From Stinging To Singing

FROM STINGING TO SINGING

Col. 3:16

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR: Stick to the Word

1. A wino boarded a bus and sat next to a Nun. His hair was mussed up, his clothes were wrinkled, and his breathe wreaked of alcohol. He opened a newspaper and proceeded to read.

2. Presently he turned to the Nun and said, “Sister, what causes arthritis?” The Nun thought, ‘This is a good time to witness’ so she replied “Sin. Pure and simple, sin. Drinking whiskey, smoking big, long, black cigars and carousing. Why do you ask?”

3. The man replied, “Because it says here in the paper that the Pope has arthritis.” This story reminds us that we need to ‘stick to the Word’ when we speak for God. That is our topic tonight.

B. TEXT

“Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” Col. 3:16.

C. THESIS

1. There are three positive stages of Bible study:

a. First, the Robitussin stage -- when you take the Word like medicine, because it's good for you.

b. Second, is the shredded wheat stage -- dry, but nourishing.

c. Third, the cookies and cream stage – whew, it's all good! Which stage are you in?

2. Tonight we’re looking at how the Word of God can sting us and how, if we accept it, it will transform us and give us peace and joy.

3. The title of this message is “From Stinging to Singing.”

I. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME THE WORD STUNG YOU?

A. ILLUS.: GOD’S WORD SHOULD KICK US

1. A Missionary gave African chief a gift of a Bible in his own language. The Chief began reading, but he soon became troubled. He came to see the missionary and said, “What is this book you have given me? It’s not like any other book I have ever read. When I read this book, it kicks me!” WHY IS THAT?

2. The Bible is a unique kind of book. It’s alive. It speaks to us. It convicts us of sin. It confronts us about our wrong motives, thoughts, and actions. It’s God’s Word, given with a purpose – to open our eyes and change our lives.

3. I like what James DeMelo said, “Lift your Bible up. It makes the devil nervous. If you really want to make him nervous, open it up.” The Bible has been compared to spiritual dynamite, but if we don’t open and read it, we take away the fuse to ignite it.

B. BIBLE: POWER TO POKE, CUT, STING

1. When Peter, on the Day of Pentecost, spoke to the Israelites (Acts 2:37), “They were pricked in the heart” Most translations say “pricked, cut, or pierced.” The Amplified Classic, CJB, & MEV interpret it as “stung.”

2. When Peter spoke to the Sanhedrin (Acts 5:33), they were “cut to the heart” (Gr. Dieprionto, “sawn asunder” or ‘cut to the quick’).

3. When Stephen confronted the Jewish leaders (Acts 7:54) they were “cut to the heart” (Gr. “Sawn in two”). It’s obvious in these three examples, that the Word of God has a ‘cutting edge.’

4. Message Version, Heb. 4:12, “His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon's scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God's Word. We can't get away from it—no matter what.”

5. Saul of Tarsus was told he was “kicking against the pricks” (Acts 9:5); when Paul preached to Felix, he “trembled” at the Word spoken (Acts 24:25). God told the Israelites who refused to repent, “Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets, I killed you with the words of my mouth,” Hosea 6:5.

C. OUR ACCEPTING THE WORD IS CRUCIAL

1. Josiah responded to the Word by tearing his clothes. 2 Kgs. 22:11, “When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes” (out of sadness & repentance).

2. Compare Josiah’s reaction to Zedekiah’s (Jer. 37:2), “Neither he nor his attendants nor the people of the land paid any attention to the words the Lord had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.” Are we paying attention to what God’s Word says to us?

3. “Now the Berean[s] were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” Acts 17:11.

II. HOW DOES THE WORD DWELL IN US?

There’s nothing easier than to hear the Word and do nothing about it; and few things more difficult than actually putting it into practice in your life. Satan tries to sidetrack us, get us busy (doing other things), or blind us with a worldly agenda.