Rev. Buddy DeLong - God's Word And My Heart

i'm wonderfully blessed and glad to be in the house of the lord this morning to be able to share his word with you brother small asked me to do this i'm like sure he'd love to and the lesson today is one close to my heart it's talking all about the word of god and how important it is to hide it in our heart it's actually entitled god's word in my heart and today we're going to start off in psalms 19 if you got your bible in verse 7 through 14 for the text and we'll we'll be running on down to hebrews 4 and verses 12-16 the word of god in my heart psalms 19 7 the law of the lord is perfect converting the soul 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 enlightening 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 yes than much fine gold sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb i got to stop right there and get out my prop i brought this morning anybody got anybody got some of this at home well you guys know how sweet this is i'm gonna take a bite this morning in the presence of you all i'm so sorry i can't share it i've only got one spoon so look at that oh my all right oh sorry brad it did hit this nice quad though all right here we go the bible says the word of the lord is sweeter than honey let's try this out here wow what an explosion of sweetness wow almost as sweet as my wife over there ah i had to i had to the word of the lord is sweeter than honey my mouth right now is just exploding with sweetness i'm telling you and the writer in psalms said that the lord's word was sweeter than that and isn't it true isn't it true it really really is so many times throughout our lives the word of god comes to us and gives us that thing that we need so desperately and fills that spot that uh that we really need it to fill i'll go on to read moreover by them is thy servant warned and in the keeping of them there is great reward who can understand his errors or cleanse thou me from secret faults keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins let them not have dominion over me then shall i be upright i shall be innocent from the great transgression let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in my sight o lord my strength and my redeemer and then moving on down to hebrews 4 verses 12 through 16 for the word of god is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart neither is there salvation in any neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do seeing then that we have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens jesus the son of god let us hold fast our profession for we have not in high priests which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities but was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in a time of need amen what wonderful things are said about the word of god this morning and and they really can't and don't do enough it's so wonderful in our lives um imagine this it's a scenario a king delivers to you a rare jewel for your safe keeping a big giant diamond a ruby whatever it might be the jewels of great value and irreplaceable and you are responsible for its security that in and of itself would be sobering but then imagine the king says to you you are to carry this treasure on a lengthy and difficult trip through an unfamiliar and often dangerous land you are to safeguard it during this passage knowing that the king will meet you at the end of your journey he informs you that you that when he does he will expect you to deliver the treasure safely back to him if you do so successfully he will reward you with untold riches and pleasures but if you fail the consequences will be the grimace imaginable undoubtedly your mind would swim with a thousand and one questions how should i guard this what road should i take are there any particular dangerous parts of the journey are there any common mistakes that others have made in such a quest are there enemies of which i need to be aware knowing you have no experience traveling to this destination or protecting such a treasure the task would seem overwhelming no doubt as you're about to despair of ever successfully completing this mission the king hands you a book in which he has recorded the answers to all your questions it tells you where you're to walk how you're to walk what to do what not to do how to protect that which the king has entrusted to you just how precious do you suppose such a book would be how carefully would you read it how diligently would you heed its direction i suspect that if you sincerely believe that life and death hung in the balance you would gladly ensure that every aspect of your journey was governed by the dictates of that book you would the scenario is not far-fetched you've been given a treasure that is to be protected carefully on life's journey the king has clearly told you keep thy heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life that's found in proverbs 4 23 when this journey is complete we will all give an account for the condition of our heart we're all going to do it and wow do we need this to make sure we can deliver it to the lord in a wonderful condition we have never done life before we have no experience in safely transporting a pure heart from here to heaven gratefully as though gratefully a thorough and invaluable book of instruction has been given us the word of god will guide us in protecting our hearts through life if we will consistently and conscientiously apply its principles to every aspect of our journey in so doing we will ensure that we please the king in this most serious of assignments the word of god is alive it is alive it is terribly regrettable that so many in our world today view the bible as an archaic and an out of date collection of writings they deem its words in many of its principles old-fashioned and not connected to our post-modern world king james english certainly probably fuels some of that opinion but even if all translations were in the most up-to-date contemporary english it's the message of the bible that some consider to be out of step with the times and that is a shame because nothing could be further from the truth there's there's nothing could be further from the truth the bible is not a dead book in any fashion god use the word quick to describe it and that word means alive it is man you can use the word of god and instantly there's life that comes into a situation those of us who have embraced the bible's teachings readily understand this description for we have seen its words apply to ever changing situations in our lives and in our world it's a testimony to the miraculous living nature of this book after 22 plus centuries the bible still contains instruction on every significant thing that we would be able to face in our life god's word is just as applicable in 2022 as it was when holy men of old penned its pages only a living book could accomplish that that's the only way possible the word of god is a two-edged sword god's word self-identifies as a sewer and i wish i had a sword up here today because that would be a lot of fun you know guys and everything getting to the fall when hunting season comes about and you get this feeling that you want to wield a sword perhaps right it's called the sword of the spirit in ephesians 6 and 17 and we see the the sword emanating from the mouth of god in revelation 1 and verse 16.

