Worthless and Wasteful, or Worthy and Worshipful
Worthless and Wasteful, or Worthy and Worshipful
Psalm 119:33-40 (He) ה
1. Introduction: Personal epistemology example: The ethics of big data.
a. Attention ➔ Alertness ➔ Awareness ➔ Accessing ➔ Acting ➔ Accountability
2. Today’s Storer-Uppers!
3. Becoming aware (curiosity compulsion), as self-destruction.
a. The pornography example.
b. The Edenic example: Genesis 3:1-2 ➔ Genesis 3:4-5 ➔ Genesis 3:6-7
4. Not being fully aware (mindful), as self-destruction: Absorption v. Distractions
a. Mark 4:19
b. Luke 8:7
c. Hebrews 12:2
5. Living in liberty; freedom within limits
a. The fishing example.
b. Biblically informed mindfulness: connecting with the task, the Project, the Person.
i. Galatians 2:20
ii. Romans 12:2
iii. 1 Corinthians 2:16
iv. Colossians 3:2-3
v. Philippians 2:5
vi. Philippians 4:8
vii. Matthew 6:22-23 ➔ Matthew 6:24 ➔ Matthew 6:25+
6. Psalm 119: 33-40
a. Is knowing enough? (v. 32)
b. Knowing versus heart-felt understanding (v.34)
c. Living versus knowing/understanding (v.35)
d. Wanting to want to obey, as compared to other distractions (vv. 36-37)
e. Prayer for grace and strength and a renewed heart (vv. 38-40).
f. Assessment of progress: cycling back through the second set of four verses.
i. What am I choosing to pay attention to, that is a distraction from my relationship with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?
ii. When am I substituting attention to “worthless things” rather than worshipful things?
7. The Luke 14 Challenge1
a. The demands of discipleship (vv.26-27)
b. The decision of discipleship (vv.28-32)
c. The distinct nature of disciples (vv.33-35)
d. Worthless and wasteful, or, worthy and worshipful
8. Conclusion: Awareness and mindfulness are choices (Insert the words “Biblically Informed” ahead of each step).
a. Absorption ➔ Attention ➔ Alertness ➔ Awareness ➔ Accessing ➔ Acting ➔ Accountability
b. Memorization ➔ Meditation ➔ Mindfulness
c. 1 Peter 1:13
d. John 10:10
The more you focus on yourself, the more distracted you will be from the proper path. The more you know Him and commune with Him, the more the Spirit will make you like Him. The more you are like Him, the better you will understand His utter sufficiency for all of life’s difficulties. And that is the only way to know real satisfaction.2
See “How to Hate your Wife,” https://bible.org/seriespage/49-how-hate-your-wife-luke-1425-35
John MacArthur, Our Sufficiency in Christ (Crossway, 1991), p. 157
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