's why in Zacharias's song, when he talked about the coming of the Messiah, he would go back to the prophet Isaiah and quote from him concerning the light that would shine on the people who were in darkness because that's what the Messiah did. So tonight, as we study the road to righteousness, we study God's word which is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.

Let's read it together. I'll read the odd ones, you read the even ones. Read them loud so those who listen by way of tape and one day on the radio will hear your sweet voices singing the melody of scripture as you recite it loudly. I know we all don't have the same translations, that's okay. Just read it as if you're the only one in the room. All right, and read it loudly. Here we go.

Psalm 119:105: "Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." "I am exceedingly afflicted; revive me, O Lord, according to thy word." You guys need to learn to read a little bit quicker. That's okay, that's all right. You're doing good. All right, verse 109. My, you know, by the way, you guys are better at this at the beginning than you are now. You know, when you first started this, you were really good. You got in sync. Now you guys are kind of slowing up a little bit. I think maybe you had too much for lunch or too much for dinner. Verse number 109: "My life is continually in my hand, yet I do not forget thy law." That is just so much better. Oh, I am so proud of you guys. Verse 111: "I have inherited thy testimonies forever, for they are the joy of my heart."

God's word is the road, the road of revelation, the road of restoration, and the road of rejoicing. The road of righteousness leads us to the revelation of God. And that revelation leads us to understand how God restores us. And once we have seen God for who he is and he has restored us, we rejoice in all that he is. That's where God wants to lead you. And how's God going to do that? He's going to do it through his word.

Two things I want you to notice about the road of revelation. Number one, the course that the psalmist would take. And number two, the commitment that the psalmist would make. He says very clearly in verse 105 that God's word is a lamp and God's word is a light. He understands he needs direction. He understands he needs God to lead him and direct him in the way that he should go. And the only way that's going to happen is if God lights the path he is to walk.

Now, I don't know who you are. I don't know what's going on in your life. I don't know what kind of direction you need in your life. People always are looking for direction. They want to know what God says concerning them. They need to know what to do today. And maybe you've got lots of questions. Maybe you got questions about who you should marry. People always got that question: who they should marry. The Bible doesn't say, "Well, you know, Bill should marry Sue and Jane should marry Jack." Okay, it doesn't say that. The Bible does say that we're not to be unequally yoked together with the unbeliever. So we do know that the believer is not to marry the unbeliever. So if you're dating someone that's not a believer, you know that that's not the way that God is leading you. That's your own selfish desires in that relationship. It's not God leading you to do something that would be contrary to what his word says.

And yet God always provides direction. Maybe you need to make a decision concerning financial situations in your house. Maybe you need to make decisions concerning your children. All of us have to make decisions. We need direction. And God gives us that direction in his word. Sometimes we think that, "Well, if we just look through the Bible and hopefully the Bible will fall on a good verse that will give me a direction for that day." But that's not how God wants to do it. God has a very simple way of explaining to you the road you are to take.

Let me read to you some verses. Psalm 5, verse number 8: "Oh Lord, lead me in thy righteousness because of my foes. Make thy way straight before me." The psalmist knew that he needed a straight path. He needed God to direct him and show him which way to go. Psalm 25 verse number 4: "Show me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth and teach me, for thou art the God of my salvation; for thee do I wait all the day."

Now that's a good little verse right there, isn't it? Why? Because we don't want to wait all day for God to lead us. We want God to lead us now. I'm one of those with type A personality, guys. And I'm one of those guys who likes to get it done, you know, ASAP. And there is no hesitation between one thing that needs to be done and another that needs to be done. If there's a job to do, you got to get it done. Don't delay. And yet the psalmist had to wait for God all day.

Now, we might wait for God all morning, but God forbid we should go into the afternoon to wait for God to direct us. But the psalmist would say, "I wait upon the Lord all the day. For as long as it takes, I will wait for God to direct me." You see, so many times we don't want to do that because we got a plan. Who's got time to wait for God to show us his plan when we who are made in his image got a pretty good plan? And yet we need to learn to wait upon the Lord.

