The Wonderful Word of God
Chuck Sligh
June 13, 1999
TEXT: Psalm 19:7-11 – “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. 8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. 11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.”
INTRODUCTION
The Bible is a wonderful book. Between its covers are the answers to every problem of the human condition. No book has had the circulation and influence and impact that the Bible has. For centuries the Bible, when it could be put in the hands of the people, has been loved and cherished.
I have been saved for thirty-four years now.
--And through those thirty-four years I have faced some of the most difficult and trying of circumstances and problems.
--I have looked death in the eye as a doctor told me that I had cancer and had only about six weeks to live.
--I have had personal problems of all kinds, just like every one of you here this morning.
--I have had marital problems and thought at one time that there was no way God could ever salvage my marriage.
--I have watched as my wife lost most of the sight in one eye and walked with her through the deep valley of despair as we faced the possibility that she would very probably, unless God intervened, eventually lose her sight completely and irreversibly.
--I have been through the same kinds of suffering that you have over your lifetime.
But I want you to know that the Word of God has always given me guidance, strength to carry on and eventually the answers to all my problems and difficulties.
READ POEM – “My Bible" –
Though the cover is worn,
And the pages are torn,
And though places bear traces of tears,
Yet more precious than gold
Is the Book worn and old,
That can shatter and scatter my fears.
When I prayerfully look
In the precious old Book,
As my eyes scan the pages I see
Many tokens of love
From the Father above,
Who is nearest and dearest to me.
This old Book is my guide,
’Tis a friend by my side,
It will lighten and brighten my way;
And each promise I find
Soothes and gladdens my mind
As I read it and heed it today.
(Author Unknown)
The title of my message today is “The Wonderful Word of God.” As we marvel at this amazing book—this book that comes from God Himself—I would like to draw your attention to eight unique things the Word of God does.—
I. GOD’S WORD STANDS
Verse 7 of our text says that “the Law of the Lord is SURE.” Though skeptics and infidels have sought down through the centuries to destroy the Bible and to belittle the Bible, it STILL stands as the most beloved and treasured book of all history.
Of course, all throughout the Word of God, its indestructibility and permanence is taught:
--Jesus said in Matthew 24:35 – “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”
--Isaiah 40:8 – “The grass withereth; the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand forever.”
--1 Peter 1:25 – “But the word of the Lord endureth forever….”
Martin Luther once wrote:
Mighty potentates have raged against this Book, and sought to destroy and uproot it…Alexander the Great, the princes of Egypt and Babylon, the monarchs of Persia, of Greece, and of Rome, the emperors Julius and Augustus…but they prevailed nothing. They are gone, while the Book remains, and will remain for ever and ever, perfect and entire, as it was declared at first. Who has thus helped it…who has thus protected it against such mighty forces? No one, surely, but God Himself, who is the Master of all things. And ’tis no small miracle how God has so long preserved and protected this Book; for the devil and the world are sore foes to It.
Consider the aggressive hostility towards the Bible by its enemies throughout history:
1. In 303 A. D. Diocletian demanded all Bibles be destroyed by fire. To celebrate his apparent success he ordered medals made with the inscription “The Christian religion is destroyed and the worship of the gods restored.” A short ten years later, Constantine came to the throne and made Christianity the state religion. He offered a reward to any person bringing him a Bible. Within twenty-four hours he had fifty Bibles!
2. In the sixteenth century William Tyndale translated the Bible into English, an illegal activity in England. He was forced to work in Germany, and copies of the translation were smuggled into England in barrels of flour, bales of cloth, and by other means. Thousands of copies were seized and burned only to be replaced by other thousands. Tyndale himself burned at the stake in 1536. His last words were a prayer that the king’s eyes would be opened. Three years later that prayer was answered when Henry VIII ordered the publication of The Great Bible.
3. In the 18th century, the French atheist Voltaire (1694-1778) boasted. “One hundred years from my day there will not be a Bible in the earth except one that is looked upon by an antiquarian curiosity seeker.” Twenty years after the death of Voltaire, the Geneva Bible Society purchased his house for printing the Bible. It later became the Paris headquarters for the British and Foreign Bible Society which stored and distributed Bibles throughout Europe.
4. In this century the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics attempted to eliminate all of the Bible’s influence. Today the U.S.S.R. no longer exists but right now, anyone is Russia can buy a Bible.
Isaiah 40:8 says “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.” Folks, let me tell you something—the Word of God STANDS.
II. GOD’S WORD STICKS
Note – Isaiah 55:11 – “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”
You can be sure that though we do not always see immediate results, the Word of God sticks. In the Bible, the Word of God is likened to a seed. When you plant a seed, you don’t see a plant grow the very next day. No, the seed must first die…then take root…then break through the ground…then slowly grow for many weeks or months. THEN finally the plant bears fruit.
