Where Is God’s Word?
As we begin this series I want to make sure that we begin in the right place and stand on the right foundations, God’s Word. Last week I said we are in the middle of a raging storm. Why, in this storm, does it seem as if God’s people are like “infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming” (Eph 4:14)? Instead of a spirit of truth, there is a spirit of fear. We seem to lack wisdom and discernment. We are not bearing Spirit and kingdom fruit but seem to give in and conform to the ways of the world. This is happening because God’s Word is ignored, forgotten, and lost. Without God’s Word, we don’t have a firm foundation to stand on. We don’t have a compass to guide us through the storm. This happened with God’s people in the OT, repeatedly in history, and now again.
1. God’s Word Ignored, Forgotten, And Lost
Solomon built a beautiful, magnificent temple. No expense was spared. It was covered in gold. The ark of the Lord’s covenant was brought to the temple, and the Book of the Law, God’s Word, was placed in the temple (1 Kings 8:1-11). At the end of his dedication prayer, Solomon blessed the people with these words: “And may your hearts be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time.” (2 Kings 8:61) God answered Solomon’s prayer, and note these words in 1 Kings 9:4-9:
“As for you, if you walk before me faithfully with integrity of heart and uprightness, as David your father did, and do all I command and observe my decrees and laws, I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever … But if you or your descendants turn away from me and do not observe the commands and decrees I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. Israel will then become a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. This temple will become a heap of rubble. All who pass by will be appalled and will scoff and say, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the LORD their God, who brought their ancestors out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—that is why the LORD brought all this disaster on them.’”
Solomon did not obey God’s Word (1 Kings 11:1-13). He married foreign women and God’s warning became true. They led him astray and turned his heart away from God after other gods. His heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God. He did not listen to, did not live by God’s Word.
From there it was all downhill for Solomon and God’s people because they did not walk in obedience to God, nor did what is right in the Lord’s eyes, nor kept his decrees and laws (1 Kings 11:33). One king after the other did not walk in the ways of the Lord and disobeyed His Word. And worse, they, the kings, the leaders, caused God’s people to sin. God sent his prophets but the leaders and the people did not listen.
There were a few kings who did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. There were some half-hearted and incomplete reforms but they did not prevail, and Israel’s sins are listed in 2 Kings 17:7-23. See how they ignored and discarded God’s Word — “They worshiped idols, though the LORD had said, “You shall not do this.” The LORD warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers: “Turn from your evil ways. Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your ancestors to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets. But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their ancestors, who did not trust in the LORD their God. They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their ancestors and the statutes he had warned them to keep. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the LORD had ordered them, “Do not do as they do.” They forsook all the commands of the LORD their God”
There were major reforms under Hezekiah (2 Kings 18-20). “Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. … He held fast to the LORD and did not stop following him; he kept the commands the LORD had given Moses.” (2 Kings 18:5-6). But after him came his son, Manasseh, and grandson, Amon. And things went from bad to worse. They ruled for 77 years. The Book of the Law was discovered in the 18th year of Josiah’s rule. That’s 95 years! For 95 years God’s people ignored, forgot, and lost God’s Word. The terrible consequences and fruits of this are described in 2 Kings 21. 2 Kings 23 describes what Josiah had to do to clean and purify the temple. God’s people and their leaders did horrible things. They built altars for other gods right in the temple. They placed all kinds of objects and articles dedicated to idols in the temple. Statues of horses and chariots dedicated to the sun were placed at the entrance of the temple. The quarters of the male shrine prostitutes were in the temple of the Lord. This is how far God’s people have strayed and fallen. All because they lost and lived without God’s Word. Yes, they still made pilgrimages to the temple. They still brought sacrifices and offerings. But they did so out of religious habit and cultural custom. It was an empty, hollow religion without God’s Word and God’s presence.
When Josiah repaired the temple, the Book of the Law was discovered in the temple and it was read to him. He repented and inquired of the Lord about what is written in this book that has been found. Then he led the people in repentance and they “renewed the covenant in the presence of the LORD—to follow the LORD and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this book. Then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant.” (2 Kings 23:3)
2. And Today? Where Is God’s Word?
What about today? Where is God’s Word in our lives? When we do not listen to and obey God’s Word we ignore his Word. When we persist in ignoring and resisting the Word we become defiant of the Word. We forget and lose God’s Word. Eventually, it disappears from our lives. Have we lost God’s Word? Yes, we have. Recent studies showed that this is happening. That’s why we are having such a hard time weathering this storm we are in.
Bible literacy refers to how many people read the Bible, how often, and how well they know the Bible. Bible illiteracy, meaning people don’t read and don’t know the Bible, has reached critical proportions and is at an all-time low in the Western world. Only 45% of those who regularly attend church read the Bible more than once a week. 1 in 5 churchgoers says they never read the Bible. CHARACTERS
How many are Bible engaged and Bible-centered? These are people who interact consistently and frequently with the Bible. The Bible transforms their relationships with God and others and shapes their choices and actions. The 2020 State of the Bible report found that only 9% of American adults are Bible-centered. Between early 2019 and 2020, the percentage of US adults who say they use the Bible daily dropped from 14 percent to 9 percent.
