Welcome to the In Touch podcast with Charles Stanley for Tuesday, July 15th. When young children wander away from their parents, they can quickly find themselves in danger. Christians are no different. When we drift from God's word, we are vulnerable too. This is a timely warning against wandering from the word.
We have an instruction book on how to live. And when we just sort of give it a glance here and there once in a while, Try to put our life together, try to make things work exactly right. and ignore the book, we have the same frustration, only with far more devastating results. This is God's instruction book. This is the infallible.
Inerrant, word of the living God. This is his message to mankind. This is his message to tell us How to live. to tell us about himself. how to relate to each other.
and all the things in life that you and I need. And my friend, if you're not familiar with that book, It's like buying a very complicated piece of equipment. and ignoring the instruction book. It won't work. Nobody is smart enough to live in this life and ignore the instruction book for life, which is the Word of God.
And then some of us who know it. and know it well, make this awful mistake of wandering from it. We stray from it. And we think that somehow we have enough experience in life and enough knowledge that somehow we'll make it work even without this book. It just doesn't work.
And the title of this message is Wandering from the Word. And I want you to turn, if you will, to Psalm 119. And I want us to begin with verse 9 of the longest chapter in the whole Bible. How can a young man keep his way pure? by keeping it according to thy word.
With all my heart I have sought thee. Look at this next phrase.
Next prayer. Do not let me wander from thy commandments. Thy word I have treasured in my heart. that I might not sin against thee. Blessed art thou, O Lord.
Teach me thy statutes. With my lips I have told of all the ordinances of thy mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate on thy precepts and regard thy ways. I shall delight in thy statutes.
I shall not forget thy word. He says, how can a young man keep his way pure? And then he answers that by saying, by keeping it according to thy word. That is, how does anyone live a godly life? How does anyone live a righteous life?
How does anyone live according to the will of God? How does anyone live according to the principles of Scripture? How does anyone live the life that God has ordained that we live? And if you'll notice, He doesn't give us a long list of answers. He says there's just one way.
And he simply says, By keeping our life according to thy word, or by so guiding our life and so governing and controlling and disciplining ourselves that our life. Complies with and is in accordance to and is lived by the principles of the Word of God. He says, if you want to know how to live a godly life, then what you do is you keep your life In compliance with the principles of Scripture. How am I going to know what they are? The only way I'm going to know what they are is by getting in the Word and finding out what does God say.
about living a disciplined life? What does God say about living a righteous life? What does He say about walking in His Spirit? What does He say about building a relationship with Him? And so the question is very simple and the answer is very simple.
How do you live a godly life? by living a life according to the Word of God. That's why, to lay this book aside, to make it sort of as one of many books in your life, and it's not the priority book in your life, what's going to happen is we are not going to get our life in keeping with the principles and the teachings of the Word of God. And so as we think about His purpose in our life, let me ask you a simple question. What part does the Word of God play in your daily life?
Now, if you're a Sunday school teacher, if you're not careful, you will study the Word of God and read it only for teaching someone else. That is every pastor's temptation. to study the Word of God simply to get a sermon. And if you do, and if that is the only reason you study it, you're going to come up barren. Because God wants His word first of all applied to our hearts.
So when we are reading the scriptures and memorizing the word, feasting upon it, meditating upon it, it should not be first of all for anybody else but for us. What are we doing? Seeing where our life does not comply? Learning who God is, checking out sin in our life, and learning how the Word of God will enable us to deal with those circumstances and situations in life.
So first of all, to wander from the Word, lay it aside, pay little attention to it. It doesn't have priority amidst all the other books and magazines and TV programs that people watch. If that happens, it obstructs God's very vital purpose for giving us this book. And God gave us this book as an instruction book. He gave us this book to guide us and to lead us.
And so as I think about it, it is like a compass pointing as the way to God. It is like a map guiding us step by step. And it is a word of instruction. in daily living. If I'm wise enough to stay in it, I'm going to know how to respond.
