Glorifying God through 3 C's - Part 1 (Clean, Close and Committed)

Good morning. It's great to be in the house of the Lord this morning. I can tell you firsthand my wife and I it seems like we're on a winning streak right now because we we were able to make it to church last Sunday. Sunday evening, Wednesday night, and here we are again back all of us this Sunday morning, this Lord's Day, it seems like we battled various types of sicknesses there for probably close to a month. So I can tell you through that season I was reminded of how thankful we should be to be in the house of the Lord this morning. Thank you Pastor Chris for the opportunity to preach this Lord's Day.

I'm thinking that we probably have some sore individuals in the audience this morning based on the moves that were put on display yesterday after the wedding. You know Tommy Alderman, he was setting a pace that was really unparalleled by anyone out there. So man was that not fun though? I mean you know living the Christian life and honoring God can be fun. It can be fun. Brother Keith thank you as always for leading us in worship this morning. I always find it a blessing to sing songs of truth brother.

I am especially grateful to Pastor Chris, Brother Keith, and the soon-to-be elders of the church Tommy and Jared for consistently honoring the pulpit, consistently honoring the preaching and teaching of God's Word. This emphasis, this commitment and dedication is truly at the heart of everything we do at Grace Life Church of Brookhaven. You gentlemen set an incredible example for us to follow and I am very thankful for you this morning. That is why it is so humbling to be up here this morning and preaching to you. So again maybe a recap is necessary. Let me state the obvious. What an incredible weekend so far right?

We had as Pastor Chris likes to say a church event yesterday. A church event. I love that idea. It was the wedding weekend. That also has a ring to it, no pun intended. The wedding weekend. Man was yesterday awesome and beautiful. Seeing Elijah and Annie take their vows and become one unit, one team set on mission for the glory of God. It caused me to stop and reflect on my marriage and the amazing journey Sarah and I have been on since November 9th of 2013. You know, Christian marriage is such a profound and beautiful union between two individuals. The overall purity and beauty of Christian marriage are rooted in God's love and grace.

It lies in the deep connection, mutual respect and enduring love that a husband and wife share, making it a cherished and meaningful part of life. Marriage should be cherished. It is certainly a meaningful part of life. However, it is not the supreme purpose of life. It is not the supreme purpose of life. This morning I would submit to you, I believe the supreme purpose of life can be expressed in two ways, positively or negatively. I believe positively it can be stated as the supreme purpose of life is to glorify God by finding joy in Him forever. Negatively, it can be stated as the supreme purpose of life is to avoid sin.

Both expressions convey the same idea as sinning means failing to glorify God by seeking greater enjoyment in other things. Listen, church, if we could learn to glorify God by finding joy in Him, we would understand how to avoid sin. If we could learn to avoid sin, we would know how to glorify God by enjoying Him. Let me say that again. If we could learn to glorify God by finding joy in Him, we would understand how to avoid sin. If we could learn to avoid sin, we would know how to glorify God by enjoying Him. This morning I would like to dive a little deeper into the supreme purpose of life.

To do so, I would like to look at Psalm 119 this morning. Please turn there with me this morning in your copy of God's Word as I will be reading verses 9 through 16. For the sake of time, we will only cover verses 9 through 11. So perhaps this may be a part one and if I'm invited to preach again, maybe we can conclude the stanza. But I would like to read all eight verses, verses 9 through 16 with you this morning, focusing in on verses 9 through 11. So here we go, Psalm 119 verses 9 through 16. Starting in verse 9, "How can a young man keep his way pure by guarding it according to your word? With my whole heart I seek you.

Let me not wander from your commandments. I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O Lord, teach me your statutes. With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth. In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes. I will not forget your word." Let me quickly, for the sake of time, provide some context around Psalm 119. Psalm 119, as many of you probably know, is the longest chapter in the Bible, even longer than many of the books within it.

While we could delve into the acrostic pattern of the Psalm, noting its 22 stanzas, each containing eight verses, I would like to focus on its significance. It is likely the most meticulously structured Psalm celebrating the gift of God's Torah, or God's Word, his covenant instruction, if you will, as the perfect guide for life. This Psalm expresses deep admiration for God who has given his great gift to his people, and an intense longing for one's life to reflect the beauty and goodness of the Torah, or God's Word. The impact of Psalm 119 is profound.

