The 60 Second Sermon Wednesday October 30th 2013 Hunger For The WORD Have you ever had a feeling that something is missing in your life? Maybe you can’t quite put your finger on it, but you are hungry for something! Maybe you have been attending church regularly or maybe not so regularly. There is some void deep inside, some yearning, some calling, some hunger. Maybe you have everything in life that you need, yet there is this place in you that is just not quite fulfilled. You are hungry for something! Are you one of the many who has a hunger for the Word of God, but has not recognized exactly what that hunger is yet? Or maybe you are one of the many who recognize this hunger for what it is and you love the feeling of fulfillment that you get from the Word of God! Maybe we all have a deep aching within us to hear the story of life and history of Jesus? The story of God’s people and the long wait for the Messiah, the story of Jesus the Christ child in the manger in Bethlehem, the story of Jesus the carpenter from Nazareth, the story of Jesus the teacher, the story of Jesus the celebrated and the condemned, the story of Jesus the betrayed, and Jesus the brutalized, the story of Jesus as he died on that Cross! Maybe we all have a deep aching and hunger to hear the finest part of any story ever told as we read about the resurrection and the triumph over death that Jesus achieved for all of us! I believer that everyone in the world whether they know it or not has an insatiable hunger for the WORD of God! People search everywhere and do all kinds of crazy things to fulfill that hunger, but the only thing that will satisfy that deep aching hunger is the WORD of God! Is there any doubt as to where that WORD is to be found? Is there any doubt? We will get back to that a little later. You may know in John 1:1: In the beginning was the WORD, and the WORD was with God, and the WORD, was God. “In the beginning” John clearly alludes to Genisis 1.1, where the same expression is used, which there is applied to God. In both places it clearly applies to before creation, before the world was made, when there was as yet nothing. The WORD was there with God. The WORD was clearly there before creation, in the beginning. So the WORD was there, had no beginning, was incarnate, the WORD is Divine! Now let’s pause and think for a minute: Remember John is not referring to the man Jesus, but he is referring to that that which became Jesus. John 1:14 And the WORD became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. Okay…that pretty well covers “In the beginning.” Remember John says “In the beginning was the WORD.” “Was the Word” Or from the Greek “Logos.” This is the name given to Him who afterward become “flesh” as John 1:14 puts it “and dwelt among us”… “as of the only Son from the Father.” Clearly this is referring to the Messiah and therefore applies to our Lord Jesus Christ! There are many opinions about the reason why this name refers to the Son of God, but the one that seems to be the most applicable is as follows: A “WORD” is that by which we communicate our will; by which we communicate our thoughts; or by which we issue command. A “WORD” is the medium of communication with others. Does this description fit the Son of God? Is He that by which God communicates his will, thoughts, and commandments? Absolutely! Further, this term “Word” or “Logos” was used to refer to the Son of God or that which became the Son of God long before the time of John: In the Aramaic translation of the Old Testament the “WORD” appears like this: Now we have Isaiah 45:12 I made the earth and created man on it; However, in the Aramaic: I, by my WORD, made the earth and created man on it; Continuing with Isaiah 48:13 My hand laid the foundation of the earth, In the Aramaic: By my WORD, I have laid the foundation of the earth, The term has been used by Jews for Centuries, Mimra or “WORD” is used throughout the Old Testament when describing Devine intervention in defense of the Jews it states, “by the WORD of God.” And in the Targum on Deuteronomy 26:17-18 it is said, “Ye have appointed the WORD of God a king over you this day, that he may be your God.” The term was used by Jews who were scattered among the Gentiles, and among the Greek followers of Plato. These philosophers used the term to denote the second person of the Trinity. So the term “WORD, Logos, or Mimra” had been used for a long time before John and it was certain that Christians would apply the term to the Second Person of the Trinity so it was important for an “inspired” man to settle the true doctrine of the “WORD” and accordingly John took great pains in the beginning of his gospel to do so! Back to John 1:1 In the beginning was the WORD, and the WORD was with God We have discussed the phrases, “In the beginning, and “was the Word,” now let’s take a look at the phrase, Word was with God This expression denotes intimacy. John affirms that the Word was there in the beginning so that he was partaker of the Devine glory. Jesus himself explains it in John 17:5-8 John 17:5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. John 17:6 I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. John 17:7 Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. John 17:8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. And in many other places throughout the Bible there is discussion of the Word being With God. Let’s look at the final phrase in John 1:1, “Was God.” In the beginning was the WORD, and the WORD was with God, and the WORD, was God. If John had left off with the In the beginning was the WORD, and the WORD was with God, it could be assumed that the Word was a lesser or subordinate being, but to make it very clear, John includes the most unequivocal declaration in the bible that the Son of God was equal to the Father. He says the WORD was GOD! He did not say that the “Word was like God” or that “the Word was A God” or that “Word was acting on behalf of God, or any other statement that could be implied in any other way. He simply states that the WORD was GOD! So what do we have? The WORD is God, is with God in the beginning before anything existed, the WORD is a Devine incarnate being, and the WORD became flesh in the form of Jesus Christ. GOD is the WORD…WORD became flesh…JESUS CHRIST is GOD! 2Samuel 22:31 This God--his way is perfect; the WORD of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. Psalms 18:30 This God--his way is perfect; the WORD of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. To wrap this all up; Is there any doubt where to find the WORD today? God has given us one divinely inspired source! You can read every piece of literature from the beginning of time, every piece of classic literature, or every contemporary, post-modern, emergent, relevant, book on the market, but if you don’t consult the WORD of God, you merely have human words you do not have the Word! Now stop reading for a minute and get your Bible and hold it as you read the final phrases here! Here is the Word of God, Here are the answers, Here is where you learn about love and grace, Here is where you find out how evil was defeated, Here is where you learn the story of our Savior, Here is where you find your armor, Here is where you find everything that you ever will need, Here is the only thing that can fulfill that hunger, Here is where you will find Jesus, the Word, God! It is all right here! This is the word of God for the people of God! Are you hungry? I know I am! Please pray with me: Father we humbly come before you today to thank you for sending your Son and for providing the Bible for us. Lord we know that this is the one truly inspired word of God for us to use as a source for all who seek you! We ask you to forgive us our weaknesses and lack of faith and failure to recognize that our hunger is for your word. Lord we ask for help as we grow in your light. We ask that you help us to seek you, and to consult, and understand your word. We pray, in the Love of …In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen God Bless You! With Love, Brent
Posted on: Wed, 30 Oct 2013 02:00:02 +0000
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