Preeminence of God's Word

1 Peter 1:22–25 NKJV

Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because “All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, But the word of the Lord endures forever.” Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.

The Word of God is wonderful, powerful, and life changing. However, it must be read.

in 1988 the U.S. Senate Finance Committee printed 4,500 copies of a 452-page document with every single word crossed out. This is true. The document was a bill later replaced by a different bill, and this one, HR 3838, as recorded in the Senate Archives, by law, had to be printed anyway with every word crossed out. Some people handle the Bible similarly. Mentally, they cross out the parts that are difficult to follow or the ones with which they disagree.

Psalm 119:1–11 NKJV

Blessed are the undefiled in the way, Who walk in the law of the Lord! Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Who seek Him with the whole heart! They also do no iniquity; They walk in His ways. You have commanded us To keep Your precepts diligently. Oh, that my ways were directed To keep Your statutes! Then I would not be ashamed, When I look into all Your commandments. I will praise You with uprightness of heart, When I learn Your righteous judgments. I will keep Your statutes; Oh, do not forsake me utterly! How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.

I. It will Purify your Soul

A. When we heed its words.

B. By straightening our minds.

James 4:8 NKJV

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Michael A. Milton (The Presbyterian Pastor) said,

I recently read of a lady who was interested in gaining more spiritual balance in her life. The fast-paced living of self-imposed deadlines, goals, expectations and consumerism made her feel as if she was being squeezed to the limit. So, in order to find a spirituality that could help her out of her suburban sprawl soul, she went on a spiritual tour of Sedona, Arizona. There, she was supposed to focus on the simple landscape of that beautiful area and find meaning, purpose and balance for her life. At the end of her trip, she left disillusioned. She returned to her busy life exhausted. She said: “I took a spiritual tour of sacred Sedona, Ariz., and all I got was this rock…and a mystical encounter with a mountain lion.” Can we find God through a mystical encounter with a mountain lion?

The truth is that we can not find Spiritual renewal within ourselves. We must find it with God.

II. It will Procure Love

John 13:34 NKJV

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

A. Sincere Love

Literally -unhypocritical

B. Fervent Love

ἐκτενῶς=Ektenos

a. constantly

b. intensely

This will not be an emotionally dependent love, but rather, a God dependent love.

III. It will Proclaim Truth

1 Peter 1:22 ESV

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,

A. Truth in us.

B. Truth through us.

IV. It will Persist Eternally

The words abide in verse 23 and endure in verse 25 are the same word in the Greek. Simply, it means remain. God’s Word will always remain, it will remain present, it will remain, effective, it will remain true.

Xerox Corp. says it has found a way to create temporary images on paper that would self-erase in 24 hours or less. The special pages theoretically could be used again and again—as much as 50 times.

The idea started in the early 2000s when researchers discovered 40 percent of printed pages are used for the day, then thrown away. With that in mind, Xerox decided there was clear demand for paper that could be reused, but not recycled, on a daily basis.

The team designed paper covered with special chemicals. Once the paper goes through the printer, the chemicals are exposed to a light source that causes the text on the paper gradually to fade. It disappears completely in 16 to 24 hours, but can be quickly erased by running it through the printer again.

Though documents are not yet printed on this paper, in reality, all printed material is temporary. Except, Christians have a more sure Word. The Word of God has been settled in heaven forever.

A. It will not lose its power.

B. I t will not lose its relevance.