Listen to this. Psalm 27 verse number 11: "Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a level path because of my foes." Psalm 31 verse number 3: "For thou art my rock and my fortress; for thy name's sake thou wilt lead me and guide me." Did you get that? Why does God lead you and guide you? Not because you need to know the way, but for his name's sake. It's for his sake. God leads you because his reputation is at stake. God leads you because his name is on the line. He knows it. And so he wants you to wait all the day for him so that when you go or make the decision you make, he gets the glory.

You see, we don't want to wait all the day because we want to make a decision and get the glory ourselves. But God leads for his name's sake, not for you. It's all about him. He saves you for his sake, not for yours. See, that's one of the lessons that we as Christians have: it's all about God, his glory, his honor. He is the one that's supposed to be put on display.

Psalm 32 verse number 8, you know this verse: "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye." Now here comes the warning: "Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee." God says, "I want to instruct you and I want to guide you, but I can't have you be as stubborn as a mule. I need you to be willing to accept my direction. I need you to want to receive from me the path you must go. I'll instruct you. I'll guide you. My eye will be upon you. I will know exactly where you need to be. But I can't have you stubborn. I can't have you kicking and screaming all the way down the road of my will. I need you to humbly submit to the direction you are to go."

Listen to Psalm 143 verse number 8: "Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee." The psalmist wanted to know about the loving kindness of God in the morning. Why? Because he had to make it through the day. "Teach me in the morning so that I can make it through the whole day."

Sometimes people argue with me all the time about this. "Well, you know, I don't have time to spend time in the word of the Lord in the morning. I got to be at work too early. I don't have time to do that, so I do it at night." Well, there's nothing wrong with doing it at night. But if I was you, I'd do it in the morning because I want to make sure I know what God wants from me throughout the day. The psalmist says, "In the morning I long to hear the loving kindnesses of my God. I want to know about his compassion. I want to know it because when I go through the day, I'm going to need it. I'm going to need it."

And so the psalmist says God wants to direct your path. He wants to lead you every step of the way. Turn to Psalm 37. Psalm 37 verse number 3: "Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him."

God is going to direct you. Number one, when you trust him. When you trust him and nothing else and no one else. When you trust him. And when you trust him, you will make your delight in him because you realize how great he is. As you delight in him, he will give you the desires of your heart because your desires are his desires. So you trust him, you delight in him, and then you commit your way to him. And then you patiently wait as you rest only in him to direct you. That's what God wants to do with you.

You know, sometimes we go through life and we get so frustrated that God hasn't answered, that somehow God has turned a deaf ear to my request, that I don't have an answer as to what I should do. And the Bible says, "Rest and wait patiently for him." That's a hard lesson to learn. And sometimes we learn it at a great price. May we all learn to rest and wait patiently for our God to direct us. He wants to counsel us. He wants to teach us. He wants to direct us. He tells us that he's given us his word to be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. And so God's word is that which shines to show me the way.

The road of revelation is seen in the course in which the psalmist would take. It's also seen in the commitment that he makes. But before I talk to you about that, let me tell you something about God's word. It always exposes danger. Did you know that? It exposes danger. Over in Proverbs chapter 6, I love this. Proverbs 6 verse number 23: "For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman."

You see, we need God's word to keep us on the straight and narrow. We need God's word to keep us out of danger. And the more we spend in God's word, the more the warning signs we are able to see. That's why Solomon said in Proverbs chapter 4 verse number 18: "But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." The righteous man walks a path that becomes more and more illuminated as he walks until that full day when he goes home to be with the Lord. But the righteous man has a path that's illuminated. He knows where God wants him to go because he follows and longs for God to teach him.

The psalmist understood that. Look at the commitment he made. This is so good. "I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments." I promise to keep your precepts. Not only will I hear them, but I will perform them. You see, that commitment right there is something that we need to understand as we follow God because, you know, we ask God to teach us. God shows us. And then what? Sometimes we don't want to do it. We don't make a commitment to perform his statutes until the end. We hear what God says, and we're not so sure we like it.

Let me give you an example. You know, you've heard me say this before. I believe that God's will is very clear in scripture. We know that God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Second Peter 3:9. God's will for your life is that you be saved. Ephesians 5:17 says that we are to be wise to understand what the will of the Lord is. What is that? That we might not be drunk with wine, wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit. God's will for you is that you be saved, and God's will for you is that you be spiritually controlled by him. That's God's will for you.

