Introduction:
The theme for today’s sermon is “changing the world by the word”. The most widely read book in the world is the Word of God and it is estimated that over 3.9 billion copies have been printed in the last fifty years. The life of the late Billy Graham is a testimony of how the gospel, the good news, can change a life. The word of God changed the life of Billy Graham and through the anointed preaching of God’s word he impacted many lives and changed the world. The Scriptures are filled with instances where changed lives decided the destiny of individuals and nations through their anointed words. The outcome of one of the often-read battles recorded in Scripture between David and Goliath was clearly decided by the words of David who God had anointed. Even before David used his slingshot to kill Goliath and cut off his head the battle had already been won. The words of the two contestants triggered a spiritual response that was manifested in the physical killing of Goliath and the Philistines. When Goliath cursed David by his gods his words triggered a response from the devil whereas David’s words, as the Lord’s anointed, triggered a response from the Lord. The battle was won the moment David said he was coming in the name of the LORD and would strike him down and cut off his head and that he would give the dead bodies of the Philistines to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the field for the battle is the LORD’s. (1 Sam. 17:43-47) Many people today underrate the power of God’s words to trigger a spiritual response that is able to change the world.
Step One: Words create and destroy
a) Words created the world
Words are powerful and can create and destroy. All things were created by the Word. It was not until God said “Let there be light” that there was light. God continued to speak until the work of Creation was finished and then rested on the seventh day.
b) Words were responsible for the Fall of man
Words determined what happened in the Garden of Eden and were responsible for the Fall of man. God spoke to tell man that he may freely eat the fruit of all the trees in the garden except the fruit of one tree, the fruit of the tree of the Knowledge of good and evil. If he did he would surely die. When man chose to believe the word of Satan rather than the word of God he came under the rule of Satan.
Illustration:
Words were important both in Creation and in the Fall of man. When Satan spoke with Eve he cleverly appeared to be ignorant of what God had said and asks to be informed. His question was to make Eve doubt the goodness of God and suggest that God did not love them unconditionally and was hiding something from them. God had clearly told Adam that if he ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he will surely die. Once doubt had been planted in her mind Eve added her own words to what God had said. Satan immediately seized the opportunity to tell Eve the exact opposite of what God had said that they will not surely die. Eve believed Satan’s lie, ate of the fruit and gave it to Adam to eat and they came under Satan’s control. The same thing appears to be happening in the world today. How else can we explain how so many so-called Church leaders can manipulate their followers to perform unimaginable and degrading acts that do not glorify God. They use enticing words to deceive their followers and bring them under Satan’s control.
Application:
There are many people in the world today who are agents of Satan trying to change the way we think about God. They cleverly add to the Word of God, then change it and finally convince us to deny its truth. The moment we believe their lie we come under their control and thereby under the control of Satan.
Step Two: Words have the power to change lives
a) Words draw us to Christ
Words also have the power to change lives by drawing us to Christ. They reveal His invitation to give rest to all who are labouring and burdened. (Matt. 11:28) No one can come to a person they have never heard about.
b) Faith comes from hearing
The moment we come to Christ and “confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead we are saved”. (Rom. 10:9) Christ justifies the believer and the just are to live by faith. “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ”. (Rom. 10:17)
Illustration:
Words have the power to change lives. The Word of God carries with it a measure of faith and no matter how small that faith is it is able to remove every hindrance that opposes the fulfilment of God’s word. Jesus healed all those who had faith. At His word the blind received their sight, the lame walked, the deaf heard and the dumb spoke. As believers, Christ lives in us and His word is still being fulfilled in those who live by faith. Faith always attracts opposition but is able to overcome every opposition. During His ministry Jesus once told His disciples to go across to the other side in a boat while He went to sleep. With Jesus in the boat Satan still tried to test their faith and Jesus had to wake up to still the storm. Today the devil is still trying to test our faith to prevent the fulfilment of God’s word in our lives. He cleverly does this by using agents who tell us what we want to hear and manipulate us to do what they want in order to stir up storms around us and take our focus off Christ and His word.
Application:
We are “saved by grace through faith”. (Eph. 2:8) and as believers we are to live a life of faith as it is through faith that we gain access to the grace of God. Everyone needs to hear that the gift of God’s grace does not depend on anything that they must do but on what Christ has done.
Step Three: Words define the quality of life
a) Words that deny the truth
Words change and define the quality of our lives. Words that deny or change the truth of God’s Word will lead to misery and failure in life. A person who keeps hearing “your business is a failure” or keeps saying “my business is a failure” will find it difficult to succeed. A person who keeps saying “I cannot make ends meet” or “I never have any money” will find it difficult to earn enough money.
b) Words that affirm the truth
Words that affirm the truth of God’s word changes a person from within and leads that person to a happy and successful life for “out of the heart are the issues of life”. (Proverbs 4:23) “I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus” declares that Christ is the source of our righteousness. “I am a child of God” declares the truth about our family and gives us access to the Father’s provisions and blessings.
