The World, the Word, and the Worshiper

Summary

Podcast Summary: The World, the Word, and the Worshipper

Cornerstone Chapel – Audio Podcast (Feb 22, 2026)

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Main Theme & Purpose

This episode centers on Psalm 19, exploring how God reveals Himself through creation (the world), His written Word, and the response of the worshipper. The teaching emphasizes the systematic unveiling of God’s glory, the power of the Scriptures, and the need for personal integrity and humility as believers. It is intended to encourage listeners to open their hearts to God's Spirit, allowing transformation through His Word and responding to His grace.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Structure of Psalm 19 (03:59–04:59)

Psalm 19 is divided into three central themes:

• The speech of the world (creation)
• The supremacy of the Word (Scripture)
• The sin and response of the worshipper

Quote (04:11):

"My prayer is that the study of Psalm 19 would just serve as such an encouragement to you today that God by his Spirit again would individually speak to your heart." – Assistant/Co-Teacher

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2. The Speech of the World: Creation Proclaims the Creator (05:00–13:18)

• Verses 1–6 present creation ("the heavens, the sky, the firmament") as universally proclaiming God's glory.
• Creation communicates in a language understandable by all ("there is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard" – 01:22).
• The natural world offers evidence of a Creator, leaving humanity "without excuse" (Romans 1:20 referenced at 08:28).
• A childlike awe toward creation reflects an innate faith that adults often lose.

Quotes:

• (06:21) "Creation screams a creator. That when you take time to look out into the world... a rational, reasonable mind would conclude that this creation must have come about by a creator." – Bible Teacher
• (11:58) "God is speaking to you through his creation... The Creator of the universe wants personal relationship with each and every single one of you." – Assistant/Co-Teacher

Memorable Moment:

• The teacher shares a personal story about his children praising God for even the smallest parts of creation, illustrating the natural delight and faith of children (10:28–11:58).

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3. The Supremacy of the Word: The Transformative Power of Scripture (13:18–17:45)

• Verses 7–11 celebrate God’s Word using different expressions: law, testimony, statutes, commandments, judgments—all referring to Scripture.
• God's Word is described as "perfect, sure, right, pure, clean, true, and righteous" (13:28–17:06).
• The "fear of the Lord" is explained as awe and reverence that motivates purity, not mere terror (14:11–16:10).
• God's Spirit uses the Word to sanctify believers, shaping them into Christ’s image through a process, not effort alone (16:10–16:12).
• Divine truth is absolute, not relative; Scripture acts as an anchor in “a crazy messed up culture”.

Quote (17:06):

"This is our standard of truth. You know the worldly saying, your truth is your truth. My truth is my truth. Translation: truth is relative. No, truth is absolute. And David says, this is our anchor." – Bible Teacher

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4. The Sin of the Worshipper: Honest Self-Examination & Dependence on Grace (17:45–37:36)

• Verses 12–14 turn inward, compelling the worshipper to acknowledge and confess sin, both hidden (unintentional) and presumptuous (intentional).
• Sin has a tendency to rule (“dominion”) over one’s life; believers are exhorted to seek freedom in Christ.
• The teacher draws parallels to New Testament teachings: the bondage of sin, the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice, and the offer of genuine freedom (24:07–25:51).
• The illustration of the angler fish from "Finding Nemo" is used as a metaphor for sin’s deceptive allure and ultimate bondage (26:38–27:33).
• God is described as "eager to forgive", wanting us to come to Him repeatedly, not hiding or managing sin alone (29:11–30:10).
• The Word both convicts and heals—likened to a “healing balm” or “liquid love” (30:10–31:02).

Quotes & Moments:

• (25:55) "If you’ve placed your trust in Christ and his finished work on the cross, biblically speaking, the truth and the fact of the matter is sin no longer reigns over you. Why are you treating it like a master?" – Bible Teacher
• (30:54) Woman from the congregation: "I call it liquid love." (in response to the effect of God's Word as healing balm)

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5. Integrity in Public and Private Life (32:04–34:51)

• David's prayer: "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord"
• The teaching emphasizes an undivided, sincere life—aligning what is seen publicly with what is real privately (32:04–33:58).
• Warning against duplicity: being outwardly religious but privately compromised.
• Jesus’ rebuke of the Pharisees cited as a cautionary parallel (33:58–34:51).

