TEXT:
Psalm 119:105 "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."

INTRODUCTION:
I just came back from the 1998 Royal Ranger winter campout. It was in the Jemez mountains and we arrived after dark. We had to cross some rugged and slick terrain in the dark to get to the campsite.   It required a bright light to find the tents that our boys had set up earlier, and a lamp to illuminate our feet as we walked up the icy trail, so we could carefully choose our steps and keep from falling.

I. A LIGHT UNTO MY PATH

  A.  THE CHRISTIAN’S PATH LEADS TO HEAVEN
    1. The Word of God is a bright light which shows us the way to heaven.
    2. Jesus is the only way to heaven
        a. John 14:6 "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man
            cometh unto the Father, but by me." (KJV)
        b. Acts 4:12 "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name
            under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (KJV)
    3. The Word of God points to Jesus
        In John 5:39, Jesus said, "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal
        life: and they are they which testify of me."  (KJV)

  B.  THE WORD OF GOD HELPS US TO FIND THAT PATH
    The story is told of a college professor who visited the Fiji Islands. Being agnostic, he
    critically remarked to an elderly chief, "You're a great leader, but it's a pity you've been
    taken in by those foreign missionaries. They only want to get rich through you. No one
    believes the Bible anymore. People are tired of the threadbare story of Christ dying on
    a cross for the sins of mankind. They know better now. I'm sorry you've been so foolish
    as to accept their story."
    The old chief's eyes flashed as he answered, "See that great rock over there? On it we
    smashed the heads of our victims. Notice the furnace next to it? In that oven we formerly
    roasted the bodies of our enemies. If it hadn't been for those good missionaries and the
    love of Jesus that changed us from cannibals into Christians, you'd never leave this place
    alive! You'd better thank the Lord for the Gospel; otherwise we'd already be feasting on
    you. If it weren't for the Bible, you'd now be our supper!

   The light of God's Word had changed their path!

II. A LAMP UNTO MY FEET

  A.  WE NEED A LAMP TO CHOOSE OUR STEPS
    1. The Bible doesn't just show us the way to heaven, it shows us how to live while we are
        on our way to heaven.
    2. People are looking everywhere for instructions on how to live.
    3. There are millions of "How To.." books sold every year.
    4. Most of them are a case of the blind leading the blind.
    5. However, God's word has the direction you need for your life.
    6. You don't need to call 1-900-PSYCHIC!
    7. You just need to read the book of PROVERBS!

  B.  SOMETIMES WE DON’T WANT TO KNOW WHAT IT HAS TO SAY
    During the days that Knute Rockne was coaching Notre Dame, a sports columnist in a
    South Bend newspaper earned the reputation of being the meanest, most cutting writer in
    the country. The anonymous writer, who knew Notre Dame well, wrote about the team's
    weaknesses. He pointed out the mistakes of individual players. He told about those who
    were lazy, about those who broke training and didn't discipline themselves. Of course, this
    column made the players roaring mad. The truth hurt and players complained to Rockne.
    He listened with sympathy but said he could not stop the writer. He advised that the only
    way the players could do so was to go out and play the game so well that they would
    prove him wrong.
    Later it became known that the writer of the column was Knute Rockne himself. As coach
    of the team he was best acquainted with their weaknesses. The critical column was his
    ingenuous device to develop a better team. Sometimes the Scriptures speak so sharply
    about us it is uncomfortable. But God tells the truth because He loves us and wants to
    make us winners. He knows that we cannot win unless we discipline ourselves to obey His
    rules of life.

  C.  IT HITS US WHERE WE NEED FIXING
    A small factory had to cease operations when a vital piece of machinery broke down. The
    firm's own mechanics couldn't get a thing working again so an outside expert was called in.
    He looked the situation over for a couple of minutes and then took a hammer and tapped
    the machine in a certain spot and it started running beautifully. When he submitted a bill for
    $100 the plant owner figuratively hit the ceiling and demanded an itemized bill, which
    subsequently was forthcoming as follows: $1.00 for hitting machine; $99.00 for knowing
    where to hit. God uses His word to "hit" us where we need fixing. (Hebrews 4:12)