Introduction
- What’s your relationship with the Word of God?
- Do you actually read it—or just wait to hear a few verses on Sunday?
- Your spiritual growth will never outpace your appetite for Scripture.
1. The Delight of the Word
Psalm 119:16 – “I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.”
Psalm 119:97 – “Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.”
Psalm 119:103 – “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”
Psalm 119:127 – “Therefore I love your commandments above gold, above fine gold.”
Psalm 1:2 – “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”
Psalm 19:10 – “More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.”
Key Point: God’s Word isn’t duty—it’s delight. The more you taste it, the sweeter it becomes.
2. From Understanding to Conviction
Psalm 119:130 – “The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.”
John 8:32 – “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Psalm 119:11 – “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”
Key Point: The Word moves from information → understanding → conviction. Conviction is rebar in your soul—it holds when storms hit.
3. From Conviction to Affection
Job 23:12 – “I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.”
Key Point: Affection means treasuring the Word above even what sustains your body. Do you hunger for Scripture like your next meal?
4. The Longing of a Child
1 Peter 2:2 – “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation.”
Key Point: Not about immaturity—but intensity. Babies cry until they are fed. That’s how we should long for the Word—desperate, unwilling to be satisfied by anything else.
5. What the Word is NOT
John 5:39 – “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.”
2 Timothy 3:16 – “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”
Matthew 4:4 – “But he answered, ‘It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Key Point:
- Not just education (head knowledge).
- Not just curiosity (to scratch an itch).
- Not just intellectual stimulation (to win debates).
- The Word is life-giving food. Without it, your soul starves.
6. The Fruit of Affection
Psalm 1:3 – “He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”
Key Point: Exposure → Understanding → Conviction → Affection → Growth.
Spiritual maturity isn’t about years in church, but about your appetite for the Word.
Conclusion
- How strong is your appetite for the Word of God?
- If you’re weak or dry—it may not be lack of faith, but lack of hunger.
- Challenge: Tonight, before bed, read Psalm 119. Don’t skim. Pray as you read: “Lord, give me that same affection for Your Word.”
- Call to Action: Crave the Word like a newborn craves milk—because it’s the only way to grow.
Full message: