The Word Is Settled (07/28/2002)

Romans chapter 2 verse 28, for he is not a Jew which is one outwardly, neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh, but he is a

Jew which is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit and not in the letter, whose praise is not of men but of God.

What advantage then hath the Jew, or what profit is there of circumcision?

Much, every way, chiefly because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.

We're still at that point, we'll move on into verse 3 soon. Last time we were looking in Psalm 119, and we went from Psalm 119 verse 1 down through verse 89, and you weren't aware of it probably because my wife has taught me through the years, when you have a 17 -point sermon you never announce it ahead of time, but we covered 17 points in that little passage from Psalm 119 verse 1 down through verse 89.

Now there are just a few more points in this chapter, I won't tell you how many, but we'll cover a few more this morning, but let's pick it up at verse 89.

Verse 89 says, Lamed, forever

O Lord thy word is settled in heaven. I want to take a moment to take a look at the

Hebrew in this verse, because I want you to get the understanding of this verse.

If you get nothing else this morning, I want you to get the sense of this verse as God sends it to us by his

Holy Spirit, exactly what was the Holy Spirit telling us here. The word forever in this particular place is the

Hebrew word olam, and that word literally means the vanishing point.

It comes to take the connotation and the meaning of time out of mind, both past and future.

Time out of mind, both past and future, i .e. eternity.

It can be translated into the word always, but literally it means time out of mind going back that way, in our view as far back as you can go, and then beyond that dropping off into what we call eternity past, and then going as far this way as we can go into what we call the future, dropping off into eternity future.

That is the forever that is in this verse. So the Bible says forever

O Lord, in other words you could say from eternity O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.

Now the word settle is the word natzab, which means appointed, established, set, established, made to stand.

So what the Bible tells us is that the Bible itself is a book which was set up and established and appointed and made to stand at a point somewhere beyond the vanishing point going back that way into eternity past.

It is in fact an eternal book, this Bible is. God has chosen to give it to man in space and time, line by line, little by little, and the

Word of God tells us specific instructions as to how God accomplished this.

So before we get into that, I want to look at the grammar on this verse as well where it says that forever

O Lord thy word is established in heaven. This word settled in heaven is in the

Hebrew, it's called the nifal tense, which for us means the passive tense, and this means that God is the one who did the setting of it.

God himself is the one who set his word in eternity past. It is passive, the

Word did not do it itself, it was not men who just decided to speak and write down things and say well

God told me this. The fact is it is in the passive tense which means that the words were set by God from eternity.

It's also in the participle, so it's in the nifal participle tense in the

Hebrew. The participle represents an action or condition in its unbroken continuity.

The closest thing we have to it in English is the verb to be, but this can be used in the present, past, or future, and I'll give you an example of the past participle.

He was still talking when another person walked up, would be an example of how you would use that in the

English. So you're going back into the past but you're looking at something that's continual.

He was still talking when the other boy walked up. It's kind of a strange thing to think about is you're looking at the past but when you get there it's a continual occurrence in the past.

It could also be in a continual occurrence in the present, continual occurrence in the future.

You could say that the Apostle John looked forward into the future and he saw that the angels were still singing holy, holy, holy.

It's future but it's present. It's continual in the future. So that's what this tense means.

So when you look at that and you see what God says that thy word forever,

O Lord, thy word is continually being settled in the past, in our past.

It is finished. It is done. It is set. It is stationed.

It is made to stand from eternity past. Now as we look at a

New Testament verse, you might think of first Peter chapter 1 verse 23 and following.

It says being born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the word of God which liveth and abideth forever.

For all flesh is as grass and all the glory of man as the flower of grass.

The grass withereth, the flower thereof falleth away, but the word of the

Lord endureth forever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

You understand that that now brings it into the New Testament. It connects not only the Old Testament scriptures but it says this is the word which brings the gospel.

The gospel is the New Testament scriptures. And then Revelation chapter 14 verse 6 says, and I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth and to every nation and kindred and tongue and people.

This all brings to our minds something which came from eternity past.

It was set there and settled and then brought to us and comes to a place in time where it then becomes everlasting.

Now that what does that tell you and me? If it's everlasting it means it can't change because it's going to go into eternity future in the state that it's now in because it came to us in that same state from eternity past and was brought into time.

