God’s Word In You

Introduction

I don’t know the 30 seconds is going to help me much. Singing an extra song there tonight threw me for a curve, but we didn’t stand for the other one, so I was wondering if there was one more. Good to see all of you tonight. We’ve had big crowds today, both this morning and this evening. It’s good to see all of you. And the restoration of Brother Luther Hill this morning. we’re happy about his decision to come back to the Lord, and he’s here with us again tonight and get to know him. Many misconceptions abound in so many areas of what the Bible instructs us to do. There are misconceptions about what it requires to become a Christian. There are misconceptions about the nature of the functioning of the local church, even misconceptions about the nature of the Christian life.

I mean, you talk about any principle in the Word of God, and there are misconceptions. And the reason for those growing misconceptions, in my opinion, is that people are more ignorant of the Word of God than they ever have been in our culture. Even in the last 20 or 30 years, people know less and less about God’s word. And yet your attitude toward God’s word is critical and essential to a right expression of faith and service before God. Imagine life without God’s word. Without God’s word, how could we know anything positive about our origin or speak confidently to that end? How much can we really know about our Creator? Oh, we can observe some things from the design of our surroundings, but only minimal information can be gained about our Creator’s wishes for us.

Without God’s word, how can we be sure of life’s meaning? And without God’s word, how can we be certain that our worship is acceptable if it’s even needed? That’s how critical and important the word of God is. Once you throw out God’s word as a reliable source of information, as many people do, as growing notions abound that this book is unreliable. Once you throw that out, once you throw out the truth that this book emanates from your creator, one is left without a real compass or clue for living. Young people, I want to tell you. Tuning God out is a sure recipe for disaster in your life. A lot of young people who grow up listening to sermons like I’m preaching today, worshiping among God’s people as you have done today, some young people grow up and they think, I don’t need this.

I don’t need this kind of commitment, this kind of sacrifice of time and energy, assemblies, occasions of work. I don’t need this in my life. There are other things I want to pursue, other things that I want to do, another way that I want to live. And they begin to tune God out. And perhaps people start tuning God out before they ever leave permanently. But if you do that, it is a sure fire recipe for disaster. Sinprisons and shackles. That’s what it does. There’s no getting around that. God is not mocked. Whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap. He that sows to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption, but he that sows to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting.

And in due time we shall reap if we do not faint. I think those verses in Galatians 6, 7 through 9, are so important for us to think about on a pretty regular basis. You can’t circumvent that. You can’t get around that. You can’t make that go away. If you sow to the flesh, the only result to that course in life is destruction, no matter how good you feel about it. No matter how much you like it or think it’s best, I’m going to serve myself and do my own thing. That’s going to lead to destruction and disaster, and there’s no way to get around that. But he that sows to the spirit, in contrast to that. Well, there is the anticipation of everlasting life. And yet so many grow weary in that pursuit.

There was a favorite expression, and I said this about my mom before. My mom had an expression for everything. You know, you can’t get blood out of a turnip. I’ve never tried. And then I would say about her, because another one was about the carter has liver pills, and she I always say, you’ve got more sayings than Carter has liver pills. And we don’t even know what Carter’s liver pills are. But another thing that she would always say is getting that through your thick skull. Have you ever heard that one? It was never said to me. You know, I never had any problems in that regard. But if you would just get that through your thick skull, and yet sometimes that’s our very problem. And in Matthew chapter 13, that is exactly what Jesus is warning his disciples about in regard to some who were in his audiences.

He says of those who rejected him, you keep on hearing but will not understand. Now, these are people that were not opposed to the word of God. In fact, they revered the law of Moses and the old covenant, but they would not listen to God Himself when He came and spoke to them. But they would say that they were pious and religious and loved God’s word. It’s not just about audibly listening. He says, you keep on hearing but will not understand. You keep on seeing but will not perceive, for the heart of this people has become dull. And with their ears, they scarcely hear. When you start tuning God out, and there’s certain portions or principles in the Word of God that you really don’t want to listen to because they don’t match your behavior and what you want to do.

You will eventually be here. You hear, but your ears they scarcely hear. And they have closed their eyes lest they should see with their eyes. And hear with their ears and understand with their heart and return. And I should heal them. Now I want you to flip over to Psalm 107. I want you to put a marker there if you have a string, or as we said before, put a string in your iPad if you can do that. Some say you can. Psalm 107, 17. Listen to the wise counsel here, and we’ll be coming back to this Psalm. Fools, because of their rebellious way, and because of their iniquities were afflicted. And said in contrast to that choice, it says, Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.

