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<2022.01> The Word of God that Was from the Beginning

North American Bible Study Meeting, 2006
The Word of God that Was from the Beginning
December 25th, 2006, Evening Lecture
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.  John 6:63
My Heart and My Flesh Cry out for the Living God
Until not long ago, we understood that there were nine planets in our solar system. That is also what we were taught at school. This year [2006], however, the ninth planet, Pluto, was relegated to the status of dwarf planet. Even so, the scientific community has not yet offered any word of apology for their erroneous teachings; they have simply informed the world that they have decided to revoke Pluto’s planetary status. This is how the people of this world present knowledge, and even if they discover they have been wrong in some respect, they simply present the new information as though there were no problem with this.
This does not, of course, affect the fate of any individual, and is not a matter of life or death. There are not very many such matters that have an affect on the life or death of man, as do the matters that we come to know and can see through the Bible. The world’s knowledge is merely knowledge; it just benefits or harms. It is as the Bible says, “Your wickedness affects a man such as you, and your righteousness a son of man” (Job 35:8).
When it comes to talking about the Bible, however, it is quite different from the way people talk about worldly knowledge. For this reason, talking about the Bible makes me nervous. The words that come from the lips of the speaker who stands in front of everyone are heard through the ears of the listeners and reach their spirits, arousing feelings of sorrow, joy, or some other emotion, and this is why when I think of this task I am afraid of it. I am always concerned that I might say something wrong.
Then, recently as I was reading the Bible, I came to Psalm 84. We are going to be reading this Psalm together, but first there is something else I would like to say.
What is this Bible that we read? Some people say they have been born again through the Bible, in other words, they have been saved, or come to realize the truth in the Bible. When you listen to what they say about this, it is different for each person. They talk about how they have come to return to God and stand before him, one person through one passage in the Bible, and another person through another.
The Bible contains the Old and New Testaments. Through the Bible, we can see that we are now living in the part of history that is referred to as the age of the church. The church appears in many passages in the New Testament.
People often use the term “church.” There are countless churches in this world, and when people gather together to study the Bible or talk about God or the Person by the name of Jesus, the term “church” always comes up. Yet, the New Testament speaks of the church in terms of a secret (see Ephesians 5:32). You may think, “This is really strange. There is a church right beside our house. Why does the Bible says it is a secret? I’ve been attending church and studying the Bible since I was a child. What makes the church a secret?” As we read the Bible, many such questions arise in our minds.
The same is true of the Old Testament. In Psalm 84, for example, it says, “Your tabernacle.” The tabernacle was a kind of tent, made of fabric and leather. Yet, we need to ask ourselves if the tabernacle the Israelites erected does not have any significance for us today. As we live in the age of the church, we see the tabernacle that appears in the Old Testament as the dwelling place of the Lord, the place where God dwelt, but in the New Testament, this place is God’s secret that is revealed to us through Jesus Christ. Let’s turn now to Psalm 84.
How lovely is Your tabernacle, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young—even Your altars, O Lord of hosts, My King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; they will still be praising You. Selah Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a spring; the rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion. O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah O God, behold our shield, and look upon the face of Your anointed. For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in You!  verses 1-12
“Tabernacle” and “Your altars” are terms that were used by the Israelites in Old Testament times, referring to tangible objects that they actually saw and experienced. In New Testament times, however, and particularly for us living in the age of the church, they represent the church. In other words, within the history of the nation that He governed in this world, God provided us with a glimpse of what He originally had in mind.
How lovely is Your tabernacle, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.  
Psalm 84:1-2
There are things we must do, but really do not want to do, and we would like to run away from them if we could. Imagine there is some task you need to carry out at work, but your parents are not well. Apart from what it says in the Bible, when you think about the situation from a human point of view, a tremendous struggle may take place in your heart, knowing that your work is important, but your parents are also ill. This is something that anyone may go through. All kinds of thoughts go through your head, taking hold of you and restraining you. When a task lies before you which, as a human being, it is your duty to carry out, it may give rise within you to a struggle between your conscience and your thoughts.
I have been talking about the Bible for several years, and yet I also have many thoughts that go through my head and many struggles arise in my heart. There have been days when I have been very distressed. For this reason, I have spent time quietly reading the Bible in recent months. Yet, these words, “My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God” would not leave my mind.
As we read the Bible, we find it talking about the heart crying out before God, and praying in the heart. It also says that when you pray you should do so in a secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly (see Matthew 6:6). Yet, here in Psalm 84, it says, “My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” In other words, my heart and my flesh cry out together for the living God.
This kind of cry will differ from person to person. When I read passages like this, I am aware that I try to avoid the tasks I do not like to carry out. We keep on procrastinating when it comes to the work of spreading the gospel that we should be doing our whole life long. We try to get out of it and undermine it. I am aware that these thoughts of the flesh exist within me. My thoughts of the flesh do battle in my heart with the thoughts of the spirit that I have come to know through the words of the Bible. So when I considered these words that say, “My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God,” I think about what my position is, and what the work is that I must do. This is not a matter that needs to be considered only by the person who stands at the front and preaches a sermon; it needs to be considered even by those who do not know the Bible very well yet, even if they have not yet experienced being born again through the words of the Bible.
What is our duty as human beings? I gave the example above of a person whose parents are ill and yet he has a heavy workload at work. The Bible promises that if you honor your parents, you will live a long life on the earth (see Ephesians 6:2-3). Nevertheless, you need to ask yourself if, hav
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