Precept and Prayer
The sermon emphasizes the importance of keeping God's precepts diligently, with sincerity, promptness, and careful attention, and the need for Divine influence to enable us to do so.
James Smith preaches on the importance of diligently keeping God's precepts, emphasizing the command to obey them as a rule of conduct and guide in life, recognizing that God is the source of all good things. He highlights the devout aspiration to have our ways directed to keep God's statutes, acknowledging the hindrances and weaknesses we face, and the need for Divine strength to overcome them. Smith encourages seeking God's influence through prayer to enable obedience, leading to a closer relationship with God and protection from snares, ultimately bringing unexpected joys.
Text
Precepts call for prayers , for as they point out God's requirements, and call upon us for obedience; they also teach us our weakness, and our need of Divine strength. David seems to have felt this, and therefore he says, "You have commanded us to keep your precepts diligently" -- and then immediately prays, "O that my ways were directed to keep your statutes!" Psalm 119:4, 5.
THE COMMAND. "You have commanded us to keep Your precepts diligently."
His precepts are to be kept -- we should keep them in our minds and memories, and in our practice and daily behavior.
They are to be kept diligently, as our rule of conduct, as our guide in all of life.
They are to be kept with sincerity, promptness, and careful attention.
We should keep them as the command of God -- of God who is our Father, the source and giver of all good things.
We should keep them too, as those who must give an account.
THE DEVOUT ASPIRATION. "O that my ways were directed to keep Your statutes!" This expresses a love to the precepts, and an approval of them. It intimates that there are hindrances, or difficulties in the way of keeping them . . .
Satan hinders,
the world hinders,
the flesh hinders.
It is a recognition of our weakness -- and a desire for Divine strength. Divine influence is necessary to enable us to keep God's statutes. He who gives the precept -- must give the wisdom and the strength, necessary to observe it. He who requires obedience -- is ready to give us ability to render it. Let us then take every precept to His throne of grace, and with a hearty desire to do all that God commands, just because he commands it, and with a view to His glory; and cry out from the depths of the soul, "O that my ways were directed to keep Your statutes!"
Beloved, if we perform duty in a right spirit, it will soon become our delight. It will . . .
bring us near to God,
keep us dependent on Jesus, and
lead us into close fellowship with the Holy Spirit.
It will preserve us from a thousand snares -- and introduce us to a thousand unknown, and unexpected joys!
Gracious Lord, direct us daily, that we may keep your precepts diligently!
Sermon Outline
- The Importance of Precepts
- The Command to Keep Precepts
- The Devout Aspiration to Keep Precepts
- The Necessity of Divine Influence
- God must give us the wisdom and strength to observe His precepts
- God is ready to give us ability to render obedience
- Precepts are to be kept with sincerity, promptness, and careful attention
Key Quotes
“You have commanded us to keep Your precepts diligently.” — James Smith
“O that my ways were directed to keep Your statutes!” — James Smith
“Beloved, if we perform duty in a right spirit, it will soon become our delight.” — James Smith
Application Points
- We should keep God's precepts diligently as our rule of conduct and guide in all of life.
- We should take every precept to God's throne of grace and cry out for Divine strength to enable us to keep them.
- Performing duty in a right spirit will soon become our delight and bring us near to God.