I please God to bless us this
evening as we consider his word together. Let's turn to the prophecy
of Isaiah chapter 8 and reading verse 20. The prophecy of Isaiah
chapter 8 and reading verse 20. Through the law and to the testimony,
if they speak not according to this word, it is because there
is no light in them. Isaiah was a prophet of the Lord,
and he was called to prophesy in a difficult time in the history
of Judah and Israel. But as all the prophets, he was
faithful in those things which he was able to declare And we
have reference here in this verse to the law and to the testimony. And what he was referring to
there was really the word of God. Now, of course, in his day,
they didn't have all the Bible as we know it. What we know they
did have was the first five books of Moses. We know that they did
possess those because they were placed in a scroll and placed
alongside the ark. in the holy place and then in
the temple. So we know that they had those writings. And of course,
in those five books in the Bible, there is wonderful truth, wonderful
facts, wonderful direction, especially to Israel, how they were to conduct
themselves and the laws and commands and the ceremonies given in great
detail. And it was the Lord's command. It was the word of the Lord.
And therefore there was no area, no way of ignoring or turning
aside and pretending that they did not mean or become part of
or were part of the true word of God. And so Isaiah directs
them, the people, to this truth, to the law and to the testimony. Well, what a blessing it was
that they did have the law and the testimony. And what a blessing
it is for us today that we have the law and the testimony. And
of course, the law and the testimony for us today is not only the
first five books and the word of God and Moses, but all the
Old Testament and all the New Testament. And as we read this
statement to the law and the testimony, if they speak not
according to this word, that means that the people are not
speaking in accordance with the word of God. What is the truth? It is because there is no light
in them. Well, it's obvious today that
there are many people who are not speaking in accordance with
the Word of God. They are speaking in opposition
to the Word of God. They are speaking those words
which suit themselves. They follow that which panders
to public opinion, rather than keeping to the Word of God. If they speak not according to
this Word, it is because there is no light in them. And that
of course is an exceedingly solemn statement, because if there is
no light, no spiritual light, it means there is no life in
them. And so we conclude that if there
are those who speak contrary to the Word of God, It is because
they remain dead in trespasses and in sins. There is no room
for any other opinion. There is no room for man's considered
opinion. It is only the Word of God which
is to be followed, the Word of God which is to be obeyed, and
it is the wonderful privilege of the people of God to walk
in accordance with the Word of God. And as we read the Word
of God from Genesis to Revelation, that wonderful book of the Word
of God, what a wonderful blessing it is. You sometimes realise
what a favour it is to have God's Word to be able to read. And as we have God's Word to
be able to read, to follow, the precepts, to follow the instruction,
to follow the commands, to follow the exhortations, and to not
argue with the Word of God. Many people today, they argue
with the Word of God. They use phrases like, well it's
not fair and it's not just. My friends, the Word of God is
fair and it's totally just. And it's in accordance with a
just God. We have a just God. who deals
fairly, he deals rightly. It's the people, it's us who
walk contrary to our God, who disobey our God, who do not walk
in accordance with the Word of God. It's a great blessing if
we possess an honest heart and a true desire to do that which
is right in accordance with the Word of God. And so Isaiah tells
us very clearly to the Law and to the Testament, to the Word
of God, if they speak not according to this Word, the people don't
speak according to it, it's because there is no light in them. Well, I hope amongst us here
tonight that all of us conclude that what we read in the Bible
is the Word of God. and that we do speak according
to this Word. We read this statement, if they
speak not according to this Word. That means that in our conversation
we are to be found speaking in accordance with the Word of God. Again, that's a searching thought,
isn't it? to speak according to the Word
of God. The Word of God directs us how
