We shall turn in the Word of God to Psalm 119 and we come to consider verses 111 and 112 this afternoon. We'll begin reading at verse 105 that we might read this eight verse section. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments. I am afflicted very much, quicken me, O Lord, according unto thy word. except I beseech thee the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord, and teach me thy judgments. My soul is continually in my hand, yet do I not forget thy law. The wicked have laid a snare for me, yet I erred not from thy precepts. Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage forever, for they are the rejoicing of my heart. I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes always, even unto the end. So far that reading of God's word. May he help us as we continue looking to him. It's rightly said that the two great areas for the Christian to work in our heaven work and heart work heaven work being meditation on the future life and heart work being the cultivation of all within that leads unto that heavenly life, the removing of hindrances and the stirring up of graces, heaven work, and heart work. They come together in these two verses that we have considered. They are for sure, they are heart-centered verses because in verse 111, we have the heart embracing and enjoying its privileges. And in verse 112, the heart inclining towards its duty. And there is, together with this centeredness upon the heart, there is an eye that is looking all the way down the road to the end. Thy testimony have I taken as an heritage forever. and performing thy statutes all way even unto the end. Now, when we use the term eschatology, we're speaking about the last things. Sometimes, We associate that word eschatology with what we call general eschatology, like Christ's return, and the general resurrection, and the judgment of all men, and the everlasting state, heaven and hell, and rightly so. But besides general eschatology, there is also personal eschatology, death, burial, resurrection. And this verse touches on personal eschatology without referencing explicitly death, it is nonetheless looking to the end. It is running the race, this doing heart work, but perseveringly so looking all the way to the end. So isn't that interesting? Here in the Old Testament, we have personal heart focused eschatology. And we have an echo as well of what we were seeing this morning because our Lord Jesus, he promises to sinners the gift of living water. That is his spirit with the spirit's graces and comforts to be in him as a well of water springing up into everlasting life. Notice how the believer here, his heart is being refreshed and renewed by continual supplies as he is pressing all the way down to the end of the race. In these words, we have the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, for sure, because our Lord Jesus Christ is that one who was given the Holy Spirit without measure. Here we have words that were in Christ's mouth when he was singing through the Psalms as he did. And it is Christ who can say, thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage forever. Christ as a boy in the temple, choosing to be in the place of God's word rather even than the company of his own family. It is Christ who can say, that God's testimonies are the rejoicing of his heart. We saw that in John chapter four, that to do the will of God was his meat and was a refreshment to him. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the one who can say, I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes always, even unto the end. There in Gethsemane, he inclined his heart unto God's statutes, even to the bitter end and drank the cup down to the dregs at the cross. And so these are words of our Lord Jesus, but they can be, and perhaps they are today, your words as well, abiding in Christ and out of Christ's fullness, entering into this experience yourself. We're focused, aren't we, upon experience, upon the heart. All is in vain. if we don't come away for something to enter into with the heart. Consider two things, one from each of these verses. The first is the heart embracing its heritage. The heart embracing its heritage. And what is the heritage? that the believer embraces, and that is said to be God's testimonies. What are God's testimonies? At the most basic level, a testimony is something that we bear witness to. And we have that in John chapter three, where the Lord Jesus speaks about his testimony. He's bearing witness to those great gospel truths that Well, the gift of God and who it is that asked thee for a drink. When we're reading about God's testimonies, in the first place, we're thinking about something that God testifies to us that it's true. In the first instance, thinking of something that we are to believe because God says that it's true. So we're thinking, first of all, about the promises of God, gracious promises of God, promises of salvation made to sinners and received by faith. And we can never enter into joy without understanding that about God's testimonies If it's simply a matter of bare duty, then it will never be a matter of joy, but rather joy arises from seeing God has promised me all things in Christ. I receive it because he says that it's true. He is the witness bearer in his word. The promises are implied, but also the precepts are implied too. When we look