Seeking for the help of the Lord, I direct your prayer for attention to the book of Psalms. Psalm 119 and verse 130. Psalm 119 and verse 130. The entrance of thy words giveth light, and giveth understanding unto the simple. Psalm 119 verse 113. We read together the parable of the sower, and our Lord interpreted the seed as being the word of God.

And it was vital that that seed entered into the ground and brought forth fruit. In the first hearer, that word was snatched and taken straight out of their hearts. It had no opportunity to do any good whatsoever. amid two others, one in no deep depth of earth, it soon withered away, the other one was choked, but the one that brought forth fruit, that seed entered into ground that was a prepared ground, and it brought forth fruit. This, our text, speaks about the entrance of God's words And it speaks of the fruit, of the effect of the entrance, that it giveth light and it giveth understanding unto the simple. The parable illustrates the word of our text. When we hear the word, we are hearing the word as souls, as living people.

It has struck me when I load up our sermons here onto sermon audio. Sermon audio will automatically transcribe the sermon. And then I can press a button to generate a summary. And in 10 seconds, it will generate a four, five paragraph summary of my whole sermon. And often it is very exact. I look at it and I'm amazed at how that has captured the message exactly. And you can read those summaries on each of our sermons. They're on sermon audio on each sermon that's recorded.

But AI, artificial intelligence, that has got no soul. that that can just gather from the sermon, from all its information that it uses, but it's got no soul. You could ask AI to make a prayer for you, use it based on this or that minister, and it comes up with a prayer. Might be a very good prayer.

You look at it and you think how God-honoring, how good that is. but it's only machine. What are we different than a machine? It's not just what we receive, not just what we hear or able to retain and explain to someone else, but what actually has entered into our hearts and had a real effect. And when we pray, it's not just words, but it actually flows from the heart and we really feel what we're saying.

I felt it quite a challenge to to think of that. I know years ago when we had our little dog and we used to have a family worship and we'd say to him Jack reading and he'd jump up on the settee and he'd sit our bolt upright leaving all of his toys and he'd be as good as gold right through the reading Near the end of the prayer, he'd start whining, and I'd realise I was saying the same things towards the end of my prayer.

At the amen, he'd jump off the settee and jump onto his toys, and away he'd go. And you'd think, if that was a child, you'd think, what a gracious effect on that child, how good they were, how attentive they were. But he hadn't got a soul. There was no grace there. He was just doing it as we always did that. It was just habit.

And these things are challenging. How much do we have a real soul that is really hearing and feeling and acting because of what we feel, not just as a habit, as a door upon its hinges, or even just as a schoolboy learns their task and we're able to pass exams and say the right thing. It's vital. It actually... enters into our hearts and brings forth fruit, and there is in that a real token for us, a real evidence of being the Lord's people.

In the parable the Lord spoke, there was a difference. There were those that it was not given unto them, therefore they could not see, they had no light, they had no understanding. But he said to his disciples that you do see, you do understand, That was the mark of the difference between the Lord's people and those who were not. In another passage, the Lord referred in the same parable.

He asked them, do you not understand? They didn't understand any more than the others, but they asked for understanding. They realized there was a depth of teaching beyond just the earthly story. It was an earthly story with a spiritual meaning, and they wanted to know that. And may we be the same as well, want to know, that which I see not, teach thou me.

So there's a difference. And of course, we read the passage in Thessalonians, the first epistle of Thessalonians in chapter one, which again illustrates the, under the preaching of the word, the effect that it had in verse five, well we have in verse four, knowing brethren, beloved, your election of God. This is a way that the election of God is actually known, that we are elected for our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Ghost, And in much assurance, as you know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. And then the fruits of it, they became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction with joy of the Holy Ghost, and then became examples.

And so we need that word, not just in word only, but also in power to enter in. Now our text, it speaks of giving that understanding unto the simple. And of course the simple are those that feel their want of understanding, their want of light. They are made to be meek, they are humble because of their felt ignorance. But we may say here that it doesn't rely on prior knowledge and understanding.

When our Lord was on earth, The scribes and the Pharisees, they despised and ridiculed the common people because they assumed that they had knowledge, they had understanding, they were the religious men, but these poor simple people, well, they just followed the Lord Jesus. And yet it was those that were blessed. And our Lord thanked his father that he had hidden these things from the wise and prudent and has revealed them unto babes. And our text points to this same truth as well.

Give an understanding unto the simple. And that's an encouragement. When we come under the word, under the preaching of the word, and we don't feel to be great scholars in theology, we feel to be poor, we don't feel to have great understanding and ability in the things of God, and we come to it with a desire to be taught. It's a good place to be, coming under the word like that. I want to look then this morning, three points.

