The Word of God, Pt. 1

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There are countless voices competing for your attention. Your phone, news feed, inbox, neighbors, and even your own thoughts at two in the morning are all speaking into your life. But which of these voices matters? Which one can you trust? Pastor Nick Gatzke clarifies the comparative value of the Word of God.

John chapter 1, verses 1 and 2 says, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. The Word of God existed before the world began. The Word was shown to humankind through oral communication of God, through the written communication of God, and through the physical presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the word of God, that phrase and all of the ideas surrounding that phrase, the word of God, is a theme that is woven throughout the whole Bible from beginning to end. It’s talked about in many ways. The word of God accomplishes many things. And if you want to know God, if you want to be directed by God, if you want to live the most spiritually fulfilling life that you can live,

then you and I need this word of God. Today we continue in our series that we’re calling From Old to New to You, and we are exploring biblical themes that start in the Old Testament and are traced all the way through the New Testament into our contemporary time, and today we explore this theme of the Word of God. And as we consider it, I want to set the stage at the very beginning by challenging you.

And as we consider it, I want to set the stage at the very beginning by challenging you. What you believe about the Word of God will necessarily set your life down a certain path. The resolve that you have to follow the word of God or not will set your life, your whole life, down one path or another or another or another. Because if you resolve to follow the word of God — or not — this will inform how you view the world. It will prioritize or help prioritize your decisions and how you make those decisions. And it will inform what becomes the foundation of your desires for all of life and your hope for the future. And so there is much at stake. when we talk about and consider this word of God.

I feel very strongly about that. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to talk and to teach on this topic in a variety of settings because it is, although seemingly elementary in its nature, one of the most neglected as it relates to what the word of God is, how it functions, and what it means for you. for people all around the world. And so I’ve had, by God’s grace, the opportunity to talk about it in colleges and seminaries in the United States and the United Kingdom because the consequences of this, what you believe, the consequences of this topic are so very great for your life. And so it’s been a struggle for me this week to think about the short amount of time that we have together to talk about this immense topic. And I hope and I pray that as we move through today and as we come to our conclusion at the end of the morning, that you will not only recognize words from God, but that you will begin to embrace or even firm up within you the fact that this word, this word from God can truly change your life and your eternity.

As we begin to talk about the Word of God, I want to make clear that we are talking about at least three elements of this concept of the Word of God that come together. They are, number one, the audible words of God that we see in the Bible, the written Word of God inspired by the Holy Spirit, and thirdly, the living or physical Word of God. which is the person of Jesus Christ.

And the first thing that we recognize that when we think about the word of God is that God’s word is a form of revelation to us. The only reason why we know anything about God is that God chose to reveal himself to us. Have you ever thought about that? God didn’t have to reveal himself to us. God could have set us on a path and in motion upon creation and never let us know anything about him. But God chooses to act in a way to make himself known.

And he does so through his words. Deuteronomy chapter four. God is displayed as the one true Lord and the prophet Moses is speaking to the people of Israel and he says to them in verse 33, did any people ever hear the voice of a God speaking out of the midst of fire as you have heard and still live? And again, he says in verse 36, out of heaven, he let you, he let you hear his voice. that he might discipline you. And on earth, he let you see his great fire. And you heard his words out of the midst of that fire. In Exodus chapter 20, verse 22, the Lord says to Moses, thus you shall say to the people of Israel, you have seen for yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven.

God discloses, he reveals who he is, and he does so through words. God speaks in a variety of different contexts. He speaks in what we call theophanies, and he speaks in dreams. Theophany is very simply a word that describes a visible manifestation of God. And we see that in the Old Testament again and again. And we see that God speaks in dreams. Genesis 15, 1. The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision. Fear not, Abram. God said, I am your shield. And your reward should be very great. 1 Kings 3, verse 5. At Gibeon, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night. And God said, ask what I shall give you.

These appearances, he speaks through dreams. He also speaks in the Old Testament through prophets or his messengers. Isaiah chapter 39, verses five and six. Isaiah said to Hezekiah, hear the word of the Lord of hosts. Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord. And we also see in the Bible, in the Old Testament, that God speaks even then, not just to have his word or his prophecies recorded for people to read later, but he also speaks by written form. In Exodus chapter 24 and Jeremiah chapter 36, God has the prophets write down his words for the people so that they would know it and be able to study it and it would be preserved for the generations that would come after them. And so God discloses who he is. He reveals himself to us, even though he doesn’t have to, and he does so through his word. Now, when God speaks, we see a variety of things that happen in that context. In the Old Testament, we see that the word of God is seen as a way in which he establishes his relationship with his people. His word is not primarily directed to all people in a sort of general audience. God’s word is primarily directed to his people. Now, that’s not to say that, of course, God doesn’t speak at times to people who aren’t his people, but the overwhelming majority of the time, he does. It’s directed to people who have faith in him or those that he is going to call to faith in him. And it’s interesting, when you think about God’s speech, God’s speech distinguishes him from false gods. In Psalm 115:5, it says they, being idols or false gods, have mouths, but they do not speak. They have eyes, but they do not see. Jeremiah 10:5 says their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak. They have to be carried, for they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil. Neither is it in them to do good. When God speaks, he distinguishes himself from false gods. And when God speaks, his words accomplish something.