that god's word is a powerful weapon for spiritual warfare is unquestionable like it is extremely powerful for spiritual warfare but what of that two-edged description quite often that phrase is used to describe something that cuts both ways like this way not cut this way something that can be harmful both to the attacker if i let it come too far this way and to its intended victim certainly this principle is true of god's word for it always affects first the one that's quoting the word or using it but this phrase has even a deeper meaning the greek word for two edge which is dis tomos which is comprised of two words which mean two mouthed the bible is called a two-mouthed sword literally it should be noted that god's word is most effective when it proceeds both from the mouth of god and then from your mouth that's when it's the most effective when we quote his word in prayer we are allowing that sword to be mouthed the second time he said it and we repeat it and wow what a what a powerful effect it has in that moment his word is doubly effective both on us and to our adversary according to hebrews 4 12 god's word is sharper than any two-edged two-mouthed sword a man might try to employ there is nothing that is keener that has a keener edge to slice through the defenses employed than the word of god that comes from the lips of god and that are embraced believed and utilized by his children nothing's nothing works better the word of god discerns thoughts and intents of the heart the word of god has a unique ability to conduct its work on our hearts in a deep and in the secret places anyone can conduct a service a surface review of our lives that can look on the outward and evaluate our deeds or our actions and and they can see those things that are visible however it takes the power of the spirit through the word of god to discern the very motives behind those deeds and actions there are some times quite honestly we could be doing something that's good for the wrong motive and the word of god can come to us and show us hey you're doing that but you're doing it for the wrong motive and can help us and correct us the bible and particularly the preaching of its principles can lay bare humanity and it compels us to confront what is often not visible by our fellow worshiper beside us it examines our attitudes and not just our actions it discerns what is concealed from others and in so doing serves us well in the quest to protect the condition of our heart nothing is hidden from god's sight it is important for us to remember that nothing in our lives can be hidden from him according to the scriptures all things are naked and open to him with whom we have to do no covering veils any part of our lives in his sight the scripture says jeremiah 16 17 for mine eyes are upon all their ways they are not hid from my face neither is there iniquity hid from my eyes so there's nothing to hide before the lord this morning and that's a good thing there can be no question that god knows all of our secret sins but that is not all of which he takes note thankfully the writer in proverbs 5 and verse 3 declared the eyes of the lord are in every place beholding the evil and the good each child of god should be encouraged to understand that god notes every good deed every good decision every good priority that we demonstrate in our lives he sees it and he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him and live for him each child of god should be encouraged to understand that god notes every one of those good deeds every decision every priority that we demonstrate there is neither there's never a time when a christian does something positive in his or her spiritual development that god doesn't record it as the word of god exerts its effort and its effect on us and we are shaped into his image our father beholds with good approval who we have become and one glorious day because you have allowed the word of god to be hidden in your heart he will be able to say well done thou good and faithful servant you have been faithful over a few things i'm gonna make you a ruler over many things enter thou enter you into the joy of the lord we sung about it what a glorious day that will be and how will that come about by allowing this word of god to lead and guide every moment of every day until he comes amen i will approach god in confidence and find grace and help it is only reasonable that just after expounding on the truth that our god knows all about us even those secret sins every strength every weakness that the scripture goes on to describe a high priest who understands our infirmities and our the temptations that come our way he has experienced all of them yet he has conquered the power of sin and because of that victory his compassion he is able to encourage us to come to him with boldness to find help when we need to make it through difficult times first peter 5 and 7 instructs us cast all your care upon him for he cares for you cast all your care upon him for he cares for you the word of god guides our heart to his grace-filled home and the place where he's on the throne and that he can do something about it it's god's will for us to cast every care he didn't say the big ones only or the medium-sized cares what about those little things god would you help this to go smooth this small situation in my life today and i thought as i was preparing for this lesson that this would be a good time who knows who has brought in some perhaps big cares today maybe some have brought in some medium-sized cares but why don't we take advantage of what the lord said here this morning right in the middle of this lesson on the word of god and do what he said and i would like for you to take just a moment you can stay seated but just any care that you brought in here today that you would just give it to the lord this morning let's do that together lord thank you so much for being such a loving and wonderful god this morning we want to take your word and then use