The Permanence of God's Word

Psalm 119:89-96

In the early days of my career, I had joined my present employer as a contract staff. That meant I was not a full-time employer. Every year, my contract will be renewed and there were certain benefits as a contract staff, I couldn't have compared to a full-time employer. After some years, those of us in that category got tired of the situation and organised ourselves to go and speak with our manager. In that meeting, he used an expression which I had never heard before. I was hearing it for the first time. He said our situation was "done and dusted". That was to say, our situation cannot change because it is a top management decision. Of course, later another manager will come in who changed the terms of our employment to permanent and that is how I have been in one organisation for about 18years now.

The expression "done and dusted." means something that has been finalized and completed. Nothing can be done about it. It is a concluded matter not subjected to change. It is Finalised. It is Permanent

This morning I want us to consider for a title The Permanence of God's Word. I will do two main  things with this title. I will explain what I mean by The Permanence Of God's and then we will look at how it plays out in the life of the believer. We have already seen through this series the centrality of God’s word in this Psalm. All throughout, there are various expressions that has been used to describe God’s word. And every verse you turn to in captures the word of God in it's various expression

v. 89: Word

v. 92: law

vv. 93-94: Precepts 

v. 95:Testimonies 

v. 96: commandments 

These and other words are used in the Psalm to express God's word. Psalm 119 therefore is saturated with thoughts about the word of God. And I hope that as we go through this Psalm, it will not just be a mere excercise of accumulation of knowledge and doctrine. But that what we are seeing of the word of God will be applicable in our lives. And most importantly, it will bring us to a life of obedience to the One who loved us and gave himself for us. What can we give in return of God’s love expressed in Christ’s death on the cross for us: Obedience: "If you love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15).

The Permanancy of God's Word (v.89).

My default memorization of this verse comes from the King James version: "For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven". It doesn’t change the meaning though, but it conveys the idea of finality. When an issue is settled, it means it is final, all parties have agreed. If it is a nasty situation, perhaps the issue will not come up again. Like a matter that is concluded in court, it ideally is not meant to come up again. So the permanancy of God’s word means the finality of God’s word. It is fixed. Meaning it cannot be moved. 

All the theological terms we use to describe the word of God, that is the Bible, finds expression in this verse. The word is fixed. It is unchangeable. Theologians call this "the immutability of God’s word". God's word doesn't change. We read this in Hebrews, when the writer said

13For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, e he swore by himself, 14saying, f “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” 15And thus Abraham, [2] g having patiently waited, obtained the promise. 16For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputesh an oath is final for confirmation. 17So when God desired to show more convincingly to i the heirs of the promise j the unchangeable character of his purpose, k he guaranteed it with an oath, 18so that by two unchangeable things, in which l it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope m set before us.

Dear friends, because God's word is fixed and doesn't change, you and I can have hope. We can put our trust in the word. The word is sufficient in our walk with God. It gives us all we need to please God: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4). The word is sufficient, to teach us, to direct us, to build us up, to rebuke us when we sin, to exhort. The word of God does all what God wants to do in the life of his people.

Now if God's word is final, it means also that God’s word is authoritative. The verse points us to the power and authority God has put in his word. It is fixed in the heavens. It is above everything. God's word has the final say in our lives. If there is anything we disagree on, when the word is clarified, then all other things must remain subservient to the word. Our confessions, creeds, catechism as important as they are, are not authoritative. Where the word of God is clear, we submit to that. Brethren, if we would hold the word in high esteem, our walk of faith will be a joy. Does it mean we will never have problems? No, that is not what it means, but it means that when trouble comes, when we are faced with sorrow and challenging times, the word of God is able to hold us and comfort us.

What does all these mean for us.

The Reliability of God’s Word (v.90)

Because God's word is permanent and final, it is reliable. It is said that a man is as good as his word. This means that the character of a man can be determined by what he does with his words. Whether he keeps his word or breaks his promises. Whether he can be trusted or not. And this is displayed very well in the verse 90. 

After the Psalmist has affirmed the finality of God’s word, he turns his attention to God’s character (v.90). He speaks of God’s Faithfulness. And what does he tell us about God's faithfulness? It endures to all generations. What it means is that God’s faithfulness doesn't end. God doesn't turn away from his promises. God doesn't abandon his own. Right from creation up to now, God cares for his people. He sustains them. He provides for them. He watches over them. He protects them. You and I are not going to be an exception. God's faithfulness extends to us also. He has saved us from sin. He has redeemed us. And he has given us many promises in Jesus Christ: Promises of eternal life, promises of eternal rewards and promises of his provision. He provides:

He who did not spare his own Son but  gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32).

Friends, maybe sometimes we may get engrossed in what God has done for us spiritually by saving us and lose sight of what he does for us in this life. He provides. Can we bring ourselves to appreciate all what God is doing for us? That you have a job is God’s provision. That you have health is God’s provision. That you have a place to lay your head is God’s provision. That you haven't gone hungry is God’s provision: "God is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us" (Ephesians 3:20).

