Sharon Reformed Presbyterian Church · Sermon study sheet

Do You Love God's Word?

Bryan Schneider · January 1, 2022

Psalm 119:97-104

sharonrpc.org/sermons/do-you-love-god-s-word

Summary

Psalm 119:97-104 joins love for God to love for his Word, which is God's own speech to his people.
The psalmist describes Scripture as sweeter than honey and meditates on it throughout the day rather than treating it as an occasional obligation.
Delight in Scripture can be cultivated through honest confession, prayer, disciplined attention, and repeated use even when reading feels difficult.
Believers use the Word by reading, hearing, memorizing, studying, and singing it, including within the household and gathered church.
God's Word gives wisdom and understanding beyond unaided human expertise because it teaches believers what is true and trains them to obey.
Scripture exposes evil and marks out a way of escape in temptation, equipping God's people to resist the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Hearers are called not merely to receive information but to love Christ, hear his voice in Scripture, and become doers of the Word.

What does the psalmist's love for God's law reveal about the relationship between loving God and receiving his Word?
Why does biblical meditation fill the mind with Scripture rather than emptying it?
Which practices named in the sermon help God's Word dwell richly in individuals and households?
How can a believer cultivate delight in Scripture when reading feels difficult or affections have grown cold?
In what sense does Scripture make the psalmist wiser than enemies, teachers, and elders?
How does God's Word help believers recognize evil and find the way of escape from temptation?
What is the difference between hearing Scripture and becoming a doer of the Word?

Love for God's Word: A Spirit-given affection that treasures Scripture because through it God speaks to his people.
Meditation: Sustained, attentive reflection that works God's Word through the mind and heart toward understanding and obedience.
Wisdom: Knowing what accords with God's truth and being enabled to act upon it faithfully.
Means of grace: God-appointed ordinances, especially the Word, sacraments, and prayer, through which Christ communicates the benefits of redemption.
Hearing the Word: Receiving Scripture through reading, listening, and preaching with faith and readiness to obey.
Way of escape: The God-provided path of faithful resistance when temptation presses upon a believer.