If we were to believe in and seek after only mystical experiences or natural revelations, rather than believing in the Word of God, then we will not be able to find God. Do you grasp this? It is written, “The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” The Bible does not write that the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters just because He was bored. Is God somehow unable to hover over the earth? Why wouldn’t God be able to walk on the earth? Far from it, Jesus Christ came to this earth and walked on it. This passage means that the Holy Spirit cannot dwell in the hearts of the sinful. The special message that God is conveying to us here is that sinners must return to the Word to find God. So only those who returned to the Word have found God and were born again. That is why the Bible makes the following two points: “For you to be saved from sin, first, you must realize that you are nothing more than piles of sin, and second, you must be born again through the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit.” In other words, one is born again by the Word of God and the Holy Spirit that seals him with the seal of God. We must know what is sin before God, and who God is. We must realize that the hearts of those who have left God are confused and void, and that darkness is on the face of the deep. Not to believe in God’s Word, none other than this is sin. For us to return to God, we must return to the Word, and only then can we find God. The Word is God Himself, and God works through His Word. Realizing this, we must all return to the Word. We the righteous should also cast aside our own thoughts. Even for us the righteous, to be blessed, we must throw away our own thoughts. It is when we know the Word of God that we can believe in Him. And when we acknowledge the Word, we can believe in God, return to Him, and receive all His blessings. In particular, those who have just recently received the remission of sin, and those who still remain doubtful and confused, should turn to the Word of God. And they should listen to the Word and meditate deeply on what the Word actually says. The same admonishment applies to sinners as well. If sinners were not to return to this Word, and if they were not to know the Word of God and return to its way, how else could they find God, and how else could they receive the remission of their sins from Jesus? For these sinners too, it is only when they return to the Word that they can find Jesus, find God, find their Creator, and be saved from their sins. That is why we say that the Word of the Scriptures is the Canon, which means “the measuring rod of salvation, the barometer that enables us to meet God, and the standard for all judgment.” The Bible is not something written by a man. God Himself wrote this Bible, and even at this very moment, it continues to transform countless lives. When we read the Bible, we can realize that there indeed is God and find Him. And when we believe in the Word, this Word comes into our hearts and works in our lives. The Word comes into our minds to work in our lives, and it also breaks down our mistaken thoughts. And the Word enables us to receive the remission of our sins and to follow the will of God. As the Word is alive and dynamic, it works in the believers’ hearts with power. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” How does God meet us human beings, who fell into sin? From today’s Scripture passage, we have now seen the answer to this question, on how God comes to us and works in our lives. It is through His Word that God comes looking for us and works in this world. Do you now realize this? I give all my thanks to our Lord. We had indeed fallen into confusion and void, and yet our Lord came looking for us and met us through the Word. Those who are young in faith and those who just heard the Word and received the remission of their sins only recently, should take particular heed to listen to the Word as often as possible. I admonish you to never miss the hours of worship and gatherings, but to take part in all. That’s because “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). It is when we hear the true gospel Word of the water and the Spirit that we can know God and all our questions are answered. The Word of God is not a science book, but it is the Word of salvation.
Posted on: Mon, 09 Sep 2013 08:27:05 +0000