What God's Word Can Do for You
Hebrews 4:12-16
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Grayson Baptist Church - February 7, 2016
*Is there anybody here who wants to be weak in their Christian life? -- No! We want to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might! But in order to get there, we must spend time in the Word of God. And today's Scripture can help us see what God's Word can do for you.
1. First: God's Word can give us a heavenly view of our hearts.
*We've heard of getting a bird's-eye view of things, but we really need is a God's-eye view of things, and the Bible can give me a God's-eye view of my heart. It really can help us see things from God's point of view.
[1] God's Word can point out our problems.
*We see this truth in vs. 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."
*Here God is telling us that His Word can penetrate deep inside our hearts.
*We use CAT Scans, MRIs and ultrasound machines to look inside our bodies, but nothing can penetrate us like the Word of God can. It can cut through the spiritual calluses that build up around our heart and convict us of sin. That's one of the most crucial things the Bible can do in our lives: It can convict us of our sins. And all of us need this conviction, because all of us have sinned.
*But without God's Word, we cannot even tell right from wrong. You may say that everyone is born with a conscience, and I agree with that up to a point. But in Jeremiah 17:9 God tells us that "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. . ."
*That's why on New Year's Eve hundreds of women in Cologne, Germany were sexually assaulted by Muslim refugee immigrants. And that's why a couple of weeks ago, ISIS Muslims thought it was good to behead a 14-year-old boy who missed Friday prayers. They've been taught that it was okay to do those horrendous things. (1)
*Without God's Word, human beings are simply not wise enough or good enough to even tell right from wrong. That's why some other atrociously bad things like abortion are perfectly legal in our country today.
*And that's why ungodly people have worked so hard to ridicule the Bible and remove it from public life. The greatest tragedy of the last 50 years is that they have been so successful. And that is the main reason why our country is in such trouble today.
*But in Isaiah 5, God says:
20. Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
21. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!
*All of us need the Bible in our hearts and minds, because it really can help us see things from God's point of view. You see, the problem is that we have a tendency to grow calloused to our sinfulness. We tend to deceive ourselves and justify ourselves, but the Word of God can break through those walls of self-deception!
[2] God's Word can point out our problems. -- And it can point out our possibilities!
*On the surface, I may not look like much, but God takes a deeper look! And in 2 Corinthians 5:17, God says this to all Christians: "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
*In 2 Peter 2:9, God tells Christians that we are part of "a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."
*Then in Philippians 4:13, He tells me: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." God's Word shows me that I have amazing possibilities for my life.
2. That's what God's Word can do for you: It can give you a heavenly view of your heart. -- But it can also give spiritual birth to your soul.
*Verse 12 helps us see this truth, because it tells us that the Word of God is "quick" or "living". The Bible is not like any other book. -- It's alive! It's spiritually alive. The Word of God is a living thing and it has the power to give us spiritual life.
*The Holy Spirit of God uses the written Word of God to give us eternal life with the nature of God. That's why John 20:30-31 says:
30. . . Truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book;
31. but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.
*God's Word can bring spiritual birth to your soul. We can also see this truth in 1 Peter 1:23-25. Here the Bible tells Christians that we have:
23. . . been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,
24. because "All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away,
25. but the word of the Lord endures forever.'' Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.
*God's Word and only God's Word has the power to give us the new spiritual birth of eternal life. God's Word and only God's Word has the power to save our souls.
*Gaylord Kambarami told one of my favorite stories about the life-changing power of God's Word. Gaylord was the General Secretary of the Bible Society in Zimbabwe when he tried to give a New Testament to a very grouchy, hot-tempered man. The man gruffly said he would take the New Testament, but only so he could tear out the pages, roll them up, and use them to make cigarettes.
*Gaylord told the man, "I understand that, but at least promise to read the page of the New Testament before you smoke it." The man agreed and the two went their separate ways.
*Fifteen years later, the two men met at a Methodist convention in Zimbabwe. By that time, the Scripture-smoking atheist had trusted in Jesus and was a full-time evangelist! He told the people, "I smoked Matthew, and I smoked Mark, and I smoked Luke. But when I got to John 3:16, I couldn't smoke anymore! My life was changed from that moment." (2)
*That Scripture-smoking man was saved by the miraculous power of God's Word. He was born-again by the miraculous power of the Bible
3. That's what God's Word can do for you: It can give spiritual birth to your soul. -- And it can give you a clear view of Christ.
*God gives us a great view of Jesus Christ in vs. 14-15:
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.
*The Bible can help us to see Jesus Christ like nothing else can. The Bible can help us to really see Jesus.
*In vs. 14, we see that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. We also see Jesus passed back into Heaven. And that trip was necessary only because He came down from Heaven to die on the cross for our sins. Jesus Christ loves us so much that He was willing to die to take the punishment for our sins. He took our death penalty so that we might have His everlasting life.
*And now in vs. 14, He is our Great High Priest because He rose again from the dead. So Jesus Christ is the only one who can bridge the gap between God and us, the gap caused by our sin.
*And vs. 15 reminds us that Jesus understands every trial and temptation we ever have to go through in life. Jesus understands and has sympathy for our weaknesses, because He "was in all points tempted like as we are. . ." And Jesus has the power to help us, because unlike us, He never sinned!
*How do you see Jesus Christ? -- When you look into His Word, yes, you can see Him high and lifted up: Holy, Holy, Holy! But you can also see Him understanding you, standing in the gap for you, doing all He can for you, and loving you.
*There is so much hurt and pain and ugliness in this world that people can get blinded to the love of God. But you can find the love of God in His Son Jesus Christ!
*God loves you! And God loves me. How do I know? -- Because the Bible tells me so!
4. God's Word can give you a clear view of Christ. -- And it can give you a firmer grip on your faith.
*Verse 14 says: "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.
*God wants us to hold fast our "confession" or "profession" of faith. He wants us to take hold of faith, and keep hanging on.
*A.T. Robertson said God wants us to "cling tenaciously" to our faith. Hold on and never let go! (3)
*William McDonald said: "Nothing must be allowed to turn us from the staunch confession that our only hope is in Jesus Christ." (4)
*God wants us to have a firm grip on our faith, and that makes sense, because stronger faith will help us be more willing to witness for the Lord. Stronger faith also helps us to grow more Christ-like in our character.
*And a good grip on our faith also means more assurance to ask for God's help. That's why vs. 16 says: "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
*God loves us enough to listen to us. And if we have received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we can come boldly to find His mercy and grace to help us in time of need.
*These are a few of the great reasons why God wants us to have a firm grip on our faith. And the main way to get this spiritual strength is from the Bible. As Romans 10:17 says: "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
CONCLUSION:
*There is no other book like this book, and there never will be.
-God's Word can give you a heavenly view of your heart.
-It can give spiritual birth to your soul.
-It can give you a clear view of Christ.
-And it can give you a firmer grip on your faith.
*That's what God's Word can do for you!
-So read it, -- study it.
-Believe it, -- obey it.
*And let the Word of God change your life.
*Would you please bow for prayer.
(1) Various news reports
(2) American Bible Society Record, March 1990 - Source: Raymond McHenry - Stories for Preachers & Teachers
(3) "Robertson's Word Pictures" by A.T. Robertson - Hebrews 4:14
(4)"Believer's Bible Commentary" by William McDonald - Edited by Arthur Farstad - Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Copyright 1995, 1992, 1990, 1989 - Hebrews 10:19-39
