I was twenty-four years old ... when I first became aware ... of what it meant to be ... under the scalpel of God's word.
It was then ... that I heard and understood clearly ... that I was a sinner .... and as such .... had no right to eternity ... in heaven.
I remember being cut through ... with the conviction of my sin.
There and then ... I received Jesus Christ ... as my personal Savior and my Lord.
That was my first experience with the penetrating power of the Word of God ... but it would not be my last.
Over the years ... there have been many times ... that the Word of God has cut me .... and convicted me.
Today we come to the classic text on the power of the Word of God in Hebrews:
BIBLE "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." END (Hebrews 4:12-13)
This section begins with the word "for" or "therefore" ... tying what follows ... with what the author has previously told us ... concerning the consequences ... of Israel's disobedience.
The author wants us .... to get it through our thick heads .... that Israel's awful tragedy ... can strike us as well.
Today ... I want you to see with me ... four reasons ... why we should not disregard the Word of God!
First, .... It is A Living Word "For the word of God .... is living" (Hebrews 4:12)
The Scriptures, .... the Word of God, .... is unlike any other book you have in your home ... or in the library.
The Library of Congress lays claim ... to be the largest library in the world, ... with more than 150 million items on approximately 838 miles of bookshelves.
The collections include more than 32 million books and other printed materials, ... 3.0 million recordings, ... 15 million photographs, ... 5 million maps, ... and 61 million manuscripts.
Yet among all these volumes ... the only one that lays a claim to being alive and powerful ... are the Holy Scriptures.
This places The Word of God ... in a unique category all to itself.
The word "living" ... is the translation of zon (???), a present participle of the verb zao (?a?) "Zah -- O" ... which means "to live, to be alive." "Zah-O"
The Word of God is alive, ... actively alive, ... and as the tense indicates, ... constantly alive.
The word of God is no dead letter, ... it is living, ... it is alive.... And it will penetrate ... your very soul. (Pause)
A story is told ... of a man who said he had received no inspiration from the Bible.
"Let it flow through you once," replied the elderly pastor ... "then you will tell a different story!"
The Word of God is not only a living word but
Secondly, ... Is an Active Powerful Word
"For the word of God is living and active." (Hebrews 4:12)
The word translated active (energes) "N-air-gAce" ...is the word from which we get the word ... energy and energetic.
The word of God is energetic "N0air-gAce
The word literally means "at work."
The word of God is continually at work.
Charles Swindoll comments, "News articles may inform us.
Novels may inspire us.
Poetry may enrapture us. But only the living, active Word of God can .... transform us."
Beloved ... It is alive!
One of the most dramatic examples of the Scriptures divine ability to transform men and women ... involved the famous mutiny on the Bounty.
Following their rebellion against the notorious Captain Bligh, ... nine mutineers, ... along with the Tahitian men and women, ... found their way to Pitcairn Island,... a tiny dot in the South Pacific only two miles long ... and a mile wide.
Ten years later, ... drink and fighting had left only one-man alive John Adams.
Eleven women and 23 children made up the rest of the Island's population.
So far this is the familiar story made famous in the book and motion picture.
But the rest of the story ... is even more remarkable.
About this time, ... Adams came across the Bounty's Bible ... in the bottom of an old chest.
He began to read it, ... and the divine power of God's Word .... reached into the heart of that hardened man on a tiny volcanic speck in the vast Pacific Ocean .... and changed his life forever.
The peace and love that Adams found in the Scriptures ... entirely replaced the old life of quarreling, brawling, and liquor.
He began to teach the children from the Bible ... until every person on the island had experienced the same amazing change that he had found. (Pause)
The Scriptures are ...living and active...and when we read its words .... they reach out and touch the needs of our lives.... in an almost tangible way.
The prophet Isaiah describes scripture as being a living agent or messenger that God sends to touch our lives. Listen to what God promises in this passage from Isaiah...
BIBLE ".... My word will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." END (Isaiah 55:11)
So, unlike any other book, ... the Scriptures are living and active and:
Thirdly, ... It is a Penetrating Word
BIBLE "Sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing... penetrating... until it divides soul from spirit, and joints from marrow." END (Hebrews 4:12)
Like a sharp sword which can lay open the human body with one slashing blow, ... so the sword of the Scripture .... can open our inner life.... and expose it ... to ourselves ... and to others.
In the Roman world, ... there were two distinctly different swords.
There was a large sword, ... it was long, heavy and destructive.
And There was a short sword (machaira), called a "ma--ha-rah" it was lightweight and double-edged and deadly because it cut both ways.
