Sunday Morning Worship Service
by Nathan Whitley
First Apostolic Church of Knoxville (Knoxville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Psalm 119:1-2, Psalm 119:176, Psalm 119:133, Psalm 119:67, Psalm 119:176, Psalm 119:18, Psalm 23:1, Ezekiel 34:11-12

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/nathan-whitley--sunday-morning-worship-service-143
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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you can start making your way back to your seat but just remain standing for a few moments we're going to go to the word of the Lord get your Bibles your devices he can start turning swiping clicking whatever you like to do to get to the word of the Lord go to Psalm chapter 1 19. the 119th chapter of the book of Psalms and we want to say we are so glad to have guests with us today we have neighbors of Sarah and Noah Wilson could you welcome Kayla and Walker Whit today we're so glad that you are here with us welcome to First Apostolic Church to all of our guests we welcome you here to First Apostolic Church here today does anybody want to have church today that was a pretty poor response has anybody ready to have church today oh Hallelujah Psalm 119 we're going to read three verses now don't you look at that and say he's going to read all of that today there's 176 verses we're not going to read all of them we're going to read the bookends of them though the first two verses and then we're going to read the last verse Psalm 119 the first two verses blessed are the undefiled in the way who walk someone say walk in the law of the Lord blessed are they that keep his testimonies and that seek him with a whole heart so notice those two two first verses there that the blessed man walks undefiled in the way then I want you to look at the very last verse 176. a lot of verses if you've got there in your yearly Bible reading plan you're like okay okay this is the whole book right here like there's just a whole whole book right here in the chapter it's the longest chapter in all of the Bible and here's what the last verse and it caught my attention I read this this week and it caught my attention I want to share with you this morning look at verse 176 I have gone astray like a lost sheep seek thy servant for I do not forget thy Commandments this morning I got two titles I'm gonna I'm gonna do a pastor Mark McCool trick here this morning I'm going to preach two titles one sermon two titles all right first title is this wondering at and wandering from the word of God the anatomy of backsliding wandering at and wandering from the word of God the anatomy of backsliding once you put your Bibles or your devices down I want you to lift up your hands and one more time would you pray and ask the Lord to speak to you from his word today will you do that father we thank you for your spirit that is here we thank you for the saints of God that are here and gathered this morning Lord I pray that your spirit will touch every individual Lord let the word of God go forth like seed and find good ground and I pray Lord that your spirit would begin to illuminate your word today and encourage us and refresh us and draw us back to you in Jesus name we pray and everyone said amen won't you clap your hands again this morning unto Jesus oh Hallelujah you can be seated this morning in the name of the Lord wandering at and wandering from the word of God Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible with 176 verses this lengthy Psalm has one subject for 176 verses the subject of the writer of this chapter his subject is the word of God the writer of this amazing Psalm was saturated with his subject if this psalmist was indeed King David we can understand why he was a man after God's Own Heart for David's heart delighted in God's word the scripture to this writer was no strange thing the word of God was considered great the doctrines the laws the precepts the promises were not considered alien instead all of God's word was to be enjoyed and loved now let me give you some technical background on this chapter I want you to see maybe in your English Bibles you see it composed in a certain way and Psalm 119 is composed of 22 stanzas of eight verses each each of the 22 stanzas is built upon a Hebrew letter all of them are from the Hebrew alphabet 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet and each stanza each of the eight verses begins with the letter of that stanza creating an acrostic there are at least six synonyms used for scripture in this long and lengthy chapter the writer uses several different ways to describe the word of God he calls them testimonies the word of God is used this way in reference to when the law was placed in or near the Ark of the Covenant and it signified its Witness he uses the word precepts this particular word is drawn from the sphere of an officer an overseer or one who had the responsibility to look in the matter closely and to take action there's the word statutes the speaks of The Binding power and permanence of scripture as inscribed within its laws it uses the word Commandments it emphasizes the authority of what God has said and includes his absolute Authority he calls them judgments or ordinances or laws it speaks of God as a Judd give judge giving out his decrees it uses the word word to describe his word and this can mean promises or anything