There is, you could only do damage to the definitions and the grammar that were used in these passages to say anything otherwise.

Now I want to remind us this morning of some of the things that we covered last time.

In Psalm 119, you can go ahead and turn there, the

Romans passage is just the, it is the passage we're studying but we're going through the scriptures and finding parallel passages, supporting passages.

Psalm 119, I'm going to list to you what you learned last time.

The sufficiency of the Word of God and when I say the Word of God I'm specifically this morning speaking of the scriptures which means the written

Word of God. It is that which cleans our hands and our walk.

It is that which keeps us from wandering. The Word of God makes it to be where I don't have to go beyond the

Word into mysticism to behold wonders. If you remember verse 18 said, open thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.

I don't need to go into the mystics who are going to tell me that God told him to tell me something to find wondrous things.

It's in the Word of God, it's in the scriptures. We also learned that in the scriptures we have our joy, we have our counsel, we have our liveliness, we are quickened by it, we have our strength, we have our freedom.

When we love the Word we also don't have to feel that we're idolaters for loving the

Word. Verse 48 says, my hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments which

I have loved and I will meditate on thy statutes. There is a movement today to try to tell you that if you're a person of the

Bible that you're idolatrous because you worship that Bible more than you do God. I mentioned last time that'd be like being gone for a long time brother

Roger and getting a love letter from your wife and saying oh I think I'll just worship this letter I don't need her anymore.

I have this piece of paper with ink on it that's all I need. Is that true my brother? Not true.

My wife was gone the same week for a while. So I think that the letter speaks of the person.

I think that the words Jesus himself said my words they are spirit and they are life.

They're not just ink on paper. We're not worshipping a book when we lift our hands up to the

Word. As a matter of fact God himself said that I lift my word higher than my name which is a remarkable statement that could take weeks to study just what he meant by that but it's a clear statement.

Then we find that God uses his word to speak to us and to give us what we need to know for life.

Verse 49 remember the word unto thy servant. David says when I'm in a place in life where I need a decision

I need to make a decision God remind me of your word that I've studied in times past and this morning and today.

Remember the word unto thy servant upon which thou has caused me to hope. All of my hope for being in the right place at the right time comes from the

Word of God as the Holy Spirit speaks to our heart. It does not come from an outside source.

Somebody comes up to you and says God told me to tell you that you're going to write a play today. My son

I'd say that we'd laugh a little bit because Paul had someone tell him that one. God told me to tell you that you're going to write a play.

Funny thing was he went home and wrote a play brought it back and the person didn't even read it didn't even look at it but yet God so told him to bring that play into existence.

That's a mystic. That's a person who's hearing voices and they probably ate too many onions the night before.

I'll explain now let me explain why I believe that in a few moments but I want to continue to go over what we talked about last time for just a bit more.

It's also our comfort. The Word of God many times in this passage was used in the plural which shows that it's the written word not the living word

Jesus but it's the same thing. It's his life. It's his mind. It's his heart. It's his spirit when you read it if you read it in the

Holy Spirit and we see this in many places but verse 50 is an example. I'm sorry verse 57 it says thou art my portion oh

Lord I have said that I will keep thy words. When you see it pluralized you know that that's not talking about Jesus the person it's talking about the

Word of Jesus the Word of God the words of God. We see that the

Word of God gives us our direction I thought on my ways and turn my feet unto thy testimonies.

I'm thinking about what I'm going to do in my life and I go back to the scriptures and they guide me the Bible says.

So they give me direction. My fellowship is in the Word of God. My fellowship with my brothers and sisters.

They that fear thee will be glad when they see me because I have hoped in thy word the Bible says.

We're glad when we see each other because we have that mutual hope in the Word of God. So our fellowship comes from the written

Word of God. Our spiritual I'm sorry our spiritual riches come from the

Word of God. Verse 72 the law of thy mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver.

Our spiritual riches come from the written scriptures that came from God and so forth.

And lastly the Word of God is fathomless. It is in fact broad exceeding broad.

Verse 96 says I have seen an end of all perfection. I've seen many things in this world that came to maturity but thy commandment is exceeding broad.

In other words David is saying I've never come to the end of it. I've never been able to glean all

I can glean from it because it is exceeding broad.

Now that's what we talked about last time and that lists 18 things from the Word of God where the

Word of God does these things in our lives. Now pick it up in verse 97 if you would.