It uses various terms for God's covenantal revelations such as law, testimonies, precepts, statutes, commandments, rules, and word, to name a few. Psalm 119 has a laser focus on God's Word and its role in moral instruction for his people. It emphasizes that those who keep, those who attend to, and those who treasure God's instructions will increasingly reflect God's character. Ultimately, the goal of this Psalm is to inspire God's people to admire his Word so deeply that they strive and pray for it to shape their character and conduct. This context leads us to the opening of verse 9, where the psalmist poses a crucial question.

This is a vital question with significant implications. As we explore verses 9 through 11, I will highlight three key points which I will refer to as the three C's. The three C's, clean, close, and committed. Clean, close, and committed. Starting with verse 9, again we encounter a crucial question, a vital question. Look at verse 9 with me. "How can a young man keep his way pure?" How can a young man keep his way pure? This question relates to the first C, clean, being clean. Now I believe this is a question that everyone should consider, not just young men. How can we keep our way pure? How can we keep pure?

The origin here is derived from the Hebrew root zaka, which means to be pure, to be clean, to clean our cleanse. It can also mean to cause something to be correct, to come out right, accomplished successfully, or be set straight. Have you ever been set straight? If so, perhaps this is maybe making a little sense to you. Or perhaps more simply put, the question could read, "How can a person live a holy life?" How can a person live a holy life? Brother Keith, Wednesday night, taught us about holiness. See, as Christians, our desire should be to be clean because God's desire for us is to be clean. We should be aligned around this pursuit.

We know this because he hates sin. He absolutely despises sin. God calls his people to be holy, pure, set apart for him. All throughout God's Word, we hear God instructing us to be holy. Leviticus chapter 11 verse 44, "For I am the Lord your God, consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy." Leviticus chapter 19 verse 2, "Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, and say to them, 'You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.'" Leviticus chapter 20 verse 26, "Thus you are to be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy, and I have set you apart from the peoples to be mine." Deuteronomy chapter 23 verse 14, "Since the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp to deliver you, and to defeat your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy, and must not see anything indecent among you, or he will turn away from you." First Peter chapter 1 verses 15 and 16, "But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior, because it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.'" Does this paint a clear picture for you this morning, church?

This is serious business to God. Serious business. Think about Genesis 19, Lot and his crew are told not to look back. His wife did, and because of that she was turned into a pillar of salt. How about Numbers chapter 15, "God commanded the Israelites to stone a man to death for picking up sticks on the Sabbath, for picking up sticks stoned." How about in the New Testament, Ananias and Sapphira, they said they sold all possessions but actually kept some back, kept some of the profit back for themselves. Ananias and Sapphira said they laid it all at Peter's feet, however that was not true, for their dishonesty death came upon both.

Again, this is serious business to God. I think sometimes it is easy for us to use the excuse that we live in this flesh and live in a fallen world so sin is avoidable to some extent. Listen, we are certainly overwhelmed by a flood of filthy images and sinful attractions. Everywhere we turn, the temptations that exist within our current climate and culture which God would disapprove of are everywhere we look, they are not hard to run into, my friend. While this is true, is it a crutch for us? Is it a crutch for you, for me? What is your desire this morning church? To be clean, to be pure? Is that your desire?

Is that what you are striving for in your walk with Christ? Listen, you absolutely need him to make that happen. It is not fruit of your own goodness or wisdom or efforts. Listen, if your mindset is that I got this, have you ever used that phrase? Know someone who does? If your mindset is that I got this, chances are he probably doesn't have you. There are some of you here this morning that might be thinking, well, this doesn't apply to me. This is not for me. I have it all figured out. I'm not a sinner. I got it all together, right?

If that is you this morning, let me remind you about this one account, this one testimony of an individual's life that we have in God's Word, this account of a man after God's own heart, a mighty warrior who slayed Goliath because of the grace and favor that God showed him, the mightiest king of Israel, the model king, if you will, under his reign unification of Israel was achieved, Jerusalem was conquered, and the ark of the covenant was brought home. The line that led to our Savior Jesus would descend from him.