If I'm not wise enough to restay in it, I'm going to come to situations and circumstances I won't know what to do and will act. in a way that is not keeping with God, or that may say, yes, I believe Him, but I don't have the faith to stand in the times of storm. That's why this isn't just a book. It is God's book. It is the instruction book.
I can't think of a single reason why. And I say this again, I can't think of a single reason why this book shouldn't be a part of my daily diet. I can't think of a single reason. Not a one. Say, well, too busy, so forth.
No, that's not a reason. And so when he says here, Thy word have I hid in my heart that I may not sin against God. Thy word is a light into my path. A lamp into my path and a light into my way. How does this happen?
That is How is it that you and I Can be in the Word of God and believe the book. And somehow drift away from it. That you say, how can we do that?
Well, I think there are two primary ways. Number one, Out of ignorance.
Now think about something for a moment. Suppose this morning You were saved. Let's say you were saved in some church this morning and Usually, what happens, they will either take you back to some room or sit you in a front row and you fill out a card and give your name and address and why you came to join the church and to be saved and so forth. And then they baptize you and usually invite you to go to Sunday school and so forth, and that's it. And so somebody says, well, now that you're a Christian, you ought to have a Bible.
So you go into the best bookstore in town. And you walk in and you say, To the bookstore manager. Sir, I've just received Jesus Christ as my Savior. Where are your Bibles?
So he brings you over to this long wreck. And I mean, you look at this and it says, and you don't have an idea what it means, King James Version. This one says New King James Version. This one says, N I thee. This one says N-A-S-B.
This one says living Bible paraphrase. This one says NEB, New English Bible. This one says, and on and on and on we go.
So here you are, brand new Christian, you say.
Well, are all of these the Bible? Yes, all of them the Bible.
Well, which one do I buy? Which one do you want? You know, I don't know.
So you say, well, let me just look through them a little bit embarrassed.
So you go and you pick up one. And you thumb through it over here toward the front.
Well, you have heard of Genesis 1.1. You flip all of him, you hit Leviticus and you think. Goodness gracious, what does that mean? And uh And then you go back to the end and you talk and look over in the book of Revelation about this holy heavenly city coming down thing. What does that mean?
And you remember hearing the preacher say, This is God's instruction book for you. And so you pick up one of these NASBs like I have, and you look back and you think. Wait, wait, wait, hold it, hold it, hold it. Two. Thousand and ninety-four pages of instructions?
No way. God, no way. If this is my instruction book for living, are you telling me That I've got to understand 2,000 pages of instructions to live the Christian life. Put that back on the shelf.
Now that may be an exaggeration, but in reality it's not. I mean a person who's just been saved, what do they know about it? Or they know about a different translation. What do they know about? NIV, NASB.
New King James, Old King James, who in the world was King James? I mean, a person. A person who has has just been saved, doesn't know anything about that. And so we expect them, just pick up the Bible and start reading.
Now, if I were in that position, I'd probably say, well, I'm going to get me a copy and carry it to church because I ought to be carrying a Bible with me. But I just What am I saying? I'm saying that one of the reasons people wander from the word is out of ignorance. Nobody gives them any instruction. Nobody tells them what to do.
Nobody tells them where to start reading. Nobody gives them instruction what it means. And so what do they do? They just start out with confusion. They say, well, you know, I don't understand it.
So, man, until somebody explains this thing to me, I just don't think I'm going to be able to handle it much. And once in a while, they'll pick it up and they'll read in Genesis.
Well, they understand that.
Somebody said something about starting in the Gospel of John.
Well, they tried that and got over that new birth business. They know what that meant. And then they got over in Romans. Oh, my goodness, that must be over my head. And then they get up in Corinthians and all these things you're supposed to do and not supposed to do.
