THS UNFETTERED WORD

Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descended from David, as preached

in my gospel, the gospel for which I am suffering. and wearing fetters like a criminal. But the word of God is not fettered. II Timothy 2:8-9

It was harvest time and the farmer was short of help. He was already close to bankruptcy and it looked as though this harvest would be the end of him if he couldn't get help One evening there was a knock on the door. It was a stranger looking for work.

"You can start tomorrow morning," said the farmer, "and you can sleep in the barn tonight if you like."

The stranger didn't appear to be exceptionally strong ... but somehow he did the work of ten men. In a few weeks the harvest was in and things were looking brighter for the farmer. The stranger began suggesting changes in the farm which frightened the farmer at first. But soon it was obvious that the stranger was as wise as he was strong. In a year or two the farmer was beginning to enjoy considerable wealth.

"My house is quite large. Why don't you move in from the barn?", the farmer said to his mysterious employee. "I'll give you two choice rooms upstairs and you can eat in the kitchen with us."

So the stranger moved into the farmer's house and things kept getting better and better. Then one day the stranger made a proposal to the farmer.

"Up to now I've been your servant and I've brought you nothing but good. Now I propose that you make me your partner."

"My partner?" cried the farmer. "Where did you find the nerve to expect to be my partner? The land is mine ... the buildings are mine ... the animals and the equipment are mine. I take you on because you're looking for a job and now you want to be my partner? Instead of making you my partner, I, for my own protection, will have to make you my prisoner!"

So the farmer locked the stranger in his rooms that night. The next day he fixed a chain to the stranger's left ankle and had bars installed on the windows and the door ... to make sure his valuable prisoner would not escape. This man who could do the work of ten men made no attempt to break out of his chains. He dragged his chains out into the field and back again in the evening. Each night the farmer chained the man to the bed and locked the door. Then one morning when the farmer came for his prisoner the door was still locked and the bars were still on the windows and the chain was still fastened to the bedpost, but the stranger was gone ... and he was never seen again.

Most of us have already experienced the personal visitation of the Word of God into our lives. In some way God came to us, spoke to us, and as we received this divine Word our lives began to change.

- We were healed.

- Our minds became sane and clear.

- Our fears went away.

- The Word of God came to us in the person of Jesus as a servant come to help us.

Jesus didn't tie any strings to the blessings he brought us any more than he tied strings to his healings of old. But there came a time when the Word of God, after showing us God's goodness and giving us such rich blessings, said,

"Now I want to be your partner ... not just your helper ... your partner. I want you to get under the yoke with me and learn from me for I am meek and lowly of heart and you shall find rest for your souls."

And it was at this point that many of us panicked and began to try to put limits on the Word of God in our lives.

Now understand the Word of God is not fettered. No one can hinder the Word of God from coming forth and accomplishing its purpose on this earth.

"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,

and return not thither but water the earth,

making it bring forth and sprout,

giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth;

it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,

and prosper in the thing for which I sent it."

Isaiah 55:10-11

The Word of God will accomplish what it is sent to do in this earth ... no man, no devil can hinder it. But we can hinder the moving of the Word of God in our individual lives and in the life of our fellowship. If we choose to do so we can lock it in that room, put chains on it, bar the windows and the doors. We can do this just as surely as they could bind our Lord and drag Him off to the High Priest and stretch out his body and nail it to a cross.

Of course the fetters they put on Jesus didn't last very long. Jesus remained on that cross, lay in that tomb for a short time, then he burst forth never to be bound again. Likewise, the Word of God in us will yield to our chains and our prison only for a short while. If we try to keep it bound and fettered we'll go there looking for the Word one morning and it will be gone.

One of the greatest marvels of the mercy of God is God's patience with us as we have tried to hinder his Word in our own lives. Why he didn't take his Word away from us long ago is a mystery of grace. The Word of God is not fettered ... it can go any time it wants to. Yet, the living Word by which God made the worl, submits to these limits we put on it, rather than destroy us by withdrawing and leaving us desolate.

For a brief season the Word of God waits inside our lives. During this time we can either take off the restraints and let the Word come forth in our lives with power ... or we can keep it locked in that room until our time of grace is past and the Word departs, like the lamp stand being removed from the midst of a church.