King David, yes, King David, all these accomplishments, all these triumphs, however, while he was a man after God's own heart, he was still a man, a man capable of sin. Just think about his encounter with Bathsheba. This encounter because of the desire of his eye led to lust, adultery, murder, the death of a child. Yes, King David, the mighty King David, even he fell. Even he had to rely on God's strength to keep him clean. Think about his words in Psalm 51, his contrite, sinners prayer for pardon. Psalm 51 verses 10 through 12, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from your presence and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit." So yes, this morning if you find yourself thinking, "Oh, not me. I am good. I have it all together." Think about this for one second, even King David, even King David.

That is why Jesus tells us in Matthew chapter 18 that it is necessary for temptation to come, but he says, "Woe to the one that gives in to temptation." Jesus says, "If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away." He says that it would be better for you to enter eternal life crippled or lame than to be thrown into eternal fire with both of your hands and feet. He goes on. Jesus says, "If your eyes cause you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away, it is better for you to enter eternal life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into eternal fire." Man, that sounds harsh, right? Remember, God commands.

He calls us to be holy, to be clean, to keep our way pure. Let me give you the TC commentary and explain what Jesus is saying in today's terms. For those of you who don't, TC commentary is my version. Don't go research TC commentary. It won't lead to much. It won't lead to much. TC commentary. Here you go. "If you enjoy looking at your neighbor's wife, sell your house and move. If you have a problem flirting with your boss or the secretary at work, quit your job and find a new one." I heard this before and recently shared this with Elijah.

"If your smartphone continues to get you in trouble, if your smartphone continues to aid you in making dumb decisions, trade it in for a flip phone." So coming back to verse 9, "How can a young man keep his way pure?" Here's the answer. Here's the answer. "How can a young man keep his way pure by guarding it according to your word?" Man, I love how God's Word provides the answers for life's most difficult problems and challenges. Don't you? I love that, right? The answer to the question posed in verse 9 immediately follows the question.

"We keep our way pure by guarding our way according to God's Word." According to William McDonald, the answer to the question, and I quote, "lies in practical obedience to the words of the Bible." Practical obedience to the words of the Bible. I love that. John McArthur says that internalizing the Word is a believer's best weapon to defend against encroaching sin. Warren Wiersby said, "We should heed the Word, hide the Word, herald the Word, and honor the Word." See, it is more than just reading God's Word. It is about following God's Word. It is about applying God's Word.

It's about keeping our way pure or guarding our way by being obedient to God's Word, honoring God's instruction. This idea of guarding is derived from the Hebrew word "shamar." "Shamar" means to keep, watch, preserve, to guard. It's to be careful, to watch over, to watch carefully over, to be on one's guard. This is the same word that was used in Genesis chapter 2 verse 15 when Adam was instructed to cultivate and keep "shamar" the garden. How did Adam do with that instruction? I think we all know the answer. See, God's Word is necessary, absolutely necessary.

We need the Holy Spirit of God in conjunction with His living Word to live a holy life. We need it to fulfill our supreme purpose, which is to glorify Him by delighting in Him, by finding our joy in Him and nothing else but Him. How can we know Him? How can we be obedient to Him if we do not know His Word? This is treasure, my friends. Open it up, take it in, trust it, apply it. As Warren Wiersby said, "Heat it, hide it, herald it, honor it, and see what begins to happen." Moving on to verse 10, Psalm 119 verse 10.

Verse 10, "With my whole heart I seek you, let me not wander from your commandments." To me, the psalmist sounds like someone that was close to Christ, the second see, close to Christ. He was seeking the Lord with His whole heart, not half-heartedly, instead completely, and was pleading with the Lord to not let Him wander or stray. To me, this sounds like someone that was close. So, it begs the question, are you close this morning? Are you? Are you going for the maximum with Christ, not the minimum? Are you pursuing more of His voice in your ear? Are you pursuing more of His praise on your lips? Are you pursuing more of His hope in your life?

Are you pursuing more of His fruit in your service? Are you pursuing more of His love in your home? Are you pursuing more of His courage in your convictions? Are you pursuing more of His nearness in your loneliness? Are you pursuing more of His glory on your knees? Are you close to Christ this morning? I think it's important to share a definition of close. Close is defined as, listen to this, a position so as to be very near to someone or something with very little space between. Close is defined as a position so as to be very near to someone or something with very little space between.

William McDonald provides the following commentary on verse 10. "In the matter of holiness there is a curious merging of human desire with my whole heart I have sought you, merging of human desire and divine empowering. Oh, let me not wander from your commandments. Human desire with my whole heart, divine empowering, let me not wander from your commandments." See, we must depend on Christ to keep us. We are dependent upon Him. We must desire Him. We must pursue Him completely and when we do He will keep us.

