January 11, 2026

Psalm 119:145-176

Anchored In God's Word

Sunday Sermons

Psalm 119 ends the way an authentic Christian life is often lived, not neat and tidy, but with honesty and hope. Cries for help mingle with praise, confidence gives way to confession, and with humility the psalmist recognizes his need for grace while clinging to the sturdy truth of God’s promises.

Join Pastor Tommy as we see how God’s Word anchors us to reality by revealing who God is, who we are in Christ, and where we are headed for eternity.

Speaker

Tommy Bailey

Series

God’s Word For All of Life

Go to Series

Scripture

Psalm 119:145-176

Topics
Advent Doubt Growth & Discipleship

Sermon Notes

Psalm 119:145-176

Anchored In God’s Word

Pastor Tommy Bailey

The structure of Psalm 119:

  • 176 verses
  • 22 stanzas
  • 8 lines each
  • Acrostic

Experiences in Psalm 119:

  • Suffering (v. 50)
  • Betrayal (v. 69)
  • Temptation (v. 133)
  • Joy (v. 111)
  • Anxiety (v. 25)
  • Sleeplessness (v. 148)
  • Shame (v. 46)
  • Decisions (v. 105)
  • Drift (v. 176)
  • Hope (v. 114)

Here is the great truth that, only when we see things in the light of God, do we see things as they are. It is only when we see things in the light of God that we see what things are really important, and what things are not.
William Barclay

Qoph (vv. 145-152)

With my whole heart I cry; answer me, O Lord!
I will keep your statutes.
I call to you; save me,
that I may observe your testimonies.
I rise before dawn and cry for help;
I hope in your words.
My eyes are awake before the watches of the night,
that I may meditate on your promise.
Hear my voice according to your steadfast love;
O Lord, according to your justice give me life.
They draw near who persecute me with evil purpose;
they are far from your law.
But you are near, O Lord,
and all your commandments are true.
Long have I known from your testimonies
that you have founded them forever.
– Psalm 119:145–152, ESV

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:16

“He who has been with God in the closet will find God with him in the furnace.”
Charles Spurgeon, The Golden Alphabet

Resh (vv. 153-160)

Look on my affliction and deliver me,
for I do not forget your law.
Plead my cause and redeem me;
give me life according to your promise!
Salvation is far from the wicked,
for they do not seek your statutes.
Great is your mercy, O Lord;
give me life according to your rules.
Many are my persecutors and my adversaries,
but I do not swerve from your testimonies.
I look at the faithless with disgust,
because they do not keep your commands.
Consider how I love your precepts!
Give me life according to your steadfast love.
The sum of your word is truth,
and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.
– Psalm 119:153–160, ESV

“There is a rock-solid certainty about the word of God that I can rest my destiny on. It has been from all eternity and will be for all ages. No power of hell is able to shake it.”
Christopher Ash, Bible Delight

“The Word of God is not just to be studied. It is to be savored. God wrote His Word to awaken in us a taste for Him.”
John Piper, When I Don’t Desire God

Sin and Shin (vv. 161-168)

Princes persecute me without cause,
but my heart stands in awe of your words.
I rejoice at your word
like one who finds great spoil.
I hate and abhor falsehood,
but I love your law.
Seven times a day I praise you
for your righteous rules.
Great peace have those who love your law;
nothing can make them stumble.
I hope for your salvation, O Lord,
and I do your commandments.
My soul keeps your testimonies;
I love them exceedingly.
I keep your precepts and testimonies,
for all my ways are before you.
– Psalm 119:161–168, ESV

My heart stands in awe… (v. 161)
I rejoice… (v. 162)
I love… (v. 163)
I praise You… (v. 164)
Great peace have those who love Your law… (v. 165)
I hope for Your salvation… (v. 166)
All my ways are before You… (v. 168)

Thus says the Lord:
Stand by the roads, and look,
and ask for the ancient paths,
where the good way is; and walk in it,
and find rest for your souls.
Jeremiah 6:16

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”
Romans 15:4

“Exegesis is loving God enough to stop and listen carefully to what He says.”
Eugene Peterson, Eat This Book

Taw (vv. 169-176)

Let my cry come before you, O Lord;
give me understanding according to your word!
Let my plea come before you;
deliver me according to your word.
My lips will pour forth praise,
for you teach me your statutes.
My tongue will sing of your word,
for all your commandments are right.
Let your hand be ready to help me,
for I have chosen your precepts.
I long for your salvation, O Lord,
and your law is my delight.
Let my soul live and praise you,
and let your rules help me.
I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant,
for I do not forget your commandments.
Psalm 119:169–176, ESV

Experiences in Psalm 119:

  • Suffering (v. 50)
  • Betrayal (v. 69)
  • Temptation (v. 133)
  • Joy (v. 111)
  • Anxiety (v. 25)
  • Sleeplessness (v. 148)
  • Shame (v. 46)
  • Decisions (v. 105)
  • Drift (v. 176)
  • Hope (v. 114)

Anchored to God’s Word:

  • Who is God?
  • Who am I?
  • Where are we going?

“Like wax, the heart takes the shape of that which warms it.”
Michael Reeves

Discussion Questions

  • Do we tenaciously return to the Word of God to remind ourselves of who God is, who we are, and where we are going? What can we learn from the Psalmist about how to be consistent, persistent, and unswervingly intentional about our pursuit of knowing God through His Word? What is the result of this kind of determined focus?
  • When we find ourselves in the middle of a stormy season, is our primary focus simply on escaping the trial? The Psalmist doesn’t ask specifically for deliverance from his own persecution, but instead, his heart overflows with joy, hope, and contentment in the midst of it all. What can we learn from the inclination of his heart that can be applied to our own lives and situations?
  • The Psalmist demonstrates a spiritual maturity of reliance on and resiliency in God, which is honed through his repeated return to the Word. How can we cultivate this kind of maturity in our own lives, so that we can rest and trust in God completely? What does this look like to the watching world?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Songs, Readings & Prayer

Songs:

“How Great Thou Art“ by Stuart Wesley Keene Hine
“Come People Of The Risen King“ by Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty, and Stuart Townend
“Christ The Sure And Steady Anchor“ by Christ The Sure And Steady Anchor
“Our God Will Go Before Us“ by Keith Getty, Matt Boswell, and Matt Papa
“Doxology” by Thomas Ken and Louis Bourgeois
All songs are used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

Call To Worship: Come, Let Us Worship

ALL: Come, let us worship God the Father, the maker of heaven and earth! Let us worship Jesus Christ, the resurrected King of Kings and Lord of Lords! Let us worship the Holy Spirit, the promised comforter and counselor! All glory and praise be to the one true God, now and forevermore, amen!

Classic Prayer: Esther DeWaal

Uncrowd our hearts, O God, until silence speaks, in Your still, small voice; turn us from the hearing of words, and the making of words, and the confusion of much speaking, to listening, waiting, stillness, and blessed silence.

Confession of Faith: “I Believe in the Forgiveness of Sins”

The Apostles’ Creed – I Believe in the Forgiveness of Sins, pt. 3
Article III. ACNA, Q. 111, 112, 113

Leader: Can you earn God’s grace?
People: No. God gives His grace freely and enables me to receive it. Everything I do for God should be in response to His love and grace made known in Christ, for “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us,” and “we love because He first loved us.”

Leader: Is God’s grace only for your religious or spiritual life?
People: No. God wants to redeem every aspect of my life, and His grace in Christ is at work in all of it.

Leader: Does God give grace only to Christians?
People: No. God’s common grace can be seen in his provision for all people. “He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” However, He shows His saving grace by granting salvation to those who place their faith in Christ.

 

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