ACTS "What's Missing From the Church"- Acts 19:20 - Part 2

Brett Meador: Do any of you lack direction in life? What am I going to do with my life? What's next for me? What should I do about this, that? Should I go to this college or should I quit this job? What do I do? The Bible promises direction. If you feel a little foggy about where you're going or what you're doing, thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. There's something about keeping the word that keeps you on the right path.
Guest (Male): On today's Word, Pastor Brett Meador and the promise of God's will revealed as we faithfully walk in the light of His word. As Pastor Brett Meador has said, the best commentary for the Bible is the Bible. But did you know that nearly every verse of Psalm 119 remarkably refers to the glory of the word of God while providing the reader divine direction? In an intriguing study from today's word of Psalm 119, Pastor Brett Meador makes the case for not neglecting the full counsel of the word of God.
Brett Meador: Would you flip back to the book of Psalm 119? It's the longest chapter in the Bible. Does anybody know what the whole chapter of Psalm 119 is about? The word of God. And every verse in this chapter mentions the word. It might use different words for the word, like the word precept, or law, or statutes, or commandments, or judgments. These are all synonymous with the logos, the word of God, His commandments, statutes, and precepts of God. And so this chapter, every single verse with the exception of two verses out of the whole chapter, actually says the word word or precept, law, commandments, statute, or judgment. So it's all about the word. But what I love about this is it's a chapter that declares what the benefits of His holy, living, powerful word actually are. What does the word bring to you personally? And what does the word bring to the church corporately? You could do months of sermons and studies on just Psalm 119, but I'm just going to do it in just a few minutes. Are you guys ready? Here we go. Number one: Reading the Bible brings happiness. Psalm 119 verse one says, "Blessed are the undefiled in the way who walk in the law of the Lord." That's His word. Question: What's the word blessed mean? It's a Christian word. Happy. It just means happy. A lot of your newer translations say happy. "Happy are the undefiled in the way who walk in the law of the Lord." Now, you say, "Brett, I think that's great except for I'm not undefiled. I'm a sinner." Oh, we'll get to that one in a second. But before we get to number two on the list dealing with that one, do you want to be happy? Instead of going to the source where happiness by the power of God is promised, we go to the world for the source of happiness and we find it is not happiness but emptiness. This is something people need to try: the happiness that comes by reading the scriptures. So that's number one. Number two: Cleanliness. Oh, is this where the Bible says cleanliness is next to godliness? That's not the Bible. But the Bible does talk about how you can become clean. In fact, right here in Psalm, there's three verses. Look at Psalm 119 verse nine. It says, "Wherewithal," King James word for how, "how shall a young man cleanse his way by taking heed thereto according to thy word." How shall a young man or young woman cleanse their way? By taking heed, or listening to. It's funny how young people don't want to listen to things. "I know more than that book," or "I know more than that preacher," or "I know more than this and that." But it's funny how the Bible says, "Young people, if you want to get dialed in, a young man, if he wants to really cleanse his way, take heed to the word." That's what we so much desperately need. So there's a cleansing. Not just verse nine, but look at verse 11: "Thy word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against thee." That's a cleanliness thing. If you want to be more victorious against sin, you need to have the word of God hidden in your heart. I think that means memorized. Do you have memorized scripture? I remember when Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted. Every time Satan threw those temptations at Him, what did Jesus say? "It is written." How did Jesus deal with the very same temptation you feel and are dealing with? "Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee." You say, "Bro, what's a good lust verse?" Here's two words from a scripture. It's one of the easiest verses in the Bible to memorize: "Flee fornication." There it is. You just memorized a section of scripture. That's great. There's all kinds of good ones. "How shall a young man cleanse his way?" "Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee." There's a verse you could memorize. There's all kinds of ammo scripture you should have in your mind ready to fire back at the enemy because it promises if you hide the word in your heart, you won't sin against the Lord. Number three: Counsel. Reading the Bible brings about counsel. Psalm 119 verse 24 says, "Thy testimonies are also my delight and my counselors." The Bible acts as a counselor for you. And guess what? It's free. It doesn't take insurance. It doesn't take appointments with a therapist. The word of God brings counsel. It's so important to understand the word is where real counsel comes from. Psalm 33:11 says, "The counsel of the Lord standeth forever and the thoughts of his hearts to all generations." First Corinthians 1:25 says, "Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men." That's not saying God is foolish or weak. It's just a rhetorical paradox saying that God is so far and beyond better in counsel than the world. You've got to go to the Lord. Isaiah 55:8 and 9 says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways and your ways. My thoughts are higher than your thoughts." Proverbs 