Please turn with me in the Word of God to Psalm 119. I decided we wouldn't read the whole psalm. We'll begin our reading at verse 129. Psalm 119, verse 129. Reading down through verse 136. Let us hear God's own Word. Your testimonies are wonderful, therefore my soul keeps them. The unfolding of your words gives light. It imparts understanding to the simple. I open my mouth and pant because I long for your commandments. Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your way with those who love your name. Keep steady my steps according to your promise. and let no iniquity get dominion over me. Redeem me from man's oppression, that I may keep your precepts. Make your face shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes. My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law. So far the reading of God's holy word. Well, we gather today for a particularly joyous occasion in the life of our congregation, the installation of a new pastor, a pastor for whom we have prayed even before we knew who he was, and a pastor in whom we now rejoice that he and his family have come and are with us to lead us and to guide us. And today is an important occasion in the life of the congregation. joyous and important. And yet not everybody recognizes the importance of this occasion. There were no news network trucks out in front of the church. There were no paparazzi with cameras, in spite of the remarkable good looks of our new pastor. The world doesn't notice this as an important occasion. But Christ does. And the church does. And we must. It's an important occasion because our new pastor comes to provide leadership, direction for us, and to take up many responsibilities among us. Just think of some of the titles that he will bear as indicators of those responsibilities. Minister, pastor, elder, counselor, teacher, intercessor, worship leader, catechist, visitor, preacher, domine. A whole range of responsibilities that he is taking up. Serious responsibilities, critical ones. He won't bear them all, all by himself, but he'll bear them all. And so it's important that in bearing them all, we appreciate what he's called to do, and what he's called to be, and how he's called to do those things. And our text gives another title, perhaps, or at least suggests the possibility of another title. Verse 130, the unfolding of your words gives light. Our new pastor is to be an unfolder, or if we want to translate that word a little more simply, an opener. This word is a word used to just open a door. The opening of your word gives light. It's like walking into a dark room and then opening a door and the light just shines from another room into the dark room. That's what happens when the Word is present amongst the people of God. And that opening, that unfolding, is part of the task to which Reverend Gordon is called among us. It's foundational to everything he does. When he's in the pulpit, it's obviously foundational to what he does, that the opening of the Word gives light. But it's foundational to everything else he does as well. All his teaching, all his counseling, all his visiting, when he's with us in our homes, when he's with us in the hospital, when he's with us in the classroom, as well as when he's with us here in public worship together. It is the word that is foundational. It is the word that gives light. It's the opening of that word that's critical to his ministry and our life. And so I want us to reflect a little bit together as to why there's such a focus in the Scripture, why there's such a focus in our Reformed tradition on the Word and the unfolding of the Word. In fact, one might say that this is the very essence of what it means to be Reformed, to be committed to the foundational character of the unfolding of the Word of God amongst God's people. And I'd like to make, you'll be surprised to learn, three relatively brief points about the word. First, that it comes from God. Second, that it tells of God. And third, that it leads to God. The word comes from God, it tells of God, and it leads to God. What do I mean when I say the word of God comes from God? Well, this text bears a remarkable testimony to the character of God's word and how we say it comes from God. Your testimonies, we read in verse 129, your testimonies are wonderful. Now, that word wonderful is used so much among us it may have gotten somewhat cheapened. It can mean a variety of things. When the psalmist says your testimonies are wonderful, he could mean they make me feel really good. I think they're great. And that would be fine. That would be true, but it's not what he's saying here. Or he might be saying, your testimonies are really nice in and of themselves. They're great in and of themselves. So that would be true. But again, it's not what's being said here. The psalmist, when he says, your testimonies are wonderful, is saying, your testimonies, your word, is a miracle. It's a wonder. Wonderful is being used here in the same way as it's sometimes used when we hear about signs and wonders. Signs and miracles. The Word of God is a miracle because it comes from Him. Because He inspired it. Because He has ensured that every word of it is true. That every word of it is for us and helpful to us. That He has preserved it through the centuries. He has preserved it true and pure. That he has preserved it amongst his people. So that in innumerable languages of this world, the word of God is available. And he has made it useful and a blessing to us. This word is wonderful. It's a miracle. It's come from God. by his inspiration, and by his preservation. And that's why it is appropriate to realize that this word is foundational to all that we are as Christians, that all we hope to be as Christians, that all of what Reverend Gordon is going to be and do among us will be, must be founded on this word. And it's precisely a miracle because it brings light to us. God's light shines there. The unfolding of your words gives light. Light's used only one other place in Psalm 119, where we are told in verse 105, your word is a light to our path. Throughout the scriptures, light is contrasted with darkness. Those who walk in darkness stumble. But those who walk