Hebrews 4:12-13
“A Rhapsody on God’s penetrating word”
“The word of God is speaking – if the people of God will just listen.”
Sunday Morning Sermon
03.02.08
Intro:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVzow_Xto6M (TITLE AND TEXT)
The word of God is speaking – if the people of God will just listen. That’s right we have to put away our distractions, hush our worries, close our mouths, and open our hearts, – so that the word of God speaks to us. Today, if you hear his voice do not harden your hearts. If you want to hear, if you want to grow and move forward in your Christian walk – don’t harden your hearts. Your ears will hear the voice, your heart will make it apply to your life.
Don’t sit there and watch your watch, or worry about lunch. Let us focus, this morning, on the word of God speaking to us, and then applying this message to our lives – everyday.
Discussion: (Advance)
1 Peter 1:8-9 (NIV) –Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
If we ignore God’s word, dismiss it as an old book, refuse to get a version that we can understand, or simply don’t read it – how will we ever reach what the author of Hebrews calls “A Sabbath Rest”. One who does not read the Bible is no better off than the one who cannot read the Bible. Listen – It hardly demonstrates faith in God to ignore the tools he has given us to guide us.
Why do we ignore the word of GOD? Why do we hold on to our traditions rather than simply taking God at his word? Why is this book good enough for Sunday morning but not Thursday afternoon? Prayer is talking to God – reading his word is allowing him to talk back. Why do we volunteer to only be the speaker in our conversation with the creator? I know that God can calm our spirits – I know that he can give us confidence – I’ve felt him prompting my memory of his word. One time I was at the hospital with a church member and we were waiting for him to be called back to surgery. Across from us there was this older lady who smiled every time I looked at her – but for some reason I knew she was hurting and scared inside. I got up from my chair and went and sat down by her – and asked her if she would like to pray. She started to cry. She needed someone to pray with her and encourage her and remind her of God’s presence. Her husband had a heart attack, and she was scared. So we prayed and we were both blessed because of it. God can work through his spirit living inside of us – to prompt us for action. I didn’t need to read God’s word to tell me to get out of my chair and my comfort zone and offer prayer with someone I didn’t know. God speaking to us – will rarely be independent of his word. If we will take the time to read and listen – he will give us guidance through his word.
(Advance)
Psalm 46:10 (NIV) "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
Why does it take our stillness for the king of kings and Lord of Lords to make himself known – The answer is something you almost have to experience – he won’t shout over the noise and junk in your life – he won’t shout over the attitudes, selfishness or the lack of love in your life. God calls us to him this morning, simply to be still – simply to be hushed – quiet and to first of all know that He is GOD.
The proper respect of God will allow us to approach his word with Humility and a desire for understanding.
If you have your Bibles with you, turn with me to (Advance) Hebrews 4:12-13 (Read)
I see two things this morning. One a command and one a warning.
Here’s the command: (Advance)
I. Here the word speak (12)
a. Let’s identify the word
The word of God has been understood in this context to mean Jesus – The Bible or the – The message from God. Jesus is called the word in John 1:1 and he’s called “the word of God” in Revelation 19:13. (Advance)
2 Timothy 3:16 (NIV) All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
Scripture has the same source as the air we breath and the water we drink, the sun that shines the moon that glows – God spoke into existence the creation that we call home. Scripture is also from the same mouth – through the Holy Spirit, through the hands of willing men to write and collect what we call the BIBLE. The word of God:
i. Is useful – Teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.
We can find out how God would treat the sick, the hurting, the lonely, and the widows. We can find out God’s will towards our parents and our children. (Advance)
Exodus 20:12 (NIV) Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
Honor your father and mother – seems simple enough. What if your mom is a pathological liar? Let me check…honor your father and mother. What if your step-dad is an abusive alcoholic…Honor your father and mother. What if your step-mom separates from your father so many times – you have to borrow fingers and toes to keep track – what if after 10 years she remarries him – and he completely changes his personality….Let me double check….honor your father and mother.
God’s word doesn’t change. My response according to the word of God towards my parents is honor – because when I choose to honor them – I grow and become more like Jesus. When I choose to honor them I trust that God can and will see me through the situation. The authority of the word of God is such that I don’t have the ability to cast my own thoughts on it – I don’t judge it, counsel it, tell it how I feel, or tell it when it’s wrong.
It has the absolute authority to do those things in my life – because of what it is. Because of who it’s from. Let me ask you – Have you read it lately? Have you taken time to ponder the meanings, and applied His word to your life?
