Embracing God's Law: The Path to True Peace

 

Summary

Great peace is promised to those who love God's law, as expressed in Psalm 119:165. This peace is not merely the absence of conflict but a profound sense of well-being and contentment that comes from a deep love and reverence for God's Word. To love God's law is to embrace the entirety of divine revelation, which includes the law of holiness, the law of faith, and the law of love. This love is not superficial; it is a deep-seated affection that transforms the heart and aligns one's desires with God's will.

Loving God's law involves more than intellectual assent or outward conformity; it requires a heartfelt commitment that affects every aspect of life. This love leads to a deep reverence for Scripture, recognizing it as the supreme and infallible Word of God, distinct from all other writings. It also brings about a joyful acceptance of God's truth, even when it challenges or convicts us. The believer finds delight in the doctrines of grace and the unfolding of God's covenant love, which brings assurance and joy.

This love for God's Word produces great peace by providing rest for the intellect, a pacified conscience, and a heart content with God's will. It guards against the stumbling blocks of doubt and despair, enabling the believer to stand firm in faith even when alone or facing adversity. The love of God's law also fosters a confident trust in God's sovereignty, knowing that all things work together for good for those who love Him.

Key Takeaways:

- Deep Love for God's Law: Loving God's law is more than reading or understanding it; it is a deep affection that transforms the heart and aligns one's desires with God's will. This love is the essence of true spiritual character and leads to a life of obedience and joy. [04:54]

- Reverence and Joy in Scripture: A true love for God's Word includes a deep reverence for its authority and a joyful acceptance of its truths. This reverence leads to a life of worship and gratitude, recognizing Scripture as the supreme revelation of God's will. [09:53]

- Peace through Trust in God's Word: Loving God's law brings great peace by providing rest for the intellect and a pacified conscience. This peace comes from trusting in the infallibility of Scripture and finding assurance in God's promises and purposes. [29:12]

- Resilience in Adversity: Those who love God's law are not easily offended or discouraged by trials. Their love for God's Word gives them strength to endure hardships and stand firm in faith, even when facing opposition or standing alone. [41:08]

- Confidence in God's Sovereignty: A love for God's law fosters a confident trust in God's sovereignty, knowing that all things work together for good. This trust brings peace and contentment, freeing the believer from anxiety and fear. [37:18]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:14] - Introduction to Psalm 119:165
- [00:33] - Praising God through His Word
- [01:10] - The Law as Divine Revelation
- [02:03] - The Law of Holiness and Faith
- [03:11] - Peace through God's Precepts and Promises
- [04:19] - Spiritual Character: Loving God's Law
- [05:46] - The Heart's Affection for God's Word
- [09:18] - Reverence and Joy in Scripture
- [11:39] - Rejoicing in God's Truth
- [16:06] - Hatred of Falsehood and Love of Truth
- [21:59] - Meditation and Courage from God's Word
- [27:03] - Great Peace through Loving God's Law
- [32:49] - Pacified Conscience and Peace with God
- [37:18] - Confidence in God's Sovereignty
- [41:08] - Resilience in Adversity
- [46:28] - Call to Accept God's Word

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- Psalm 119:165
- Romans 8:28
- John 14:27

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Observation Questions:

1. According to Psalm 119:165, what is promised to those who love God's law?
2. How does the sermon describe the nature of the peace that comes from loving God's law? [00:14]
3. What are the different aspects of God's law mentioned in the sermon, and how do they contribute to a believer's peace? [02:03]
4. How does the sermon illustrate the relationship between loving God's law and having a pacified conscience? [33:04]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. What does it mean to have a "deep love" for God's law, and how does this love transform a believer's heart and desires? [04:54]
2. How does the sermon suggest that reverence for Scripture leads to a life of worship and gratitude? [09:53]
3. In what ways does trusting in the infallibility of Scripture provide peace and assurance to believers? [29:12]
4. How does the sermon explain the resilience of believers who love God's law when facing adversity? [41:08]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on your current relationship with God's Word. How can you deepen your love and affection for it this week? [04:54]
2. Consider a time when you felt challenged or convicted by Scripture. How did you respond, and what can you learn from that experience to embrace God's truth joyfully? [09:53]
3. Identify an area of your life where you struggle with doubt or despair. How can trusting in God's promises help you find peace in that situation? [29:12]
4. Think of a recent trial or adversity you faced. How did your love for God's Word help you stand firm in faith, and how can you prepare for future challenges? [41:08]
5. How can you cultivate a confident trust in God's sovereignty, especially in areas where you feel anxious or fearful? [37:18]
6. What practical steps can you take to ensure that your desires align with God's will, as revealed in Scripture? [35:19]
7. How can you encourage others in your small group to develop a deeper love for God's law and experience the peace it brings? [46:28]

Devotional

Day 1: Transformative Love for God's Law
Loving God's law is not merely about reading or understanding it; it is about developing a deep affection that transforms the heart and aligns one's desires with God's will. This love is the essence of true spiritual character and leads to a life of obedience and joy. It involves more than intellectual assent or outward conformity; it requires a heartfelt commitment that affects every aspect of life. This love leads to a deep reverence for Scripture, recognizing it as the supreme and infallible Word of God, distinct from all other writings. It also brings about a joyful acceptance of God's truth, even when it challenges or convicts us. The believer finds delight in the doctrines of grace and the unfolding of God's covenant love, which brings assurance and joy. [04:54]

Psalm 19:7-8 (ESV): "The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes."

Reflection: What specific aspect of God's law do you find most challenging to love? How can you ask God to transform your heart in this area today?