in darkness and have seen a great light, their life has changed. This image evokes the very creative act of God. All was dark until God said, let there be light. And we could see, we could know, we could understand. The people of Israel would have wandered in confusion in the darkness in the wilderness had there not been a pillar of light to guide them. And that's what we're being reminded is true and characteristic of the word that comes from God. It's a miracle of light among us, a miracle to guide us, a miracle to direct us, a miracle of fellowship for us with our God. You remember when Moses went up on the mountain in fellowship with God? He came down, and what was the character of his face? It glowed with light because he'd been in the presence of light. He was being transformed into the image of God by his presence and fellowship with God. And it was too much for the Israelites to bear, wasn't it? They said, cover your face. He didn't just have a shiny nose. He was glowing there from the light that radiated from God. And that's what we have in this miracle book. A light that shines in darkness. A light that needs constantly to be flowing into us and into our lives to drive away the darkness of the world that is ever seeping into us, that is ever trying to change us, that is ever trying to redirect the way we think and live. And that's why this word, this light, is so crucial for us. This is why ministers are so valuable to us. and why their work must have this single sort of character that they bring to us the light of God's Word. And so on this special day, we are all reminded of this special word that comes from God, that comes from God and tells us of God. Now, I don't know about you, but when I think of Psalm 119, the first thing I think about is law. And that's a smart thing to think about because the psalmist uses eight different words in this psalm. He uses them over and over again in all sorts of combinations. Some of us in our less sanctified moments are inclined to think this psalm is a little repetitious, a little long. And so when we ask the question, what does Psalm 119 tell us about who God is? We're inclined to think that probably what we'll discover is that it wants to tell us God is holy. Of course, that's true. And of course, that psalm does tell us that in a variety of places. But I'm intrigued to notice that in this section of the psalm, the focus is on the grace of God, is on the mercy of God, is on the salvation of God. Verse 132, the psalmist prays, Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your way with those who love your name. What is the way of God with his people? What is the standing, operating procedure of God with his people? Psalm 119 says to be gracious. To be gracious. Elsewhere in this little section of the psalm, he talks about the promises of God. Verse 133, keep steady my steps according to your promise. It talks about the redemption of God. Verse 134, redeem me, ransom me from man's oppression. And then verse 135, make your face shine upon your servant. It's an image repeated often in the Old Testament, isn't it? That God would turn his face toward his people. That that face of light and of grace would shine upon his people. The people would pray, don't turn your face from us. Do not abandon us. But in your grace, in your grace, turn your face to us that it might shine, that we might see your light of blessing, your light of mercy, your light of kindness, your light of promise, your light of redemption shining upon us. And that's why the very heart of the blessing that God taught to Aaron to pronounce upon the people of Israel A blessing that we still use from time to time. The priest was to say to the people, the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. You see, Psalm 119 has really picked up those themes of the blessing. Turn to me and be gracious to me and have your face shine upon me, the psalmist prays. And that's our expectation. That's what the Word of God speaks to us. That's what we need to hear from the Word of God regularly. It's not all we need to hear. But we need to hear that foundationally. And of course, those words of the Old Testament are taken up and made more profound and more clear to us in the face of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is in Him that we see the grace of God. It is in Jesus that we experience the redemption of God. It's in him that all the promises of God are yes and amen. As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians, saying that the light shines in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. The glory of God, the knowledge of God, the grace of God, all of God shines for us in the face of Jesus Christ. And that's what we need to keep hearing. Because this is a world that either denies Jesus or ignores Jesus or distorts Jesus. And we need the word to keep bringing us back to Jesus and the light of the gospel that we experience in him. And so this is a wondrous word, isn't it? It's a word that comes from God, it's a word that tells of God, and it's a word that leads to God. This little section of Psalm 119, over and over again, speaks of knowing God through the word. Now we know from Romans 1, don't we, that every human being knows God from creation. There is a testimony to God. There is a presence of God in his creation that is undeniable. But even Romans 1 recognizes we can't know God very fully from his creation. We know him fully and profoundly. Only from his word. And that word, therefore, really says to us to know the word is to know God. To claim to know God apart from His Word is not to know God at all. Martin Luther said, those who think they can know God apart from Jesus know only the devil. It's the Word, you see, that comes from God and that tells of God, which leads us to God because only His own Word gives us reliable information of who He is and what He does and what He wants. And so the Word helps us to know God. The Word helps us be connected to God. That's why the psalmist is so concerned about keeping the Word. He uses two different words in these few verses to talk about keeping the Word. He talks about guarding the Word, protecting the Word, watching