Quote (32:04):

"Let the words of my mouth what comes out publicly and the meditation of my heart what stays in privately be pleasing and acceptable in your sight. Oh God. Translation: ...Let there be no duplicity in my life." – Bible Teacher

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Creation’s Message (06:21): "Creation screams a creator."
• On Childlike Faith (10:51): “‘Look, God, look at God's beautiful handiwork. He made this seagull.’”
• On Sin’s Deception (26:38): Reference to the angler fish from "Finding Nemo" as a picture of sin’s luring danger.
• On God’s Forgiveness (29:11): "God is eager to forgive. He is slow to anger and abounding in love..."
• On God’s Word (30:54): Congregant: "I call it liquid love." (Word as healing balm)
• On Integrity (32:04): "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable..."
• On Repentance and Grace (36:23): "'Metanoia'—to change the mind... turning and trusting in Christ and His work for you on the cross."
• On Salvation (37:00): "Coming to Christ is based on work. Not your work, but Christ's work. That's the difference. Not religion, not you working to earn God's love, His forgiveness, but trusting in the work that Christ accomplished on your behalf."

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Important Timestamps

• Psalm Reading & Opening (01:20–03:12)
• Psalm’s Division & Main Sections (03:59–04:59)
• Speech of the World / Creation (05:00–13:18)
• Supremacy of the Word / Scripture (13:18–17:45)
• Sin of the Worshipper / Personal Reflection (17:45–37:36)
• Public & Private Integrity (32:04–34:51)
• Closing call to repentance, assurance of grace (36:20–end)

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Conclusion

Throughout this episode, the teachers weave together the majesty of creation, the unmatched power of Scripture, and the necessity of honest humility before God. Listeners are invited to marvel at the Creator, submit to the transforming work of the Word, and walk in integrity—trusting not in their own efforts but in Christ’s finished work. The tone is warm, pastoral, and inviting—emphasizing hope, joy, and the relentless love of God.

Final Invitation (36:40):

"We come dirty and broken and duplicitous. We come to the Lord and we say, Lord, I'm repenting. I am recognizing I am a sinner and in need of your redemption... When you place your trust in Christ... God, by His Spirit, he will do the work in your life." – Bible Teacher

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For Listeners

If you haven’t heard this episode, expect rich, practical teaching with accessible illustrations and a heartfelt appeal to respond to God’s love and grace. The sectioning of Psalm 19 offers a clear map for spiritual reflection and growth—rooted in awe, truth, honesty, and hope.

Transcript

[Bible Teacher]

We're going to be in Psalm 19.

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

So would you take your Bibles and go to Psalm 19 again? It is so good to be in God's house with you today. I always, always, always enjoy the opportunity to share God's Word with God's people. God desires to speak to you now through the pages of His Word by His Holy Spirit. And maybe you came today just because you needed to check the religious box and you didn't even know that God was going to speak to you. But he will, because the Bible says about itself that when His Word goes forth goes out that it will not return void, but it will accomplish the purposes for which it is sent. So God will accomplish his purpose in your life today if you'd be open to hearing from His Spirit through His Word. If you're there in Psalm 19, say amen. Let's all stand if you're able. Let's stand for the reading of God's Word today. Psalm19 was inspired by the Holy Spirit, written by the hand of David,

[Bible Teacher]

and it says, the heavens declare the glory

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

of God, and the firmament shows his handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.

[Bible Teacher]

In them he has set a tabernacle

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoices like a strong man to run its race. Its rising is from one end of heaven, and its circuit to the other end, and there is nothing hidden from its heat. Verse 7 the law of the Lord

[Bible Teacher]

is perfect, converting the soul.

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart, the commandment of the Lord is pure, and lightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold, sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover, by them your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward. Verse 12 who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from my secret faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins. Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, and I shall be innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. The title of our Bible Study today is the world, the Word and the worshiper. Heavenly Father, before we dive into your word and unpack it, we just pray now that we that you would unpack our hearts, that you would go to

[Bible Teacher]

work by your spirit.

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

Now, through your word that you teach us, that you gently convict us, rebuke us if you know that's what we need. Encourage us if we need encouragement today. Lord, you know what every individual here needs, Lord, and so I pray that you would personally minister to us now by your spirit, through your word. Here we are, Lord. We are ready, willing vessels just wanting to hear from you, God, and to receive from you, Lord. So would you teach us? Would you shepherd us now, fillet our hearts wide open and go to work now by your spirit, accomplish your purposes? We pray in Jesus name and all God's people said, amen. You may be seated. The world, the Word and the worshiper.

