The Most Important Lesson I Could Ever Teach

Listen as I read a verse this week. I think it was Tuesday or whatever, and I was just alone reading this verse. And I just- No, it was Monday, and I just started bawling. I couldn’t get it out of my head. It was Isaiah Chapter 66 verse 2. It says this: “All these things my hand has made,”- this is God speaking-“and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.” [Isaiah 66:2 ESV] “This is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit…” And that hit me. I thought, ‘Gosh, the humility, the contriteness in spirit, is that really what I am known as, and who I really am, who God knows me as?’ But the phrase that really killed me was, “and trembles at my word.” Do I tremble at His Word? On that mountain, I would have trembled as I heard the Words coming out of that cloud, and you would also. But do I carry that same type of respect for His Word? Do I believe that’s really His Word to where it would be just like me on the mountain? And Him telling me, like we’ve been studying the last few weeks, make every effort to pursue this brotherly love, to pursue this perseverance and steadfastness, to pursue the self-control. Those are the Words of God. I ought to tremble at that. This is the underlying issue here. Sometimes, I feel like some of you have come and reading the Word of God isn’t enough for you. Now I have to convince you. It’s almost like I know that’s what it says, but give me a reason why I should do that. Isn’t it enough that it’s just in there, and it’s the very Words of God? And we should just tremble and say, ‘Ok, I’m going to go, and I’m going to do that. Or do you need someone to talk you into it and give you ten reasons why it’s going to work out better in your life if you do it this way? There ought to be a respect for God’s Word where we just tremble at it. And I noticed myself. I read it. I study it. I memorize it, but do I tremble at it and really take it literally as the Words of God to where my life is going to change because of it? That’s my prayer for us is that we wouldn’t be so dependent on podcasts or whatever else or a certain person’s speaking, but that each of you when I’m gone it’s really not that big a deal. You can read the Word of God for yourself. You can recall these things, and you tremble at His Word no matter who teaches it. That’s my prayer.

What were going to do right now is we’re going to just throw some verses on the screen. I’m not going to explain them to you. I just want you to take them as the very Words of God. Picture yourself on the mountain. Picture yourself on the mountaintop. Jesus’ face is shining. Moses and Elijah are standing there. A bright cloud envelops you. You hear the Voice of God saying this is My Son. I love Him. Do what He says, and then, you hear Jesus speaking these words. Let’s learn to tremble at His Words. And if during this time you realize, ‘Wow, there are a lot of things in God’s Word I haven’t followed, and I haven’t trembled. Then you need to pray with someone and get that right. Maybe some of you will even think, ‘I don’t know, do I want to be baptized and repent.’ We’re so casual about His Word. If you haven’t obeyed Him, tremble at- I don’t need to talk you into it. Maybe you’re thinking, ‘Well, maybe there’ll be a time when it’s easier, and there’s only a couple of people in church, and we can…’ versus just saying, ‘God’s Word told me to do that; I’m doing it. That’s that. That’s it. You don’t need to talk me into anything.’ If you want to pray, if you want to be baptized, if you need to just confess some things to someone, there’ll be people up here in the prayer room, but for the rest of us, let’s just look at His Word, and let’s tremble at it.