(I wrote this lesson for a ladies class I am teaching this week.)
Jesus,
the Word
Jeremiah
9:20
Now
, you women, hear the word of the Lord;
open
your ears to the words of his mouth.
Word, Said,
Say, Tell, Told, Speak, Spoke, Truth, Testify, Testimony, Witness,
Command, Hear, Language, Cried, Written, Answered, Prayed, Taught,
Listened
As
I was reading through parts of John studying for this lesson on Jesus
as the Word, so many words popped out at me. Any word that had to do
with speaking and language really came to my attention. It made me
realize that Jesus as the Word is a much larger concept than I had
first realized.
We
usually think of the Word as the Bible, but the Word can also be
thought of as the voice of God.
1.
The Word as the Voice of God
In
my simplified human terms, I like to think of the Trinity as a
person. God is the mind, Christ is the body and the Spirit is the the
soul. We think of a person as one who has all three, yet they can
function somewhat independently. If the body is the physical
manifestation of a human, then language is a part of that physical
manifestation. Christ is God's physical manifestation. Therefore, the
Word or voice of God is part of that manifestation.
According
to John 1:1-4
In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God. 2 He
was with God in the beginning. 3 Through
him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been
made. 4 In
him was life,and that life was the light of all mankind.
So,
this physical manifestation of God we call Christ was with God in the
beginning of the world. Genesis
1:2 says “And God said, “Let there be light,” and there
was light.” So, there He is as evidenced by God's voice. His
voice, which is Christ, spoke the world into existence.
The
voice of God, which we can call Christ, is heard through out the old
testament. God spoke to Adam and Eve in the garden. God told Noah to
build the ark. He spoke to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. To Moses, Aaron,
and Joshua. He spoke to various judges, kings, and prophets of
Israel. Many of these are prefaced with “God said” or “the
Lord said”, but sometimes, especially to the prophets the phrase
used is “the word of the Lord.”
In
the gospels, we have the Word, or the voice of the Lord spoken
through the physical being of Christ Jesus. I love a red
letter edition Bible which highlights the actual words of
Jesus. Beyond this there are a few visions including Peter's vision,
Saul on the road to Damascus and the Revelation revealed to John. But
the Word is continually spread and active.
1
Thessalonians 2:13
And
we also thank God continually because, 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.
During
this time and today, I believe we can still hear God through the
Spirit. We also hear his physical voice through the Church which is
the Christians who are now the body of Christ in this world and
through the written word, the Bible.
2.
The Word as the Bible
Exodus
34:27 reads,
Then
the Lord said to Moses, “Write down
these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a
covenant with you and with Israel.
Joshua
24: 25-26 reads,
25 On
that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at
Shechem he reaffirmed for them decrees and laws. 26 And
Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then
he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak near
the holy place of the Lord.
God
made it clear he wanted the words he spoke recorded along with the
stories and linage of his people.
This quote from an
article called How We Got the Bible from the Focus on the Family
website does a great job of summing up how the Bible was written.
...human
writers were inspired by God and moved by the Holy Spirit to record
accurately what God wanted them to preserve. It does not mean God
took control of people in the sense of some occult practices known as
automatic writing, where the writer is in a trance-like state. It
also doesn't mean the writers of the Bible were simply taking
dictation. But it does mean that their words were divinely inspired
and recorded. The Bible was written by real people, living in real
places, recording real historical events, and also communicating
God's real truths.
The
Bible is a living, breathing document. It is the Voice of God, a part
of the body or physical manifestation of God. It is Jesus.
Last
Sunday a friend from college visited. It was such a great visit and
connected perfectly to this lesson. Sharon is part of a Wycliffe
Bible translation team in Senegal, the most west country on the
continent of Africa. She told us all the steps involved in
translating a passage of scripture. It is so detailed and laborious,
it reminded me of the scribes, sitting and copying the Bible by hand.
