The Word of The Lord
“The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying” (Jonah 1:1).
The
phrase “the word of the Lord” gives what was
received and revealed divine status. A
word from heaven increased the value of any verbal communication exponentially.
It was prophets like Jonah who heralded the word of the Lord. It was what gave them great importance. Their word wasn’t valuable because they were
smarter or more intelligent than other people.
Their word was important because it was a word from God. They were men in touch with God.
When David was fleeing from Saul, he was joined by Abiathar, a priest and a son of Ahimelech
(1Sam. 21:1). The thing that was unique
about Abiathar was that he came to David wearing a “linen ephod” (1Sam.
A word from God was an
authoritative word that was invested with divine power, power to bring it to
pass.
Isaiah
55:10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth
the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it
may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
Isaiah
55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my
mouth: it shall not return unto me void,
but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the
thing whereto I sent it.
Mary’s
statement, “be it unto me
according to Thy word” indicates that she knew that every word spoken by
God comes to pass.
Take
the word of the Lord out of the mouth of the prophet and what he has to say is
without PROFIT.
The Bible isn’t valuable because it’s about God, but because
it is a word from God. Remove the word
of the Lord from Bible and it is no different than any other book. The heart and value of the Bible is the word
of the Lord.
The
Church is valuable to the community and world only as long as it is the place of His presence and the proclaimer of His word. The world could care less about our fund
raisers, our music, and our conventions.
R. T. Kendall, in preaching to the
congregants of Westminster Chapel in the late ‘70’s had this to say: “What is missing in the church today is the note of
authority. The word of authority is not
here; the church has lost it and the world outside has rejected the
church. The church has ceased to command
the respect of the world; the church has lost its authority because it is not preaching the message that
God gave her to deliver to that world.”[1]
Where do we go for…
- a word of authority
- a word from beyond
- a word that
transcends man’s intellect
- a word that causes
men’s hearts to burn within them like those who encountered Jesus on the
- a word not from man, but from God.
- The word of the Lord.
Shouldn’t we be able to hear
the word of the Lord in the Church?
The
Laodicean Church boasted, “We
are rich, wealthy, and have need of nothing,” but Jesus’ word to that
Church was, “you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind,
and naked—I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may
be rich…” (Rev. 3:17, 18).
Material wealth is no
replacement for true riches—spiritual wealth—a word from the Lord.
The
Psalmist said, “The words of the Lord are pure words,
like silver tried in a furnace of earth, which has gone through the purifying
process seven times” (Psalm 12:6).
The
pure word of the Lord is of inestimable worth to the people of God and to the
world. It is more valuable than silver
and gold. The Psalmist declared:
Psalm
119:72 – “The law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of coins of gold
and silver.”
Psalm
19:9-11 – “The judgments
of the Lord [or His words] are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea,
than much fine gold; sweeter also than hone and the honey in the combs. Moreover by them Your
servant is warned, and in keeping
them there is great reward.”
Apart
from “the word of the Lord,” we are left to
depend upon the foolishness of our own understanding. Again, it is the Psalmist who speaks to this
issue when he said:
Psalm
119:130 – “The entrance of
Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the
simple.”
Psalm
19:7 – “The Law of the
Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making
wise the simple.”
Apart
from “the word of the Lord,” we are left with the limitations of our inferior
understanding. We run to…
- cunningly devised
fables (2Pe.
- traditions,
- pseudo-philosophy,
- false teachers,
- false prophets,
- snake oil salesmen
and
- religious hucksters.
We’re
like wealthy men who want to make an investment, but who
without a word from E. F. Hutton or A. G. Edwards invest good money into junk
bonds and bankrupt companies.
It’s
not like we haven’t been warned. Paul
penned it from a Roman prison around 67 A.D., when he wrote:
“For the time will come when they will not
endure healthy teaching, but according to their own desires…they will gather up
for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth [the
word of the Lord], and be turned aside to fables.” (2Tim. 4:3, 4)
It
is a characteristic of the “last days,” those days that precede the coming of
the Lord.
2Tim.
3:1 – But be informed of
this, that in the last days perilous times will come
2Tim.
And
what is Paul’s remedy for this malady?
2Tim.
The
remedy is “the word of the Lord.” Our security and safety depends upon…
- knowing it,
- hearing it and
- heeding it.
The
word of the Lord is more valuable than silver and gold, but we lose its value
when we hear it without heeding it.
Jonah was given a wonderful treasure, but instead of heeding it he
disobeyed it.
In
Psalm 119:9, the Psalmist asked, “How can a young man
cleanse his way?”
- How can a young man
walk above the filth and foolishness of the world in which he lives?
- How does one keep
themselves “unspotted from the world”
(James
- How do we keep from
being “conformed to this world” (Ro. 12:2)?
Can
Oprah help us? Can Dr. Phil give us what
we need?
How
can a young man cleanse his way? The
Psalmist’s answer is simple, direct and clear: “By
taking heed according to Your word” (Ps.
119:9).
- The Living Bible
says, “By reading your word and following its
rules.”
- Simply put, “By
taking sides with God’s Word against ourselves” or
- “By obeying the
Word.”
The
song writer declared it this way…
We don’t need
another political uprising…
But what we
need is a special word
That will
burn within our hearts
And give us
direction from above
We need a
Word from the Lord
Just one word
from the Lord
Will remove
all doubt and cause the sun to shine
And give us
peace of mind
Speak
Lord—Speak
Lord we lack
your wisdom and understanding
And we lack
the love you show in the Son
And Lord
we’ve faltered in the way
And we stand
so much to gain, so give us your Word Lord
Speak Lord
It’s
amazing how a word, one little word from the Lord can change everything.
- David
was given a word that changed his life…it came in
the form of oil being poured upon his head.
- Later, he was given
another word that lifted him from his snare…thou art the man.
- Mary
was given a word that changed her life…you shall conceive…be it unto me
according to.
- Paul
was given a word that changed
- Jonah
was given a word that changed his life and eventually the lives of those
living in
Positive change is not in the hearing, but in the
heeding.
Instead
of saying we need a word from the Lord, perhaps we need to recognize and value
the word He has given us. Perhaps we
need to repent and ask God to reveal the written word and help us heed that
word, for there is power in His Word to bring forth…
- marvelous change,
- revival,
- healing, and
- transformation,
…but
we must give that word place in our lives by faithing
it and obeying it.
In the 1930s in
With the recent dissolution of the
U.S.S.R., a CoMission team arrived in
One young man, a hostile agnostic,
came only for the day's wages. But not long after they had started, he
disappeared. He was found in the corner of the warehouse, weeping, a Bible in
his hands. Intending to steal it for himself, he had picked his own
grandmother's off the shelf! Her signature was on the front page.
It
is the Word that will change us…positively
if we heed it and negatively if we
disregard it. In his attempt to run from
God, Jonah ran into a storm and the mouth of a great fish.
What
is God saying to you?
What
do you need to do to release the power of God’s word in your life?
What
life action on your part will turn hearing into heeding and reversal into
revival?
Series Title: The Book of Jonah
Sermon Title: The Word of The Lord
Sermon Text: Jonah 1:1
Sermon Date: Preached to PAG on