The Importance of God's Word

[00:00:00] This audio sermon is provided by AnabaptistSermons.com and may be freely copied and distributed. You may not sell or edit this sermon. Our prayer is that you would be blessed by this ministry. Before we get started, let's pray. Lord, we thank you again for this time that we have together. Lord, we ask that your Holy Spirit would come down and be here among us. [00:00:30] And we thank you that he is here. And Lord, we pray that you would open up our eyes, open up our ears and our hearts. and help us to know what you want us to know. Help us to see the word of God for how you want us to see it. I just pray that you would be here, continue to be here with us in our service. In Jesus' name, Amen. [00:01:07] We have a lot of scripture to cover. and I was telling my children this morning this will be a good test for if you know all the books of your Bible because I think there's like, if you can see, there's like 15 of these little green stickers so we'll be moving all over. For you that are holding children, sorry, you can just listen. And maybe we don't need to turn to all of them. [00:01:40] I was going to talk about the importance of God's Word, and then I was going to talk about, at the same, maybe a little later, the importance of taking God's Word and sharing it, whether it's with your neighbor or whether it's across the world. I had to think of the difference between a stay-at-homer or a sender, talking about going forth into all the world. [00:02:20] But as I started studying, I soon learned that there's no way I can do all of that. I can't even cover the whole, when you start thinking about and trying to explain from scripture what is the word of God, how do we see it, you know what all is it, what all does it do, what all can it do, what kind of power does it have So, I feel like this morning I want to show you the orchard. [00:02:56] Not just bring an apple to you. You know, look down over here. Here's an orchard. You go in there and you find what you can find. And I'm thinking of an orchard that you can't see the end of. That's how I see God's Word. Hopefully it's not confusing and we're skipping all around here and there. So I pray that I know that the Holy Spirit will need to be here because it's just a feeble mouth that I have that I'm trying to explain [00:03:29] but the Holy Spirit can work here. What does the Word of God mean to you? If you take a little bit, a little bit of time, And just think in your own mind, what does the Word of God mean to you? This book right here, what is this to you? Just another book, or is it something you've always grown up with? What does it mean to you? What does it mean to me? How important is it to me? Do we actually... [00:04:04] I guess I can't do that. Do we actually need this book? And I had to think Wednesday night, Jim was talking about eating God's word and Carrie had a question. Can we actually eat? I forget exactly her question, but what do you mean eat the word of, what is all that? And I had to think, how true is that? [00:04:34] You know, if we would only eat our physical food, how much we eat our spiritual food, how healthy would we be? I had to think of these, I read a story, a book one time about these missionaries who got captured hostage and they didn't treat them good and they barely fed them and they lost tons of weight and they had a running belly and they were sick all the time and they weren't eating right. and my mom found out that I was fasting there for a while and she's doing you have to eat you know or you're gonna you know it's not healthy if you don't eat and then I thought am I eating God's Word as much as I do I spend as much time eating God's Word as I spend eating physical food and what happens if we don't eat right we get sick we're not healthy [00:05:34] and how much more important and here we are, we're feeding a body that is going to perish. We want to keep this body healthy but it's going to fade away. And how much more important is it to read this word and to be spiritually healthy. So, my prayer is that the Holy Spirit stirs up this huge desire in us for more of God's food, more of God's Word. [00:06:15] I even thought, I know that gluttony is a sin, but do we eat so much of God's Word that people think of us as gluttons? You know, and I also have to think, a lot of times I have to tell the boys, don't take such big bites. I've told Brittany already that too. You know, how much are we eating? Can people tell we're eating a lot? You know, okay. Jeremiah, God's word, obviously, and maybe we all know this and that's great, [00:06:51] But God's Word teaches us how to know God. Jeremiah 9. How fast can you get to Jeremiah? And it's just a couple of verses here and there, but it's good practice to go from book to book. Jeremiah 9, 23 and 24. Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom. let not the mighty man glory in his might [00:07:22] nor let the rich man glory in his riches but let him who glories glory in this that he understands and knows me that I am the Lord exercising loving kindness and judgment and righteousness in the earth for in this I delight. So the only way we can glory and I had to think how we in today's world You know, we want wisdom, but we can't glory in wisdom. [00:07:54] We want might, we want riches, and we pursue after that American dream. But the only way that we can really glory is that we understand and we know God. Now, this knowledge of God doesn't come naturally. What do we know naturally? We're sinners. Romans 3 says there is none righteous, no, not one. But we all, Romans 1, I thought I wrote it down, I think it's 19 or 20 or something, [00:08:34] tells us how we all know that God exists. Maybe I should turn to it, but we won't have a lot of time. We all know that God exists, but is that the same thing as knowing God? I mean, you know who the president is, but you don't know him personally. You would have to spend time with him, and we all know that scenario, that story. So just because God made every creature to know who he is, it doesn't mean that we know him personally. [00:09:05] And we need God's word to know him personally. I want to turn to John 17. Verse 3 And this is eternal life that they may know you the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. That's eternal life. Knowing God. Plain and simple. [00:09:42] I had to think of the psalmist where he says Oh the unsearchable riches you know sometimes when you're studying if you really think about could we ever know God I mean yeah we could know him that's not what I'm talking about I'm talking about knowing him fully can you know everything about him you know these guys who have been studying I think of Keith Daniels and some of these guys who've been studying God's word for years and years, 30, 40 years, I don't know how long. [00:10:22] And yet, they would probably say, I can imagine, I don't know for sure, that there's still things that they're learning. You know, like they're unsearchable. We'll never get there. But yet, because we know that, we need to continue to search. Ephesians 1 verse 13 Ephesians 1 verse 13 [00:10:54] In Him you also trusted after you heard the word of truth the gospel of your salvation in whom also having believed you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise after we heard the word of truth The gospel of our salvation. It's ours. From hearing the word of truth. And then Romans 10, 17 what was brought up on the video. So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Do we believe that? [00:11:26] Of course we do. So if we believe that, why wouldn't we spend more time into His Word? That's why I ask, how important is God's Word to me? How do I see it? If we hear God's Word and that's where our faith comes from, why wouldn't I just pour myself into it more and more? Okay, there's three illustrations that the word is used to bring salvation. [00:12:00] James 1.18 James 1.18 says, Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, by his word, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. And also if we think of the parable in Luke 8, the parable of the sower and the seed, it says I think in verse 10 or 11 or something it says that the seed is the word of God. [00:12:42] and how we need that implanted seed in our life for salvation. He brought us forth by the word of truth that we may be a kind of first fruits. We can have a new life in Him. The other illustration that is used is Ephesians 5 verse 26. that he might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word. [00:13:29] He's talking about the church. We are cleansed and we are sanctified by his word. And then 2nd Timothy 3 verse 15 says, And that from a child thou hast known the Scriptures. You think of this, I had to think of this for myself. From a child I have known the Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus. [00:14:00] 1 Peter 1, verse 22 and 23 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth Oh, so we not only need to hear the word, but we need to obey it. Okay. Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart having been born again not of corruptible seed but incorruptible back to the parable of the sower incorruptible seed that's his word through the word of God which lives and abides forever and then verse 25 but the word of the Lord endures forever it's incorruptible [00:14:53] Another thing about God's Word, turn to Hebrews 4, very familiar verse. How well do we know God and how much are we pursuing Him? You know, God pursues us. He gives us His Word and here it says that the Word of God is living, powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. [00:15:41] What all does that mean to you? To me it means that we are wide open before God. His Word pierces us, divides us, looks us over. Sometimes we feel, I know I felt, man, that preacher is really stepping on my toes. It's not the preacher, it's the Word of God piercing me and laying me open. And I'm wide open to God. He's looking me over. And it's such a, you know, I feel so unworthy. [00:16:16] I'm just a little ant, you know, why would God pursue me? Why would He be jealous of me? So we know that God's Word leads us to salvation. But then we need to get to know Him. I want to turn to John chapter 8, verse 47, He who is of God hears God's word, therefore you do not hear because you are not of God. [00:17:09] Verse 51, if anyone keeps my word, he shall never see death. 52, if anyone keeps my word, he shall never taste death. Verse 55, I do not know him, but I do know him and keep his word. That's Jesus talking. We need to continue in God's word. Once we've known it, we need to continue, we need to grow, we need to read. I want us to see the importance and maybe it's a whole thing of taking God's word for granted. [00:17:48] I know that growing up in a Christian home, and most of us here have, and always having a Bible from little on up, and pretty soon it's something that's always there. and you know I have salvation now I'm living for God but for me you know the Bible just sat there read it maybe you know Sunday morning a little bit maybe not even read my Bible read my quarterly and there was a few scripture in there but you know I could I could say that [00:18:36] Was I alive even spiritually? You know, if I would have only eaten but once a week, it wouldn't be this big. I would have been thin, unhealthy. What have I even been living if I would have eaten that much physical food? James 1 Let's turn there real quick. [00:19:15] James 1, 21 Therefore, lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted Word. which is able to save your souls. We just found that out. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror. For he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. [00:19:48] But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty, and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. Amen. I want to go back to 1 Peter again. I should have told you to keep your fingers stuck there. 1 Peter chapter 2. therefore laying aside all malice all deceit hypocrisy envy and all evil speaking as newborn babes desire the pure milk of the word why why desire that we may grow thereby if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious [00:20:45] desire. Do I desire it? Do you desire it? Do we desire the pure milk of the word? Job 23 verse 12 says, I have not departed from the commandment of his lips. I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my necessary food. I had to think of this so many times When I'm always looking, sometimes I look at the clock, what time is it about time to eat yet? [00:21:20] Always look at the clock, always looking for the next meal, you know. Am I always looking, you know, do I desire, treasure the words of his mouth more than my necessary food? Is that my life? Am I looking for the next time I can get a little morsel of God's word? Do I keep it with me? You know, I had to think of these onions, you know, you eat too many onions and garlic, you kind of take it with you all day long. You know, is that the way God's Word is in our life? [00:21:53] We always meditate on it, day and night. You know, do we just soak it up, eat it, and it just is in us? You know, and as we eat it and as it's in us, it's going to flow out of us. Rivers of living water. Let's go to Deuteronomy chapter 8. Verse 3. [00:22:36] So he humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know. that he might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. Jesus repeated that in Matthew, I think it was, chapter 4. He quoted that. We can't live by bread alone. We have to live by every word. [00:23:08] And I think that word every is kind of key. Sometimes we want to only listen to part of the Scripture. and not really the whole scripture. It says every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. Verse 6, Therefore ye shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God to walk in His ways and to fear Him. Verses 7 through 10 talks about the Lord, [00:23:40] for the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land. And I had to think of us here in the States, how we are in a good land. We have good jobs. We have enough money. And then verse 11 says, Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments and His statutes which I command you today. I know that God really didn't promise us this land, maybe. But He put us here. [00:24:14] We have many riches, we have a lot of things to be thankful for, we could spend hours, but yet we continue to live on our way as if we can, and we've talked about this at home, as if we can support ourselves, as if we don't need God. You know, I know I've said before, when was the last time that I had to pray for food? Lord, we don't have any money, we have no food in the fridge, no food in the freezer, where's our food going to come from? It's so easy to depend on ourselves that we just push the Word of God off. [00:24:46] You know, we don't really need that. We don't need God. We don't need His Word. Because we can support ourselves. Here we are living in this land flowing with milk and honey. We don't need His Word. That's why years ago, that's where the Bible sat. I did it. Why did I do it? Why did I even read His Word? Well, to pick it up and know a little bit, something about Sunday school before I go to church. Man, that's sad. What kind of a Christian is that? [00:25:18] Man, we would... Shame on me. Verses 19 and 20 Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify you against this day that you shall surely perish. As the nations which the Lord destroys before you, so you shall perish [00:25:50] because you would not be obedient to the voice of the Lord your God. How many idols are there today? I heard a preacher say one time, it doesn't matter, you don't need to know anything about watching birds to further his kingdom. and that's getting kind of you know when we come home from work what do we read right away what do we think about all day long by the way does anybody know who's playing in the final four of the NC March Madness thing I have no idea you know what are we where's our interests interests plural what are we what are we pursuing [00:26:38] Pursuing, and look at this life, how, you know, we're here for a short time, pursuing all these things that are going to fade away, and our Bible sits there, I'm talking to myself when I say our, you know, and praise the Lord for what He is doing in our lives, and I know that many of us have come a long way and I praise the Lord for that. Um, I thought about reading all of Psalms 119, 176 verses, but I would challenge you to read through Psalms 119 and try to keep in mind, is this my heart? Is Psalms 119 my heart? [00:27:29] read through it once a week read through it once a day once a day would be great is Psalms 119 my heart? is it your heart? verse 103 says how sweet are thy words unto my taste yea sweeter than honey to my mouth I love honey on bread my boys they put it on to runs all over the place Anabaptist, honey is nice, but is God's word sweeter than that? You just crave it. You know, I bought Verba one of these big fat Reese's cup peanut butter bars, you know. Oh my word, your mouth just looks at that, even looks at the paper and it waters, you know. You know, is that how we look at God's word? Oh, we just want more. [00:28:22] I also wanted to read Deuteronomy chapter 6, I think. And this is kind of to the parents, but yet we can, for those of us, oh, those of you that aren't married, we can apply it to that too. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. [00:28:54] Amen. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart, not just in your head. I know I've said this before. It's different. It can be in your head. You can have all the knowledge you want. You just have to apply it to your heart. Is it in your heart? You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. [00:29:25] You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Now, I was thinking, in order to talk of them all that time, whether you're sitting or walking or lying down or when you rise up, if you're always looking for a spot where we can interject God's Word into our children, that means they've got to be in our mind all the time. [00:29:56] And if we read God's Word every three days, once every three days, how can they be in our mind by the third day or by the second day? These words which I command you shall be in your heart. We need to read God's Word and have it in our hearts. I want to go to Jeremiah 15 for a verse. Verse 16 Your words were found and I ate them, I ate them, [00:30:28] and your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart. What a joy and rejoicing of my heart were God's words. For I am called by your name, O Lord God of hosts. Ezekiel, chapter 2. Right after lamentations. Ezekiel, chapter 2, verse 8. [00:31:01] Do some of your parents have a problem with feeding your children? Sometimes they just pinch their mouth shut and they don't want to eat. Rebellious little kid, eat your food, you know. You can get them a swat because they're being rebellious, you know. Ezekiel chapter 2 verse 8 says, But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. [00:31:32] Open your mouth and eat what I give you. Now, how are we to eat even if we don't read? You know, how can God give us His Word if we don't get into His Word? Otherwise, we won't have anything to eat anyways. But as God gives us His Word, as we study, as we pray, Lord, show me something. I'm begging you. Show me just one. Give me one little morsel. I'm hungry. And then as God shows you something, hey, Dwayne, you got to stop doing this and start doing this. [00:32:10] I'm not eating that part. As God gives this to us, obey. Eat it. Take it to heart. I was going to talk about giving God's word also. And chapter 3 kind of goes with that in Ezekiel there. Verse 1, Moreover he said to me, Son of man, eat what you find. [00:32:42] Eat this scroll and go speak to the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth and he caused me to eat that scroll. And he said to me, Son of man, feed your belly and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you. So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey and sweetness. Then he said to me, Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them. For you are not sent to a people of unfamiliar language and of hard language, but to the house of Israel. How easy should it be? Hello, we've got people all around us that know English. Take it to them. [00:33:13] Show it to them. We're not going to the country where we have to learn, study for two, three years a new language, which that's part of going into all the world too but I'm saying do what we can do. Be filled. Eat God's Word. Send it. Give it. I want to go back to John 8. I think, yeah. If I were to ask if you are His disciple, what would you say? [00:33:49] Well, yeah, I'm His disciple. Verse 31 says, Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, If you abide in My Word, what does it mean to you to abide in something? If you abide in My Word, you are My disciples. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. The importance of abiding. If we're not abiding in Christ, are we His disciples? [00:34:25] You know, I've noticed throughout the years, as I'm not abiding in God's Word, I will backslide. I backslide every time. Backslid every time. Sorry, Britt. Every time I wasn't in God's Word, I backslid. And check your life one time. See if that's true for you. I know it's true for me, every time. Once I push God's word off and set it over here, I backslide. [00:34:59] And this is Jesus saying this, if you abide in my word, you are my disciples. So if we want to be his disciples, what must we do? We must abide in his word. Go to John 14, over a couple of pages. Verse 23, [00:35:34] And Jesus answered and said to him, If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, And my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Verse 26, But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. You know, sometimes we're worried about sharing God's Word. [00:36:07] When I say worried, you know, we're kind of scared. and we talk about it at home you know the reason part of the reason why we're scared is we're afraid that they'll ask a question we don't know how to answer it so what more reason here we call ourselves Christians why would we just bury ourselves in this like Leon was saying and know God's word bury ourselves in this stuff this stuff makes it sound like it's just stuff it's God's living word it's alive it's powerful [00:36:40] John 1, I'll read it, I know, I know it, I could probably say it. In the beginning was the Word, and if you go over to 14 already, he says that the Word became flesh. We know that the Word he's talking about here is Jesus. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. Um, as you read down, I won't read the whole thing, but if you would interchange Jesus, the word, life, and light, just interchange, put any one of those words in there, I think it would fit. [00:37:25] But anyways, um, I forget what I was going to say now. Um, shoot. Oh, yes. So we're kind of scared to go out and talk to people about Christ and showing them the plan of salvation because maybe we'll forget something. But here it says that the Holy Spirit will be with you and will bring to remembrance all things that He teaches you. And so we can be scared if we're not filling our minds with that. [00:37:59] If we're not, you know, how can we remember something that's not in our minds or that's not in our hearts? The Holy Spirit can't bring it to mind if we never put it in there in the first place. So we have to fill ourselves with God's Word. And then the Holy Spirit will bring to memory so we don't even have to worry. So our whole thing in taking God's Word is... We've got to put it in our hearts first. We have to read and study. Then I want to read chapter 15, 1 to 11 of John. [00:38:34] We all know that chapter 15 is talking about abiding in Him. I am the true vine and my Father is the vinedresser. By the way, if we would live what Deuteronomy is saying, and we're just talking about God's Word all the time, and you know anytime we sit down with somebody we want to know what they're reading from and you know maybe sometimes you're with a group of people and there's just a few Christians and you go over to that Christian and hey what have you been reading about you just sit there and you have your conversation these people around what the world they're talking about the Bible here we're supposed to be having a good time and you know what would they call you there's a very popular word out there good grief they're radicals you know right away they're radicals sometimes [00:39:31] Sometimes you should look up in Webster what the word radical means. I think Denny said back to basics, which, you know, that's basically what it means, but it means original. You know, go to the root. You know, here we have the vine, and we are branches. If we're not connected to the vine, you know, we're not radicals. And here we are to be radicals. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that bears fruit he prunes that it may bear more fruit. [00:40:11] You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. You know, could you say, abide in the word? Since Jesus is saying this, he's the word, can you say, abide in the word, and I in you, You as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine. I can't bear fruit of myself. I have to abide in the Word. I have to abide in the vine. Neither can you unless you abide in me. [00:40:43] I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit, for without me you can't do anything. If anyone does not abide in me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered. In other words, we're not eating enough. We're just going to wither away. Skinny as all get out and unhealthy, we're just going to wither away. And they gather them and throw them into the fire and they are burned. [00:41:14] If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you. Maybe that's why some of our prayers don't get answered. And that's a long discussion and we need to abide in Him. By this, my Father has glorified that you bear much fruit, so you will be my disciples. As the Father loved me, I also have loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love. [00:41:47] These things I have spoken to you that my joy may remain in you and that your joy may be full. Amen. A lot of people looking for happiness out there in the world. You think of the different things. I remember as a boy we'd have something scheduled with the family and oh this is going to be fun. You know, we talk about fun quite a bit at home. This is going to be fun. We're going to go to... We used to go to Wisconsin Dells quite a bit. You know, that was fun and it brought... Boy, it made us happy, you know. But we need to be looking for joy. And how do we get joy? It's abiding in the vine. Obeying God's word. I want to close... I want to read Psalms 1. [00:42:45] In closing, real quick, Psalms 1, Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the paths of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season [00:43:17] Whose leaves also shall not wither and whatever he does shall prosper The ungodly are not so but are like the chaff which the wind drives away Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous for the Lord knows the way of the righteous but the way of the ungodly shall perish. So if we want to be a tree planted by the rivers of water [00:43:49] and we want to bring forth fruit we have to delight in His law and meditate on it day and night. How important is God's Word to you? How important is it to me? What impact has it made in your life? I think I'll close with that. I pray that you, that we, have a greater desire for God's Word. [00:44:21] What all does it hold? There's so many things. There's so many verses to skip over about what God's Word is and what it's like and what it does and the power of it. Check it out. Go down in that orchard You just dig around and you find them beautiful apples. Praise the Lord.