In the Right Direction

Psalm 119:33-40

Teach me, O LORD, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end.

Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart.

Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.

Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.

Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.

Fulfill your promise to your servant, so that you may be feared.

Take away the disgrace I dread, for your laws are good.

How I long for your precepts! Preserve my life in your righteousness.

It seemed to happen every time we went on a road trip. Whether my best friend David was driving or I was driving, inevitably we would end up going the wrong way. When I say “wrong way” I don’t mean we got lost. I don’t mean we took a short cut or a long cut. We didn’t end up in bad neighborhoods or go to places our parents wouldn’t approve of. I’ll just tell you what happened. We were on Spring Break in Oklahoma, where we’d been offered college scholarships, but we had decided to take a side trip to Texas. On the way back to Norman, I stopped for caffeine. Somehow I got turned around and ended up on the wrong ramp – the exit ramp! Thankfully it was 1:30 am and nobody was coming, and I didn’t make it all the way onto the highway. David did something similar on our way to take the ACT – he turned the wrong way on a one-way street. I remember the oncoming traffic, and David shouting, “What should I do?” “TURN!”

Because of idiots like us, the department of transportation puts up every manner of “DO NOT ENTER” and “WRONG WAY” signs. Sometimes wouldn’t it be nice if we had some of those in other parts of our lives?

If you’re a teenager and you’re interested in dating someone, and they’re totally not the one for you, wouldn’t it be great if your ringtone was “NOT THE ONE!” Or if you’re having a rough time in your marriage and you’re thinking about just giving up on it, there would be signs all over saying, “Don’t quit!” You’re tempted to cheat on your taxes, and there’s neon blinking “Wrong way!” You’ve been clean and sober for a long time, but the stress is getting to you and you’ve “just happened” to drive down by that bar where you used to be a regular (by the way, that never “just happens”) and there’s a huge sign saying “Do Not Enter” above the door.

You can fill in your own struggles and sins, but wouldn’t it be great if God would provide us all with “Wrong Way” signs all around us, pointing us in the right direction and reminding us which way to go?

The Psalmist seems to believe that God has done exactly that. I started out by reading Psalm 119:33-40, part of an acrostic poem, each section taking a letter in the Hebrew alphabet, and each verse within that section starting with that letter. 

Today’s section starts (in Hebrew) with the letter He, and it points us in the right direction.

Teach me, O LORD, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end.

A few years ago I went back to my high school and caught up with a couple of my teachers. In particular, I spent some time with my German teacher. We were talking about the things I loved about German class and he said they weren’t doing most of them anymore because the students just weren’t interested. He told me, “We don’t have any scholars any more. They aren’t interested in learning.” I remember being uninterested in learning; once my seventh grade teacher told me if I didn’t want to learn, I could leave - and then she got all mad when I headed for the door!

One of the problems we sometimes have is that we don’t know how the lessons we’re supposed to be learning will ever come in handy in the so-called real world. And there are times when the Christian rules seem pretty arbitrary.  So why would someone want to be taught to follow a list of rules? I can often remember asking “why” – maybe it’s just the way I’m wired, but I have always wanted to know why. Why is this the rule? Which way should I go? And why should I go this way? And sometimes, “What’s in it for me?”

I think the Psalmist knew that. That’s why he wrote: Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart.

Even he wants to have understanding. And that’s key to keeping God’s law. If we just go in with the intent to follow rules, we’re missing the point. Rules don’t save us. Only Jesus saves us. Once we understand that, we can look into understanding the rules themselves – why does God give us certain rules? Whether you're a “rule follower” or a rebel, you have to admit that some rules are there to protect us. We aren't allowed to drive the wrong way on one way streets because it puts ourselves and others in danger. Parents aren't allowed to just leave their young children all alone, because it puts the children in danger. We aren't allowed to cheat on our assignments in school because it deprives us of the ability to think for ourselves and to figure out how to study, to apply ourselves, and to problem solve. God instituted the Ten Commandments to point us toward himself, to not waste our lives and eternity worshiping a false god, to show us how to get along with other people, and even tells us (commands us) to rest; our bodies need it!

But here's the thing; once you figure out that there are good reasons for God's rules, we are to follow the Psalmist: obey God’s laws with all our hearts!