How many have a biblical worldview? A biblical worldview not only knows the Bible but sees life and the world through a biblical lens. It uses biblical principles as the basis for decision-making and behavior. It subjects our viewpoints and all of life to the light of God’s Word. In 2017 a survey made the shocking discovery that only 10% of Americans have a biblical worldview. A new survey this year reports that it has dropped to only 6%. When you do the maths it means that only one out of five believing, born again Christians espouse a biblical worldview. The report says, “ the fact that not quite one out of five born again adults hold a biblical worldview highlights the extensive decline of core Christian principles in America over the last several decades.”
We have ignored, lost, and forgotten God’s Word. We see it in the lives of many churches and believers. If we don’t read the Bible we don’t know the Bible. If we don’t know the Bible we don’t know what it teaches, and we fall for false teachings. E.g. 59% of evangelicals believe that the Holy Spirit is a force and not a personal being. 1 in 5 believe there are many ways to heaven.
The Word is no longer preached; only personal ideas and personal theologies with a sprinkling of the Word to give it the pretense of being biblical. Christian teaching avoids or softens the hard truths of the Word. People don’t want to hear anything that makes them uncomfortable. Worship services have become entertainment shows. Churches are run according to business models of management and leadership, not according to a biblical theology and understanding of church and leadership.
Many read the Bible only because they have to. It’s the Christian thing to do. They don’t do it out of love for God and his Word. They make all kinds of excuses for not reading it, not reading it as often or deeply as they should. Do we love God? Do we want to know and live according to his will and for his glory? Then we will love his Word and be in his Word. No excuses. Solution for each.
Many study only small parts of the Bible. We need to read the whole Bible on a regular basis from Genesis to Revelation so that we can know the whole counsel of God, know the big picture, and understand God’s whole mission. I can go on and on about the abuse, misuse, selective use, and no use of the Bible. Allow me one more illustration.
I have noted a very disturbing thing. In the discussions and conversations about the social, political, and economic issues of our time, personal viewpoints prevail. The founding documents of our nation are quoted. The founding fathers are quoted. Scholars in the respective fields are quoted. Current authors are quoted. But never do you hear the question, what does the Bible say about this? How will the issue look like when we shine the light of God’s Word on it? It seems that God’s Word is only for church and my personal spiritual life. Keep it out of our daily lives. We are no longer a people of the Word.
3. Repent, Rediscover, Renew, Recommit & Reroot
Like Josiah, we must repent. We must ask ourselves: What are the things we have brought into God’s temple, the things that make his temple unholy, impure? We are God’s temple. Our bodies, our lives, our churches are his temple. What idols, ideas, practices have we brought into God’s temple, things which have pushed his Word to the margins, and hidden it in some corner of our heart, only to bring it out as a magical tool when we need it.
We must rediscover the Word, make an effort to dig deep, to know it, read it, study it, meditate on it, memorize it. But it is not enough to just know the Word. It must move from our heads to our hearts to our hands.
We must renew the covenant. Yes, there is a covenant between God and us. In Jesus Christ, God established a new covenant with us. When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper this morning, we are celebrating, remembering, and yes, renewing this new covenant. God gave himself for us. With his broken body and his spilled blood, Jesus Christ saved us, bought us, and made us God’s people. And now he calls us to live as his people for his glory.
Therefore, we must recommit ourselves to and reroot ourselves in God’s Word. Being planted and rooted in God’s Word is the only way to live. Jesus Christ is the living Word and the Living Water. He is the Source of Life. He teaches us through His Word how to live this kingdom life. Jesus as Lord and his Word of truth has authority over all, prevails and rules over all, over all churches and governments, over all leaders, be they pastors, prophets, priests, kings, prime ministers or presidents, over all nations and peoples, over all creation.
Get back into the Word — young people cultivate your love for God’s Word — not just a book — powerful and alive — share personal examples — students being blessed by reading through the whole Bible.
How do we live out God’s Word, God’s will? It is summarized in several places. Jesus told the Jewish leaders that they failed because they neglected “the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness” (Mt 23:23) They neglected “justice and the love of God” (Lk 11:42). God has shown us what is good, “… what does the LORD require of [us]? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with [our] God” (Micah 6:8). And then the Great Commandment of love sums it all up — Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these. (Mk 12:30-31)
Because love never fails. Love conquers all. God’s love for us conquered death and sin. God’s love gave us new life. Such love, so amazing, so divine, demands our soul, our life, our all. It demands our love, to live out that love, to show and bring that love, God’s love, to the world.