Day 2: Reverence and Joy in Scripture
A true love for God's Word includes a deep reverence for its authority and a joyful acceptance of its truths. This reverence leads to a life of worship and gratitude, recognizing Scripture as the supreme revelation of God's will. It is not just about acknowledging the Bible's authority but also about finding joy in its teachings and allowing them to shape one's life. This joy is not dependent on circumstances but is rooted in the eternal truths of God's Word. The believer who reveres Scripture finds delight in its doctrines and is eager to live out its teachings in daily life. [09:53]

Psalm 119:14-16 (ESV): "In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word."

Reflection: How can you cultivate a deeper reverence for Scripture in your daily routine? What practical steps can you take to find joy in God's Word today?


Day 3: Peace through Trust in God's Word
Loving God's law brings great peace by providing rest for the intellect and a pacified conscience. This peace comes from trusting in the infallibility of Scripture and finding assurance in God's promises and purposes. It is a peace that surpasses understanding, guarding the heart and mind against the anxieties and fears of life. This peace is not the absence of conflict but a profound sense of well-being and contentment that comes from a deep love and reverence for God's Word. It enables the believer to stand firm in faith, even when alone or facing adversity. [29:12]

Isaiah 26:3-4 (ESV): "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock."

Reflection: In what area of your life do you need to trust God's Word more fully? How can you actively seek His peace in this area today?


Day 4: Resilience in Adversity
Those who love God's law are not easily offended or discouraged by trials. Their love for God's Word gives them strength to endure hardships and stand firm in faith, even when facing opposition or standing alone. This resilience is rooted in a confident trust in God's sovereignty and the assurance that all things work together for good for those who love Him. It is a strength that comes from knowing that God's Word is true and that His promises are sure. This resilience enables the believer to face adversity with courage and hope, knowing that God is with them in every trial. [41:08]

2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (ESV): "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed."

Reflection: Think of a recent trial you faced. How did your love for God's Word help you endure it? What can you do to strengthen your resilience in future challenges?


Day 5: Confidence in God's Sovereignty
A love for God's law fosters a confident trust in God's sovereignty, knowing that all things work together for good. This trust brings peace and contentment, freeing the believer from anxiety and fear. It is a confidence that is not shaken by the uncertainties of life but is anchored in the unchanging nature of God and His Word. This confidence allows the believer to rest in God's promises and to trust in His perfect plan, even when it is not fully understood. It is a trust that leads to a life of peace and contentment, knowing that God is in control of all things. [37:18]

Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV): "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you struggle to trust in God's sovereignty? How can you surrender this area to Him and find peace in His control today?

Quotes


To love God's law is to have the very nature and essence of our manhood in a right condition to love the word is something more than to read it, even though we should study it not day and night it is more even than to understand it for the cold light of the intellect is of little worth compared with the warm sunlight of love. [00:05:01]

He who loves the word would not wish to have it altered it large door diminished it reveals enough for him and no more for he is content with what God chooses to teach him if he finds any want of conformity in his own thought to God's thought he throws his own thought away and sets up the divine thought in its place. [00:07:13]

The teachings of God's Word are to the instructed believer not only articles of faith but matters of life our faith has imbibed them and our experience has assimilated them we could part with everything except what we have learned out of the sacred book by the teaching of the Holy Ghost for that flows through our souls like the blood through our body. [00:08:02]

That man is blessed who trembles at God's Word this book is not to be compared with other books it is not of the same class and order it is inspired in a sense in which they are not it stands alone and is not one among other books as towers and help above the mole hills of the meadow, so Holy Scripture rises above the purest truest and holiest literature of man's composing. [00:09:44]

I can recollect as a youth the great joy ahead when the doctrines of grace were gradually opened up to me by the Spirit of Truth I did not at first perceive the whole chain of precious truth I knew that Jesus had suffered in my stead and that by believing in him I had found peace but the deep things of the covenant of grace came to me one by one. [00:12:02]

When we perfectly yield to God our hearts sorrow is in an end the sting of affliction lies in the tale of our rebellion against the Divine Will when we love God's Word intensely we take pleasure in persecutions tribulations and infirmities, since they instruct us in the divine promises and open up to us the hidden meanings of the Spirit. [00:36:29]

The love of the word breeds a happy confidence in God as to all things in the past the present and the future whatsoever the Lord does or permits must be right or work right we know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them that are the called according to his purpose this is a very peace breathing belief. [00:37:18]

If you love God's law you are the man to be poor to be sickly to be slandered for you can bear it all because you have meat to eat that the world knows not off your love to God's law will furnish you with a ceaseless stream of consolation nothing will damp the flame of your spirit because the Lord feeds it secretly with a golden oil. [00:45:29]

The man who has counted the cost will not be offended by his Lords requirements does Jesus say do this he does it without demur does Jesus say cease from that he withdraws his hand at the instant when a man once loves the law of God albeit involves self-denial humiliation loss he shrinks not at the cost, self-denial ceases to be self-denial when love commands it. [00:41:08]

The great piece which they have who love God's law refers to a peace which can exist when strife rages all around us does not it mean this first great restfulness of the intellect if we love God's law in the sense in which we have explained it so as to stand in all of it and to rejoice over it the result will be great peace of mind. [00:28:03]

When we see that God is laid on his only begotten Son all our iniquities and that the chastisement of our peace was exacted of him as our substitute then conscience smiles upon us if God is satisfied with regard to our sins we are satisfied too we see in the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ that which must satisfy divine justice and therefore our conscience receives a safe and holy Quietus. [00:32:49]

The love of the law of God breeds penitence for having sinned against it and perseverance in obedience to it it also baguettes patients under suffering for it leads the man to submit himself to the will of God whom he loved so much he saith it is the Lord let him do what seemeth him good the Word of God baguettes and fosters holiness. [00:23:13]

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