We turn in the Bible this morning to Psalm 119. Psalm 119. Text for the sermon is verse 105. Let's read the section before, the section that the text is in, and then the section after as well. So let's read verses 97 through 120 of Psalm 119. O how I love Thy law! It is my meditation all the day, that Thou through Thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies, for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients because I keep thy precepts. I have refrained my feet from every evil way that I might keep thy word. I have not departed from Thy judgments, for Thou hast taught me. How sweet are Thy words unto my taste, yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth. Through Thy precepts I get understanding. Therefore, I hate every false way. 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. Accept, 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 my precepts. Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage forever, for they are the rejoicing of my heart. I have inclined my heart to perform Thy statutes always, even unto the end. I hate vain thoughts, but Thy law do I love. Thou art my hiding place and my shield. I hope in Thy Word. Depart from me, ye evildoers, for I will keep the commandments of my God. Uphold me according unto Thy word, that I may live, and let me not be ashamed of my hope. Hold Thou me up, and I shall be safe. I will have respect unto Thy statutes continually. Thou hast trodden down all them that err from Thy statutes, for their deceit is falsehood. Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross. Therefore, I love Thy testimonies. My flesh trembleth for fear of Thee, and I am afraid of Thy judgments." We'll read God's Word that far this morning. I call your attention to verse 105. Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, we turn our attention this morning to Psalm 119, the psalm that has as its focus the Law and the Word of God. Every verse, in one way or another, makes an explicit reference to God's Word or God's Law. Psalm 119, therefore, teaches us what the Word and Law of God is. It teaches us what the Word and Law of God does. It teaches us what we are called to do in response to reading the Word and Law of God. Psalm 119, verse 105, which is the text for the sermon this morning, is one of the verses in the psalm that teaches us concerning one of the main uses of God's Word and God's Law in our lives. It serves this good purpose, to be the lamp unto our feet and the light unto our path. I've chosen to preach the sermon on this text this morning in light of a couple considerations. In the first place, it's a good word as it relates to parents who bring their children for baptism and for all of us who are parents. The fact is that our children are walking down a particular path. And as children, they need to be guided in the path that they are walking on. And it is the responsibility and calling of parents to hold the hands of the children that God has given them and guide them down the path that they are walking. In other words, it's the calling of parents to be the instruments in God's hand to guide their children by the light of God's Word. Also, I've chosen to preach on this particular passage in light of the fact that it is the time of the year in which our schools are closing their doors after another year of instruction. And at the end of the sermon, I'll have an opportunity to say just a couple of things in light of the thankfulness that we must have for the good Christian schools that God has given to us as parents. Particularly in this respect, that when we send our children to our good Christian schools, we do so with the confidence that they are being guided by the light of God's Word. That's the main idea of the text. Guided by the light of God's Word. We notice in the first place what that means. And then in the second place, I'd like to consider the reason that this Word of God that we have truly does guide us in the path that we are walking. And then in the third place, let's see the response that we must have to this truth of this text. guided by the light of God's Word, the meaning, the reason, and the response. The figure that the psalmist uses in this passage is easily understood. It's the figure of a person walking down a particular path. And if one is going to walk down that path and make progress down that path without wandering, without tripping, without stumbling, without falling, it is absolutely necessary that there be light upon that path that they are walking. Every child of God is walking on a particular path. The text is the confession of a child of God. One who has been saved by God and brought into covenant life and fellowship with God. That's evident from what the psalmist says. He speaks of God's Word as this being the fact concerning it. It is my light upon my feet and upon my path. This is something that only one who is a child of God says. Nobody who is not a child of God says that God's Word is the lamp unto my feet and the light unto my path. That is impossible. These are the words of one who has been saved by God, redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, in covenant fellowship with God. And in that covenant fellowship with God, he says that now, by Word, is the lamp unto my feet and the light unto my path." Every one of us, as children of God, are on a particular path that is going to a particular place. Paths always have an end in mind. And the end of the path that we are walking on is the time