Dial In with Jonny Ardavanis - Eight Promises from God's Word for 2024

Episode Date: January 1, 2024

In this episode Jonny Ardavanis looks at Eight promises God make to those who commit their life to His word. As we begin a new year, there can be no greater resolution and goal than to commit our lives to the Scripture.Furthermore, Jonny details the Bible reading plan that he uses and how you can access that at Dialinministries.orgWatch VideosVisit the Website Follow on InstagramFollow on Twitter

Hey folks, my name is Johnny Artavanis and this is Dial In. I want to wish you all a happy new year. In this episode, I want to focus on the priority of the Word of God in your life. If you don't already have a Bible reading plan, if you go to dialinministries.org, the website, and click on the resources tab, there you can download the Bible reading plan that I use. It's called the Robert Murray McShane Bible reading plan. This Bible reading plan is four chapters a day. It takes about 15 or 20 minutes. And in reading it every day throughout the course of the year, you will read the entire Bible at least once and then read the Psalms and New Testament twice. I cannot think of a better priority and resolution as you bring

in a new year than to elevate the word of God in your heart. There is so much to say regarding the word of God. And in this episode, what I want to do is focus on eight promises that God makes to you in his living word. Let's dial in. I recently looked up the top goals that many people have for the new year. And here is what many people said. Number one, one of the priorities and resolutions that one writer said is to drink less coffee. She says, I'm turning into a three cup of day kind of gal. And I don't love that about myself. I couldn't help but think, sorry sorry sister, but three cups of coffee is

junior varsity. Try six. Another writer said to give a compliment every single day. They said it costs us nothing to be kind. Another writer wrote the resolution that they are going to prioritize self-care. 59% of Americans said their goal is to save more money. 50% said they wanted to exercise more and 20% mentioned spending less time on social media. Now all of these goals and of themselves may be good things. We are stewards of our bodies, our finances, and our time. But today in this episode I want to observe the loftiest of goals that is both individual in your heart and maybe even collective within your family. And that is the resolution and the priority to learn, grow, and apply the truth of God's word.

Now, if you were to say, Johnny, one of my goals for this year is to become more physically fit, but you had the habit of eating Long John Silvers every single day or Taco Bell, and you were a stranger to exercise, I would tell you that that is a good goal, but it's not a goal that is going to be realized. That goal might sound good, but it is never going to actually happen because you are neglecting the essential means to the desired end. And in that same way, if you told me that you wanted to grow in your love for others or your love for Jesus Christ this year, and you are shallow in your commitment to the word of God, I would tell you that although you may be well-intentioned, your love for God will only grow as deep as your commitment and love

for his word. If you told me, Johnny, my desire, my pursuit this year is purity, and I want to be delivered from besetting sin. I would tell you that whatever your professed desire for purity may be, you will never possess purity if you do not possess a passion for the word of God in your life. In Psalm 119, the psalmist asks an important question. How can a young man keep his way pure? Now pause there for a moment because I can't think of a more important question that a young man could ask. How can I keep my way pure? Well, the scripture gives us the answer.

It says by keeping it according to your word. So let's put it this way. If God's word is not your priority, neither is your purity. Let's say, Johnny, this year I'm praying for guidance. I want God to show me his will. Well, then you cannot get much simpler than this. The psalmist says, thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light into my path. Without the word of God, you walk along paths that you do not know. And worse, you walk

in darkness in which you cannot see. And in this regard, I want to just focus our attention in this episode to the 19th Psalm. C.S. Lewis said that this 19th Psalm is the greatest poem in the Psalter and the greatest lyric in the world. The Psalm is David's magnum opus on the revelation of God to his creatures. And in the opening six verses, David is reflecting on the first of God's great books. That is the book of nature. Maybe you're familiar with Psalm 19. One, he says, the heavens declare the glory of God. The skies proclaim the work of his handiwork.