to speak, doesn't it? And so many evidences there are
how we should order our conversation. And one of the critical things
where we can testify as to whether it's good or bad is, is those
things that we say, we speak, are they for the honour and glory
of God? And again, how exceedingly difficult
that is to be able to answer in the affirmative and say, well,
of course I always do that. You know, we only have to read
a very simple statement in the Word of God, which is this. The
thought of foolishness is sin. And by nature, of course, we
are foolish. And yet, just the thought of
it, and yet when it comes into words, then it can't be in accordance
with the Word of God. And you know, if we speak unkind
things, can they be in accordance with the Word of God? They speak
not according to this Word. If we speak unkind things, is
that in accordance with God's Word? Or is it those things that
we just desire to say? Well, this is a very Important
word because it was important in the days when Isaiah wrote
it It's always been important and it's no less important today
As we walk on this earth to be found speaking according to the
Word of God And if we're speaking in accordance with the Word of
God are we speaking those things which do indeed honor and glorify
the great name of our Savior and Or do we speak things which
just honour and glorify ourselves? The heart is deceitful above
everything, and desperately wicked. And my friends, if we listen
to our heart, and we speak things from our heart, you see, are
they right? Are they God-honouring? Or do
they satisfy our own ego? Well, we have the Word of God. The Word of God was proclaimed
down through the ages, and there were many people who ignored
it. You know, in Jeremiah's day,
there were those people who Jeremiah prophesied to, didn't he? Jeremiah
was a great prophet of the Lord, and he prophesied faithfully. And he was blessed to speak those
things which were right, but they didn't always, in fact they
very seldom, believe those things. And in the 37th of Jeremiah we
read, And King Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, reigned instead
of Keniah, the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadnezzar, king of
Babylon, made king in the land of Egypt. But neither he, nor
his servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken unto
the words of the Lord. which he speak by the prophet
Jeremiah. Now, we know of course what became
of those people. They were taken captive by the
Chaldeans, the Babylonians, and taken down into captivity into
Babylon for 70 years. My friends, why? Because they
did not listen to the words of the prophets. The prophet Isaiah,
the Prophet Jeremiah and others, they spoke the truth of God,
but they decided no, they would not listen to those words, they
would not obey those words. They would follow their own inclination,
because they thought their judgment was better than Jeremiah's judgment. my friend Jeremiah's judgment
was that which he received from the Lord. And so as we bring
that to ourselves today, are we judging a situation ourselves? Are we concluding what should
be done and what should be said? Or are we following the word
of the Lord? Are we following that which is
recorded in the Bible for our instruction? Are we desiring,
therefore, to be led and directed by the Word of God, and only
the Word of God? Or are we left to ourselves to
follow our own inclinations, just like Zedekiah and the people
in Judah in those days? My friends, what a sad, sad end
came upon them. See, God is not mocked. We cannot treat God as ourselves. We cannot think that God will
turn a blind eye to things that we speak and say. My friend,
God marks everything, every detail that we say. And if we realise
God is all seeing, how Solomon, how searching, is that word. To the law and to the testimony,
God's word is powerful. It's quick and powerful and sharper
than any two-edged sword. The Word of God, my friends,
penetrates. The Word of Man doesn't. The
Word of God penetrates. It comes and touches our heart,
and it digs deep, and it cuts deep. And when the Spirit of
God applies His Word, we know it is the Word of God. You know how sharp a sword can
be, how it can pierce very easily? The Word of God, my friends,
can pierce very easily into our hearts and rebuke us. Rebuke us in those things which
we may have spoken. If they speak not according to
this Word, not according to the Word of God, then the solemn
verdict is It is because there is no light in them. Well, I'm
sure we don't want to be found in that condition, do we? Operating
in our own way and finding it's because there's no light in us.