This past week in our Bible study, we were looking at Colossians 2, where Paul was writing to the church in Colossae, a church that had gotten caught up in false teachings and legalism. The Colossians, much like the Pharisees in Jesus’ day, were so devoted to following the rules that they missed the point of the rules themselves. I’ve found that following rules only leads to frustration, because you don’t get Christ by following rules.

I can be as nice as I want to be, and that won’t get me Jesus Christ. I can come to church every week faithfully, but that won’t get me Christ. But once we have Christ, we have freedom! Paul tells the Colossians Do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. (Colossians 2:16-17).

Remember that it's not about the rules themselves; they don't get us Jesus. But as we serve Jesus, we find delight in God’s commands. (Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.)  This is important, because of their purpose – they point us in the right direction. When we follow their directions, they bring us closer to Jesus Christ and they are delightful.

The thing is, most of us need guidelines to help us focus on Jesus. This is how it works for me; if I say to myself, “I'll spend time in the Bible whenever God leads me to” then I'm pretty much guaranteed that I won't get “led” to. But if I say, “the first thing I do when I get up will be my Bible study” then I end up in the Word every day. Some might say I'm being legalistic by setting aside that particular time every day, but that's not the point. The point is that by organizing my time, I make sure to actually get into the Word. In college, I became “legalistic” about staying away from the party scene; I wouldn't even be present in the fraternity house when there was a party. It was a guideline to help me stay closer to Christ. So often in our culture we take for granted what Paul called “fine sounding arguments” and “hollow and deceptive philosophies” - like the freedom of speech, no matter who it hurts, and the freedom to do whatever makes us feel happy. The Psalmist, however, writes: Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.

Is this your prayer? Are you willing to ask God to turn your heart toward his rules? I know I've been in places where I don't like God's rules. I don't want to follow them. I don't know how well you know me, but my general nature is rebellion. I don't naturally gravitate toward authority. If there's a possibility to disobey, especially while following the letter of the law, I will generally do it. The reason for this rebellion, simply put, is selfishness. I want to do things my way, when I want, and how I want. Anyone else feel that way?

Our culture tells us to do things our way; one of the saddest things I've ever experienced was a relative's funeral in which the special music was Frank Sinatra's “My Way.” Friends, “my way” never puts us in right relationship with God. Only God's way, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, does this. So when we turn our hearts toward God's rules, we're admitting that our way doesn't work. Our posture in prayer is important. When we cross our arms over our chest, we’re standing apart. When we kneel or bow, we are showing that we are subservient to God.

The Psalmist goes a step farther and calls our ways “worthless.” Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word. Do you realize that everything apart from Jesus Christ is worthless? In Philippians 3, Paul tells the church in Philippi that his qualifications are much better than theirs; he was circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, in regard to the law, a Pharisee [the holiness movement of their time]; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. (Philippians 3:5-6). In other words, “I'm better than you.” But he goes on to say But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ... (Philippians 3:7-8). All our pedigrees, family names, church memberships, attendance history, seminary education, internships, pastorates, none of that matters at all. In fact, it's garbage compared to knowing Christ Jesus.

It can be a scary place to live in, fully depending on Jesus for everything. But God makes promises to us, promises to care for us, to preserve us, to always be with us. And God never defaults on his promises. Why not? Well, as Rudy put it last week, that's something God cannot do – it's is not in his nature to default on his promises. And when we see him at work, it draws us toward him. Fulfill your promise to your servant, so that you may be feared.

As we finish up today, I want to focus on one of God's promises. Through the gift of Jesus Christ on the cross, God promises forgiveness. Everything you've done, every sin, every selfish act, God offers redemption.

Take away the disgrace I dread, for your laws are good.

How I long for your precepts! Preserve my life in your righteousness.

This is no small matter. It's life and death; it's eternity. Maybe you have lived your life full of the disgrace and guilt and shame befitting your sins. God says you have freedom from them. You do not have to dread life – or afterlife. Guilt and shame are Satan's lies to keep you in bondage, but the prison door is open. Jesus' death and resurrection unlocked Hell, and each of us has the opportunity to walk out into right relationship with God through Jesus.

If you haven’t taken that step yet, don’t leave this place without taking it. You’ll never be in right relationship with God by any other means.