Longing for the Word of God

Sermon Title: Longing for the Word of God Date: January 19, 2026 Speaker: Jonathan Page If you've also turned to Deuteronomy chapter 8, I want to say thank you again for having me and to be with you all. I don't take it lightly; it's a sacrifice I make to be here, but I'm certainly thankful that God allows us this privilege and opportunity. Deuteronomy 8 – Remembering God's Provision and Testing In Deuteronomy chapter 8, I want to begin reading there, verse number 1. “Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers. And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 8:1-3) I believe that God is making a spiritual reality in Deuteronomy chapter 8. He looks at Israel as they're sojourning through the wilderness and how God had given them charge and command to do spiritual things. But after becoming these spiritual people and doing spiritual things, he licenses this lesson to the natural blessings and provisions that he gives them. You know, there was no Wal-Mart in the wilderness. There's no Walgreens or Rite Aid there. God would feed them from manna from heaven. But God is teaching them not just to depend on the natural, the physical, but also to depend on the spiritual. Notice how he does that there in verse number 3. He fed you with manna, which your fathers did not know, but noticed that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. So there are two things that we need for man's sustenance. We need natural food and we need spiritual food. The Role of Preaching as Spiritual Food I believe that the spiritual food that we need given by God is presented to us from preaching. And so this afternoon I want to talk a little bit about this idea of just dying and longing for the Word of God. I love preaching because in preaching we explain to mankind or proclaim to man the will of God, that he could be saved. In this natural life we're all going to die. But inside of us we have a spirit, a soul, that's going to live on eternally. And so since we have a spirit, a soul, that's going to live on eternally, we need to live by bread and by the Word of God. Why We Should Long for the Word of God – Three Reasons from 1 Peter So let's consider a few rules. First Peter chapter 1. Peter is writing to a group of Christians who are suffering persecution. He calls them the pilgrims of the dispersion in Pontus, Cappadocia, Bithynia, Galatia, and Asia. And he writes to them of their hope that they have in Jesus Christ. But he begins to reveal to us the Word of God. There at verse number 10. “Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.” (1 Peter 1:10-11) In the preaching of Jesus Christ we have this idea of grace that is to come. The Word of God reveals through preaching God's grace through the man Christ Jesus. But not only does it reveal God's grace to the people from the man Christ Jesus. It also according to verse 11 searches out the manner of time that the Spirit of Christ would testify beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that is to follow. For us to get God's grace there must be suffering from the man Christ Jesus. And so the gospel reveals that to us. There in verse number 11 he says and the glories that would follow. Jesus died. He was buried. He resurrected again on the third day according to the scriptures. And now he sits at the right hand of the throne of God on high with majesty. And so why should we long for the Word of God? I believe there are three reasons given in first Peter chapter 1 and in first Peter chapter 2 that helps us see why we ought to long for the Word of God. 1. The Word of God Purifies the Soul of the Obedient Let's go down to chapter 1 beginning at verse number 22. “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because ‘All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, But the word of the Lord endures forever.’ Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.” (1 Peter 1:22-25) The reason we long and desire for the Word of God: Because God's Word purifies the souls of those who obey. If you're outside of obedience your soul has not been purified. Notice how the Word of God does this. In John chapter 17. This is the prayer of the Lord Jesus before he goes to the cross. Jesus said, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” (John 17:17) Notice this word sanctified in the text of scripture means to make clean or holy and to set apart. For those who are disobedient to the Word of God, they're neither clean or holy and they're neither set apart. But the Word of God sets us apart and making us clean and making us holy. You may remember the beautiful image the Apostle Paul used in Ephesians chapter 5. He looks at the church as the bride of Christ. And how that the husband Christ sanctifies her the church by the washing of the water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. (Ephesians 5:25-27) See the acid test if we're really God's people is that we have purified our hearts through the sanctification of the Word of God. We don't just take the Word of God for granted but rather we take it as our rule book and our guide. I want to show you something in the text of scripture. Let's go to Colossians chapter 3 verses 12 and 13. “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.” (Colossians 3:12-13) He looks at the heart that's been sanctified by the Word of God, the truth, and then he turns it back in sincere love for the brethren. If my heart has really been sanctified by the way of truth, that means I love my brethren just like I love the Lord. If I love my brethren, I'm going to forgive them of their trespasses because I definitely want them to forgive me of my trespasses. 