that God vows to do if he judges he also Rewards and then there is as we read in the first couple of verses ways it's the most general of all the titles the synonyms that he uses for the scripture and that means anything that comes from the mouth of God anything that comes from God's mouth is Holy and perfect and it is his way for mankind now in 176 verses out of all of those there's only five verses that does not use any of those synonyms and so obviously the writer is trying to get through to his readers that the word of God is precious it is the most precious thing that we can ever have it is his word it is his thoughts it is his ways it is his commands his judgments his precepts his testimonies his promises everything is found in his word it is the god-breathed word the Holy Spirit inspired word of God this is the map this is the GPS this is the instruction manual on how you can live and walk with God I wish somebody was helping me this morning every every iteration of God's word is to be loved and desired listen if you you can't love God without loving his word you hearing me how can you know him without his word how can you know about him without his word how can you know how to worship him without his word how can you know how to approach him without his word how can you know how to be saved from your sin without his word how can you know about Glory without his word how can you know about his blessings without his word I'm telling you you can't love God without loving his word [Applause] loving his word should also lead to us loving him this isn't just some random book some textbook on history and Theological matters that we are just to study like some type of textbook and there are those who do that they treat it as if it's some academic book and they approach it and only study it in its parts and never realizing that there's an author behind the book don't just love his book but you need to love him oh you're not hearing me today you need to love him when you study this book it should lead to loving and serving him it's impossible to walk in the ways of God without reading listening delighting and obeying the word of God it's impossible it's impossible to walk in his ways without knowing his word you can't know the will of God do you hear me now you can't know the will of God without listening and taking heed to the word of God brother Knight watch the word of God what's the will of God for my life the will of God for you is to know his word not just to hear some preaching for 30 to 40 minutes once or twice or three times a week you need to study to show yourself approved unto God oh my Lord Jesus help me right now you need the word of God if you want to walk you to have your led by his word his word will order your steps he says in the 133rd verse of this chapter order my steps in thy word order my steps in thy word you can't walk in the spirit until you walk with the word I wish somebody has helped me today here are way too quiet this morning I'm talking about the word of God I'm talking about the word of God and it's the word of God that washes it's the word of God that saves us the word of God that sanctifies it's the word of God that justifies I'm telling you right now the greatest thing that we have is a people is that we've got the word of God it's a treasure for us and we should love it as the writer of Psalm 119 does someone say Amen oh David was a saint wasn't he he was a saint he was the same because he wondered at the word of God notice here brothers and sisters how he Delights in the word of God you have to desire his word like David desired his word here's a few things he says in this lengthy chapter he said he loved the word of God he said he would rather have the word of God more than he desired his daily food he would rather have God's word than wealth he would rather study God's word than sleep he would choose the word of God over hanging out with friends and he prayed and meditated on the word of God seven times a day that's a man of the word I heard somebody say one time I was I evangelize they would say this about preachers he's a word preacher what in the world is not a word preacher I wanted to be a word preacher I wanted to say that about me I want them to say I'm a word preacher not a newspaper preacher not a Fox News and a CNN preacher I'm a word preacher I'm glad we've got pastors and Bishops and leaders around here who are word preachers come on we got to be word people I'm telling you I don't want to just give you some self-help I want to give you some word help I want to give you some inspired living I want to help you live rights and he can only do that from the word of God and David loved it from the rising up and to the going down he was ready to be in the word of God he praised him for his word oh do you worship the book absolutely I do oh you're a bunch of people who worship a book absolutely and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory as of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth are you are you word worshipers absolutely because in him dwells all life and in him dwells the fullness of the godhead bodily I'm telling you right now I'm a word preacher and this is a word I wish somebody was helping me today let us always be said of us there were word people that we put the word of God at the center of our lives someone say Amen oh here's a love story for the