We must, church, acknowledge our need for Him in our lives and I know some of this is very practical and may sound even elementary but it's foundational. I mean I'll speak for myself. Listen, when I am not close I am very capable of doing something stupid and I'm not too far removed to acknowledge that. For us to be close we must acknowledge that our wisdom is lacking, that our ways are not His ways.

Proverbs chapter 3 verses 5 and 6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding and all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths." Psalm 37 verse 5 tells us, "Commit your way to the Lord, trust Him and He will act." See, it doesn't say He'll think about acting or He might. It says He will act. 1st Peter 5/6 instructs us to humble yourself under the mighty hand of God. Do you see a pattern? To help bring further clarity understand that 1st Peter chapter 5 verse 5 says that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

See, being close means that we must acknowledge our need for Him. You cannot be close to Him if your mindset is that you have it all figured out. Remember if you got this He probably doesn't have you. Our oldest son Samuel plays baseball and he is a part of a really good team, an excellent team. They are currently ranked first in the entire state and second in the country for their division. The team puts in a lot of effort to perfect their skills, reflecting on their losses. There have been a few games where they played competitively but still came up short despite giving their all.

However, most of their losses occurred when they weren't fully committed. When they played with half-hearted effort but when they were completely dedicated they usually win and most times they win in a really big way. See, it is tough to win against any opponent if you give half-hearted effort. If you aren't all in, listen I say all that to say this, anyone who tries to keep God's Word half-heartedly will fail. It's impossible to win or at least win consistently if you are half-hearted in your pursuit of Christ you will never defeat the sin that continues to defeat you.

If you are half-hearted in your desire for Christ how will you resist the temptations that are around every corner? God requires total commitment. If you want to be clean, if you must be close, you must be committed totally. See when you hear the psalmist in verse 10, "with my whole heart I seek you, let me not wander from your commandments." The psalmist, his primary devotion is to the God of the law and promises. These hold significance for him solely because they are God's words of life for him. You can sort of hear the desperation but at the same time you can sense his confidence in Christ.

"With my whole heart I seek you, let me not wander from your commandments." His petition is rooted in his life's purpose, seeking the Lord and glorifying him. He cries out for the Lord's guidance to keep him from straying in his quest. Again it is through obedience that we follow God. Let me say that again it is through obedience that we follow God.

Spurgeon says this or said this about verse 10 specifically the back half of the verse, "let me not wander from your commandments." Spurgeon said this and I quote, "for if we leave the ways of God's appointment we certainly shall not find the God who appointed them." If we leave the ways of God's appointment we certainly shall not find the God who appointed them. What are you desiring most in your life this morning? Is it to be close to Christ? Is there something between you and Christ that needs to be addressed, needs to be dealt with, something you need to flee from, do you need to realign your devotion and desires this morning?

Finally verse 11 Psalm 119 verse 11, "I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." Quoting John Piper, "the way not to sin is to treasure the Word of God in your heart." The way not to sin is to treasure the Word of God in your heart. When I read verse 11 I sense a sort of pondering and careful memorization of God's Word. The psalmist stored up the Word. It was as if he was making a deposit of God's Word into his heart, into his inner being. It wasn't a superficial exercise. It wasn't just words on a page or words on a tablet to him. Instead it was life to him and he recognized this so therefore he stored it up.

I believe some people want to know the Bible to win arguments while others perhaps seek it to satisfy their curiosity. Skeptics on the other hand want to know the Bible so they can criticize it. Listen, the psalmist wants to know the Bible to be holy. To be holy. That's why he wants to know the Bible. He wants to know God's Word. He wants to be obedient to the Torah because he wants to be holy. To do this you must know the Word. Like I mean know the Word not just head knowledge. It must be heart knowledge. You have to know it in your heart. This is what keeps him from sinning against God.

See the psalmist acknowledges he understands that any sin in his life is first and foremost against God. First and foremost against God. By reading and meditating on Scripture daily we become deeply aware of God's will for us and his desire for our holiness. Just as we see with the psalmist God's Word is comprehensive enough, complete enough to guide us through every situation. Especially when we face temptation. Without it how will we resist? Looking to Christ as an example here we see in Matthew chapter 4 verses 1 through 11 the temptation of Jesus.

