Class Lesson January 8, 2017

THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE 

You know how long an inch is, right? You can probably hold out your finger and thumb and say, “An inch is about this big.” You might even be close. 

Interestingly, the length of an inch used to be determined by the “rule of thumb.” Meaning, an inch was measured as the width of your thumb. But when one carpenter’s thumb happened to be chubbier than another, it created problems. Whose thumb should be the standard? 

Today, the international standard for an inch is exactly 25.4 millimeters long. Then again, that is .0000017 of an inch longer than the imperial inch, what is used in British countries. And it’s .000002 of an inch shorter than the U.S. inch. So, the standard for the inch is still not perfectly precise. 

When it comes to the important matters of life, we need a standard that is absolutely perfect and completely reliable. Psalm 119 shows us that such a standard exists in God’s Word.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Psalm 119:153-155 

153 Consider my affliction and rescue me, for I have not forgotten Your instruction. 154 Defend my cause and redeem me; give me life as You promised. 155 Salvation is far from the wicked because they do not seek Your statutes. 

As he neared the end of his epic psalm, the psalmist made two requests of God: 

“Consider my affliction.” The palmist wasn’t simply asking God to notice what he was going through. He was asking God to look on his situation with compassion and then move to do something about it. We know this is true because of his second request. 

“Rescue me.” Only God could change the psalmist’s situation. The psalmist trusted the promises given by God in His Word; therefore, he trusted God to rescue him. 

The psalmist knew God was the only One who could keep him secure, so he prayed, “Defend my cause and redeem me.” He spoke as if he were in a court of law, accused of wrongdoing, and in need of a defense attorney to plead his case. He called on the Lord, even as another psalmist had done: “Vindicate me, God, and defend my cause against an ungodly nation; rescue me from the deceitful and unjust man” (Ps. 43:1). 

The God who pleads our case is the same God who redeems us. This is the hope we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. Also using imagery from a courtroom, the apostle John wrote, “But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ the Righteous One” (1 John 2:1). Jesus our Advocate is also the One who made it possible for us to have free access to the divine throne. We see this truth in Hebrews: “Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time” (Heb. 4:16).

Verse 155 teaches us two things about the nature of salvation: 

1. Salvation is far from the wicked. We cannot experience God’s salvation as long as we hold on to our sin and wickedness. 

2. Salvation is found in God’s Word. The psalmist gave a specific reason why salvation is far from the wicked: “because they do not seek Your statutes.” The truth is that God doesn’t save us against our will; people will not be in heaven that do not want to be there. Scripture points us to Jesus Christ—the ultimate Word—and how we have life and salvation in Him. If we fail to heed that Word, we are left in our wickedness.

Psalm 119:156-159 

156 Your compassions are many, Lord; give me life according to Your judgments. 157 My persecutors and foes are many. I have not turned from Your decrees. 158 I have seen the disloyal and feel disgust because they do not keep Your word. 159 Consider how I love Your precepts; Lord, give me life according to Your faithful love. 

The Bible not only points us to salvation in Christ, but also tells us why He offers us salvation. “Your compassions are many, Lord.” God is a God of mercy. In fact, He is rich in mercy (see Eph. 2:4)! 

God is loving and kind to us, not because we are good, but because He is good. In His good mercy, He gives us life. And in His love, He gave us His Word to restore and strengthen us. The psalmist wrote: “Give me life according to Your judgments.” The circumstances of life may knock us down, but the Word of God will put us on our feet again.

The psalmist needed the great mercy of God because he had a great many adversaries. He felt like an army of enemies had risen against him. Even so, he was determined that his enemies would not deter him from obeying the word of God: “I have not turned from Your decrees.” 

The psalmist spoke a hard word against the wicked in verse 158: “disgust.” He called them “disloyal,” for they had broken the covenant relationship with God. He was not only saddened by such betrayal, but felt contempt and revulsion because of their willful disobedience to the Word of God. 

We likewise should feel “disgust” when we see sin and disobedience in others—but never with a sense of pride. As we look upon the faithless, we must remember that it’s only by the grace of God we aren’t in the same spiritual condition.

In verse 153, the psalmist prayed that God would consider his affliction. In verse 159, he asked God to “Consider how I love Your precepts.” Love for Scripture is an expression of devotion to God. We can obey the Word of God without loving it, but we cannot love His Word without being fully committed to learning and living it. 

All of Psalm 119 celebrates the sufficiency of Scripture—for everything in life. We need the Word of God. More importantly, we need the God of the Word. The Bible is not a math book with formulas we must figure out to master life. It is a love story in which God is the Lover and we are the beloved. Only those who learn the story experience the life-transforming power of God’s Word.