How solemn that is. Well, I believe the truth is
that if sometimes, as the Church of God throughout the ages have
been left to follow their own pursuits, yet you see the Lord
is gracious. The Lord brings them back. The
Lord causes them to consider their ways. The Lord speaks to
their heart. And what does it do? It brings
them to a place of repentance. So they say, whereas I repent
in dust and ashes, when the Word of God, the truth of God is applied
to our hearts, It does have a good, and it does have a gracious effect
upon us. How thankful we should be that
we have the Scriptures, the Word of God encourages us in so many
places, and one of the wonderful words that we can read is in
the 119th Psalm. There no doubt are familiar words
to us, but they speak like this, Thy Word. God's Word. He is a lamp unto my feet and
a light unto my path. Well, is God's Word that to us? As we read the Word of God, and
do we read the Word of God to seek for these directions? Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet
and a light unto my path. It directs us in the way that
we should go. Not to be left to our own understanding,
to our own appreciation, but to search the scriptures that
we may be directed in the way that we should go. We read in
the Proverbs, there is a way that seemeth right unto a man,
but the end thereof are the ways of death. We have to beware that
Satan doesn't Indicate to us look this is the way this is
what you should where you should go. This is what you should say
This is what you should do and we fall under such a snare and
The word tells us it's the ways of death It's not the way of
life If you follow that way, which is wrong Yes thy word and
God's Word will not change You and I change God's word does
not change. Again, in this same psalm we
read, forever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven. The Bible won't change. You won't
read it one day and come to a view, read it the next day and come
to a different view. If you read it with an open heart,
desiring that God will speak to you, you will not come to
any mistakes or any wrong way. But if you've got your own perceived
ideas and you are searching for a word just to suit your position,
to be a guiding word, to agree with the way that you're taking,
you may make mistakes. You need to come in this simple
way. Lord, what will thou have me
to do? That was what the Apostle Paul
prayed, didn't he? Yes, he was open-minded to God's direction. He didn't come and say, God,
I've got a plan and I want a word to confirm that plan. Some people
operate in that way. That's not being submissive to
the will of God. The way to be submissive to the
will of God is to simply come and see that God will appear,
that God will guide, that God will direct. God knows what's
best for you and I. We don't know ourselves. We think,
oh, that would be a good idea, and that would be a pleasant
way, and I could like doing that. My friends, God may not be in
it. God may perhaps allow us to make a mistake. He may allow
us to say foolish things. But you know, you and I will
come back. The Lord brings us back, and
he brings us back, It's often like this, it's with broken bones.
You don't come striding back. No, the Lord deals with us in
love to our souls and instructs us and teaches us in the right
way. Forever, O Lord, thy word is
settled in heaven. Remember that. It's always there. It's settled. God's word is settled.
It won't change. And you know, The psalmist, he
knew the Word of God, and of course he didn't have all the
Word of God that we have today. But do you know what he said?
He said this, O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all
the day. How do we view the Word of God? To the law and to the testimony. Do we come today and say, O how
love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day. Or do we just scamper through
a few verses in the morning, and perhaps a few at night, and
tick a box and think, well, I've done my duty today. My friends,
there's no hunger in that, is there? There's no thirst in that.
There's no real desiring for spiritual life or spiritual food. It's just going through what
the Word of God explains to us as bodily exercise, which profits
little. My friends, we need to be blessed. We need to pray that we may have
such an example as this. Oh, how love I thy law. It is
my meditation all the day. I was invited out to lunch this
week by the pastor of the Baptist Church in Rygate, who I know
quite well. And we meet just very infrequently, but he likes
to meet with me, strangely enough. And he invited me out and we
were talking about the Word of God. And he told me that he said,
18 years ago, not all that long after he was converted, he went
up and he was worshipping in Westminster Chapel. And the minister
said, I think it was R.T. Kendall who followed on of course
from Martin Lloyd-Jones, and he said, There's a wonderful
example given to us by Robert Murray McShane in reading the
Bible. And he said there is a system
where if you follow his system, you read all the Bible in a year,
and the Psalms twice, and the New Testament twice. And he was
able to tell me, and I was pleased to hear it, he said, thankfully,
he said, I've been able to do that for the last 18 years. Well, it's good, isn't it, when
we hear of people who are perhaps outside our denomination, who
really love the Word of God, and love to read it. And he said,
sometimes it's not easy. Well, it's not easy, is it? Sometimes
the devil says, well, you've got this job to do. You must
get on and do it. It's good, you see, if we can concentrate
on the things of God, put time aside, so that we may be able
to say, like the psalmist here, oh, how love I thy law. It is my meditation. all the
day. The reality is, the more you
and I read the Word of God, the more we shall meditate on it,
because the more we have to meditate upon it. If you've only read
two or three verses, nothing against that, because sometimes
it's impossible to do more, but if you read, rather than two
or three verses, quite a few pages, quite a few chapters,
the necessity, there's far more, isn't there, to meditate upon
And so we can understand how the psalmist was able to make
such a statement. How love I thy law. And it was
exemplified by what he did. He meditated on all the day.