at the use of this word testimonies, And we see very often that it's associated with something that God is commanding us to do. For instance, verse 138 in this very Psalm, thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous and very faithful. So the whole package is being implied. Both the promises and the precepts are the heritage of the believer. And taking God's precept as our heritage proves the reality of our having taken his promises. Without taking the precepts, we can't claim to have taken the promises at all. Is that curious in your minds? How could it be that, well, God commanding me to do something, how could you say that that's actually something inherited or a heritage? An example of it in the book of Proverbs. The book of Proverbs is a book of love. It is the book of a father instructing a son. And in Proverbs 1, verses 8 and 9, there it says, my son, hear the instruction of thy father and forsake not the law of thy mother, for they shall be an ornament of grace onto thy head and chains about thy neck. Maybe you know something of that. even in your human experience. I'm so enriched by the fact that my father and my mother, they urged me to do such and such things. The commandments that they gave to me, they kept me from a thousand evils. They directed my feet into a path of blessedness. They are like an ornament upon my neck. These commandments are part of my heritage. In the context, obviously, they're of fatherly love. And in just the same way, this is the heritage of the believer. Both things together, the promises, free grace flowing from love, and then the precepts which come from this same God with the same disposition of love and which are also for his glory and also for my good. The heritage the believer embraces is both the promises and the precepts. But what does it mean to take this heritage forever? Notice that God, he sends out his messengers to cry. to come into the marketplace and to cry, just like Isaiah does. Ho, everyone that it thirsteth, come ye to the waters, come buy wine and milk without money and without price. And so God, He strikes a deal with sinners and He sends ministers to grab you by the ear and to say, come look, this is the deal that God is proposing to you. He sends ministers to persuade you to enter into this blessed bargain with God and then to stick to the bargain all your life long until you breathe your last. And so what, what does it mean to take God's testimonies as an heritage forever. It doesn't happen when we're asleep. It doesn't happen automatically. Not everyone who hears of God's promises and precepts takes them for his heritage. What does God want you to do to take his testimonies as your heritage? The first thing is reception. That is by faith, take this because God in Christ freely gives it to you. An inheritance or a heritage is not a wage. A heritage is something you receive typically downwards through the generations from your parents and your forebears. And God is in the business of making sinners to be fellow heirs with Jesus Christ. He's coming and he's saying to you, look, that everything that I will give to you, I will give you my promises that are yet on men in Christ Jesus, promises of the remission of all your sins and the gift of my Holy Spirit to fill you, sanctify you, enable you to walk in my ways. I will give to you. I make promises to you and I will give you my commandments because these will be the way that you show your gratitude and your love to me in response. And they will keep you from a million evils. I'm giving these things to you. What are you to do? You are to take what God gives. You are to receive by faith. Now, when you receive an earthly inheritance, sometimes you can actually show that heritage so other people can see it. You can say, you know, here's the 40 acres that I inherited from my grandfather or whatever. Well, with this heritage, you can't see it or touch it, but you have some companions in having a heritage that is unseen. Jacob and Joseph died in faith in Egypt. They had the inheritance, the land of Canaan, but they couldn't see it, receive this as an unseen heritage. What else does it mean? It means relinquishment. Isn't that implied? Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage forever. In other words, I don't have any other heritage other than this. This is my inheritance, God's testimonies. And forever, I'm never going back on taking this as my heritage. Mary chose the good portion that would not be taken from her. And so we face a fork in the road. God calls upon you to choose his testimonies and not everything else. There's temptations that come. Just cut this corner. Come on. It's not that big a deal. God won't care very much. You can have more worldly advantage. You won't be exposed to this and that danger or loss. Go ahead and just do it. And God is saying, no, you need to relinquish all other heritages and to take my testimonies. This also means conquest. My testimonies have I taken as an heritage forever. Now, Israel, how did they take the land of Canaan as their heritage. That was by fighting. So this is not for lazy people. This is for spiritual warriors. So the heritage is possessed currently by Canaanites and you need to drive them out and you need to not wimp out and say it's hard and they have iron chariots. There are giants in the land and you need to face them and slay