Oh how I love thy law. It is my meditation all the day. So we see now that the scriptures are designed for meditation.

Designed for us to use our thought life and our time and our thought life to be upon the principles of God that he gives us in his

Word as the Holy Spirit continues to teach us the subtle colors and meanings of the different words and the combinations in the

Word of God. The Holy Spirit quickens it enlivens and broadens it in our own minds as we meditate upon it.

Verse 98 says though thou thou through thy commandments has made me wiser than mine enemies for they are ever with me.

Wow our enemies are ever with us spiritual enemies the world flesh and the devil always with us and yet if we'll be in the

Word of God if we'll spend time in the scriptures we can be wise because we've meditated upon them.

So wisdom comes I understand more than the ancients he says because I keep thy precepts.

Verse 101 talks about the fact that we can be purified by the scriptures.

I have refrained my feet from every evil way that I might keep thy word.

And then 102 I have not departed from thy judgments for thou hast taught me.

You see how the Holy Spirit comes into play with the written word. But David did not minimize the importance of the written word here the two come together.

He says I do not depart from thy judgments. Now you have to understand that the Old Testament Jew called the

Bible he didn't call it the Bible like we do he called it the commandments and the judgments and the law.

And so it's as if he is saying that I do not depart from the

Bible from your word from the scriptures you've given me for you have taught me.

There's the importance of the Holy Spirit. So it's not just a book with ink on it never was to a born -again believer never was to a child of God.

It is the very word the very mind the very heart the very revelation of God of himself to us.

And he puts it on paper because it makes it objective it makes it the law it's what makes it the commandments and what's what makes it stand.

It is settled in heaven and it is stand as that which everything else must be held up against in this world.

And the Holy Spirit comes and interprets it and teaches us just like first John says that you have we have no need that we have a teacher because we're the anointing of the

Holy Spirit is within us and he teaches us this word. Now it doesn't mean not to have a teacher because the teacher can sometimes help you go faster find verses more quickly to study in a systematic fashion and so forth.

But if you were off in a place where you didn't have a teacher and you did have the word and you had the scriptures you would learn because the

Holy Spirit would teach you just as he does now. Verse 104 through thy precepts

I get understanding therefore I hate every false way. So we gain not only knowledge and wisdom but also understanding and a hatred for sin comes from the scriptures.

105 the word thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light and to my path guidance.

Guidance comes from the word. 108 accept I beseech thee the freewill offerings of my mouth

O Lord and teach me thy judgments. And let me show you what 108 means and this is amazing in this day and time because the very people across this nation who are into praise and worship some of them are not very much into the word.

I don't know why I don't know that I'm not saying that about all of them but I'm saying some of them are not and maybe it's because it's not sufficient to them and they're looking elsewhere

I don't know I know the children of Israel did that they never were satisfied with manna were they.

Give us meat so God just rained quail on their heads till they were sick of quail. God chastened them because they said the manna was not enough that's a tithe and a picture of the

Word of God. Never get to the place where the word is not enough in your life because God may just rain birds down on your head till you're sick of them.

But notice this the freewill offerings of my mouth doesn't the New Testament teach us that that is the praise the sacrifice of praise from our lips.

May I show you where it comes from? Did you know that it comes from the book that was settled in time out of mind going back to eternity past?

That scripture that was settled by God as he brings it to you and you have it today and he says teach me thy judgments teach me thy word he means teach me the scriptures he means and then my freewill offerings from my mouth will be acceptable.

You realize we cannot even praise God except with information that he's given us in the scriptures. How would you praise him because to praise him is to recognize who he is and you couldn't know him without the scriptures yes you could know he was there you couldn't know who he is.