Firstly, God's words, the entrance of thy words, important for us to realize what those words are, what is meant by thy words. And then secondly, the needful entrance of the word into our hearts, the entrance of thy words, our need for the needful entrance of the word into our hearts. And then lastly, the effect of the entrance of God's words. There's two effects that are given in our text. First is that it giveth light, and the second is it giveth understanding. Those two effects. I want to look first then at God's words.

Paul writes to Timothy, in the second epistle to Timothy and he says about scripture not just some scripture but all scripture in 2 Timothy 3 and verses 15 and 16. We read that from a child that thou hast known the holy scriptures because this is the Old Testament Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 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 through thee furnished unto all, good works. Of course that all scripture now includes the New Testament as well. We're told in Proverbs chapter 30 and verse 5 every word of God is pure and it goes on to speak of the effect with light as well as we have here.

Peter when he is seeking to strengthen the people of God in his epistle, his second epistle. He, of course, had had wonderful revelations, same as Paul had had, even into the third heavens, or Peter had had, the Mount of Transfiguration. And he refers to that, he speaks of having that in the first chapter And he says in verse 18, this voice which came from heaven we heard when we were with him in the Holy Mount.

But like Paul, he doesn't point people to having visions like that. He says we have also a more sure word of prophecy. We're unto you do well that you take heed as unto a light that shineth in the dark place. until the day dawn and the day star rise in your hearts. Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. That means that God means what he's saying. We're not to put our own interpretation on him.

For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. The Word of God, the inspired Word of God. There's also the preached Word. Paul exhorted Timothy to preach the Word and to be instant in season and out of season, and to reprove and to rebuke with all authority. The preaching of the Word is the way that God causes that word to enter. We have in Psalm 68, the Lord gave the word, great was the company of them that published it.

And Paul, when he writes to the Romans, he dwells specifically on this when he desires his brethren, Israel, to be saved in Romans chapter 10. He saw them going after their own righteousness, not submitting themselves unto the righteousness of God. And then he speaks of what the righteousness of God says, and in verse eight. But what saith it?

The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart, which is the word of faith which we preach. So there we have the word, the word which is the word of God, and it's the word of faith, and it is a preached word. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. With the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Later on, for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. And he emphasizes the need of a preacher, a need of hearing that word. How shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach except they be sent?

As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things. It is vital that the word is preached, that the word is heard, and it is the Lord that directs that word to his honour and glory and to finding out his people.

All says to the Corinthians, it hath pleased God through the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. And there's two main messages that come through the word of God. There is the law and there is the gospel. There is a covenant of works and there is a covenant of grace. Those are the words really in summary that will be heard by the people of God.

Though we hear the law, the soul that sinneth it shall die, that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, that by works of our own righteousness no man living shall be justified, that the way of escape from the wrath to come is not through works that we have done. All are sinners. that the law is a schoolmaster unto Christ, and it paves the way for the gospel to be heard, the good news of salvation, not through what we have done, but what Christ has done in coming and taking flesh as our flesh, bone of our bone, made like unto the seed of Abraham, but sin accepted, and that in that body God who is a spirit, God who cannot suffer, cannot bleed, cannot die. But in the great mystery of godliness, God manifests in the flesh.

He did come, and he did work out a righteousness that he could impart to another, and that he would then pay the debt of his people, bear their sins and suffer upon Calvary's tree. And then he would rise again for their justification. God giving assurance that that debt had been put away, that their sins had been forgiven. And the Lord Jesus Christ then rising from the dead and appearing to his disciples, 40 days, and then ascending up into heaven. And there he is. making intercession for us. First intercession he made, I will pray the Father, he will give you another comforter which you abide with you forever. The gift of the Holy Spirit is what he said he would pray the Father and what was given.

And the power that fell at Pentecost and the fruitful effect in thousand, three thousand, being blessed under the preaching of the word. Need to remember that. It was under Peter preaching the word, that the word was so blessed then. And 10 years later, Peter again with Cornelius' household with the Gentiles. It was through the preaching of the word and the Holy Spirit applying and blessing that word.

So when we have in the words of our text that the entrance of thy words, we are to understand not just the thoughts of a preacher, not our own words, but as we preach the Word, the authority is in the Word of God, not in us. And when faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God, that is such a support for a poor soul, when they realise that this is God's Word, it enters into their hearts, Such assurance and comfort can never come from any of man's thoughts, man's words, man's interpretations, but it's based upon what the Lord himself has said. And so it is the entrance of God's word, the entrance of thy words. May we have a very high view of scripture, we are favoured, in English language, to have a faithful translation of the word of God.