David is encouraging you to go out and look at the night sky and see the fingerprints of the divine. All of creation bears witness to God's existence, his power, and his glory. The universe we occupy is not an accident, but the large pulpit behind which God proclaims his glory. Jonathan Edwards once said that nature is God's greatest evangelist. Every star in the sky, every bird that soars, every atom in every cell, every crashing of every wave, every raindrop, every snowflake, every sunrise, every cell, every crashing of every wave, every raindrop, every snowflake, every sunrise, every sunset, preaches a singular sermon. Our God is glorious. And this is a reality that the ancient man and the modern man attempt to suppress, that God does not exist, that he does

not reveal himself in his creation. Paul mentions this very idea in Romans 1 when he says, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. God has revealed himself. And I want to just draw your attention to two things in the 19th Psalm regarding the testimony of God in creation. The first of which in Psalm 19, 2 is that this testimony regarding God is perpetual. Verse 2 says that creation makes this proclamation day unto day and night unto night, meaning that whether or not you are in 2024 AD or 2024 BC, nature has been incessantly like a gushing spring bursting forth with the constant and

never ending song regarding the glory of God. Secondly, it says in verse three of Psalm 19, that this testimony is international. So it's not only perpetual, but international. It is something that every single person, regardless of their language, their context, and their culture, understands. There are an estimated 7,139 languages and dialects that are spoken today, not including Pig Latin, which my parents believed actually confused us. But every single one of those 7,139 languages understands a common reality, and that is that God is a glorious creator. So in the opening section of Psalm 19, David says that God reveals himself in verses 1 through 3 in the heavens and in verses 4 through 6 through the sun. And all of the universe is the grand

theater in which God composes a symphony of his majesty. Abraham Kuyper once said that there is not a square inch. I like this. There's not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is sovereign over all, does not cry, mine. Now, with this being said, the revelation of God in his world is not enough to save. It is only enough to condemn, meaning that if all you had was the stars, the sun, the sky, the mountains, the grass, and so forth, you would know nothing about the nature of God. You would know nothing about his holiness. You

would know nothing about the weight of your sin, nothing about your need for a savior, nothing about the provision and substitute of Jesus Christ as our righteousness. The book of God's world cannot instruct you towards eternal life and towards saving faith. Then the question must be asked, then what is sufficient to save? What is sufficient to transform, to enlighten? If God has revealed himself generally in nature, where does he reveal himself specifically? Well, thankfully, God gave us not one book, but two. He gives us the revelation of himself in his world, and he gives us the revelation of himself in his word. Isaac Watts once said, the heavens declare thy glory, Lord, and every star thy wisdom shines.

But when our eyes behold thy word, we read thy name in fair lines. Now in verses seven through 11 of Psalm 19, David is going to continue expounding on how God has revealed himself. And in doing so, he is going to provide six titles, six qualities, and then eight promises that God makes to those who commit their life to the word of God. And repeatedly, David will refer to each of these titles, qualities, and promises as that which belongs to the Lord. He says the law of the Lord, the testimony of the Lord, the precepts of the Lord. Why is he doing

this? Because he wants you to understand that when you open up the Bible, you're not opening up man's word. You're opening up God's word. Man's word is fallible. Man is prone to deceit, but God is true. He never lies. And if you want something true, if you want something firm, turn here. So I want to draw your focus initially to the six titles in which David refers to the word of God. God's word is in Psalm 19, 7, the law of the Lord, meaning this, that God's word is the instruction manual for your life. When David refers to the law, he's not just referring to legislation or to the 10

commandments, but all that God has revealed about himself in his word. The psalmist says in Psalm 119 verse 174, I long for your salvation, Lord, for your law is my delight. Secondly, David refers to the word of God as the testimony of the Lord. Now, listen here. If you want to know what God is like, he must reveal himself to you. And scripture is God's own testimony concerning himself. And for this reason, David refers to the word of God as the testimony of the Lord.

Third here, he refers to the word of God as the precepts of the Lord. Third here, he refers to the word of God as the precepts of the Lord. Precepts are doctrines, meaning that scripture is not full of suggestions to be considered, but truths to be obeyed. This indicates the precision, the authority by which we are compelled to live. Fourth, David refers to the word of God as the commandments of the Lord. God's word provides clear direction and order for the lives of God's children. Fifth, David refers to the word of God as the fear of the Lord. Potentially, you've never heard the Bible referred to as the fear of the Lord. And you may be wondering, what does this mean?