11:24 says where no counsel is, the people fail, but in a multitude of counselors there is safety. Don't be leveled off in counseling by the world, but be lifted up by the word in your emotion and make sure you let the word be your counsel. Number four on our list: The Bible promises here in Psalm 119 to bring strength. Look at Psalm 119 verse 28. It says, "My soul melteth for heaviness. Strengthen thou me according to thy word." Do any of you lack strength? Where do you go to get strength? The Bible says the word is a source of strength. Read the word of God and let it strengthen you. What a huge thing that is. Number five on our list: Liberty. If you read the Bible, if you read the word of God, it brings about freedom. Psalm 119 verse 45 says, "And I will walk at liberty for I seek thy precepts." That word precept is the mention of the word there. Those who seek the precepts of the Bible end up being the ones that are liberated. The world's view of freedom means you can do whatever you want. Sin, party, sleep around—my body, my choice. The world says we have liberty. No, we have destruction. The word of God brings you to liberty. Some don't get it. They think the word of God is restrictive. No, the word of God is liberating. You say it has boundaries of the dos and don'ts? Exactly. How liberating is that? There was a study years ago: Inner-city elementary school with a chain-link fence all around its playground because it was a bad part of the neighborhood. The kids would be out there playing. Some psychologists came and they said, "It's such a negative thing to have these poor children out in this chain-linked environment. It's so prison-like. We've got to get rid of this chain-link fence." So they, trying to bless the children, took away the chain-link fence. And then they studied the response of the children. What happened was all the children went out to recess, the chain-link fence was gone, and the children all huddled in the middle of the playground yard and didn't do anything. They weren't playing or giggling. They were just huddled all together in the middle. They realized something in their practicing. They realized when there were well-defined boundaries, the kids used every square inch of that playground. But when they didn't have boundaries, there was enough unknown and fear that the kids just huddled in the middle. I look at the Bible like this beautiful boundary that is our lives and we can have a wonderful life inside those boundaries. It's a "get to," not a "got to," and we can enjoy every square inch of what God has for us. But you take out those boundaries, suddenly you have Portland downtown. That's what we really have, and people who are really messed up. So liberty is a huge part of what the word brings. Number six: The word of God brings about hope. This goes without saying, but Psalm 119 puts it pretty radical. Verse 49 says, "Remember the word unto thy servant upon which thou hast caused me to hope." The word brings hope in a believer. Fast forward to Psalm 119 verse 114: "Thou art my hiding place and my shield. I hope in thy word." The word of God brings about hope, which is so great. When the world seems hopeless, what should you share with them? What should you share with yourself? The word of God. That's where hope is. I love old G.K. Chesterton. He said, "Hope means hoping when things are hopeless, or it is no virtue at all. As long as matters are really hopeful, hope is mere flattery or platitude. It is only when everything is hopeless that hope begins to be a strength." And the word of God is that. It's a strength of hope for those who are going through really difficult times. What do you do when you are feeling hopeless about your finances? What do you do when you feel hopeless about world events and politics or morality worldwide? You've got to go to the word of God and know that's the source of hope. I love First Thessalonians 2:19 and 20 where it says, "For what is our hope or joy or crown or rejoicing? Are not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For you are glory and joy." We have the hope of Christ's coming and we find that hope in the word of God. Well, that brings us to number seven. Reading the Bible brings comfort. Psalm 119 verse 50 says, "This is my comfort in my affliction for thy word hath quickened me." When you're feeling not comforted, you can let the word bring comfort. It quickens. The word quicken means to be made alive again. You might be feeling depressed and dead, but you can be comforted and alive with the word of God. Look at verse 52: "I remembered thy judgments of old, O Lord, and have comforted myself." There's comfort found in the word. Number eight: Direction. Do any of you lack direction in life? What am I going to do with my life? What's next for me? What should I do about this? Should I go to this college or should I quit this job or should I dump that girlfriend? What do I do? The Bible promises direction. Look at verse 67. It says, "Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now have I kept thy word." Before he was keeping the word, he was going astray all the time. How many of you have gone astray? What does the Bible say about going astray? "All we like sheep have gone astray and we've turned everyone to his own way," Isaiah 53:6 says. So yeah, it's true. You might think you're a really good person, but you've gone astray too. We do that all the time. But guess what? The word says—I love verse 67—"Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now have I kept thy word." There's something about keeping the word that keeps you on the right path. Maybe even more importantly and more memorized is Psalm 119:105. Look at verse 105: "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." That's direction. If you feel a little foggy about where you're going or what you're doing, it's