This morning I will want us to consider for a sermon title, The Living Word. We will consider four things. The Source of The Word, The Saving Power of The Word, The Sanctifying Power of The Word and The Sustaining Power of The Word.
Recently in the office, an intern, who has been awed by another colleague’s presentation skills asked us to give him some tips about how to make good presentation and public speaking. Among many things he was told, I told him to watch and listen to people he admires who make great speeches. And I referred him to watch the British parliament. If you know anything about good speeches, the debates that takes place on that floor is enough to teach you good speech making and public speaking. I guess perhaps because they are firstly native speakers of the language.
Indeed, the world has never lacked great speakers, orators and public speakers. We can speak of Martin Luther King Jr with his I have a dream speech. Barack Obama’s popular Africa needs great institutions not strong men. There is John Maxwell, a leadership coach. I looked up Africa’s best public speakers and I got 10 names. These days there is Ted Talks. Public speaking is a great part of our lives
But despite the eloquence, the oratory and great skills of public speakers to evoke people to take action, they lack the power to do what the word of God does. I say that the best of Public Speakers cannot be compared to a stuttering or stammering preacher who is declaring the word of God. Because there is life in the word of God. The word gives life. Paul declares to the Corinthians that when I came to you, I didn’t come to you with words of enticing wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and Power. The word of God is living, the word of God has power to transform lives.
The Living Word
We come here week after week and the longest part of our gathering is dedicated to reading a text of Scripture and using about 30 to 1hour to explain what I have read. I am not sure you come because I have some nice things to say. I doubt because you are enchanted by my voice and you want to hear more of it. No, you come because you believe the Scriptures is the word of God and through the preaching of the word, God speaks to his people. I hope we all believe that though.
Living word simply means the word is alive. It is a word that is active. It is a word that gives life, it brings life to the spiritually dead. It’s a powerful word:
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12).
The Source of The Word
The word is Living because of its source. “It’s the Spirit who gives life…” “The words that I have spoken to to you are spirit and life.” These two phrases clearly point us to the source of the word: It is from the Spirit. It is from Jesus. It is what it is, the word of God. The Spirit of God is the author of God’s word. All Scripture is inspired by God (2Timothy 3:16). The overarching testimony of Scripture about itself is that it is the word of God. We affirm indeed our trust in the Authority of Scripture as the word of God. Jesus said in Matthew 4:4 that “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” God’s word—the Bible—is trustworthy because it comes from God himself
For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2Peter 1:16-21)
The Bible is the word of God. It is trustworthy. God has given his word, and he will keep it. Maybe you may have experienced disappointments in your life because of promises to you that were broken. But God doesn’t break his promises. He has promised in his word to care for us and he will if we will trust him. He who has promised is faithful and he will do it.
The Saving Power of The Word
During my preparation, I thought there is another Scripture that says “It is the Spirit that quickeneth…” and I was thinking to myself, ah, where is that text? Then it occurred to me that it is actually the King James rendering of the same verse “It is the Spirit who gives life…” But quickeneth is a very good word. Quikeneth! You are jolted to life.
What does the word do? Jesus says the words that I speak to you are spirit and life. He also says it is the Spirit that gives life. What is in view here then is life, that is salvation and regeneration of our hearts. It is through the word of God that sinners are brought to repentance. The word has power to save from sin. You may listen to great eloquent speech makers. At best, they can inspire you not to give up in whatever you are doing. But their words lack any power to save sinners from their sin or reconcile them to God. The power to save sinners is in the word of God (Born again not of perishable seed but imperishable, the word of God (1Peter 1:23-25)
You will notice that all this while, Jesus has been speaking about his body and blood. I will give my body to you; I will give my blood to you. All that is pointing to the death and resurrection of Christ. Jesus gave his life for sinners so that anyone who will believe will be saved. But how are they going to be saved? They will have to hear his word. So in this verse we read, Jesus has now switched by speaking about his words. Truly, the only way by which sinners will come to repentance is through the preached word. And when the word is preached, the Spirit uses the word to birth new life in us.
Observe that there is a relationship between the Spirit and the word. What the Spirit does, the words of Jesus also does: “It’s the Spirit who gives life…” “The words that I have spoken to to you are spirit and life.” All human beings are sinners who cannot help themselves and until the Spirit of God has worked on us, none of us can be saved. Listen to what Jesus said in contrast to the work of the Spirit: “the flesh is no help at all” This means we are all doomed if the Spirit of God doesn’t help us.
The Sanctifying Power of The Word
The word doesn’t save us and leave us on our own. The word also sanctifies us. It cleanses us. The word of God also keeps us from walking in sin. The word sanctifies us. When Jesus prayed for his disciples in John 17:17, he prayed to the Father “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” So, we are not only saved by the word, but we are also Sanctified. To sanctify is to make clean and set apart for holy use. And that is exactly what God’s word does. By the word we are corrected, we are rebuked, we are disciplined and encouraged by the same word to live life’s pleasing to God. The word shows us how to please God. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light to my path.
The text is clear to tell us “the flesh is of no help at all” Dear friends if we are left on our own, none of us can please God. But God has given us his word to help us in our walk of faith.
Is there a sin you are struggling with? Turn it to God. Cry out to him for mercy. Plead his strength and he will empower you.
Sustaining Power of The Word
Now God has called us to eternal and we have already learnt that no believer can lose their salvation. And the we by which we are kept is through the word of God. The warnings and admonishment of the Scriptures are all ways by which God keeps us. When Paul was parting with the leaders at Ephesus, he commended them to the word: “And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” (Acts 20:32).
Amen
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