The Word of God Came!

Luke 3:2-6

…the word of God came to John (the Baptist) …and he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins; as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, 

The voice of one crying in the wilderness, make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight…and All Flesh will see the Salvation of God.

Have you ever thought about this question? What if God wasn’t a communicator? 

 

God is not silent! 

A phrase that captured my attention is in verse 2 is; the word of God came to John. What does that mean? 

  • When I pick up the Bible, does that mean the ‘the word of God’ came to me? 
  • When I hear a sermon, does that mean the ‘the word of God’ came to me? 
  • When I pray and I sense the whisper of God, does that mean ‘the word of God’ came to me? 

An important part of our time in the Word of reading, reflecting and writing involves asking questions during the reflection time. What does it mean here regarding John the Baptist and that the word of God came to him? Our questions provide us the opportunity to search the Bible with intent for answers. The Bible interprets the Bible. 

Therefore, I believe the answer to our question this morning lies in the following verses: what does it mean that the word of God came to John? 

 

Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, ‘Go and proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, thus says the Lord’... Jeremiah 2.1 

The word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel the priest… Ezekiel 1.3 

When the Lord first spoke through Hosea…Hosea 1.2 

The word of the Lord which came to Zephaniah… Zephaniah 1.1 

 

Additionally, Amos, Habakkuk and Micah describe the word of God as coming to them as something that they SAW. It came as a vision. 

The phrase the word of God came to John is a phrase that is reserved for the Prophets of God. When John appears on the scene, God had not spoken through a prophet for over 400 years. (Not since Malachi). 

This experience of the word of God coming to John was a unique experience that happened to the prophets only. It happened at particular times history-past, John 1.33. The prophets were used by God for a special purpose and a specific message was needed at the time. The messages of the prophets carry themes and principles that we can use and apply to our lives, but these were messages specifically for the times they were given. 

 

That was then and this is now 

Today we have the complete Word of God. Yes, it doesn’t reveal EVERYTHING about God, but it gives us everything we need. 2 Peter 1.3; Jude 1.3. If God were to disclose everything about Himself, the world could not contain all the books, John 21.25. But what He has given is considered complete, Jude 3.1, and is sufficient for all that we need. 

I get concerned when I hear the phrase, ‘I have a new word from the Lord.’ Sometimes people search for something ‘new’ when the fullness of what God says to us is right in front of us. We don’t need a ‘new’ word from God until we have fully learned and applied what we already have in the Bible. 

 

What we have is much better 

The word of God doesn’t come to us the same way it came to the Prophets. But what we have is much better. We have the full compilation of God’s Word available to us to read, study and reflect upon. What a treasure and what a gift. 

The ‘Word of God’ comes to us when we go to the Word, dive in and allow the Word come to us.

Fortunately, God isn’t distant and removed from us. He has spoken divine and fully inspired words that when combined, Old and New testaments, form the complete, ‘once for all’ delivered Word of God. This Word provides us with everything we need for life.  

 

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who calls us by His own glory and excellence. 2 Peter 1.3. 

 

Listen to Hillsong Worship’s song “Your Word” to reflect on the amazing grace found in the Word of God.

 

Father God, You have spoken! Your Word created everything out of nothing. There is no greater power than Your Word. Your Word, though I was dead, made me alive. You created life in me out of nothing, through Your Word. And now that I am alive, Your Word gives me the fullness of life and gives me everything I need. I am forever grateful and forever surrendered to you, my great loving and precious God. You have spoken! Amen.