THE GOOD WORD OF GOD

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Genesis 1: 1) He then gloriously illuminated this new domain with divine light, placed planets in their positions and populated our province with vegetation, sea creatures, birds, beasts and all manner of crawling things. Last, but certainly not least, He produced His greatest creation of all, which was humankind in His own image, giving us authority over the things He put on this beautiful and bountiful globe that He formed.

After the six days of God’s creative artistry, He then observed the result of His own genius and righteously admired His own work. As scripture says, “And God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good.” (Genesis 1: 31) And that is the absolute truth. It was very good. That is until sin penetrated that paradise launching us into a tumbling tailspin of terror, down into a dark abyss of immorality and excessive indulgence that certainly is not good.

The Book of Galatians tells us that “A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.” (Galatians 5: 9) You may not see the leaven in the dough, but when it rises then you’ll know. And that’s the shady, devious nature of this world we live in. As with the devil's secretive suggestion of sin in the garden, the door of disobedience and deceptive distraction was opened thus allowing the seeds of wicked weeds to be embedded in mankind, having now grown into full-fledged poisonous plants. The constant drip, drip, drip of indecency over the centuries has increased to a deadly debris flow of dishonor and we now find ourselves in a tidal wave of terrible thoughts, lewd language and abominable acts.

2 Timothy 3: 2-5 describes mankind’s depraved spiritual condition as we have crash-landed into these perilous times called the last days: “For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof…”

The final four words of these passages gives us a stern warning by saying, “…from such turn away.” The Lord knows that a vast amount of people have embraced anti-biblical principles, wholly adopting ideals that are in direct conflict with His Word. And this includes everyone from popular entertainment and media personalities to patronizing professional sports proprietors to past and present politicians, including presidents and other privileged persons. But most sadly of all, there are those who publicly profess their faith in the Lord, but still shamelessly endorse practices and policies that contradict God’s Word, and actually engage in the very same behaviors.

Confusing? Certainly, because our enemy, who is the author of confusion has designed it that way. He wants us to have so much conflicting data coming at us from so many sources that it’ll make our head spin. But praise God because He is aware of all of this, He understands all of this and He has a plan for all of this. To help us decipher and untangle all of the unrighteous rhetoric we hear, He has given us His Word which contains everything we need for life and for godliness. So we must endeavor to stay focused, listening to Him intently and being very careful about listening to what this world has to say. “And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words … Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” (Colossians 2: 4 & 8)

Because we are being bombarded with the misleading claims and gas-lighting misdirections of a multitude of people, the world including many of our Brothers and Sisters in Christ are being led down the road to destruction by these arbiters of falsehood who, as the Lord has told us, we are to turn away from. God is pretty smart and He knows their objective is to eliminate Him from the conversation because they are only concerned with earthly, not heavenly things. They truly are the blind leading the blind. The Apostle Paul said of them, “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.” (Philippians 3: 18-19)

So the message today is this: Though there be many that are very articulate and persuasive in their manner of communication, the truth is still the truth and a lie is still a lie. Lies are the chains of captivity, but the truth is the power to make you free. And, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (John 8: 36) Therefore, when it comes down to matters of the soul, a clear distinction is essential. That is why we need to be very careful about who we listen to and what they are saying because anyone who sanctions or commits acts contrary to the Word of God are nothing but unenlightened and expendable foot-soldiers on the wrong side of the spiritual battle that rages between the forces of good and evil. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6: 12)

They want to urge you, convince you and even intimidate you into believing, supporting and participating in their reckless and irrational lifestyles. The time has come where if you don’t agree and join in they will hate you, ostracize you, belittle you and cancel you. As Peter has admonished us, “…they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you.” (1 Peter 4: 4) And it’s only going to get worse. God’s Word tells us that, “They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.” (John 16: 2)

But let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid, but rejoice because we have the Lord God Almighty on our side. He will never leave us nor forsake us but will always be there to help us with the difficulties of our present lives and also safeguard the treasure that is laid up in heaven waiting for us. I can’t overemphasize what glory awaits us if we can endure the temptations and persecutions we are faced with, if we can finish our race with patience and if we can remain faithful to the end. “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8: 18)

So no matter what anyone says we must always stay with the Word of God. We should be like those ones from Berea who didn’t just automatically believe what they were told but “...received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17: 11) And since God is good and everything that is good comes from God we should only hold on to those things that are good. Even the instructions in Paul’s epistle to the Thessalonians says, “Prove (test) all things; hold fast that which is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5: 21) And how do we test it? Simple. By the Word and by the Spirit, glory to God!