The word of God is
ii. Living(Advance)
Isaiah 55:11 (NIV) so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
Let me say it this way – the living word comes from the living God, like the living Son who intercedes for us. It is not meant to stay bound in leather, it’s meant to change our lives and who we are, so that we become all that God wants us to be.
iii. It’s sharper than a double-edged sword
I told you last week – it’s not a pillow. It’s a sword, swords are sharp – they cut. We like to take God’s word and fill sermons full of promises and things that make us feel good, comfort and justify our sin, instead of shaping who we are. The sharp word of God will change your life – have you read it lately? The word of God is something to embrace, but only with the expectation of not staying the same. Let me tell you what it’s not and then we’ll go on with our text.
b. The word of God is not
i. A rod to beat someone over the head with
Be careful that you don’t do this. When someone is choking the last thing you do is shove something more down their troth. The same is true with our spiritual lives. The world is choking – it’s hurting – it’s buried deep outside of God’s will – the last thing the world needs are people who claim to follow God, but are void of the love of God. If after 10-15 years of ministry you know more about the Bible – that’s good. But if you are void of LOVE and maturity – your knowledge of the Bible is dangerous. Because in your zeal you will cut people down and cut people off who have potential and need to hear and see the truth in love. Have you read it lately?
Listen to this description:
“It penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow” It touches every part of the human body – and has the right to divide, to judge our heart and our thoughts. It divides between what really matters and what seems to matter. You don’t have the right to judge someone – the word of God not only has the ability, church it has the authority. When it does – it does so perfectly because it’s based on truth.
c. Our approach – must be:
i. Humility – we need to know how much we don’t know.
ii. Eagerness – to not just sit where we are and leave it in the car or on the coffee table – but put it in our hearts, in our minds. Have you read it lately?
iii. Acceptance – If it judges me – and calls me on something – a habit, an attitude, whatever – I have to accept it’s truth for my life….might not be easy, but it will always be good and right.
If you remember in the Book of Acts – those who heard Peter’s message about Jesus on the day of Pentecost “were cut to the heart” and they cried out “what shall we do?” – The judgment was not something they rejected but embraced – because they knew they weren’t right – they knew they needed to do something else. Peter tells them to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins. God’s word does not return void of response.
If God’s word commands us to hear it speak – it gives us the warning (Advance)
II. One day – we will speak to God. (Advance)
Hebrews 4:13 (NIV) – Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
“No one can hide from this speech act of God; the word of God unveils every human life, laid bare before the eyes of God. The word of God takes an ordinary moment and makes it a time of crisis and decision, takes a routine event and makes it the theater of the glory of God, takes and ordinary life and calls it to holiness. Human beings want to skip the casting call, leave the play early, wander in the lobby at intermission, and rewrite the ending. The living active word of god refreshes hope and restores confidence. The word of God turns wandering human beings into principle actors in the magnificent story of divine redemption, transforms frightened people who hide in their garden and make excuses into holy partners of Jesus Christ who can, through him, stand up boldly and render an account.”
One day – hear me on this – one day we will stand before our maker and give an account of what we’ve done with what we’ve been given. You will have to justify, with the blood of Christ, the times you didn’t serve, the times you didn’t care, the bad attitudes and apathy, you know the list better than I do. Here’s the stinky thing – it’s based on you. It’s independent of the actions of those around you. You will not be able to – on the Day of Judgment offer the justification of your sin based on someone else’s sin.
God sees our sin independent of the reasoning. That’s why it says honor your parents, period. Good enough. Wives respect your husbands, period. Good enough. Husbands love your wife, period. Good enough. There are few loop holes for a reason. Because the respect and love and honor are actions you have because of your love for God. You cannot withhold love for your wife (the wonderful gift she is) and claim on the Day of Judgment that you aren’t guilty because of something she did.
This is the laid bare before God kinda talk. It really means – “Naked”or “uncovered” – this is the same way someone would describe a soldier who wasn’t wearing his armor. This is why I HATE going to the doctor – because the gown they give you uncovers more than it hides. But that’s the way we will one day be before GOD. We must stand before God as we truly are, because then and only then, will God truly heal us and make us clean, and make it so that we can have freedom and confidence in his presence.
(Advance) The word of God speaks – if the people of God will just listen. It is my prayer that we will heed the warning of the psalmist -- Today, if you hear his voice do not harden your hearts.
Let’s pray.