It wasn't just vain words to say, well, I love the word of
God and that was all. No, he wanted to read it and
to meditate upon it. We live in a day and age when
people are not very knowledgeable about the Word of God. And it's
a solemn position because the Islamic world, there are many
people in the Islamic world who know the Quran from beginning
to end. They can recite the whole of
the Quran. My friends, how many people can
recite the Word of God? Well, I should think it's probably
zero. I know William Huntington I think, could recite the Word
of God. And when he preached, he often
didn't need a Bible, because he knew it so well in his heart. It's good, isn't it, to read
and to meditate upon the Word of God, to the law and to the
testimony, if they speak not according to this Word. If we
do not speak in accordance with the Word of God, and the more
we read the Word of God, the more we should know about the
Word of God, and the more we shall have the mind of God, because
we shall be able to understand God's way more clearly. As we
read through the Psalms and read through the Proverbs, much instruction
there is to you and me today to follow the Word of God. We often glibly say, don't we,
well of course I want to follow the Word of God. Well, I hope
it's true. But we need a lot of spiritual
understanding to be able to follow the Word of God exactly as it
is. And not to miss out a part if
it goes against our plans, against our way of life. Now we need
to walk and to pray. The Lord give us that grace and
understanding to hear and to obey the Word of God, to the
law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this
Word. If people speak not according
to the Word, it is because there is no light in them. Well, it's
a tremendous statement, isn't it, to think of that? Yes, that
there's no light if we speak not according to the Word of
God. And the Word gives us instruction
as to how we are to live our life and how we are to pray. We have many wonderful examples,
don't we, in the Word of God of prayers. There are some good
examples. The Psalms are mostly prayers,
of course. we've got Hezekiah's prayer, we've got Nehemiah and
Ezra, many prayers there are in the Word of God. And therefore
are we speaking in accordance with the Word of God when we
pray to our God? The Word of God gives us those
very blessed and very wonderful examples. And so as we study
the Word of God, if you read the Word of God more and more,
we'll see those examples And as we come to our God in prayer,
to be able to follow those examples, not necessarily by just trying
to study to copy them, but because those phrases and those words
are familiar to us. And therefore we're able to come
to our God with thanksgiving. Remember the Psalmist who often
came and praised his God and thanked his God for so many blessings
and mercies. And all of us are favoured with
that. Do we speak in accordance with the Word of God? Do we come
in that right way with thanksgiving? Sometimes it was seen that we
just come to God with a want list. We just run down a want
list. And we expect God to answer that
want list. God desires to be honoured and
glorified. God is a jealous God. We need
to acknowledge how great the Lord is and to thank him for
his wonderful grace and for his wonderful blessings and for his
wonderful favours. We need to come in a right way,
in accordance with his word, not in accordance with our word. We're thankful to know that the
door of the mercy of the Lord is open all day, to the poor
and the needy, not by the way. But nevertheless, there is a
right way. We're told not to rush into the presence of the
Lord as a horse to the battle. We should come in a right, solemn
consideration. Sometimes it may be that we're
unable really to pray anything else, we may have an urgent need,
and it comes like this, Lord help me. That's not a bad prayer. That's a good prayer. It's not
a long prayer, is it? You see, we don't impress God with long
prayers. No, my friends, the effectual,
fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. And you follow
the prayers in the Word of God. They're not long. Solomon's prayer,
the longest prayer recorded in the Word of God. You can read
it in ten minutes. The longest prayer. If they speak not according to
this Word. What guidance we have then in
prayer, in the Word of God. And we are therefore instructed
to pray in accordance with this Word, to follow the guidance
and the direction we should be thankful the Lord has left on