You and I are products and evidence of God’s faithfulness. Can any of us indeed say God has not been faithful to you? No dear friends, if God is to deal with us justly, none of us will survive. The Bible is clear that God has not dealt with us according to our iniquities. We can rely on God’s faithfulness revealed in his word.

If God's word is permanent, then we can speak also of 

The Reign of God Through His Word (vv.90b-91) 

In verse 90,  God is revealed to us as the Creator of the world. He established the earth, and it stands fast. God didn't just create the world and let it to chance. He sustains it by his world. Everything is under God's control. He reigns and sustains the world by the power of his word (Hebrews 1:3). Theologians call this the Providence of God. It's the fact that God rules and controls all things for the purpose for which they were created. Look at verse 91. It is instructive: "By your appointment they stand this day, for all things are your servants." The world stands and continues by God's appointment. What he has decreed, what he has ordained and what he allows. The verse further tells us that "all things are God's servant." That means the whole of the natural world exists for God's purpose. The stars, the moon, the sun the plants, the birds, seas, rivers...everything in the world is at God's command. That is Providence, he orders the world according to his power. He reigns.

God the great Creator of all things doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by His most wise and holy providence, according to His infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of His own will, to the praise of the glory of His wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy. (WCF 5.1)

The Revival of God’s People Through His Word (vv. 92-93)

Now we must note that the God who controls the universe also controls your life. Dear friends, because of this you can live your life in peace. Dont be afraid of what any enemy can do to you. Your life is in God's hand and nothing can happen to you outside of God’s will. Anything that comes your way has been ordained by God. Plan your life. Make your decisions. And believe God to guide you. 

The Psalmist speaks of God’s preservation in the v. 92&93. He would have perished in his afflictions if his delight was not in the word of God. In his affliction, the word of God comforted him, it preserved him, it give him life (v.93). That is to say, he was renewed by the word in his affliction. Truly God’s word renews in the midst of affliction. It brings hope and comfort to the troubled soul. Jesus said the words I speak to you are spirit and life (John 6:63).

If ever you are discouraged, turn to the word. Read it. Think about it. Memorize it. Speak the word of God to yourself. Remind yourself of the promises of God. I am not speaking of mere Pscychology: I am speaking of what David did in his moment of trouble. He encouraged himself in the Lord his God (1 Samuel 30:6). Have you ever asked yourself what David was doing when he said: "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation" (Psalm 42:5). He was telling himself to trust God. Do that when you are afflicted and discouraged. Tell yourself to trust in God. Remind yourself of whose child you are.

Now ultimately, 

The Redemption of God’s People By His Word (vv.94-95)

Here is a man totally surrendered to God. In fact, I will say that if we believe in the permanancy of God’s word, it's authority, then we must affirm it's power to save. "I am yours; save, for I have sought your precepts" (v.94). This is a man totally given out to God. The word precepts details out our moral obligation towards God's word. The Psalmist therefore seeks salvation in God's word.

God's word saves through his word. And he has shown us in the Bible how sinners can be saved (John 3:16). When life threatens you, when your problems are increasing, when you are faced with temptations, your only way of escape is to cry out to God to save you. Indeed, God has provided a way of escape from this sinful world in the person of Jesus Christ that anyone who will believe in him will be saved.

Finally, the permanancy of God’s word, points us to 

The Relevance of God’s Word In All Generations (v.96).

Here the Psalmist speaks of things made by humans in all of their beauty and elegance. Human inventions, human abilities, human creativity. Beautiful things of the earth. The technologies of the world, the beauty of human creation, artificial intelligence...think about anything awesome that is created by humans: it has a limit. These things do not have the power to do what God’s word does. The latest medical imaging can pick everything physically wrong in the human body. 

But it cannot diagnose the sinfulness of human beings. Technology cannot deal with sorrow and sin. The beauty of human creation will decay. The latest models of cars will be outdated. 

Phones, cars, apps are constantly updated.  Not so with the word. It is abides forever. It's relevant in all ages. That's what the Psalmist is saying here: "your commandments is exceedingly broad". It is relevant in all matters. It's reach is wider. It is as the writer of Hebrews says:

For w the word of God is living and x active, y sharper than any z two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow , and a discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).

The Word Took On Flesh

Now the permanancy of God’s word is climaxed in the fact that God took on flesh to dwell among us. The word came down to be with us. Jesus is God’s final word revealed to his people and we must look to him (Hebrews 1:1) 

All the things that are said about God's word are incomplete, unless it points us to the Saviour:

In the beginning was b the Word, and c the Word was with God, and d the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3 e All things were made through him , and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 f In him was life, [1] and g the life was the light of men. 5 h The light shines in the darkness , and the darkness has not overcome it.

14And z the Word a became flesh and b dwelt among us, c and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of d grace and e truth.

Dont leave this place with a desire to keep, delight, obey God’s word in your own strength. All these are possible only in relationship with Jesus through faith