[Bible Teacher]

David, here again the writer of this psalm is, is going to neatly divide this psalm into three sections. And today, really my prayer is that the study of Psalm 19 would just

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

serve as such an encouragement to you today that God by his Spirit again would individually speak to your heart and

[Bible Teacher]

God will do the rest. If you would just so much as open your heart to hear from the Lord, then him, by his Spirit, he'll

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

take care of the rest as his Word is read and unpacked. And so that's my heart for today, that you would just be so ministered to that you'd leave this place being so filled up by the Spirit and encouraged, and that you would know at your core that God loves you so much. And so God wants to take a moment again through his word, by his Spirit, to minister to you. And here we are in Psalm 19.

[Bible Teacher]

And again David neatly divides this Psalm

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

into three different sections.

[Bible Teacher]

And the very first section we'll look at is verses one through six, the speech of the world. The speech of the world. Again in verse one, he says the heavens declare. Everybody say declare. He's going to personify creation. Here. The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows his handiwork. Now, when he says heavens, he's not speaking about the spiritual realm where God resides, but he's more so when he uses the word heavens. Just speaking about the atmosphere, the sky, he says the heavens, the atmosphere, the sky, the sun, the moon, the stars, the clouds, the sky above declare the glory of God. And the firmament shows his handiwork. Now, the firmament, we get that word from the Latin word firmamentum. And again it's just a poetic way of again saying sky or atmosphere. And so he's saying that the sky declares the glory of God. The firmament shows his handiwork. Now, listen, check this out, verses two through four. He says, day unto day utters speech. Notice this speech. Night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

end of the world.

[Bible Teacher]

Again, what is he saying? That creation screams a creator. Creation screams a creator. That when you take time to look out into the world, the clouds, the stars, the moon, the sun, animals, creation, trees, flowers. A rational, reasonable mind would conclude that this creation must have come about by a creator.

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

When you drove up to this building today,

[Bible Teacher]

no one here in this room

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

watching online, although online, you didn't drive up to the building today, but you can see the sanctuary here, this room.

[Bible Teacher]

No one drove up to this building today thinking that this building just popped out of nowhere. You reasonably rationally assumed that there was a builder behind this building. When you see a painting, you understand that there is a painter behind the painting. And the Bible is clear. When you see creation, it screams that there is a creator. That this didn't just come from nowhere or from nothing. It is common sense to the rational mind that this creation had a divine designer behind it. And this is what the Bible speaks of. David here says that creation screams a creator. The Bible says the fool says in

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

his heart there is no God.

[Bible Teacher]

It is a foolish conclusion to look out to the complexity of life, to understand the complex nature of our biology and even just the human eyeball, to then conclude that all of this came out of nowhere from nothing. That is a foolish conclusion. The common sense, rational mind would understand that there is a creator behind this creation. And David here, he is in awe of the speech of the world. Now, notice here, he personifies creation. He says that creation has speech, language, a voice, and their words go out to the end of the world. Creation has language that everyone in human history can understand. All right, there is some language barrier, from English to Spanish to Russian to all of the different languages. But no matter what your native tongue is, everyone understands the language of creation. And so God uses the language of creation to speak to the human heart and to reveal himself through his creation. That's why Romans 1:20, Paul would echo something very similar in Romans 1:20. He would say, 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 man is without excuse, mankind is without excuse. When they look out at creation again, creation screams that there is a Creator, that we innately should come to that understanding, that there is a divine designer behind this.

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

And Paul would say, man is without excuse.

[Bible Teacher]

God is making himself known through his creation.

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

And so David is in awe of this reality that the world has this, this language.

[Bible Teacher]

And check this out. In verse, verse four, he says, their line has gone out through all the earth. Their line. Now the new King James version uses that word line. But the Septuagint, which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, uses the Greek word for sound. Their sound. It's the Hebrew word kav, and it figuratively means a musical string. So creation is God's musical instrument to mankind. Its sound, its noise, its voice spreads through the whole earth.

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

When we go on walks as a family. I have three kids and my two daughters. They love getting out in nature and

[Bible Teacher]

they are just in awe of the smallest thing.