And so there is on one hand rebellion, and there is on the other hand crying out to the Lord, and he saves us from our distresses. Partaking in the things of God enriches our lives. Back in Matthew 13. If we can tell you, I should have had you put a string there. How many strings do you have in your Bible? In Matthew 13 and verse 16, in contrast to the religious leaders and the Pharisees who were rejecting Jesus, he says to his disciples, Blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your eyes, your ears, because they hear.

Perhaps it is because in my particular experience, I have always been associated with the truth. From the time that I was a little boy, I could tell you baptism was necessary for salvation long before my first sin. I am blessed to be one of those people. But one of the challenges growing up with the truth is sometimes not appreciating it as much as those who come from without and find treasure. The treasure hidden in the field, the pearl of great price. You know, that process of discovery, I never went through that because when I was born, I had this laid in my lap. And the truthful teaching from it. And so sometimes it’s hard for us to appreciate. And I think through the years, and one of the reasons why we fail in Galatians 6 and verse 9, we do lose heart is that we stop appreciating what we have and what we know.

Blessed are your eyes because you see, and your ears because they hear. One of the things I’ve told you before about teaching, the thing that drives me, the thing that constrains me as I teach is I want to be right. I want to know truth. I want to teach truth. Because it is truth that sets free. And when you know the truth, when you understand what Paul and the other apostles are saying about what makes one a Christian and the role that baptism plays, the significant and essential role it plays in the culmination of our response of faith to God that causes us to be placed in Christ. When you know the truth about that. How blessed we are. There is a confused religious world that does not understand the most simple things about how God saves a person.

The most simple things about kind of worship God desires. There is corruption in every area of a person’s right response to God. How one becomes a Christian, how one worships corporately, how we are to function corporately as a local church, the things that we’re supposed to believe, even about Jesus, there are errors and misconceptions everywhere. Be thankful because you see. What is our attitude toward the word of God? You’ve heard this one before, right? We were in Psalm 119 this morning. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Recall that often. Psalm 139. This one doesn’t get talked about as much. Psalm 139, but this is a wonderful Psalm of David, the one where he talks about God’s knowledge and God’s presence and how he was formed masterfully in his mother’s womb.

And then he goes on to say in verse 17 of Psalm 139 How precious also are thy thoughts to me, O God. How vast is the sum of them. Surely the word of God contains the thoughts of God, but I think he’s going beyond this. The thoughts of God, the knowledge of God. How vast is the sum of what God knows. If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with thee. One other passage by way of introduction, Proverbs chapter 3, verses 5 through 6. I’ve quoted these verses and read these verses so many times that they almost just roll off the tongue. But what incredible things are being said here. Proverbs 3 and verse 5. Trust in the Lord with all your heart.

Do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him. And he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes. That’s precisely the pitfall. When people reject God’s word or they reject God’s way of living, they get wise in their own eyes. Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord. And turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshing to your bones. I want to talk to you for a few moments tonight about the word of God being in you. In Colossians 3 and verse 16, we’re told to let the word of Christ richly dwell within us. Obviously, that has to do with what we take from the word of God in our study and understanding and then allow that to dictate things that we do in the way that we think and the way that we live.

1. Developing Strong Convictions

Let the word of Christ richly dwell in us. But earlier he had said in Colossians 1 verse 27, Christ in you is the hope of glory. So in the space of a couple of chapters here in Colossians, he says, let the word of Christ richly dwell. But earlier he said, Christ in you is the hope of glory. And so imitating Christ, as we learn about him in this book, letting his example govern and dictate my life. Let his word richly dwell. And so I want to talk about God’s word in you. And I want to make four points about that. Number one, I want to talk to you for a moment about developing strong convictions. The impetus for this lesson was an article written a few years ago by my good friend Warren Berkeley, who preaches down in the valley at the tip end of Texas.

And Warren’s a very good friend. In fact, we’ve been in communication within the last week. And he wrote an article about our approach to the Word of God, and he said some good things about relying upon God’s word that I want to share with you in each of these points. Number one, when you rely upon God’s word, it is not necessary to agonize over the doubts that accompany human intuition. I am so glad I don’t have to rely upon myself for the answers of life. I’m so glad I can trust in one who has infinite knowledge as God does. His understanding is infinite. Psalm 147 and verse 4. Warren continues, if you simply listen to others talk about the Bible and do a little superficial reading, that’s where many people are.

