Twenty-one

Psalm 119, which is the longest of the Psalms, runs to 176 verses, almost all of which focus exclusively on the place which the Word of God should hold in the life of the person who seeks to please God. Even though the various verses use a variety of terms to do so, this Psalm challenges us each to carefully consider what an incredibly valuable treasure the Word of God is.

For example: “Your Word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You” (verse 11). It should be quite obvious that if we fail to make the Word of God a constant point of reference in all areas of our lives, the result will be that kind of ignorance which the enemy of our souls uses most effectively to lure us into sin, sin against God!

The opposite is equally true. The more that we hide the Word of God in our hearts, through carefully, prayerfully reading and studying it, as well as mediating on God's message to us which His Word contains, the more we will know God, His will, and His ways. This will mean that we will be much better equipped in our protection against the allurements of the enemy.

Another very familiar verse from this Psalm is, “Your Word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path” (verse 105). This verse helps to remind us of a vital aspect of the Holy Spirit's ministry in our lives. The Holy Spirit is committed to bring to our remembrance the Word of the Lord, and His purpose in doing so is to continually enable us to live and walk in the way that is pleasing to the Lord.

When the Lord Jesus promised the disciples that the Holy Spirit would guide them, and us, into all truth, it was this very practical application in our lives day by day that He had in mind. We would all do well if we continually reminded ourselves that there is nothing impractical about anything that the Lord Jesus taught, or about anything God is seeking to teach us through His Word. Every word of His teaching is to be put to practical application, to be worked out effectively in our lives as we seek to press on to perfection.

It was with this emphasis on the essential, practical application of His Word that the Lord Jesus said, “”Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock”(Matthew 7: 24). Once you have heard His Word, there is only one wise course to follow: Do it! That is the way of true spiritual wisdom. Do it! Do not debate or discuss or anything else like that. Do it!

From the very beginning of the public ministry of the Lord Jesus the strong emphasis of the practical application of His Word was clearly marked. The following events took place in relation to the wedding feast which Jesus, with His disciples, attended in Cana. There was the quite strong possibility of a most embarrassing situation developing when those responsible discovered that they had run out of wine.

After approaching the Lord Jesus, Mary then said to the servants who were involved, “Whatever He says to you do it!”(John 2: 5). When those servants heard the instructions which the Lord Jesus gave to them, they may very well have wondered at getting such unusual orders to carry out in doing the things which He told them to do.

The servants probably were aware that they had run out of wine, but the Lord Jesus told them to take the six stone waterpots which they knew were used to provide water so that the guests could wash their feet, etc. The servants were instructed to fill those waterpots with water. But, how could getting six waterpots filled with water meet the need of proving wine for the guests? But, those servants remembered what Mary had said to them, “Whatever He says to you, do it!” And, they did it.

As the direct result of their obedience to the Word of the Lord Jesus, they found that they themselves were made the instruments through which the following happened: the beginning of the miraculous signs of the Lord Jesus, an event in which the Lord Jesus “manifested His glory!”

When it involves our response to the Word of God, that is the only sane advice to give anyone: “Whatever He says to you, do it!” It certainly does not matter whether the instructions we receive through the Word of God appear to make sense to us or not, The Lord Jesus knew exactly what he was going to do at the wedding feast in Cana, even as He knows exactly what He is seeking to accomplish in and through us when He speaks His Word to us. The Lord Jesus always knows what He is doing! God always knows what He is doing!

It may seem to us that the things His Word directs us to do will not meet the pressing need of the moment, But it is not what we think that matters, it is what the Lord knows that matters. And He knows, when He speaks to us, that His Word perfectly fits the situation at the time. Even though we may be tempted to think that no real good can come from doing what we are told to do, the Lord knows that He is about to both meet the need through our obedience, as well as manifesting His glory at the same time!

But, how will we be able to apply His Word in this practical way if we are not reading His Word, if we are not prayerfully and carefully studying His Word? How will He be able to use us to manifest His glory if we continue to allow our minds to be constantly preoccupied with things, almost anything, other than His Word?

There is another incident that is recorded in John's gospel that so graphically illustrates this aspect of the attitude of the Christian who is filled with the Holy Spirit to the Word of God. This has to do with the potential of the Word of God, and focuses our attention on a most thrilling and important reality.

This event also took place in Cana of Galilee. The Lord Jesus had just returned from Judea and Jerusalem to Galilee, and we read that “the Galileans received Him”(John 4: 45).