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

We were at the beach just this past week and you know when you see the seagulls there on the beach,

[Bible Teacher]

you know, I've seen seagulls a thousand

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

times in my life. But my 8 year old, she'll be

[Bible Teacher]

walking on the, on the beach and she will see, look, a seagull. And she will immediately say, look God, look at God's beautiful handiwork. He made this seagull. My younger daughter, Blair, she will pick up a blade of grass. She'll say, father, this blade of grass, my daughter's British. And this blade of grass, the Lord has made this. And just over the simplest of stuff, a blade of grass or a seagull on the beach, and they will be in awe of God's creation. And they innately, as kids, as children already know, there's a creator, there's a divine designer. Why? Because kids have this sweet, strong faith in the Lord when they're out in nature. And then we grow up, we become adults and we get boring. We've seen it a thousand times. We've seen flowers blossom, we've seen birds a thousand times. So we become desensitized to the beauty of God's creation. But the Bible is clear that God is revealing himself on a daily basis to mankind.

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

God is speaking to you through his creation. He's speaking to you. He's revealing himself to you. The Creator of the universe wants personal relationship with each and every single one of you. And if you're here today and you've been resisting Voice of the Lord, don't Resist him any longer. He loves you. And every single day you wake up and you go outside and you take a deep breath. Everybody take a deep breath. That was the Lord sustaining you. Every single breath is from the Lord and daily basis, every second of every minute of every day, he is revealing Himself to you. Just by his creation. He loves you. And David here, he says, the speech of the world speaks that there is a Creator who loves you, who wants relationship with you. And then he shifts to this second section where he goes from the speech of the world to the supremacy of the Word. The supremacy of the world.

[Bible Teacher]

Because God not only has revealed Himself to us in creation, but he has also revealed Himself to us in the pages of His Word.

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

Look at verse seven.

[Bible Teacher]

He says, the law of the Lord is perfect. Converting the soul. Now notice here, he's going to use all of these different words and terms to describe the same word of God. He says, the law of the Everybody say law. The law of the Lord is perfect. Converting the soul. The testimony.

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

Everybody say testimony.

[Bible Teacher]

The testimony of the Lord is sure. Making wise the simple. The statutes. Everybody say statutes. The statutes of the Lord are right. Rejoicing the heart. The commandment.

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

Everybody say commandment.

[Bible Teacher]

The commandment of the Lord is pure. Enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. Now I love that verse. Verse 9. The fear of the Lord is clean, clean, enduring forever.

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

Why?

[Bible Teacher]

Because the fear of the Lord. Everybody thinks that to fear the Lord means to be scared of the Lord. Well, in some sense, yes. Because he is. He is our authority. But really, the Hebrew word for fear means to just have this awesome reverence for God. To have this awesome reverence. And when you have this awesome reverence for the Lord as you spend time in His Word, it motivates us to live lives of purity. The fear of the Lord is clean. We come to the Lord, we sit in his presence, we sit at his feet, we get in His Word. The fear of the Lord comes upon us. This awe, this reverence for the Lord, understanding that he is in control. He is so big, so powerful, so majestic. And that compels me to live a life of purity. Now we need the power and help of the Holy Spirit. We can't clean ourselves up on our own. We still live in these fleshly sinful bodies that are weighed down by just the ways, the cares of the world. So we need the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit to help us live lives of purity. But what happens is, when we come into the presence of the Lord and We're so in awe. We have this awesome reverence for the Lord. It motivates us to live pure lives of holiness, set apart unto the Lord. That's what God's Word does. David says that God's Word, as you spend time in God's truth, in God's Word, it will do something internally to our lives where it will again by the power of His Spirit, through His Word, not in our own strength. What happens is God by His Spirit will begin to purge sin out of our lives. It's called the process of sanctification. There's that big Bible word, sanctification. It just means to be set apart unto the Lord. God by His Spirit begins to sanctify us, work in us. It's all by His Word, by His power as we just surrender to, to the Lord Jesus Christ. It's God by His Spirit doing it. Stop striving. There is no striving in the Spirit. God's Spirit comes as we sit in his feet and he begins to work on us, shape us, mold us, make

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

us more into the image of His Son.