Psalm 119:160 

160 The entirety of Your word is truth, and all Your righteous judgments endure forever. 

The closing verse of this stanza affirms the truthfulness of God’s Word. In order to truly rely on the Bible, however, we must actively trust it, as the psalmist did. 

• Trust that the Word of God is true. Scripture doesn’t merely contain truth. Even a supermarket tabloid can contain some truth. The whole of Scripture—in its totality and without exception—is absolutely and perfectly true. The Bible doesn’t contain a speck of untruth. Every principle, every prophecy, every promise is true. The sum and entirety of God’s Word is true. As the apostle Paul wrote: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17). 

• Trust that the Word of God is eternal. The prophet Isaiah also affirmed psalmist’s words: “The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God remains forever” (Isa. 40:8). Scripture doesn’t have to be updated to catch up with the times; the Bible is the book of the ages. Truth doesn’t change, and the truth of God’s Word is still as relevant and powerful today as it was when it was first penned—and it will continue to be so. Consequently, we can trust God’s eternal truth to work powerfully in our lives. “For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return there without saturating the earth and making it germinate and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, so My word that comes from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do” (Isaiah 55:10-11). 

The Bible is a powerful, transformational, and miraculous message written by God Himself. Therefore, you can rely on everything it says for every moment of your life.

LIVE IT OUT

The Word of God is true. How will this truth affect your actions and attitudes this week? Consider the following suggestions: 

• Truth to rely on. As you read God’s Word in the coming weeks, write down each truth you encounter. Build a journal of truths you can rely on each day. 

• Truth to study. Commit to becoming a life-long student of God’s Word. This week, choose to focus on a book of the Bible that you’ve never studied before. Consider using a commentary on that book as you dig into the text. 

• Truth to share. Consider expanding the impact of your current Bible study group (and your church) by branching out to start something new. Reach out to people in your neighborhood or to a specific demographic in your congregation, then help new members dive into God’s Word. 

Don’t be tempted to follow a “rule of thumb” for your life—a standard that changes from person to person. Instead, use the perfect standard of God’s Word to measure each moment of your life.

Teacher's Notes

Video: Rick Warren – The tide goes out, but it always comes back in. Will you trust God?

Click Here to Watch

What’s the greatest truth that ever crossed your mind?

Billy Graham writes that the great Swiss theologian, Dr. Karl Barth, was probably in his generation the greatest theologian and philosopher in the world. He didn’t always agree with him, but he was a friend and he respected him. While he was in this country, a student at one of the seminaries said, “Dr. Barth, what is the greatest truth that ever crossed your mind?” All the seminary students were sitting on the edge of their seats to hear some great, profound, deep, complicated answer. Dr. Barth slowly raised his shaggy gray head and looked at the student and said, 

“Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”

When it comes to the important matters of life, we need to be able to rely on something that we know to be true. Our lesson tells us this morning that this something is God’s Word.

Lesson Point

I can fully rely on what the Bible teaches.

A prominent theme in Psalm 119 is the profound truth that the Word of God is all-sufficient. 

Throughout Psalm 119, we have seen the psalmist go through and experience trouble, affliction, and persecution in his life. But what does he always do throughout the psalm? He turns to God’s Word for help, for comfort, for peace and for direction. Why does he do this? Because he trusts God and fully relies on what the Bible teaches.

I. God’s Word and Salvation - Psalm 119:153-155 

Consider my affliction and rescue me, for I have not forgotten Your instruction. 154 Defend my cause and redeem me; give me life as You promised. Salvation is far from the wicked because they do not seek Your statutes.

What does the psalmist pray for? What are his requests? 

• Consider my affliction. He’s not just asking God to notice what he was going through. He was asking God to look on his situation with compassion and then do something about it. We know this is true because of his second request. Rescue me, defend my cause, redeem me, give me life. 

What do these verses teach us about the psalmist’s relationship with God?

• He depends on God, believes God watches over him and will act on his behalf, has a talking relationship with God … communicates with Him, and he knows God’s promises.

Why would people who remain true to God’s Word suffer affliction and need rescuing?

• “Into each life some rain must fall” - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow It’s the nature of our earthly life. The Bible says, “that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” – Matt. 5:45 Look at Job: God tells us it was Satan, Job tells us it was God, his friends say it was him. Sometimes people suffer through no human fault at all. The best of God’s saints had their night. This is no indicator of divine disfavor. Life is simply hard. Sometimes people suffer because people get sick and die. 

• God is using this affliction to make you like Christ. God’s ultimate goal for your life on Earth is not comfort but character development. He wants you to grow up spiritually and become like Christ. God wants you to develop the kind of character described in the Beatitudes, the Fruit of the Spirit, Paul’s chapter on love, and Peter’s list of the characteristics of an effective and productive life (Matthew 5:1-12; Galatians 5:22-23; 1 Corinthians 13; 2 Peter 1:5-8). 