word of God if you want to fall in love with the word of God go read Psalm 119 this week read it over and over and over gonna be a prayer Pray those words into your spirit but I read this and as much as I love Psalm 119 it's my favorite subject the word of God I noticed the last verse of this amazing chapter and I've read it I can't tell you how many times and I have missed this you know you could read the Bible every day for an hour a day and you'd get something new every time that you read it you could read the same chapter over and over and over and over again every day and you'd get something new every time because it's Daily Bread it's manna from it's light it's it's it's the it's the bread man cannot live by bread alone but by every word and when you come to it it's new and it's it's like honey to my taste and it's like it's like meat to my nourishment God have mercy and you can read it over and over and over again you can miss something and I've read this up I can't tell you how many times I've read a lot and all of a sudden I seen that last verse and it just popped out at me I thought surely that's not what it says so I went and got my other English translation I thought it says it there I got another one I saw no it can't be that can't be right I went and read another one and there it was can I read it to you again Psalm 119 176 here's a man who loves the word of God loves the god of the word and here's to what he says I've gone astray like a lost sheep thy servant what I have gone I love your word 170 times worth and here I am I've gone astray here is the anatomy of backsliding he was a he was a saint but he went astray and it wasn't the first time either look Psalm 119 and verse 67 he said before I was afflicted I went astray here is a saint who stumbles here is a saint who forgets that's why he says I remember I forget not I remember I forget not why because we are prone to forgetting and so yes he is a saint but he also has within him the ability to stray how could David stray from God how could anybody stray from God how could they do it the word astray here in the Hebrew means to wonder it means to travel from place to place have you ever got lost before now listen I'm gonna I'm gonna Bear My Soul before you today I am directionally challenged it's truth Ashley reminded me of it this week I had to put the GPS in and I typed in the address and if it says to go write my first inclinations to go left if it says to turn around I'm going straight that's always I mean do the opposite and I'll do the opposite and guess what it's the opposite every time it's like it knows which way you're going I'm going to go the opposite way anybody else do that around here anybody know directionally challenged just me thank you for your honesty today the altar will be open at the end here just a few moments I don't know how we got around remember how you used to get around using a thing called a map some of y'all don't even know what I'm talking about right now then we have something really cool you could go on to the interwebs and print off directions we did that and I still went the wrong way and when you wander now now listen David wondered he said open my eyes that I might see wondrous things from your law that's what he says in this chapter but here at the end he says I've gone astray how do you go astray how do you go from wondering at the word of God to wandering from the word of God it's because you don't have a destination in mind backsliding doesn't take place in one decision nobody has ever in the history of Christianity ever backslid overnight you may have seen it happen overnight but it was a slow fade it was a multitude a compiling of small decisions that led them to wander away from God it's not one decision somebody doesn't commit adultery overnight it starts with little thoughts oh I'm here today to preach to somebody about the anatomy of backsliding how do you wander I'm hoping you're listening to me right now I'm trying to help you right now if you're going to go astray it's going to be because you're directionless means you're wandering about aimlessly you have where are you going I don't know have you ever just gotten in your car and just drove around so where you going I don't know if you do that you're going to end up there I don't know where are you going I don't know how you going to get there I don't know I'm just going to get in the car and just hope hope for the best and some of us treat our spiritual life like that where are you going you want to know how to backslide wander about without any direction Saints let me tell you something Saints as we can see right here in this one verse saints can backsliding and they backslide when they have no Direction less Saints are those who learn to move from place to place without any sense of purpose a spiritual life with no plan is going to lead you to wandering I've seen too many now listen to me now I've seen too many good Saints who love God and love his word they begin to wonder they wander in and out of church services they come in sit down get up walk out the door no serving no working no worshiping no helping others it's just wandering in and out this is just some place that you stopped throughout your week it's just a wonder where are you going I don't know what are you doing with your life I don't know what about what's Church what's Church mean to you I don't