when God will receive us into the glory of heaven. Psalm 73 verse 24 speaks of God guiding us with His counsel and afterwards receiving us to glory. We are all on a path right now. And that path has as its end destination The day when God will deliver us from this present world and bring us into the realm of glory to be with our Savior, Jesus Christ. As the children of God who have that as our end, we need to walk on this particular path. And the truth of this text is that the light that guides us on this path that we are walking is the light of God's Word. Most specifically in Psalm 119, the law. But the word used in our text is the more general word, Word. And it means therefore the entirety of the Scriptures as we have them before us today. There are serious dangers when we walk on this path without the light of God's Word. That's evident from the figure. When you're walking down a particular path and you do not have light on that path, there are certain dangers that you face. When the path, generally speaking, is not lit, the danger is that you don't know where you're walking. You may veer off and wander off the path, or you may wander aimlessly on the path, but not making progress as you should be making on that path. Without light on the path, you don't know where to go. The text speaks of the light upon the path, and it speaks of the lamp unto our feet. And that's true as well. Not just is it true that we need the path, generally speaking, guided by light, but we need light upon our feet. Because if we don't have light upon our feet, it's easy for us to trip, to stumble, to fall, to lose our footing as we make our way down a particular path. And both of these things are very true as it relates to the figure. If we don't have our feet lit, it's very easy for us to trip and fall. I couldn't help but think of what seems to happen regularly. There's a clear path from my study to my car, which is usually parked underneath the awning. I know how to get from my study to my car when I'm working here and when I go home. Well, sometimes at night when I leave and there's nothing going on at church, it's dark. I know how to get from point A to point B, but without the light upon my feet, it's very easy for me to forget that from the church down to the parking lot, there are two steps, not one. You would think by the height that it seems like there would be only one step. There are two steps. And without that light, it's easy to lose your footing and stumble a little bit as you make your way down those steps. We need light upon our feet so as not to trip, stumble, and fall. We need light upon our path so as to know where we are to walk. The spiritual truth revealed in this passage is that when we don't have the light of God's Word upon our path, that means, by virtue of that fact, that it is dark. And the wandering, the tripping, the stumbling, the falling, is the walking in ways of sin. Walking in the ways of the wicked. not having the ways of the wicked and the devil and the temptations that they present to us clearly seen because we have the light of God's Word shed upon it, and therefore falling into those sins and temptations that are presented before us. The Bible very clearly, and from the very beginning to the very end, It sets forth the contrast between light and darkness in those terms. The contrast between light and darkness is the contrast between God and Satan. The contrast between the kingdom of God, which is the kingdom of light, and the kingdom of Satan, which is the kingdom of darkness. The contrast between holiness and sin. Without the light of God's Word on our path, if it is dark, we are going to wander, we are going to trip, we are going to stumble, we are going to fall. Which is to say, we are going to walk in the ways of darkness. And thus the need for the light of God's Word upon our path. To illustrate this, we can read a couple of passages from the Word of God. Even in the section that we read, it speaks of, for example, in v. 110, the wicked have laid a snare for me. A snare, a trap. A trap that is for the purpose of causing us to sin. We don't see that snare, that trap, unless there is light upon the path so that we are able to avoid it in a good way. The book of Proverbs is especially helpful in this respect. Proverbs 2, verses 12-16. This is the path of the wicked, which is the path of darkness. to deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things. who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness, who rejoice to do evil and delight in the forwardness of the wicked, whose ways are crooked and they forward in their paths, to deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words." That's the description of the path of darkness. on which the wicked walk. Another passage is Proverbs 4, verse 19. The way of the wicked is as darkness. They know not at what they stumble. The glorious truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that God has delivered us from darkness into light. Colossians 1 verse 13 speaks of God delivering us from the kingdom of darkness. Translating us out of the kingdom of darkness into God's kingdom which is the kingdom of light. The work of God in Jesus Christ is such that this is true. 1 Thessalonians 5 verses 4 and 5. Ye are the children of light. and the children of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober." The context there in 1 Thessalonians 5 is that of the return of Jesus. And in those verses it says this is what God has done to us. He's