Illustration:
There is an old adage that some of you may remember that says “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”. This is far from the truth since words define the quality of our lives. It is not only sticks and stones that destroy the home but also the words spoken in the home. Our homes cannot experience peace, joy and happiness when husbands and wives use bitter and abusive words against each other and against their children. How can we expect someone to be happy when we are always saying to them “You are stupid; You are a fool; and you cannot do anything right”? How can we expect someone we love to succeed when we are always saying to them “You will never succeed; you are good for nothing; and You are a failure”? Is it not more profitable and better to say “you are blessed”, “God loves you and cares for you”, “you are a success”, “you are showing great improvement in your work”, or “you are brilliant”? Our words affect us and our families and when the negative effects of our words become manifest we turn around to blame someone else or some old woman in the village for being the cause of our problems.
Application:
Our words should be words of blessing, hope, and peace. Let our words encourage and strengthen the weak to enable them realise how valuable they are to God for them to enjoy God’s abundant promises and blessings.
Conclusion:
There are many voices in the world today trying to get our attention. They come to us through radio, television, music, internet and friends. The words we hear either lead us to success and victory in life or to failure, disappointment, defeat and tragedy. A wise man once said you cannot prevent the birds from flying over your head but you can prevent them from building a nest in your hair. We are the ones who determine whether we live a happy and fulfilled life or a miserable one by the words we choose to hear and embrace. God wants us to embrace His words and use our words wisely. A theologian once wondered why God gave man only one tongue that is safely guarded and protected by our teeth and lips and hidden from view. He wondered why all other parts of the human head, the eyes, the ears, and the nostrils were double. Could this imply that it is not everything that we see, hear or smell that we should speak about. Mathematically, we should limit our words to only half the things that we see, hear or smell. They should be limited to words of encouragement and to words of God’s love, favour, provisions and blessings.
Personal Response:
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue”. They are in the words we speak so let us use our words wisely so that all those who hear us, as we share the good news of the grace of God, will be changed to the praise and glory of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen!
heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you”. (Isaiah 35:4)
Introduction:
The theme for today’s sermon is “changing the world by the word”. The most widely read book in the world is the Word of God and it is estimated that over 3.9 billion copies have been printed in the last fifty years. The life of the late Billy Graham is a testimony of how the gospel, the good news, can change a life. The word of God changed the life of Billy Graham and through the anointed preaching of God’s word he impacted many lives and changed the world. The Scriptures are filled with instances where changed lives decided the destiny of individuals and nations through their anointed words. The outcome of one of the often-read battles recorded in Scripture between David and Goliath was clearly decided by the words of David who God had anointed. Even before David used his slingshot to kill Goliath and cut off his head the battle had already been won. The words of the two contestants triggered a spiritual response that was manifested in the physical killing of Goliath and the Philistines. When Goliath cursed David by his gods his words triggered a response from the devil whereas David’s words, as the Lord’s anointed, triggered a response from the Lord. The battle was won the moment David said he was coming in the name of the LORD and would strike him down and cut off his head and that he would give the dead bodies of the Philistines to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the field for the battle is the LORD’s. (1 Sam. 17:43-47) Many people today underrate the power of God’s words to trigger a spiritual response that is able to change the world.
Step One: Words create and destroy
a) Words created the world
Words are powerful and can create and destroy. All things were created by the Word. It was not until God said “Let there be light” that there was light. God continued to speak until the work of Creation was finished and then rested on the seventh day.
b) Words were responsible for the Fall of man
Words determined what happened in the Garden of Eden and were responsible for the Fall of man. God spoke to tell man that he may freely eat the fruit of all the trees in the garden except the fruit of one tree, the fruit of the tree of the Knowledge of good and evil. If he did he would surely die. When man chose to believe the word of Satan rather than the word of God he came under the rule of Satan.
Illustration:
Words were important both in Creation and in the Fall of man. When Satan spoke with Eve he cleverly appeared to be ignorant of what God had said and asks to be informed. His question was to make Eve doubt the goodness of God and suggest that God did not love them unconditionally and was hiding something from them. God had clearly told Adam that if he ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he will surely die. Once doubt had been planted in her mind Eve added her own words to what God had said. Satan immediately seized the opportunity to tell Eve the exact opposite of what God had said that they will not surely die. Eve believed Satan’s lie, ate of the fruit and gave it to Adam to eat and they came under Satan’s control. The same thing appears to be happening in the world today. How else can we explain how so many so-called Church leaders can manipulate their followers to perform unimaginable and degrading acts that do not glorify God. They use enticing words to deceive their followers and bring them under Satan’s control.