Mixed in with the assumptions of your heritage and intuition of your present circumstance, there will always be lingering doubts and never strong conviction. God’s word in you. We need to read to learn. And learn to live. In Psalm 119, this was the approach of the Psalmist again in this great psalm about God’s word and our approach to it. How can a young man keep his way pure by keeping it according to thy word? With all my heart I have sought thee. Do not let me wander from thy commandments. Thy word I have treasured in my heart that I might not sin against thee. Blessed art thou, O Lord, teach me thy statutes. With my lips I have told of all the ordinances of thy mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies as much as in all riches.

And we saw a little bit on that this morning. And later in Psalm 119. I will meditate on thy precepts and regard thy ways, I shall delight in thy statutes. I shall not forget thy word. One more passage I want you to turn to before we make a practical observation. In 1 John 2 and verse 14, John is writing to several groups of people back to back to back. Twice he covers them, little children, fathers, and young men. And as he’s addressing the young men in verse 14 of 1 John 2, he says, I have written to you, young men, because you are strong. And the word of God abides in you. And you have overcome the evil one. Why are they strong? The word of God abides in them.

How have they overcome the evil one? The word of God abides in them. This necessitates the development of strong personal convictions in regard to the word. I mentioned a moment ago, the knowledge of baptism for the remission of sins, that’s the culmination of God’s plan by grace through faith to save us from our sins. And how that at that moment, when we’re baptized into Christ, we’re baptized into his death, and we rise to walk in newness of life. And of course, all of that is predicated upon our faith in Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. Or else baptism is rendered meaningless because it’s an imitation of his death, burial, and resurrection. And so it’s all based on faith. It’s based on repentance that I am going to be leading to this new life, rising to walk in newness of life.

And my conviction about that is so strong that I confess with the mouth. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Romans chapter 10, verses 9 and 10. The fact that I know that is true without any question or hesitation whatsoever. That strong conviction has guided me my whole life. I’ve never wavered in my understanding of God’s plan to save because of my conviction about that. And I notice as we sing that song, there’s a rainbow in the cloud. The thought is the same thing. Whenever you see the rainbow in the cloud, that is from the promise after the flood that God made to Noah and his family and all who would follow after of what would be there in the cloud. And we can have, every time we see that rainbow, that’s God’s assurance that things are going to be the way God said they were.

And it’s not just the rainbow, it’s not just baptism for the remission of sins. It’s the life and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And as I was teaching in Mobile, a sermon that I taught here not long ago, my convictions about Genesis chapter 1 and the days of creation, my convictions about the entire Word of God are based upon my strong conviction that Jesus lived and died and rose again the third day. And I’ll tell you, those strong convictions and the hope of heaven, you know what I preached to you this morning. I don’t have any question whatsoever. What’s at the end of life’s road for the believer? I don’t have any concern whatsoever if any one of us were to die, that we would find something other than what I preached on this morning.

I don’t have, not even just a sliver of doubt about that. And as I mentioned to you, I’ve been talking to another brother in Christ about the role alcohol needs to play in our lives or what limits might need to be placed on the consumption of alcohol. And like I told you just recently, and I told him over and over again, I don’t have any reservations whatsoever encouraging abstinence in the Lord’s people in regard to the consumption of alcoholic beverages of all kinds. I feel good about that. I think that’s helpful to your life and soul. And we can talk about some of the issues that relate to that and perhaps some minimal alcoholic content. We talked about that before. But I want to tell you, if you want to jeopardize your soul, you go buy a beer or a wine.

You’re on your way. I don’t hesitate one second. And I don’t have any question or doubt that’s what we ought to be promoting in the lives of Christians. We need to develop strong convictions. And I’ll tell you where we get in trouble. The more time we spend away from the word, the more time we spend listening to sources that are telling us things that are opposite of the word of God. When people become weak, it is because they have not spent sufficient time in the word developing convictions. You don’t generally see people fall away who are dedicating themselves week in and week out to the study of God’s Word, the teaching of God’s Word, which let me tell you something about teaching. It further strengthens your convictions because of the amount of time and study that you have to put in to teach.

