Be Concerned - The Word is Light and Water

Well, do you recall the early days of your Christian life when you first discovered the richness of the Bible? I certainly do. I just wanted to read my Bible and study my Bible, and I began to learn Bible verses. The folks who were guiding me in my young Christian life told me to memorize the word of God, and I recall memorizing Psalm 1 and Matthew 6:33 was such a good promise for me, and Philippians 4:19 and Psalm 119:105. "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." I like that. "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

Let's consider what it means to have the word of God as light. I want to make four statements about the word of God as light. Now, you remember these four statements, and they will help you as you use the word of God daily. Statement number one, the word is a light that shines from above. Secondly, the word is a light that shines within. Thirdly, the word is a light that shines around. Fourthly, the word is a light that shines ahead. Now you can remember that.

Now let's look at these four statements and learn how to use the word of God as a light. First of all, the word of God is a light that shines from above. It is a light of revelation. You see, God is light. 1 John 1:5, "God is light. In him is no darkness at all." Now, he is the one who gives us the word. The word of God wasn't written by men apart from God. Oh, God used men. But these men were moved by the Holy Spirit.

The word of God comes from above, like the sun. The sun is at the center of our universe. And although there are millions of other suns and stars out there, perhaps billions, the one we depend upon is our sun, and we are in orbit around that sun, and at the center of our universe is the sun. And if that light ever went out, we'd all die. It is life, and it is light. It is the source of all that is living. God made it that way. Now God is the center of our universe through his word.

And that word, like the sun, sheds forth the life-giving light. It shines from above. You see, the word of God is not a luxury, it's a necessity. If you can get along without the sun, you can get along without the word of God. But you can't get along without the sun. Well, you can't get along without the word of God. It shines from above.

I'm so thankful that this book was not manufactured by some group of religious experts. It wasn't written by some well-meaning people who thought they might want to help me. This book came from God. And just as the sun shines forth, so this word shines forth. It shines from above. Remember, when you turn your back on the sun, you start walking in the shadows. When you turn your back on the word of the living God, you start walking in shadows, and before long, you'll be walking in darkness.

And when you walk in darkness, you start to stumble, and you cause other people to stumble. Nothing ever looks right in the darkness. Turn the light on, and everything is different. This is the light of the word of God. It shines from above. Thank God for the word of God, the word of revelation, the word of truth.

But this word also shines within. Here, I want you to turn if you will, please, to 2 Corinthians 4. In 2 Corinthians 4, Paul is talking about why some people don't believe. Now some people don't believe in the gospel because they've been exposed to religious hucksters who use shameful ways of preaching the word of God.

But in verse three, he says, "but even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age, that's the devil, has blinded. Who do not believe lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake."

Now here's the key verse. 2 Corinthians 4:6. "For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." Oh, I like 2 Corinthians 4:6. The light shines within.

Now Paul is using the Old Testament story of creation to illustrate the new creation. Genesis 1, "in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was without form and void, and darkness was on the face of the deep."

Now, that's the way I was before I was saved. I was formless, my life was falling apart. I was empty. There was nothing in there that really satisfied. I was in the darkness. All of that in spite of the fact that I went to Sunday school and church every Sunday and was confirmed in the church.

Then the Spirit of God began to work. Then God said, "let there be light," and there was light. And that light came shining into the darkness. And what did God do? He started to form that which was formless. He started to fill that which was empty, and he did this because of the light. Now that's salvation, that's regeneration.

The light shines into our hearts, and then God begins to form our lives and to fill our lives. And as a part of the new creation, you and I are being worked upon by Almighty God through the light of his word and the power of his Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit of God takes the word of God and unfolds it, opens it up. That's why God has given the gift of teaching, and given gifted teachers to his church to unfold the word of God.

The light shines from above, the light shines within. Thirdly, the light shines around. It is the word of truth. "Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Now our pilgrim path is dangerous. Life is not easy. If you have the idea that life is easy, you'd better look around because life is not easy. Life is difficult, and life is dangerous.