John proceeds to inform us that, “There was a certain nobleman whose son was sick in Capernaum”(verse 46) - which is a considerable distance from Cana. Yet this nobleman went to Cana with the specific purpose in mind of attempting to get the Lord Jesus to go to Capernaum with him. “He went to Him and implored Him to come down (to Capernaum) and heal his son”(verse 47).

The Lord Jesus responded to the repeated requests of the nobleman by challenging him with a statement that must have sounded so humiliating: “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe”(verse 48). In these words the Lord Jesus was referring to the very common attitude of the world that is expressed in the saying, “Seeing is believing!”

The Lord Jesus declined to go with the nobleman to Capernaum. Instead He declared, Go you way; your son lives!” In saying this, the Lord Jesus gave the nobleman a choice. He could continue to beg the Lord Jesus to go with him to Capernaum, or, he could do what he immediately decided he should do! John tells us, “So the man believed the Word that Jesus spoke to him, and went his way!”

He left the Lord Jesus with the crowd there in Cana, and, alone, began his long journey back to Capernaum. As he did so he was in no way disappointed or discouraged. No, his heart was filled with a deep joy and peace. This was because he anticipated that already the Word of the Lord Jesus absolutely guaranteed a most glorious result: his son was fully restored to health and strength! And, the nobleman was not disappointed!

As Christians today, we have the same choice which that nobleman had to make. We can continue to attempt to demand that the Lord Jesus will do what we want Him to do in the way we think He should do it, and then get nothing. Or, we can, in true faith, act on His Word, and as we do so, anticipate a miracle! - in which case He will never disappoint us!

What a truly exciting concept this is! What a humbling challenge! It is the Christian who is being transfigured into the image and likeness of the Lord Jesus who anticipates that their faith in the Word of their Lord will continue to open doors into the most glorious and exciting developments.

“Your Word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You!” In what ways could it be possible that we, as Christians, could sin against our Lord and Savior? One of the most common ways that many Christians sin against Him is by neglecting to hide His Word in their hearts; in fact, by not really listening to Him when He is seeking to speak to them.

There was that occasion when “Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day” (Matthew 16: 21).

We need to carefully take note of the emphatic way in which the Lord Jesus stated this to His disciples: “He must go!” He knew that He had no choice. He was aware that there was no alternative because this was His Father's will for Him. His word clearly stressed the fact that “He must!” But He also brought to the attention of the disciples the climax of those events; He must . . . be raised the third day!”

Peter “listened” to what the Lord Jesus said, but he did not hear the message of the Lord. How it must have deeply grieved the Lord Jesus that His disciples were so careless in listening to what He was seeking to tell them, that they proved to be deaf to the crucial emphasis of His total statement, and that their lack of understanding led them to strongly disagree with His Word!

“Peter . . . began to rebuke Him, saying, Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” (verse 22). In other words, Lord, as far as I am concerned, You do not know what You are talking about!

If anything involves sin against the Lord, that kind of response to His Word is a decisive example of such sin. First, failing to give the closest attention to what He was saying to them. Then, refusing to believe His Word. and, finally, daring to even suggest that we know better than He does what could and could not happen!

“That I might not sin against You!” But, rather, sincerely seek to learn that I may sit humbly at Your feet, giving the most careful attention to everything that You are seeking to say to us. Whenever there is something You are attempting to reveal to us in Your Word, and we have difficulty in grasping what Your message is, we bring that very thing to You in prayer as we rely on You to help us understand all that You are saying, and all that it means to us.

This is the attitude that always takes the position that first and foremost our objective is to honor the Lord, even when we have problems fully comprehending all that He is saying. Honoring Him by affirming that He is right, always right, no matter what He says in His Word that eludes our grasp, we are going to honor Him by receiving His Word and acting on it. Hiding His Word in our hearts in an attitude of humble thanksgiving and praise.

God Himself has announced: “On this one will I look: On him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My Word” (Isaiah 66: 2).

Most people, including most Christians, in this modern day and age may well be tempted to ask, Why should we tremble at the Word of the Lord? Perhaps the following statement made by the Lord Jesus will help to answer that question: “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him -- the Word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak” (John 12: 48, 49),

Those Christians who really know the Word of God know what a truly awesome prospect that is to look forward to! Think about this, We shall all personally give account at the judgment for every Word that the Lord Jesus has spoken to us, and for every Word He has attempted to speak to us but we were unwilling to listen to Him! That is a most humbling revelation. Where do we anticipate that we will stand on that day? The very thought of this awesome warning should give every one of us as Christians real cause to stop and begin to thoroughly search our own hearts and lives.