The Apostle Paul tells us much the same thing about the Word of God in 1 Corinthians. He said that in the Corinthian church he planted the Word of God in their hearts, Apollos watered it, and God gave the increase. Paul was just stating that the Word of God does not just take root in a heart overnight. Rather, it must be planted, and watered and nurtured. And just because you do not see immediate results in your witnessing efforts does not mean that God’s Word will not eventually have its intended effect.
The Word of God sticks. Have faith in that truth. Witness with confidence that it is true. When you talk to people about Christ, GIVE THEM THE WORD! (EXPAND)
God’s Word STANDS and it STICKS.
III. GOD’S WORD STABS
Note Hebrews 4:12 – “For the word of God is quick [that means “alive”] and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of should and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
We often tease about the preacher preaching and him “steping on our toes.”
Illus. – I like what Bill Maki said last week when I told you that Susan said I was too hard on you one Sunday after I had preached. After the service, Bill said to me “Pastor, don’t you worry about that sermon one bit. There are three things I can’t stand:
--Cold oatmeal (porridge),…
--A dumb dog,…
--And a preacher who won’t step on my toes when I need it!
I like that.
When we talk like that, what we’re really saying is that the Word of God is such a powerful tool to bring conviction to our hearts and it helps us to grow in the Lord.
The Word of God STABS….
--You may be all distraught and disturbed and worried about something, and while you’re having your devotions, you read in Philippians, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made know unto God”
Then all of a sudden the Holy Spirit STABS you with His Word and you are convicted of the sin of worry. So you turn your worries over to God and find peace.
Why does this happen so much? Because the Word of God STABS.
--You may be struggling with some sin or habit and you don’t want to believe that it’s wrong. But then the preacher reads the Word of God and it says in 1 Thessalonians – “Abstain from all appearance of evil,” and again in 1 Corinthians: “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
Then the Holy Spirit STABS you with His Word, and conviction and guilt fill your soul and you are motivated with a righteous, holy motivation to change that area out in your life and get victory over that sin or habit. That happens because the Word of God is a sword—and it STABS.
Praise God, the Bible is ALIVE (“quick”)! Praise God, the Bible is POWERFUL! Praise God, the Bible is SHARP AND PIERCING—and it STABS! Not only does the Word of God STAND and STICK and STAB…
IV. GOD’S WORD STEERS
Look at two verses in Psalm 119 (EXPAND ON EACH AS LED):
--Verse 105 – “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
--Verse 130 – “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.”
So we have seen four things about God’s Word:
--It STANDS
--It STICKS
--It STABS
--It STEERS
V. GOD’S WORD STIRS
1. God’s Word stirs us to salvation – Romans 10:17 – “So then, faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.”
2. God’s Word stirs the believer to live for God and live righteously and to strive for maturity.
--2 Timothy 3:16-17 – “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect (mature), throughly furnished unto all good works.”
--Psalm 119:9 – “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word.”
The Word of God: it STANDS, STICKS, STABS, STEERS and STIRS.
VI. GOD’S WORD STILLS
Look at Psalm 119:50 – “This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened (made alive) me.”
When you are distraught, just take the Word of God and let it calm and still and reassure your soul. (EXPAND AS LED)
VII. GOD’S WORD STRENGTHENS
Psalm 119:28 – “My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word.”
It strengthens us in trouble. It strengthens us in spiritual battle.
VIII. GOD’S WORD STABILIZES
Psalm 1:2-3 – “But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”
A person who lives in the Word of God in promised to be stable and balanced and secure.
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WHAT WE SHOULD DO WITH THE WORD OF GOD:
1. LISTEN TO IT (Because it has authority)
2. READ IT
--Daily
--Systematically
3. BELIEVE IT
Num. 24:19 – “God is not man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
If God says it, just believe it. If God says Jonah was swallowed by a big fish—believe it! (If God said Jonah swallowed the big fish, I would still believe it!)
If the Bible says that God created the earth and all of life in seven days, then believe it.
If Jesus says the only way to heaven is through Him and His work on the Cross, and no amount of good works will ever get you there—believe it!
If Jesus said that if you trust in Him you will have everlasting life and can never, ever lose your salvation, then believe it.
4. RECEIVE IT
Thess. 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.”
5. INTERNALIZE IT
--Through reading the Bible
--Through Bible memory
--Through Bible meditation
6. OBEY IT
If God says it, just DO it.
--If God says that as soon as you are saved, you should be baptized, don’t say, “Well, let me pray about it.” You never pray about what God has already commanded. If God says to be baptized, then BE BAPTIZED!
--If God says to witness for Christ, don’t say, “Well, that’s just not my personality.” JUST DO IT!
--If God says to not forsake the assembling of yourselves together—church attendance—then don’t say, “Well, I’m just so tired after working all day on Wednesday. I need time to rest.” JUST DO IT!
Learn to live in instant obedience to the Lord.
7. SHARE IT
The Bible is such a wonderful book.
--It has such a wonderful message (EXPAND ON SALVATION).
--What an awful crime to keep it to ourselves.
We need to share the message of this wonderful book.