If we want to take off the restraints here are some things to consider:

1. The Word of God will come forth in our lives with power when we lake off the hindrance

of unbelief.

"But the righteousness based on faith says, Do not say in your heart, "Who will ascend into heaven?" (that is, to bring Christ down) or "Who will descend into the abyss?" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? The word is near you, on your lips and in your hears (that is, the word of faith which we preach); because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:6-9

The divine Word which has power to raise us into sons of God is already in us ... on our lips, in our hearts. But we have to take off the fetters of unbelief and let it come forth -- confess with our lips ... believe with the heart -- and we have to keep doing this constantly, repenting of our unbelief. Confessing and believing, again and again.

Believers can hinder the power of the Word in them through unbelief. The Book of Hebrews was written to believers who were hindering the movement of the Word, binding the Word in them through unbelief. So the Spirit says to us as he said to them,

"Harden not your hearts.....

.....take off the chains of unbelief and let the Word which is in you come forth."

2. The Word of God will come forth in our lives with power when we remove the hindrance of

the fear of man.

"And now, Lord, look upon their threats, and grant to thy servants to speak thy word with all boldness, while thou stretchest out thy hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of thy holy servant Jesus." And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness. Acts 4:29-31

Persecution had started and the believers were tempted to be afraid so they prayed for boldness.

"Lord, behold their threats ... Grant to thy servants to speak thy word with all boldness ...deliver us from fear,

remove this timidity from our hearts,"....

and the prayer was answered.

- The place was shaken,

- They were filled with the Holy Spirit,

- They spoke the word of God with boldness.

We have the same problem. Even without persecution we put fetters on the Word through fear of men. We have to ask the Father to help us get rid of this fear that hinders his Word in us until this place is shaken, and the Spirit falls and the Word comes forth from us with boldness.

3. The Word of God will come forth in our lives with power when we remove the hindrance of mercilessness.

Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists murmured against the Hebrews because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the body of the disciples and said, "It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brethren, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word." And what they said pleased the whole multitude, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands upon them. And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.

Acts 6:1-7

Things were not right ... Greek widows were being neglected in the daily food distribution. Notice that as soon as the believers faced this problem and took care of it the Word of God increased. And so it will be with us ... when there is a lack of mercy in us or in our life as a fellowship. When we have an indifferent or superior attitude it's like putting bars on the door and locking the Word in. But when we repent of this and make the necessary changes, the Word comes forth. We know where we're being hard,

unyielding,

ungiving,

unforgiving, and we know what it's doing to us. God help us to remove this fetter.

4. The Word of God will come forth in our lives with power when we remove the hindrance of idolatry.

Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; and they came to him in a body, and having persuaded Blastus, the king's chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king's country for food. On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and made an oration to them. And the people shouted, "The voice of a god, and not of man!" Immediately an angel of the Lord smote him, because he did not give God the glory; and he was eaten by worms and died. But the word of God grew and multiplied. Acts 12:20-24

We may shake our heads at the ridiculous idolatry of Herod and the people of Tyre and Sidon. But is there any difference between this and the idolatry of covetousness? ... the thorns of cares, riches and pleasures which choke the growth of the Word?

Bring the idolatry to an end. Turn from the covetous life in whatever form -- even if it's just dreaming of riches and playing the lottery -- and the Word of God will increase.

5. The Word of God will come forth in our lives with power when we remove the hindrance of a divided heart.

Many also of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all; and they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord grew and prevailed mightily. Acts 19:18-20

They were believers but their hearts were still divided. Then they started confessing some things that needed to be made right. And some books which belonged to the kingdom of Satan were burned. And the Word of the Lord grew and prevailed mightily.

And every time we settle an issue over which our hearts are divided and fix them on the Lord, the Word comes forth with power.

"For as the rain and the snow came down from heaven,

and return not thither but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout,

giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes forth

from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it."

Isaiah 55:10-11

In unspeakable mercy this Word has come to us. God has spoken to us, healed and forgiven us, and made his dwelling in us. And we have had the audacity to try to put chains on his Word within us, to limit it, to try to make it serve our own purpose.

- Still the Word has not left us.

- Still the Word waits within us for us to get under the yoke and be his partner and learn.

May God help us this day to remove the hindrances we've put in his way ... that his Word may not leave us but come forth in our lives with power and accomplish what it was sent to do.