If you were to tell your spouse, sweetheart, the lawn will be mowed today. I promise. You still need the accompanying action of going to the garage, getting the lawnmower, going into the yard, and actually cutting the grass. Your words do not accomplish the work. You need the physical accompanying action for the work to be done. But not so with God. His words actually accomplish the work. God merely spoke. Let there be light. And there was light. Creation began by the power of his word. Genesis 1:9 says that God said, let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place. And let the dry land appear. And it was so. There’s no need for accompanying action. God’s speech is the action. And it accomplishes what God intends it to do. And because the words from God are from God,

they’re authoritative in their nature. Now, everybody knows that words carry different amount of weight or authority depending upon who speaks them. When the principal of a school speaks to the students, it’s received differently than when the classroom aide speaks to the students. When a doctor, a medical doctor, gives you a diagnosis for what’s wrong, you receive that differently than you do your friend’s medical opinion. When the President of the United States speaks, it carries a different level of power and authority and ability to accomplish things than perhaps one of our local politicians. And when God speaks, when God speaks, this is different than any other words that come from any other voices, that come from any other beings who have ever existed. Because if God is the sovereign Lord of the universe, if he is indeed faithful and good as he has displayed himself to be again and again and again, if he is all-knowing and if he is inherently wise, then his words certainly mean more. They carry greater weight. They become the ultimate authority for anyone in this life.

You know, one of the biggest problems that we have in our time today, in our culture today, is that we often don’t rightly distinguish which voices should carry greater weight than other voices. But make no mistake about it. Nobody exists in a vacuum. Nobody is uninfluenced by the voices around them. There’s all kinds of voices, and those voices direct us in many ways, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult for many people to distinguish which ones should carry weight and which ones shouldn’t. And there’s a lot of reasons for that. There’s certainly been an erosion of trust in our culture for the experts or for the institutions, and some of that erosion of trust is earned, as you’ve seen leaders or politicians or people that have not had pure motives. Another reason why this difficulty occurs is that with the expansion of social media, this means that Everybody now has the opportunity to present their thoughts, feelings, or opinions as facts with such a high level of confidence, despite the fact that they may or may not actually correspond with reality. Another reason why it’s becoming more and more difficult for people to rightly balance authoritative words is that there’s a vast array of media outlets now that nearly always allows you to find someone who is speaking on something that you all already agree with. And as a result, your beliefs or your thoughts are only further entrenched and ensconced. And this isn’t necessarily authoritative in its nature. In fact, what it does is that it starts to crowd out the space where an authoritative word can come in and actually challenge your beliefs or your thoughts on any given subject. And so as a result, You’re tempted to dismiss any word that doesn’t already have a level of agreement attached to it by you. But here’s the thing. One of the biggest choices that you are going to have to make in this life is what voice or voices will you allow to direct your path? One of the biggest choices that you’re going to have to make in this life is, will you trust God and his word as supreme because of who God is? And by supreme, I mean, will you trust God and his word as supreme over your thoughts, over your feelings, and even over your experiences? And if you do that, it will change your view on what is important in life. It will inform your decisions of how to live going forward. God’s word will address your character. He will address your marriage. He will address your job. God’s word will address your parenting. God’s word will address your money. God is the ultimate authority. The question is, will you?

When God speaks, we see a couple more dynamics. Because it is a word from God, not only is it authoritative, but it’s also eternal and unchanging. Psalm 119:89 says, forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Isaiah chapter 40 says, the grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

We also see that loving God means that you love his word. When you love something, you fixate on it. You think about it. You pursue it. And when you love someone, you think about them. You fixate on them. You pursue them. You delight when you are with the one that you love. And when you’re not, You do things like replay the conversations you’ve had, look at pictures on your phone, reread an old letter. You think about the things that you would have done differently the last time you were together and the things that you hope to do the next time you are together. And the same is true in some ways with God. Psalm 119 contains 176 verses. regarding the incredible nature of God’s word. And it points to the fact that loving God means loving his word. And loving his word points you to your love for God and God’s love for you.

And it’s expressed in things like Psalm 119:24: “Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors.” In verses 97 and 98: “Oh, how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies; it is ever with me.” Or verse 111: “Your testimonies are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart.” Or verse 159: “Consider how I love your precepts! Give me life according to your steadfast love.” And so throughout the Old Testament, we see again and again and again and again, if you want to know God and his love for you, then listen to, follow, and obey his word.

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This transcript was generated using AI transcription technology and reviewed for accuracy, but may contain errors. Please refer to the original audio for precise wording.