the word, it's the word, it's the word. Number nine on our list: Reading the Bible brings about relatability. Look at verse 89. It says, "Forever, O Lord—" how long is forever? "Forever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations. Thou hast established the earth and it abideth." By the way, I just read you one of the two verses that doesn't have a word "word" in it. No law, precept, statute, commandment, judgment. It's verse 90. This part is so important. It's got two verses for one word. You see what it is? It's forever thy word is settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness in the word is the idea there. It is unto all generations. The word of God is relatable. You've got to run from anybody who's trying to put down the word of God as, "Oh, whatever. We have other books we like to read in our church because the Bible's just not very relatable today." If you're not reading your Bible, how will you know if it's relatable? That's why I don't like other books. I can't find any book that's more relatable than the Bible. All the other books try to tap the chord or touch the note in your life or deal with an issue. The Bible deals with every issue with perfection every time. And people that aren't really getting that, I think largely they haven't really given the word a fair chance to read it. How many people do I talk to who say, "Yeah, I've read the bird. I'm really familiar with the word." Then I start to talk to them and I realize—well, have you ever read the word, ever? Really? And if they're honest, they often say, "Well, not really. I've read a few scriptures here and there. Went to Sunday school when I was in first grade." That's the kind of real answer I get. Well, number 10. By the way, this idea of the word never going out of date or out of style—I wanted to share this verse: Psalm 19, not 119, but Psalm 19 verse nine: "The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord," that's a word for word there, "judgments 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." This is talking about the word of God. Sweeter than honey, more desired than piles of gold. This is what the Bible says about it. It's sweet tasting and it is life-giving. Number nine: relatability, which is very important. Can I just say this really quick? I probably shouldn't, but you moms and dads are trying to be hip and cool with your kids. Stop that. You are not your kid's buddy. You should not try to be bros with your kids and cool and hip with your kids. And the reason why is your kids will suspect you. When you're perceived as a fraud—because you're not hip and cool and your kids are the first ones to know that—whatever you're trying to say is perceived as fraudulent. Watch out, Mom and Dad. This is like parenting 101, but I'm always shocked how many parents try to be hip and cool with their kids. But if you want to be relevant to your kids—I know this seems counter-intuitive, but I'm going to tell you—if you want to be relevant to your kids, don't be hip and cool. Give them the word of God. Help them understand the word of God because the word is for how many generations? All generations. That's what the Bible says. This supernatural powerful book says all generations, the word of God is relatable. Number 10: Reading the Bible brings relationship. Well, what kind of relationship? Well, I put this as one word because I'm sticking with that, but relationship mainly with you and the Father in heaven. Your relationship with God is improved and best when you are reading His word. This is a love letter that God has written to you, His beloved. And it's important for you to read it. There's a Valentine tucked away here in Psalm 119. Look at verse 94: "I am thine." There it is. Lord says, "Be mine. Happy Valentine's Day." And the psalmist says, "I am thine, save me, for I have sought thy precepts." The precepts is the word for word there. There's a thing about you belonging to the Lord in relationship when you let the word be part of your life. Look at verse 97: "Oh, how I love thy law! It is my meditation all the day." How can you love the word? Who loves the word? Well, when you realize it's a love letter from God, you'll fall in love with the word of God. If you look at the Bible as just a book of literature, you probably won't fall in love with it. But if you let the power of God through His word do what it's supposed to do, you will fall in love with the Bible. And that is a promise from the word itself. Number 11: Wisdom. Psalm 119 verses 99 and 100 say, "I have more understanding than all my teachers." For you who are in college, this is a life verse for you: "I have more understanding than all my teachers." For why? "For thy testimonies," that's the word, "they are my meditation." What makes a student smarter than his teacher? The word of God. The testimonies are my meditation. Verse 100: "I understand more than the ancients because I keep thy precepts." You might be accused of being dumb because you believe the Bible that's as old as the sun. But the truth is, if you're a Bible-believing person, you're smarter than all your professors and all your teachers. It's not hard to be smarter than your Berkeley teacher or your Harvard teacher if you stick with the word of God. They'll try to make you look like a country bumpkin because you're a believer of the word. But I will stick to this: Those that believe the word—that's where some of the greatest science, medicine, and invention have come from Bible-believing Christian people. It's shocking how much Bible-believing people have contributed to the world. Look at verse 130. I've got one more verse I want to show on this wisdom one. This one cracks me up: "The entrance of thy words giveth light. It giveth understanding to the simple." In one of my Greek dictionaries, the word simple there was "afflicted with