Trying to help you out, Thad. The Bible class program. Teaching is beneficial. It helps, and you know it does when you’ve done it. It helps to strengthen your convictions. And we need those strong convictions. Another one, Hebrews 3 and verse 4. It’s become one of my favorite verses in terms of developing strong convictions. Every house is built by someone, but the builder and maker of all things is God. Isn’t that great? I don’t question it all when I drive and see all these houses in the Houston area, somebody built those. I’m pretty sure that they didn’t just, one night there was a vacant lot, and the next day, voila, there was a house. It doesn’t happen that way. Now, if you’ve been gone for a while, it seems like that.

You come back and they built 30,000 new houses. But that just doesn’t happen. Empty lot one day, and the next day, there it is. I mean, they can put up McDonald’s pretty quick, but not the next day. Every house is built by someone. But the builder and maker of all things is God. You know, I don’t ever wake up in the morning and say, I wonder why I’m here. I wonder how this world got here. How did there get to be six billion people in the world? Where did all of those people come from? Where did it all originate? The Bible tells me. All of that. I know why I’m here, what I’m to be doing here, and where I’m going. And when those convictions begin to wane, even if you’re sitting in an assembly like this, and when you find yourself starting to tune out the messages on a pretty regular basis, let me just tell you something.

2. Trusting in the Lord

You’re in trouble. You’re in big trouble. And you better get back to developing those strong convictions. Psalm 107. I said we’d get back to that. We’re not done with Psalm 107, but in verses 11 and 2. Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. For his loving kindness is everlasting. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so. Whom he has redeemed from the hand of the adversary. God is good. His loving kindness is everlasting. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so. That’s based on our convictions about him. Secondly, trusting in the Lord. Again, my friend Warren said, when you rely upon God’s word, it is not necessary to qualify some man to trust in. Through informal and subtle means, we may qualify certain men.

Let them study and blindly accept their pronouncements. Again, isn’t that what’s going on in the religious world today? We’re going to trust some man. We look up to this guy, and he’s preaching some Bible, and he has these notions that he’s presenting. And so we’re just going to accept what he says. The Bereans were more noble-minded than those of Thessalonica because they searched the scriptures daily to see whether those things are so. And we’re talking about an apostle preaching in their midst. And yet so many blindly accept what they hear in Psalm 146. In Psalm 146, and verses 3 through 6. This is precisely the point of the Psalmist here when he says, Do not trust in princes, in mortal man in whom there is no salvation.

His spirit departs, he returns to the earth, in that very day his thoughts perish. How blessed is he whose health is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever. So many trust in the wrong sources for their information. Let God be true, Paul says in Romans 3, in every man a liar. And that doesn’t mean that every man is a liar. But there are men who lie. And what we need to make sure that we trust in is God’s truth. In his word without corruption, trusting in the Lord. So many have their faith and confidence in the wrong people, the wrong things. In preachers. You know, preachers at a local congregation can be a very temporary thing.

No, I’m not announcing my departure. But I’ve seen people who are more tied in regard to their faith to a man than they are to the Lord. What if a guy comes along with a little less passion and a little less zeal?

3. Willing to Stand Out Among Our Religious Neighbors

I don’t know, my guy might come along with a little more passion, a little more zeal. I don’t know. But is that going to rock or shake our faith? Who is our confidence in? Let it be the Lord. Number three, willing to stand out among our religious neighbors. Warren says, when you rely upon God’s word, it is not necessary to adopt a preformulated and fluid creed institutionalized religion. It is not necessary to embrace the religious error that dominates so many groups of our time. It is amazing to me that people will get involved in these religious groups who are governed by creeds that were written by men that obviously don’t jive with the word of God. It’s not necessary to do that. And we’re going to stand out.

4. Finding Happiness in the Lord

We’ll be distinct among our religious neighbors as we stand upon God’s truth. Number four, finding happiness in the Lord. When you rely upon God’s word, it is not necessary to fall under the influence of your emotions or the emotions of others. You know emotions are important. When our convictions are what they should be, we will have emotion in relation to our worship and service of the Lord. Emotions are not a negative thing. In fact, I would be concerned if we never feel anything at all in our worship. If we never have any emotional stirring over what we do together as God’s people, if the song never touches us, if the word never evokes some response from us emotionally. If we never feel anything.

That’s a scary thing. But our faith is not based on things we feel. And so often in religion today, I feel good about it. Or because there was some stirring emotionally, that means that this is right. Just because I’m stirred emotionally doesn’t mean it’s right. Again, convictions need to be based on the word. Certainly, joy should result when we submit to divine authority. We need to be convinced. Our hope who is in the Lord our God, Psalm 146 and verse 5. We need to be convinced that real happiness is found in doing the Lord’s will in our lives.

