Trembling at God's Word, Part 3a

When I was in high school, my senior year, we got a brand new football coach. And before our first game, he sat us down in the locker room, he said these words.

He said, this is the most significant game of the season. It is the most significant game because you can't go undefeated unless you win the first game.

So we went out and played and we won. The following Friday evening he came and set us down in the locker room and said, this is the most significant game of the season. It is the most significant game of the season because if you don't continue to win, you will not remain undefeated. So we went out and played and we won. And this would go on for several weeks until week number six. When he came and said, this is the most significant game of the season. The reason? Because you're in league play. There's only two other teams that are undefeated.

So for you to remain undefeated, you must defeat the other undefeated team. So this becomes the most significant game of the season. So we played, one out, and won again. This happened every single week until the first week of the playoffs.

You're 10 and 0. went to the first round of the playoffs. He set us down and said, once again, for the 11th consecutive week. This is the most significant game of the season because there has been no downstate team ever to beat an upstate team in the rounds of the playoffs. We went out, we played, we won. Until we finally got to the championship game.

And of course, on that day he said, this is the most significant game of the season. season. Because if you don't win this one, then your season would have gone for not. You need to go undefeated. You need to win the state championship. We went out and we won. Now, which of those 12 games was the most significant game of the season? Answer? Every one of them. Every single one of them. Because they all built upon the other. So when I say that this is the most significant sermon you will ever hear.

I can say that every week because it is. Because every sermon builds on the other and everyone plays on the other. And yet this particular sermon answers the question about who God looks to and who God wants to use. To this man, God says, I will look.

To this man, I will show favor. To this man, I will look with favor. To this man, I will look with favor. to use the one who is broken and of a contrite heart and who trembles at my word. So we're asking, why is it we as the believer tremble under the authority of God's holy word? Why is it we as a believer fear God's holy word? We know that Psalm 130 tells us that there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. God forgives us not to take us to heaven as much as it is that we would fear him.

He wants us to live in holy fear. And Romans 3 tells us that the unbeliever has no fear of God in their eyes. So the unbeliever is the one who doesn't fear God. It's a believer who fears him. But why isn't we fear him? We said last time that the number one reason we fear God is because it must be.

reveals his identity. It reveals his identity. The Word of God is about God himself. The whole theme of the Bible is Jesus Christ, our Lord. And so therefore, the Word of God reveals to us the identity of our God. And so when we go to the Word of God, we are to go there not to find out answers to whatever problem we are facing, but we are to go to the Word of God in order that we might understand our great maker, our great God, our great creator. And when we come to understand Him, then we get a full grasp of who we are and what we are to be doing.

For example, in John 14, the Bible tells us that if we ask anything in his name, he will answer. He will do it. That's what the Lord said. If you ask anything in my name that I will do, John 1414. Now, John 1413 tells us that the reason the Lord answers prayer is so that the Father himself will be glorifying. The important thing to understand about prayer is that prayer is not about asking God to do things for me or to even bring my petitions to God and let him deal with them. prayer is about aligning my will with God's will.

And when I align my will with God's will, then whatever I ask will be answered. Because I ask in conjunction with his name or in equality with his name. I am going and saying, Lord, because of who you are, because of the character of your great being, I come before you and bring this to you. because I want you to be glorified. See, God answers prayer not to meet your needs. God answers prayer so he himself was glorified. And that's why prayer is learning to align myself with the will of God, so I understand God's will for my life.

And then I will ask in his name, and he will do it. So important. God wants us to know him. That's why we study the Bible. That's why we put a big emphasis on the word of God. Let me share it with you this way.

And that is this. I was sharing with our leadership on Monday night. That it's important to understand that people ask, why, if our God is so great and so loving, why on earth did he ever allow sin to enter the world? Why would God do that? Why would it allow Satan to fall, sin to run its course, and evil to take place? There's only one answer. And that is that God who is the great creator of the world has one plan and one plan only. God doesn't have two plans or three plans. He doesn't have an alternate route through the universe.

He's got one plan because he has one agenda. And that is that he himself will be glorified. That's why Paul says in Romans chapter 11, verse number 32, that all things are from him to him. and through him. To him be the glory forever. Everything is about God. Everything runs through him. Everything runs to him because everything is about him. So God allows sin to run its course because God wants us to know him. God wants to be glorified. God doesn't want us to know parts of him. He wants us to know all of him.

Without sin, sin, there would be no knowing of the forgiveness of God, the mercy of God, and the grace of God. Adam and Eve didn't have to know anything about God's forgiveness before they sinned. They didn't have to know anything about God's mercy before they sinned. And although they walked and communed with God in the cool of the day in the garden, they didn't comprehend the fullness of the nature and character of God. God knowing that through sin, his forgiveness, his mercy, his compassion, his love would be fully manifested, he allowed sin to run its course.