know it's just wandering around no purpose and no Direction and it will lead you to wandering from the word of God then there are those Paul talks about in first Timothy 5 there are those who wander in and out of everybody's drama he calls them busy bodies yeah going house to house gossiping about that meddling and everybody's all else's Affairs not worrying about their own spiritual life not worrying about their own calling not worrying about their own purpose they're worried about everybody else's problems but their own it's called being a busy body it means you're wondering and you've left from wondering at the word of God to what I wonder what they're doing I wonder what they're doing what are you doing well I'm just showing up well we've got an issue here I'm wondering about their problem their their problems and their trouble how about your own where are you going I don't know looking for trouble there's some people who love drama so much they'll create it uh he didn't hear me over here so I'm gonna settle again over here there's some people who love drama so much they'll create their own drama because they don't have any purpose in their life people who have who love drama have no purpose they have no Direction they have no calling there's nothing that they're accountable to and so they'll create drama and that thinks that gives them fulfillment until it doesn't work out they'll find some more y'all sit down please chill out relax it's easy to wander about how about this one I'm I'm hoping I'm being positive today trying to help you but I've also seen Saints get so caught up in doing a job instead of fulfilling a call Bishop taught taught this several years ago before the pandemic we're so busy serving Jesus that we don't serve Jesus we get caught up in doing a job instead of fulfilling a call I want everybody in this room to hear me this morning it's easy for you to wonder from the word of God when you hide behind instruments and you hide behind microphones and you hide behind Sunday school podiums and you hide behind cameras and you hide behind soundboards and sound lights and you hide behind ushering I we need all that stuff but what we don't need is for you to cover up your cold lukewarm hearts somebody hear me right now well I'm here are not good I'm thankful that you're here but what's your purpose I've got a job to do no no no if you start making the call of God a job it will become passionless and you'll burn out [Applause] why do they wonder I did it I'm telling you I did it I know it because I was one I knew how to hide behind a set of drums and be carnal I knew how to be worldly I knew how to wear my tie and you didn't know anything about me and I could hide behind a set of drums and I was as carnal as anybody I'm telling you right now it's easy for you to perform let me tell you something Ministry is no replacement for divine relationship Ministry should never replace prayer study fasting worship or service Ministry without an altar is simply performance and performance will lead to your burnout I'm telling you right now we need to wonder at the word of God not a Wander from the word of God we need to have some purpose in our life we need to have something where are you going what are you doing I'm observing something um I've already made just a little bit uncomfortable let me make you just a little bit more uncomfortable when people start tying their identity to titles [Music] well I've always done this fantastic what are you going to do next die that's it there are some people who are going to do a job until they die it's called wandering well I'm the one who does this great who are you training uh uh no one wants to do this job because I do this job that's great what happens when you die let me tell you something the the job shouldn't die with you I'm telling you right now we need some purpose we need some direction we need somebody on now come on somebody help me now we need some passion not performance come on we're not going to perform ourselves to Revival we're not going to perform ourselves to a move of God we need some dedicated consecrated relationship and fuel Ministries at fac and if you're not I'm telling you to quit if you're not going to pray quit if you're not going to get along with everybody quit find somebody else who will I'm telling you I'd rather have less Talent with somebody who's anointed to have somebody with a bad attitude who just doesn't show up I'm telling you it's time for us to get some purpose in our lives come on musicians come on singers that's where I work at right now I don't need a bad attitude I need anointing I don't need a bad attitude I need an ultra Builder and if you got a bad attitude I'm gonna show you the door and find somebody else who'll do it I made you uncomfortable I'm gonna make them out there uncomfortable if all you do is sit out there and drink coffee while preaching's going on I need you to quit and give somebody else your job I want somebody who's anointed to open oh you're hearing me right now why I feel Brenda coming now all right here she is why would you show up why would you get dressed to sit out there for an hour and a half [Applause] [Music] because what you've done is you've replaced relationship with performance and we're not taking a nameless you know who's here and who's not here I'm looking for somebody who said I've been praying this week I'm