So only by the scriptures can you give freewill offerings of your mouth and when you attempt to give freewill offerings to the

Lord of praise and you do it outside of revelation of the scriptures it is not accepted by God because your praise originates in heaven and it originated and was settled there and made to stand there and then it was brought down in time by the prophets of old and the

New Testament apostles and prophets and sons of prophets as we'll describe later in this study and given to us line by line in time so that we would have words listen to me words to praise

God with if you're going to praise God praise him with scriptures I don't mean you have to quote scriptures to him at all but you notice when you start to praise

God notice if the words that you use aren't words that you were taught in the holy scriptures that's where you learned about him that's where you say oh pray father

I praise you for your omnipotence for your mighty power where'd you learn that from the word

Oh father I praise you for the fact that your omniscient you know everything you know my thoughts before I say them where did you learn that do you think that you can originate your praise

God's already settled it and he's given it to you by his grace in time by his holy prophets and as the

Holy Spirit teaches you as you read and study it then all of a sudden you can echo that back you can send it back up from your heart of love from your own born -again self as the

Holy Spirit takes it almost as the messenger of it I would say he brings it to you in the word of God he takes it back to God in that smoke that you see in the revelation the vials of smoke that are the prayers of the

Saints going up praising God but it had to come to you first from heaven before you could send it back and I wish more people in this world today could understand these principles verse 108 market it's a beautiful verse 114 says thou art my hiding place in my shield

I hope in thy word verse 115 and several of these have to do with the fact of scriptures are our defense they are our shield our defense against the fiery darts of the enemy you don't need anything else but the word you don't need anything else but the scriptures and the power of the

Holy Spirit and as you have the scriptures all of a sudden look what you have a shield my hope in the word depart from me evil doers for I will keep the commandments of God you see you can't bother me you can't bother me evil doers

I'm in the word and he goes on and says thou hast run down all them that err from thy statutes from the

Word of God for their deceit is falsehood thou put us away all the wicked of the earth like dross therefore

I love thy testimonies it is time for thee Lord to work for they have made void the

Bible you see that in verse 126 so it's our defense against the enemy therefore

I love thy commandments above gold yay above fine gold therefore

I steam all thy precepts concerning all things to be right you want to know what's right and wrong boys and girls young people you want to know how to tell the difference between truth and error right and wrong read the

Bible every day read the Bible every day from the point you learn to read start reading it every day and study and let the

Holy Spirit teach you God's heart and mind because the Bible says that concerning things right

I esteem your precepts and I hate every false way how can you hate something you don't know is there you couldn't know it was false without the scriptures verse 129 that testimonies are wonderful therefore doth my soul keep them verse 130 has to do with revelation there are so many people today worried that we're not going to get enough revelation that God's not going to be able to speak to us especially to those of us who don't believe in the true gift of prophecy being empowered by God right this moment so we're not going to be able to get enough they say but look at verse 130 the entrance of thy words you see that's not talking about the

Jesus the Lord Jesus is talking about the Lord Jesus his words the entrance of thy words giveth light it giveth understanding unto the simple what does it mean by simple an area in life where you don't have understanding yet what will bring you the understanding for that necessary thing in your life where you're seeking the

Lord's perfect direction is words the entrance of thy words giveth light the entrance into where does that say that the word of God sitting on your coffee table at home gives light no it says the entrance of it into your mind and heart as it enters your mind and heart you then have light you didn't have before it enters even if you read that same passage yesterday and you read it again today you will get more light it never entered into your mind before in your whole life let me tell you it's sufficient for revelation it is the full revelation of God which will demonstrate today in a few moments verse 132 says it is our history look thou upon me and be merciful to me as thou used to do unto those that love thy name

I love David because he's really a Texan he's a southerner look how he talks here if you have a

King James Version verse 132 says be merciful unto me as thou usest to do unto those that love my name as thou usest to do used to do 133 says order my steps in thy word and let not any iniquity have dominion the key word here is dominion over me so the

Word of God brings freedom from slavery slavery to the devil little children slavery to little sins that you start learning to do lying a little bit it's not a little bit it's a lot not giving all the information to deceive taking something that's not yours those things can become terrible habits in your life if you start as a little child and you continue it into adult life but you know what the

Bible teaches little boys and girls it teaches that the Bible if you will read it and study it every day it will free you from the dominion of sin that means you don't have to do it just because something tells you to go do something bad something in your mind says go do that bad you just tell it no the

Bible said not to I'm not gonna do it but if you hadn't been reading the Bible you won't have the strength to do that young people because the

Bible says order my steps in thy word let not any iniquity have dominion over me man that's power this book is powerful ladies and gentlemen this book is sufficient to keep you from sin habit but you got to be in it it has to be entering the entrance of thy word bringeth light verse 139 my zeal hath consumed me because mine enemies have forgotten my words isn't that amazing