it lord you said to take every care that we have and that we could just lay it at your feet at your throne lord and find grace and help in a time of need when you know every need that's made its way into this house this morning we're asking that your word lord as we follow it would allow us to lay those cares lord and to leave them there and to remind ourselves even after this prayer that they are there lord that you're taking care of those things and we give you thanks for daily looking upon us and watching over us and we give you praise today in jesus wonderful name we pray these things amen the word of god is perfect we've become used to everything in our world being flawed to one degree or another all things around us slowly decay and fallen to ruin one can have the most skilled builder build you a house but over time it can settle somewhat the faucet can begin to drip the exterior begin to weather a man's new suit our woman's new dress can look so pristine at first but over time the age begins to age and begins to be worn a new car won't stay new dings and scratches come to it and lead to rust in physics the second law of thermodynamics states that all isolated systems progress into more and more disorder in other words nothing is perfect amen that is why the word of god stands in such stark contrast to everything else around us in this world in the bible we find something that is indeed perfect and that's a refreshing thing this morning to know that the word of god is so perfect in just three simple verses of psalms 19 god's word is described as perfect sure right pure clean enduring forever true and righteous all together that is an awesome description of the wonderful word of god is it any wonder then that those who desire to please its author have grounded our lives in its eternal perfect principles the word of god actually has a restorative effect on people as well it has a unique power to restore a life that is fallen and is is in a fallen condition to the pattern and place that god intended it to be this restoration power is what many of us in this room has has experienced and it literally takes us from darkness to light from failure to salvation and what a wonderful thing that the scripture alone and the power of the gospel can do when we are willing to submit to its direction the inspired scripture pulls us up from a place of destruction to be seated with christ in heavenly places again the psalmist painted a beautiful picture in this process in psalms 19 god's word when believed and obeyed converts the soul every one of us has a soul that's going to live forever somewhere and before we came to know the lord that soul was in grave danger of destruction and eternal destruction as we all know in in a place called hell that where there would be no relief from from the pain of the flames of hell and yet the bible says that when people believe and obey the words of god that their soul is converted from death to life and is in a safe place don't you know that your soul that could this morning just like david said oh i want my soul to bless the lord with everything that has your soul today is so valuable the bible even says what would a man give in exchange for his soul what would it gain the whole world what would he take to exchange the safety of his soul nothing nothing is worth it the bible also says that the word makes the simple wise not psalms 19 and verse 7.

when i went to gateway bible college i made that decision the boss that i had at that time was very upset with that decision um he he was losing a worker and and a lot of time had to be spent when you go to college you got to spend time there and not at work and so he sensed that that time was coming he would scold me and tell me i was making the wrong decision he was a highly intelligent man and i had never won an argument with him up until that time but one day while he was scolding scriptures came to my mind and i began to speak those responses from the word of god for the first time since i knew him he was speechless he couldn't say a word this intelligent man he knew everything he just couldn't say anything the word of god had stopped him in his tracks and there was no more to be said on the matter the word of god had made simple little buddy wise for once in his life i attribute that to the word of god this morning folks i'm telling you it has that power and in that moment or that moment in my life i've not forgotten all these years later my heavenly father was showing me that he has wonderful wonderful power in his great word and if i allow it to hide in my heart who knows that even you as you're going through your day the lord will let scriptures come up that will address the very thing that you're going through and what a powerful thing that you will see that your heavenly father has given you that wonderful treasure of his word in your heart his word equips individuals to make proper choices about all aspects of their life including worship relationships finances priorities individuals can do can do so not from limited human knowledge but from a fountain of eternal wisdom as they allow the word of god to shape their decisions the word of god causes the recipients hearts to rejoice when they begin to see the fruits of wise biblical based decisions being produced throughout their lives they can't help but rejoice i look back on my life and i have to say it wasn't by my own understanding and by leaning on what i knew to do that i stand before you today but i look back with a grateful heart full of thanks to god for all the wonderful teaching that brother williford and brother river instilled in me and gave to me as a as a young man and helped me to shape my life to be something that would hopefully please the lord i remember when brian our first son came along i was overwhelmed with the thought that it's my responsibility to help raise him to know god and to do what's right and i remember praying and literally crying out to god for help because i