Real happiness comes from the knowledge I have done what God wanted me to do. And I’ve done what he wanted me to do in relation to his people. I have done what he wanted me to do as I’ve lived my life day by day in the community, and I have done what the Lord wanted me to do in my home, in my relationships there. I am honoring him by the way I live. And what do we see this morning in Titus 2 in our study? As the young women are to be taught by the older women to love their husbands, to love their children. What? What follows that? So that the word of God may not be dishonored. True happiness comes from knowing at the end of a day like today, as you get pretty worn out.

I mean, it’s a hustle and bustle to get ready, perhaps get the kids ready. I can really empathize with those of you who are getting the kids ready for services. I remember those days. How challenging it can be to get out the door and to make it to services. And with the Olympics, well, the good thing is that you have a lot of helpers as well. Get the girls up early so they can help you with the living. And even Jaden. But we do all of this getting ready, we come, we it’s a lot involved just to get to services for some of us who live quite a ways away. And then there’s the afternoon that goes by just like that. We get something to eat, and then we’re coming back again Sunday night.

And we’re worn out by the end of the day. But don’t you feel at the end of the Lord’s day? I have done what the Lord wanted me to do. I’ve made sacrifices. They’re small sacrifices, really. Compared to what He’s done for me. Very small sacrifice. Well, see what happens to us a lot of times we say, Oh, that’s such a big sacrifice. Oh, it’s requiring so much of me to sit there and listen to Tony for a whole hour on a Sunday, maybe an hour and ten minutes? An hour, ten minutes. What a huge sacrifice. Now I understand it’s a sacrifice. But compared to what the Lord has done, this isn’t that much. I can’t tell you how many times when I was faced with something I needed to do.

That in my heart of hearts, I said, I don’t want to do this. I can’t tell you how many times that’s happened. Even in the last four years. This needs to be done. I don’t want to do this. But then you say to yourself, I’m going to do this. Because I need to do this. Because God wants me to do this.

And you know what happens invariably when it’s done? You feel really good about it. Because the sacrifice was what God wanted you to do. Find your happiness in knowing that I’m living consistently with God’s message and striving. Sometimes fighting against the flesh. So often even, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak, like it was with the disciples in the garden. Keep pursuing the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians chapter 5. These qualities roll off the tongue so easily in Galatians chapter 5. Living them. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. If you keep listening to your flesh all the time, you’ll never do anything. Because the flesh gets tired.

And in our culture, we sort of want to make things comfortable for ourselves. We want to, we want it to all go smoothly, easily. But you’ve got to push yourself to do these things. You’ve got to exercise self-control. You’ve got to learn to be patient. You’ve got to be faithful, and that means devoted to God in your life and taking the time to pray, taking the time to meditate upon the word of God. You’re going to have to push yourself. If you’re going to grow as a Christian, how many times have you heard grow as a Christian? Grow as a Christian. If you’re going to grow as a Christian, you’re going to have to push yourself. And be diligent to be God’s work. 2 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 15.

Conclusion

And we’ll find our happiness. God’s word. God’s word in you. I want you to go back to Psalm 107. We’re going to conclude there tonight. We’ve quoted two different parts of this Psalm. I want you to look at 5, 6, and 8. They were hungry and thirsty. Their soul fainted within them. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble. And again, he delivered them out of their distresses. He led them also by a straight way to go to an inhabited city. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loving kindness and for his wonders to the sons of men. Now look down at verse 15. Let them give thanks to the Lord. This gets repeated. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his wonders, for his loving kindness, and for his wonders to the sons of men.

Verse 21. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loving kindness and for his wonders to the sons of men. Why does this psalm keep repeating itself? Why do we sing choruses in songsalms that repeat the same words? Because we’re developing conviction. Because those memorable statements bring us back to the rock solid foundation of things we need to believe and put our hope and confidence in. Do not trust in princes. Do not trust in men who fail. Trust in God. Give thanks to the Lord for his loving kindness and for his wonders to the sons of men. And we, those of us who are in Christ, are the recipients of his wonders. Do you believe that? Have you embraced that? Are you a Christian? Have you done the things that we’ve talked about that I’m so convinced absolutely are so?

What it takes to become a Christian. Have you done that? And can we assist you in doing that tonight? Let the word of God dwell in you. Let’s stand and sing.