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WEEKLY
Volume 1 Number 38
18 February 2007
Tremble at God’s Word
(Message delivered by Pr Hien Nguyen at the Sunday Worship Service, 2
pm, Feb 11, 2007)
Text: Isa 66:1-5
Have you ever trembled before someone or something? A
sinner or a criminal usually trembles before a policeman or a judge in
the court. Some people tremble before their big boss at work or robbers
at night. Others tremble before a snake or a tiger. Many tremble when
they contract an incurable illness. Others tremble to think that their
reputation would be damaged when their sinful deeds are exposed. Under
an absolute monarchy, people tremble before their king and at his words.
Nowadays, many are so proud and arrogant that they even question God
their Creator and criticize His Word without any reverence and
trembling. Have you ever trembled before God, the King of kings, and
trembled at His Word? God says, “to this man will I look, even to
him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word”
(Isa 66:2).
The Covenant God, the Creator and Redeemer
The Bible text of the message
today is Isaiah 66:1-5. The phrase “Thus saith the LORD”
(and “Thus saith the Lord”) has over 400 occurrences in the Bible. And
in the book of Isaiah, there are 36 occurrences. As we have learned
that the Name “LORD” or “JEHOVAH” or “I AM THAT I AM” is the covenant
Name of God to His own people (Exod 3:14), denoting the self-existing,
eternal, faithful, unchangeable, living and true God, mighty to keep and
fulfil His word, promises and covenants to His chosen people. It is the
same covenant Name of our Lord Jesus Christ from His seven “I AM”
statements in the Gospel of John. It is so comforting to hear the
blessed words from our covenant God, our Creator, our Maker and our
Redeemer in the book of Isaiah: “Thus saith the LORD that created
thee,” (43:1), “Thus saith the LORD that made thee and
formed thee from womb, which will help thee; Fear not…my servant…whom I
have chosen” (44:2), “For thus saith the LORD that created the
heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath
established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited:
I am the LORD; and there is none else” (Isa 45:18), “Thus
saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD
thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way
that thou shouldest go” (48:17), and “Thus saith the LORD, In
an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I
helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give
thee for a covenant of the people…”
(49:8). Then, are you and I touched by the above words from the LORD?
“Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto
me? and where is the place of my rest?”
(v 1). Our Lord Jesus teaches us, “Swear not at all; neither by
heaven; for it is God’s throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his
footstool” (Matt 5:34-35). After King Solomon finished building a
house for the Lord, he prayed to the Lord, saying, “But will God in
very deed dwell with men on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven
of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have
built!” (2 Chro 6:18). My dear friends, we thank God so much
that our God, our Creator is so great, glorious, holy, majestic, and
mighty but still thinks of us and loves us, sending His only begotten
Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die for our sins and rise again to be our
living Saviour and Redeemer, and willingly coming into our humble heart
and making our body His holy temple! “Behold, I stand at the door,
and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come
in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Rev 3:20).
What a great privilege and blessing! However, “God resisteth the
proud but giveth grace to the humble” (James 4:6). “Though
the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the
proud he knoweth afar off” (Ps 138:6), and “Every one that is
proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD” (Prov 16:5), and
“An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin”
(Prov 21:4).
Those who do not tremble at
God’s Word nor live according to God’s Word, their worship and offerings
are abominable unto the Lord. The LORD says, “He that killeth an ox
is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb as if he cut off a
dog’s neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s
blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they
have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their
abominations. I also will choose their delusions, and will bring
their fears upon them; because when
I called, none did answer; when
I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and
chose that in which I delighted not”
(vv 3-4). They even hate those who tremble at God’s Word and cast them
out, but they shall be ashamed, and the LORD shall appear to the joy of
those who tremble at His Word (v 5).
My dear friends, God is our Creator while we are His
creature. God is holy and righteous while we are sinful and unrighteous.
Shall we not humble ourselves before Him and tremble at His Word so that
we may be blessed?
How to Be Blessed
God will look with consideration and attention “to
him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at” His
Word.
Be Spiritually Poor:
The kingdom of heaven is not for the proud
but for the humble and poor in spirit. Our Lord Jesus says, “Blessed
are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”
(Matt 5:3). It is vital to always realise that we are poor in spirit,
lacking God’s glory, lacking love for God and for others, lacking in
faith and trust in Him, lacking in His divine godliness, holiness,
righteousness, and other spiritual qualities like humble submission and
obedience. The apostle Paul, near the end of his course, said, “Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief”
(1 Tim 1:15) without any boast of himself. When we think that we are
spiritually rich and need nothing, take heed, we are lukewarm like the
Laodiceans, and our Lord Jesus says, “So then because thou art
lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need
of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and
poor, and blind, and naked” (Rev 3:16-17). My dear friends, at the
moment, do you and I realise that we are poor in spirit? Do we always
realise that we need the Lord and His Word, His grace and strength, and
that without Him we are nothing?
