Words Matter John 17:6-26
We were taught that sticks and stones could break our bones but words could never hurt us. That is not true. Words can hurt the one they are directed at and the one who speaks them. God takes words seriously. God is a communicating God. The one true God, whose name is Jesus, is involved in our world and in our lives. He is a God of revelation and communication, and relationship. God is three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The three persons of God communicate with each other. Jesus prayed to the Father when Jesus was walking the earth. The Father spoke to Jesus, saying “this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.” Jesus told his followers that he would send another fortifier like himself, speaking of he Holy Spirit. He communicated with the Spirit. In the first book of the Bible, God says to God “Let us make man…” Jesus said that words reveal what is in a person’s heart and that by our words we will be justified or condemned (Matthew 12:34, 36-37). Jesus chose his words carefully. The Holy Spirit breathed effective words into the writers of Holy Scripture. We need to learn God’s word, how to apply His word in our everyday lives, and how to effectively communicate His word to our generation.
The world in which we live does not take words as seriously as does God. As a matter of fact the farther a society moves from God, the less trustworthy are the words of that society. Ie. Communism. Atheism. We had an experience of having a Russian exchange student in our home. We found out that lying was part of his life; that the godless culture from which he came did not expect a person’s or a government’s word to be binding. Laws were only guidelines to be breached by deceit or money. He expected immigration laws to flex with money or influence. His signature on the agreement with the student exchange organization was nothing more than ink on paper. He was not detestable. We love him and were honored to have him in our home. But he did not have God’s attitude about words.
WORDS AND THE NEW SPIRITUALITY (New Earth, New Age,…)
Ø Spoken words are not as important as feelings. Truth is what you feel is true (since god is in you and you are god).
Although words are plentiful in this day and age, they are not valued by many. The attitude is: We are not bound by our words or the words of anyone else. Feelings are the only things we can trust. Because feelings come from inside where the divine light of our “goodness” resides. People talk about the economic recession in the US. That is nothing compared to the inflation of words and the depression of their value.
Ø Thought is the enemy of the new spirituality. Words can express thoughts that cause division, so to get in touch with the divine spark within, use mantras (which require no thought).
MANKIND AND WORDS Jesus said that a man will be held accountable for every idle word spoken and that he would be
Ø Judged according to his words. Matthew 12:34, 36-37
James, the brother of Jesus, writes in the general letter given his name that our words (or the tongue that speaks them)
Ø Need to be controlled. James 3:5,ff
The most important words on earth are
GOD’S WORDS.
God’s words are
Ø Written Word - God wrote them down so that they would be preserved accurately. Exodus 31:8 The Hebrews were among the first on earth to have an alphabet which allowed them to keep records. God set down a written record of His character and His requirements for fellowship/relationship with Him. That revelation of Himself and His standard is in His law that he gave to His chosen people through Moses.
God’s words are
Ø Eternal Words. – God’s word will outlast heaven and earth, Jesus said. Matthew 24:35
Gods words are
Ø Faithful Words. – The “Promiser” (the One who promised) is faithful Hebrews 10:23 We can learn God’s word and not have to have an update of the program in a few months or a few years (although we should be looking for support and updates in language). We can build our life system and our expectations on the word of God.; Numbers 23:19 God is not a man. God does not lie. Titus 1:2 in the King James version says God cannot lie. I He spoke something, it would become truth. Jesus said of Himself,
I am the Truth.”
We can trust the word of God and we as followers of Jesus Christ say that we do. We say that the word of God takes precedence over our feelings. But watch out. What if the written word of God says that we are disqualified from something or some position we want because of our being female instead of male, or because of some event in our past over which we are convinced we had no control? We are not going to get into that today. I just want us to be really honest with ourselves and the faithful God of the trustworthy Word. Do we put feelings ahead of words of God sometimes?
God’s word is reliable. God’s word, like Him, does not change.
However, God’s word changes those who pay attention to it.