And the Christian life, the pilgrim life of the believer is dangerous because we are surrounded by all kinds of dangers. Satan as a roaring lion, Satan as a deceiving serpent, the world, the flesh, the devil, the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, the pride of life. All of these pitfalls are around us, and alas, sometimes God's people fall into them. But we need the word of God.

Proverbs 6:23. "For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light. Reproofs of instruction are the way of life." We don't like reproofs. We don't like rules, but God says, look, my word is a light. Now you better follow it. You better listen.

We're taught by the Holy Spirit of God. Now it's good to have human teachers, but don't depend on them. Human teachers are not infallible, and human teachers can fail. No, you depend on the Holy Spirit of God.

John 16:13. "However, when he, the Spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth." That doesn't mean we're omniscient. The Holy Spirit doesn't teach me my arithmetic or my English if I don't do any studying. He won't teach me the word of God if I won't study it and read it and meditate on it. What he's saying is, the word of God is written by the Spirit of God. You have the Spirit of God living in you, the author of the Bible. Now let him teach you.

Too many of God's people are dependent upon human teachers. And yet you have the same Holy Spirit that they have. And if you'll apply yourself and ask, God will teach you the word and give you light from his book. Now, when you use the word of God as a lamp to your feet, it shows you the way a step at a time.

God's word is not a searchlight that shines eight miles down the highway. No, it's a flashlight that shines one step at a time. God said, now you take the next step. I'll show you the next step. Today you're worrying about some decision you have to make. Take the step God wants you to make, he'll show you the next step. Because we walk in the light of the word a step at a time.

The light shines from above, that's revelation. The light shines within, that's regeneration. The light shines around, that's investigation. And the light shines ahead, that is anticipation. In 2 Peter 1, he calls the word of God, the prophetic word, a light that shines in a dark place. 2 Peter 1:19. "We also have the prophetic word made more sure, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place until the day dawns."

Well, that day is going to dawn. Our Lord is going to return. And the prophetic word shines ahead. We can see what is coming. The Lord Jesus is coming.

The Lord Jesus Christ is coming for his church, and only in the Bible, in the word of prophecy, do we have the assurance about the future. You don't have to read the astrological charts, you don't have to consult the cards. You have your Bible, that word of prophecy. Oh, the word of God is a light. Let's walk in the light of his word.

Water is frequently mentioned in scripture as a symbol of spiritual truth. And we must distinguish between water for washing and water for drinking. Water for drinking is a picture of the Holy Spirit. Water for washing is a picture of the word of God. In John 7:37, our Lord Jesus said, "if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. But this he spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in him would receive."

So water for drinking symbolizes the Holy Spirit of God. Water for washing is a picture of the word of God. Ephesians 5:25. "Husbands, love your wives. Just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish." Notice now, the washing of water by the word.

Now when you consider the word of God pictured as water for cleansing, several truths become obvious. To begin with, if the word of God is water, then sin is defilement. Now, in the Bible, sin is pictured in many different ways. It's pictured as a trap that catches you, a pit into which you fall. It's pictured as darkness, the darkness of sin. It's pictured as bondage, and being chained and held in bondage. It's pictured as disease.

But so often the word of God pictures sin as defilement. When you sin against the Lord, you just feel dirty. Your mind is dirty, your heart is dirty. Everything about you feels defiled. Now, the church today is a defiled church. There are spots and wrinkles and blemishes. Why? Because we who are individuals, who are a part of the church, are spotted and wrinkled and blemished. Spots.

Now where do spots come from? Well, spots come from defilement and dirt on the outside. The church has been defiled by the world. In fact, in some churches you can't tell the difference between the world and the church. James 1:27. "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." The world wants to spot us and defile us.

It has wrinkles. "That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle." Now spots come from dirt on the outside, wrinkles come from decay on the inside. The church is not supposed to get old. Mature, yes, but not old. The tragedy is the life of the church is so decayed that the church now is losing its beauty and it's getting ugly. I'm not saying that people with wrinkles are ugly. Please don't write me a letter. I'm simply saying God doesn't want the church to be old and wrinkled.