Be of a Contrite Spirit:
A contrite spirit is filled with a sense of guilt and sin and the desire
for atonement. It is a sincerely and deeply repentant spirit that God
regards and saves. “The LORD is nigh unto
them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite
spirit” (Ps 34:18), and “The sacrifices of God are a broken
spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise”
(Ps 51:17), and “For thus saith the high and lofty One that
inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy
place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit,
to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of
the contrite ones” (Isa 57:15). It is the contrite heart of the
tax collector, crying to the Lord for His mercy that he was justified
and not the boastful Pharisee (Luke 18:9-14). Then are you and I of a
contrite spirit?
Tremble at God’s Word:
Do you and I
tremble at God’s Word at the moment? Sometimes we take God’s Word for
granted, lacking in awe and reverence. We have read through the Bible a
few times, and have heard and memorised many verses, so when we hear
someone cite a familiar verse just starting with a few words, we may not
pay much attention to the rest; or when we read a sermon, we are easily
tempted to skip familiar verses and pay more attention to the
commentary. Thus, we have missed the message from God’s Word and even
sin against God if we hear or read God’s Word without reverence and
trembling. It is good if we still tremble at God’s Word all the time
although we have heard or read it again and again many times. Why? God’s
Word is living and powerful, and the Holy Spirit uses God’s Word to
convict us of our sins, correct us, transform and sanctify our lives and
nourish our souls. Exactly, “For he spake, and it was done;
he commanded, and it stood fast” (Ps 33:9). “All scripture is
given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man
of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works”
(2 Tim 3:16-17), and “For the word of God is quick, and powerful,
and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing
asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a
discerner of the thoughts and intents of the
heart” (Heb 4:12), and
our Lord Jesus prays, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy
word is truth” (John 17:17).
When God appeared and descended upon Mount Sinai and
spoke directly to the people of Israel and gave them His ten
commandments: “And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we
will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die” (Exo 20:19).
Sinful men could not stand the mighty words from the mouth of the holy
and glorious God! Therefore, we thank God that He knows our frame and He
spoke to us through His servants the prophets, especially through His
Son Jesus Christ. “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners
spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these
last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir
of all things, by whom also he made the worlds” (Heb 1:1-2). Since
God has magnified His word above all His Name (Ps 138:2), if we do not
honour God’s Word, we do not honour Him. If we do not tremble at God’s
Word, we do not tremble before Him. If we do not fear God’s Word, we do
not fear Him. God has preserved His Word by His godly servants who
trembled at His Word and copied His Word carefully and reverently
without any mistakes because any copy that had any mistake was thrown
away and regarded as corrupt texts. And then when the Bible was
translated into English, God provided godly men who trembled at His
Word, translating from the traditional texts, using formal equivalent
technique of translation “word for word” like the King James Bible we
are using today. Not like many publishers that have made a good business
through the translation of the Bible, by those who do not tremble at
God’s Word at all, using the corrupt texts and dynamic equivalence,
“thought for thought” method, and textual criticism! Then do they fear
God and tremble at God’s Word? How about you and me?
We thank God that even today
we may hear His Word and listen to His voice. Where? It is the Holy
Bible that He has perfectly inspired and preserved for His dear children
as well as for mankind. What God has said to
men is still the same as He is still the same yesterday, today and
forever. The difference is the attitude of men. Many do not believe it
nor accept it as God’s Word. Many others criticize it, question it, or
even blaspheme against it. Many others believe it, accept it and preach
it and teach it but without reverence, obedience or submission. How
about you and me?
Conclusion
God surely regards, considers and blesses anyone who
“is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at” His Word.
Those who are proud and do not tremble at God’s Word show that they have
not seen God nor known Him personally. Truly, “whosoever sinneth
(keep on sinning) hath not seen him, neither known him”
(1 John 3:6).
The LORD still asks His
people, “Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my
presence…?” (Jer 5:21). Our lives will change once we see the
Lord. Job abhorred himself in repentance when he saw the Lord, saying “I
have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth
thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent
in dust and ashes”
(Job 42:5-6). The prophet Isaiah saw the Lord and His glory, crying,
“Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips,
and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes
have seen the King, the LORD of hosts” (Isa 6:5).
We have learned last week that “the heart is
deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jer 17:9).
We do need a new heart and a new spirit to fear the Lord and tremble at
His Word, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will
I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of
your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh” (Eze 36:26;
cf. Jer), and “I will put my fear in their hearts…and they shall
fear and tremble” (Jer 32:40; 33:9). The prophet Elijah ran away
from the wicked queen Jezebel to Mount Horeb. His heart did not tremble
before the Lord despite the strong wind that rent the mountains or the
earthquake or the fire. But when he heard “a still small voice” he
wrapped his face in his mantle (1 King 19:1-13). May the Lord graciously
make us tremble at His Word always. Amen.
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