And it's good for us to recognize this. Occasionally, I come across passages and I can compare sometimes with other versions. And some of the truths of God, precious, vital truths of God, are completely masked or taken away in some of the more modern versions. People will say, well, we found more manuscripts and these new ones are more up-to-date. Well, that means that the Church of God that was most blessed and favoured in the Reformation and afterwards didn't have the complete Word of God. They needed something better. But some of the omissions and changes undermine the very truths of God.

The way we value the word, we have a faithful translation of the Hebrew, Masoretic, and Greek received texts. And the translation is as close as possible as a proper, not a paraphrasing, but a proper word for word, as much as is possible translation of the word of God. The entrance of thy words.

And remember, the psalmist says, thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. That's not a word in Greek or Hebrew. It's not a word in another language. Of course, with the psalmist, it was Hebrew. But if we are to have it, it's to be in our own language. So I want to look in our second point as the entrance of the word into our hearts. In John chapter six, our Lord was teaching concerning the manna.

He'd worked a miracle the day before, feeding them loaves and fishes, something for their bodies. But he had a message for them when they followed over the sea. And he saw that they were seeking just something for their bodies. They'd overlooked that he'd made a miracle to give them this food. And that miracle testified that he was the Christ. And so he reproved them in verses 26, 27, John 6.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, you seek me not because you saw the miracles, But because ye did eat of the loaves and were filled, labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give unto you.

For him hath God the Father sealed. We would remember when our Lord was tempted in the desert after his baptising, and Satan said, If thou be the Son of God, then command these stones that they might be made bread. But our Lord said that man shall not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." And he's quoting there from Deuteronomy chapter 8 and verse 3.

And so here, when our Lord then opens up in John 6, the necessity of receiving that manna and receiving that word He says in verse 53, Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him. And he is insistent upon this eating, partaking. If we think of it in a natural way, if we saw a banquet, if we saw a meal and we'd see how wonderful it is, you could describe it all. But if you didn't eat it, if you didn't partake of that, it wouldn't do you any good whatsoever. And so with The doctrines, the word of God, just seeing it, the benefit is not there until it is received, until it enters into our hearts. And this is what the Lord was emphatic here, what many were offended.

The Lord was saying, accept ye do this. It is vital, it is the only way of salvation. And so he says in verse 63, It is the Spirit that quickeneth, or makes alive, the flesh profiteth nothing. The words that I speak unto you, they are Spirit and they are life. We have the Word of God that is given to us, but God then speaks that Word into our souls. He makes it life and power. He causes us to hear those words. That's why The Lord says in John 10, my sheep, they hear my voice. They follow me. I know them. They are my sheep because they hear. The Lord said to his disciples, blessed are your ears for they hear.

And this is the big difference, this word that we spoke of with the Thessalonians. The word was not in word only. but it was in demonstration of the spirit and with power. It touched their hearts, it entered into their hearts. Where the word of a king is, there is power.

And so it is a vital thing, the same as it is vital for us even naturally, to live off food, to have that enter, and be blessed, and to bring forth fruit, and to profit us. crumbs from the master's table, handfuls of purpose, gathered in the house of God, fed upon like the clean beasts that feed, and then they lie down, and then they chew the card, or like the Bereans who heard Paul preach once a week, but they searched the Scriptures daily, whether these things were so, and therefore many of them. Now, Lord, when he told the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, and if you remember that the rich man, as he opened his eyes in hell and he wanted the Lazarus to come and quench the thirst, his thirst, dip his hand in water and help him, And when that wasn't possible, he said, well, send him to my brethren.

And the Lord said, they are Moses and the prophets. Let them hear them. He said, no. But if one rose from the dead, then they would hear them. And our Lord said, if they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they believe or neither will they receive the word though one rose from the dead. And of course, later on, our Lord did rise from the dead. And there are many that did not believe.

It is the word of God that God uses to quicken souls and to bless his people and is a great dividing, separating thing. That's why we as a church seek to spread the word of God send it out into the community, cause that man hear the word of God. The word of God is powerful, and under the Lord's blessing, it brings forth fruit and blessing. So may our prayer be, Lord, make thy word to enter into my heart. And it be, we anticipate the services of the house of God the times that we gather together, times that we read the word of God and ask the Lord to cause that word to really enter in. It's God's work to make that happen, to send it happen, and to make it effectual.

And may we then acknowledge that, acknowledge the need of it entering, and acknowledge our need of these spirits to do it for us and to ask. Not long ago, didn't we? Asking, asking of the Lord for those things that he is able to do and willing to do. And this is one of those things.