God wants his church to be young and beautiful, and the word of God is what does it. We need revival. To take the spots and the wrinkles out of the church. Then he talks about blemishes. "But that it should be holy and without blemish." Now if spots come from dirt on the outside, and wrinkles come from decay on the inside, blemishes come from infection on the inside. I have some blemishes that have come from infections, or from accidents on the outside. I have a couple of little scars from accidents on the outside.

Now when the church does not deal with its wounds, those wounds become blemishes. Those wounds need to be washed by the blood of Christ and by the word of God. Otherwise that defilement separates us from God. Now the church today has spots and wrinkles and blemishes, and Jesus in his love wants to cleanse all of that and make us a glorious church, a beautiful bride for his glory and for his pleasure.

Now, if the word of God is water, then there's a second fact, namely, that salvation is like taking a bath. Now, this is stated definitely in John 13. Peter had washed the disciples' feet. And he said in John 13:8, "if I do not wash you, you have no part, no fellowship with me." Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head." He said, "just wash me all over." Jesus said to him, "he who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean, and you are clean, but not all of you."

Now in the Greek language, the word bathed, luo, means to wash all over. That's salvation. In John 13:5-6, as well as in John 13:8, and John 13:12, 14, when he talks about washing, that's a different word altogether. It's the Greek word nipto, which simply means to wash a part of the body.

So Jesus is saying, when you were saved, you were washed all over. But now as you walk through the world, your feet get dirty, and therefore you need some cleansing. When we confess our sins to the Lord, he cleanses us.

I want to ask you, have you been bathed all over? Have you allowed God to wash you all over? Now, the most beautiful picture of this, of course, is in 1 Corinthians 6. Paul is dealing with the problems in Corinth.

And he says in 1 Corinthians 6:9, "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. In other words, don't let anybody fool you with their theology. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God."

"And such were some of you." That's quite a crowd to build a church out of. He says, you people in Corinth used to be fornicators and idolaters and homosexuals and thieves and so forth. "Such were some of you." How did they change? "But you were washed. You were sanctified, set apart. You were justified, declared righteous in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God."

Now, the word of God is like water. It has the power to cleanse the mind and the heart and the will. When I confess my sin, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses me from all sin, and the record is clear. But my mind needs to be cleansed. My heart needs to be cleansed. My will needs to be washed. Psalm 119:9 asks a question, "how can a young man cleanse his way?" Then it answers the question, "by taking heed according to your word."

How do you do that? Psalm 119:11. "Your word have I hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you." We heed the word by hiding the word. I can't explain it. It's a miracle of God's grace, but when I read the word of God, the Holy Spirit of God takes this water of the word and washes my mind, washes my heart, cleanses the inner person. Just as the outer person needs cleansing, so the inner person needs cleansing. And you know, if you don't wash properly, you get sick.

By the way, that is one reason why God exhorts us to fellowship in the local church. Because as we worship the Lord collectively together, there is a cleansing process that goes on. I like what is written in Hebrews 10:22. "Let us draw near, draw near to the Lord with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water."

I think that Paul's admonition in 2 Corinthians 7:1 is very applicable to us today. "Therefore, having these promises, beloved," what promises? "I will be a father to you. I will take you as my sons and daughters. We will fellowship together." "Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves. From all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."

I want to recommend that you spend time every day in the word of God. Memorize parts of the word of God. Let the word of God flow through your inner being, just like the river flows. I don't know if you've noticed, but a river picks up a lot of debris and carries it down and deposits it. And the word of God is this way. There is a cleansing power to the word of God.

Sin is like defilement. Whenever we sin, we defile our minds, our hearts, our wills, the inner person gets dirty. Sin is like defilement. Salvation is like taking a bath. You're washed all over, and God says, you are set apart. Sanctification is like the regular cleansing at the laver, the regular washing of the hands and the feet, that we might walk with the Lord. Oh, let's be clean Christians to the glory of God.