here to worship I'm here to serve I'm here to see the glory fall I'm gonna see somebody lift up come on we need some purpose we need some passion we need some direction don't Wander from one place to another but get something in your spirit that says I'm doing this because I love Jesus if you believe that clap your hands unto the Lord and if you don't clap your hands unto the Lord right I'm telling you we need some people who are on fire it's not time for us to play church I don't know where this is coming from but I'm feeling my help cover me right now I'm tired of performance Ministry I'm tired of performance church I've come to have a move of God listen don't you walk in here at 6 30 and say why don't we have a move of God we open up at six o'clock with a prayer room if you want to see a move of God get in a prayer room get a hold of God it's all right I'm gonna pasture this a little bit come on if you're if your music team is praying back here you need to be back here our pastor shouldn't have to come get you when we come back here to pray at 6 15. get back there and pray every Usher so be praying before church every Hospitality member should be praying before church every Sunday why don't why don't we have this why don't we have that what's wrong with this I'm gonna tell you what's wrong with it it's your attitude we need some people who need to get their attitude and check around here and say you know what I'm gonna pray until something happens I'm gonna fast until something happens I'm gonna pray are you hearing me right now I'm telling we don't need to wander we need to wonder at the word of God [Applause] when you don't have purpose you lack accountability if you don't have purpose you lack accountability if I don't if you're not accountable to a Ministry and you're not accountable to a team and if you're not accountable to somebody I can't give an answer for you where are they I don't know what are they doing good question I know they're down the hall and they can't hear me maybe they can't hear me maybe they'll go back and listen to this let me tell you something don't just show up to teach your Sunday school class on Sunday morning and it's not a see you again for the rest of the week you can be seated showing up to do your thing and then leave this you've made this a job well that's my job that's why I feel it now oh my Lord Jesus I've turned into what I don't like being mean but I'm telling you something we need to shake ourselves out of being apathetic and lethargic with our Ministries we need some people who are going to pray who are going to touch God and if you're not serving you're in here worshiping come on if you're not worshiping if you're not playing if you're not singing you're down here not sitting in the back like a lump on the log I wonder if somebody says you know what I need my passion back I've wondered I've gone astray let me get back to the Wonder of your word oh I'm coming I'm coming to the good part here we've got through the the turbulence you all right still there you now able to go around the cabin it's okay he says I've gone astray like a sheep David knew something about sheep didn't he he knew something about sheep he said like a lost sheep he knew what it's like for a sheep or a lamb to get lost sheep are able to wander very easily they lose sight of the shepherd and they get themselves into trouble carelessness will get you into temptation because you to get away from God getting your focus off of Jesus will open yourself up to wandering and poor choices when we get away from him we are putting ourselves in danger Shepherd leads the sheep and the Green Pastures he keeps them from the brown and the in the Dead he keeps them from the dried up creeks and lakes and he keeps them from then and finds them things to nourish them but when we didn't begin to wander away from God in his word we begin to lose our strength secondly the Sheep loses its protection when it wanders from the shepherd he is pray for wild dogs wolves lions and other predators sheep are defenseless they have no way of protecting themselves that's why they need a shepherd and when they begin to wander away from the shepherd and wander away from the gentle guidance of a Shepherd they will be when we Wander from Christ we open ourselves up to satanic destruction I don't need a preacher I don't need a pastor it's in trouble trouble's coming I don't need the church I don't need the word trouble is coming you are losing your protection brother Derek if you'll show these pictures here do you see this this is Chris the lost sheep Chris the Sheep took a record for the most wool sheared from a sheep and a single shearing at 41 kilograms the Guinness World Records announced he was brought in and trimmed by a record Champion Shearer Ian Elkins Elkins had to do the shearing in two layers and needed four helpers to help him complete the job he began sharing about 9 A.M and took about 45 minutes to finish the first pass Elkins believed he hadn't been cut and sheared for seven years doubling his body weight with his wool he was spotted by a bushwalker in the Mulligan's flat area in Australia Chris was carrying such a heavy load that Animal Welfare experts had feared he would not survive sheep could barely walk with the weight of the wool as is and it was feared with that much growth that he would die Elkin said it's amazing it survived all