The Bible also says over in First Thessalonians 4:3 and 4: "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication." God's will for you is that you be saved, that you be spirit-controlled, and that you be sexually pure. That's God's will. People say, "Man, I want to know God's will for my life," and they live in an immoral relationship. Well, until you get out of that relationship and honor God in your purity, God's not going to lead you. God's not going to light your path. God's not going to direct you in the way you should go because you are violating a very basic principle of scripture.

God wants you saved. God wants you spirit-controlled. God wants you sexually pure. And God wants you involved in service. Psalm 103 verse number 21: "Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure." God's will for you is that you serve him. And when you are actively involved in serving him because you've been saved by him and his Spirit is controlling you and you are living a sanctified life, that is a life that's set apart from the world and being sexually pure, God will lead and direct your path.

But if you violate those things, you're going to be so confused about what it is God wants you to do because the basics of his will are spelled out in scripture: saved, spirit-filled, sexually pure, and serving him. The Bible also says these words in First Thessalonians 5 verse number 18: "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." You want to know the will of God for you? He wants you to say thanks in every situation. Every situation. Offer praise and thanksgiving to his name. That's God's will for your life.

And so God says, "This is what I want you to do," and we say, "Well, I'm not sure I want to do that." The psalmist said, "God's word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path, and therefore I have sworn and I have confirmed that I will obey his precepts. I hear what he says. I know what he says. And I will do that."

A lot of times you go to church and you hear people sit in the pew and they listen to the sermon and they know what God says. They say, "Well, I'm not doing that. I don't... He just misinterpreted that scripture. I'm not doing that. That's not what the Bible says. That's not what God's saying to me." And they put up these walls of defenses. Well, the Bible is very clear. God wants you saved. You're not saved? God's not going to lead you. God wants you spirit-controlled. He wants you sexually pure. He wants you to give thanks to him in all things. He wants you to be sanctified, set apart, serving only him.

First Peter 2 says that God's will for you is that you be submissive to the authorities that he ordains. So if you are not submissive as an individual, you're going to have a hard time receiving light for your path because submission is the key component in understanding the will of God. And Peter's very clear that you submit yourself to the powers that be. So if you're in a relationship where you are in a subordinate relationship where you are to be submissive to your boss or submissive to your husband or submissive to your wife or submissive to the word of God or submissive to the powers that be, and you are not those things, you're going to have a hard time finding God's direction for your life.

And if you do all these things, First Peter 4 says it's God's will for you to suffer for his name's sake. See, if you are saved, spirit-controlled, sanctified, serving him, submissive, saying thanks, you'll suffer for him. And that's God's will for you. People say, "Well, what's God's will for my life?" There you got it. That's it right there in a nutshell. That's what God's word says.

And that begins now to open the door for you to be able to follow God's clear leading. If you're confused about what it is God wants you to do, go back and ask yourself: Am I saved? If I am, am I spiritually controlled by him? Is my life dominated by the Spirit of God? Am I set apart? Am I sanctified? Am I sexually pure? Am I submissive to the authorities that God has placed over me? Am I saying thanks to him for everything and in everything? Am I serving my God with all my heart? Am I the kind of person God wants me to be? If not, I'm going to have trouble seeing the light that he wants me to see that I might walk the road to righteousness.

Okay, point number two. We go from the road of revelation to the road of restoration. This is so good. Listen to this. Look at the next verse: "I am exceedingly afflicted." He makes a commitment, right? "I'm going to obey the word of the Lord no matter what. I have sworn and I have confirmed it that I will keep thy righteous ordinances. I'm going to do that." What's the very next verse? "I am exceedingly afflicted." Isn't that the way it always is? We make a commitment to follow the Lord, and all the gates of hell break loose upon our lives. That's just the way it is. And the psalmist understood the affliction that he had.