them. So the promises, they're part of the heritage. You need to slay the giants of unbelief and drive them off of the promise. When they loom up in your heart and mind, you couldn't possibly inherit such a promise or God wouldn't do it. That's a giant and you need to kill the giant and say, no, this promise is my heritage because Christ my savior has purchased it for me by his blood and I won't let you have it. It's mine. The same thing is true of the precepts. the lusts of your heart, as well as Satan in the world, especially the lusts of your own heart will rise up within you and oppose you at every inch when it comes to obeying God. And so through the spirit, through his strength, you need to slay them. And you need to say, I have this commandment from my father and it is my heritage. I won't let you rob me of what is mine. So conquest, God calls you to spiritual exertion in taking his testimonies as your heritage and then also in habitation. What did Israel do when they had driven out the Canaanites to the extent they did from the land? Well, they inhabited it. They dwelt there. An inheritance is somewhere to dwell. And our Lord Jesus speaks this way. He says, if ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples. Indeed, in the word that he uses elsewhere, it's rendered abide when he's talking about abiding in him. So if he abide in my word, then are you my disciples? Indeed, it's almost like you're camping out. You're living in the word of Christ. And that's exactly what you're supposed to do. You see, so vast is this heritage of God's promises and precepts that you You can't fathom it except by dwelling there for a lifetime. This means constant meditation. upon what has God promised me? What has he commanded me to do? And then taking those promises and as it were, living upon the promise, camping out, pitching your tent on the promise. I mean, you keep on looking for the fulfillment of the promise, even when you don't see it being fulfilled. You keep pleading with the Lord. You've given me this promise. And then practicing the commandments, persevering in doing so, not giving over because you're Efforts and performance fall short of what you're aiming at. This, that's a mark of a man who has the blessed heritage is his perseverance. We're not talking here about a momentary fad or a flash of interest, but of dwelling as it were in God's testimonies. How blessed, how happy. is the man who takes God's testimonies as an heritage forever. In fact, he tells us how happy he is. He says, for they are the rejoicing of my heart. This, it should be very winsome and persuading to our hearts. To not have this heritage is to lose everything and to be miserable forever and to experience the weeping and gnashing of teeth in the outer darkness. But to have this heritage makes you the happiest soul alive, even if you're outwardly poor. Even if you're despised and unknown, people don't notice you. They don't think to seem that you have much that is special, but you are in fact truly happy and your heart can rejoice in God's testimonies. Notice that it doesn't say that thy testimonies make me happy. It says they are. the rejoicing of my heart. It's not saying by testimonies are a means to get something else that I want more. No, it's saying the testimonies themselves. That is my joy to be walking in communion with God, receiving from him, from his promises and practicing his commandments. That is what gives me joy and that joy is a help to perseverance. Notice that by testimonies have I taken as an heritage forever for they are the rejoicing of my heart. The joy that God gives me and walking before him is one thing that helps me to set my countenance on continuing all the way through to the very end. Joy is a help to the means of perseverance. And that's why we should seek God to renew our joy. So the heart embracing its heritage, where does it stand with you today? What are you hugging? The arms of your soul. What are you putting them out to hug, hug them around? Is it the testimonies of God blessed to all who do so? Whoa, to those who do not. So we see the heart embracing its heritage. But secondly, we also see the heart pursuing its duties in verse 112. I have inclined my heart to perform thy statutes always, even unto the end. Well, this verse is giving us something to think about, something to meditate upon, because you might remember that we saw earlier in this Psalm at verse 36, the following words, incline my heart unto thy testimonies and not to covetousness. So in verse 112, it's me who is doing the inclining of my heart. In verse 36, it's God that I am asking to incline my heart. So it is God who inclines the heart. How does it come about that anyone ever experiences a change in their disposition? How can anyone experience a change in the things that they really want and in the things that they choose and delight in? That has to be God. How does anyone's heart ever get turned from loving sin and turn towards God and therefore also towards righteousness? That comes directly and solely from God. It's God. who sanctifies the heart. If we were to say that the heart that is wholly given to evil, that man has any part in turning the heart that's bent on evil towards God, then we would be Arminian. We need to reject that. However, with all of that said, it's so it's God who inclines the heart. but there's also