It certainly will not be enough if, when we stand at that judgment bar, we attempt to make the claim, Well we have tried to keep some of the Word that He spoke to us, but, perhaps, really not all. It will not even be enough if we could say, I have kept most of His Word, though there were a few things I may have missed.

King Saul was sent on a mission by God. God carefully spelled out to King Saul all of His requirements that had to be met on this mission, and He did so in such a manner that left no doubt as to what He required. And when Saul had “completed” that mission he felt that he had done well enough in carrying out God's instructions.

But that was not God's evaluation of Saul efforts. God said, “He has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments”(1 Samuel 15: 11). God required then, and still requires today, total obedience to His Word. Therefore Samuel was sent by God to announce to King Saul, “You have rejected the Word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you” (verse 26).

It is the eternal God whose Word we are discussing here. The God who is absolutely holy, awesomely majestic and glorious in eternal sovereignty, authority and power. This God has every right to expect, and to demand, that we - mere sinful human beings that we are - tremble at His Word! Especially as we remember that the time will come when we will stand at His judgment bar and give account for the manner in which we have honored, or failed to honor, His Word.

There is the other side of this issue. That is experienced by those who do wholly honor Him and His Word. Every Word He speaks brings the greatest blessing and benefit to those who fully and faithfully honor and obediently apply every Word He speaks. The Lord Jesus quoted, “Man shall . . . live . . . by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4: 4).

Almost from the very beginning the Lord had spelled out an essential principle that He Himself insists that His people take seriously. “You shall not add to the Word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you”(Deuteronomy 4: 2).

This same warning is repeated at the very end of the Bible: “For I testify to every one who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book” (Revelation 22: 18).

The Book of Proverbs also reminds us, “Every Word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar” (Proverbs 30: 5, 6)

“Do not add to His words!” In spite of these, and other, very clear warnings which the Lord has given us throughout His Word, one of the marks of this present age in which we live is the great popularity of so-called “Christian literature” which repeatedly ignores these clear warnings that God Himself gives. Yet those who write, publish, and read such literature will quickly claim that these books are completely loyal to the Word of God.

But when people begin to read so many of this type of “Christian literature,” it quickly becomes quite obvious that the author(s) have taken numerous liberties with the Word of God by adding many of their own ideas and theories into these books. There are many Christians who, as they read this kind of literature rely on the claim that it is totally loyal to the Word of God, and, because they do not know the Word of God as thoroughly as they ought to know it, they readily accept everything they read in such books as being Bible truth, even those parts that are, at the very best, questionable human theories and ideas that has no true Biblical support whatsoever!

There are some people who may want to say: But it is only “fiction,” therefore it is acceptable to take some liberties in this way. Is it ever justifiable for any Christian at any time to “take liberties” with the truth of the Word of God? Is it ever justifiable, in the light of the Word of God quoted above, for any Christian to add to the Word of God in any way, or for any reason. Especially as we know God Himself has said so decisively: “Do not do it!”

Can we really expect God to honor us and our so-called service for Him if we condone anything that in any way excuses Christians from ignoring the warnings which God Himself gives to us? Could it be that this is one of the reasons, among others, for the widespread impotence and fruitlessness of vast numbers of Churches and Christians everywhere.

When God says: “Do not add anything to My Word,” this applies to every Christian everywhere. The fact that some of these “popular” books have sold large numbers of copies is hailed by many as the kind of success that is evidence of God's blessing. That is a rationalization that could then be applied to so much of the literature of the world. The success is explained, first by the use of the business methods of the world which rise out of carnal imagination, not from the blessing that come from the Holy Spirit of God working in power.

Secondly, it comes from: “The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables”(2 Timothy 4. 3. 4).

Alongside the very clear warning not to add anything to the Word of God, there is also this, “And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book”(Revelation 22: 19).

“You shall not add to the Word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you”(Deuteronomy 4: 2).

Do not take anything away from the Word of God! This is also a very clear challenge to every Christian today. Man shall live by every Word that God speaks!

Throughout the entire history of humanity men have made the mistake of believing that there are some things in God's Word which do not apply to them in their specific circumstances. Those things may apply to other people, but he has convinced himself that he can safely disregard those aspects of God's Word.

We need to remember what happened right back at the very beginning. “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying . . . but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2: 16, 17).

