The Word of God
The Bible was written by about 40 men, over the course of about 1,500 years, from three continents, and in three languages—Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic.
It contains 66 books of history, wisdom, prophecy, laws, rules for living, practical advice, the good news of salvation, words of encouragement to saints, and words of warning to the wicked. It was penned by shepherds, scribes, kings, prophets, fishermen, a tentmaker, and several others. Some were well educated, while others had no formal education whatsoever.
The Bible is our connection to God. The Word of God is the only way we have to know God. We only know God as well as we know Him in His Word. The Word of God is the revealed will of God. God speaks to us through His Word, and we speak to Him through prayer.
The Word of God is to be taught and preached, as well as read and studied. We are to hide it in our hearts and practice it in our lives. The Word of God is to be received and believed as truth, and it is to be trusted, and obeyed as the commandments of God to mankind.
Having said all that, I want to see some of the reasons why the Word of God is the most precious and valuable possession that we have in this world!
1. First, consider some of the attributes of the Word of God…
Psalm 117:2 For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. Praise ye the Lord.
Psalm 119:89 For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.
Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
Mark 13:31 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
Luke 21:33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
1 Peter 1:24-25 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
Psalm 12:6 The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
Psalm 119:140 Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it.
Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
The Word of God is pure, perfect, infallible, and therefore it can be trusted.
Psalm 119:160 Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.
“From the beginning”... in other words, it is all true - from the beginning of time, and from the beginning of the Word to the end. From Genesis to Revelation it is all true!
John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also [trusted], after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
The Word of God is powerful…
Hebrews 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
2 Peter 3:5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
2. Secondly, I want to consider some of the things the Word of God does in the lives of men.
Hearing the Word of God imparts faith…
Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
James 1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
Ephesians 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Matthew 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Deuteronomy 8:3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.
1 Thessalonians 2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.
Acts 20:32 And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.
Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
I don't know if it's the age that we're living in, or the country, or what it is, but the sad truth is that most people just don't want to hear the Word of God today. It seems that precious few people have a desire to hear God’s Word. Maybe it's the preacher's fault. Maybe it's our worldly society. Maybe it's a sign of the times that the day of grace is coming to an end.
But there have been periods throughout the New Testament age marked great revivals, and multitudes of people being saved, and the people of God being on fire and zealous for God. There have been times when lost souls hungered and thirsted for the Word of God and for the gospel of Jesus! That is how the New Testament period started out and continued for centuries. The Christian faith has been a major theme of history from the time of Jesus until only the past few decades. What has happened?
Well, I don't have all the answers, but I have some pretty good ideas. But we can't worry about all of the whys and wherefores of how and why we're in the mess we're in today. I don't want to get stuck in that rut!
But I know that God is still the same. His power, His Word, His love, His sovereign saving grace are still the same. So by the grace of God we're going to keep going forward, and pray that God will do mighty works of His grace among us. But if He is to work His works of grace, He is going to do so using His Word like He has always done before. I want to see just two of the many examples in the Scriptures when people desired to hear the Word of God…
Luke 5:1 And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,
This of course was the Lord Jesus Himself, and the people who thronged about Him to hear the gracious words He taught and preached. They weren't all saved, but some were. But they had a desire to hear what Jesus had to say! Oh that God would give people that desire again today!
Our second example was the apostle Paul at Antioch of Pisidia.
Acts 13:14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.
Acts 13:44 And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.
Paul preached to the Jews the first day, and the next day he preached to the Jews and Gentiles together. The Jews rejected the message of the gospel, but the Gentiles embraced it, and a great number of them were saved! But the point I want to make is that “almost the whole city came together to hear the Word of God”! Wow! Wouldn't that be wonderful to see today?
4. Fourthly, wise people make good use of the Word of God…
John 8:47 He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.
Luke 8:21 And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.
Luke 11:28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
John 13:17 If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.
James 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
If we are wise, we will hide God's Word in our hearts…
Psalm 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
If we are wise, we will light our way with the Word of God…
Psalm 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
We need to read and study the Word of God according to good Biblical methods. Study Scripture in it's context. Don't just pull a verse out of context to try and prove our belief. Be sure of what the whole context of the passage is teaching. Also, compare Scripture with Scripture. Don't take a single verse or passage alone, but search out to see what other Scriptures have to say on the subject. This takes some work and effort, but it is important to properly understand and rightly divide the Word of truth.
Don't go to the Word of God with preconceived notions, and then try to force the Scriptures to say what we want them to say. And don't read and study the Bible with the attitude that we already know everything about the Bible. We'll never learn anything by doing that.
But study the Word of God with a humble and open heart and mind, and pray that the Lord will teach us, and open our hearts to receive the truth. And if we're not sure about something in the Bible, ask someone who is grounded in the Word of God if they can help you. I've been blessed with a lot of good help in understanding God's Word in my Christian life! Don't be ashamed to ask. And if you ask me and I don't know the answer, I'll study it out with you!
If we follow these guidelines we will surely learn and grow in the grace and knowledge of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ!
This leads us to our next point…
2 Corinthians 2:17 For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:1-2 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;
2 But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.
The Bible gives numerous warnings about false prophets and teachers who will misuse and abuse the Word of God for their own ends and personal gain. Beware of false prophets. The TV and radio, and the internet are full of false teachers who corrupt the Word of God and handle the Word of God deceitfully for personal gain. They are transformed into the “apostles of Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15), as it were, but they are employed by the prince of darkness! Beware of them. Don't even listen to their lies. “Evil communications corrupt good manners”! (1 Corinthians 15:33).
The main purpose of the written Word of God is that we might know the living Word of God…
The gospel is God's message of Jesus, the Word made flesh, who came into the world to save sinners! I want to read a few verses that describe Jesus as the Word of God.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
1 John 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
1 John 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
Revelation 19:11-13 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
Do you know the living Word of God? He was manifested in the flesh that we might see Him, and hear Him, and believe in Him as our only hope of salvation and eternal life. And the only way that we can know Jesus, the living Word of God, is through the gospel that is found in the written Word of God!
In conclusion, we've seen some of the attributes of the Word of God.
We saw some of the things that the Word of God does in the lives of men.
We saw that some people have a desire to hear the Word of God.
We saw that some people make good use of the Word of God.
We saw that some men corrupt and mishandle the Word of God.
And finally we saw that Jesus is the Living Word of God.
What does the Word of God mean to you? Do you hear it, and read it, and above all, do you believe it?
Do you believe in Jesus the living Word, who came into the world born of a virgin, to die on the cross for the sins of all who will believe in Him. Do you believe in Jesus as your Lord and Saviour? Do you believe that He died for you, that He was buried in the tomb, and that He rose again from the dead on the third day to save you from your sins?
If not, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved!