Selections from Psalm 119
July 26, 2020
preached by Pastor Doug Cooper
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Time of Reflection Quotations

“Optimism hopes for the best without any guarantee of its arriving and is often no more than whistling in the dark. Christian hope, by contrast, is faith looking ahead to the fulfillment of the promises of God… Optimism is a wish without warrant; Christian hope is a certainty, guaranteed by God himself. Optimism reflects ignorance as to whether good things will ever actually come. Christian hope expresses knowledge that every day of his life, and every moment beyond it, the believer can say with truth, on the basis of God’s own commitment, that the best is yet to come.”

“There is no peace like the peace of those whose minds are possessed with full assurance that they have known God, and God has known them, and that this relationship guarantees God’s favor to them in life, through death and on forever.”

“The traveler through the Bible landscape misses his way as soon as he loses sight of the hill called Calvary.”

~ J.I. Packer (1929-2020), a British-born Canadian Christian theologian and professor

“The church is the church as a creature of God’s Word—a creature that finds its life outside of itself, that does not have faith in faith so much as faith in the God of covenant promise made known in Christ.”

~ J. Todd Billings, contemporary pastor and professor

“Human beings are hope-shaped creatures. The way you live now is completely controlled by what you believe about the future.”

~ Tim Keller (1950-present), American pastor, theologian, and Christian apologist

“Our faith is not meant to get us out of a hard place or change our painful condition. Rather, it is meant to reveal God’s faithfulness to us in the midst of our dire situation.”

~ David Wilkerson (1931-2011) was an American evangelist, pastor and author

“Suffering, failure, loneliness, sorrow, discouragement, and death will be part of your journey, but the Kingdom of God will conquer all these horrors.”

~ Brennan Manning (1934-2013), American author and former priest

Sermon Passage

Selections from Psalm 119 (NIV)

¹ Blessed are those whose ways are blameless,
who walk according to the law of the Lord.

¹⁰ I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.

¹⁸ Open my eyes that I may see
wonderful things in your law.

²⁸ My soul is weary with sorrow;
strengthen me according to your word.

³³ Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees,
that I may follow it to the end.

⁴¹ May your unfailing love come to me, Lord,
your salvation, according to your promise…

⁵⁰ My comfort in my suffering is this:
Your promise preserves my life.

⁵⁸ I have sought your face with all my heart;
be gracious to me according to your promise.

⁶⁸ You are good, and what you do is good;
teach me your decrees.

⁷⁶ May your unfailing love be my comfort,
according to your promise to your servant.

⁸¹ My soul faints with longing for your salvation,
but I have put my hope in your word.

⁸⁹ Your word, Lord, is eternal;
it stands firm in the heavens.

¹⁰³ How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!

¹¹¹ Your statutes are my heritage forever;
they are the joy of my heart.

¹¹⁴ You are my refuge and my shield;
I have put my hope in your word.

¹²³ My eyes fail, looking for your salvation,
looking for your righteous promise.

¹³⁰ The unfolding of your words gives light;
it gives understanding to the simple.

¹³⁸ The statutes you have laid down are righteous; they are fully trustworthy.

¹⁴⁹ Hear my voice in accordance with your love;
preserve my life, Lord, according to your laws.”

¹⁶⁰ All your words are true;
all your righteous laws are eternal.

¹⁶² I rejoice in your promise
like one who finds great spoil.

¹⁷⁶ I have strayed like a lost sheep.
Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands.