❖ Video
❖ Audio (Message)
פ（Pe) Seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit
Series: Finding the Gospel in Psalm 119 – A Hymn to the Law (17/22) Psalm 119:129–136
Andy Nagahrara
We are continuing our series on Psalm 119.
Today, we will take up verses 129-136 where each line of the 17th paragraph begins with the 17th letter of the Hebrew alphabet, “פ（Pe)”.
Today is Pentecost, the church has begun with the Holy Spirit poured out on the disciples who have been praying and waiting. It is, so to speak, the birthday of the Christian Church. Chapter 1 of Acts of the Apostles tells us that the resurrected Jesus appeared to his disciples and spoke about the kingdom of God for 40 days.
When the disciples asked, “When will the kingdom of God be completed?” Jesus said, “You need not know the time.” And Jesus went on to say, “But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will receive power and you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth.” Then he ascended to heaven. This happened 10 days later, or 50 days after Easter.
Pentecost” is a Latin word originating from the Greek word meaning “fiftieth,” which became an English word. On the day of Pentecost, I usually talk from Acts chapter 2, but since I have been sharing the Psalms in a series and I realized that we can learn the importance of being filled with the Holy Spirit from the texts that are in today’s order, so I am going to share them as part of the series.
Let’s start reading.
1. God’s teachings reaching the soul (129,130)
129 Your statutes are wonderful;
therefore I obey them.
130 The unfolding of your words gives light;
it gives understanding to the simple.
The words I would like to focus on here are “My soul obeys them” and “God’s word shines like light into the hearts of the simple or ignorant.” This is how the Holy Spirit works.
It is not reason or intelligence that is necessary to know God’s decrees, to know and obey them. What is needed is the hunger and thirst of the soul. The Holy Spirit reaches our thirsty souls like light. The light that reaches a soul leads that soul to be willing and able to follow.
It is not clear enough because the NIV translates the subject here as “I” instead of “my soul”, but many English Bibles translate it as “my soul” like the Japanese Bible.
This is exactly what Jesus’ disciples experienced on the day of Pentecost. When Jesus was crucified, it was these disciples who were afraid of people and ran away from the scene, denied that they were Jesus’ disciples, and then locked themselves in their rooms. They were filled with the Holy Spirit that day, and received power to introduce Jesus to the world, just as Jesus said, “When the Holy Spirit comes, you will receive power and you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth.” It has been delivered to those of us who now live in the Far East.
During this week, I would encourage you to read today’s psalm and the second chapter of the book of Acts. Much of Acts chapter 2 is taken up with Peter’s speech. You may know quite well what kind of person Peter was. He was a fisherman. He followed Jesus when Jesus said, “I will make you a fisher of men.” He was a straight-hearted man, but he never received any of the education that the religious leaders of his time had. When Jesus was crucified, he was also a coward who was afraid of people and denied his relationship with Jesus. That Peter poured out the Holy Spirit and spoke, and 3,000 people were so moved by his words that they joined the fellowship.
Let us also ask God, hoping that the word of God will reach our souls like a beam of light. Let us seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit, believing that Jesus promised to guide us as the Holy Spirit after His ascension. Instead of seeking to become strong, wise, and rich on our own, let us remain weak and seek to be made strong, wise, and enriched by the work of the Holy Spirit. The next two verses show that the psalmist also was hungry and thirsty and desperately asked God.
2. Seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit (131.132)
131 I open my mouth and pant,
longing for your commands.
132 Turn to me and have mercy on me,
as you always do to those who love your name.
“God, please intervene in my painful situation” “Please have mercy on me” That is the psalmist’s appeal to God. I often hear commentators commenting on how the marathon runner is getting tired and say, “His mouth is opening, he looks a bit distressed”. We are out of breath because we need more oxygen. The pulse rises in order to deliver oxygen to the whole body quickly.
When we are in a difficult phase in the race of life, the energy we need to live there is to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Let us ask “Please have mercy on me and fill me with your spirit.” and “ Come Holy Spirit.” Then you will surely be given new strength. For it is promised to those who love the name of the Lord, as the psalmist is sure. That’s how we got through all the crises and challenges of life.
We ask, “Please fill us with the Holy Spirit,”, because we hope that the fruit of the Holy Spirit to borne within us. The list of what the fruit of the Holy Spirit is found in the Epistle to the Galatians (5:22,23).
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
The reason it says “but” is because it is written in contrast to “the deeds of the flesh” in the previous paragraph. Without the work of the Holy Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit cannot arise in us. Instead, there will be what Paul calls “the works of the flesh,” the bitter fruit that is the exact opposite of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. So we must seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
By the way, the Bible also mentions “gifts of the Holy Spirit”. Here, too, there is a list, as well as the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Typical examples are in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 and Romans chapter 12. Gifts are the present, special ability given by the Holy Spirit to those who believe and obey at His will, not something that can be asked for or purchased. Some are supernatural, such as prophecy, speaking in tongues, and healing, while others include teaching and ministry. There are also some inconsistencies between the Corinthian and Roman accounts. In other words, the list is incomplete because of the range of interpretations, and the fact that we don’t know some of them exactly what they are.
Reception of the gift of the Holy Spirit varies considerably from church to church.
For example, some churches believe that the supernatural gifts mentioned at the beginning are unique to the time of the Book of Acts and are no longer available, while others recommend that they are timeless and universal and should be diligently sought.
The way Your Church sees it, “It is not a core matter, so we are not going to take sides”.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit are used to bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit, but it does not mean that if you do not know your gifts, you cannot bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit. The 13th chapter of 1st Corinthians also tells us that the gift of the Holy Spirit caused confusion in the Corinthian church.
Therefore, while we do not deny any of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we do not place our seeking of them above the three promises of yourchurch Covenant. Rather, please seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
You may experience strange sensations in your body and mind as you are filled with the Holy Spirit. There will be times when tongues, a gift of the Holy Spirit, will come out of your mouth. But they are not necessarily evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit. You can be filled with the Holy Spirit without such a manifestation. The filling of the Holy Spirit can be assured by the fruit of the Spirit.
Now let’s read verses 133-136 in the second half.
3. Walking filled with the Holy Spirit (133-136)
133 Direct my footsteps according to your word;
let no sin rule over me.
134 Redeem me from the oppression of men,
that I may obey your precepts.
135 Make your face shine upon your servant
and teach me your decrees.
136 Streams of tears flow from my eyes,
for your law is not obeyed.
Through this series of Psalm 119, we learned that the essence of the “law” is God’s words speaking to us.
In this paragraph , it is “your word,” “precepts,” “decrees,” and “law.”
The psalmist knew that the word of God would make his steps sure(133). So he feared that unbearable pain would prevent him from hearing God’s call (134). And he longed for God to express His shining face in a way that he could clearly see and to speak to him.
The world we live in is not a bright one either. The tyranny may not be directly pressing on you. But all over the world, God’s beloved children are suffering from hunger, poverty, and fear of imminent threats to their lives.
How do you feel about the expression “stream of tears flow from my eyes”? Many people might find it to be an exaggeration. But isn’t it rather because we have become so accustomed to the situation that we no longer able to be moved to tears? Right now, atrocities are happening all over the world that we would never think we could endure if we were subjected to them. The “lawbreakers” are those who refuse to listen to God and, on the contrary, act as if they are God. People willing to have people hurt and die for their ambitions. Dictators and their cronies. People who don’t mind destroying the environment for profit. People who pursue profit over safety standards for human health. There are those who are afflicted by them and are in danger of death.
However, this is no time to be gloomy. So what do we do? It is to seek the filling of the Holy Spirit. Those who are filled with the Holy Spirit carry out the work of the Lord and bring forth the fruit of the Spirit throughout society. Not everyone needs to venture into conflict zones and impoverished societies. There are various ways to support this function. However, along with that, let us pray to the Lord with all our hearts, asking for the filling of the Holy Spirit so that we can bear the fruit of the Spirit where we are placed now.
(Prayer) Dear God, just as you came and filled the first disciples, please enter our hearts now.
Fill our souls with your spirit.
We trust that you are giving each of us the gifts we deserve.
Please fill us up so that we can carry your work, and use us wherever you send us.
There may we bear abundantly the fruit of the Spirit, such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Recreate Pentecost in each of our hearts today.
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ.
Summary
The Holy Spirit supplies the psalmist, the disciples who sent Jesus to heaven, and all of us with the necessary power to keep going. God’s strength, working in our weakness, is strength through the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. When you feel stuck, fearful, troubled, or sad, pray and ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
For Discussion
1. What is the fruit of the Holy Spirit?
2. Why can the word of God be understood even by the ignorant?