January 5, 2025
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Happy New Year to you all! As John wrote in his third Epistle, “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.”
Last week, we talked about the word of God playing an even greater role in our lives in 2025. We saw in Deuteronomy 6 that God admonished His people to keep His commandments on their hearts, and to reflect His word to others.
Deuteronomy 6:
6 “And these words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart;
7 and you shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.
8 “And you shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.
9 “And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
This passage of scripture comes immediately after the ten commandments were spoken through Moses in Deuteronomy 5. It is clear from this passage that God wants His commandments on our hearts. We should teach them to our children, and we should discuss the word of God when we are lounging in our homes, when we walk outside the home, when we lie down and when we arise. In other words, the commandments of the Lord should dominate our thoughts, and be a strong influence in our lives. Verse 9 says we should write His commandments on the doorposts of our house and on our gates. In other words, our faith in God’s word should be reflected to others and should be obvious to others.
Today I want to spend some time exploring why God’s word is so important to us. Why does God want His commandments on our hearts, part of our daily lives, handed down to children and grandchildren? Why does He want His word displayed in our lives for others to see and understand?
The Word Provides Wisdom
Paul writes that the Word is to richly dwell within us, leading to teaching and encouraging others with wisdom.
Colossians 3:
16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms [and] hymns [and] spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
The word “admonishing” is interesting in verse 16. It means to encourage, advise earnestly, and even to warn or disapprove. So, the apostle is teaching us to use the word of Christ to direct and correct each other in wisdom, using the psalms, hymns, and even spiritual songs.
Psalms 119 is an anthem for the wisdom and many benefits of the Word of God.
Psalms 119:
98 ¶ Thy commandments make me wiser than my enemies, For they are ever mine.
99 I have more insight than all my teachers, For Thy testimonies are my meditation.
100 I understand more than the aged, Because I have observed Thy precepts.
101 ¶ I have restrained my feet from every evil way, That I may keep Thy word.
102 ¶ I have not turned aside from Thine ordinances, For Thou Thyself hast taught me.
103 ¶ How sweet are Thy words to my taste! [Yes, sweeter] than honey to my mouth!
104 From Thy precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way.
105 ¶ Thy word is a lamp to my feet, And a light to my path.
The word makes us wiser, and provides insight, understanding, and restraint. Verse 105 says the word is a lamp that lights our path – God provides guidance to us through His word. We talked last time about Isaiah 43:19 where God promised to make roadways in the wilderness for us. When we are at a place with no clearcut path forward, the word of God will enlighten the road we should travel. Trust His word to do that by providing insight, precepts, and ordinances. His word will restrain us when our flesh tempts us to behave poorly.
The Word Provides Healthy Growth
Psalms 1 promises that the man who delights in the law of God will be like a tree firmly planted near water, meaning healthy growth and a fruitful life.
Psalms 1:
1 ¶ How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 And he will be like a tree [firmly] planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season, And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.
Note in verse 3, that he who delights in the law of God, and meditates on it, will yield fruit in season, and will not wither. In other words, your life will be productive, your ministry will be effective, and your life will enjoy a freshness that will not wither. In whatever you do, you will prosper as the word guides you as a lamp unto your feet.
Jesus also used the plant growth analogy when discussing the word of God in the Parable of the Sower.
Luke 8:
15 “And the [seed] in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.
When we hold fast to the word of God, we will bear fruit with perseverance, so says our Lord and Savior Jesus. Bearing fruit with perseverance means proceeding in an efficient manner and therefore not becoming frustrated. The perseverance Jesus promises is critical because the devil will oppose us.
Standing on God’s word requires perseverance. When you stand on God’s word, you don’t always get encouraged by others. Often, even well-meaning Christians will bring their fears, and so Jesus says we must have an honest and good heart and hold fast to the word of God.
The Word is Our Sword
In Ephesians 6, Paul encourages us to put on the full armor of God, which includes the word of God.