something more, which is here in verse 112. I have inclined mine heart to perform nice statutes all way. Now we know that our Lord Jesus Christ, that he gives grace for grace, that he gives grace on top of grace. And so we need to, train our minds to even recognize the dimensions of grace that are given by our Lord Jesus Christ. You see, here's how good God is. Not only does God sovereignly and directly take it into his own hand to direct and in turn and bend the heart that was wholly bent on evil before, he takes the evil heart and turns it to himself. That's the work of God. but then he does something more, which is not only does he give dispositions, good dispositions, to hearts that were evil before, but then he actually comes and he stirs up the soul to exercise those graces. It's like the Song of Solomon, where we pray, Awake, O north wind, and come thou south, and blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow forth. And even for a good man to do good works, it's not enough for him to be a good man. He has to have the influences of the Holy Spirit upon his changed nature in order to do anything good, like our confession of faith says. And so when it comes, if you will, to the second grace, to the spirit coming to stir the heart. Now in this, we must, and we do work together with God so that we actually, as the spirit comes and helps, we incline our heart to perform God's statutes always. If that weren't the case, the believer would have zero works that would be his works. They wouldn't be his because he wouldn't be doing anything. He would just be a purely passive channel. That's not the picture. Rather, Galatians 5.25, if we live in the spirit, let us also walk in the spirit. The spirit gives life to the dead. Now what's the responsibility? You walk in the spirit. Well, not to expand these things further, but to press onwards. We're describing the believer's inclining of his own heart underneath of and in cooperation with the spirit. Let's first of all say what this is not. What is not being described here? This is not a bare assent to the fact that the commandment is good and right. He does not say, I have inclined my understanding to agree that thy statutes are right. No. Because the man dead in trespasses and sins can agree in his mind that the commandments are right, they are right. This is also not talking about Balaam's wish, where he said, oh, that I would die the death of the righteous. This is not talking about the sluggard who craves and has nothing. This is not saying, I really wish that I was a person who performed God's statutes always. You know how you can see the emptiness of that in your own heart and life, if that's your position today, is that it's not joined with any serious endeavor to pursue the doing of God's statutes. You might say, being righteous, that's a great and beautiful idea. You might even admire people who do the right thing and serve God and live holy lives. You might even praise them and say how wonderful they were. But if you do not make hard choices, then you have not inclined your heart. to perform God's statutes always. Here's another thing that's not being described here. This is not talking about grudging service under the stings of conscience and terrors of the law. So by way of illustration, Pharaoh did not incline his heart to perform God's statutes. Did Pharaoh eventually do the thing that God told him to do? Let my people go. He did the thing, but without inclining his heart. He knew that Egypt was destroyed if he didn't. And so the soul that thinks I know I have to obey God. I know he'll punish me if I don't. And I don't really love obeying God, but I'll force myself because my conscience will sting me if I don't. There is nothing of the grace of God in such a mindset. Such a person does not incline his heart to perform God's statutes. Here's another example. What is this not describing? This is not describing boasting of satisfactory performance. This is not saying, I, not necessarily saying, I've performed God's statutes always, even unto the end. It's rather saying, I've inclined my heart to do it. always to the end. Paul's words, to will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good, I find not. So believer, to help you recognize your own case, it's possible to have a ready heart and to fall short in many things when it comes to actual performance. But that's the thing we're after, a heart that's ready, a heart that is inclined. I've told you what it's not. Let's consider then what this positively, what is this directing us to do? What does this mean? I have inclined my heart to perform thy statutes always, even unto the end. The first thing, count the cost. So in this statement, there's an aspect of looking ahead. I've inclined my heart to perform thy statutes all way, even unto the end. It's implied There's going to be the need for perseverance. I will encounter difficulties in performing God's statutes. I will look strange. I will lose comforts. I will have to sacrifice sleep and ease and money and my reputation, but I'm inclining my heart to do it. I will have to live a life of constant watchfulness and prayer and crying to God. This is not going to be an easy walk. The path is narrow, but I'm looking all the way down to the end of the narrow path. I'm counting the cost. Count the cost. Here's another thing. Be constrained by