over the Word. But he also talks about keeping the Word in terms of walking straight in the Word. This is the word that teaches us how we ought to live, that will please God, that will make us part or keep us as part of his covenant community. This law isn't just an abstract checklist of do's and don'ts. This law is the covenant of God with his people. And we're called upon to treasure that covenant and want to keep that covenant, abide in that covenant with our God. This text tells us that these words are so wonderful and so clear that they impart understanding to the simple. Do you see that in verse 130? Simple there probably means the young, boys and girls. There's a verse for you. It imparts understanding to you. And it imparts that understanding so you won't be led astray. Sometimes the young can be led astray. Sometimes the simple or uninformed can be led astray by smooth talkers. That's why we don't want a preacher who's a smooth talker. Which is not the same as saying we want a dull preacher. Those are different. I want to make a distinction there. But a smooth talker is just out for his own ends. We want someone concerned to protect the simple. Whether they're young or old, from the lives that surround us. And we'll open the word that gives light and understanding, even to the simple, that will help us to keep to the straight way of God's covenant. To live for him. To be found in him. And one of the remarkable things that we find here in this text, in terms of the word leading us to God, is what we find in verse 131. I open my mouth and pant, says the psalmist, because I long for your commandments. What's the image here? It's the image of thirst. Maybe in these past few days you've been thirsty, or at least longing for cooler weather and less humidity. These last few days have taught us something about panting, perhaps, but longing for sure. The image here is somebody in a desert kind of climate who's become desperately thirsty. And he's opening wide his mouth with longing for water. That's the picture. And it's the word, you see, that can satisfy that longing. It's the word that is the water of life for us. And I think in this important and joyful service that will culminate in the installation of a new pastor, it's a good moment for us as a congregation to pause. As a congregation and as individuals, to ask ourselves, what are we longing for? What are we longing for in life? There are many, many things that people long for in life, and many of them are fine. We long for health. We long for a long life. We long for good jobs. We long for good families. We long for good friends. We long for children that will grow up in the faith. All those things are good. Sometimes we long for things that are not good. But foundational to everything we are as Christians, this text reminds us we should long for the word. We should long for the word. We should long that the word would live in our minds and in our hearts. We should long that the word would direct our paths. We should long that the word would fill our minds. That's what we should do. And the question is, is that true of us as a congregation, as families, as individuals? Do we long for the word like a thirsty man in a desert longs for water? We've called, I believe, a good minister who will preach, I believe, faithfully and effectively. But the minister cannot make us long for the word. Only the Spirit of God can do that. And if we don't long for the Word the way we know we ought to long for the Word, then we ought to long to long for the Word. Now, there's a preacher just giving us an endless list of do's and don'ts, right? No, if we don't long for the Word, we need to pray. That's what the psalmist is doing here. Four of the eight verses in this text of Psalm 119 are a prayer. It doesn't come automatically that we should long for the Word. It comes only from the Spirit of God at work in a congregation and in families and in the hearts of individual Christians to teach us that unless we long for the light of the Word, unless we long for the miracle of light to shine in our hearts and in our lives, it's never going to happen. We're never going to grow. We're never going to develop. Let me make a specific application so the new pastor won't need to do it. I can retire now. If we long for the word, won't we be here Sunday night as well as Sunday morning? Do you hear that word? To treasure it in our hearts? To grow in an understanding of it? If you're doing something better Sunday night than worshiping God and letting his spirit apply his word to your hearts and minds, then you do that. But if not, you should be here so that your longing can be stimulated and your longing can be satisfied by the Spirit of God working in your hearts, applying the Word. You know, the Spirit doesn't add anything to the Word. What the Spirit does is add the Word to us. And that's what we all long for. that in the midst of all the darkness and all the lies and all the confusion, our lives might more and more have the light of God's word shining in us so that we see the light of the love of Jesus Christ shining for us. Hebrews tells us that the word of God is living and active. And that's what's being celebrated here in Psalm 119. A word that's wondrous, a miracle, because it comes from God, because it tells of God, because it leads to God. May each one of us have that longing for the word in our hearts. And may the Spirit of God use our new minister to satisfy that longing. Amen. Let us pray. O Lord, our God, we all have Bibles that we see in pew racks in front of us that we can carry to church, that we have in our homes. And sometimes we can take those Bibles very much for granted. But those Bibles, in a profound sense, are miracles among us because they are the light of your truth shining to satisfy the longing of the hearts of your people. And so, O God, make us a people that long for your word. And we pray for Chris Gordon, that you will keep him faithful to that word. And that you will use him to help satisfy our longing for that word. So that together, we might grow in faith, and in love, and in holiness, and in service. Hear us then and bless us, for we pray in Jesus' name, amen.