So I want you to see two things about the road to restoration. First of all, the nature of affliction. And number two, our need in the midst of affliction. Okay, first of all, the psalmist gives us the nature of affliction. Number one, it's severe. It's severe. He says, "I am exceedingly afflicted." I love what the ASV translation of 1901 says when it says it this way: "I am afflicted very severely." You know, sometimes affliction comes in doses. Sometimes it comes in small doses. Sometimes it comes in big doses. And the psalmist was experiencing a big dose of affliction because he was exceedingly afflicted. It was coming upon him not just in little waves, but tsunamis. They were huge waves. They were beyond anything. "I am exceedingly afflicted." And sometimes the nature of affliction is one that is very severe upon our lives.

And then not only was it severe, but it was stressful. Listen to what he says. He says in verse 109: "My life is continually in my hand." That's a phrase that speaks about the anxiety that one goes through when they're afflicted. Job used that phrase over in the book of Job, the 13th chapter, the 14th verse. We'll begin at verse number 13 of Job 13 when it says: "Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak, and let come on me what will. Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in mine hand?" The psalmist says, "My life is continually in my hands."

You know what? When we are exceedingly afflicted, what do we do? We seek to take control of what's going on in our lives. And when we do that, the stress in that affliction begins to rise. It gets greater. Why? Because I can't control what's happening to me. Boy, I wish I could, but I can't because God's in charge of the thermostat, okay? He knows how to turn up the heat in our lives. And, you know, sometimes we want to be in control of what's happening. We want to grasp that thermostat and turn that baby down. But we just can't do it. And all of a sudden, my life is continually in my hands, and I'm becoming more and more stressful.

Job says, "You know what? The biggest temptation I have is to take control of my situation, and I can't." Next verse, he says in verse number 15: "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him." "I will trust him. I can't do anything." And stress happens in your life and mine in the midst of affliction when all of a sudden our life is in our hand. It's continually in my hand, the psalmist says. And, boy, we love that. The problem with that is that it just raises the stress level in our lives because we cannot control it. We cannot contain it. We cannot calm it. It just overwhelms us.

And so the psalmist tells us about the nature of affliction. It's severe. It's stressful. And sometimes it's surprising. He says this in verse number 110: "The wicked have laid a snare for me." The wicked have sought to trap me, sneak up on me. The wicked man. You see, sometimes affliction can be surprising because we're not ready for it. Right now we should be. We should be. Peter said it this way way back in First Peter chapter 4. You'll remember this, beloved. Verse number 12: "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you."

Peter says, "What are you surprised about? You shouldn't be surprised that this fiery ordeal..." What a way to describe your trial: a fiery ordeal. "It's come upon you," and it's kind of like a play on words because remember, Peter was talking to people who had brothers and sisters who, because of Nero, were wrapped in pitch and set on fire to light up the gardens of Nero at night. And so it's like a play on words. This fiery ordeal. Why are you surprised that you are being lit up like candles at night and being burned alive? Why are you surprised? That shouldn't be as though some strange thing were happening to you. "But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy."

Boy, you're kind of worthy to suffer for the name of Christ. And yet sometimes we get caught off guard. Remember, Satan is like that roaring lion that goes about seeking whom he may devour. First Peter 5 verse number 8. He wants to devour us. And so sometimes we can become ensnared. We can be caught off guard. That's why we need God's word to be a light unto our path and a lamp unto our feet. Or lamp unto our feet and light unto our path. However you want to say it, it's good because it both works, okay?

But what you have here is God helping us see that, you know what, the nature of affliction is such that it can really take a toll on you. So what do you need? What do you need in affliction? Let me give you five things. This is so rich. This is rich. This is great. You'll be so glad you came. I promise. Listen. Number one, what you need is to receive inward strength. You need to receive inward strength. The psalmist says, "I am exceedingly afflicted; quicken me, O Lord, according unto thy word."

When you face affliction, you need to have strength on the inside. And that comes because you have been quickened. You have been made alive. You are enlivened by the word of God. That's why Paul told Timothy in Second Timothy 2 verse number 1: "Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus." You got to be strong, Timothy. But the only way you can be strong is in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Paul said in Ephesians chapter 6 verse number 10: "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might." Our strength comes because we are in the Lord and the Lord is in us. Our strength comes from the inside out. And so therefore, we need to understand that the psalmist says you need to receive inward strength. It comes because God's word quickens the soul.