That's important to understand because God says, I don't want you to just know part of me. I want you to know all of me. And God has one purpose that he will be glorified. And if God believes that the greatest glory he will receive will come because sin entered the world, then sin will enter the world. And that's what it's about. It's about the glory of Almighty God. Why doesn't God save everybody? Why doesn't everybody go to heaven? If God is gracious and God is good and God is loving and God is kind, why doesn't God just save everybody?

Because we need to know the character and nature of God. You need to know the righteousness of God, the holiness of God, the justice of God, and the wrath of God. And if God saved everybody, you wouldn't know those parts of God. And so God says, I want you to know all of me, not just parts of me.

You see, we like to focus in on certain characteristics of the nature of God. God. And God says, I don't want you to do that.

I want you to know everything there is about me. So when we look into the Word of God, 2 Corinthians 318 says what? We all with unveigh of face, beholding as in a mirror, the glory of the Lord, are being changed from one level of glory to the next level of glory, even as by the Spirit of God, 2nd Corinthians 318. You see, God wants to be glorified. God wants to be magnified through your life. And so he gives us the Word of God to help us understand who he is. And so when we go to the Word of God, we go to study his character, his nature, because we want to know him.

Over in Proverbs chapter 8, it says this, blessed it is a man who listens to me watching daily at my gates waiting at my doorpost. For he who finds me, finds life, and obtains favor from the Lord. Blessed is that man who waits for me. Blessed is that man who watches for me, who is eagerly anticipating my arrival, because if you find me, God says you find life.

You have true life. And he says, blessed is that man because he obtains favor from the Lord. Do you want to obtain favor from the Lord? Do you want God to look favorably upon your life? Then you have to be the kind of person that's always eagerly anticipating and watching for God. How do you do that? By aggressively pursuing God through His Word, wanting to know Him, his character, his nature. That's what it's about. One author who's anonymous said this, about the Bible. I find my Lord in the Bible wherever I chance to look.

He is the theme of the Bible, the center, and heart of the book. He is the rose of share, and he. He is the lily fair. Wherever I open my Bible, the Lord of the book is there. He, at the book's beginning, gave to the earth its form. He is the ark of shelter bearing the brunt of the storm. The burning bush of the desert, the budding of Aaron's rod. Wherever I look in the Bible, I see the son of God. The ram upon Mount Moriah, the ladder from earth to sky. The scarlet cord in the window, and the serpent lifted high.

The smitten rock in the desert, the shepherd with staff and crook. The face of my lord I discover. wherever I opened the book. He is the seat of the woman, the Savior Virgin born. He is the son of David, whom men rejected was scorn. His garments of grace and of beauty, the stately Aaron deck, yet he is a priest forever, for he is Melchizedek. Lord of eternal glory, whom John the Apostle saw, lie to the golden city, lamb without spot or flaw, bridegroom coming at midnight, for whom the virgins look, wherever I open my Bible, I find my Lord Lord in the book.

And that's what it's about. He's on every page in every verse because he wants you to see him. Why do we tremble? Because it reveals his identity. The awesome power of Almighty God is seen. Number two, because it radiates His Majesty.

This is all reviewed. You. Gotta keep you up to speed. Don't want to lose you from week to week. It radiates His majesty. If you got your Bible turned to Psalm 138, verse number two.

A verse we did not cover last week. At least I don't think we did. Maybe we did. And I forgot. If so, it's always good to reread it anyway. Psalm 138, verse number two, says this, I will bow down toward thy holy temple and give thanks to thy name for thy loving kindness and thy truth.

For thou hast magnified thy word according to all thy name. The word of God is that which radiates the majesty and glory of our God. Why? Because God has lifted His word even as He has lifted His name. At the name of Jesus, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father. And the Psalmist has said that thou hast lifted thy word according to thy name, even as thy name. Why? Because the word of God reveals to us the name of God. These are the very words of God.

God breathe them into existence. And so when we read them, we read about our God. Psalm 145, verse number five says, on the glorious splendor of thy majesty and on thy wonderful works, I will meditate. The psalmist says, because of that glory and because of thy majesty, because of thy splendor, I am going to meditate on your words because your words radiate with your majesty. They shine forth with your glory. Therefore, I will meditate on your word. Turn with me in your Bible to Matthew chapter 17.

Matthew chapter 17. You know the story, the line of transfiguration. It says in verse number one and six days later, Jesus took with him, Peter and James and John's brother, and brought them up to a mountain or high mountain by themselves.

And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with him. And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here, if you wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for you, and one for Moses and one for Elijah. And while he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. And behold, a voice out of the cloud saying, This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased.

Listen to him. And when the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were much afraid. And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, arise and do not be afraid. And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. Now that, if we had time just to preach Matthew 17, verses 1 to 8, we can be. be here for six weeks. The bottom line is, is that Jesus Christ unveiled his glory that they might see him in all of his majesty. And as this cloud came down, the voice came from heaven.

