Elements City Church
Summer in the Psalms - Psalm 119
This summer we’re going to spend some time in one of the most treasured books in the Bible – the Book of Psalms. They are ancient worship songs and poems that help us see God more clearly and help us engage with Him relationally. We’re kicking off this series and ending it with Night of Worship (May 26th & August 4th). We’re also challenging ALL OF US to READ through the Psalms together in the month of June and again in July. You can find that YouVersion reading plan on our app – click on the BIBLE tab on home page of the app, or pick up a bookmark with the reading plan at the Elements Next Steps table. Lean in with us this summer, and see how God will meet us and stir our hearts with the Psalms.
Locations & Times
Elements City Church
1825 N Alvernon Way, Tucson, AZ 85712, USA
Sunday 5:00 PM
Thanks for joining us!
We pray that tonight would be encouraging for you. If you're a guest here with us we want to invite you to our 10 Minute Party immediately following service. We'd love to meet you, and we have a free gift just for you. Click the link below to see THE WEEKLY - our digital announcements/info for all things happening in and around Elements, or find everything you need in our app.
http://elem.cc/weekly
We pray that tonight would be encouraging for you. If you're a guest here with us we want to invite you to our 10 Minute Party immediately following service. We'd love to meet you, and we have a free gift just for you. Click the link below to see THE WEEKLY - our digital announcements/info for all things happening in and around Elements, or find everything you need in our app.
http://elem.cc/weekly
Psalm 119:
- is a wisdom psalm
- longest chapter in the Bible with 176 verses
- 172 of these verses are directly addressed to the Lord
- 171 of these verses contain some sort of reference to Scripture
- is an acrostic
- all 8 lines in a section begin with the same letter, with each letter of the Hebrew alphabet represented
- there are 22 sections because there are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet
- is a wisdom psalm
- longest chapter in the Bible with 176 verses
- 172 of these verses are directly addressed to the Lord
- 171 of these verses contain some sort of reference to Scripture
- is an acrostic
- all 8 lines in a section begin with the same letter, with each letter of the Hebrew alphabet represented
- there are 22 sections because there are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet
The purpose of Psalm 119 is to celebrate God's Word and inspire full obedience to it.
"[Psalm 119] describes how the Word enables us to grow in holiness and handle the persecutions and pressures that always accompany an obedient walk of faith."
- C.S. Lewis
- C.S. Lewis
1. See the Blessing of Obeying God's Word (vs. 1-8)
Those who live a blessed life are those who live the obedient life.
Those who live a blessed life are those who live the obedient life.
Q: Why does obedience matter to God?
A: Because it's His love language.
A: Because it's His love language.
The Father shows His love for the Son by revealing His plans, and the Son shows His love for the Father by obeying the plan.
Jesus shows His love for us in the same way, by revealing the Father's plan to us. He then tells us to show our love for Him by obeying His commands.
Jesus shows His love for us in the same way, by revealing the Father's plan to us. He then tells us to show our love for Him by obeying His commands.
The psalmist recognized the tension of desiring to keep God's Word, even though our sinful nature pulls us in a different direction.
Obedience is hard! It requires we do what we often do not want to do.
Obedience is hard! It requires we do what we often do not want to do.
"The narrow gate is not doctrinal correctness. The narrow gate is obedience. The broad gate is doing whatever I want to do."
Dallas Willard
Dallas Willard
God wants to bless us as we are obedient to His Word. Just in Psalm 119 alone we see these blessings:
- we won't be put to shame
- we receive His promise
- we receive life
- we receive comfort
- we gain the ability to keep God's word
- we are given mercy
- He makes us wiser than our enemies
- He gives us understanding
- we are given light for our feet to walk the path
- we receive peace
- nothing will make us stumble
- we won't be put to shame
- we receive His promise
- we receive life
- we receive comfort
- we gain the ability to keep God's word
- we are given mercy
- He makes us wiser than our enemies
- He gives us understanding
- we are given light for our feet to walk the path
- we receive peace
- nothing will make us stumble
2. See the Cleansing Power of God's Word (vs. 9-16)
One of the best tools to help us be obedient is Scripture.
In Ephesians 6 Paul encourages believers to put on the full armor of God. There's only one offensive item in the armor - the Word of God.
In Ephesians 6 Paul encourages believers to put on the full armor of God. There's only one offensive item in the armor - the Word of God.
We get our example from Jesus Himself. In Matthew 4, Jesus is led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Jesus responds to each temptation by quoting Scripture.
If we want God's Word to be there for us when we need it, we have to spend time meditating and memorizing it. This cannot happen overnight! It's an investment that pays dividends when we're committed to reading it consistently.
If we want God's Word to be there for us when we need it, we have to spend time meditating and memorizing it. This cannot happen overnight! It's an investment that pays dividends when we're committed to reading it consistently.
Obstacles to Reading the Bible:
- Reading in general is on the decline.
- Technology may be hurting our ability to read.
- We are distracted and overextended in our schedules.
- We don't know the Bible's grand story or how its parts work.
- Reading in general is on the decline.
- Technology may be hurting our ability to read.
- We are distracted and overextended in our schedules.
- We don't know the Bible's grand story or how its parts work.
The following links will provide you with more than enough information to help you get more out of your Bible reading and comprehension.
Dr. Constable’s Free Commentaries
https://planobiblechapel.org/constable-notes/The Bible Project
https://thebibleproject.com/Read the Bible For Life by George H. Guthrie
https://www.amazon.com/Read-Bible-Life-Understanding-Living/dp/0805464549/ref=asc_df_0805464549/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312281483245&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8279371317607629502&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9030264&hvtargid=pla-572050301475&psc=1Read the Bible For Life - Workbook
This is the workbook we'll use for the 10-week study on how to grow your ability to read the Bible.
https://www.amazon.com/Read-Bible-Life-Workbook-Understand/dp/1415869316/ref=pd_bxgy_2/142-0117843-6561132?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1415869316&pd_rd_r=d9dca150-9d20-11e9-92e4-63314db5d9df&pd_rd_w=bkGHZ&pd_rd_wg=jsbWK&pf_rd_p=a2006322-0bc0-4db9-a08e-d168c18ce6f0&pf_rd_r=3X3C1GQ0ZMVBBR36B7KY&psc=1&refRID=3X3C1GQ0ZMVBBR36B7KYSecret Church archives
Sessions 1, 2, and 3 in particular teach believers how to become a better reader of the Bible.
https://radical.net/resources/?type=secret_churchRick Warren's Bible Study Methods
https://www.amazon.com/Rick-Warrens-Bible-Study-Methods/dp/0310273005/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1562203485&sr=1-3Living by the Book by Howard Hendricks
https://www.amazon.com/Living-Book-Science-Reading-Bible/dp/0802408230/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=NEED PRAYER?
Some of our prayer team and pastors are available following service to pray with you. You can also submit your prayer request via our app. We look forward to partnering with you in prayer.
Some of our prayer team and pastors are available following service to pray with you. You can also submit your prayer request via our app. We look forward to partnering with you in prayer.
Thanks for partnering with us!
Every gift you give enables us to move the mission of Elements and the Hope and Light of Jesus forward in our city and beyond. Thank you for financially & faithfully partnering with us! You can give here, online or easily within our free app on your phone or tablet.
http://elem.cc/giveIF YOU'RE NEW:
We throw a 10-minute party immediately following the service in the back corner of the room If you're new, we'd love to meet you and welcome you! We'd love to have you back with us next Sunday as we continue this series.
We throw a 10-minute party immediately following the service in the back corner of the room If you're new, we'd love to meet you and welcome you! We'd love to have you back with us next Sunday as we continue this series.