God’s words are
Ø Life-changing Words. – God’s word can Make[ing] us holy, like Jesus. John 17:14, 17
Ø Revealing Word – God revealed His character and His standard through the words of the law that He wrote. But also, God showed himself through “the Word” becoming flesh, Jesus, Immanuel, God with us. “And we beheld His glory…”
I believe and I believe the bible itself teaches the verbal, plenary inspiration in the original manuscripts, meaning that every word (not just the overarching ideas or concepts) is meaningfully chosen under the superintendence of God.
An example of the precision with which God gave his breath to the writers of the holy scripture can be seen in the Gospel of John. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…”John 1:1
The gospel of John was written while John (the beloved apostle) was in Ephesus. It was written to Greek speakers and Greek thinkers. It was written as a supplement to the other three accounts of the life of Jesus. The other gospels were written to people who had a Jewish context and understanding. Matthew and Mark were surely Jews. And although Luke was most likely a Gentile, he wrote with an understanding of and a demonstration of things that were important to descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob/Israel. John, on the other hand lived among people who had no understanding of Judaism and therefore no interest in the geneology of Jesus. If anything Jesus said or did lined up with prophecy from the scripture, it would need to be pointed out and explained because the primary readers had not studied the scriptures as youths. Of course, John also was filling in some important facts that he remembered, having walked closely with Jesus. And he saw and heard some things that others might have missed or overlooked the significance of since he was “the disciple who leaned on Jesus’ breast.”
So John’s words needed to communicate on a deep level with people who had not Jewish religious background as well as those who did. Let us look at the Greek word for word = logos.
CONTEXT: (adapted from Daily Study Bible by William Barclay)
o Greek understanding of “word” included word and reason. Logos was the force that caused order such as seasons. Logos equaled the mind of god (whatever concept of god they had)
o To the Greek, logos was also what gave man the power to think. It was the mind of god in man.
o It was the creating and directing power of God – the instrument of God’s creation, God’s stamp upon the universe, and the tiller with which the world was steered.
o Jewish understanding of “word” was more than a sound. A word did something. It had an independent existence. For instance the words of Winston Churchill during WWII did things to the people of Britain that moved them to hang on and fight.
o To the Jew, a word had a power to perform, such as to create or heal as God did by His word. Genesis 1; Psalm 33:6; Psalm 107:20
o Also, the term “the word of God” had special significance to the Jews in John’s day because of its use in the Targumim (Aramaic interpretation of the scripture). In the Targumim, great caution was taken to not make God seem human, so any time there was an anthropomorphism, giving God human characteristics, the term “the word of God” was substituted for YHWH. So Jews knew “the word of God” as a description of God at the time that the Gospel of John was written.
The Words of God are
Ø Words to be Spoken. - Ephesians 4:14-15 We… speaking the truth in love may grow up… So the Word of God is both
o Cure and preventative for immaturity. v.14
Speaking God’s word is to be an
o Exercise (v.15 NOTE) “in love”
HOW DID JESUS DO IT? He Taught: scripture - Luke 24:27; Eternal truth (the character of God) John 17:6-8; Expecting change – vv.14, 17; He taught In the context v.15 in which his hearers lived; He taught His learners to teach v.20; His promise Included [ing] support and updates v.26
Our job is:
First of all to believe and accept the Word of God – the power and reason and person of God who was named Jesus – the revelation and the demands of God which say there is a standard of holiness for eternal and abundant life that can only be realized by believing and following Jesus. Jesus said we must be “born again.” God the Holy Spirit explained that as admitting your separation from God being the result of your own rebellion against God, as your changing the master of your life to Jesus rather than yourself as a result of understanding your rebellion, and as our agreeing with God that Jesus lived a perfect sinless life (which only God could do), that Jesus died on the cross as a sufficient payment for your sin (according to the scripture), and that on the third day Jesus arose from the dead (according to the scripture) and is now seated in the position of authority in heaven saving as many as will believe His words and act on them. = admit, repent, confess. One way to confess Jesus as Lord is to follow his command to be baptized as a witness of your death to your running your own life and being buried to the charges God had against you which are now forgiven due to Jesus’ payment and being raised to a new life in resurrection power to live under new rule.
Secondly, our job is to learn the Word of God and use the word of God to point others to the New Life that is only in Jesus.