2. The Word of God Lives and Abides Forever Let's go back to 1 Peter chapter 1 in our text, verse 23 and verse 24. “having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because ‘All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, But the word of the Lord endures forever.’” (1 Peter 1:23-25) Why should we long for the Word of God? Because the Word of God endures forever. You know, they have a chart and the chart tells you of the Amazon or New York Times 100 bestsellers of every year, right? They tell you which books made it to that 100th spot. You know, in 20 years, some of those books that made it to the 100th spot may not be there. Maybe no one would ever read those books again, but there is a book that people have been reading for centuries, dare I say millennia, the Word of God that lives and abides forever. Notice what Peter does. He first makes the natural point, in verse number 24, that all flesh is grass, and the glory of man as the flower of the grass. Well, what happens to man? He's cut down. He's withered away. But unlike man, there's something that's enduring, and that's the Word of God. The Word of God endures through everything. But notice how he begins in verse 23, having been born again. Let's go to John chapter 3. Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus in John chapter 3, and as he's speaking to Nicodemus, he wants to give some clarity to what he's saying. Jesus says, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3) Now, Nicodemus isn't a dummy. Remember, he's a Pharisee. He's the ruler of the Jews. Nicodemus realizes the impossibility of what Jesus is saying, and so he has to clarify that for Nicodemus. Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” (John 3:4) But Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:5-8) So notice what Jesus is considering. Jesus isn't saying that man can go back into his mother's womb or that a man can be born again when he's old, but rather a man needs to have what? A spiritual birth, where the spirit man becomes alive through the word of God. Why should we long for the word of God? Because it lives and abides forever, despite the fact that man is going to die. 3. The Word of God Produces Spiritual Growth and Transformation But then let's go to 1 Peter chapter 2. “Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” (1 Peter 2:1-3) We long for the word of God because it purifies the soul of those who are obedient. We long for the word of God because it lives and abides forever. And we long for the word of God because there is a spiritual transaction that must take place. He looks at the natural man that's like the flower and that's like the grass, that's going to wither away. And because the word of God has been planted in us, verse 1, he says, lay aside all malice. He deals with the heart. What's in your heart, you have to get rid of it... Jesus says you lay that aside. Then he talks about deceit, being deceptive, not being truthful, being a hypocrite... You're envious... And then those people that are evil speaking. What the Word of God does is it has power to transform us. Remember Romans chapter 12, verses 1 and 2, the idea of being renewed in our minds. The Word of God has power to renew us. But we long for the Word of God as, verse 2, a newborn babe... Babies desire the pure milk. I believe in the context of scripture here that this longing for the Word of God is for two parties. It's for those who are mature and those who are spiritually immature as well... And so they often desire that pure milk of the Word. If they've indeed tasted that the Lord is good. We long for the Word because this is proof that the Word of God is the best way there is to live. The only way there is to live. Conclusion – A Call to Long for God's Word And so I just want to recite those three points if you allow me. The Word of God purifies the soul of the obedient. The Word of God lives and abides forever. The Word of God takes a spiritual transaction. We lay aside malice, deceit, hypocrisy, and envy and desire the pure milk of the Word of God. As we're going into this new year, I would pray that we would be a people that would study the Word of God, apply it to our lives, and teach it to other people. Thank God it's not time to be slack. It's time to get in a hurry. The world we live in is void of God. And we need to be the light and salt that God has called for us to be. I pray that our desire will be for the Word of God. To format words of Christ in red when pasted into Google Docs: Select any direct quotes from Jesus (italicized above), highlight them, go to Format > Text > Color > and choose red (#FF0000). List of All Scriptures Used in the Lesson Deuteronomy 8:1-3 NKJV: “Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers. And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.” LSV: “All the command which I am commanding you today you observe to do, so that you live, and have multiplied, and gone in, and possessed the land which YHWH has sworn to your fathers; and you have remembered all the way which your God YHWH has caused you to go these forty years in the wilderness, in order to humble you to try you, to know that which [is] in your heart, whether you keep His commands or not. And He humbles you, and causes you to hunger, and causes you to eat the manna (which you have not known, even your fathers have not known), in order to cause you to know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything proceeding [from] the mouth of YHWH.” 1 Peter 1:10-11 NKJV: “Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.” LSV: “concerning which salvation the prophets sought out and searched out, who prophesied concerning the grace toward you, searching in regard to what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ was manifesting in them, testifying beforehand of the sufferings of Christ and the glory after these.” 