Accompanied by copious amounts of prayer, it is translated back and
forth into multiple languages and read by many people to make sure
the original meaning is imparted. We wondered, wouldn't it just be
easier to teach them English? She said “Everyone deserves to hear
the Bible in a Language they can clearly understand.” Since Jesus
spoke in Aramaic and the New Testament was written in Greek,
translation was part of the original writing of the scriptures.
Although it is labor intensive, the Word of God is alive enough to be
translated into any language (and culture) and retain it's original
message.
So,
what is the purpose of the word? Why does God need to speak to his
creation?
God
speaks to us to show us his love, to guide us and to instruct us.
3. The Word as our
Teacher
Without
the Word of God, we would be lost. We would simply exist without
purpose, filling our lives with whatever we think makes us happy. We
do have the Word, but so many people don't accept it and live this
way.
In
John 17:6-8, Jesus is praying for his disciples.
6 “I
have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the
world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your
word. 7 Now
they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For
I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They
knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that
you sent me.
2
Timothy 3:14-17 reads:
14 But
as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become
convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and
how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which
are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ
Jesus. 16 All
Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,
correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so
that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good
work.
2
Timothy 4:2
2 Preach the
word; be
prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and
encourage—with
great patience and careful instruction.
James
1:21-22
21 Therefore,
get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and
humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
22 Do not
merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it
says.
Psalm
119 is incredibly long; 176 verses, but I challenge you to read it.
David loves the Word. He delights in it. Here are a few passages.
9 How
can a young person stay on the path of purity?
By
living according to your word.11 I
have hidden your word in my heart
that I
might not sin against you.16 I
delight in your decrees;
I will not
neglect your word.
43 Never
take your word of truth from my mouth,
for
I have put my hope in your laws.74 May
those who fear you rejoice when they see me,
for
I have put my hope in your word.101 I
have kept my feet from every evil path
so
that I might obey your word.103 How
sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter
than honey to my mouth!105 Your
word is a lamp for my feet,
a
light on my path.114 You
are my refuge and my shield;
I have put my
hope in your word.133 Direct
my footsteps according to your word;
let
no sin rule over me.147 I
rise before dawn and cry for help;
I
have put my hope in your word.172 May
my tongue sing of your word,
for all
your commands are righteous.
Our
instruction and teaching from the New Testament is a little different
from the Laws of the Israelites, but the purpose is the same. Our
goal is to live with God and bring glory to his name.
John
1:14 states:
The Word became
flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the
glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of
grace and truth.
There
are many facets of the concept of Jesus as the Word. Three of these
are The Word as the Voice of God, the Bible, and our Teacher. What
are some other ideas relating to Jesus as The Word?
Ultimately, all of this
helps us to understand why words and language are so important to us.
Words are so powerful. I am reminded of the song “Words” by Hawk
Nelson. I would like to share the lyrics wth you.
They've
made me feel like a prisoner
They've made me feel set
free
They've made me feel like a criminal
Made me feel like a
king
They've lifted my heart
To places I'd never been
And
they've dragged me down
Back to where I began
Words can
build you up
Words can break you down
Start a fire in your
heart or
Put it out
Let my words be life
Let my words
be truth
I don't wanna say a word
Unless it points the world
back to You
You can heal the heartache
Speak over the
fear
God, Your voice is the only thing
We need to hear
Words
can build us up
Words can break us down
Start a fire in our
hearts or
Put it out
Let
my words be life
Let my words be truth
I don't wanna say a
word
Unless it points the world back to You
Let
the words I say
Be the sound of Your grace
I don't wanna say a
word
Unless it points the world back to You
I wanna speak
Your love
Not just another noise
Oh, I wanna be Your light
I
wanna be Your voice
Let my words be life
Let my words be
truth
I don't wanna say a word
Unless it points the world back
to You
Let the words I say
Be the sound of Your grace
I
don't wanna say a word
Unless it points the world back to
You
Words can build us up
Words can break us down
Start
a fire in our hearts
Or put it out
I don't wanna say a
word
Unless it points the world back to You
