Hebrews 1:3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
2 Peter 3:5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water,
6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.
7 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
Let’s look at what the Bible tells us here about the Word of God and the stability of the world.
Philosophically speaking, if the Word of God were to fail, existence itself would fail to hold together. I say, “Philosophically speaking,” because God’s word CAN NOT fail. Even trying to imagine what that could be like is to forget and contradict reality and truth.
The Bible teaches us that God’s word is both all powerful as well as absolutely true.
When God gives us His word, there is NO greater assurance. When God makes a promise, we can count on it.
On March 20, 1990 a movement was born called Promise Keepers. Bill McCartney, then football coach of the University of Colorado, and a small group of visionary men began praying and fasting for God to build a ministry to help men become more like Jesus Christ in maturity and personal integrity. The dream found its focus in being like God, who never lies, whose word is always true, whose purposes never fail, and whose promises are absolutely sure. If men who are made in God’s image are to realize our true identity and fulfill our designed purposes in life, we must become men who keep our word and honor our promises. By 1996 there were over 1.1 million men who gathered in stadiums all across the U.S. for two day conferences. Promise Keepers got lots of positive as well as negative attention from just about every quarter. Feminists hated them for not including women, several conservative evangelicals preached against them for being too inclusive.
Whatever anyone thinks about the “Promise Keepers” movement, everyone who knows the Bible can surely agree that God is the ultimate Promise Keeper. Turn with me to Joshua 21:44-45 & 23:14-16.
44 And the LORD gave them rest on every side, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers, and no one of all their enemies stood before them; the LORD gave all their enemies into their hand.
45 Not one of the good promises which the LORD had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.
14 "Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.
15 But just as every good promise of the LORD your God has come true, so the LORD will bring on you all the evil he has threatened, until he has destroyed you from this good land he has given you.
16 If you violate the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, the Lord’s anger will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from the good land he has given you."
Proverbs 30: 5 "Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 6 Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.
God always keeps his promises. In fact, a good little exercise is to go through the Bible and read all the places where God says, “I will…” then go and discover where God did what he said he would do.
One of the places in scripture that is rich in “I will” promises by God is Genesis 17-18. (At least 20 times God says, “I will” or “I will not” here). Turn with me and let’s notice a few of these: (see chapters).
God does not give his promises lightly. All of his words are true. God teaches us to be like him in this and to do the same.
We all know of people who make empty promises but rarely follow through, don’t we? Do you know what that is called? Lying! One of the seven sins God hates is a lying tongue (Prov. 6:17). Indeed, Revelation 21:8 gives us a list of those who will be in hell and listed along with murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers and idolaters, the word of God says, “all liars will be thrown into the lake that burns with fire and brimstone.
When Jesus defined his identity to his disciples in John 14 as the one who is just like the Father, he said, “I am the way, THE TRUTH, and the life…” Later when John writes his letters and describes those who are faithful he says that they are walking in the truth. Paul wrote the churches in Ephesus and Colossi and tells them:
Col. 3:9 – Do not lie to one another…
Eph. 4:25 – put away falsehood and speak the truth to your neighbor…
Eph. 4:15 – speaking the truth in love we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, even Christ…”
God wants his children to be like him. God speaks the truth. That’s what God’s children do too. Except when they don’t…
Who is the first liar in the Bible? Remember? What did he do? We meet him in the third chapter of Genesis. He is the deceiver. He took God’s word and denied it. He basically said that God was NOT speaking the truth, but was withholding things from his children. God had said, “If you eat of the fruit of this tree, you will surely die.” The deceiver and tempter said, “You will NOT surely die, but you will be like God knowing good and evil.” Liar, liar pants on fire!
God’s will for us is to walk in and listen to and live by and speak the truth. This is in part how we know God is our Father, if we walk in truth and love.
Why is it so important that we guard our hearts and minds from the tempter’s lies? Why must we protect our children’s ears and eyes from listening to and looking upon lies? Why? Because our hearts and minds are easily deceived! We are very quick to slip and fall into sin. We have an amazingly terrible tendency to develop a taste for and craving for forbidden fruits… we do it effortlessly, don’t we?
Are you with me?
Lies are dangerous. When we allow ourselves to listen to lies very long we begin to believe them! When we look upon the illusions spun by the liar we begin to want them. When we allow our minds to think about the deceiver’s fabrications we begin to agree with them. Before we know it we begin to live by them, walk in them and speak them. God calls this walking in darkness! We begin to act like and sound like and think like the liar who works to deceive us. By doing so we become his children.
Listen to Jesus in John 8:42-47
42 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me; for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me.
43 "Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word.
44 "You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature; for he is a liar, and the father of lies.
45 "But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me.
46 "Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me?
47 "He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God."
We CAN NOT believe both the liar and the Lord. We CAN NOT serve both the liar and Him who is the Truth. When we listen long enough to lies we are no longer able to hear and accept God’s word of truth! The deceiver works to destroy our faith and our relationship with God. He does so through the deception of lies that deny the true word of God.
Listen, God’s truth in us comes to us through his word… if this is what we are looking at, listening to, learning from, and letting influence us. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ. God calls us to walk in the light and practice his truth. And there are great benefits! If we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin!
God calls us by his word of truth and through the Living Word, Jesus Christ. To all who receive him, who believe on his name, God gives the power to become children of God. He washes us clean, renews our minds, purifies our hearts, fills us with his Holy Spirit, and guides us in the truth. God makes us into children of light. What a glorious gift!
God’s word, which holds the world together, also saves the world from lies and deception and destruction. God has made promises that he has fulfilled to bless us. We can be assured that God’s word is true by observing the promises he has both given and fulfilled and this is especially powerful when we consider the price he has paid to fulfill them.
Think of it! God promised to send us a Savior. God, who can not lie, made this promise knowing what it would cost him. And Jesus came. God’s love and truth are demonstrated most clearly in Jesus Christ.
Michael Card’s song the Promise says it well:
The Lord God said when time was full
He would shine His light in the darkness
He said a virgin would conceive
And give birth to the Promise
For a thousand years the dreamers dreamt
And hoped to see His love
The Promise showed their wildest dreams
had simply not been wild enough
But the Promise showed their wildest dreams
Had simply not been wild enough
Chorus
The Promise was love and the Promise was life
The Promise meant light to the world
Living proof Jehovah saves
For the name of the Promise was Jesus
The Faithful One saw time was full
And the ancient pledge was honored
So God the Son, the Incarnate One
His final Word, His own Son
Was born in Bethlehem
But came into our hearts to live
What more could God have given
Tell me what more did He have to give
What more could God have given
Tell me what more did He have to give
Chorus
The Promise was love and the Promise was life
The Promise meant light to the world
Living proof Jehovah saves
For the name of the Promise was Jesus
At last the proof Jehovah saves
For the name of the Promise was Jesus
Is God true? Can you trust him? When heaven and earth has passed away God’s word will still stand. All of his promises are sure to be fulfilled. He will make it so.