This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased. And they shook under the authority of God's word. And they fell on their faces because they were afraid of what they heard. And what did Jesus do? He touched Jesus always touches the fearful. That's the way he works. Same thing happened to John in Revelation 1. He touched him. He said, do not be afraid. And when their eyes were open, what did they see? Jesus only. Right? Jesus only. Listen, when God touches you, all you see is him. That's it. because that's how he wants to be seen.

Nothing else. Now, turn to 2 Peter chapter 1. 2nd Peter writing in the second epistle says this about that incident in Matthew 17.

Verse number 16, 2nd Peter chapter 1. For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power in coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His Majesty. We saw the majesty. of Jesus Christ. Verse 17. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to him by the majestic glory. This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased. And we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.

Peter says, listen, we were eyewitnesses of the majesty of God. We were eyewitnesses of the glory of God. We were there. and we saw something that no one else saw. And then it says this in verse number 19. And so we have the prophetic word made more sure. We have a more sure prophetic word to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this, first of all, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

Peter says, listen, we saw something no one else saw, but we got something more sure than that. We have the prophetic word of God, and you would do well, Peter says, to pay very close attention to what God has said in his word, because these are the very words of God. This is God speaking. It's a more sure prophetic word Because what we saw no one else saw But what we read everybody can read Everybody can And it is the word of God In this word Radiates with the majesty and glory Of the one who spoke it into existence So important Point number three Point number three, why is it the believer trembles under the authority of God's Holy Word is because it reiterates God's authority.

It reiterates God's authority over and over and over again. Over 2,000 times the Old Testament that says, Thus saith the Lord. Romans 3-2 says these are the oracles of God. Matthew 2818, Christ said, All authority has been given to me both in heaven and on earth. Christ says, I have all authority.

And this word, this word of God, reiterates over and over and over again God's authority. Now, that becomes a problem. Because we live in a society where nobody wants anybody else telling them what to do. And for the most part, there are things that we like what God says.

yet there are other things he says we don't like and so we're going to have a struggle and the unbelieving world has a tremendous struggle with God's holy word and so we need to understand that God's word reiterates over and over again his authority remember Josiah we talked about him a couple of weeks ago in second kings when he heard the word of the Lord he tore his robes in the Bible says that his heart was tender toward God.

How do you know that you submit to the authority of God's Holy Word? You're like Josiah. When you hear it and it confront your sin, you relent and repent. Unlike Felix in Acts 26, when he said to Paul, I will hear you again on this matter. See, he heard the word of the Lord, but he wasn't ready to repent. He wasn't trembling under the authority of God's Holy Word. He wasn't shaking under what God had said. Oh, the Bible says that there was great fear that he had, but remember he shook because of the judgments that would come upon him, not because he had a broken and contrite heart.

And Josiah had a broken heart. He tore his robes. He relented of his ways. How about King David? when the prophet Nathan came to him and said, you're the man. What did David say? I have sinned against the Lord. Here was a man who had committed an adulterous affair, had an adulterous affair with Bashiba, who had lived in the sin for at least nine months without repenting of a sin. He says in the Psalms that God's hand was heavy upon him, day and night so much that he would weep upon his couch, and yet he did not turn from a sin.

And to the prophet Nathan came to him and said, spoke and said, thus sayeth the Lord, you're the man, David. What did David do? He fell and he repented of his sins. I have sinned against the Lord. That's why David was a man after God's own heart. A man after God's own heart is characterized by this one fact that when he hears the word of God and it confronts a sin, he repents of a sin. He doesn't say, well, Bashiba. She but he's shouldn't have been on the other part of the roof when I was out there.

I give an excuse. Doesn't say, well, come back tomorrow. We'll talk about it, Nathan. No. It repents when confronted with the word of the Lord. How about Acts chapter 2, verse number 38, when Peter would preach on the day of Pentecost. And those Jews would cry out Peter, because the Bible says that they were pierced in her hearts.

Their hearts were pierced. Why? Because of the word of God that Peter spoke. And they said to Peter, what do we do now? What do we do, Peter? He says, repent and be baptized because of the forgiveness of sins. And what do they do? They repented. And 3,000 souls were saved. They heard the word of the Lord. It confronted their sin. This man, Jesus and Nazarene, who was delivered up by the predetermined of four of God the Father, you nailed to the cross. What do we do, Peter? We were at fault. We sinned against God.

What do we do? He says, you've got to repent. And you've got to believe the gospel. And they did. See? They understood that God's word rings with authority. And so many times the church hears what God's word says and turns a deaf ear. Doesn't care. And then we wonder why God doesn't work in our lives. It's because to this one he looks, to him who is broken in of a contrite spirit, and it trembles at his word. forward.