There are just a few more areas that I want to touch on and these are dealing with the Saint's love of the word and the influence and power of it. Both of these are relatively short and for that reason I will not quote from the works of Pastor Hoekstra for today and his touching on the Law's ability to Convict the Rebellious. Again I will make use of the ESV translation in my scriptural passages quotes.
The Word Loved by the Saint's:
Waw.
Psalm 119:41-47 "Let Your steadfast love come to me, O LORD, Your salvation according to Your Promise; then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me, for I trust in Your word. And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, for my hope is in Your rules. I will keep Your Law continually, forever and ever, and I shall walk in a wide place, for I have sought Your precepts. I will also speak of Your testimonies before kings and shall not be put to shame, for I find my delight in Your commandments, which I love. I will lift up my hands toward Your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on Your statutes."
Teth.
Psa 119:65-72 "You have dealt well with Your servant, O LORD, according to Your word. Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in Your commandments. Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word. You are good and do good; teach me Your statutes. The insolent smear me with lies, but with my whole heart I keep Your precepts; their heart is unfeeling like fat, but I delight in Your law. It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn Your statutes. The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces."
Kaph.
Psalm 119:81-88 "My soul longs for Your salvation; I hope in Your word. My eyes long for Your promise; I ask, "When will You comfort me?" For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke, yet I have not forgotten Your statutes. How long must Your servant endure? When will You judge those who persecute me? The insolent have dug pitfalls for me; they do not live according to Your law. All Your commandments are sure; they persecute me with falsehood; help me! They have almost made an end of me on earth, but I have not forsaken Your precepts. In Your steadfast Love give me life, that I may keep the testimonies of Your mouth."
Tsadhe.
Psa 119:137-144 "Righteous are You, O LORD, and right are Your rules. You have appointed Your testimonies in righteousness and in all faithfulness. My zeal consumes me, because my foes forget Your words. Your promise is well tried, and Your servant loves it. I am small and despised, yet I do not forget Your precepts. Your righteousness is righteous forever, and Your Law is true. Trouble and anguish have found me out, but Your commandments are my delight. Your testimonies are righteous forever; give me understanding that I may live."
Jeremiah 15:15-18 "O LORD, You know; remember me and visit me, and take vengeance for me on my persecutors. In Your forbearance take me not away; know that for Your sake I bear reproach. Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by Your name, O LORD, GOD of Hosts. I did not sit in the company of revelers, nor did I rejoice; I sat alone, because Your hand was upon me, for You had filled me with indignation. Why is my pain unceasing, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Will You be to me like a deceitful brook, like waters that fail?"
The Word Mighty (Powerful) in its Influence:
A Devouring Flame:
Jeremiah 5:14-17 "Therefore thus says the LORD, the GOD of Hosts: "Because you have spoken this word, behold, I am making My words in your mouth a fire, and this people wood, and the fire shall consume them. Behold, I am bringing against you a nation from afar, O house of Israel, declares the LORD. It is an enduring nation; it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know, nor can you understand what they say. Their quiver is like an open tomb; they are all mighty warriors. They shall eat up your harvest and your food; they shall eat up your sons and your daughters; they shall eat up your flocks and your herds; they shall eat up your vines and your fig trees; your fortified cities in which you trust they shall beat down with the sword."
A Crushing Hammer:
Jeremiah 23:25-32 "I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in My name, saying, 'I have dreamed, I have dreamed!' How long shall there be lies in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart, who think to make My people forget My name by their dreams that they tell one another, even as their fathers forgot My name for Baal? Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, but let him who has My word speak My word faithfully. What has straw in common with wheat? declares the LORD. Is not My word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, declares the LORD, who steal My words from one another. Behold, I am against the prophets, declares the LORD, who use their tongues and declare, 'declares the LORD.' Behold, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams, declares the LORD, and who tell them and lead My people astray by their lies and their recklessness, when I did not send them or charge them. So they do not profit this people at all, declares the LORD."
A Life-changing Force:
Ezekiel 37:1-9 "The hand of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. He led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "O LORD GOD, You know." Then He said to me, "Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the LORD GOD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the LORD." So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. Then He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the LORD GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live." So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army."
Acts 19:11-20 "God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, "I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims." Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. But the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?" And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the LORD Jesus was extolled. Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver.
So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily."
A Saving Power:
Romans 1:16-17 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of GOD for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of GOD is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."
A Defensive Weapon:
Ephesians 6:10-17 "Finally, be strong in the LORD and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of GOD, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor (Light and Love) of GOD, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of Truth, and having put on the breastplate of Righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of GOD."
A Probing Instrument:
Hebrews 4:1-13 "Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. For we who have believed enter that rest, as He has said, "As I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My Rest,'" although His works were finished from the foundation of the world. For He has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: "And GOD rested on the seventh day from all His works." And again in this passage He said, "They shall not enter My rest." Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, again He appoints a certain day, "Today," saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts." For if Joshua had given them rest, GOD would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of GOD, for whoever has entered GOD's rest has also rested from His works as GOD did from His. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of GOD is Living and Active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to Whom we must give account."
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