God's enemies forget what the Bible says and then they begin to twist it they'll use it but they twist it and they base it on something they read ten years ago and hadn't gone back and done a complete thorough study and they forget a little bit here a little bit there confused a little bit there they hear some preacher say this or that or the other they put it all together and they come out with confusion and they have forgotten

God's words and the Bible says the zeal of someone walking close to God will consume you when you hear people doing that you won't like it it'll bother you you probably won't let it happen in your presence for very long anyway verse 140 thy word is very pure therefore thy servant loveth it you want pure words

I tell you what don't get them from people get them from the scriptures get them from God himself 141

I am small and despised yet do not I forget thy precepts men may see me as nothing men may see me as worthless men may see you as totally unsuccessful in life but if you're in his word every day

David saw that as something worth more than the whole view of the world about his life verse 142 thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness my law is the truth we're talking about the fact that God is truth are we not that's the general subject we're in this is a large part of God's truth in our life this written word he says by law is true 143 trouble and anguish have taken hold on me yet thy commandments are my delights

I prevented the dawning of the morning and cried I hope in thy word mine eyes prevent the night watches that I might meditate in thy word you see it doesn't just come automatically because you're born again you get saved you've been saved to three years you haven't yet arrived you stay saved another 20 years you haven't yet arrived another 20 you still haven't yet arrived you're still here still haven't arrived but I tell you what if you are preventing the night watches and spending some time meditating on the word you're arriving you're arriving and you're arriving faster than people who aren't that's just the way it is if you're in the word more than your brother next to you all other things being equal you're going to grow faster when

I say all those things because I am leaving their room for the Holy Spirit to teach you there are

Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses there in the word an awful lot and they're not growing but if you're born again and you're in the word and you're in the spirit when you're in the word and you're that way more than the person sitting next to you right now you're growing faster you're going to get there sooner and when you when we all arrive in the heavenlies you'll be ahead that's why

God calls it a race that's why he says keep your eyes on the finish line when we get so caught up in the things of this world and the pleasures of this life and other things coming in that choke the word from us let's remember that finish line and there is going to be an award ceremony and we are going to be there and it's going to be very real now we don't know exactly how to be because God uses those things to tell us and as we think as men now how this will be but we can only view it as an award ceremony but I'll say this if it's an award ceremony have you ever sat there in an award ceremony and said

I could have won that one I mean you've ever done that in a like an athletic one or or academics boy two more 100 than out of one that I had the most 100 or I had the highest of gear whatever you want

I'm gonna do it next time I'm gonna tell you something when we get to the finish line there won't be a next time you will have achieved what you will have achieved and you will watch others receive what they will receive and let me tell you what it's directly proportional to everybody look at me right now how much you're in this

I can boil it all down to how much you are in the Holy Spirit in this book now

I know there are many other things in our Christian lives but I can boil it down to this because this is what energizes the other things this is what makes your walk want to be holy this is what makes you want to go tomorrow and not sin if you're in this if you're not in this the world the flesh the devil will come into your life and it's as if you forget and you get outside of the boundaries just a little bit and you don't get any rewards for that Lord said be careful lest another man take thy reward and you suffer loss wood hay and stubble those are

Christian people he's talking about it's directly proportional this so what does that tell me and you we're not in it enough we're criticized already for how much we're in it but we're still not in it nearly enough the very holiness of your life the very power that they call the charisma the whole charismatic movement based on rah -rah let me tell you where we're where real power comes from and it has nothing to do with your demeanor or your personality or whether you're outward or inward it has to do with how much you've been in this book if you've been in this book more than the next guy when he's in trouble he's going to come to you because he's going to see the power of God and it's not going to be you dancing around the pews it's going to be the power of God it's a quickened enlivened heart and soul that you have yes emotions are part of it some more with than with others because of our own nature that we're born with we are ourselves to God works in us he doesn't remove it as brother

Oda said he doesn't work through us if he worked through us it means he didn't do anything with us he just came in went out and helped did something in the world he works in us with us but let me say this all of us in our own way have to have some heart behind it because how could you not as we're in this word more and we see how much the father loves us that the

Lord Jesus said as he has loved me he loves you in John chapter 17 as he has loved me he loves you when you think about that time brother