knew that within myself i didn't have enough wisdom to do such a big task like that how do you do that i remember praying and crying out to him and after that time after time when i felt stuck in raising all four of our kids here i would go to prayer always faithfully god here's the words here's what to do here's how you address that and i knew that those words and those those leadings were not just for me and that god was helping me god in his wonderful word are the difference maker they always are i told each one of our kids when they were getting ready to leave the house if you leave here and you're not holding on to god's hand then i as a father have failed you and i know that's a big statement to make but i felt like i felt that way and i felt like if they had any love for me just as the lord wants us to keep his commandments if we love him that if they loved me at all if they would just keep this one commandment can you just hold on to god the rest of your life and follow him and don't go down a path that would lead you away from him because we know what all those paths every other path that is a path that's not holding god's hand and walking with him is a path that ultimately would lead to destruction the right path is one where his word leads them day by day why because he alone is the has their very best interest at heart and i don't think any time if you anyone in here has kids or even grown it's it's not a bad thing to say i want you on the lord's path i want you holding his hand i'm i'm going to do some stuff at the end of this service we're going to be our service at the end of this lesson we're going to be passing out some envelopes that has plain paper in it and you're going to be given the opportunity to take this wonderful word and share it with someone that you love and send them a letter and a word of encouragement from god and we're going to have our ushers pass those out in just a little bit but why not reach out to a son or a daughter and plainly tell them that if you love me keep my commandments if you really want to please then do what's right and live for god he alone truly loves and wants to guide them with his word when god restores people their hearts are gladdened by the submission to the word's teachings these individuals lie eyes are enlightened as they look back and they can see how overwhelming restorative power and the word of god has begun to work on them from that day they yield to its power god's word has taken broken misguided lies and transformed them into healthy happy prosperous reflections of jesus christ no wonder the psalmist said god's word is desir more desirable than gold and sweeter than honey it is the the word of god points out our errors and our faults simply because we have been begotten by the word of god does not mean that we're forever perfect or never struggle with any any fleshly tendencies or things of the flesh indeed the battle between the flesh and the spirit has only begun it will continue until the day redemption is complete and we are caught away to join him eternally but until then we will do our best we're going to stumble we're going to repent we're going to find grace we're going to get back up and we're going to try again but what if we never but what if we're never aware of our failings and the need to get back up on that righteous path what if we blindly continue with no awareness of a need for repentance instead the bible provides us with great with a great service of confronting our heirs in judgment when they occur it is likened to a mirror that presents to us the true picture of our life in our spiritual standing the bible speaks of that in james 1 23 that as we hear the word of god and it shows us who we really are and our true intentions and our heart and if there's something that's wrong there it gives us the opportunity to repent and to get on the right path often our reflection in that mirror is shocking it's an experience that can jaunt us but because it is accurate and presents the image who we really are we can see that we need its help i'm sure that you would all agree many times as the word of god is read and preached we've all been confronted in that moment with who we really are but we follow that by repentance and a turning away from that behavior that we've that's been spotted and it's not pleasing to god thank god for his word that guides us onto that perfect path day after day and week after week the word of god keeps us from sin not only does god's word work prescriptively like if you do sin there's a way to repent and get back but it also works as a preventative against sinning right by reading and meditating on the scripture we're able to be equipped to avoid the pitfalls along the spiritual journey the bible keeps us from sin according to psalms 119 11 it declares thy word have i hid in my heart that i might not sin against thee we hide things that we value in secret places like you got something at your house and it's super valuable man this gold watch boy if somebody comes in here tries to rob me i better put this somewhere really really safe and you try to find the best place possible no wonder the psalmist said thy word if i hid in my heart well i can keep an eye on it there it's the closest place i got i'm just going to memorize this wonderful thing and put it in there so no one can get it and that's a great place for the word of god to go it's the right place there it would be closed you can protect it not allow it to slip away and be lost right it is the consistent application of god's word to our hearts that serves as an inoculation against the innate desire for sinful things it says in psalms 1911 moreover by then is thy servant warned and in the keeping of them there is great reward that's what the word of god does for us the covid vaccines were manufactured to attempt to keep the coven 19 virus from destroying this body but much more importantly god's wonderful word administered to our hearts and lives keeps our souls