And then they finally get over the Revelation. They think, you know, I don't understand anything about these beasts, these headed beasts coming out of this place and all these things and raining down fire and brimstone and talking about hell. And what in the world does all this mean?
So you know what they do? They close it up. You can't judge them. And that's why every single person who walks a church aisle or however you join the church, and I say to this: if you're a Sunday school teacher, if you're a church leader, a pastor, whoever it may be, you need to give people instruction.
Now if you have a favorite translation you want to use, that's up to you. But don't just let somebody get saved and say, best of luck. Best of luck. Because, friend, it is total confusion today to walk into a bookstore and be absolutely a brand new Christian and know what to do.
So one of the reasons that people just don't get into it is they never get an instruction.
Now That's one reason, but that's not the primary thing that I want to talk about. The primary reason is we willfully lay it aside. Let me ask you a question. Would you compare how much time you spend in the Word of the living God, God's personal letter to us of instruction, compared to how many hours you watch television? You say, now, wait a minute.
Don't be unrealistic. I mean, don't tell me that you expect me to be in the Bible as long as I watch television. I don't expect anything. I'm just asking you, what do you think God expects? How much time do you spend reading the newspaper every day?
How much time do you spend reading your favorite magazine every day or every month?
Now, if I want to know how to respond to what's going on, I have to read the newspaper one time, I get in the book and find out, God, what do you say about these things? What you said years ago was true. What you're saying now is true, what you're going to say is true. It's all in the book in the present tense. You and I will know how to interpret life if we get in the book and get our life in tune with the Word of God and live by it.
Doesn't mean you won't make mistakes. But you see, God has given us His Word to instruct us and to guide us. And if I allow, you see, here's what causes us to wander from the Word. First of all, we get real real busy. And the more busier we get, The less we give to God's word.
For example, students, many of you are students, and you come to school, I come to some university here, and This book that you grew up with, your parents taught you to read this. They read it at the table in the morning for breakfast, or maybe at dinner at night. Or they encouraged you before you went to bed at night to read the Word of God and to follow its principles. And so you come to school, and what do they do? They shove a geometry book in your lap, and then you've got a history book and literature book and economics and all of these things.
And what happens? All this big stack of books over here that's going to help you get educated, supposedly, and get you a degree at an enormous price, what happens is, This book right here gets pushed aside. All these books take the priority and we begin to think, what? I don't have time for this because look at all this. Friend, what did you have first?
Secondly, let me ask you this. How many trig books How many literature books, how many history books, how many science books ever taught you how to live? Not a one of 'em. These other books are important, but they're not the most important one. And so some people lay it aside because out of just ignorance and confusion.
But most people lay it aside willfully. They choose to invest their time and their energy and their efforts and their minds in those things that do not build them up, that do not edify them, that do not make them holy, but things that entertain them for a season of time.
Well, you say, well, it's a lot more easier to read a magazine than it is the Bible. It probably is. But let me ask you what you're discovering. Are you discovering what the president did? You want to discover what the president did or what God's been doing for all eternity?
Which one's more important? And my friend, this is far more important. than what the world's got going on.
So I simply want to ask you. What has the priority? Is it the Word of God?
some of the book.
Now, let me just mention here the consequences. And I want you to jot these down, if you will. When we wander from the word, here's what you can expect. When we wander from the word, here's what you can expect here. Remember what he said?
Do not let me wander from thy commandments. Here's what you can expect. Number one, Sin begins to develop and strongholds begin to take root in our life.
So first of all, sin is going to come in when the Word of God is neglected. It doesn't make any difference what else you read. You cannot wander and stray from the Word of God. Sin's going to come in, number one. Number two, Natural.
We begin to rationalize sin. If we don't get back in the Word and get our heart cleaned up, we rationalize the sin. Following rationalization, We began to defend it. If you don't deal with it, You rationalize it. Then you defend it.