[Bible Teacher]

That's what he does. That's what God's Word does. God's Word, the Bible says about itself. God's Word is living and active, sharper than any two edged sword, able to divide between soul and spirit, bone and marrow. See, God's Word cuts us. It's a healthy thing. God's Word cuts us in conviction because the kindness of God leads us to repentance. So God is kind with us, he's patient towards us. He pours out his mercy and his grace upon us and that brings us just to this place of brokenness over sin in our lives.

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

As we sit in his presence, just the fear of God comes upon us and that motivates us to live lives of great purity and holiness.

[Bible Teacher]

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. Then he says, the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. Okay again. So he uses those words, judgment, statutes, law, commands all to just generally describe

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

God's Word for us.

[Bible Teacher]

He says the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. This is our standard of truth. You know the worldly saying, your truth is your truth. My truth is my truth. Translation truth is relative. No, truth is absolute. And David says, this is our anchor. As we are living in a crazy messed up culture, this is what keeps us anchored, the truth of God's Word. This is our, our, our, our standard of morality. I want to line up and conform my life to the truth of God's Word because Guess what?

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

It always goes better for me

[Bible Teacher]

when we live according to God's Word. When it comes to how we operate with our bodies, sexually, with our speech, with our thoughts, with our hands, with our finances and our marriages and our relationships, when we operate in all those ways according to the word of God, it always goes better for us. And I've tried, and all of us at times have tried to live outside the bounds and standards of God's Word. And guess what? It it might be fun for a season, but it always leaves us dry and empty. So David here, he says, the speech of the world cries out, there's a Creator. And the supremacy of the word convicts us of sin. And that's why. Then he goes into section three, the sin of the worshiper. Cause guess what? The speech of the world declares that God is real. And the supremacy of the word declares to us that God is right. And that then exposes this simple truth

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

within me, that I am very, very

[Bible Teacher]

wrong

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

and I'm in need of something that I can't provide myself.

[Bible Teacher]

And so that's why he gets into verses 12 through 14. He says, the speech of the world cries out. The supremacy of the word cries out. And what those two things are doing is God is revealing himself through creation and through his Word. The speech of the world, the supremacy of the word, it exposes sin within my life. So glance down at verses 12 through 14, he says, who can understand his errors? The new living translation puts verse 12 this way. How can I know all the sin lurking in my heart? That's why David would say elsewhere in the Psalms, when I consider your heavens, O Lord, what is man? That you were even mindful of me,

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

the Son of Man, that you care for me.

[Bible Teacher]

When I see the speech of the world and the supremacy of the word,

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

when those two things come together, it

[Bible Teacher]

exposes the deepest, darkest parts of my life. And he says in verse 12, how can I even understand the sin that is lurking within me? That's why Jeremiah 17:17 says, the heart is wicked and deceitful above all else. Who can even know it? Like I don't even know myself.

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

That's how wicked I am. Because my heart plays tricks on me.

[Bible Teacher]

I might want to do something good, but the motives of my heart are evil. And so David says, how can I even know this? All the sin that is lurking within me. That's why he goes on to say, cleanse me from secret faults. Cleanse me from secret faults. Now, that word, secret, it's the Hebrew word satar, and it means to hide. That's why the CSB translation says, cleanse me from my hidden faults. Now, what David here, he's going to do is he's going to talk about unintentional and intentional sin. Because there's both in our lives. There's the sin that. That we are unaware of in our lives and the sin that is deliberate and intentional. So he's going to. To talk about unintentional and intentional sin. And that's why he says, cleanse me from my hidden faults. Not that I am hiding sin.

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

Although, yes, when we sin, we like to hide it from people.

[Bible Teacher]

But that's not really what David is saying here. He's saying that sin is hidden from me. That's why other translations use the word unaware. Cleanse me from the sin that I am unaware of. Like sin, I am so sinful by nature that there's things that I do that violate God's standard, and I'm unaware of it. This applies to all of us because there's things we say or things we think or things we do unintentionally. Because again, just by nature, we were born as sinners. And so there's things that we do that violate God's standard, that break God's heart, and there's things we do on a daily basis like, I'm not even aware. Lord, this should be a daily prayer of ours. Lord, reveal to me the sin of

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

my life that I am just. I am blind to.