Well, in verse 9 of Psalm 19, David refers to the word of God as the fear of the Lord, because the word of God is the instruction manual to God's people on how we are to worship him. To fear God is to worship God. And the Bible produces fear, awe, and reverence because it brings us to an accurate understanding of who God is and then consequently who we are. And in doing so, it brings us to an accurate understanding of who God is and then consequently who we are. And in doing so, it brings us to a conscious awareness of our need for grace. And we see in God's provision of that grace that our only response is worship. Sixth and finally here, there's the title, the sixth title of the word of God, and that is the judgments of the Lord.

In Psalm 19, 9, Scripture contains the divine verdicts by which God judges the world. Now there are not only six titles. There are six defining qualities of God's word that I want to draw your attention to before we focus on the eight promises that God gives to you in his word. And these promises that we're going to look at in a moment are important and you need to understand them because you're going to build your life upon them. So in verse seven, it says that the law of the Lord is here's the first quality is perfect. The perfection of God's word means that scripture is complete. It's unscathed. It's uncompromised. It's unblemished. The idea here is not just that scripture is without fault, but that scripture is comprehensive. It's not missing anything. For this reason, we say that scripture is sufficient. Maybe you've

asked the question, why can you trust God's word? Why can I trust God's word? Well, because first here in Psalm 19, 7, the law of the Lord is perfect. But there's a second quality here that I want to draw your attention to. Not only is the law of the Lord perfect in 7b, it says the testimony of the Lord is sure. This means that the Bible is reliable. The Bible is faithful. It's enduring. So many people today are building their life on sinking sand. But the Bible says you can build your house on the rock. You can build your life on the word of God. Why? Because the testimony of the Lord is sure. Third here in verse eight, it says that the precepts of the Lord are right. Now, when David says God's word is right, he is saying that God's word is straight. We live in a crooked world with crooked people, but God's word is right. It is straight.

In 8b, David says that the commandment of the Lord is pure. And when David speaks of the purity of the word, he speaks primarily of the Bible's clarity. God's word is not an ambiguous document that needs to be deciphered by scholastic monks. It is plain. It is pure. It is pure. It is so clear that even a child can understand it. R.C. Sproul, in his book, Knowing God, wrote a line that changed my life.

Really, he asked a question that changed my life. He says this, what kind of a God would reveal his love and redemption in terms so technical and concepts so profound that only an elite group of professional scholars could even understand that God? What's the answer? Well, if you're a Christian, the answer is not our God. He reveals himself plainly. He reveals himself simply because the commandment of the Lord is pure. You can understand it. The fifth quality here is that the fear of the Lord is clean. In verse nine, God's word is without corruption.

The truth of God's word cannot be tainted nor twisted by the highest bidder. It is clean. And then the sixth quality is that the word of God in verse verse 9, it says, the judgments of the Lord are true. We live in a world that is trapped in a thick fog of lies and deception, and only God's word offers the truth, the truth about God, the truth about man, the truth about heaven, hell, and salvation can only be found in the word of God. Amazon has sold nearly 487 million books on Kindle, but only one of them is absolutely true,

and that is the Word of God. So thus far, we've looked at the six titles for Scripture. Then we looked at the six qualities of Scripture. And then in the remainder of this episode, I want to focus on eight promises that God makes to you if you commit your life to the word of God. The first of which in Psalm 19, 7 is that God's word will transform your soul. It might say in your Bible that God's word revives the soul in verse 7 of Psalm 19. But this word could be translated a couple different ways. And I want to look first at this meaning of transformation. The word of God is the primary instrument that transforms an individual's soul.

In a world of pragmatism, people often reduce what the scripture offers to helpful tips and tricks. But the Bible is not here to offer you tips. It is here to transform your life. In Romans 10, 17, it says that faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God. In 1 Peter 1, Peter says that you are born again, not through perishable seed, but the imperishable seed of the word of God. The word of God is the power. It is the primary instrument by which a soul can be totally transformed. Not only does it mean to transform here, but as it might say in your Bible, it says in my translation, the NSB 1995, that the word of

God restores the soul. It means that the scripture offers life and vitality because the spirit of God uses the word of God to assure us that our sins are forgiven and that we are at peace with God. Can I ask you a question? Does your soul need to be restored? Well, then God says to you through his living word, then turn to the word of God. It will restore you. It will transform you. God's word is not only life to a dead soul. It is water for a parched soul.

