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Wow, I get to come here every Sunday and share all that God has taught me this week. It is a privilege to bring you God’s Word. I have the blessing of standing before you declaring how sinful you all are!
OK, that isn’t the whole story because we know that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Our sinfulness isn’t the focus of God’s story. Jesus is!
The Old Testament showed us our sin and pointed toward Jesus. The Gospels record Jesus’ actions to redeem His people. The epistles tell us how to live in the Kingdom of Christ.
It is a story of creation, loss and redemption. It’s our story when we come to Jesus. IT’S THE STORY OF THE WORD.
Do you love God’s Word? That is what we will explore today.
Now, I originally intended to bring this message using Psalm 119 which focus’ on God’s Word, but that passage alone is an entire series. So we are going to bounce around a little just to get a taste of what Scripture says about God’s Word.
- A Sample of Psalm 119!
Verse 11 says, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
The Word is our defense against sin and temptation. This makes us better people. It makes us more like Jesus.
Verse 72 says, “The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.”
Think about that, God’s law, His Word, is more precious than silver and gold. What would you trade for you Bible? We have great access to Bibles here in America, but that isn’t the case around the world. If you had no access to a Bible, what would you give to get one? The Psalmist says it is worth more than a thousand pieces of silver and gold. Does it mean this much to you?
Verses 97-98 say, “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. 98 Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies.”
Makes you wiser than your enemies. Do you want wisdom? Meditate on it. Solomon said that wisdom was a divine gift more valuable than…well, you know, silver and gold.
Verse 103 says, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”
They didn’t have ice cream, or chocolate bars, no Twix, no Snickers, no mister misty, no Mt. Dew, no lattes. They had honey! The sweetest of things found in nature. I love honey on warm bread. Oh, so sweet. Is God’s Word that good for you?
Verse 165, big chapter 176 verses total, says, “Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.”
How valuable is peace to you? God’s Word provides true and everlasting peace. And when you love God’s Word nothing can make you stumble.
As we get older, we fear stumbling more, don’t we? We don’t bounce up like a toddler, do we? So, if you don’t want to stumble learn to love God’s Word.
- The Example of Job!
You remember Job’s story? He was the guy that lost his entire fortune in one day, the same day all 10 of his children died. Then to top it off he got boils all over his body. If anyone had a right to get bitter and resentful it was Job because he had done nothing wrong. So, what does he say?
Job 23:12, “I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.”
Let me read that again:
He treasured God’s words more than food. Church, do we understand this level of gratitude for the Word of God? I only have 3 children and if only one of them died I fear my reaction. Could I, like Job declare the value of God’s Word during my time of crisis? I hope so, but we really don’t know until it actually happens.
But here’s a key: Job didn’t fall in love with God’s Word when he was on the floor in mourning for his lost wealth and children. He fell in love with God’s word before the trial came. He was ready for the storm.
How will you prepare for your storm?
- Jesus said…
- Absolute Authority!
In Matthew 4 we find the events of Jesus’ temptation by Satan. After 40 days of fasting, when His body was weak Satan came to tempt Him. How did Jesus respond?
Satan challenged Jesus to turn stones to bread to feed His hunger, but Jesus responds by saying, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
This is a quote of Deuteronomy 8:3.
Satan takes Jesus to the top of the temple and tells Him to throw Himself off and Jesus responds with Psalm 91:11-12 and Deuteronomy 6:16. Not just one passage, but two!
Satan then takes Him to the mountains and offers Him all if He would bow down to him. And, you guessed it, Jesus responded with Scripture, Deuteronomy 6:13.
Jesus could have commanded Satan away, but He in His humility and wisdom leaned into the Word of God. Here is why this is important, when Satan tempts you, you aren’t Jesus and don’t have His authority to send Him away. But you do have the authority of God’s Word to rebuke Satan. You have the words and work of God through Jesus in order to rebuke temptation.
This is why we hide it in our hearts…so we won’t sin against God.
- Divine Inspiration
Matthew 5:18, “For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”
EVERY LETTER AND EVERY PART OF A LETTER will be fulfilled. You can trust God’s Word down to the very least stroke of a pen. Jesus said it right there in the Sermon on the Mount.
In a discussion with the Pharasees in Mark 7 Jesus points out how faithfully the Pharasees hold to tradition but miss the point of Scripture. Jesus is establishing here the supremacy of God’s Word over human rules, and I might add cultural norms. God’s Word rules overall.
Paul adds this regarding Scripture:
2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,”
Its God breathed, not from man. It’s useful, so use it. For teaching, rebuking, correcting, training in righteousness, so do it!!!
- Its Focus was on Jesus!
John 5:39-40, “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life.”
Jesus is warning them that it’s not the act of studying Scripture that saves, it’s Jesus. That is the focus of Scripture. It is the guide that points us to Him.
Remember what the story of Scripture is? God created us, we sinned, Jesus came to pay the price for us to be forgiven and redeemed. Jesus paid the price, not our good works no matter how good they may be, they fall short of God’s perfect standard. The story is about Jesus; He is the way of salvation.
This is why Jesus is the only way. Would it make any sense at all if Jesus paid the price, actually lived, died, was buried and rose again as payment for our sins for belief in Budha to do it? Belief in Muhammad, who, by the way is dead? Belief in Hari Krishna? No, it is by the grace of Jesus alone through faith in Jesus alone.
- Jesus is the Word!
John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Those are the opening words to John’s gospel reflecting the opening words in Genesis pointing to Jesus as the Word.
Later in His gospel John says this:
John 15:7-8, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
Are you remaining in Jesus? Is His words remaining in you? If you are, is Jesus promising anything here? No, because when we remain in Him and His words remain in us our prayers are different. We pray for the souls of others; we pray that people will come to Jesus. We bear fruit.
IS JESUS’ WORD REMAINING IN YOU?
- Other thoughts:
We have already seen how God’s word is a treasure. More valuable than silver and gold in Psalm 119. How it is more valuable than food in Job 23:12. What else does it do?
According to Psalm 1:2 we see that the Word is the source of our delight.
Psalm 1:2, “but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.”
Many of you know this delight. You experience when you are thinking about what Jesus has done for you. You experience it when you reflect, as the apostle Paul does, on God’s infinite, indescribable love for you.
There is one stipulation regarding the word, it must be applied. Jesus’ brother, James says this in:
James 1:22, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
The proper response to God’s Word results in change, it results in action. How has your life changed since committing to being in God’s Word. Tell your story to the church. This is transformation.
How reliable is the Word of God? Jesus says this in:
Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”
This world will be destroyed, every single atom of it, but God’s word will not pass away. Every prophesy will be fulfilled, every single word, letter and part of a letter.
So, the bottom line is for you, will you trust it?
This is our statement of faith regarding the Bible:
We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the words of human authors. As the verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.
Do you make this your statement of faith?
Here is your challenge, commit to reading it every day. Can you do that? Start out reading 1 chapter per day, it only takes a few minutes. Can you do that? Can you do that?