these years out in the wild if growing a fleece like this was done deliberately it would be a cruelty case but in cases if not sometimes Ian's Elkin said it's just a lost sheep he went from being lost and in danger for seven years until someone said get me a shepherd get me somebody who could help that lost sheep he's wandered away from his Shepherd it's time for him to come home stand to your feet today David said I've gone astray I love your word I I love you I love everything about you and your word but I have the tendency to go astray he said I've cried out to thee seek a thy servant how does a shepherd seek his lost sheep he says that throughout 119 he's gracious in verse 25 he revives me in verse 18 he opens my eyes in verse 36 he inclines my heart in verse 12 he teaches me in verse 28 he strengthens me and then he says this in verse 67 and 71. he afflicts me because like a father he chastens and disciplines his children not because he hates them but because he loves them and wants to keep them from wandering Jesus said I've come to seek and to save that which was lust he can't find you until you cry out he can't find you Until you realize you've wandered and it's seven years or seven months or even seven days since you spent time in his presence remember me seek your servant look at this last part of this last verse here verse 176. for I do not forget thy Commandments how listen I could preach to you and tell you he wants to save you and he wants to find you and he wants to restore you and he wants to heal you but it means nothing if there's not something backing it up I'm not preaching up here out of my my own emotion and my own inspiration I'm standing upon the word of God and telling you he wants to save one writer says all we like sheep have gone astray all of us are prone to wandering all of us are prone to getting cold on the Lord but you have to remember his promises precepts his laws his Commandments I don't forget them I'm standing upon them because we read in the scripture in Psalm 23 that he's my shepherd and I shall not want he's providing he's restoring he's guiding he's comforting Ezekiel 34 11-12 I will seek my sheep John 10 I will keep my sheep Luke 15 he leaves the 99. a fine one Jude would say this he is able keep you you've gotten cold if you've lost your awe of him and you've lost your reverence for him and his purpose for your life I want you to lift up your hands right now every eye closed somebody has begun to wander You've Lost Your Wonder You've Lost Your Passion You've Lost Your zeal it's easy to start kind of just being apathetic and just kind of just going through the motions what you need to say is remember me come and find your servant come on would you lift up your voice and I ever hand lifted every hand lifted the shepherd wants to find you today you didn't find him he found you and like Chris the lost sheep he's looking for you and you may have gotten yourself in danger you may have made some bad mistakes you may have backslid you may have gotten cold I want you to know the shepherd is looking for you tonight he's looking to draw you back to him and not only that he wants to put you back together he wants to heal you he wants to mend your wounds he wants to he wants to put the bomb on the wounds that are open and say come on back to the fold come on back to the full come on back to the to the flock we're gonna we're gonna take care of you we're gonna we're gonna amend you it's okay it's I know you've been gone I know you've wondered but I'm giving you your sense of purpose back come on would you lift up your voice now I wonder as I begin to sing if you lift up your voice and lift up your heart and say God I don't want to get cold on you I don't want to get cold on it I don't want to wander I don't want to hide behind a a Ministry or hide behind a job but God I want to wonder at you I want to wonder o God and I want to see you high and lift come on there's some coming right now there's some coming right now would you come the shepherd's looking for you the shepherd's looking for you the shepherd's looking for you he's coming to look for you come on he'll pick you up and bring you he's come the seeking to save that which was lost come on he's kind of seeking to save that which is he'll keep me healed revive me he'll be gracious to me come on let's not lose our Wonder at him but let's find our all and our worship and our passion again he'll restore you oh yes Jesus [Music] oh yes [Music] and just wander in and out but God I want to find pasture I want to find pasture in you I want to find a rest I want to find passion yes degrees [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] it's not about me anymore [Applause] [Music] it's not about me [Music] [Applause] [Music] how do you do it's not about me and from my heart Jesus [Music] [Music] Jesus be the center is all about you yes it's all about you from my heart yes Jesus Jesus [Music] increase it's all about you it's not about time is all about you it's not about me [Applause] it's not about me it's all about you it's all about you it's not about it's all about you it's all about you it's not about me would you lift your hands and love Jesus just a few more moments savior we thank you for your word we receive your word this day Lord we receive your word right now in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus hallelujah hallelujah