record, wonderful directions for us. And we know of course
that the disciples asked the Lord how they should pray and
the Lord gave them that very simple and wonderful direction
of what we term the Lord's Prayer. Well, may we be followers then
of the Word of God, and not only in our prayers, but also in our
spiritual life. That we may set a good example
in the world in which we live. The prophets, They didn't follow
the fashions of the world, did they? They followed the Lord's
way. They were faithful in what God
commanded them to preach. It wasn't popular, was it? They
didn't seek for popularity. They didn't seek to be thought
well of by man. They desired to be thought well
of by the Almighty God. That was the great concern. And
my friends, may it be your concern and my concern to be thought
rightly of our God. Yes, that we are doing those
things in accordance with His will. Now, you and I know, if
there are any things in our lives which we are doing contrary to
the will of God, If they speak not according to
this Word, do our lives speak in accordance with the Word of
God? Our lives, our spiritual life,
the outworking of that spiritual life, is it in accordance with
the Word of God? The Word of God is there for
our instruction, isn't it? It's there for teaching. And
it's to direct us in the right way, in the right path. And the
Lord has told us so very clearly, if ye love me, keep my commandments. And that's an embracing word,
isn't it? It doesn't relate to one specific
thing. But you can think about those
commands in the Word of God, right throughout the Word of
God. The things in the Old Testament, the things in the New Testament.
Do we desire to keep the commands of God? And do we do it because
we love the Lord? If they speak not according to
this Word, not accordance with the Word of God, then there's
no light, we're told here. It's very easy to hide, isn't
it? To, as it were, duck the issues.
and make excuses. We can make excuses to each other,
can't we? We can make excuses to ourselves.
We no doubt have made many excuses to ourselves. But one thing you
and I can't do, and that's make excuses to God. Because God knows what is right
and what is required of us. Therefore it's a very solemn
thought if we find ourselves walking contrary to God the word
tells us this If you walk contrary to me, I Will walk contrary to
you and that's an exceeding solemn statement, isn't it? We don't
want God do we to walk contrary to us we want to be found walking
with God and God walking with us and encouraging us and and
confirming His Word to us and speaking to us. If that's our
real desire, then surely we should be concerned to be found doing
that which is in accordance with God's Word. Now, God's Word is
clear, isn't it? And, in honesty, we're not allowed,
are we, truthfully, to make excuses. you know and I know, if in our
lives we've been doing those things which are not in accordance
with the Word of God. If they speak not according to
this Word. It's very clear, isn't it, and
very direct in how important it is that we understand the
truth of God's Word, Apostle John recorded those words
of the Lord Jesus when he spoke in the 5th of John and the 39th
verse. Search the Scriptures, for in
them you think you have eternal life. What do we conclude from
that? This is surely a word from God,
to search the Scriptures. If you and I not sure what to
do or what to say, then here is the answer, to be in accordance
with the Word of God, to search the Scriptures. For in them ye
think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify of
me. From Genesis to Revelation, they
testify of the Lord Jesus Christ. And if we desire to be found
spiritually alive and growing spiritually, it will only be
as we feed upon Christ, our blessed Saviour. And in so doing, it
will mean searching the Scriptures to find those places which testify
of the Saviour and to rejoice in our spirit when we find those
evidences clearly set forth regarding the Lord Jesus Christ. Search
the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and
they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me
that ye might have life.' Naturally there's a resistance, isn't there,
to come to the Lord Jesus Christ. And yet, if we are labouring,
heavy laden, the Lord tells us, Come unto me, all ye that labour
and are heavy laden, I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you
and learn of me. Wonderful words they are, aren't
they? No doubt perhaps we've been there, perhaps we are there.