[Bible Teacher]

All of us have blinders when it comes to sin. There are blind spots in our lives. And your blind spot might not be mine, and mine might not be yours. It's different for everybody. But a daily prayer of ours should be, Lord, as I am in your word, would you speak to me by your spirit, would you gently convict me of those things in my life that I'm doing that hurt you, that I am unaware of? Because what the Lord will do is he will gently convict us of those things. That thought that I had yesterday, that I had, that I just blew past, didn't even give it a second thought, but it violated God's holiness, and it broke God's heart. The Lord, as we're in his word, he will begin to reveal stuff to him. Remember Austin, when you said that you need to go back to that person,

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

say, lord, think I was unaware. The Lord will begin to reveal those

[Bible Teacher]

things in our lives. So David says, lord, would you cleanse

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

me from the things that are even hidden from me?

[Bible Teacher]

Cause I'm not even fully aware of the depravity and the wickedness within my life. And then he says in verse 13, keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins. Now, presumptuous in the English dictionary just means to.

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

To.

[Bible Teacher]

To fail to observe the limits. It is more of a deliberate, willful decision. Keep back your servant from presumptuous sins. Presumptuous in the Hebrew. It's the Hebrew word zed, and it means proud or arrogant. The things that I do that I know I'm doing, I know I shouldn't

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

be doing this, but I enjoy it.

[Bible Teacher]

But I know it violates God's word.

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

I know it's not what's best for me, but I do it anyways.

[Bible Teacher]

David says, keep your servant back from willful, deliberate things that I choose that

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

are not God's best. And he says, talks about both of those intentional and unintentional sins.

[Bible Teacher]

And then he says, let them not have dominion over me. Why? Because David knows that sin's ultimate end game is to have dominion over your life. That word dominion means to rule or reign over sin, desires to rule and reign over your life. The scary thing is that some of us, we don't even know it, but

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

sin is our master.

[Bible Teacher]

Paul would say In Romans, chapter 6, Lord, may sin not reign in my mortal body.

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

Because Paul knows that sin desires to reign and rule and to be our master.

[Bible Teacher]

Listen, when you place your faith in Christ, what happened on that cross was Jesus was nailed to the cross. God's wrath was poured out on His Son so, so that his divine justice could be expressed, so that the sinner could walk free as long as the sinner would recognize their sin and look to the cross, believe that Jesus died and rose again. Jesus took the penalty of sin for us, again taking God's wrath upon himself to be our substitute to take our place so that sin could know would no longer have to be our master. He defeated sin and death on the cross so that for as many as would put their trust in Christ, sin no longer has to rule and reign in your life. If you're a believer in Jesus Christ, sin no longer has to dominate you. Sin no longer has to dominate you. And some of you who are believers who have been indulging habitually in sin, you need to understand this. Because sometimes what sin can do makes

[Assistant or Co-Teacher]

us feel completely trapped, like there is no way out.

[Bible Teacher]

But if you've placed your trust in Christ and his finished work on the cross, biblically speaking, the truth and the fact of the matter is sin no longer reigns over you. Why are you Treating it like a master. Jesus said, I would free you, I would set you free. There is liberty and freedom in Christ now. Not freedom to sin, but freedom from the power of sin. Freedom from sin. God's grace is not a license and liberty to sin, but God set us free from the power of sin. Sin no longer has to rule over your life. You know that. I always think of the movie Finding Nemo.

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You remember that little angler fish?

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It's got that little blob.

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It's the ugliest creature that God's ever created.

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He's got that little stick on his head. It's that little light, that little blob of light on his head. This is exactly the picture of sin. What that angler fish does is in the deepest, darkest depths of the ocean, that little blob just shines. And fish gravitate towards it. They are attracted to the light. And as soon as they get under that light, the jaws of the anglerfish trap it. And that's the picture of sin. Sin look satisfying and gratifying and appealing. And again, the Bible says sin is fun for a season. And so we gravitate towards the lust of the flesh. And as soon as we get under the so called light, the blob of sin, then sin clamps down on us

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and it keeps us there and we become enslaved to sin. And David recognizes

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sin's MO.

