By Jeremy B. Stopford
April 29, 2018
TODAY’S FUNNY: “Big Buck”
Three friends decided to go hunting together. One was a lawyer, one a doctor, and the other a preacher.
As they were walking, along came a big buck. The three of them shot at the same time and the buck dropped immediately. The hunting party rushed to see how big it actually was.
Upon reaching the fallen deer, they found out that it was dead but had only one bullet hole. A debate followed concerning whose buck it was. When a game warden came by, he offered to help. A few moments later, he had the answer. He said with much confidence, “The pastor shot the buck!”
The friends were amazed that he could determine that so quickly and with so little examination.
The game warden just smiled. “It was easy to figure out. The bullet went in one ear and out the other.”
INTRODUCTION
All right, we have to do a survey. By show of hands, how many of you on a regular basis call your loved one “honey”? My wife and I decided that that was not a pet name for either one of us. But it is one of my favorite local products! When we first moved here, I learned that honey from local bees is good for allergies. And to discover that. at Jewett’s Cheese House was honey from Mr. S, Sr., on North Main – well, he had a new client. Now that he’s passed away, my honey is now from nearby Eaton. It’s working, so far.
“Honey” is used 62 times in our NIV. Must be important to God. Perhaps the word should be important to us!
And of those 62 times, he spoke of the Promised Land as a “land flowing with milk and honey” twenty-one times. Not just a land WITH milk and honey, but FLOWING with it! It is a word suggesting God’s blessing and bounty.
In Proverbs, it is used 7 times. “The lips of an adulterous woman drip honey” (5:3) – probably something to watch out for! Seriously, one of my favorite – and I really like the NIV – is 25:16: “If you find honey, eat just enough – too much of it, and you will vomit.” Enjoy your lunch today!
In the Song of Solomon – have you read this lately? You should read it to each other! – the groom (symbolic of the Heavenly Groom, the Lord Jesus) says that his bride has honey under her tongue. And he tells her that he is at his favorite spot – his garden, – and in his garden is…you got it, honey.
And do you remember how both Matthew and Mark describe John the Baptist’s diet? He ate locusts and wild honey. It must have been a sustaining food! I’m not so sure about the locusts, though!
There are many places in the Scriptures where honey is a direct reference to the benefits of the Word of God. For a few moments this morning, let’s look at one of the most popular songs in the Old Testament, Psalm 19. PRAYER
#1 DAVID’S ODE TO THE CREATOR (Ps. 19:1-6)
* Note the simplicity of the ode
* Note the unquestioning truth of God as Creator
* Note since creation points to God as Creator, man is without excuse – he can’t say he hasn’t seen God on display.
* Romans 1:20: “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”
* But creation in itself cannot save anybody. It only points to the Creator. Where is there a tool to show to the lost that the truth he understands needs to point him, not just to the Creator, but to the Cross?
#2 DAVID’S TOOL OF THE CREATOR (Ps. 19:7-11)
* Note the descriptions of the Word of God: the law of the Lord, the statutes, the precepts, the commands, the fear, and the decrees
* Note the fruit of the Word: refreshes, makes wise, gives joy, gives light, endures forever, righteous.
Illustration: the mentally handicapped has a most limited intake. But there are two things the mentally handicapped loves to do: sing, and learn the truths of the Word of God! They already have a foundation in the Creator! They trust Him. That is why David so eloquently says that the Word of God makes wise the simple (v. 7)
* Ask yourself: when is the last time the Word of God refreshed you? Made you wise? Gave you joy? Gave you light during a dark time? Changed your heart? When you were a kid, or recently? How recently has God worked on your heart with the Word of God?
* Note the value of the Word: more precious than gold, sweeter than honey (v. 10). Aren’t these the world’s wealth standards? But God is saying they are of lasting value to Him – and should be to us.
* Note the benefit of the Word: warns, and rewards the one who keeps (obeys) the Word. Have you been warned lately? Have you obeyed recently?
#3 DAVID’S REALITY CHECK BY THE CREATOR (Ps. 19:12-13)
* Errors, faults (hidden), willful (open) sins – all can have dominion of the child of God!
* The creation and the Word are USELESS unless one applies both to one’s sin.
CONCLUSION
Verse 14 ties this psalm altogether! The sinner looks at the creation and says, “here is something which has design. There must be a Designer. Where can I find Him?” God points him to His Word. In His Word, the sinner sees his sin, but he also sees the benefits of God’s provision.
And then? In verse 14, the psalmist points the sinner to the Redeemer – in the Hebrew the word is “Kinsman Redeemer”. Jesus became one of us so that He could become our sin on Calvary’s tree! Get this: the Creator (John 1) took our sin (John 3:16) so that we might receive Him (John 1:12-13) and then have a worship and a life acceptable to Him (Psalm 19:14)!
May verse 14 become our prayer, the applying prayer of truth, directed to the Rock, the Kinsman Redeemer, the Lord Jesus!
Prayer
First Baptist Church
Rev. Jeremy Stopford, Pastor
9 West Main St. Earlville, NY 13332
Inviting and Accepting