delivered us through the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross so that you are children of light. You're not the children of darkness. And the context is, therefore, watch as children of light for the return of Christ. But more generally, that speaks to the reality of our entire life as Christians here on this earth. Another passage in this respect is Ephesians 5, verses 8 and following. For ye were sometimes darkness, But now are ye light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth." We are children of light. Now walk in that light. And now the point of our passage to bring it back to Psalm 119, 110 is this, that it is the Word of God that illuminates the path that we are to walk on as those who are the children of light. We need God's Word to guide us down this path, which is the path of holiness, and the path of thankfulness, the path of covenant fellowship with God. What that means is that we need to use the Word of God in our lives. The psalmist makes a statement of fact. My Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. What's clearly implied, therefore, is that the psalmist was using the Word and law of God in his life. The only way that a man or a woman or a young person can say that this is true is if the Word of God is regularly, practically, personally used in his or her life. You cannot say the confession of the psalmist if a couple things are true. If number one, the Bible, It's simply collecting dust on your shelf at home, and it's never read, and it's never opened. You cannot say the confession of the psalmist if, number two, you may read it, but it's not read from the point of view that this is God's Word to me, applied to me in my life, guiding me in my walk here on this earth. The reality, beloved, is that we need God's Word to guide us in our life here on this earth. It's not a word and commandments that in the end lead us in such a way that we are brought into covenant fellowship with God. That can't happen. It's the fact that God has brought us into that covenant fellowship. And now, in fellowship with God, we need clearly the light of God's Word so that we are showed so much. Showed very clearly how to live in thankfulness and in obedience to God. We need this in every aspect of our lives. How are we going to live as it relates to Marriage. Being a husband and a wife. How are we going to live? What is the path that we are going to take as it relates to being parents to our children? What is the path that we are going to walk on as it relates to what it means to date? Who we date. How we date. What is the path that we are going to walk on as it relates to the entertainment that we engage in on Friday nights and what we do for pleasure? What is the path that we are going to walk on as it relates to the church that we attend and the worship of God's name? What is the path that we are going to walk on as it relates to how we run a business or how we work for a business? We need to be guided in the way of thanks and obedience regarding our life here on this earth. Don't misunderstand what I just said there. It's not the case that we're walking on 15 different paths in our life. The fact is we're walking on one path as the children of God. The path that is leading us eventually to heaven. But in that one path that we are walking on, we have all of the different aspects of our lives. And in all of those aspects, The calling that we have is to live in thanks and obedience and in holiness before God. And so we need the light of God's Word shining down upon us to show us that way of thanks and obedience. And God's Word does that. There's a reason that we truly are guided by The light of God's Word. And in the second point of the sermon, I'd like to set forth three main points. The first one is the main one, and from that first one, the two others come. The first point in the second point of the sermon as to why, of all things, the Word of God guides us and lights our path is this. It is God's Word. This comes from the very first word of the text. The psalmist says, thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. He's clearly identifying whose word it is. That is, the light upon the path that he is walking. It's not the word of a man. A word of a man could never illuminate the path that we are walking on. What he says here is that it is thy word. And the thy is referring obviously to God. This is why the Bible truly does illuminate the path that we are walking on in covenant fellowship with Him. The Bible is God's Word. 2 Timothy 3 verse 16 teaches very clearly the truth of the inspiration of the Scriptures. That they are breathed. Referring to the Holy Spirit. They are the very breath of God. So that God worked in men to write down what is not the Word of man, but is the Word of God. And that truth revealed in 2 Timothy 3.16 is a truth that is confirmed to us by the Holy Spirit in our hearts, so that when we as believers read the Scriptures, we know that we are reading not the Word of a man, but we are reading the Word of God. Just as much as you know that if I was standing before you, you would say, Reverend Decker is talking to me. Just as much as you know that that is a sure fact, you must know that when you read the words of the Bible, they are the words of the triune, living, true God to me. Just as much as I can stand before you and talk. We need to be conscious of that every time we open up the Scriptures. And it's therefore with a certain reverence that we open up the Word and