Salem Church
God is Talking to You
Open the Gift
Locations & Times
Clove Lakes Campus
634 Clove Rd, Staten Island, NY 10310, USA
Sunday 8:00 AM
Sunday 9:45 AM
Sunday 11:30 AM
January 19, 2025
Lead Pastors
God is Talking to You
Open the Gift
Psalm 119:49-80
“(ZAYIN) Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life. The insolent utterly deride me, but I do not turn away from your law. When I think of your rules from of old, I take comfort, O Lord. Hot indignation seizes me because of the wicked, who forsake your law. Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my sojourning. I remember your name in the night, O Lord, and keep your law. This blessing has fallen to me, that I have kept your precepts. (HETH) The Lord is my portion; I promise to keep your words. I entreat your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise. When I think on my ways, I turn my feet to your testimonies; I hasten and do not delay to keep your commandments. Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me, I do not forget your law. At midnight I rise to praise you, because of your righteous rules. I am a companion of all who fear you, of those who keep your precepts. The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love; teach me your statutes! (TETH) You have dealt well with your servant, O Lord, according to your word. Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in your commandments. Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word. You are good and do good; teach me your statutes. The insolent smear me with lies, but with my whole heart I keep your precepts; their heart is unfeeling like fat, but I delight in your law. It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes. The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces. (YODH) Your hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn your commandments. Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice, because I have hoped in your word. I know, O Lord, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me. Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant. Let your mercy come to me, that I may live; for your law is my delight. Let the insolent be put to shame, because they have wronged me with falsehood; as for me, I will meditate on your precepts. Let those who fear you turn to me, that they may know your testimonies. May my heart be blameless in your statutes, that I may not be put to shame!”Psalm 119:49-80
We’re in week 3 of our series, God is Talking to You. Psalm 119 is an acrostic with each line in every stanza beginning with the same Hebrew letter. This poem has an incredible message for us, showing us the value of God’s word.
A gift is meant to be used, not to sit on a shelf.
Sometimes we can treat the word of God like an undervalued gift.
Main Idea: God’s Word is a Gift for our Daily Lives
Four Ways that God’s Word is a Gift from Psalm 119:49-80
I. God’s Word Gives Hope - Psalms 119:49-56
“Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.”Psalm 119:49-50
Promises found in the Bible:
• He gives Strength
“But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”Isaiah 40:31
• He hears us
“But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.”Micah 7:7
• Salvation
“Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9
• He’s our Living Hope
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”1 Peter 1:3
His very name gives us hope when we fix our minds on Him.
“I remember your name in the night, O Lord, and keep your law.”Psalm 119:55
Names the Bible uses for God:
• El Elyon - God Most High
• Jehovah Nissi - The Lord My Banner (He is our victory!)
• El Roi - The God Who Sees Me
• Yahweh - I Am Who I Am (The personal and relational name of God, the eternal and self-existent one)
• Jesus - God Saves (The name above all names, by which we must be saved!)
“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.”Psalms 130:5
Main Idea: God’s Word is a Gift for our Daily Lives
II. God’s Word Gives Communion - Psalms 119:57-64
a. With Him (v57)
“The Lord is my portion; I promise to keep your words.” Psalm 119:57
The Bible is God’s special method of revealing Himself to us!
“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:26
b. With His People (v63)
“I am a companion of all who fear you, of those who keep your precepts.”
Psalm 119:63
God’s word gives us the gift of being connected as we seek God together. That’s why small groups are so important to us at Salem Church. Have you found one for you? You can also join us in reading God’s word together. Find Salem Church on the YouVersion Bible app and join the F-260 reading plan today.
We encourage each other by reminding ourselves of the goodness of God.
“The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love.”Psalm 119:64a
III. God’s Word Gives Wisdom - Psalms 119:65-72
“You have dealt well with your servant, O Lord, according to your word. Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in your commandments.” Psalm 119:65-66
“It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes. The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.”Psalms 119:71-72
“For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”Hebrews 12:6
“For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”Hebrews 12:11
God uses difficult circumstances to build us and to correct us and draw us back to Him when we go astray. It’s for our good, so we can trust Him even when we don’t understand.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”Isaiah 55:8-9
“How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.”Proverbs 16:16
Main Idea: God’s Word is a Gift for our Daily Lives
IV. God’s Word Gives Comfort - Psalms 119:73-80
“I know, O Lord, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me. Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant. Let your mercy come to me, that I may live; for your law is my delight.” Psalm 119:75-77
Find comfort by experiencing His promised presence with us:
“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”Matthew 28:20
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” John 14:16-17
Read and be comforted as you abide in the presence of the one whose hands made and fashioned you! Look at these words from the Bible:
“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.”Proverbs 18:10
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Romans 8:35, 37
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Others can see the way we are comforted and hope-filled and it glorifies God!
“Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice because I have hoped in your word.” Psalm 119:74
“Let those who fear you turn to me, that they may know your testimonies.”
Psalm 119:79
Main Idea: God’s Word is a Gift for our Daily Lives
The Bible is a blessing for us and not a burden.
It’s a gift meant for intimacy with God! Open it up & enjoy it!
