Daily Scripture Reading – Psalm 19

Verses of the Day
Acts 6:4 – “but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

Acts 13:44 – “On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God.”

Romans 10:17 – “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

2 Timothy 3:16-17 – “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

2 Timothy 4:2 – “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.”

Devotional Thoughts
The Fourth Mark of a Sound Church: The Word of God is Faithfully Preached, Taught, and Heard

In these times when easy believism, cheap grace, and the prosperity gospel dominate most of the preaching people are exposed to, it is very important to understand that for a church to be a sound church the Word of God must be faithfully and consistently preached, taught, and heard. Pastors are responsible before God for what they preach. Many pastors in today’s church will be held accountable for leading people astray and for tickling itching ears instead of sounding forth the Word of Truth.

The preaching of the Word must be central to our worship. We must have the Word preached to us and we must hear the Word. By hear, I do not mean listen to, I mean obey. We are commanded to hear and do (James 1:22-25). And the Word preached must be preached fully and faithfully. There is no place in the pulpit for the preaching of psychology, preaching to meet “felt needs,” preaching to further a political agenda, or preaching to sooth sin sick consciences.

The preaching must be faithful to the Word, faithful to God, and faithful to the congregation, even if it means hearing something we don’t want to hear. How often were the prophets in the Old Testament voted most popular? Often they were run out of town or killed because they told people the truth without compromise.

Why is it so important that the Word preached is necessary for a church to be a sound church? First, because through preaching God has ordained the spread of the gospel (1 Cor. 1:21). Secondly, the Word is the effective as it is used by the Holy Spirit for salvation of the lost and sanctification in the lives of believers. (Romans 1:16; 10:17; Col. 2:6)

Read Psalm 19:7-14. It tells us:

The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD 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. Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward. Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.

We must have a proper view of Scripture, believing it to be inspired and infallible. And in preaching the Word, we must preach it fully and faithfully. According to this text in Psalms we can understand exactly why the Word of God is central to the nature of the church we attend. If the church devalues Scripture and down plays the flood of liberalism, placing scientific theory above revealed truth, then that church is or soon will be a synagogue of Satan. The Word of God is our authority. It is the only rule we have for faith and practice. This one section of Scripture teaches us the following about the Word of God:

1. The Law (doctrine, teaching) of the Lord is perfect (unimpaired, spotless) converting the soul (to restore, to revive, to bring life to the soul).

2. The Testimony (Ten Commandments, God’s witness of Himself to us) of the Lord is sure (incontestable and reliable) making the simple wise (teaching wisdom to those who have no discernment).

3. The Statutes (precepts, orders) of the Lord are right (straight) rejoicing the heart (causing true joy).

4. The Commandment (code of order) of the Lord is pure (clear and clarifying) enlightening the eyes (illuminating the whole condition and perspective).

5. The Fear (reverent obedience) of the Lord is clean (morally clean and purifying) enduring forever (to abide with divine existence).

6. The Judgments (unchangeable legal decisions) of the Lord are true and righteous altogether (spoken as truth, firm, and inclusively just).

7. By His Judgments we are warned (to shine a light on danger) of our duty, danger, and remedy.

8. There is great reward (multiplied thousands of good consequences and gain) in keeping them.

If all this is true of the Word of God, then why would we preach anything else? That is easy to answer. Because we are sinful. We would rather hear false doctrine to sooth our emotions and build up our self-esteem. We would rather hear lies than truth as long as the lies sound good and convince us that we are good, too. The natural man hates God and His Word. And it is no wonder when so many church members today are not even genuinely saved in the first place that they do not want pastors who preach the Word to them. The Word brings conviction of sin and it is a mirror that reveals our true nature before God. It demands a change of heart and daily renewal.

The Word of God must be preached, taught, heard, and obeyed – or there is no soundness in the church!

BONUS #1: Here is a sermon I preached on this Psalm that you can download and listen to for free. The Word of God – Psalm 19:7-11

BONUS #2: Here is the link for an article written by the elders at our church that defines the Bible as Inspired, Inerrant, and Infallible.

Bible Reading For Further Study
Exodus 20:1-17
Psalm 18:30; 56:4, 10; 107:10-12
Proverbs 30:5
Isaiah 40:8; 55:10-11

Recommended Songs for Worship
How Firm a Foundation
Wonderful Words of Life