“The living and enduring word of God” is “the word that was preached to you.”

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you (1 Peter 1:23-25).

Here, Peter speaks to us about “the living and enduring word of God”, and he, also, speaks to us about “the word that was preached to you.” Isn’t it amazing that he should move, so smoothly and so easily, from speaking about “the living and enduring word of God” to speaking about “the word that was preached to you”?

We rejoice in the Lord, as we give thanks to him for his living and abiding Word. We should not forget to rejoice in the Lord and give thanks to him for those who have preached the Word of the Lord to us.

It is, through the preaching of sinners, saved by God’s grace, that the Word of the Lord comes to us in today’s world. What a wonderful thing this is! God speaks through our words. Much of what we say, when we preach the Word of the Lord, is soon forgotten by both the preacher and the hearers. Is this all that we have to say about our preaching? No! There is more than this. “The word that is preached to you” is “the living and abiding word of God.” This is amazing grace! When we feel that we’re getting nowhere very quickly with the preaching of God’s Word, may we never forget this: “the word that was preached to you” is “the living and enduring word of God.” How encouraging this is! In our words, which seem to us to be so inadequate, there is a living echo of “the word of the Lord” that “endures forever.” This is what makes the preaching of God’s Word so special. It’s not that there’s something special about us and the words that we speak. It’s the presence of God’s Spirit that makes the preaching of God’s Word such a special thing. When we preach God’s Word, let us pray that the Spirit of the Lord will be among us, drawing our hearts and minds to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. May we receive grace from him and may we give glory to him.

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