Hindrances To God’s Word Series

People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4 NLT

As we continue in our series on Dynamic Disciples or Dynamic Discipleship our focus this month is on The Word of God and today we are going to be thinking about Hindrances to God’s Word.

Let me start with a question: How important is the Word of God to you?

As dynamic disciples each of the should know how important it is for us to spend time daily reading the Word of God.

Think about it this way for a moment:

Could I be called a musician if I never play an instrument?

Could I be called a photographer if I never used a camera?

Could I be called a fisherman if I never go fishing?

The Bible is not an optional extra for the Christian. It is an essential part of our daily walk with God.

If we are followers of Jesus we must treat The Word of God as an essential part of our daily lives.

The scriptures were important in the life of Jesus.

He would often quote from the Old Testament books, He knew the strength and encouragement of God’s Word and we should also.

Knowing the Word of God was important in the life of Jesus. After Jesus was baptised He went into the desert, while He was in the desert Satan tried to tempt Him.

Listen to Matthew 4:1-4:

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.

During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”

But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’

God speaks to us through His Word. Our God is a living God.

He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He is the Resurrection and the Life.

He is our source of Hope and Salvation and we need to take the time to be to be connected with Him by reading His Words to us.

There are many things that can hinder us or stop us, from spending time with God, but perhaps the biggest hindrance can be ourselves.

There are so many things we can allow in our lives that distract us from spending time with our Lord.

From the moment the alarm clock goes off in the morning to when you lay your head on the pillow at night there are things that need to be done, and things we choose to do. Spending time in prayer and praise and reading the Word of God to hear God’s voice should be the highest priority of our day.

Don’t let your schedule hinder your engagement with the Word of God.

Don’t miss out on the bread of life being in your life.

We cannot live without His Word.

Each day we need fresh manna from heaven to nourish and sustain us.

Daily we need to feed on God’s Word.

There are 4 things each of us must do with the Word of God:

1. Hear it. 2. Read it. 3. Study it. 4. Memorise it

1st point Hear the Word.

Romans 10:17 says: So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.

Hearing the word of God is important, it’s one of the reasons we meet together here as Church on a Sunday morning.

Hearing a sermon can help us to know more of God’s word and also help us to apply what we hear in our own lives.

Hearing the word of God is an easy option, all we have to do is turn up at church and listen to the preacher without falling asleep.

It’s an easy option but it should not be the only thing we choose to do.

Listening to a sermon for 30-40 minutes once a week is not enough for us to be satisfied. We need daily sustenance, we need our daily bread.

Throughout the week in most churches there is an opportunity to hear more of God’s word.

In our own group of churches there are a number of Bible study and discussion groups each week. Participating in a study group can help us to know and understand more of God’s word.

At 20:20 which we run here on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month we have been thinking about the Armour of God and its importance and application in our daily lives. We don’t just listen to the Word, we discuss it, chew it over, digest it and apply it to our lives.