THE GUARANTEED WORD

THE GUARANTEED WORD Isaiah 40:8, 55:6-13 November 30, 2003 Given by: Pastor Rich Bersett [Index of Past Messages] Introductory While on vacation a couple of weeks ago we had some trouble with the transmission in our car. I had made an investment a couple of years ago that made all the difference in terms of how I responded to the difficulty. I had purchased an extended warranty (which had already paid for itself twice over with previous repairs), and I was good for another 3,000 miles, as the old Bonneville was right at 97,000 miles at the time the transmission acted up. So, instead of being concerned about the cost of repair, I was actually elated-because I figured I was going to get a new transmission at no cost (the warranty was "0" deductible), which would take me another 100,000 miles! Fortunately we were able to make it home just fine, after we gave the car and its under-the-weather transmission a well-deserved break. But when I checked into having it serviced I found out that the servicing company for the warranty dealer had filed for protection under bankruptcy and coverage was unlikely. Some guarantees are just not reliable. But I want to speak to you about a heavenly guarantee that will never fail you. It centers on Isaiah 55:11, "…my word will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." Consider with me for the next few moments the glory of God's guaranteed Word. The Word of God is Guaranteed to Endure "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." So reads Isaiah 40:8. That important truth is picked up and reiterated in the New Testament at I1 Peter 1:24-25, where the apostle adds, "And this is the word that was preached to you." The verse that precedes these two verses, Iverse 23, reads this way: "For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God." And David weighs in on this same theme often as he speaks of the guaranteed word of God in the Psalms. One example is Psalm 119:89 - "Your Word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens." The word that he uses in that text is instructive. He says the word of the Lord "stands". That Hebrew word he chose-YAKUM-speaks of something that is solid, reliable and very sturdy. Think of the Rock Gibraltar that giant stone perched at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. Throughout history its stature has made it an international symbol of stability and strength. That is exactly the concept the Holy Spirit was trying to capture as He gave David the word YAKUM to describe the nature of God's Word. It will never fail. Stressing His own relationship to the Word of the Lord, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished." (Matthew 5:18) God has guaranteed His Word to last longer than anything we know or begin to understand. What that means to us is that we have a reliable source of Truth from heaven. It will never fail you. Philosophies, styles, fads, reichs and shifting moralities are the way of this world, but there is one source of Truth that remains unassailable-the Word of God. In a world where so precious little is dependable, God's Word is absolutely faithful. Guaranteed to work We have focused on verse 11 of Isaiah 55, but let's read a bit of the context of that verse and see a larger picture. The prophet is actually calling the people of God back from their rebellion, offering on behalf of the Lord forgiveness and restoration as His covenant people. "Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain comes down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." (Isaiah 55:6-11) Succinctly stated, God's Word works. I want to make a disclaimer here, and I want to be very clear about it. What I do NOT mean by the assertion that God's Word works is that we can use it to our own ends. There is a dangerous, heretical wave of teaching being promoted by many in the world today under the banner of Christian faith that treats the Word of God as a method or a formula. Those who lead in what is popularly referred to as the "Word-Faith" movement stress this same truth-that God's Word works-but they stretch it out of shape and beyond what the Word really says. In essence this distorted teaching insists that you can have whatever you want from God as long as you follow certain patterns of faith. That is, if you will simply believe strongly enough in one or more of the promises of scripture you can claim your blessings from God. Why? Because God's Word works, and God cannot let you down if you have strong enough faith and press God hard enough in the matter, then He has to come through for you. As I have studied this philosophy-and I call it a philosophy, because that is what it is-I have come to conclude that the difference between the teaching of this system and the more careful understanding of God's Word and His promises, is this. God's Word is reliable, and God is faithful, and we do release His blessings through faith, BUT it is only the blessings that God has promised that He releases. We are not calling the shots. We do not have God in our corner. We don't tell God what to do. So much of what is taught in this false system is pure self-centeredness. God is our servant, forced to do our bidding when we follow the formulas supposedly laid out in scripture. If you want a 2 million dollar house, just believe God and you will have it. (And if you don't seem to realize that promise, then your faith just isn't strong enough!) If you will just learn to believe strong enough, and properly (according to their system, which has been twisted out of the scripture through wrong interpretation) you can have what you want. There is a kernel of truth in this teaching, but when the genuinely biblical doctrine gets distorted by superficial and selfish motivation, it turns into a gross heresy that destroys people's lives and usually ends up bringing blessing only to the system's prophets. Stay clear of any teaching that promises you a "get-rich-quick" blessing, and insists on using scripture verses out of context and as manipulative incantations. One more warning in this realm: the promulgators of this teaching usually offer as "evidence" of the truth of their claims two things: miracles that they work, and their own material success. That is fundamentally flawed Christian faith. Jesus said, "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them…Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day [the day of judgment] "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?" Then I will tell them plainly, "I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers." [webmasters note: Matthew 7:15-23] Miracles are NOT necessarily evidence of God's blessing or God's anointing. Look rather for the fruit of His Spirit in a teacher's life; look for a deep, genuine godliness and humility in His Holy Spirit; look for the fruit of holiness, not material wealth and worldly success. Success mongers are inordinately successful in a world of carnality in drawing after them followers who want blessings for themselves more than service to others. Paul's warning may well be appropriate here: "for the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." (2 Timothy 4:3-4)     I believe that is an important and timely "aside" as we study the concept of how God's Word "works". Well, if God's Word does work, and it does, what does it legitimately accomplish, if not immediate, material blessings for the faithful? 