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What type of plans would it take for that bee I saw to even be alive?

  • GOD MAKE PLANS FOR BEES TO FOLLOW INORDER TO AIR CONDITION THEIR BEEHIVE: In order to preserve life in the brood area, the temperature of the beehive is kept at a constant 94o F through its ingenious construction and the activity of the bee “air conditioning engineers.” This temperature is maintained even though outside it varies as much as 60 degrees.  Who wrote the code for the AC program in the bee hive? Who drew up a set of plans for bees to follow for life preserving 940 F air conditioning? The same One who wrote just as incredible plans for us!

 

And by the way, how did I even see those bees as they danced around those flowers?

 

GOD WROTE A PROGRAM FOR THE HUMAN EYE AND BRAIN. This morning nearly every one of us has a set of digital light capture, transmission, and storage – called our eyes. These eyes of ours have built-in supersensitive light meters that are coupled with an instant auto focusing, wide-angle lens. All captured images are instantly stored as a full-color files in an attached super computer. That computer that comes with our digital camera eyes – is of course our brain.  Your brain is most impressive and extremely complex.  It contains many times more nerve lines than all the telephone lines of the world put together.  The electrical signals from 200,000 living thermometer cells, a half-million pressure-sensing cells, and 3 or 4 million pain-sensing cells are all routed to the brain, plus the signals from the eyes, ears, nose, and taste buds.  An amazing example of miniaturization, the brain sorts, stores and acts upon these myriad impulses.  Who wrote the code, and developed the plans for this most powerful of all “computers”? The same One who wrote this Book. And this morning this book says He also has PLANS for you and me.

 

God has written a code, a program, a set of plans that operates to guide our daily lives as humans. We have a choice each day – either switch on the light and build by the plans, follow the specs, run the program – or go it on our own.

 

When life doesn’t fit together well, we are off the plans.

When things fall apart in our world, when things fall apart in our marriages, when things fall apart in our families, when things fall apart at our jobs, when things fall apart in our business –

We are neglecting the Divine Plans written for us to build life the way it was intended to be.

 

We return again this morning to Psalm 119. This chapter is a Psalm or song written by God to summarize His Word.  Psalm 119 is a call by the Lord to each of us – to unleash His Plan into our lives today.

 

This week we are looking at the 3rd of the ten words God chose to describe His Word to us. Two weeks ago we studied the 1st word:

 

  • WAY: When His Word is filling our lives we are Walking the Divine Path with the Divine Guide, down the Journey of Life. (13x)

 

Then last week we learned about the 2nd word:

 

  • PRECEPTS: When His Word is filling our lives we are Following the Divine Directions for Life that are right and cause great rejoicing. (21x)

 

This week is the 3rd word:

 

  • STATUTES – 22X (2706) When His Word is filling our lives we areUsing the Divine Plans or specs to build the Ultimate Life. µyqx Chukkim, from qx  chak, to mark, trace out, describe, and ordain; because they mark out our way describe the line of conduct we are to pursue and order or ordain what we are to observe. “Statutes” is a noun derived from the trade of the stone-mason. God wants to chisel His words upon our minds. They are thus the unchangeable words of the eternal God.
  • In Psalm 119 this word occurs twenty-two times: verses 5, 8, 12, 16, 23, 26, 33, 48, 54, 64, 68, 71, 80, 83, 112, 117, 118, 124, 135, 145, 155, 171. Divine Plans that contains God’s specifications for life!

 

  • 1.     TEACH ME YOUR PLANS — Psalm 119:12 Blessed are You, O Lord! Teach me Your statutes.
  • 2.     TEACH ME YOUR PLANS — Psalm 119:26 I have declared my ways, and You answered me; Teach me Your statutes.
  • 3.     TEACH ME YOUR PLANS — Psalm 119:33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes, And I shall keep it to the end.
  • 4.     TEACH ME YOUR PLANS — Psalm 119:64 The earth, O Lord, is full of Your mercy; Teach me Your statutes.
  • 5.     TEACH ME YOUR PLANS — Psalm 119:68 You are good, and do good; Teach me Your statutes.
  • 6.     TEACH ME YOUR PLANS — Psalm 119:71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes. WE ARE GOING TO SPEND A TIME LEARNING THIS ONE. GOD HAS PLANS TO WORK IN OUR LIVES THROUGH AFFLICTION.
  • 7.     TEACH ME YOUR PLANS — Psalm 119:124 Deal with Your servant according to Your mercy, And teach me Your statutes.
  • 8.     TEACH ME YOUR PLANS — Psalm 119:135 Make Your face shine upon Your servant, And teach me Your statutes.
  • 9.     TEACH ME YOUR PLANS — Psalm 119:171 My lips shall utter praise, For You teach me Your statutes.
  • 10.  FILL ME WITH YOUR PLANS — Psalm 119:23 Princes also sit and speak against me, But Your servant meditates on Your statutes.
  • 11.  FILL ME WITH YOUR PLANS — Psalm 119:48 My hands also I will lift up to Your commandments, Which I love, And I will meditate on Your statutes.
  • 12.  DIRECT ME IN YOUR PLANS — Psalm 119:5 Oh, that my ways were directed To keep Your statutes!
  • 13.  KEEP ME IN YOUR PLANS — Psalm 119:8 I will keep Your statutes; Oh, do not forsake me utterly!
  • 14.  DELIGHT ME IN YOUR PLANS — Psalm 119:16 I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.
  • 15.  SING ME — Psalm 119:54 Your statutes have been my songs In the house of my pilgrimage.
  • 16.  PRESERVE ME FOR YOUR PLANS — Psalm 119:80 Let my heart be blameless (WHOLE, COMPLETE, UNDEFILED) regarding Your statutes, That I may not be ashamed.
  • 17.  REMIND ME OF YOUR PLANS — Psalm 119:83 For I have become like a wineskin in smoke, Yet I do not forget Your statutes.
  • 18.  INCLINE ME TOWARD YOUR PLANS — Psalm 119:112 I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes Forever, to the very end. Our satellite dish for the Home Sat educational programs only works when tilted exactly toward the source.
  • 19.  HOLD ME TO YOUR PLANS — Psalm 119:117 Hold me up, and I shall be safe, And I shall observe Your statutes continually. Remember those props when a poured wall is built like Target?
  • 20.  LOCK ME ON TO YOUR PLANS — Psalm 119:118 You reject all those who stray from Your statutes, For their deceit is falsehood.
  • 21.  FOCUS ME ON YOUR PLANS — Psalm 119:145 I cry out with my whole heart; Hear me, O Lord! I will keep Your statutes.
  • 22.  DRAW ME TO YOUR PLANS — Psalm 119:155 Salvation is far from the wicked, For they do not seek Your statutes.