we read that Word. This is the Word of the living, sovereign, true God to me. And that Word, the Scriptures, when it comes down to it, serves the purpose of revealing to us who God is. The Bible from beginning to end, all 66 chapters, at bottom, have that as its purpose, the revelation of the triune God. Yes, we know God from the creation. True indeed. We know His power, His majesty. We know from His work of creation that He is to be worshipped. But much more clearly, much more fully, not exhaustively because of how infinitely great God is, but clearly and fully, the main purpose of the Scriptures is to reveal to us who God is. And this is the God who is the God of light. Right at the very beginning in the creation week, God was teaching us something when the very first thing that He created was light. God said, let there be light, and there was light. And in that light that He created, He was teaching us something about who He is as the God of light, and that's made explicit. in 1 John 1.5. This then is the message which we have heard of Him and declare unto you that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. So now when we read the sacred scriptures When we understand that they are the inspired Word of God, not the Word of man. And when we understand that the purpose of the Scriptures is to set forth who God is, and that God is the God of light. You see how the Scriptures serve the purpose of illuminating the path that we are walking on. And now this brings up a very important point. The entirety of the Word serves the purpose of shining down on the path that we are on, which is the path of walking with God. It's not the case that the only time that this passage is true is when we're reading Ephesians 5 so that we're guided in our path regarding our marriage. Or we're reading the book of Proverbs and what it means for us to raise our children in the fear of God's name. Or we're reading 1 Corinthians 7 and what it means to date or to live in single life. Or we're reading Romans 13 or the book of Proverbs and what it means to run a business or to work for somebody. So it's not the case that just when we're reading those particular passages that speak to a particular aspect in our life, that it is the light upon our path and the lamp unto our feet. It's more than that. Every time we read the Bible, no matter what it is talking about, It is our lamp and it is our light because it sets forth so clearly who God is. And the God that we worship and serve is the God of light. And so when we read the Scriptures, And when we apply those Scriptures to us, it sets forth the God of light. And that God of light with whom we are walking shines upon the path so that we are walking in union and in fellowship with Him. Now in the second place, in the second point of the sermon now, we need to make this even more specific. Yes, it is true that the Word spoken of in the passage has the purpose of revealing to us God, who is the God of light. But even more specifically, the Word, the Scriptures, are the revelation of the triune God, who is the God of light, as we know Him in His Son, Jesus Christ. The entirety of the Bible sets forth that message. This is the triune God. And we know that triune God in and through His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ who is light. John 8, verse 12. Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world. He that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. 2 Corinthians 4, verse 6. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. The Bible reveals to us Jesus Christ. The entirety of the Word reveals to us Jesus Christ, who is the way, Jesus Christ who is the Light of God. When we read the Bible, therefore, it shows us in all of its aspects Christ. And so we need to read that Bible in that light. We need to read the Bible knowing this is the revelation of the triune God, of His love for us in Jesus Christ. And so when we read the Bible regarding, for example, passages that reveal to us our sin, we need that. We read historical examples of men walking in sin and it convicts us of our sin. Or we read the commandments and it convicts us of our sin. We read that, not independently from, but we read that in light of its main message. This is God's Word to us of His love for us in Christ, so that in convicting us of our sin, when we read that, it leads us to confession and repentance. It leads us to the cross of Jesus Christ. When we read in the Bible about the enemies of God, it shines light upon our path because it gives hope and comfort because we don't read those passages independently from its main purpose, God's love for us in Christ, but we read them knowing that these enemies We're victorious over them because of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so that shines light upon our path as we walk in communion with God. When we read passages that direct our path, we realize that we need that. We need the commandments because we have that sinful nature that can lead us astray. We need those words that tell us this is what we are to do so that we are led out of thankfulness and holiness and by the power of Christ in us to walk in the way that we are called to walk. All of the Scriptures point us to Jesus Christ who is the light of God. and our walk with Him in our life. The third reason that the Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light upon our path is because God the Holy Spirit works powerfully through His Word. There's always power in the Word. And that