The power of words

 

 

    Words are very powerful items. Without "words" we would not be able to communicate with one another; not be able to think; not be able to pray; and, most importantly, not know how to be pleasing to our God.

            When Jesus was tempted by Satan to transform stones into bread to alleviate His hunger, Jesus responded, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every WORD that proceeds out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4).  Jesus did NOT say that the direction of a man's life should be controlled by conscience, emotions, or by gut instinct, but rather by God's WORD.  As Jeremiah said many years ago, "It is not within man who walks to direct his own steps" (Jeremiah 10:23). That is, it is impossible for man to know how to live and worship in such a way so as to be pleasing to God, apart from God's direction in His Word.

            Somewhat unique, Jesus was quoting "words" that had been spoken centuries earlier by God through Moses (Deuteronomy 8:3).  Yet, these "centuries old words" were just as relevant, forceful, and powerful as if they had been spoken by God that very day.

            Now since man must live by every "word" that proceeds from the mouth of God, then the clear conclusion is: GOD'S WORD is the mechanism through which God makes His will known to this world. In 1Samuel 3:21, we read, "For the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord."  In other words, if we neglect the Bible, how can we know that we are living as God demands that we live?

            In 2Timothy 1:10, we read that "Jesus Christ has brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel."  Since "God only has immortality" (1Timothy 6:16), and God offers it to us through the Gospel (2Timothy 1:10), and the Gospel is His WORD, that means that His word is alive with the very power and dynamic of God Himself!  THE BIBLE IS NOT JUST ANOTHER BOOK!

            In the well-known parable of the Sower, Jesus paralleled the Word of God to a seed (Luke 8:11). A grain of wheat, or a kernel of corn may look uncomplicated. In fact, it is quite easy to produce artificial wheat and corn so precisely that it cannot be distinguished from the real thing simply by looking at it or handling it.  That being the case, how could we determine which seed is real, and which is fake? That's easy! Just plant them both in the ground; the real seed will grow and produce after its kind (Genesis 1:12).

            Take Charles Darwin's "Origin of the Species" and plant it in the heart of a man, and you get an evolutionist.  Take the Methodist Book of Discipline and plant it in the heart of a man, and you get a Methodist.  Take the Catechism and plant it in the heart of a man and you get a Catholic, etc., etc.  Take the pure seed of the Bible and plant it in the heart of a man -- and you get a Christian!

            In Hebrews 3:12, it refers to the "Living God." In Hebrews 4:12, it refers to the Living Word. That is, the same word that describes God, describes His word. In Jesus' prayer for His disciples, He said, "Father, I have given them "THY WORD" (John 17:14). Here Jesus is sending out twelve men against the world, and equips them only with God's Word!  Preachers and other Christians today are "sent out" with the same powerful "spiritual weapon" (cf. Ephesians 6:17), with which Jesus sent out the original twelve.

            However, if we plant good seed on concrete, it will not take root and produce anything. Many people's minds are already "set in concrete" when it comes to religion. As a result, the "seed" can't take root in their lives. One must first humble himself before the Cross, and seriously confess, "Not my will, but Thine be done."  --by Toby Miller