 

Daniel 3; Fiery Furnace. (Remember the fire only burned away that which hindered them from walking with the Lord, as they were in the firey furnace! So in our lives affliction burns away what hinders our walk!)

Job oldest written Moses

If you are going to live in this world you must learn what to do with affliction or troubles or suffering.

What is Affliction? Mentioned 37x in the Old Testament affliction takes at least 7 forms noted below:

  • Affliction is the ill treatment Hagar got from her jealous and vengeful boss Sarai. Genesis 16:11 And the Angel of the Lord said to her: “Behold, you are with child, And you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, Because the Lord has heard your affliction.
  • Affliction is the lack of love that Leah got from her husband Jacob. Genesis 29:32 So Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said, “The Lord has surely looked on my affliction. Now therefore, my husband will love me.”
  • Affliction is the lost wages and broken promises Jacob got from his employer and father-in-law Laban. Genesis 31:36 Then Jacob was angry and rebuked Laban, and Jacob answered and said to Laban: “What is my trespass? What is my sin, that you have so hotly pursued me?
  • Affliction is the hatred, jealousy, and betrayal that Joseph experienced from his family, and his employers – as well as the neglect and broken promises of his friends. Genesis 41:52 And the name of the second he called Ephraim: “For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
  • Affliction is the underpayment and overwork of the Hebrews by unkind and evil masters. Exodus 3:7 And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.
  • Affliction is the pain Hannah endured because of her inability to have children, and the added insensitivity and cruelty of her family members to her pain.  1 Samuel 1:10  And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish.
  • Affliction is the unkind words, slander, accusations, and insults thrown upon David by  his adversary Shimei. 2 Samuel 16:12 It may be that the Lord will look on my affliction, and that the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing this day.”

 

 

AFFLICTION: two words the first onee (6040) seems to portray an emotional state of misery as an affliction; the second word anah (6031) seems to portray a physical affliction of being bowed down of squished beneath a physical load.

 

  • Only God’s Word can really help us in afflictions – cards, visits, gifts, activities all can only offer temporary relief through distraction or amusement. Psalm 119:50 This is my comfort in my affliction (6040 emotional), for YOUR WORD (Reading Divine Word to find and follow God’s Will for my life 565) has given me life.
  • A consistent life is built by afflictions. God uses afflictions to pull us back and keep us on His path for our lives. Often we only call when we need something – so He gives us reason to call. Psalm 119:67 Before I was afflicted (6031 physical) I went astray, But now I keep YOUR WORD (Reading Divine Word to find and follow God’s Will for my life 565)
  • There are truths and lessons we only can learn in the furnace of trouble. And remember in the fiery furnace of Daniel 3, only the things that kept them from walking properly were burned away!  So affliction scrapes away what is not part of God’s plans for our lives – people, possessions, positions, securities… Psalm 119:71It is good for me that I have been afflicted (6031 physical), That I may learn YOUR STATUTES (Following the Divine Plans to build Life the way God intends it to be).
  • God’s unchanging faithfulness is learned best in affliction. Afflictions remind us that everything the Lord does is good, right, and the best thing there could be for us. Psalm 119:75 I know, O Lord, that Your judgments (Building Life upon God’s Unchanging Decisions) are right, And that in faithfulness You have afflicted (6031 physical) me.
  • The onset of troubles mark the beginning of a personal tutorial with our Divine Teacher. Affliction is an opportunity to “delight” (  ) in Him or for us to “perish (   ) in our troubles. Psalm 119:92Unless YOUR LAW (Receiving Divine Instruction from the Divine Teacher that is perfect). had been my delight, I would then have perished in my affliction (6040 emotional).
  • Affliction usually increases as we get older. But God’s Word will always renew, refresh, and revive. Psalm 119:107 I am afflicted (6031 physical) very much; Revive me, O Lord, according to YOUR WORD (Hearing the Divine Voice walking us through life 1697).
  • Affliction comes with a promise from God for a special delivery. He comes right o us – with everything we need. Psalm 119:153Consider my affliction (6040 emotional), and deliver me, For I do not forget YOUR LAW (Receiving Divine Instruction from the Divine Teacher that is perfect).