Intro

As we’re heading into our second week of the Following Jesus series, we hope that you’re beginning to take on each day with greater hope and joy knowing that you’re not out here on your own or alone, but that you have a loving father and creator that gave everything to bring you close!

And this week, I’m so excited about the topic we’re about to get into! Today’s message is titled “Living and Active!” and is one of the most essential and key things for us as followers of Jesus! Let’s get into it!

Message

Psalm 119:89-97 (NIV) “ 89 Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. 90 Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures. 91 Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve you. 92 If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. 93 I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.

94 Save me, for I am yours; I have sought out your precepts. 95 The wicked are waiting to destroy me, but I will ponder your statutes. 96 To all perfection I see a limit, but your commands are boundless. מ Mem 97 Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.”

I love the way David talks about his relationship with God and his love and passion for the word of God! When I read Psalm 119 or other portions of how David talks about the Word of God, it stirs me and inspires me to read and engage God’s word at another level.

But, for some, the thought of sitting down and consistently reading the Bible seems crazy… or boring. I think many don’t engage His Word because we see it as more school work or just knowledge to study or a religious obligation. I’ve heard many people say something like, “I should read the Bible.” “If I’m gonna be a good Christian I guess I should read the Bible.” Maybe you just see it as a list of rules or a manual you just read if you get stuck in life.

BUT GOD’S WORD IS DIFFERENT THAN ANY OTHER BOOK...

Hebrews 4:12 Amplified Bible (AMP) “12 For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged [a]sword, penetrating as far as the division of the [b]soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

The Word of God is beyond just words, It’s not like other books. Even though there are so many great books out there and I highly recommend that you keep growing and investing into yourself. But the Bible is more than a self-help or inspirational read, there’s something active, there’s something life giving in every word and it breathes and speaks life into as we read it. The verse we just read says that the Bible is living and active. It’s not simply a passive historical document, although it is one of the most sound and proven historical documents, The Bible or God’s word is active today to speak and breath life into your daily life! It’s Active! It’s AT WORK in your life!!

In a chemical formula there’s an agent of some kind that is introduced that produces a reaction. It activates it. The Holy Spirit of God breathes his power and life into each word! So, it’s more than words on a page, it’s more than just “good thoughts”, it has been activated by the living God, which means that it will produce results in your life that no other book can!

2 Timothy 3:16-17 Amplified Bible (AMP) “16 All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately—behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage]; 17 so that the [a]man of God may be complete and proficient, outfitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

There’s life in God’s word that changes you when we come into contact with it. Anyone who consistently engages the Bible during their daily lives will experience transformation! If you encounter the living word, and allow it to get into your thoughts, heart, habits and relationships, you’ll experience the change agent of the Spirit empowered word of God!

Psalm 119:130 (NIV) “The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.”

Some of you grew up in homes that loved and read the word, but most grew up in environments that were dysfunctional and uninterested in what the Bible says, and as a result, the home is far from God and far from the transformative life that flows from God’s word ... View this full sermon with PRO Premium

The Word of God is beyond just words, It’s not like other books.