A Word to Watch

Have you ever given thought to how it is that you became a Christian?  Some of you have very interesting stories of conversion.  There was a clear moment that life changed for you and you became a follower of Christ.  Others of us experienced the miracle of conversion in the waters of Baptism when we were very young, and we don’t really remember the moment – although it is no less miraculous!  Any time a person who was dead in trespasses and sin comes to life in Christ it is an amazing thing! 

For every Christian there was a moment when God intervened in his or her life and, through the power of His Word, created faith.  That Word may have been spoken or it may have connected to and combined with the waters of Baptism, but the Word was the tool God used to bring us to faith. 

The Word of God goes by many names; the Word, the Bible, Holy Scriptures, or the Good Book.  Whatever you want to call it, you have a special relationship with the Word (my preferred name for it) because it was with there that you heard about God’s love, forgiveness, mercy, salvation, and, most importantly, Jesus – who is also known as the Word Who Became Flesh.  It is there that you find your connection to Jesus, and therefore your life, forgiveness, power, and hope flow to you through the Word. 

The Word is important – not just for knowledge that imparts, but for all the work it does in our lives.  Isaiah tells us that like the rain and snow that water the earth, the Word goes out and always accomplishes the purpose for which God sent it. 

Our Old Testament lesson this past Sunday (Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9) Moses encouraged the people of Israel and us to watch the Word.  That might sound a little weird.  We hear words; not watch them.  But we’ve all heard someone yell, “Watch it!” and we know they’re not asking us to stand and observe something, but to pay attention to a dangerous situation.  In essence, Moses says to us, “Watch it!” because if we lose God’s Word, we are truly lost. 

Moses highlighted this fact by pointing out that God’s Word is our wisdom.  While there are many things in the Bible that people reject and consider foolishness, the reality is that this is the only source to truly know God.  It is the Bible that reveals Jesus to us and shows us that His death and resurrection are our hope and salvation. 

Paul, too, in our second reading (Ephesians 6:10-20) spoke to the importance of the Word, arguing that it is our weapon – the Sword of the Spirit – to fight against our enemies.  He says, “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  God’s Word is our tool to fight temptation, the devil, and all sin. 

And Jesus spoke of what makes a person clean or unclean in God’s eyes, saying that it is out of our hearts that sin and all kinds of evil come from.  (Mark 7:14-23) We find that something must come from the outside to make our hearts clean so that good and God-pleasing things flow from us.  That thing that comes from the outside is the Word, and it washes us of all our sins as it brings us Jesus’ forgiveness. 

I strongly encourage you to be people of the Word.  Pick it up.  Read it.  Study it.  Attend a Bible class or ChristCare.  Bring your children to Sunday School and let them see as you stay to grow in the Word, too.  Watch what the Word will do in you and in your family and see how God uses it to give you wisdom, a weapon, and a washing! 

Questions to Ponder

-          Moses encouraged the Israelites to watch themselves and their lives (4:9) so that they do not forget the things their eyes had seen and that they didn’t let it slip from their hearts as long as they lived.  Think back across Moses’ ministry.  What kinds of things happened that showed them God’s love and salvation? 

-          What are the things that happened in our lives to bring us salvation?  (Make sure you think through personal experiences as well as the Bible!) 

-          According to Deuteronomy 4:1 what is the benefit of following the decrees and laws of the LORD?  What is the benefit to us when we live in the Word of God? 

-          In the sermon I told a story about a soldier needing to know his weapon so well he could disassemble and assemble it in the dark.  If the Word is our weapon, how well do you know it?  How can you get to know the Word better?  How might that benefit you? 

-          In John 5:39 Jesus says, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me….”  When we watch the Word who are we actually watching?  What is the benefit of spending time with Him?