It is food for a famished soul. The psalmist whom I take to be David says in Psalm 119, 25, my soul cleaves to the dust. Revive me according to your word. So the first promise that God makes to you, if you commit your life to his word, is that it will transform your soul. Secondly, in verse seven again,

it says that God's word will make wise the simple. God's word takes uninformed, inexperienced, naive people and makes them wise. People often celebrate their open-mindedness. But the Bible says that's the exact problem about the world in which we live. People are so open-minded and open minds are a place for the devil to feed lies. But the scripture says that the word of God is going to give you wisdom. In Proverbs 8, verses 10 and 11,

wisdom is preaching a sermon, wisdom personified that is. And Lady Wisdom says, take my instruction and not silver and knowledge rather than choicest gold for wisdom is better than jewels and all desirable things cannot compare with her. In the Bible, you need to understand this, wisdom is superior to jewels

and more desirable, more valuable than gold. Why? Because wisdom can acquire that which money cannot. You can spend your life acquiring assets, accumulating wealth, and storing up treasure for yourself, but wisdom trumps every other commodity as it relates to experiencing the life that money cannot buy. People only pursue wisdom when they understand its value.

And scripture says that if you want wisdom, God's word promises to make you wise. And if you want to be wise, you need to understand this. Wisdom does not fall into your lap. Proverbs 2 says that it must be sought like silver, like hidden treasure. If you want wisdom, come to the source and fount of wisdom, which is the word of God. Third here, God's word promises to bring you joy. In verse 8 of Psalm 19, David says, The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart.

Can I ask you a question? Do you desire true joy? Then don't neglect the Bible. Jesus says he gives you his word so that you can have fullness of joy. Remember in Luke 24, Jesus explains that all of the scripture points to him. He's walking with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. They don't even know it's Jesus. And then he disappears from their midst and they look at each other and they say something that has always stuck with me. They ask the question, were not our hearts burning within us when he explained the scripture to us? There is no greater

joy on earth than knowing and obeying the word of God. And don't take my word for it. Jesus says that himself in Luke 12. He says, happy are those who hear and obey the word of God. God's word promises to bring you joy because even in the midst of great trials and great difficulties in your life, you can have joy because in the scripture, you're going to be reminded that God is working everything out in your life

towards a perfect plan for his glory and for your good. The fourth promise that God makes to you, if you commit your life to the word of God, is that the word will enlighten your eyes. In verse eight, it says the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. Do you want to reject worldly thinking? Well, the scripture turns the lights on so that you can see the world, all of its corruption, all of its deceit for what it really is. I remember the first time I put glasses on, I was in first grade, a guy from a summer camp that my dad had spoken at visited our house and I teasingly took his glasses off his face and put them on mine. And in that moment, I realized my entire life had been a blur.

Literally, for the first time in my life, I could see leaves on trees, things across the room, birds in the sky, glasses changed everything. And this is what the word of God does. It opens our eyes to see God, to see the world, and to see ourselves in light of reality. And for this reason, God's word enlightens your eyes. And can I tell you something that would sound bigoted if it was not true? The Christian whose mind is governed by scripture is the only person in the world that sees the world the way it really is. Why? Because God's word turns the light on so that we can discern rightly in a world of corruption.

Fifth here, this fifth promise is that God's word promises that it will last forever. It endures forever. In verse 9, it says, The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. It endures forever. In verse nine, it says, the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. We live in a world of pollution, corruption, and decay, but God's word is clean. And because it is clean and because it is without corruption, it lasts forever. I remember traveling through Europe after college, and one of the most fascinating things to observe was all the vacant and toppled castles. They were no longer the homes for kings or princes or dukes or earls or barons,

but for rodents and wild dogs. There are hundreds of castles, which once were the premier examples of permanence and destructibility and endurance. But now they're just grown over with moss and a heap of toppled stone. Every single one of man's best attempts of lasting permanence fails. But there is one thing that you can know for sure lasts forever. Listen to the words of Jesus in Matthew 23, 35. He says, heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. In a world in which everything is dying and decaying. God's word in Psalm 19 endures forever. The sixth promise that God makes to you