Starting in verse 1, "Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil." Remember from what I read earlier Matthew 18. Remember temptation is necessary but woe to him that gives in right? Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Verse 2, "And after fasting forty days and forty nights he was hungry." See Christ was close to his father. Was close to his father fasting praying always prepared for the temptation.

Verse 3, "And the tempter came and said to him, 'If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.' But he answered, 'He being Jesus, it is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" Did you catch that? Jesus said, "It is written, 'Man shall live by every word that comes from God.'" If you read through that passage the devil then takes him to the holy city, tempted him.

Verse 7, "Jesus said to him, 'Again it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.' The devil then showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, tempted him." Verse 10, "Then Jesus said to him, 'Be gone Satan, for it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'" It is written. Again it is written. "For it is written, 'Man shall live by every word that comes from God.'" This is how Christ responded to temptation. He responded with the written Word of God.

And look what happens in verse 11 of Matthew chapter 4, "Then the devil left him and behold angels came and were ministering to him." See when tempted in the desert by Satan, some of us need to hear this. See when tempted in the desert by Satan Jesus didn't attempt to develop new arguments for the enemy. He simply restated what God had already said. And look at what happened in verse 11, "The devil left him." We shouldn't be surprised by how Jesus responded. I mean if you think about it, after all Jesus was the living Word of God. We should certainly learn from how he responded and make application to our own lives.

Church, this morning you want to defeat sin in your life? Store up God's Word in your heart. Store up God's Word, value God's Word, live it, love it. It is very, very precious. When we store God's Word in our hearts and cherish it like precious gold and silver, it serves to keep us from sin. When you have hidden the Word of God in your heart, when it is stored inside of you, the chances of you avoiding sin go up exponentially. It is your weapon against sin. It is a sword waiting to be drawn against the attack.

Quoting William McDonald again on verse 11, "He," referencing God, "He does not make us holy against our will or without our cooperation." Someone has wisely said, hear this, "The best book in the world is the Bible. The best place to put it is in the heart. The best reason for putting it there is that it saves us from sinning against God. The best book in the world is the Bible. The best place to put it is in the heart. The best reason for putting it there is that it saves us from sinning against God. Psalm 119 verses 9 through 11, one more time this morning, "How can a young man keep his way pure by guarding it according to your word?

With my whole heart I seek you. Let me not wander from your commandments. I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." So in closing this morning let me remind us that we are here for a little while. In this life our time here is fleeting and temporary. So why not fulfill the supreme purpose of life? Glorify God by finding your joy in Him. See God has provided atonement for sin through his one and only begotten Son, Jesus the Christ. See Christ, hear this, Christ fulfilled his supreme purpose by glorifying God the Father when he went to Calvary's cross.

That was and is God's divine plan for reconciliation, for the redemption of sinful man. Christ took on the full weight, the full punishment of my sin, of your sin on the cross. He fulfilled his supreme purpose and he brought it to conclusion when he said it is finished. God acknowledged this fulfillment by resurrecting him from the grave and placing him at his right hand where he is seated and remains until he returns for his bride, the church. Listen only through Christ can you be forgiven this morning. Only by God's grace can you be made alive. Paul writes in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 1 that we are dead in our transgressions and sins dead.

That word dead means dead. In the original language it means unable to respond to stimulus, unable to be resuscitated. See there's nothing in you, there's no good in you that can make you alive. We're dead completely dead but God. Paul writes in verses 4 and 5 of Ephesians 2 but God being rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us even when we were dead in our transgressions made us alive. He didn't just make us alive listen to this together with Christ. I mean if that doesn't get you excited this morning we should be having another dance party. By grace you have been saved. See I'm not gonna dance pastor.

If God is drawing you, if he is revealing to you the ugliness of your sin and the beauty of Christ stop running and come to Christ this moment. Don't delay come to him be made alive this morning be made alive together with Christ this morning only God can bring you from death to life. It is time for you, it is time for us to glorify God by finding our joy in him by treasuring his word honoring his instruction delighting in his presence. Learn to glorify God by finding joy in him so you understand how to avoid sin. Learn to avoid sin so you glorify God by enjoying him. Be clean stay close and fully commit. Would you pray with me?

Father God in the great and powerful name of Jesus.