And then what happens? After a season of time of rationalizing and defending sin, Hardenness of the heart develops. Friend, I give you a warning. Hardenness of the heart begins to develop when you stray from the Word of God. Sin develops.
You rationalize it. You defend it, and the hardness of heart begins to develop. What do I mean by hardness of heart? Watch this. I simply mean this: as sin comes into our life, And we begin to rationalize and defend, what happens is this, layer after layer after layer after layer after layer after layer after layer of disobedience and transgressions and violations.
are laid and laid and laid and laid until our outer shale becomes so thick We're not hearing the Word of God, we're not listening to the Word of God, there's no penetration of God's power. What happens? That hardness of heart comes, and what's the next step? It is a very logical step. You begin.
you begin to listen and to follow ungodly and unwise counsel. Why? Because you've strayed away from the Word of God, God's divine wise counsel. If my heart has become hardened, And if I've turned away from the word, And if I am not listening to his word, That hardness is going to develop and the end result, the consequence is going to be, I begin to listen to unwise and ungodly counsel. Listen, the next step is listening to unwise and ungodly counsel is going to naturally lead me to make unwise ungodly.
and ungodly decisions. Ungalled decisions follow unwise counsel. Which follows hardness, which follows defense and rationalization in sin. Ungodly counsel, unwise decision, and the last step is Unwanted consequences.
Now you say, what are they? Let me just wrap them all up in one word because there could be many, many consequences in every single aspect of life, whether it's finances, whether it's home, whether it's nation, church, you name it. Here's what happens. When sin is not dealt with, It's rationalized. and offended.
And then the hardness comes. Unwise counsel. Unwise decisions. unwanted consequences. You can wrap it all up in one word.
L-O-S-S Loss. A loss of peace, A loss of joy, a loss of contentment, loss of relationships, loss of finances, loss of vocation. You could think of a thousand losses, but ultimately the end result is the word loss. And so when he says, Thy word have I hid in my heart that I may not sin against God, he says, How do we keep our way clean and pure? Keeping it according to the Word of God.
And he says all through these passages, over and over and over again, all through this whole 176 verses, they're all about his word, establishing our footsteps in his word. He says, His word is a lamp to my feet and a light into my path, a hiding place for us.
So I simply want to ask you this. What place does God's Word have? in your daily life. To wander from it? is to lose, to stick with it.
is to win. Father, we love you and praise you for this wonderful, wonderful book. That is not just the book. but your instruction book on living. I pray for those who have theirs in a dusty place.
that they would find it this very moment. Dust it off, open it, and began to read it. Even as they began to read, in these verses in Psalm 119. I pray, Father, for those who feel so inadequate and so incapable of understanding it. If you would just give them the wisdom to know that the Holy Spirit is their teacher who came into their life the moment they were saved to give instruction, that He will give them instruction.
that they need to be in a fellowship, in a church somewhere, under the teaching of the Word of God, of someone who believes this book from cover to cover, who believes that Jesus Christ is the central focus of life. and Father to begin to read and search and seek for themselves. I pray, Father, for someone who is unsaved that they may realize whether they believe this book or not is not even the issue. The issue is there is a God, there will be a judgment. And without salvation through faith in Jesus Christ is so clearly given in this book, There will be no eternal life.
I pray for all of those who are struggling in life and going through difficulty and hardship to understand. This book is filled with examples, filled with principles, filled with comfort, filled with admonitions, filled with encouragement to those who are suffering and who are hurting. And Father, I thank you and praise you. This book is adequate. That it is without error.
That it is reliable. and that you are faithful to abide. and you are faithful to keep every single promise in it. And for that we love you and praise you and rest in the security that the instruction book we have for living is adequate for every moment of life. and at death and for all eternity in Jesus' name.
Amen. Thank you for listening to part two of Wandering from the Word. For more inspirational messages like this one, visit our online 24-7 station. And if you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or InTouch Ministries, stop by in touch.org. This podcast is a presentation of In Touch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.