We must never forget that while God is the lover of our souls, Satan is the manipulator of our flesh. We have to continually realize that “… though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ…” (2 Corinthians 10: 3-5)

When we fail to remain sober and vigilant, not setting our affection on things above where Christ sits on the right hand of God instead of things on the earth, we place ourselves in harm’s way, waiting to be victimized by Satan. That is why scripture tells us to “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5: 8)

Now notice that this scripture does not say that the devil is a lion. It says that he walks about as a lion. He’s just like any other ambush predator waiting for the opportunity to launch a sneak attack on unsuspecting targets. But as far as being a lion, we know that lions are universally recognized as symbols of power, nobility and courage. Satan is no lion. He’s a liar. He’s a deceiving, thieving, murdering coward who wants everyone to think he’s scary and that He can do to you whatever he wants. The Book of Isaiah says this about him: “They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?” (Isaiah 14: 16-17) The world may be afraid of him but we, the children of God, though we should beware of him, we have no fear of him because He’s like a dog on a leash and can only do what God allows him to do.

Isaiah’s writing continues by saying, “But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet.” (Isaiah 14: 19) As these passages when written at the time were literal descriptions of a Babylonian king and his coming fate, they are also a metaphor for Satan and his sinful system. It falls directly in line with Jesus’ own statement about Satan’s ultimate destination which is a place of everlasting fire that has been “prepared for the devil and his angels.” (Matthew 25: 41) This prophecy also parallels John’s vision in Revelation which says, “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” (Revelation 20: 10)

Again, Satan is no lion. But the Bible tells us Who is a Lion. And that is none other than Jesus Christ, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Son of the Living God, our Rock and our Redeemer, He Who is worthy of all praise, the Creator of all things, the Giver of grace and the Provider of peace, the Way, the Truth and the Life, eternally adored as Lord and Savior, proclaimed by a strong angel as the only one worthy to open the 7 seals on the book being held by the Ancient of Days, that Magnificent One Who sits on the throne of glory in heaven. Honored throughout the ages by word and song such as this one I love which lyrics that jubilantly and majestically proclaim that He’s:

Wonderful, Glorious, Holy and Righteous

Victorious, Conqueror, Triumphant and Mighty

Healer, Deliverer, Shield and Defense

Strong Tower and my Best Friend

Omnipotent, Omnipresent, soon coming King

Alpha, Omega, Lord of everything,

Holy, Holy, Holy is your Name!!!!!

THANK YOU, JESUS! GLORY TO GOD, GLORY TO GOD, GLORY TO GOD!

Earlier we heard about what God did in the beginning. But there was something else going on in the beginning that people don’t want to talk about that was absolutely glorious and inseparable from everything else that happened. So let’s go back and examine what that was. According to the Book of Proverbs, one of the Books of Wisdom, it says, “The LORD possessed Me in the beginning of His way, before His works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth: While as yet He had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world. When He prepared the heavens, I was there: when He set a compass upon the face of the depth: When He stablished the clouds above: when He strengthened the fountains of the deep: When He gave to the sea His decree, that the waters should not pass His commandment: when He appointed the foundations of the earth: Then I was by Him, as One brought up with Him: and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him.” (Proverbs 8: 22-29)

It was this very wisdom Proverbs speaks of that Paul personifies when he writes, “For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.” (Colossians 1: 16-17) God's Word consistently echoes the same sentiment with passages such as this found in the Gospel According to John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.” (John 1: 1-3)

And Who is this Word of God? In the Book of Revelation, John tells of a coming cataclysmic event in which the identity of this person is dazzlingly displayed: “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but He himself. And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called “The Word of God.” (Revelation 19: 11-13) This is the same One Who God has highly exalted and given a name which is above every name. And at that name every knee should bow and every tongue should confess that He is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. And of course that blessed, beloved, holy, precious and all-powerful name is none other than Jesus the Messiah! Yes, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!

Of course there are creation-deniers who only embrace the concept of evolution, not knowing or refusing to believe scripture. They love to brag about their intellect and cite scientific presumptions such as “The Big Bang Theory.” Well, they’re right, but not like they think. It went more like this: God spoke and “BANG!” it happened.

But don’t believe me, believe the Word of God and it says, “For the Word of the LORD is right; and all His works are done in truth. He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD. By the Word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: He layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spake, and it was done;” BANG! “He commanded, and it stood fast.” BANG! (Psalm 33: 4-9)

Knowing all of these things as we watch while the world continues to go horribly astray from our Creator, we must more than ever, always listen to God and unfailingly stay with His Word which says, “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is Thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.” (Psalm 19: 7-11)

It is indescribably amazing and breathtakingly awe-inspiring that we have Jesus, the Word made flesh, the glory of the Father, He Who is full of grace and truth, sent to save the world with an unequaled, unconditional and unselfish love, not with temporary and limited earthly power but with eternal and immeasurable heavenly power which is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or think, such as this: “For the Word of God is quick (alive), and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4: 12) Praise His Holy Name and cherish the Word that God has given not only to be with us, but to be in us. May we be as the Psalmist who penned this stirring and humbling devotional, “Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.” (Psalm 119: 11)

And so dear ones, take on Jesus, hold on to Jesus and never let go of Jesus. I pray that the Lord bless you abundantly, always encouraging you to stay continually connected with the good Word of God.

“Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever.” (Jude 1: 24-25) In Jesus’ name, Amen.