And number two, you need, in affliction, listen, to respond with praise and worship. Listen to what the Bible says. Psalm 119 verse number 108: "Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord, and teach me thy judgments." You need to respond with praise and worship. There is that sacrifice of praise that, once offered, Hebrews 13:15 tells us is pleasing to God. It's a freewill offering. It's not a reluctant offering. He's not being made to offer it up. It's a freewill offering of his mouth. That is his praise and worship of God. It's going to come because he's going to sing to his God.

Remember Paul in prison in Acts 16? He and Silas were in chains, and they began to pray. Well, we understand that if you were in prison, you'd pray too. But they began to pray and sing praises to God in the middle of the night. Why? Because they were going to respond in the midst of their affliction with praise and worship. Remember in Acts chapter 5 when the apostles were beaten because they would only obey God and not obey man? And it says in Acts chapter 5 verse number 41: "And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for their god."

How do you respond when affliction comes? You got to respond with praise and worship. That's what you got to do. That's what's so important. That's what separates us from everybody else. That's something Satan can never do: praise God. But you can. You can praise him like nobody's business. And so in the midst of your affliction, what are we supposed to do? We're supposed to make sure that we respond in praise and worship.

We also need to understand that when we receive inner strength, we will respond with praise and worship. You see, what causes us to do that is the Spirit of God inside of us. It causes us to respond in a way because we have received the strength that comes because God has quickened us through his word. So once you receive that inward strength, you respond with praise and worship.

And number three, you request understanding from God. You request understanding from God. Listen to what the psalmist says. He says in verse number 108 at the end: "And teach me thy judgments." "Lord, I want you to teach me." You see, in the midst of affliction, the last thing we want is another lesson to be taught. But the psalmist says, "Listen, Lord, I want you to give me the strength that I need on the inside so I can respond to you on the outside. Therefore, I need you to teach me your righteous ordinances. I need you to teach me."

And that was the cry of the psalmist all throughout Psalm 119. You go back and you read verse 12: "Blessed art thou, O Lord: teach me thy statutes." Verse number 26: "I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: teach me thy statutes." Over in verse number 64: "The earth, O Lord, is full of thy mercy: teach me thy statutes." Verse 66: "Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments." All throughout Psalm 119, the psalmist cries for the Lord to teach him. He wants to learn. He wants to know. And that should be the cry of our heart: "Lord, teach me your righteous ordinances. Teach me the ways that you want me to go. Teach me your word that I might respond to you and live the way you want me to live."

And then number four, remember what God says. Remember what you need in the midst of your affliction: to receive inner strength, to respond with praise and worship, to request that God teach you, and that you remember what God says. Listen to what the psalmist said. Verse 109: "My soul is continually in my hand: yet do I not forget thy law." See, you need to remember what God says.

Boy, let me tell you something. Whenever affliction arises, you got to remember what God says. Usually we don't, but you need to. I love what Peter says way back over in First Peter chapter 1. He says this in verse 6: "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if necessary, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations." What a perspective! "In this ye greatly rejoice." Why? Because your trials are temporary. They're for a little while. They're not forever. I know sometimes we think that when we're in the midst of the pain, it's going to last forever. Listen, it's not going to last forever. I know you might think it's going to, but it doesn't. Peter says it's just for a little while. He gives you a divine perspective on your situation. And so he helps you understand that it's only for a short time.

In fact, he closes his epistle in chapter 5 verse number 10 by saying these words: "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you." So God's going to do it. It's only for a little while because God's got a plan. He's going to totally revolutionize your character. He's going to totally transform your life. You're going to be a completely different person. So they're only temporary. They're only for a little while.

But Peter says they're also very timely. He says, "In this ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be..." Literally, "since necessary." In other words, you might not think you need them, but from God's perspective, they're necessary. See, none of us would ever think that a trial is necessary. I mean, come on. None of us want to think that, "This I need in my life today. I need one more thing. I need one more straw to break the camel's back. Lord, give me one more trial. Give me one more heartache." None of us would ever ask for that. But Peter says they're necessary from the divine perspective because God knows exactly what you need.

It's like as a parent, you know what your child needs right now. Your child doesn't agree with you. They think they know what they need. But you're the parent. You know more what they need than they do. So what makes us think as the created beings of the world that we know more than the Creator of the world? God knows what we need, and they're necessary for our lives. In fact, the psalmist said in verse 75 of Psalm 119: "I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me."