power is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was the one who inspired the sacred Scriptures. And the Holy Spirit is the one who always works through the sacred Scriptures. So that when we read, study, and meditate upon them, there's a powerful work going on in our hearts. It illuminates the path that we are walking on in such a way that we walk down that path with God. And therefore, we see the importance of the study and the use of the Scriptures again in our lives. We must not, as the Bible says elsewhere, quench the Holy Spirit. One of the ways to do that is to separate ourselves from the Bible and from the preaching of God's Word. But we flood, so to speak, our minds and our hearts with the Scriptures. And when we do that, the Holy Spirit works powerfully in order to guide us, to illuminate the path on which we are walking, the path that ultimately one day will lead us to glory. What is our response to the truth of this text? First of all, I'd like to say just a word regarding our good Christian schools. A passage like this leads us to be very thankful. for the Christian schools that God has given to us as parents. We end another year of instruction in this week, and it gives opportunity to look back and to thank God again for another year that He has given us of Christian education as parents, especially from this point of view. Because we can know by the good Christian schools God has given us as parents, that this was true in this past year. As extensions of our homes, the teachers, the boards, the principals, saw to it that the instruction that was given was the instruction in light of the truth of God's Word. So that in all of the subjects, they were guided. our children and young people were by the light of God's Word. I say again, as the year ends this week, let us as parents be thankful for the gift that the Christian schools God has given to us are, especially from this point of view. that we were confident again in another year that the schools which were extensions of our homes guided our children according to the light of God's Word. But our response is also this. We need to see that there is a high responsibility that comes with this passage, especially as parents. There's a high calling that comes. And the calling is that as parents, we are those who God uses to guide our children according to the light of His Word in our lives, in their lives. And this is especially timely considering the fact that it is the end of the school year. There's always a danger now that the summer begins. We can be very thankful for our Christian schools, because in those schools, the Scriptures are taught, and we are led therefore as parents to help our children in the subjects, and help them in Bible, and help them in memory work, and through that, with the school, guide them in the light of God's Word. So thankful for that. But there is always a danger, now that it is summer. And the danger is that we are not as active as we should be as parents in guiding our children in the light of God's Word. Without the structure of school, things can fall by the wayside. And right now at the beginning of the summer, let's be intent as parents to remain faithful to our calling. Remain faithful to guide our children very actively in the light of God's Word. They need that guidance. The path that you walk on as parents is the path that your children walk on. You're holding their hand as you walk down that path. Guide them according to the light of God's Word. Don't let the relaxed nature of the summer Diminish in any way what needs to be done. Use the summer and the time that you have in the summer to be even more engaged in this work as parents. And be creative. Be active. Be forthright in your thinking and do so in such a way that it effectively guides your children. Maybe review. the work that was done in this past year regarding their Bible work. Maybe come up with a memory plan for the summer now that you don't have the schools and catechism doing that. Make a plan for personal devotions for your children and hold them accountable. Find the time even to do extra with your children now in the summer months. Be active. Be engaged. Be very conscious of the calling that you have as parents, and that I have, to guide our children by the light of God's Word. Always remembering this, that as we do that, we're guiding them in the life of fellowship with God. The Bible is not just a giant manual of do's and don'ts. The Bible is the revelation of who God is. The Bible shows us the God of light. The Bible reveals to us Jesus Christ. He has saved us. He has brought us upon this path by the work of Jesus and His death on the cross. And now we walk with God. We walk with God as He illuminates that path. showing Himself, and showing the Lord Jesus Christ in the entirety of His Word. Amen. Our Father which art in heaven, we thank Thee for the truth of Thy Word, and we thank Thee for the revelation of Thyself in it, so that in all of its parts It shows us who Thou art, and it shows us our walk with Thee. We thank Thee for the forgiveness of sins that we have in Christ, so that even when our sins are clearly revealed to us by Thy Word, it points us directly to Christ and His cross, and we enjoy day by day, therefore, our walk and our life with Jesus. We thank Thee for the destination, which is heaven. And we pray that we might have a foretaste of that even now as we live here on this earth and in this day in Thy house. For Jesus' sake do we pray, Amen.