God’s
“Life Changing”
“Life Giving”
Word!
Heb 3:6-4:16(NKJ), “but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.
7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you will hear (PHONE’)His voice,
8 Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness,
9 Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, and saw My works forty years.
10 Therefore I was angry with that generation, and said, 'They always go astray in their heart, and they have not known My ways.'
11 So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest.' " (Deu. 28, Blessing & Cursing based upon our response to the “Word of the Lord”)
12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;
16 For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses?
17 Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness?
18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey?
19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
CHAPTER 4
1 Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it.
2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.
3a For we who have believed do enter that rest,
7 again He designates a certain day, saying in David, "Today," after such a long time, as it has been said: "Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts."
12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Heb. 3:7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you will hear His voice,
Heb. 3:15 while it is said: "Today, if you will hear His voice
Heb. 4:7 again He designates a certain day, saying in David, "Today," after such a long time, as it has been said: "Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts."
Heb. 3:13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
A. God immensely desires that we hear His LIFE GIVING LIFE CHANGING WORD today!
B. In the OT only select individuals could come close enough to God to hear His voice
C. Today, God has called every individual through Christ to come forward into His very presence and HEAR HIS LIFE GIVING LIFE CHANGING WORD
D. Jesus explained prophetically to Nathaniel what would take place in the spirit because of His death, burial, resurrection and ascension
John 1:51(NKJ), “And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."
[Heaven open] This seems to be a figurative expression:
1. Through Christ we now have a clear and abundant revelation of God's will being made known to human flesh; that heaven itself should be laid as it were open, and all the mysteries which had been shut up and hidden in it from eternity, relative to the salvation and glorification of man; should be now fully revealed.
2. We now have angels of God ascending and descending, is to be understood, that a perpetual intercourse should now be opened between heaven and earth, through the medium of Christ, who was God manifested in the flesh. Our blessed Lord is represented in his mediatorial capacity as the ambassador of God to men; and the angels ascending and descending upon the Son of man, is a metaphor taken from the custom of despatching couriers or messengers from the prince to his ambassador in a foreign court, and from the ambassador back to the prince.-- From Adam Clarke Commentary
E. As much as God wants us to publish and give His LIFE GIVING LIFE CHANGING WORDS TO US, Satan wants to keep us away from them. (PARABLE OF THE SOWER)
Mark 4:1-9(NKJ)
1 And again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea.
2 Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:
3 "Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow.
4 "And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it.
5 "Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth.
6 "But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away.
7 "And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.
8 "But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."
9 And He said to them, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"
F. Why?
Word brings life (Lazarus come forth)
Word brings health (Psa. 107:20)
Word contains exceeding precious promises (2 Pet. 1:4)
Word can move mountains in your life
Word can set your free (John 8:32)
Word can produce faith (Rom. 10:17)
Word can change your life (Heb. 4:12)
G. To ensure that we are in a position to receive God’s LIFE GIVING LIFE CHANGING WORD, We need to guard our heart and make sure that it is fertile soil!
What do we need to guard our heart against?
1. We need to guard against having a STUBBORN HEART.
8 Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness,
A stubborn heart will not come under the yoke of Christ Authority.
Prov 29:1
1 He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.
2. We need to guard against and IRREVERRANT HEART.
9 Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, and saw My works forty years.
10 Therefore I was angry with that generation
3. We need to guard against A STRAYING HEART.
10 Therefore I was angry with that generation, and said, 'They always go astray in their heart,
4. We need to guard against having an UNFAMILIAR HEART.
10 Therefore I was angry with that generation, and said, 'They always go astray in their heart, and they have not known My ways.'
11 So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest.' "
5. We need to guard against an UNBELIEVING HEART that turns away from God’s help and looks towards self for help.
12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;
G. When our heart is ready to hear God’s LIFE GIVING LIFE CHANGING WORD, WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO?
1. WE NEED TO Hear it (Pray, seek, search)
2. Receive it (Accept it)
3. Own it (This is mine)
4. Live it (Experience it)
The Word of God is meant to be more than informational, it's meant to be transformational.
The Word of God is meant to be more than objective truth it's meant to be affective truth.
Sunday School teachers, we need to realize that we are doing more in our classes than just feeding data into our students brain. WE ARE THERE TO CHANGE A LIFE; WE ARE THERE TO AFFECT CHANGE! AFFECTIVE VS. OBJECTIVE
5. Invest it (Into the lives of others
6. Never neglect it (the price is too great)
Prov 24:30-34(NKJ), “I went by the field of the lazy man, and by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding;
31 And there it was, all overgrown with thorns; its surface was covered with nettles; its stone wall was broken down.
32 When I saw it, I considered it well; I looked on it and received instruction:
33 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest;
34 So shall your poverty come like a prowler, and your need like an armed man.”
Neglect happens when you major on the minors (Luke 9:59-62)
Neglect happens when you presume upon tomorrow (Pro. 27:1)
Prov 27:1(NKJ), “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.”
Conclusion:
Heb. 3:7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you will hear His voice,
Heb. 3:15 while it is said: "Today, if you will hear His voice
Heb. 4:7 again He designates a certain day, saying in David, "Today," after such a long time, as it has been said: "Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts."
Heb. 3:13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
Acts 8:25-26(NKJ), “ So when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.
26 Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, "Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is desert.”
Deu. 28 (Blessing and Cursing based upon response to God’s Word)
John 3:30-35(TLB)
30 He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.
31 "He has come from heaven and is greater than anyone else. I am of the earth, and my understanding is limited to the things of earth.
32 He tells what he has seen and heard, but how few believe what he tells them!
33 Those who believe him discover that God is a fountain of truth. For this one-- sent by God-- speaks God's words, for God's Spirit is upon him without measure or limit.
35 The Father loves this man because he is his Son, and God has given him everything there is.