On to look then thirdly at the effect of the entrance of God's Word. Our text says, the entrance of thy words giveth light It giveth understanding unto the simple. It may be we're uncertain whether the word has actually entered into our hearts. And so as a way of more clearly defining it, the scriptures here tell us there will be an effect. And here it gives these two effects. It giveth light. It giveth understanding unto the simple. So I want to think of these two things.

If we, in this chapel, if it was pitch dark, we would not be able to see the pews or one another. But if someone turned on a light, then we would see what already was there. But because of the darkness, we couldn't see it. So the light will make manifest what is there already. By nature, we are dead in sin. We are sinners. We are under condemnation of God. We're already under the sentence of death, but we do not know it. We do not realize it. We do not feel it at all. But when the Word of God comes and it gives light, then it shows what the reality is. Has the Lord done that for us?

And it has an effect deeper than just something we might just understand it is in writing. Because when this light shows what we really are, then as we go through life, we are mindful, we're conscious of it, conscious of our thoughts, our affections, our deeds, that in all these things we see sin, marked on them and stamped on them that beforehand we did not see that sin was in those actual actions and thoughts and words and ways. So it's not just something we hear and know in the chapel, but as we go about our daily work, as we're amongst our families, our loved ones, the actual reality and truth of what that light has shown constantly is being set before us. And not only that, but our past lives, that light will shine back. And we'll see things that we thought we'd forgotten from 20, 30, 40 years ago, things that we'd done, things that we've said, things that we've seen, things that we've walked in. And we realize that we have been sinning and walking in a way offensive to God and never seen it before.

Every child of God by nature is dead and in darkness and everyone will at some time have light given to see their state, their condition, to need salvation, to need something that before they did not know and feel their need of at all. We spoke before of the word being divided between law and gospel. The law condemns. The Apostle Paul says, before the law came, before the commandment came, I was alive without the law. But when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. and that which was ordained unto life, I found to be unto death."

God showed him his sin, convinced him of his sin, not to condemn him, not to send him to hell, not because he was not one of the Lord's people, but because he was. And he wasn't going to be staying as a religious man, a Pharisee, and yet far off from God. We said about the simple that he was the Lord's miracle with the Pharisee, one that thought he knew everything, didn't have a need of anything, and yet the Lord saved him. No case is too hard for the Lord.

So it brings us to see our danger, see that we're under condemnation and under the law. Whatsoever things the law saith, it saith to them that are under the law. It is that all the world might become guilty before God. Another thing that that light will have the effect is, as Solomon puts, vanity of vanity saith the preacher, all is vanity. Often these two things go together. It was in my case, I didn't understand it at first, And the Lord first awakened me to a need as a sinner, and then made me want to read the word of God, hear the word of God, preach, look for the way of salvation.

But I couldn't understand how all the things I loved in the world, the choir I was in, the orchestras I was with, the going to concerts, it lost all of its attractiveness. I couldn't work out why. I didn't enjoy it anymore. I didn't find it nice at all. It was just an emptiness, a vanity that was upon it. I didn't realize it was the same work of God that was putting that stamp upon the world as being empty and vain and the Lord not there.

And it was only later on I could see that this was God's work working in two ways in my life. It's a sad thing. when you have those that will make a profession in the Church of God. And yet, in their lives, they just go on as worldly and just as if there's been no change.

I think it was Paul Washer that said, by all the accounts of the amount of Christians in America, he said there must be tremendous godliness in the land. But he said there's not. So he said, what's happening? Why are the churches filled? Why are there so many making profession? But there's not godliness in the land. There's not that reflected in their lives.

And it's vital that there be that fruit, that light that is shown. In this psalm as well, if we were to go back to verse 105, We have the psalmist saying there, thy word is a lamp, again a light, a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. The Lord will guide his people. When that word enters as a light, it will be a guide, what they should do, what they shouldn't do, how they should walk. It is vital that the Lord arise as a light upon his people. The apostles had to go first to the Jews, and then after that, they had to then go to the Gentiles when the Jews did not receive the word. The apostle in Acts 26, after he'd given his testimony to King Agrippa, He says in verse 23, that Christ should suffer, this is his preaching, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead and should show light unto the people and to the Gentiles. That was the gospel, to bring the gospel light unto the people, the light of the gospel that is seen.

And we think of those that did see it, and especially where there was then the understanding open, staying in acts. We have the case of the eunuch and how that he had been up to worship and was returning reading his word. He obviously had not been blessed, had not what he wanted when he'd been up to worship, but he was still in the word of God. a blessed thing. And yet the place that he was reading, which in our Bibles is Isaiah 53, he didn't understand it. I always think it's a real encouragement to read portions of the scripture you don't understand. This word, give it light unto the simple.

