3/22 – God’s Word is____
I'm pastor Greg I'm also Chaplain Greg at the 110th Wing in Battle Creek Michigan and I'd like to bring a teaching today to you which deals with God's Word. You know we live in a time right now with the pandemic going on that there's a lot of questions a lot of wondering of, “where God are you leading, what are you doing”.
I want you to just think for a second over world history and think about all of the great nations that we've had within our world's history.
We've had the “Hittite” nation, an unknown nation for many years but it was a nation that survived for 300 plus years we had the Egyptian nation that was just an empire we had the Assyrian the Babylonian empires we had the Roman Empire, along with the Mongol, we had the Ottoman Empire the British within our time span there's been the Soviets Union there's been the Chinese the China Empire for so many years and now basically with us America our Empire with our strength and our might
There's a passage of Scripture which comes from Isaiah chapter 2 it says at one point in time all people will beat their swords into plowshares their spears into pruning hooks and nations will not rise
up against each other anymore the time of peace.
We're not at that time yet, but we are at a time that I truly believe God is calling us to get back into His word into studying his word you know if we want to be honest with each other we tend to think we are invincible ---we tend to think we're invincible as a nation we have armaments which are an amazing array of armaments we have airplanes the 110th wing many years ago flew the A-10. I believe one of the greatest airplanes ever flown and still flying the A-10 which has been such a terror against others for our army and the Marines on the ground wherever they are. The 110th right now is involved with the mission for what's called the MQ-9 a very lethal aircraft overseas.
We tend to believe that we are invincible as a nation but we also tend to believe as individuals we are invincible, recently I had a celebration of life service for an individual who have written out a couple of hurricanes down in Florida in their younger years. Right now, we've all seen the news of the Spring Breakers down in Florida and other places thinking they are impervious to the pandemic that's going on.
Invincible--- the reality is none of us are invincible for there is only one. Today we are gonna look at a few points about God's Word and just a few of the ideas that I believe His word has to say to us today.
The first comes from the fact of I grew up as a preacher's kid and heard my father every Sunday, I would hear this passage from Isaiah chapter 40 I'm gonna read a couple of verses but there's only one part of the passage he would always quote Isaiah 40 verse 6 says “a voice cries and I said what shall I cry all people are like grass and their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field the grass withers the flowers fall because the breath of the Lord blows on them surely people are like grass we're not invincible the grass withers”, and this is the part of the verse that my dad always said before he started his sermon his teaching time the----The grass withers the flowers fall but the word of our God endures the word of our God stands it endures forever.
You know friends we may think that this book is just an ancient history writing book just a book to be studied for literature. But the reality is-- the words of this book are alive and they are living and are organic and the words of God stand through all of eternity.
The Old Testament prophet Zechariah said, for it is not by might nor by power but by my spirit says the Lord God Almighty you and I may think we're invincible we are not but we know the one who is invincible the one who has given his word that his word will endure it will stand forever
Jesus Christ himself says in Matthew chapter 5 Jesus says, “do not think that I came to abolish the law I have not I have not come to abolish the law for truly heaven and earth will disappear and not the smallest letter not the least stroke of a pen will be any means disappear until I have accomplished all of it”.
Jesus Christ set out to accomplish all what was recorded in Scripture.
God's word stands.
A second aspect of a point I want to bring out today about God's Word is that God's Word calls us from psalm 46 verse 10 to be still to be still and know that I am God.
To be still--- we tend to be a people today that are running with our kids running with our grandkids our nieces and nephews we run ourselves for sporting events for recreation for entertainment anymore today Sunday's have been crowded out with all of the sporting events that we go to for our children take this time as a time to be still and know that He is God
There's an old writing that was written about 400 years ago called the Heidelberg Catechism it's a Reformed teaching and written in a question and answer format. The first question in thein the in the Catechism is simply what is my only comfort in life and in death?
What is my only comfort --is my comfort that I'm part of the military the greatest military in the world ---No there's my comfort in the fact that I am a local pastor in Kalamazoo and I have an amazing congregation --- that's not my comfort ---is my comfort that I'm married to an amazing wife and have amazing children and grandchildren --- that is not my only comfort ---my only comfort in life and in death is that I am NOT my own so since the Catechism I am NOT my own but I belong and body and soul to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ he has fully paid for my sins by his precious blood and by His Holy Spirit he will assure me of eternal life and he preserves me along the way not a hair can fall from my head without him knowing about it friends God is still in control you can bank on it God is still in control.
I'm doing this video from the room that here at the 110th Wing the chapel offices that we use for worship services this is the old vault, the intel for the pilots ---when we had the a A-10’s it's where everything was secure was locked up, it's a vault and there's a lock up I could stay in here for days and be safe for somebody trying to get in.
This room has changed from the intelligence of the military to a place that we worship in, a place that we seek to be still and know ---again we get pulled in so many different directions today I encourage you so listen to God's Word understand that God's Word always stands understand that God's Word is saying right now be still be still and know that I am God but also God's Word gives to us comfort God's Word brings comfort within our lives
Jesus says peace I leave with you not as the world gives do I give unto you let not your heart be troubled believe in God believe also in me is that awesome it's not what the world has to offer
that gives me peace but the fact that Jesus says I will be with you I will walk with you I will undo all in your life God's Word gives us comfort as Christ lives within our lives God's Word also is alive in Christ
John 1:1 In the beginning was the word and the Word was with God and the Word was God ---logos the word Jesus Christ in the beginning was Jesus Christ in the beginning was the word Jesus Christ and through him all things were made nothing that was made was made without him in him was life and that life was the light of the world
The Apostle Paul says as to us in Colossians chapter 1 for in him all things were made they were created he is before all things and in all things and through him all things hold together no beautiful God's word stands forever God's Word says to us be still and know we are not invincible God is the one for us God's Word says to us I will give you comfort in your heart that's where it says to us my word is alive in Jesus Christ in your life and the last part here I want to just point out about what God's Word is God's Word is final God's Word is final now sometimes when you're in an argument with somebody you want to have the final word friends God has the final word within our lives it's not our nation it's not our politicians it's not our families it's not our bosses it's not even this virus that has the final word friend we know how all of this will end --do I mean do I know how the virus will end no ----I don't ---but what I mean is that the Lord God has all of this -- you and I and all our neighbors has all within the world within His hands we need not fear.
God's Word is final the book of Revelation chapter 22 a couple of different times He says behold I am coming soon blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy verse 12 behold I am coming soon my reward is with me the spirit and the bride say come let him come - come whoever is hungry and thirsty let them come to Jesus Christ ---friends there's a lot of questions going on within the world today a lot of fear a lot of anxiety ----my encouragement to you as my encouragement to myself is to stand on the word of God knowing that God's Word it will stand and endure forever knowing that God's Word calls me to be still and know that He is God and there is no other knowing that God's Word comforts within the loss and the struggles and the loss of jobs and the loss of the finances and the loss of their investments and yet the reality is God brings a comfort Jesus Christ brings a comfort to us and Christ's word is final ---one day I am coming in whether it's in our lifetime or for hundreds of years to come we don't know but what we are called to do is have our heart right with the Lord Jesus Christ in this place in this time amen may the Lord bless you and keep you may he lifts up his grace on your life may he grant you peace and may you seek that quiet time to spend with him, Amen