Application:
There are many people in the world today who are agents of Satan trying to change the way we think about God. They cleverly add to the Word of God, then change it and finally convince us to deny its truth. The moment we believe their lie we come under their control and thereby under the control of Satan.
Step Two: Words have the power to change lives
a) Words draw us to Christ
Words also have the power to change lives by drawing us to Christ. They reveal His invitation to give rest to all who are labouring and burdened. (Matt. 11:28) No one can come to a person they have never heard about.
b) Faith comes from hearing
The moment we come to Christ and “confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead we are saved”. (Rom. 10:9) Christ justifies the believer and the just are to live by faith. “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ”. (Rom. 10:17)
Illustration:
Words have the power to change lives. The Word of God carries with it a measure of faith and no matter how small that faith is it is able to remove every hindrance that opposes the fulfilment of God’s word. Jesus healed all those who had faith. At His word the blind received their sight, the lame walked, the deaf heard and the dumb spoke. As believers, Christ lives in us and His word is still being fulfilled in those who live by faith. Faith always attracts opposition but is able to overcome every opposition. During His ministry Jesus once told His disciples to go across to the other side in a boat while He went to sleep. With Jesus in the boat Satan still tried to test their faith and Jesus had to wake up to still the storm. Today the devil is still trying to test our faith to prevent the fulfilment of God’s word in our lives. He cleverly does this by using agents who tell us what we want to hear and manipulate us to do what they want in order to stir up storms around us and take our focus off Christ and His word.
Application:
We are “saved by grace through faith”. (Eph. 2:8) and as believers we are to live a life of faith as it is through faith that we gain access to the grace of God. Everyone needs to hear that the gift of God’s grace does not depend on anything that they must do but on what Christ has done.
Step Three: Words define the quality of life
a) Words that deny the truth
Words change and define the quality of our lives. Words that deny or change the truth of God’s Word will lead to misery and failure in life. A person who keeps hearing “your business is a failure” or keeps saying “my business is a failure” will find it difficult to succeed. A person who keeps saying “I cannot make ends meet” or “I never have any money” will find it difficult to earn enough money.
b) Words that affirm the truth
Words that affirm the truth of God’s word changes a person from within and leads that person to a happy and successful life for “out of the heart are the issues of life”. (Proverbs 4:23) “I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus” declares that Christ is the source of our righteousness. “I am a child of God” declares the truth about our family and gives us access to the Father’s provisions and blessings.
Illustration:
There is an old adage that some of you may remember that says “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”. This is far from the truth since words define the quality of our lives. It is not only sticks and stones that destroy the home but also the words spoken in the home. Our homes cannot experience peace, joy and happiness when husbands and wives use bitter and abusive words against each other and against their children. How can we expect someone to be happy when we are always saying to them “You are stupid; You are a fool; and you cannot do anything right”? How can we expect someone we love to succeed when we are always saying to them “You will never succeed; you are good for nothing; and You are a failure”? Is it not more profitable and better to say “you are blessed”, “God loves you and cares for you”, “you are a success”, “you are showing great improvement in your work”, or “you are brilliant”? Our words affect us and our families and when the negative effects of our words become manifest we turn around to blame someone else or some old woman in the village for being the cause of our problems.
Application:
Our words should be words of blessing, hope, and peace. Let our words encourage and strengthen the weak to enable them realise how valuable they are to God for them to enjoy God’s abundant promises and blessings.
Conclusion:
There are many voices in the world today trying to get our attention. They come to us through radio, television, music, internet and friends. The words we hear either lead us to success and victory in life or to failure, disappointment, defeat and tragedy. A wise man once said you cannot prevent the birds from flying over your head but you can prevent them from building a nest in your hair. We are the ones who determine whether we live a happy and fulfilled life or a miserable one by the words we choose to hear and embrace. God wants us to embrace His words and use our words wisely. A theologian once wondered why God gave man only one tongue that is safely guarded and protected by our teeth and lips and hidden from view. He wondered why all other parts of the human head, the eyes, the ears, and the nostrils were double. Could this imply that it is not everything that we see, hear or smell that we should speak about. Mathematically, we should limit our words to only half the things that we see, hear or smell. They should be limited to words of encouragement and to words of God’s love, favour, provisions and blessings.
Personal Response:
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue”. They are in the words we speak so let us use our words wisely so that all those who hear us, as we share the good news of the grace of God, will be changed to the praise and glory of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen!
