Feasting On The Word

FEASTING ON THE WORD

INTRODUCTION: So far we've looked at the account between Jesus and the woman at the well where he offered her living water. Then we looked at Jesus' encounter with the Jews who were following him because he had multiplied the loaves and the fishes. Jesus revealed that he was the bread of life. Today, we'll look at the importance of feasting on God's word.

1) Pure, spiritual milk.

1st Pet. 1:23-2:3, "For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.”

And this is the word that was preached to you. Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good."

We have been born again. Therefore, as a literal newborn baby craves milk, so we too need to crave pure spiritual milk. And, just as a baby grows through taking in nourishment so we too will grow spiritually as we take in nourishment.

We have spent enough time taking in poisonous "nourishment"-resulting in things like malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander. Now it's time to start taking in fresh, pure milk so we can experience the benefits of that nourishment-love, kindness, compassion, honesty, integrity, morality and the like.

"Through the living and enduring word of God". This is an interesting description of the word of God-'living and enduring'. Obviously the pages and ink aren't alive. And eventually this book will wear out and deteriorate. So what makes it living and enduring?

Heb. 4:12, "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

The word of God goes deep; it dissects and it deals with the human pattern of thinking and reasoning. It deals with our human emotions and our negative attitudes. The word of God judges our behaviors and challenges our ideals. It also speaks to our most intimate needs and longings and it shows us what's important.

The word of God is living and active because in dealing with all these things it always stays relevant. The word of God may be thousands of years old but it is always current because the issues and needs of mankind never change. We have always dealt with temptation; we have always had issues like anger. And we have always had the innate desire to love and be loved. And since this will always be the reality the word of God will always be the vital tool we need to deal with it all.

"Word of the Lord stands forever". We humans are strong and durable but in the whole scheme of things we are as fragile as the grass of the field. Today we have beauty and adornment but tomorrow we wither and fall. But the word of God is forever strong; the word of God is forever beautiful. It's strength never fails and its beauty never fades with time.

We can look back to our younger years when we were more vibrant and polished. We had a youthful glow and energy to spare. Now...well, let's just say time is kind to no one. But the word of God is timeless. From the time it was read on scrolls to now it hasn't lost its effect; its impact is felt just as strongly today as it was when it was first passed down. It's just as relevant to mankind today as it was when Hebrews 4:12 was written.

People can try to eliminate the bible but it will never happen. You can trash it, criticize it, ban it and burn it but you will never get rid of it. A little bit of irony for you. "In the midst of the Enlightenment, when deism was spreading rapidly, the famous atheist Voltaire proclaimed that within 25 years the bible would be forgotten and Christianity would be a thing of the past. Forty years after his death in 1778, the Bible and other Christian literature were being printed in what had once been Voltaire's very home."

This is the word of God and it isn't going anywhere. We will do well to listen to it, study it, apply it and live by it. It's in our best interest to be changed by it and if we love and cherish it we'll have what we need, along with the Holy Spirit, to get through anything and everything in our walk of faith. This is how we will "grow up in our salvation".