Take Him at His Word 12 April 2012

Women & More Take Him at His Word 12 April 2012 Gerald Voth from Walton, Kansas, posed a question to syndicated columnist, Marilyn Van Sant, involving words in the English language: How far back in time could an English-speaking person travel and still understand the language? he asked. Her answer was as follows: Not so far. This is because the majority of words in modern English have foreign (meaning not English) roots. On the other hand, about half of the words we use most often have Old English roots. Middle English came next, and that s about as far back as we could understand, although with great difficulty. If you traveled to London in 1597 and attended a performance of Shakespeare s The Merry Wives of Windsor, written in early Modern English, I doubt that you d find yourself rolling in the aisles. You might call it Much Ado About Nothing. Words of every language originate, evolve and over time change meaning, sometimes enough so as to be obsolete. Dictionaries are continuously updated, and reprinted every so many years to reflect changes. But there is a WORD that stands firm forever: The Word of the Living God! Psalm 119:89 Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. We re talking about 1) God s spoken Word of creation Let there be and 2) his written Word of law, history, prophecy, poetry and promise, 3) the Living Word Jesus Christ, the One and Only, beloved Son of God and 4) the God-breathed Word of the Holy Spirit. In God s word we find that What God says is always true because it is the Truth! What God says has been done has been done! What God says will happen will yet happen! What God says he will do he will do! It s not over til it s over is restated: It s not over until God says, It s over! God s word is inspired, immutable and eternal. Heaven and earth will pass away, but his word will remain. God spoke to Moses through a burning bush and to Balaam through a donkey. He wrote his word on tablets of stone, on a palace wall and engraved our names in the palm of his hand (Isaiah 49:16a). Jesus The Word wrote a New Testament Who-done-it? in the soil. God s Word is Powerful, Penetrating, Published, Purposeful, Promising, Proclaimed, Plentiful, Pardoning and Planned! Discipleship (Followship) Ministry

2 All these words are true of God s Word because they are true of God: the All Powerful Penetrator and Publisher, the Purposeful, Promising God, who Proclaims Himself to be God of Plentiful mercy, grace and love, Pardoning sinners who repent and all of this from the Eternal Planner! Exodus 34:1-2 The Lord said to Moses, Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets which you broke. 2Be ready in the morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai. Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain. Isaiah 55:11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. Habakkuk 2:1 I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint. Romans 4:21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. Titus 1:2-3 a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, 3 and at his appointed season he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior. How is it that we re more often able to trust God for our eternal souls destination, while we struggle with trusting Him for the here and now daily situations? We either trust God or we don t. The sad simple truth is that if we find ourselves unable to say, God I trust you your word says it and I believe it with all of my heart then we are in the ditch of doubt and displeasing to him (Hebrews 11:6). When we can say to the omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent God, I guess I just don t trust You, then we need to question whether we really truly know him at all! At one stage of Christian experience we cannot believe unless we have some sign or some great manifestation of feeling. May God give us faith to fully trust His Word though everything else witness the other way. C. H. P. God will not give feeling to enable us to trust him; God gives feeling only when he sees that we trust him apart from all feeling when we re trusting in his Word, and resting on his faithfulness to keep his promises. We can have full confidence in our God, and in every bit of His Word. We must choose to trust God and His Word completely to take him at his word in every situation, because we cannot be half-in and half-out. When the most incredible thing in the world was proposed to the virgin teenage girl, Mary, she did not hesitate but proclaimed in Luke 1:38 Be it unto me according to thy Word. And it was.

3 What is the reason that some people hear God s word proclaimed and/or read his written word and believe, while others do not? God s own Word provides the answer in Jesus Parable of the Soils in Matthew 13:3-23. That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3Then he told them many things in parables, saying: A farmer went out to sow his seed. SONG: The Seed is the Word of God. The Seed is the Word of God. The Seed is the Word of God The WORD of God! The farmer (sower) is God, and the seed is His Word notice that the goodness and effectiveness of the Sower and His Seed are never in question. But the soils are, so we will need to search through the four soils described and determine which soil will define us? Prayerfully we are the good soil described, but it s up to us to be that soil! This is our lesson: We must choose to Take Him at His Word to be the good soil to take in the precious seed, and to allow nothing to interfere with taking it in! 4 As he was scattering the seed, 1) some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up (not allowing truth to penetrate). 2) 5Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root (receiving truth in a thoughtless way). 3) 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants (no room for the truth life has too many other commitments). 4) 8Still other seed fell on good soil (prepared soil), where it produced a crop a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9He who has ears, let him hear. 10 The disciples came to him and asked, Why do you speak to the people in parables? 11 He replied, The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 13This is why I speak to them in parables: Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. (One of the functions of a parable is to conceal truth, or at least present it in a veiled way mine.) 14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. (Why is that going to be so? mine.) 15 For this people s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. (What if they chose not to be calloused? mine.) Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.

4 Now Jesus is going to speak personally to all of his disciples including us and we want to listen up and listen closely to see what he says of us. 16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. (We are seeing and hearing through the Son of God the Living Word the secrets of the Kingdom of God. And Jesus teaches us all what the parable means mine.) 18 Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. (1) in verse 4 mine.) 20The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places (2) in verse 5 mine.) is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21But since he has no root he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. 22The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns (3) in verse 7 mine.) is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. 23But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil (4) in verse 8 mine.) is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. We re not to be content with excuses like: That s just the type of soil I am; I can t help it. Hebrews 6:7-8 is sobering: Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is formed receives the blessing of God. 8But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned. If the good soil of our soul receives the Word of God are we done? Do we need to remain diligent? Yes! Why stay in God s Word and fortify our call through a close and abiding walk? Why should we be in Sunday school, Bible studies and the Women & More mentoring study? Let s examine Jesus further Parable of the Weeds in Matthew 13:24-30: 24 Jesus told them another parable: The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. 27 The owner s servants came to him and said, Sir, didn t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from? 28 An enemy did this, he replied. The servants asked him, Do you want us to go and pull them up? 29 No, he answered, because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. 30Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.

5 The primary purpose of studying God s Word is to know God! Often God allows trials in our lives to send us to His Word: Psalm 119:67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word. What will be our response to God s Word? Hebrews 4:12-13 records, For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. God holds us accountable for our words of response, as well, taking heed to and blessing our words of faith and condemning our words of faithlessness. In Daniel 10:12 Scripture says: Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. Daniel had set his mind to gain understanding. That is exactly what we need to do. We need to speak words of faith and trust in God. Matthew 12:36-37 But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned. We would be entirely remise if we did not speak of the Living Word and how John described him in John 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He (the Word mine.) was with God in the beginning. 3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of men. Verse 14 says The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. Jesus Christ is the Word! When we receive the Word of God, fully, we receive the Lord Jesus Christ because he is the living, creating, providing, sustaining Word of God! The Word of God, though accessible to us today, available to us today, may not be very soon. We need to know God s Word, to hide it in our hearts, to feast on it daily that we would not be turned away. The same Prophet Amos who said in 4:12b prepare to meet your God, O Israel, had further warning for them in 8:11-12 The days are coming, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I will send a famine through the land not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD.12Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it. That day is coming for us, as the last days fast approach we are nearer than we were yesterday, and so much nearer than when Amos prophesied. Psalm 119:49 Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope. Ian Leitch quote: We are not on the side that is winning; we re on the side that has won!