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He says, sin desires to have dominion over you. That's why Paul would say in Galatians

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5:16 so I say to you, walk

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in the Spirit, so that you don't

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gratify the desires of your flesh. For the flesh wants what's contrary to the Spirit and the Spirit wants what's contrary to the flesh. And these two are at war with one another. When you become a Christian, it doesn't mean that you're going to stop sinning or but yes, you should be sinning less as you mature in Christ. But you're no longer under the authority of sin, you're under the authority of Christ. And so Paul says, walk in the Spirit. Because in Galatians 6 he says, if you sow to the Spirit, you'll reap everlasting life, but if you sow to the flesh, you'll reap destruction. That's why the Bible says the wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal

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life in Christ Jesus.

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What is a wage? A wage is something that you earn. God is paying us death because of our sin. Sin leads to destruction. It promises a whole lot, but it

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delivers A whole lot of nothing.

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And what Satan does is he packages sin in a pretty bow. It's very enticing. But the package is always empty.

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It's dry. The Bible says in one John, if we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. God desires to cleanse us and wash us, to forgive us. You know that the Old Testament says that God is eager to forgive. Some of you need to hear that

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because you've gone to the Lord time

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and time again with the same stuff. You think God doesn't. I don't want to bother God with this anymore. No. God is eager to forgive. He is slow to anger and abounding in love, compassionate towards all that he has made. God is eager to forgive. It was DL Moody who said that some people think that God is troubled by our constant coming and asking of him. But the only way to trouble God is to never come at all. See, God has his arms wide open, and he says, come, I know what you've been up to. Come. Turn from it. Repent of it. It's not good for you. Come into the light. I'll forgive and wash you whole and cleanse you. And I will empower you by my spirit. You see, this is again the effect of the Word of God. David, in these verses, he would say that the Word of God, it's more

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to be desired than gold. So it's. It's invaluable. But he says it's sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. You see, the effect of God's word on our lives, is it? Yes. It convicts us of sin. But then it's like a healing balm. It's like sweeter than honey. When we're in the presence of God and the Word of God exposes sin in us, the Word of God exposes sin. But then Ephesians 2 says that the Word of God washes us and cleanses us, that this, the Bible, God's word. It's like this healing salve on our lives.

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After the first service, I was out in the hallway, and this sweet woman came up to me and said, when

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you were talking about the Word of

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God acting like a healing balm, she's like, I call it liquid love.

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It's like, I like that.

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Liquid love.

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This is what God's Word does.

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It's just like this outpouring of

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his

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healing ointment on our lives. Sweeter than honey.

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And so again, when David is confronted

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with the speech of the world and the supremacy of the Word.

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It exposes all this sin in him.

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And he prays, let this not have dominion over me.

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And he was looking forward to the Messiah, where he'd be free from sin. And guess what?

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That day has come in Jesus Christ.

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He has freed us as believers from

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the authority, the dominion, the rule, and

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the reign of sin.

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Start living in the freedom of God's grace and forgiveness and allow the Holy Spirit by His Word to empower you and help you.

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And he says, then I shall be blameless, and I shall be innocent of great transgression. Verse 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord,

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my strength and my redeemer.

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This is our last verse here he says, let the words of my mouth what comes out publicly and the meditation of my heart what stays in privately be pleasing and acceptable in your sight. Oh God. Translation what David is saying here is, let there be no duplicity in my life. Let the words that come out of my mouth publicly and the things that stay in privately, may they both be pleasing in your sight, O Lord. You see, I don't want to just put on a front for people at church. I don't want to just dress nice and look nice for people on the outside. But privately, I'm a completely different person. No, David says, let the words of my mouth what comes out private, publicly, what is seen by people and the meditation of my heart, what I do behind the scenes, what stays in privately, may both of those areas of my heart and life be pleasing and acceptable

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in the sight of God.

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I think it's Psalm 86 that would say, unite my heart to fear your name. You see, the disposition and attitude of the believer should be. Should be this. This uniting aspect of who we are publicly and privately. There should be no duplicity. And so many of us are guilty, myself included, of having maybe a presentable exterior, but then doing things in private that we know aren't what God desires for our lives. And David says, let both aspects of my heart, the public and private aspects of my life, be pleasing to the Lord. And, and this should be us as believers that who we are in the world, at work and who people see at home, with family and relationships and friendships, may that match who we are privately.