1 Peter 1:22-25 NKJV: “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because ‘All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, But the word of the Lord endures forever.’ Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.” LSV: “having purified your souls in the obedience of the truth through the Spirit to the unfeigned brotherly love, love one another earnestly out of a pure heart, being begotten again, not out of corruptible seed, but incorruptible, through the living word of God, abiding—to the age; because all flesh [is] as grass, and all glory of man as flower of grass; the grass withered, and the flower fell away, but the saying of the LORD remains—to the age; and this is the saying that was proclaimed good news to you.” John 17:17 NKJV: Jesus said, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” LSV: Jesus said, “Sanctify them in Your truth; Your word is truth.” Ephesians 5:25-27 NKJV: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.” LSV: “the husbands: love your own wives, even as also the Christ loved the Assembly, and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify [it], having cleansed [it] with the bathing of the water in the saying, that He might present it to Himself the glorious Assembly, not having spot or wrinkle, or any of such things, but that it may be holy and unblemished.” Colossians 3:12-13 NKJV: “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.” LSV: “Put on, therefore, as the choice ones of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering, bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone may have a complaint against anyone, according as Christ also forgave you—so also you.” John 3:3-8 NKJV: Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” … Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” LSV: Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone may not be born from above, he is not able to see the Kingdom of God.” … Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone may not be born out of water and the Spirit, he is not able to enter into the Kingdom of God; that which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not wonder that I said to you, It is necessary for you to be born from above; the wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its voice, but you have not known from where it comes, and to where it goes; so is everyone having been born of the Spirit.” 1 Peter 2:1-3 NKJV: “Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” LSV: “Having put aside, therefore, all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envyings, and all evil speakings, as new-born babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that in it you may grow, if indeed you have tasted that the LORD [is] gracious.” Scriptures for Additional Study Psalm 119:97-100 NKJV: “Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; For they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, Because I keep Your precepts.” LSV: “How have I loved Your law! All the day it [is] my meditation. You have made me wiser than my enemies by Your commands, For it [is] for all time with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, For Your testimonies [are] my meditation. I understand more than the aged, For I have kept Your precepts.” Psalm 119:105 NKJV: “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.” LSV: “Your word [is] a lamp to my foot, And a light to my path.” Hebrews 4:12 NKJV: “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” LSV: “for the word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing as far as the dividing asunder both of soul and spirit, of joints also and marrow, and a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Jeremiah 15:16 NKJV: “Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.” LSV: “Your words have been found, and I eat them, And Your word is to me for the joy and for the rejoicing of my heart, For Your Name has been called on me, O YHWH, God of Hosts.” Job 23:12 NKJV: “I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth More than my necessary food.” LSV: “I have not strayed from the command of His lips, I have treasured the sayings of His mouth more than my portion of food.” Hebrews 5:12-14 NKJV: “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” LSV: “for even owing to be teachers, because of the time, again you have need that one teach you what [are] the elements of the beginning of the oracles of God, and you have become having need of milk, and not of strong food, for everyone who is partaking of milk [is] inexperienced in the word of righteousness—for he is an infant; but strong food is of perfect ones, who because of the use have the senses exercised, to discern both the good and the evil.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NKJV: “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 complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” LSV: “every Writing is God-breathed, and profitable for teaching, for conviction, for setting aright, for instruction that [is] in righteousness, that the man of God may be fitted—complete toward every good work.” Joshua 1:8 NKJV: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” LSV: “the scroll of this law does not depart out of your mouth, and you have meditated in it by day and by night, so that you observe to do according to all that which is written in it; for then you cause your way to prosper, and then you act wisely.” Short Lesson Description (248 characters) Jonathan's sermon from Deuteronomy 8 and 1 Peter urges believers to long for God's Word as essential spiritual food. It purifies souls, endures forever, and transforms lives. Preach and obey it to grow eternally amid a dying world.