safe from the corruption of this world what an important inoculation that is amen obeying god's word must encompass all areas of our life and i hasten because we only have five minutes left this includes what we are and what we do outwardly but what we think and how we feel inwardly it should can it should cover both things a wonderful concise expression of our quest to please the lord is found in psalms 19 and verse 14 let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight o lord my strength and my redeemer the words of my mouth that would be emblematic of the outward actions and things that others can observe but the meditation of my heart the self-awareness depicting of those things that are internal matters that are invisible but are the wellspring from which all outward choices flow he the psalmist was saying lord let the very things that i think about be acceptable in your sight and that's that is one of the battles that we face to ask the lord to help us in our day-to-day lives and we're thinking something rotten comes along to quickly get out of here we have the right to cast down every evil imagination that would try to exalt itself against the knowledge of god something comes your way that's a negative thought of doom and destruction maybe you're watching listening to news that is negative negative negative and get you try to get you down cast it out knowing that god's on the throne and it's going to take care of us if we can successfully please the lord in both of these areas we would then be allowing the word of god to fully influence and guide our lives continuing to do so will ensure our ongoing success in living for god but how do we internalize this lesson today the word of god in our hearts due to the effects of sin and the human heart is flawed it has it's been tarnished by this this life and this flesh of ours has been tarnished by the inherent corruption of adam's original sin so damaged is our our heart from that original sin that the scripture offers this scathing description of it it says in jeremiah 17 9 that the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it what a description of man's heart before god's word comes along this desperately wicked deceitful above all things who can know it in the days of noah the condition of the hearts of the men prompted god's fierce judgment to be unleashed in the way of the flood and god saw the wickedness of man that was great upon the earth and that the every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually genesis 6 5.

to save some time we're going to have the ushers go ahead and begin to pass out these envelopes i have for you i'll be telling you about what those are in just a little bit in closing we want to remind you that out of the heart precedes all evil thoughts murders adulteries fornications thefts false witnesses blasphemies these are the things that to follow man but to free us from bondage this bondage of a corrupt heart god has promised that through the work of salvation he would give us a select treasure a new heart also will i give you and a new spirit will i put within you and i will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and will give you an heart of flesh that's found in ezekiel this new heart is fashioned in us by the word of god so its nature is one of righteousness and purity matthew 5 6 says blessed are they that do hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled and now that you know that the lord has given us a new heart and his place within us a treasure of his word i wondered if you wouldn't think about this envelope that i'm giving you and what it is going to be is a seed because the word of god it says in the bible that the sower went forth to sow the seed and jesus when he described to his disciples what that seed was he said the seed was the word and so i'm just going to ask you something simple that we can all do and that is to pray over this packet of seed you know those little seed packets you get in the hardware store it says tomatoes and cucumbers all those delicious vegetables well think about this as that only something eternal can happen with this seed as you begin to take this little piece of paper i put in here for you that's blank right now and begin to pray over it and ask god to give you a scripture a word from him to go to someone that you love a person that needs the word of god and then put their address on there and drop that in the mail who knows what's going to come out of this wonderful word of god leaving this bible class today as these seeds are planted throughout i don't know maybe some of you guys might even mail that thing abroad somebody you know in another country that would just be awesome and so if you would with me right here if you've got your envelope just grab a hold of it and let's just pray two things one we're first going to give god thanks for this treasure that he's given us this word of god in our hearts and then number two just ask him for help to lay someone on your heart and give you a word for somebody to to put in this envelope and send to them let's pray today lord we thank you for your wonderful word that we've heard today and for every day that you bless us with it we ask that you would help us to share this treasure that you've given us lord with someone that needs you someone that needs to hear a wonderful word from you god we pray over this small envelope lord that we're going to write and send to someone and we ask that it would do the work that you have set it for and that would we would be able to come back rejoicing over what you're doing can we give you the thanks and all the praise for these things in jesus wonderful name amen well that's all i have for you this morning i pray that if you get a chance to report back to you let me know if somebody received that and the good things that god did with it lord bless you all as we go into this break time between the next session i pray that you all have a good time of fellowship amen you