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And David says, I want both areas of my life to be pleasing. I don't want to just look the part and just be a poser. Everybody can spot a poser. Everybody can spot someone who's just being phony and just they talk the talk. They know the Christian lingo, call it Christianese, they know the right words to say. But then privately their hearts are very far from the Lord. That's why the Bible would say that their mouths praise me, but their hearts are far from me. Jesus would rebuke the Pharisees in the New Testament. He says, on the outside you're like whitewashed tombs, but on the inside you're like dead men's bones. There's this duplicitousness that all of us at times in our lives are guilty of. But when we just humbly come to the Lord and say, lord, I'm done and tired, because it's very exhausting.

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It really is.

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It's very exhausting to put on an image on the outside, but to be very broken on the inside. It's very exhausting to keep up that image. But when we humbly come to the Lord and say, lord, I want my private life and my public life to both be pleasing in your sight. But I can't do it on my own, you know, it's hard. Lord, would you help me? The Lord will honor that prayer. He will. Some of you here today, the Lord is speaking to you. How do you know? Cause your heart's beating real fast right now. The Lord is tugging on your heart. He's saying, I don't want. I'm tired of your life being duplicitous. I don't want you to come to church and just sing some nice songs and then privately be someone completely different. Come into the light again. The Lord is eager to forgive. He will do the work by his spirit. When you humbly come to him and ask for help. And David says, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. See, David was looking forward to a day where he would experience ultimate redemption. That's why he calls God his Redeemer. And then when you get to the New Testament, Jesus all throughout the Gospels and Epistles would be known as our redemption. The one to restore us back to God by His blood on the cross, through his resurrection, we can all be redeemed and restored when we repent.

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That word repent in the Greek is

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metanoia, meta meaning to change. And noia or nous, meaning the mind to change the mind to go from unbelief to belief, to go from living

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a life for yourself, turning and trusting

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in Christ and His work for you on the cross. And then God will do the work.

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This is not a Bible study or a book about self help or about just doing enough or trying harder or cleaning yourself up before you come to the Lord. No, you come in your sin. We come dirty and broken and duplicitous. We come to the Lord and we say, lord, I'm repenting. I am recognizing I am a sinner and in need of your redemption.

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And.

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And then when you place your trust in Christ and what he did for you on the cross, taking our place, rising from the dead, God, by His Spirit, he will do the work in your life.

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He will do the work.

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So we humbly come to him. There is no striving, there is no trying hard or just following a checklist of religiosity. That doesn't cut it. The Bible says our good works are like filthy rags compared to a holy God. So us, on our best day, it's not good enough.

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So.

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So we humbly come to the Lord and say, lord, in all my duplicity, Lord, sin having dominion over my life, Lord, I humbly come to you. Forgive me of sin. I trust in Christ and God by

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His Spirit, he will take over. He will blow your mind. Don't take my word for it. Trust in Christ. Understand his heart for you today. He will do the work that we are too tired to accomplish on our own. Coming to Christ. And I want to say this carefully, coming to Christ is based on work. Check this out. Not your work, but Christ's work. That's the difference. Not religion, not you working to earn God's love, His forgiveness, but trusting in the work that Christ accomplished on your behalf. And that's why David looked forward to that day where he would experience the redemption that the Bible promises all throughout. And it was accomplished in Christ. If you don't know him today, stop living for yourself. Repent and trust in Christ. For those of you who've been walking with the Lord, I pray that this would just be a reminder and encouragement to you that God loves you. He's revealed Himself to you through his creation, through His Word, and when it exposes sin in our lives, come to him humbly. God is eager to forgive, to restore, to redeem. Lord, we love you and we pray now that you would now accomplish what I am incapable of doing, Lord, which is going to work in our lives and bringing us to a place of encouragement or conviction, salvation. I want to take a moment for those of you who've never made that decision to trust in Christ. You've been living for yourself and you're done and you want to trust in Christ. God is one prayer away. Take a moment just to ask the Lord God forgive me, rule and reign in my life. I trust in your finished work on the cross for those of us who are believers, Lord, my prayer is that you would continue to mature us and grow us deeper in our relationship with you. Refine us, shape us, mold us, Forgive us Lord, sanctify us by your word, by your spirit. Purge and uproot anything in our lives that doesn't belong Lord, that doesn't honor you. Unite our hearts to fear your name. Wash us Lord, we're so grateful and thankful for your patience and your mercy and your grace and we just say we love you. Just take a moment and tell the Lord that you love him and thank him. Thank you God. We love you. Bless us Lord, May your hand of favor be upon us now as we leave and it's in Jesus name we pray and all God's people said Amen.