The whole Bible points to Jesus. If you don’t have a relationship with God through faith in Christ, the gift for you is Jesus Himself: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23
Sources and Further Reading Opportunities
The Bible Exposition Commentary – Warren Wiersbe (1996)
ESV Study Bible – Crossway (2008)
Exalting Jesus in Psalms 119 – Daniel L. Akin (2021)
The Treasury of David – Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1869)
Christ Centered Exposition: Psalm 119 – Platt, Akin, Merida (2021)
Lead Pastors
God is Talking to You
Open the Gift
Psalm 119:49-80
“(ZAYIN) Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life. The insolent utterly deride me, but I do not turn away from your law. When I think of your rules from of old, I take comfort, O Lord. Hot indignation seizes me because of the wicked, who forsake your law. Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my sojourning. I remember your name in the night, O Lord, and keep your law. This blessing has fallen to me, that I have kept your precepts. (HETH) The Lord is my portion; I promise to keep your words. I entreat your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise. When I think on my ways, I turn my feet to your testimonies; I hasten and do not delay to keep your commandments. Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me, I do not forget your law. At midnight I rise to praise you, because of your righteous rules. I am a companion of all who fear you, of those who keep your precepts. The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love; teach me your statutes! (TETH) You have dealt well with your servant, O Lord, according to your word. Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in your commandments. Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word. You are good and do good; teach me your statutes. The insolent smear me with lies, but with my whole heart I keep your precepts; their heart is unfeeling like fat, but I delight in your law. It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes. The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces. (YODH) Your hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn your commandments. Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice, because I have hoped in your word. I know, O Lord, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me. Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant. Let your mercy come to me, that I may live; for your law is my delight. Let the insolent be put to shame, because they have wronged me with falsehood; as for me, I will meditate on your precepts. Let those who fear you turn to me, that they may know your testimonies. May my heart be blameless in your statutes, that I may not be put to shame!”Psalm 119:49-80
We’re in week 3 of our series, God is Talking to You. Psalm 119 is an acrostic with each line in every stanza beginning with the same Hebrew letter. This poem has an incredible message for us, showing us the value of God’s word.
A gift is meant to be used, not to sit on a shelf.
Sometimes we can treat the word of God like an undervalued gift.
Main Idea: God’s Word is a Gift for our Daily Lives
Four Ways that God’s Word is a Gift from Psalm 119:49-80
I. God’s Word Gives Hope - Psalms 119:49-56
“Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.”Psalm 119:49-50
Promises found in the Bible:
• He gives Strength
“But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”Isaiah 40:31
• He hears us
“But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.”Micah 7:7
• Salvation
“Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9
• He’s our Living Hope
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”1 Peter 1:3
His very name gives us hope when we fix our minds on Him.
“I remember your name in the night, O Lord, and keep your law.”Psalm 119:55
Names the Bible uses for God:
• El Elyon - God Most High
• Jehovah Nissi - The Lord My Banner (He is our victory!)
• El Roi - The God Who Sees Me
• Yahweh - I Am Who I Am (The personal and relational name of God, the eternal and self-existent one)
• Jesus - God Saves (The name above all names, by which we must be saved!)
“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.”Psalms 130:5
Main Idea: God’s Word is a Gift for our Daily Lives
II. God’s Word Gives Communion - Psalms 119:57-64
a. With Him (v57)
“The Lord is my portion; I promise to keep your words.” Psalm 119:57
The Bible is God’s special method of revealing Himself to us!
“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:26
b. With His People (v63)
“I am a companion of all who fear you, of those who keep your precepts.”
Psalm 119:63
God’s word gives us the gift of being connected as we seek God together. That’s why small groups are so important to us at Salem Church. Have you found one for you? You can also join us in reading God’s word together. Find Salem Church on the YouVersion Bible app and join the F-260 reading plan today.
We encourage each other by reminding ourselves of the goodness of God.
“The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love.”Psalm 119:64a
III. God’s Word Gives Wisdom - Psalms 119:65-72
“You have dealt well with your servant, O Lord, according to your word. Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in your commandments.” Psalm 119:65-66
“It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes. The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.”Psalms 119:71-72
“For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”Hebrews 12:6
“For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”Hebrews 12:11
God uses difficult circumstances to build us and to correct us and draw us back to Him when we go astray. It’s for our good, so we can trust Him even when we don’t understand.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”Isaiah 55:8-9
“How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.”Proverbs 16:16
Main Idea: God’s Word is a Gift for our Daily Lives
IV. God’s Word Gives Comfort - Psalms 119:73-80
“I know, O Lord, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me. Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant. Let your mercy come to me, that I may live; for your law is my delight.” Psalm 119:75-77
Find comfort by experiencing His promised presence with us:
“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”Matthew 28:20
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” John 14:16-17
Read and be comforted as you abide in the presence of the one whose hands made and fashioned you! Look at these words from the Bible:
“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.”Proverbs 18:10
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Romans 8:35, 37
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Others can see the way we are comforted and hope-filled and it glorifies God!
“Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice because I have hoped in your word.” Psalm 119:74
“Let those who fear you turn to me, that they may know your testimonies.”
Psalm 119:79
Main Idea: God’s Word is a Gift for our Daily Lives
The Bible is a blessing for us and not a burden.
It’s a gift meant for intimacy with God! Open it up & enjoy it!
The whole Bible points to Jesus. If you don’t have a relationship with God through faith in Christ, the gift for you is Jesus Himself: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23
Sources and Further Reading Opportunities
The Bible Exposition Commentary – Warren Wiersbe (1996)
ESV Study Bible – Crossway (2008)
Exalting Jesus in Psalms 119 – Daniel L. Akin (2021)
The Treasury of David – Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1869)
Christ Centered Exposition: Psalm 119 – Platt, Akin, Merida (2021)
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