Using David’s claims about himself in Psalm 26, we are taking a look at four exam questions.
- Do I trust in the Lord?
- Do I live differently from the world?
- Do I worship with a pure and passionate heart?
- Do I witness on a regular basis?
Question two is our focus for this week: Do I live differently from the world?
David said in verses 4 and 5: “I do not sit with the deceitful, nor do I associate with hypocrites. I abhor the assembly of evildoers and refuse to sit with the wicked.”
What he was saying is that his life was different from the life of the people who were living for themselves and the things of the world. He wasn’t living to sin. That wasn’t his motivation for life. He wasn’t living a duplicitous life; rather he was focused on worshipping God and being a witness for Him. That’s what verses 6 and 7 say.
How do we live distinctly as Christians in this world today?
John 17:13-19: 13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by[d] the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
We can only influence the world for God if we are being influenced first by the Word of God.
If we are going to make sure we live distinctly and separately from the ways of the world, if our hearts are going to be attached correctly to that which is holy, if we are going to be able to discern truth, if we are going to be prepared to make godly decisions, if we are going to have God’s wisdom and direction for our lives, we are going to have to get hungry for the Word of God and tenacious about sharing it with the world.
Once the Word of God becomes part of who you are, once you are transformed by it, once it shapes your thinking, once it has settled deep in your heart, your responses to people, your outlook on life, your daily processes and practices will all start to look like Jesus’ way of life.
By what are you driven? The world or the Word?
Psalm 119:9-16: 9 How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. 10 I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. 11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. 12 Praise be to you, Lord; teach me your decrees. 13 With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. 14 I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. 15 I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. 16 I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.
Can we really neglect the Word of God and think that we will stay on the path of purity? Can we neglect the Word of God and think our hearts won’t stray? Can we neglect the Word and think we will manage our impulses, control our anger, love our spouses correctly, deal appropriately with hurt, and make the right decisions when faced with temptation? What if we were as preoccupied with the Word of God as we are with sex? What if we were as preoccupied with the Word of God as we were with our social media?
Are we trying to straddle the fence and live one way one day and another way on Sundays? Or are we working regularly, aggressively to hide God’s Word in our hearts that we might not sin against God? Here is what God said to me as I was preparing this message: If you go surface with my Word, you will drown in the world. If there was ever a time to be serious about the Word of God it is now.