love. When you think about the Apostle Paul, a man who did so much for God and who did persevere to the end, what was the secret? How and why did he do so much for God? He said, the love of Christ constraineth us. For we judge this, that if one died, then he died for all. The love of Christ constraineth us. That's not my love for Jesus, but Jesus' love for me is the thing that constrains me because he's going on and talking about the death of Christ. And he's considering and judging concerning the death of Christ. What is the thing? that can persuade a person, even though the road is long and hard. to willingly perform God's statutes, not just because my conscience is stinging me, but the road is very hard and very long, and I want to keep God's commandments all the way to the end. That's the love of Jesus Christ that constrains. Where can cheerful service to God come from except in response to love? Think. Maybe it's silly in one sense. I was thinking to myself the other day, if you're gloomy or you're discouraged or something, just try to count by faith. Okay, one, there's one true and living God. Two, two natures in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Three, there's three persons in the Godhead. Four, there's four gospels. Five, five bleeding wounds of Jesus. Think about the five bleeding wounds of Jesus. Do you want to serve God all the way to the end? Think upon his bleeding wounds. Think especially about the fifth wound, which came through a spear thrust through his side towards his heart. He gave his heart's blood for you. Therefore, let your heart be engaged to serve him. You know where sin comes from? Sin comes from a slavish dread of God, resulting in hatred for God and resentment that he's so holy. Do you know where life comes from? That comes from love, answering back to love. That's the thing that inclines the heart. That's the thing that the spirit uses to incline the heart. That is when the believer can say, okay, I know Lord that it's hard, but I'm actually truly willing with all my heart because I'm constrained by love. Be constrained by love. And then gird up your loins. Gird up your loins. Make up your mind. I've had the difficulties laid before me. I've considered the love of Jesus Christ and I will live for God. It's interesting. God has given to us a capacity that's not just reactive. You know, the animals, they're kind of reactive, like they hear a noise and they scatter and they have senses and so forth. And we have those too. But we have something more than that. We have the ability to judge and discern and determine, to weigh together different factors. And that's what we need to do. We need to judge and determine and say, constrained by the love of Christ, I am living for God, no matter what happens. I'm not just going to react to this and that, which comes up in whatever circumstance. I'm gonna follow through. gird up your loins and put forth endeavors, inclining the heart to perform God's statutes always. Does it mean perfect achievement? No, but it does mean strive. It does mean break up your fallow ground. It does mean do something for God. It does mean you've identified here's an area of inconsistency with the word of God. It seems like a giant mountain. It's the garage of your soul where you've been throwing stuff and it's all a pile and it's a big mess and you don't even want to open the door and look in there. But you need to say, for the Lord's sake, I'm going to incline my heart to do his statutes. I am going to step forward and serve God. And as you do so, I, the finish line, I've inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes always, even unto the end. On the one hand, count the cost and realize this means hanging in there for a lifetime. On the other hand, look at it this way. There is a finish line, and it's possible by the grace of God to reach the finish line. It's not an eternity of striving, fighting, et cetera. It's only for our brief years, only for our days, which are as a hand breath. Jesus himself set the end before him for the joy that was set before him. He endured the cross, despising the shame. Think with yourself. There's a day coming when Christ will say, well done, thou good and faithful servant. And until that day, even this word here, thy statutes all way even unto the end, that word for end. can have the connotation of a reward. I will perform God's statutes until the gracious, absolutely free reward is given me by the Lord's own hand in the end. As your heart pursuits duties in this way, without this, our life is worthless and miserable. With this, Oh, what a blessed thing to walk in this way. May the Lord persuade and enable us to it. Amen. And would you stand with me then as we pray? Lord, our God, we are unworthy even to speak to thee or to speak of thee or to handle thy holy things. but we've seen something in thy word about the heart. And we want it, not just for other people, not just for David, but in Jesus Christ we want to experience this ourselves. The heart that takes thy testimonies as its heritage forever and which rejoices, and the heart that is inclined to keep thy statutes all the way even unto the end. Oh, keep such a heart in us How deceitful is the heart and desperately wicked! Who can know it? But, O searcher of hearts, come and incline and give a right frame unto our hearts. We ask it for Jesus' sake. Amen.