And then he says, "You know, for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed..." That word "distressed" is the same word used of Christ in the garden of Gethsemane as he was distressed and would sweat great drops of blood. He says, "I know about your trials, but understand this: they're temporary. They're temporary. And yet they're very timely because God believes you need it. And yes, they will be taxing to your soul because you will be distressed. And yes, they will come in a variety of ways."

He says this. He says, "You have been distressed by various trials." There's just not one specific trial. The word is "poikilos," which we get the English word "polka dot." They come in different, various shapes and sizes. Okay? Now, the unique thing about that is over in chapter 4 verse number 10, it says this: "As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." Same word used: "manifold," "various" grace of God. See, for every trial, there is an equivalent grace to match the trial. And God will make sure that whatever trial you're going through, no matter what shape or size it's in, there's an equal amount of grace to match it.

And so Peter says, "I know they come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, but listen to this." He says, "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tested by the fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." He says, "I want to tell you something about your trials. They are going to solidify... I'm sorry, they're going to verify your faith. They're going to purify your life. And they're going to solidify your praise and honor and glory at the revelation of Christ."

Folks, we need to know what the Bible says and not forget it. The psalmist says, "In the midst of my affliction, I do not forget your law." And so many times we have forgotten what God has said about our trials, our affliction, our heartache, our pain. We can't afford to forget. We must remember.

So the need that every one of us has in the midst of whatever affliction we face is number one: to receive inward strength, to respond with praise and worship, to request understanding from God, to remember what God has said in his word, and fifthly, to recognize the importance of faithfulness. The psalmist said these words. Verse 110: "The wicked have laid a snare for me: yet I erred not from thy precepts." Isn't that good? "I'm going to maintain my steadfastness. I will be faithful forever." And no matter what or how deep the pit, how hot the fire, we need to recognize the importance of being faithful to God and his word.

The psalmist was very clear: "Even though people seek to entrap me, I get surprised by some of them, I will not go astray from what you've said. I will remain faithful." So God's word, the road to righteousness, is a road to revelation, a road to restoration, and a road to rejoicing. As he says in verse 111: "Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart." Verse 112: "I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes alway, even unto the end."

The road to rejoicing because God's word became the precious possession of the saint and became for him the permanent priority of his life. The permanent priority of his life. God's word was the treasured possession, the precious possession. It was his inheritance. You ever received an inheritance? Usually we think of inheritance, we think of money, you know. When the folks die, I get the inheritance. But we need to realize that the most precious inheritance is God's holy word because it causes real deep inner joy. And so the psalmist said, "This becomes my permanent priority." He says, "I have inclined my heart to perform thy statutes for ever, even unto the end."

So, you know, we go to church or we go away on a retreat. We say, "I'm going to do God's word forever." And then we go home from the retreat, and four or five days later, we're back in the old way we used to be before. Or we go to church, and we hear a good sermon, and we think, "Man, I'm going to follow through on the word of the Lord. I'm going to do what God says forever, even to the end." And from the time I made that commitment to the time I get in my car to go home, then it's just right out the window.

But the psalmist says, "You know, this isn't a small commitment. This is a lifelong commitment." I wonder how many people in this room have ever said that: "I have inclined my heart to perform thy statutes." He goes to the heart of the issue, doesn't he? Not my eyes, not my hands, not my feet, but my heart. Because as Solomon said in Proverbs 4 verse number 23: "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." So the psalmist says, "It's my heart I have inclined to perform thy statutes forever, even unto the end."

Oh, may that be our cry because we so desperately want to walk the road of righteousness. Let's pray.

Lord, you are so good to give us the word of God. So many of us, Lord, need direction in our lives. We have decisions to make. Some tonight, some tomorrow, some this weekend, some next week. But Lord, we need to make the right decision. In fact, every moment of every day is an opportunity to make the right decision to honor you and to glorify your name. And I pray that we as your children would look to you, the light of the world, who's given us your word that's like fire that lights the way, that we might know where to walk and how to act. Go before us this night. Go before us tomorrow that we might live this week in the light of your glorious word. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.