Otis talked about in Sunday school this morning when you were lost and didn't want to be saved he loved you just as much then as he does now because you were lost sheep can't tell me that doesn't bring emotions you can't tell me that doesn't bring liveliness listen people come in and they look at us they say we're a dead church

I don't think so I know some Sundays are better than others that's that way and I don't know why probably because we all stayed up till two that particular

Saturday night weren't ready when we got here it's not God's fault because God's presence is here but to the extent ladies and gentlemen that you are in the word you will be a lively church in the right way that pleases

God you won't have to even think about making that happen or faking it or causing it you just listen you go home this week test it you spend twice as much time in the word this week as you did last week and you come back next

Sunday and let's see what kind of service we have without you trying to do one thing you don't have try to sing louder you don't have to cry on purpose you don't have to feel the urge to stand and raise your hands and sometimes

I have that feeling and I just I don't sometimes but you know what's interesting did you know that one of the fruits of the

Spirit is called self -control this is a rabbit here I'm getting on a rabbit self -control is a fruit of the Spirit did you know that if you felt like this brother

Russell in this message today and you just got God just got your heart you said man

I'm just gonna jump up I'm gonna run around the building twice come in the side door walk up up here stand on top of this and go like that David's face while he preaches

I've seen people do that and I'm not talking about charismatic people I saw God come down on the place once and some of the one of the college students did that you know what though he lacked self -control his zeal was not wrong he lacked knowledge he lacked one of the fruits of the

Spirit which was he should have kept control some of that right now now as this happens in a congregation you're not gonna control all of it some of it's gonna leak out so you ever seen a coke bottle when it you dropped it you pick it up you take that off and you're going oh no and you barely first get that little crack in it what happened some of it starts spewing out brother

Russell some of that's gonna happen to you last week I heard you holler once in the service a little bit spewed out but there's still self -control because we don't want to do a couple things we don't want to offend anyone we don't want to do this service to this we don't want

God's Word not to be heard do we isn't this the most important thing going on in the whole service you take the music the chicken everything is not this word the most important thing

I shouldn't have left the chicken in with it I understand some of you were smiling not going like this

I understand Becca back there she can start to smell pretty good but with a little bit of God -given the same

Holy Spirit that fires your heart up tells you listen don't go screaming so loud they can't hear my word now doesn't he yeah am

I getting agreement on this or it does say self -control doesn't it one of them spirit gifts of the spirit fruit to the spirit

I should say thy word is pure where was

I what verse was I own zeal has consumed me because mine enemies have that's the bad thing about rabbit trails in it verse 141

I am small we did that one verse 142 we may have done them all the righteousness is an everlasting righteousness and thy law is the truth verse 143 trouble and anguish have taken hold of me yet thy commandments are my delight that's where we were now look the

Word of God your delight you think you're not going to go through trouble and anguish in this life but you can still have the light if you were in the word just yesterday now let me tell you what won't work you were in the word a whole lot last month or last year a whole lot you really into the word and then you kind of got more important things you were doing it and all of a sudden this trouble and anguish comes in your life you won't be able to go back and grab that for strength you will have needed to have been there yesterday that's a warning to us now if you get to the place where you make that mistake let me tell you what you didn't do you get in it today in the midst of the anguish you go back to it go back to the scriptures and say

Lord give me your delight my heart even in the midst of this and he will verse 147

I prevented the dawning of the morning and cried I hoped in thy word you see like I was saying it's not automatic mine eyes prevent the night watches now

I'm starting to see we already been here that I might meditate in thy word concerning thy testimonies

I have known of old that thou has founded them forever look at verse 152 this ties in with the very one that we started with this morning the very one that we started with about the word being settled from eternity and then we close with this verse concerning thy testimonies

I have known of old that thou has founded them forever it's strange terminology if you think about it we have time words here and we have eternity words here we have time and we have outside of time beyond time both found in these scriptures the word founded here is a different word than the

Hebrew word that we looked at a few moments ago for settled the word settled mean he made it to stand in eternity past and he brought it into time and now we have it and he's now made it everlasting everlasting means it didn't come from the past at least in this verse is not talking about that aspect of it but it's going into the future just as it is now listen it can't be everlasting if it changes

I said that but it's true because the it isn't everlasting if it's another thing so this book is finished in this age the

Word of God the Bible is finished and it came to us from there it came here it's going out the same way and it's everlasting it'll always be that way is that amazing or what you say oh that's terrible