1. The Word of God is Guaranteed to Save When it is Obeyed (vss 6-8) This passage is a call to Israel to repent. God's Word always is a call to salvation, deliverance. "For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." [webmasters note: Hebrews 4:12] The Truth in God's Word is intended to heal our carnal lives and bring us into godliness instead of worldliness.     Paul told Timothy that the "holy scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim 3:15) Salvation in its broadest sense always means coming into a pure and whole relationship with God. When Jesus came to this world to pour out His life as a sacrifice for our sins, He came to "seek and save that which was lost." [webmasters note: Luke 19:10] Lostness is separation from God. He came to make us whole in God, not with veneers of apparent success, but deeply delivered. 2. The Word of God Guaranteed to Succeed When Released "As the rain and snow…do not return (to heaven) without watering the earth…so is my word that goes out from my mouth…will not return empty…will accomplish what I desire...achieve the purpose for which I sent it…" [webmasters note: Isaiah 55:10-11] Again, notice that His Word accomplishes the purposes for which He sent it. What does the Bible teach about what His purposes are? Given the context of this passage, it is clear here and elsewhere in the scriptures that the Word is sent by God to CONVICT. He knows what is best for His people, and He is out to change their minds and hearts to His way of thinking. So He sends His Word through His prophets, in the power of His Spirit (Hebrews 4:12) to convict His people of their sin and their wrong thinking about His Truth. This conviction does not always lead to change and conversion, because God has willed to allow people to respond to Him out of free will. In other words, God sends His Word to convict, but not everyone receives it. You might say, "But wait a minute-didn't He say that His Word always accomplishes His purpose? When someone refuses to repent and respond positively to that Word, hasn't that Word failed?" No. The Word is always successful-that's the very point of this promise-because what He sends it for is not necessarily conversion. He sends it for CONVICTION. Those who refuse Him may not be repentant, but they are informed of His will and stand under conviction once they've heard the truth. John 3:16-17 tells us that God sent His Son into the world to save the world through Him, but verse 18 admits this difficult truth: "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." So, the Word is successful in that it delivers the convicting truth that can save, but when it is disbelieved it also condemns. And these are the two outcomes of our response to the convicting Word: salvation or condemnation. Which one we will experience depends on our response to what God's Word says. When someone chooses not to believe the convicting Word, the Word hasn't failed (it succeeded by bringing the conviction). Rather it is the person who encounters the Word who fails to trust and obey that Word. We do well to remember that we are bearers of the Word of Truth, and we are not responsible for the apparent or ultimate outcome of that Word in other people's lives. Meanwhile, we can be sure that the Word of God will accomplish what He sends it to do-to convict. Like the rain He sends, God's word is impeccably timed and placed, and will not fail. Thus far, we have seen that the Word of God is Guaranteed to endure, and guaranteed to work, always saving those who hear and obey it and always convicting when it is released. There is another guarantee tied to the Word of God. When God says that it will accomplish what He desires, we are driven to the New Testament and another clear indication of what God desires to accomplish through His Word. The Word of God is Guaranteed to Make You Perfect Remembering Isaiah 55:11 -- "It will accomplish what I desire, and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." Let's go for a moment to 2 Timothy 3:16-17. There is an amazing promise there concerning the purpose and intent of the Word of God. "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." The goal of our exposure to the Word of God, whether we are being taught the Word, or it is being used to rebuke us, correct us, or to otherwise train us in righteousness, is that we may be "thoroughly equipped". The term Paul uses is the Greek word, TELEIOS, which means perfect or complete. It is God's will that each of us be equipped to serve His purposes, and our exposure to His Word, hearing it, believing it and obeying it, is what equips us to so serve Him. If I want to be an x-ray technician, I can't just walk in and being doing the job. I must attend a good training school, a university program or a trade school, and get equipped to do the job. The Bible is our training program for ministry. If you want to minister to others in the name of Christ, you need to be centered on and instructed in the Word of God. The more of His Word you have in you the more you are equipped to do well in serving Him. Most of us need to get back to school in the Word. The Word of God, enlivened by the Spirit of God, not only gives us the wisdom, but also the motivation and power to serve Him. If you feel you are lacking wisdom, power or motivation to serve the Lord, you need more Word. I think there is a general need in this area among Christians in our culture. I want to confess to you that my practical goal in bringing this teaching is to get you to enroll in an exciting course of study in 2004. It's one you can do on your own and adjust to your personal schedule. It is outlined in the brochure you have in your bulletin today in the "Bible Reading Program for 2004" subtitled "Through the Bible in a Year". I want to encourage each and every one of you to take on this project as your primary new year's resolution. Several of you started the program last January, and a few have stuck with it. And you know the blessing of getting the big picture of God's Word into your heart and mind. If you failed last time, try it again. I can think of nothing else I would more strongly encourage you in than this most worthy occupation. The Word of God is Even Guaranteed To Bring You Joy (55:12-13) We've saved dessert for last. Isaiah 55:12-13 - "You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the Lord's renown, for an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed." There is great joy in a life filled with God's Word. This was Isaiah's message to Israel-trust and obey the Word of the Lord, and He will bring His blessings to your life. The Bible is a source of true joy to the Christ-follower. David wrote, "Your statutes are... the joy of my heart." (Psalm 119:111) Earlier in the same Psalm he prayed, "O how I love your law; I meditate on it all day long…How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefor I hate every wrong path." (119:97, 103-104) The Word of God revives the soul, the church, the nation, the world. Leonard Ravenhill said: "I can give you one simple reason why we don't have revival in America. Because we are content to live without it." Conclusion If this is the quality of life you want in God, one in which you are dedicated to the Word of enduring Truth, helping to save and serve others, thoroughly equipped for every good work for God, and participating in godly joy as you do, get into His Word at a personal level. Read through it this coming year. "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God." (Colossians 3:16)   [Back to Top]