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Summary: The word of god is a powerful tool given by God with amazing benefits. Read this blog to understand the physical, spiritual, and eternal benefits of the word of God.
Why do you think is the reason the world has become immoral and so dangerous? People are in difficulties, financial problems, and suffering all around without any hope. The reason the world is in this condition is because people have rejected God, his commandments, and his principles. The society has gotten here because people don’t want God to tell them how to live. Let me ask you: How important is the Bible to you? Do you really desire God’s word?
Benefits of desiring God’s Word.
Do you know that the Bible is the largest selling book in the entire world? The problem is that people buy the Bible but seldom do read the Bible.
Barna conducted its annual State of the Bible survey in 2018, in partnership with American Bible Society, to examine behaviors and beliefs about the Bible among U.S. adults.
89% use the print version of the Bible.
60% uses smart phone and print version.
56% percent of the Bible readers say that Bible positively impacts spiritual growth.
6 in 10 Americans believe that the Bible has transformed their life.
Illustration:
An atheistic college professor visited the Fiji Islands and critically remarked to an elderly chief, ’You’re a great leader, but it is a pity you’ve been taken in by those missionaries. They only want to get rich through you. No one believes the Bible anymore in our culture. They know better now. I am sorry that you have been so foolish to believe them’.
The old chief’s eyes responded, ’Do you see that great rock over there? On it we smashed the heads of our victims and we roasted their bodies in that furnace next to the rock. If it hadn’t been for the missions and the Word of God that changed us you’d never leave this place alive! You had better thank the Lord for the Gospel; otherwise we’d already be feasting on you.
1 Peter 2:2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
The pursuit of God knowing God’s will and the mind of God starts here.
Genuine spirituality is marked by a delight in God’s truth.
Isaiah 66:2b These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word. God is speaking through Isaiah to the people of Israel in exile in Babylon. You are far away from the temple, from your Promised Land. I am not drawn to you by a temple but I am drawn to the one who is humble, contrite in spirit and trembles at God’s word. Be humble and come to an understanding in my spirt that I need the word of God for my life.
Joshua 1:8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Paul said in Romans 7:22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law.
Job 23:12 I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.
David said in Psalm 19:9-10 9The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. 10They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. God’s word was David’s pleasure and greatest treasure.
Repeated over and over again in the Bible is this foundational reality that one who belongs to God has a delight in His Word.
Illustration:
George Mueller, who was known for his strong faith, confided. “The first 3 years after conversion, I neglected the Word of God. Since I began to search it diligently, the blessing has been wonderful. I have read the Bible through one hundred times and always with increasing delight! I look upon it as a lost day when I have not had a good time over the word of God.
Illustration:
John Bunyan, who wrote Pilgrim’s Progress, testified, “Read the Bible, and read it again, and do not despair of help to understand something of the will and mind of God, though you think they are fast locked up from you. Neither trouble yourself, though you may not have commentaries and expositions; pray and read, and read and pray; for a little from God is better than a great deal from man.”
Read the Bible. There is nothing wrong with reading the different versions of the Bible, but take one and have a deep desire for it. Friends, you need to go to a church that speaks the word of God. If you go to a church and the preacher never opens the word of God, never preaches the word of God, dilutes to word of God to please people’s ears, you need to go to another church. The church is all about challenging and explaining the living word of God, thereby transforming the lives of people.
Coming back to 1 Peter 2:2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk… Peter is talking about a strong, intense, compelling craving for milk.
What is this milk? The Jewish teachers actually referred to God’s Word as milk. Peter is asking believers to crave for pure spiritual milk. Pure, unadulterated word.
Remember, the command here is not to read the word, study the Word, meditate on the Word, or to teach the Word. Al of those are essential, but at the foundation of all of that is the necessity to long for it and tremble, desire for the word.
Peter chooses a simple analogy to show us how to desire the word. Crave for spiritual milk like new born babies.
Illustration:
When a baby is born, we care about the dress, the proper crib, toys etc. Now, babies don’t scream because they’re offended by the color of their pajamas or don’t have a toy. They scream because they want milk. How many sleepless night we have had taking care of our babies?
The baby does not bother about the time of the day; be it midnight, early morning, afternoon and always the baby is crying for milk. So, you’re not going to forget to feed your new baby. That child will get that milk or drive you crazy, screaming at the top of its lungs. Peter is saying that every believer all the time should be craving the Word of God as a baby craves milk.
Do we even remotely have like that kind of craving for the Word of God?
What is the hinderance for us to read God’s word? 1 Peter 1:1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.
Now if these things are not laid aside, my appetite for the word will be diminished.
Hindrance for desiring God’s word is SIN.
Illustration:
Every afternoon when I come back home, Glory makes wonderful lunch. She takes pain to make sure every meal is unique and good. Suppose one day I am driving home for lunch and Glory is busy preparing a good meal for me. I stop over at KFC and have a bite of a couple of crispy chicken and a few french-fries, I will have no appetite for the food glory is making. I will just not be interested. And when people stop reading or studying the word, it is always for one reason, they are eating junk food. There is sin.