Ephesians 6:
11 Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual [forces] of wickedness in the heavenly [places.]
13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
14 Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,
15 and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE;
16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil [one.]
17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
This is our spiritual prescription for the perseverance that Jesus referred to in Luke 8:15. We battle not flesh and blood, not individuals, but instead the spiritual forces of darkness. Too often we focus on the people who oppose us, and we ignore the truth that our resistance is a spiritual battle.
Paul writes we should proceed with the full armor of God, which is comprised of truth, righteousness, the Gospel of Peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
As we enter 2025, rest assured that spiritual warfare will increase. Deception will increase, so we must proceed in truth and righteousness. You cannot fight fire with fire. The devil will use deception, but we must be truthful and righteous. Those are the weapons of our warfare that gird our loins and provide our breastplate. The Gospel of Peace protects our feet, and our faith shields us and extinguishes the flaming missiles of the evil one. Our helmet of protection is our salvation.
What is interesting is that all those things are defensive parts of our armor, but the word of God is our sword of the Spirit. It is our offensive weapon. The word is what the Spirit uses to defeat the devil, just as Jesus resisted the temptation of the devil by repeating the truth of God’s word. The devil has no come back for the word of God because He knows it is the truth.
Hebrews 4 describes the word of God as a two-edged sword.
Hebrews 4:
12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Note the word is living, active, and sharper than a two-edged sword. The word of God pierces us down to the soul and spirit, and it judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Let’s break that down. The soul comprises our mind, will, and emotions. The word can pierce our mind, our will, and our emotions. We may be convinced in our mind that we want something, and we may be affected (damaged) by our emotions, but the word of God is capable of piercing through all of that.
Understand the soul is spiritually neutral, but is subject to the influences of the spirit realm. That means our soul can be controlled by evil spirits, or by the Spirit of God. When the writer of Hebrews says the word of God pierces as far as the division of soul and spirit, he means that the word of God can convict us of evil and turn us to righteousness.
How is that possible? The word of God is living, active, and sharper than a two-edged sword. God wrote His word to change us. He created us and He knows our flesh is susceptible to the schemes of the devil. He designed His word to convict us.
Hebrews 4:12 says God’s word can judge the thoughts and intentions of our heart. Do you realize what a supernatural event that is? Do you realize it is impossible for anyone in the natural to judge the thoughts and intentions of another’s heart?
1st Corinthians 2:
11 For who among men knows the [thoughts] of a man except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so the [thoughts] of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God,
13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual [thoughts] with spiritual [words.]
14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
1st Corinthians 2 brings context to Hebrews 4:12. It is the word of God, which is the sword of the Spirit. That sword pierces down to the soul and spirit and can judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
The Word is Jesus
And finally, the word of God has power because Jesus is the Word made flesh.
John 1:
4 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Revelation 19:
11 ¶ And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it [is] called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war.
12 And His eyes [are] a flame of fire, and upon His head [are] many diadems; and He has a name written [upon Him] which no one knows except Himself.
13 And [He is] clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God.
1st Peter 1:
24 ¶ For, “ALL FLESH IS LIKE GRASS, AND ALL ITS GLORY LIKE THE FLOWER OF GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF,
25 BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ABIDES FOREVER.”…
The power of the Word of God is vested in Jesus. He is the Word made flesh, who dwelt among us, and dwells with us today via the Holy Spirit. He is Faithful and True. And the Lord is saying the Word made flesh is even more important to us in 2025 and beyond.
Let us pray.
Father God, thank You for the Word, Jesus, who is Faithful and True, dwelt among us, and abides forever. Thank You for the Word which is the sword of the Spirit and pierces us down to the division of soul and spirit and can judge the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. Thank You for the full armor, which protects and enables us in our battle against spiritual darkness in the days ahead. Help us, Lord, to keep your word in our hearts, and to teach it to our children. Help us to write your commandments on the doorposts of our house and on our gates, that others might know the One who is Faithful and True and coming soon on the white horse. In His name we pray. Amen.
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