This shorter sword is the sword Peter used to cut off the ear of the servant of the High priest in the garden of Gethsemane .... on the night of Jesus arrest (Mark 14:47).
What the author of Hebrews is saying .... is that God's Word can reach into the innermost recesses of our very being!
No heart ... is too tough ... no soul is too dark. (Pause)
(Slow Quite) When God wills it, ... his word can pierce anyone ... as a certain Mr. Thorpe in 18th century Bristol ... found out.
Thorpe was a part of a band of men who called themselves, ... the "Hell Fire Club."
Their reason for existence was to mock and ridicule the work of the famed evangelist, George Whitefield.
On one occasion, the "Hell-Fire Club" gathered at a pub for such mockery.
Mr. Thorpe offered his brilliant imitation of Whitefield, ... whom he and his friends called, "Mr. Squintum" ... because of Whitefield eyes.
Thorpe delivered his mocking sermon... with brilliant accuracy, .... perfectly imitating Whitefield's tone and facial expressions ... as he quoted Scripture.
Suddenly amidst the laughter Thorpe had to sit down ... for he was pierced through ... and was converted on the spot.
Mr. Thorpe was a thoroughly nasty man, .... engaged in nasty actions .... yet the Word of God pierced his heart and changed him .... in an instant.
Mr. Thorpe went on to be a prominent Christian leader in the city of Bristol. (Pause)
The Word of God Is Not Only (Fingers) a living .... active and Penetrating ...... It is also (4 Fingers) a Discerning Word.
And is a discerner ... and judge .... of the thoughts and the intentions of our heart.
Hear Gods word from Hebrews:
BIBLE "And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account." END (Hebrews 4:12-13)
Beloved...... God Sees Everything ....... There Is No Escape.
We want God to see us and come to our aid ... when we are hurting and when we are going through difficult times.
But when it comes to our sin and wrongdoing we would rather that God looked the other way.
Yet the Word of God is a judge a discerner of the thoughts and intentions .... of the heart.
The word judge (kritikos) "Crit -- E- cos" is the word from which we get the English term critic.
As the word of God penetrates into the innermost recesses of our being .... it does so as a critic .... As a judge.
God Sees Everything .... There Is No Hiding.
Only the Word of God ... is capable of exposing the thoughts and attitudes ... of the human heart.
Why is it .... when we fear that some-thing is not quite right physically .... That we tend to put off going to the doctor ... because we fear we will hear bad news.
The same is true spiritually.
Beloved ... Ignoring it will not make it go away .... It will not make it disappear.
All things are naked... all things are laid bare before God.
The Greek word used in this passage (tetrachelismena) literally refers to bending someone's neck backward .... so, the face is looking upwards.
It is a vivid term ... describing either the grip of a wrestler on the neck of his opponent ... or the grip on the neck of a victim ... prepared for sacrifice.
And sometimes ... it was used to describe how a man being led to execution ... had a knife placed beneath his chin ... so that he could not hang his head in shame ... and thus avoid the gaze ... of the onlookers.
To be in the grip of an all-powerful God ... is to be vulnerable, .... To be helpless ... to have all our secrets known.
With God, ... we cannot smooth over our sin with outward actions, .... He knows the real intentions of our hearts.
We may appear to be sincere to others... but God knows our true motives.
God Sees Everything.
Hebrews reminds us... "All things are open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." (Hebrews 4:13)
The Apostle Paul warns: BIBLE "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that each may receive the things done in the body, according to what they have done, whether good or bad." END (2 Corinthians 5:10)
Guide your life by the Scriptures.
Live by its principles.
Follow its precepts.
No one is uneducated who knows the Bible, .... and no one is wise ... who is ignorant of its teachings.
The word of God is living and active, ... sharper than any two-edged sword, ... piercing until it divides soul from spirit, ... joints from marrow; ... it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Beloved .... In your life .... Are the Scriptures true because you believe them or.... Do you believe them because they are True?
Your answer is eternally significant.
Beloved ... Believe them .... for they are true!
And Gods Word shares this assurance ... this truth.
"If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you shall be saved." (Romans 10:9-10)
Amen and Amen!
Help: If this Message has been helpful to you please consider sending a nominal donation to Epiphany Anglican Fellowship 135 Kalassay Drive, Post Office Box 375, Ligonier, PA 15658 and (Write on the Memo line - Web Support). We are a small but growing parish in the Laurel Mountains of Pennsylvania. Blessings in Christ. Blessed To Be A Blessing.
Dear Reader: So I can better help you, if this Message was not helpful and you rated it low, Please let me know what it lacked or why it was not helpful. You can search by contributor Smead" (Constructive Criticism is very helpful) and contact me there. Blessings In Christ Jeff