• Poor in Spirit, mournful, meek, hunger and thirst for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, persecuted for righteousness.

• Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

• A love that’s patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude, doesn’t demand its own way, not irritable or touchy, doesn’t hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong, never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out. If you love someone, you will be loyal to them no matter what the cost. You will always believe in them, always expect the best of them, and always stand your ground in defending them. Three things remain—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

• You need more than faith; you must also work hard to be good, and even that is not enough. You must learn to know God better and discover what He wants you to do. Learn to put aside your own desires so that you will become patient and godly, gladly letting God have His way with you. Then you will enjoy other people, learn to like them, and finally you will grow to love them. The more you go on in this way, the more you will grow strong spiritually and become fruitful and useful to our Lord Jesus Christ. 

• Every time you forget that character is one of God’s purposes for your life, you will become frustrated by your circumstances. You’ll wonder, “Why is this happening to me? Why am I having such a difficult time?” One answer is that life is supposed to be difficult! It’s what enables us to grow. Earth is not Heaven, and life is not about you! You exist for God’s purposes, not vice versa. Why would God provide heaven on Earth when He’s planned the real thing for you in eternity? God gives us our time on Earth to build and strengthen our character for Heaven.

What’s the relationship between God’s Word and salvation?

• This is where salvation is found - in God’s Word. The psalmist gave a specific reason why salvation is far from the wicked: “because they do not seek Your statutes.” The truth is that God doesn’t save us against our will; people will not be in heaven that do not want to be there. Scripture points us to Jesus Christ—the ultimate Word—and how we have life and salvation in Him. If we fail to heed that Word, we are left in our wickedness.

Here are 2 important points from these verses:

1. Deliverance is Appropriate for the Believer 119:153-154

2. Deliverance is Impossible for the Unbeliever 119:155; also John 3:16-18

“Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek out your decrees.” But why is salvation always far from the wicked? Is it because they are wicked? Not at all. It is because they reject God’s Word. Their salvation is far removed because they are removed from God’s Word. The measure of one’s distance from God is determined by one’s relationship to God’s Word. To be near one is to be near the other.

Point: God’s Word is a Saving Word. 

God knows about the things that are troubling us and He will act on our behalf to set us free. God promises to be an advocate, deliverer, and life-giver to those who are faithful to Him. Salvation is God’s blessing. God’s Word points us to salvation. The spiritually destitute need to hear the message of promise and hope. Jesus is the Word become flesh, the One who came to free us from sin. 

“As much as it feels like it on some days, the world is not on our shoulders; it’s in God’s hands.”

II. God’s Word and Love - Psalm 119:156-159 

Your compassions are many, Lord; give me life according to Your judgments. My persecutors and foes are many. I have not turned from Your decrees. I have seen the disloyal and feel disgust because they do not keep Your word. Consider how I love Your precepts; Lord, give me life according to Your faithful love.

What makes it hard for people to believe God really loves them?

• We try to put God’s love into our own human terms – love by if’s, maybe’s, and becauses. If God treated us the way we treat other people, then it would be hard to believe God loves us. If someone insults us or hurts us, we usually don’t want anything more to do with them. We may even want to strike back at them and hurt them in return. But God isn’t like this! Even when we ignore Him or insult Him by the way we live, He still reaches out to us and wants us to come back to Him. He doesn’t love our sin—but He still loves us, and He still yearns for us to love Him in return. The Bible says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3). Don’t trust your emotions; they can deceive you. Instead, trust Christ and what He has done for you. Invite Him to come into your life today, and then thank Him every morning for His unchanging love for you.

• Distracted by busyness of life. Feel they have gone too far for God to forgive or pull them out of their troubles. Too tied up in pursuit of material things or personal success and power. Feel God disappointed them in a previous situation, mad at God.

• God is a God of mercy. In fact, He is rich in mercy (see Eph. 2:4)! God is loving and kind to us, not because we are good, but because He is good. In His good mercy, He gives us life. And in His love, He gave us His Word to restore and strengthen us. The psalmist wrote: “Give me life according to Your faithful love.” The circumstances of life may knock us down, but the Word of God will put us on our feet again. The psalmist needed the great mercy of God because he had a great many adversaries. He felt like an army of enemies had risen against him. Even so, he was determined that his enemies would not deter him from obeying the word of God: “I have not turned from Your decrees.”

How can we uphold the truth of God’s Word, and offer friendship to those who don’t? How do you respond when unbelievers seem to “win” at life?