That is why Peter says 1 Peter 2:1-2 1Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation. If junk food is in you, you will lose the appetite for God’s word.
Search your heart and ask God, “Is there anything in my life that is taking away my joy for your spiritual food?”
Psalm 119:11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
BENEFITS OF DESIRING THE WORD
1. Physical Benefits
The word of God lifts our burden.
We can run to His Word in our pain, grief, loneliness, or sickness and receive help in our time of trouble. Psalm 119:28 My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.
Joke: To show you some of the dangers in the “lucky dip” method, consider the following illustration: The story is told of a man who used this method. The first verse he happened to turn to was Matthew 27:5 which says Judas “went and hanged himself.” Since he was not sure how this verse applied to himself, he flipped to another passage and the Bible fell open to Luke 10:37: “Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.” The man was quite upset and he did not know how he could ever obey that, so he decided to turn to one more place. Again he opened the Bible at random and to his horror his finger fell upon John 13:27: “Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.” As you can see, this method could easily cause a person to take verses out of context!
The Word of God brings joy.
Psalm 119:111 Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart. If we love the Word, we’ll find great joy and comfort in reading it. When facing tough situations and discouragements, our first response will be to open the Scriptures. Even if we don’t know where to read, the Lord will guide us to a passage which can restore our hope and joy. And if we don’t have a Bible with us, He can bring to mind the verses that we’ve stored in our hearts. The word brings joy.
The word of God gives Peace.
The Scriptures give peace. Perhaps the most desired possession in the world is peace, but it can only be found in the Lord. Psalm 119:165 Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.
Peace means to be bound to something, and when that something is the Word of God, we are bound to God and experience the peace Jesus promised to His disciples.
The word of God heals.
Psalm 107:20 He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. There have been situations when we are sick, and one turns to the word of God and we pray and healing happens when we go to God’s word.
The word of God gives direction.
Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. If we read and heed the Lord’s instructions, He will show us where to go, what to say, and how to make decisions. His Word also reveals when we’re heading the wrong direction and warns us of the consequences of continuing down that path.
The word of God gives us wisdom.
Psalm 119:130 The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.
Scripture is our greatest protection. It’s like a shield before us, guarding our way and warning of danger. But if we neglect reading and obeying the Word, we won’t be able to distinguish right from wrong.
2. Spiritual Benefits.
Word of God is our life source.
1 Peter 1:23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
The word of God is the very source of our salvation. Remember, every single person in this sanctuary have been conceived by the word of God that has been spoken to you. You heard that word and the word did something in you to receive Jesus Christ. That new birth happened through the word. Therefore, continue in the word of God.
Word of God brings Christian growth.
Do you know the secret for a spiritual maturity, fruitful, and flourishing Christian? Growth in the word of God.
1 Thessalonians 2:13 …..when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe. The word of God caused you to be saved, and now it goes on to perform God’s work, mature you, make you grow in Christ.
Psalm 1:1-3 1Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers. The word pursues your growth.
1 Peter 2:2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation. You need to grow, you grow by the Word.
Word of God brings faith.
Romans 10:17 So then faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Do you want supernatural working of God in your life? You can’t just set this the word of God aside.
Word of God is a weapon for spiritual battle.
Talking of the believer’s armor Paul says in Ephesians 6:17 ….take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
We are all in a spiritual battle. The word of God is one of the armor for a believer. The devil bring strongholds against us and we can overcome every attack of the enemy by God’s word. Jesus used the word of God to resist temptation and overcome the battle in his life in the wilderness in Matthew 4.
Illustration:
The best sword fighter known lived in Japan. His name was Musashi Miyamoto. He was undefeated in sword fights. It is said that he used two swords. He had a sword in each hand. If you could use two swords at the same time, you will be able to use one for defending and one for attacking and you can over-power the enemy.
Do you know the privilege of the word of God? After talking about craving for God’s word see what Peter says: 1 Peter 2:4-5 4As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
The privilege of the word of God for us is that we are made living stones, built into a spiritual house. 1 Peter 2:9-10 9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Conclusion:
Illustration:
A man in Kansas City was severely injured in an explosion. Evangelist Robert L. Sumner tells about him in his book The Wonders of the Word of God. The victim’s face was badly disfigured, and he lost his eyesight as well as both hands. He was just a new Christian, and one of his greatest disappointments was that he could no longer read the Bible.
Then he heard about a lady in England who read Braille with her lips. Hoping to do the same, he sent for some books of the Bible in Braille. Much to his dismay, however, he discovered that the nerve endings in his lips had been destroyed by the explosion. One day, as he brought one of the Braille pages to his lips, his tongue happened to touch a few of the raised characters and he could feel them. Like a flash he thought, I can read the Bible using my tongue. At the time Robert Sumner wrote his book, the man had “read” through the entire Bible four times. The Wonders of the Word of God, by Robert L. Sumner.
Remember, Jesus Christ is the word. John’s gospel says: John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
Therefore our motive to study God’s word is to understand Jesus better, to be like Jesus Christ. I pray that you will develop a deep craving to study and meditate upon God’s word. Take a commitment today to systematically study God’s word.
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