is that God's word will make you righteous. In verse nine, it says, the judgments of the Lord are true. They are righteous altogether. If you desire righteousness, then turn to the word of God. I have a fear sometimes as we begin a new year that many people have a resolution to read many books. And obviously I love to read. I'm writing a book right now and I

hope one day you read it. But Spurgeon once said, visit many books, but live in the Bible. And if you want to have a life that is righteous, then you need to commit your life to the word of God. Romans 12, two says that do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind and the way that you are transformed. The way that your mind is renewed is as you submit it to the word of God. The seventh promise here is in verse 10. David says, There are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold, sweeter also than the honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.

The seventh promise for you is that God's word will satisfy your soul. David says that God's word is his greatest treasure. He says it's more desirable than gold. And he says it's also sweeter than honey. It's his greatest pleasure. People often go searching for satisfaction in all the wrong places. They scour the earth. They seek to find satisfaction wherever they might obtain it. But the word of God in Psalm 63 is that which tells us of the love of God. And because the love of God is revealed to us in the pages of scripture, we can say with David, your loving kindness is better than life. And here you need to listen

to the promise of God that he makes through his word, that if you commit your life to it, God will satisfy your soul. The eighth and final promise is that God makes through his word, that if you commit your life to it, God will satisfy your soul. The eighth and final promise is that God's word offers warnings to the disobedient and rewards to the obedient. In verse 11 of Psalm 19, David says, moreover, by them your servant is warned. That's by the word of God. And then he says, in keeping them, there is great reward. The Bible explicitly warns you of the dangers of sin and implicitly through an informed conscience testifies to you of the folly and destructive nature of sin. The world is clever and it tries to mask the true tragedy of sin's consequences.

Satan in your flesh, hide the dagger of sin in a bed of cotton, promising you safety and comfort, but providing you with wounds and fatality. Maybe you're familiar with the line, sin will take you further than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you ever thought you would pay. And scripture seeks to warn you of sin's folly and destruction. It warns you of the immoral and seductive woman in Proverbs 7. It warns you of the dangers of departing from the people of God in Hebrews 3. It warns you of the dangers of false teaching.

But not only does the scripture warn, it also offers rewards to those who walk in obedience to the word of God. I just want to hear at the end of my life, well done, my good and faithful servant. Sometimes when I'm preaching, I just can't help but think, man, isn't the word of God the best? Isn't it the greatest thing in the world to be a Christian and to know God has revealed himself to us plainly and clearly and authoritatively and sufficiently in his word. Let me just close with a final illustration. If you had taken $1,000 in 1980 and put it all in Apple stock, adjusting for stock splits, you would have roughly 10,000 shares today. The price of an Apple stock

is roughly $200 a share. So that $1,000 would be worth $2 million. And if you hadn't sold any shares during that course of time, you would have also received $200,000 in dividends. Not bad for a single $1,000 investment. You might look at that and go, man, that's one of the greatest investments in history. But let me just put it to you this way. There is no greater investment that you can make in your life nor in the life of your family than to stockpile the word of God into your heart. There is no greater investment than to memorize and meditate on the scripture because the word of God is the only thing that lasts. It's the only investment that will pay dividends for all of eternity. I said it at the beginning of this episode, but if you don't

already have a plan for reading the Bible in 2024, I would highly encourage you to get a plan. You can go to dialinministries.org and you can download the plan on our resources page. And then I like having a plan. And here's really the reason why, because if I haven't read the word of God, if I can't give 15 to 20 minutes in reading the scripture a day, and I began to turn on a show or look at my phone, the average person looks at their phone or a screen seven hours a day. If you can't commit and if I can't commit to just reading 15 to 20 minutes a day of the word of God,

then I can't honestly look at myself in the mirror and tell myself that God is my greatest priority. I can't honestly fool myself and say that purity is my priority because God has already told me in his word, how can a young man keep his way pure by keeping it according to the word of God? There are a lot of priorities. There are a lot of resolutions that you might make in 2024, but none greater than knowing and loving the word of God so that you might love the God of the word. I hope that's your aim. I hope that's your prayer. I hope that's your goal this year.

Stay dialed in.