Burdened, heavy laden. It's a gracious invitation. Come
unto me. all you, everyone who's in that
category. And also then to take my yoke
upon you and learn of me. Another gracious command of our
God, in love. You need to see how many there
are who walk contrary to that. And this is solemnly true of
them. If they speak not according to
this word, they are not a true follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. Is it true it is because there
is no light in them? Is it solemnly so because there's
no light in you? Or is it because you're not following
the gracious words and instruction set before us by the Saviour
in the Word of God? Well, we are to search the Scriptures. And if we're to search the Scriptures,
surely we are then to follow the Word of God. We're not to
search the Scriptures and then come to a Word which directs
us and speaks to us and we turn over the pages and forget about
it and ignore it and don't want to hear the Word of God. Well, what we are doing, we are
not walking accordance with the Word of God. Wonderful it would be if the
Lord gives us a willing spirit. A willing spirit. A spirit to
bow down and worship the Lord God. There's no better path,
there's no more comfortable path in walking in God's ways. Because
if you walk in God's ways, you know we'll have the answer of
a good conscience. Because we'll have the evidence
that we're doing those things which God calls us to do, the
things he calls us to walk in, to the law and to this testimony.
You know, in the law and the testimony, in the Word of God,
what do we observe in searching the Scriptures? We find all that
we need to find about the Lord Jesus Christ. Perhaps we've been struggling
and looking everywhere else, and we haven't been found looking
to the Saviour. Now we've been trying this avenue
and that avenue, but you see, perhaps the time comes when the
word speaks directly to our hearts, in very simple words, look unto
me and be saved. Look unto the Saviour. No, we
pray for that living faith to look to a crucified Saviour and
to read in the Word of God as we search the Scriptures that
this glorious man, he came to seek and to save that which is
lost. And as we read the Word of God,
we find, yes, he came to seek and to find me. I was lost. I was ruined. I was wandering
far from God. Lord came and he found me. He
found me where I was, weary and worn and sad. What a blessing
to have such a Saviour, to come and find us where we are. We
can read in the Blessed Pages of Scriptures so many encouraging
accounts of the Lord coming and blessing and directing may we
find, as we read the Word of God, trace out our little life's
experience, our little life's testimony, and we can lay our
experience alongside the experience of those who've gone before,
and those who were blessed, and those who were instructed, and
those who were drawn to the Saviour. and to then be drawn ourselves
in love to Him. Always a great blessing, you
know, to know the drawing power of God. And I believe it's this.
Very often, as you and I read the Word of God, yes, then it
is as though the Lord draws near and draws us to Himself, to the
law and to the testimony. If they speak not according to
this Word, if we don't follow the Word of God, then we won't
find any comfort. We won't find any blessing. We
won't understand what Isaiah said in a few chapters farther
on when he came and said, comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith
your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem,
the church of God, and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished,
that her iniquity is pardoned, for she hath received the Lord's
hand double for all her sins. What glorious words of comfort
are contained in the word of God. Well, as you and I read
the Word of God, to be blessed with such encouraging words like
this. And as we come down to the end
of this chapter, the 40th chapter in Isaiah, where again the Lord
speaks through the prophet, hast thou not known? He asked the
question. Hast thou not heard that the
everlasting God, the great God, the eternal God, the Lord, the
creator of the ends of the earth, nonetheless, fainteth not, neither
is weary. There is no searching of his
understanding. He giveth power to the faint and to them that
have no might. He increases strength. Even the
youth shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly
fall. But they that wait upon the Lord." Here's an encouraging
word, isn't it? If you are truly waiting upon
the Lord, what's the result? shall renew their strength. They
shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not
be weary, and they shall walk and not faint. Those words in
Song of Solomon are often so true. Draw me, we will run after
thee. Well as we're blessed with the
word of God and reading it, to read the great and glorious truths
it contains, and to be lifted up and directed to the Saviour
and all His finished work, to rejoice in it, and to come to
the understanding that, yes, we have heard His Word, we have
read His Word, and we do speak, and we do that which is in accordance
with the Word of God. What a blessing, my friends,
is ours. To the law and to the testimony,
says the Prophet. They speak not according to this
word. It is because there is no light
in them. It's a very solemn statement,
isn't it? But my friends, may we have the evidence in our lives
that we are not in darkness. Light is in our soul and we are
able and willing to do that which is in accordance with the blessed
word of God. Amen.