I'm not gonna have enough when I get to heaven that's what they're saying today ladies and gentlemen I need more than just the

Bible give me a prophet give me a tongue -talker I need more

I need more excitement there's not enough here you know what this is hard work I think I heard

David say you know I didn't get any sleep last night because I was meditating in the word I think

I heard David said when the Sun came up this morning I was still meditating in the word well it's a whole lot easier if I can get one you just come up and get me all excited somehow get my beauty rest at the same time now this verse is a different word

I have known of old that thou has founded them forever very important words here this word founded is y 'all sod and it means listen to this is beautiful I know it's almost chicken time but don't miss this one the root word means to sit down together it comes to mean settle it is translated in another place in the

Old Testament to take counsel to establish the root means to sit down together ladies and gentlemen do you see that the

Bible says that at the Council of God in eternity before time began at the great council where the father sat down with Jesus Christ his son that's the only way you can have a council is to have more than one his son was brought forth and placed there and he looked at him and a council in all of history was determined and from the father's viewpoint it has happened part of that was the giving of your

Bible concerning thy testimonies I have known of all that thou hast founded them forever the them means the words so it's not talking about Jesus Christ it's talking about Jesus Christ's words the scriptures the written

Word of God was settled it was established by counsel before the foundation of the world there was only one council

God didn't meet twice to determine everything that would happen it happened once and in that council that's where our word came from concerning thy testimonies

I have known of all that thou hast founded them forever as I pointed out the word then means the words plural but this word forever is the same word that was found in the first we started with it's all long and what it means the vanishing point time out of mind you can't get around it and you go back to time out of mind you drop off of time and go off into eternity you're going to find a council there which means sequence began before Earth time began somehow because at the moment that Jesus proceeded forth and came out from God and they counseled sequence began

Jesus is that aspect of God which can be in time and space with us with man and we relate to Jesus Christ he is the full revelation of God which

I didn't get to this morning because we're out of time we're going to get to it first thing next Sunday morning the Lord's will

Lord willing we're going to see exactly how God gave us this book through time how did we if God is true and he has revealed himself to us as truth in this book how did we get this book if it started in time if you go back to before time and you come to the

Council of God and it is settled at that Council the whole Council of God is settled at that Council and then

God gives it to us through time line by line how do we have the place where we end up with it in our laps this morning with a front cover and a back cover we'll talk about that next time but this scripture says concerning that testimonies

I have known David says I'm certain of this I'm not debating this David said it's not something

I question David said I base this is my basis for my walk and my ministry is that I know that from old you have founded at the

Council in the Council of God you sat down together and settled and established them that means the words for how long long forever time out of mind coming from there going through here going out that way

I'm gonna tell you ladies and gentlemen if something is eternal it can't change as it wasn't eternal because it changed and it wasn't it anymore that makes sense that's good logic but it's the truth so we have been given the very words of God we've been given these words by the blood of men who were burned at the stake for putting this in English Tyndall burned by a slow fire with green wood and took all day for it to burning and killing and he's saying hymns he was killed because he took this out of the

Roman Catholic Latin they didn't want you to be able to read it and he put it where you could read it and they burned him at the stake this is how this book got to us and we leave it on that dusty old counter even a

Bible Church we do it we get busy some of our young people because of brother

Russell and our schoolteachers have instilled in them so much they I'll go in there and and they'll be reading that thing at night at bedtime

I know you see your kids doing it what about us it's not enough just to go by what we already know ladies and gentlemen gotta be in the word it is sufficient though if you are it is fathomless it is broad everything you need for life and service let's stand and have prayer together father we don't need more of your word we just need more time to talk about what we have we're out of time again we thank you for the great psalmist

David and how you breathe into his heart words for us for all eternity for your children

Lord for making it so clear how important how powerful the written word is and Lord we pray that your

Holy Spirit would convict us of the sin of neglecting it when we are tempted to that we would not allow the things of this life that riches the pleasures to choke the word from our lives may we be ever vigilant about that may you give us a renewed yearning and burning and hunger for the

Word of God this very week that all of us might come back next Sunday and even be more lively and more quickened in the service simply by the power of your written word in our private lives we ask you to bless our fellowship and our meal together and the remainder of our services in Jesus name