But, the enemy came along and said, “You will not surely die!” (Genesis 3: 4). Was it safe for Adam and Eve to disregard this aspect of the Word of God to them just because someone said that it was? They chose to believe that they could discard that part of God's Word. But, at what an incredible cost to them! They lost everything!

This is exactly the same warning that God gives to us in the Book of The Revelation chapter 22. For anyone to attempt to take anything away from the Word of God is to inevitably lose everything that God in grace is seeking to give to them.

W listen to the things which people are saying today, the careless attitudes which they express to so many of the areas that relate to their Christian lives, and it quickly becomes very obvious that there are so many who have convinced themselves that they can quite safely discard various parts of the Word of God and still claim to live their lives as committed Christians.

An example of this is the attitude of so many Christians to the very theme of these studies, Pressing on to Christian perfection. They do not see any real need to do so. This includes the crucial need to be identified with the Lord Jesus in His death. It includes the command of God to crucify the flesh with its desires and lusts. To be crucified to the world, its values, priorities, standards and pleasures. All of that is rejected.

Many Christians feel that these particular aspects of the Word of God on the implications of Christian holiness are much too extreme, and therefore need to be modified, if not discarded altogether. But to do that they are inevitably stripping the Word of God of that which God Himself included in His Word.

When James issues a strong warning against “Friendship with the world,”(James 4: 4) there are those who throw the warning aside as they give themselves to enjoying the pleasures of the world.

On the other side there are those who, because of their strong convictions that they must retain the most rigid of standards, appear to be inclined to turn a deaf ear to the Word of God which reminds them, “Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way”(Romans 14: 13).

Paul was specifically writing about personal convictions and standards that related to the eating of certain foods. But there is a much wider application of this statement that applies in all areas of our convictions and standards. It is for this reason that his words are so challenging to us: “Do not destroy,” with your convictions about certain food, nor with your strong personal convictions about many other things, - “Do not destroy . . . the one for whom Christ died”(verse 15).

Paul also warned, “Because of your knowledge” - and the way you apply your knowledge so rigorously - “shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?” (1 Corinthians 8: 11). Then he adds, “Let no one seek his own, but each one the other's wellbeing”( 1 Corinthians 10: 24). Be more loving and patient with one another, especially with those who do not see everything the way we see it!

We all need to remember that the Lord evaluates us according to the light that we have received. As we have no way of accurately ascertaining, therefore no way of evaluating, the light which our brother has received, we are completely unjustified in judging our brother, especially on the grounds that he may not share all of our convictions at any given time.

Do not take away any part of the Word of God, whether it is done by claiming it is no longer applicable, by attempting to explain away the claims that are contained in it, or, by ignoring it. Do not think, speak, or act as though there are things that God has said in His Word that do not apply to you, to your life, your attitudes, or your service.

It is such a tragedy that there are so many areas in which we as Christians today need to urgently reevaluate our own attitudes and conduct. For example, Prayer! Tithing, and sacrificial giving! Faithful witnessing as we share the gospel with those to whom the Lord sends us. Love - to the extent that we are willing “to lay down our lives for the brethren”(1 John 3: 16).

How urgent it is for each of us to constantly apply Paul's advice to Timothy, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be shamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth” (2 Timothy 2: 15). “Rightly dividing the Word of truth” does not mean: taking those parts of the Word that appeal to us and tenaciously holding on to them, while ignoring the things in the Word of God that make us feel uncomfortable.

“Rightly dividing the Word of truth,” means that we approach each part of the Word of God in a spirit of deep, humble awe and reverence. As we do so, we continually seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit to teach us, enabling us to understand how each and every part of the Word of God applies to our lives. To help us understand how the Word of God requires us to respond in genuine compliance and obedience to its message. Then: “”Whatever He says to you, do it!”

This is the only attitude to the Word of God which fits in with a genuine commitment to press on to Christian perfection in true holiness. This is the only way to honor the Word of God in the same way that the Lord Jesus honor His Father's Word. If we are genuinely transfigured into the image and likeness of the Lord Jesus we will express His attitude of honor and obedience to the Father's Word in exactly the same way as He Himself did. This attitude will extend to all areas of our lives and our service, as it did to His!

If we fail to do this, it will mean that we have fallen into the same trap in which Satan caught Adam and Eve. The result of that failure: like them, we lose everything that really matters. God does mean it when He says, “God shall take away his part out of the Book of Life!”