The Lord sent Philip, and he sent him to him. The Spirit said, go there. And he finds him. Reading Isaiah, he says in verse 30 of Acts 8, understandest thou what thou readest? And he has to confess, how can I except some man guide me? God uses means, dear friends. Don't think that it must be, as it were, a revelation from heaven without means. The Lord used Philip as a minister to open up the scriptures and What an effect it was.

As he began at the same scripture and preached unto him Jesus, the eunuch began thinking, is the prophet speaking of himself or some other man? He could not see Christ in that portion. And so the place of the scripture which he read was this. He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, like a lamb done before his shearers, so opened he not his mouth. In his humiliation, his judgment was taken away. And who shall declare his generation, for his life is taken from the earth?

And as Philip then preached, in that sermon, he was brought not only to see the Lord, but to desire to be baptized. And they came to water. What doth hinder me to be baptised? Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. That was his testimony. Philip knew that Eunuch had been given light through his sermon.

He'd known the difference between before and after. We might discern the difference somewhat differently when we've been brought up under the sound of the truth. But God will always make a difference. He always makes there to be an effect of his word. He mentioned of the Apostle Paul. What difference could the Lord make with one that was a Pharisee of the Pharisees? But he did make a difference. He knows how to make a difference that is known and felt with us as well. The Apostle Paul in Acts 28, he speaks from Rome, when he'd been brought to Rome and he then spoke to the Jews at that time. And we see a difference, a difference in the effect.

And he'd been directed there in verse 23, some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not. You read in another place of a similar fact, and they which were ordained unto life, eternal life, believed. But the apostle then says this, when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, After that Paul had spoken one word, well spake the Holy Ghost by Isaiah the prophet unto our fathers, saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand, and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive. For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing. And their eyes have they closed, lest they should see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. And notice there we have the light, we have the understanding, we have the joining of conversion and healing, and it's all in the context of hearing the word, and the light given, and understanding given, And so he says to the Jews, be it known therefore unto you that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles and that they will hear it. They will hear it. And the effect is the hearing. And it is sovereign. In the day of Pentecost, those that believed it was sovereign, hear it was sovereign.

Never pass over that great blessing. of, if the Lord gives us light upon the word, shines in our heart to give the light to the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, never overlook where the Lord has given us an understanding.

Those two on the way to Emmaus, they couldn't understand what had happened. They'd seen Christ crucified. This was the third day. The Lord drew near. And he opened up in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. They didn't yet know who it was. But he was going through the Word of God, the Old Testament, picking out everything like the eunuch had picked out to him concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. And that affected their hearts. Their heart burned within them.

That's a lovely thing to sit under the Word. And you drink in the Word. You hadn't seen that before, you hadn't considered that before, and you see a light, a beauty, an attractiveness in it, and you're drawn to that. Don't overlook the blessing of that.

Those of us who know of those times that we've sat under the Word and still do, and yet feel so hard and so unmoved. And other times we count it such a privilege when we do hear, and we do feel it, and God makes that difference. Just because even we are saved or converted doesn't mean to say every time we hear the word that it really enters. But we know when the spirit is with us and when the Lord blesses that word, that is the effect of it. And we know then it comes not from ourselves, not from our own wisdom or understanding, but comes from God. And God will own it because he knows the words that he's given. knows what is sent.

So may we be encouraged by this word. May we also be warned if we have only just heard it outwardly and it has never entered, it has never given light, it has never given understanding. But if it has, may we really see the token for good and may we be watching for it as well, expecting that the Lord will Work in this way, and don't let those things go. The word says, despise not the day of small things, or cast not away your confidence, which hath great recompense and reward. It is in these things, hearing and light and understanding, that we may have confidence, scriptural confidence and comfort, that the Lord has given us his word in a way that countless millions have not had it. and might have the outward word that's never really entered and touched their hearts, and is that which gives God the honor and the glory.

For out of the abundance of the heart man speaketh, and God's people, where he touches the heart, they will speak, and they will testify of what the Lord has done and what he has shown them. and what they've seen in the Word of God. And it will give that expectation as well.

Whenever we read it, if we have seen this in one passage, may we see it in another and another. Some of us, we have specific verses throughout the Word of God where the Lord did show us. Sometimes we can remember where we were, what we were doing, when the light shone upon a specific verse and we saw the Lord there. Other times we cannot tell the time or place, but every time that verse is actually read, then our heart goes out to it, remember what it means to us and how precious that is to us. Well, may the Lord grant us to know this, know this verse. The entrance of thy words giveth light, that giveth understanding unto the simple. Amen.