It's Alive

IT’S ALIVE…THE WORD OF GOD

AIM: To help the congregation to take a stand on the Word of God.

TEXT: Hebrews 4:12

OPEN:

a) Good Morning

b) Announcements if any

c) Welcome to everyone

d) Tell Story or Joke

e) Introduce Topic…THE WORD OF GOD

f) Share how the word has affected me.

OUTLINE:

1. IT’S ALIVE

2. IT’S POWERFUL

3. IT’S NEEDED

1. IT’S ALIVE!!!!

a) In last weeks bible class we talked about the Sabbath rest of God.

b) The rest that God commanded His people to keep holy.

c) All through chapter 4 of Hebrews we can read of the new Sabbath…the new rest.

d) Hebrews 4:11 says “Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.”

e) Today we are going to discuss that diligence. And the Hebrew writer, trying to express the need for diligence, refers to the Word of God.

f) The word of God is everything to us. It is our strength in weakness. Our guide and roadmap through life.

g) In it we find answers to life’s difficult questions, strong words of encouragement. Patterns to follow, and people to emulate.

h) The word of God, the Bible, is the number one best seller in all of history.

i) It is History, and Prophecy and Poetry! It is the Gospel message from beginning to end.

j) No other book in all creation can hold significance as the Bible can. Look back at your text books from when you were in college, all you older folk. They are dated, and in such a short time.

k) We are thousands of years since the first book of the Bible was written, yet it still holds more relevancy than any other book.

l) There is one good reason for this. The word of God is Alive.

SCRIPTURES:

a) Hebrews 4:12…”The word of God is Living…” It is alive.

b) The Bible isn’t a dead book…you know how I know this? The answer is 3 fold.

1. ALWAYS FRESH… It is always fresh. In every age and every generation the bible proves itself to be alive and relevant. I already gave you the illustration of the text book fading in relevance. But the Bible does not. II Timothy 3:16 says, ”All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Matthew 24:35: My words will never pass away.

2. LIFE GIVING AND CHANGING: There is no other way to heaven but through the word of God. While other books attempt to tell us that there is other ways, the truth of the matter is that the Bible is the only book that carries the true method into heaven. I Peter 1:23-25 “For you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is through the living and enduring word of God.” While some books have to power to move you emotionally, and some have to power to educate you, and some have the disturbing ability to deceive you, the Word of God has the power to alter your very being. It moves us emotionally, and teaches us doctrinally and historically, but will never deceive us. The word of God is Alive because it lives in each one of us….but most importantly!!!!

3. IT IS JESUS…Any good story has a beginning, middle, and end, and each of these parts are linked together. The Bible has a continuous theme all throughout…God’s ultimate plan to save man. God knew that we would fall from His presence, so he planned a way for us to return to Him in His son Jesus Christ. We can read about this in Genesis 3:15 “and I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall crush your head, and you shall bruise His heal.” This is called the protogospel…the first occurrence of the gospel message in the scripture. It is God’s plan. Satan shall attack Jesus and will have success in that Jesus will be crucified, but Jesus will not be held by death, he will rise again and crush death for all people for all times. This plan was brought into fruition at the culmination of Jesus life. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the word, the word was with God, and the word was God.” This passage is very clear that Jesus is that word. He was with God in the beginning, he created the world, The word is Jesus, and Jesus is the word. His Disciples were witness to Him rising from the tomb. They saw him after his death, they spoke to Him, and they watched Him rise into heaven. And from before the creation of the world, God planned this word to save us and give us rest and life. God knew that we were going to need victory over death, that is why he sent His son. Not only did He send Him, but allowed Him to be crucified, and rose Him up from the dead on the third day.