stupidity." That's the word. Afflicted with stupidity. Are some of you afflicted with stupidity? You're like, "Yeah, my friends think so." But do you see what this verse says? If that's you, this is beautiful. Verse 130 says the entrance of thy words giveth light and it gives understanding to the people that are afflicted with stupidity. I love that. That's us. That's me. And really, I think it shows if you can take a person with some brilliance and the word, then you've got one of my favorites, Sir Isaac Newton. I love this guy. I'll tell you why. He was a Bible-believing follower of the Lord. Isaac Newton, according to Discover Magazine, is considered to be the top scientist in all of history. He said this: "He who thinks half-heartedly will not believe in God, but he who really thinks has to believe in God." He's basically saying if you're a person of science and thought, there's no excuse. You have to believe in God, which you've got to love. Well, where the word is, there's wisdom and understanding. Number 12, and this will be where we start to wrap it up: Peace. Anybody want peace? Man, I love the Bible. Jesus promised peace. But so does the word. Psalm 119 verse 165 says, "Great peace have they which love thy law and nothing shall offend them." I love that last part. Aren't you tired of people being offended? "I'm offended by this behavior." "I'm offended by this word." "I'm offended." Oh, we've become such a weak society. But here's what the Bible says right there in 165: "Great peace have they which love thy law and nothing shall offend them." "Oh, I'm so offended." Read your Bible and you won't be. Love your Bible and suddenly you'll have a thicker skin. People will say offensive things to you and guess what? You'll be like, "Yeah, whatever." You'll just have a more strong backbone and it'll be better for you. If you're easily offended, it's time to change that. And how do you do that? By the word. In case you missed one, here's the whole list. Does anybody want these things? Happiness, cleanliness, counsel, strength, liberty, hope, comfort, direction, relatability, relationship, wisdom, and peace. These are things the Bible promises that if you read the word, if you care about the word, if you live the word, and if you love the word, these are things that will be characters of your life. It's given to you. And this is something for you to think about. I'll finish with this story. Years ago, I was driving in my truck and I flipped on Christian radio, which caught my attention. I thought, "Oh, this is good. I like this." It was a Black pastor from, I'm guessing, the deep South maybe somewhere. And he just started his sermon. It was funny because I didn't understand what he was saying at first. I turned my radio all the way up and all of a sudden I heard the word, "Bible. The Bible." I was like, "Oh, I like this." Then he says, "We need the Bible." Then I heard a few in the background, "Amen! Mmm-hmm!" You could hear it. And I was like, "That's so great." And then he says, "And we need to be Bible believer. It's about the Bible. And then we need to be biblical." And all of a sudden the organ—I was just like, "Yes! This is awesome!" I was in my truck, "Glory, brother! Preach it!" It was about just being biblical people. That was his sermon. We've forgotten to be biblical people. And he preached it in a way that was so—some might say redundant—but the energy was so amazing. I just went away thinking, "Man, that was the best sermon I've ever heard." And can I just say, we've got to be biblical people.
Guest (Male): Pastor Brett Meador has been reflecting on just a handful of the many promised benefits from today's Word brought to the believer through the prevailing power of the living word of God. And Pastor Brett will be concluding our message with a closing prayer in just a moment, so I hope you'll stick around for that. But first, Brett Meador is the senior pastor of Athey Creek Church just outside of Portland, Oregon. Each episode of Today's Word serves to enrich your understanding of God's word and support your ongoing spiritual journey. If you've missed any portion of our verse-by-verse study, you'll find all of his messages online at todayswordradio.com. That's todayswordradio.com. I also want to mention that if you'd like to share your story of how God has changed your life through these daily studies, you can email us at [email protected]. Well, once again, here is Pastor Brett Meador to close our time in prayer.
Brett Meador: Lord, how thankful I am for Your word. It is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword. May Your church, may we be biblical people who really take and tap into all these glorious things, just the few that we've covered today. May we go away refreshed and recharged just having spent time in Your word. And Lord, of all things, Your word is that which brings salvation. For it tells us we're all sinners and we're all doomed apart from You, Lord. So I pray that people who have heard this message would get that message of the gospel. That they would repent of their sin, confess their failure and faults, and then be saved by believing in Your Son Jesus who died on the cross for their sins and rose from the ground. Lord, we know of all things that's where it all starts: to confess and repent and then to believe in Jesus. For whosoever believeth in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. So we go our way rejoicing in Your word. May we be in love with Your word like these scriptures have told us. In Jesus' name, amen.
Guest (Male): Amen. Pastor Brett Meador here on Today's Word. And that's all the time we have. Next time, Pastor Brett will explore the Apostle Paul's third missionary journey in Acts chapter 19 that took him to Ephesus. Today's Word with Pastor Brett Meador is an outreach of Athey Creek Church in West Linn, Oregon.