• The sin we see in this world – transgressions against God – ought to bring grief to our hearts, but even more, it ought to lead us to take action against it. The psalmist spoke a hard word against the wicked in verse 158: “disgust.” He called them “disloyal,” for they had broken the covenant relationship with God. He was not only saddened by such betrayal, but felt contempt and revulsion because of their willful disobedience to the Word of God. We likewise should feel “disgust” when we see sin and disobedience in others—but never with a sense of pride. As we look upon the faithless, we must remember that it’s only by the grace of God we aren’t in the same spiritual condition. 

Point: God’s Word is a Love Story. 

It’s not a math book with formulas we must figure out to master life. The Lord is a God of compassion beyond measure. The faithful may have enemies, but they need fear none as long as they live God’s truth. God’s Word teaches about God’s love and calls for us to reciprocate with love for God and His Word. We have life eternal because God has acted in love and grace toward us – His lovingkindness is seen ultimately in Jesus.

III. God’s Word and Truth - Psalm 119:160 

The entirety of Your word is truth, and all Your righteous judgments endure forever.

What is the difference between saying God’s Word “contains truth” and that God’s Word “is truth”?

• Trust that the Word of God is true. Scripture doesn’t merely contain truth. Even a supermarket tabloid can contain some truth. The whole of Scripture—in its totality and without exception—is absolutely and perfectly true. The Bible doesn’t contain a speck of untruth. Every principle, every prophecy, every promise is true. The sum and entirety of God’s Word is true. As the apostle Paul wrote: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17). 

What are the consequences of believing that God’s Word is true?

• You can trust it. It is a standard against which you can evaluate principles held by anyone else or any other philosophy. You know that if something is counter to what the Bible teaches, you should not believe or trust it or follow it. God’s promises can be depended on. You can be assured that what Scripture says is what God wants you to know. If it is true and eternal, then it is worthy of reading and studying. You can literally bet your life on what it says.

Point: God’s Word is a True and Enduring Word. 

This closing verse affirms the truthfulness of God’s Word. In order to truly rely on the Bible, however, we must actively trust it, as the psalmist did. How do we do that?

LIVE IT OUT

The writer of this great psalm declared his loyalty and full reliance on the Lord’s instruction. God’s Word could be trusted because it came from God. It made a difference in his life.

French Tightrope Walker Charles Blondin

The following is an old story, but it illustrates well the difference between belief and trust in Christ. In 1859, French tightrope walker Charles Blondin traveled to the Niagara Falls. He hoped to accomplish something that had never been done. He strung a one-thousand-foot cable across the falls from the Canadian side to the United States side and prepared to walk across.

A large crowd watched as Blondin successfully crossed. The next year, he made several more trips across the falls, thrilling the crowd each time with more dangerous stunts. He balanced a chair on the rope and stood on it. He took pictures of the crowd while balancing on the rope. He actually cooked a meal on a small portable cooker and lowered it to an amazed crowd on a ship below. Eventually, he got a wheelbarrow and put a weight in it and rolled it across, which impressed the crowd even more. Then he turned to the crowd and asked, “How many of you believe I could take one of you and put you in this wheelbarrow and roll you across?” Everybody said, “We believe!” But when he asked for volunteers, no one would accept his offer. Tens of thousands believed, but not one trusted.

Belief and trust are two completely different things.

Why would anyone get into the wheelbarrow? There would have to be a compelling reason. 

So, imagine there is a thick forest behind the spectators and that suddenly the forest caught fire. There was no way of escape. Now things get interesting and suddenly all the rules change. Now there are only four options for the crowd:

1. I can say, “I’m not here, and it’s not hot.” And deny your situation until you’ve burned up.

2. I can take my chances and plunge into the raging waters below.

3. I can try and go across the tightrope myself.

4. Or I can get in the wheelbarrow.

Suddenly, the offer to get in to the wheelbarrow looks very attractive. Furthermore, it’s not a leap in the dark; it’s a step into the light and perhaps your only real hope. He’s already demonstrated that he could go to the other side and come back.

And so, has Jesus. His crucifixion and resurrection was His going to the other side and coming back and this truth shows that He is who He claims to be. Trusting my life to Him, sitting in His wheelbarrow (so to speak) is really a reasonable thing to do. 

What kind of change do you think there would be in your life if you placed your trust in Jesus Christ? What’s the consequence of believing and trusting in Christ?

Hang on…the tide goes out, but it always comes back in. Trust God and be willing to Get Out of the Boat.

Let Oceans by Hillsong be your prayer today!

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"“Come,” He said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”" - Matthew 14:29-30

Have a great week as we begin a new series next Sunday called Thrive: Living in Real Joy! 

In His Love, 

David & Susan