The Working Of The Word

WESTSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH

PASTOR: TERRY VAUGHAN

SERMON TITLE: THE WORKING OF THE WORD

?For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned; but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the only begotten Son of God.? John 3:16-18

TEXT VERSE: 1 Thessalonians 2:13 ?For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.?

Thank God there?s always a cause for what we do. I remember in the Bible when David?s dad told him to take some food out to his brothers in the valley. He took it to them and they kind of rebuked him and said he only wanted to come and see the battle. They told David to go away and that stirred David?s heart and he said, is there not a cause why I?ve come? Thank God there?s a ?cause? in everything we do. The Lord is still in charge. Paul said to thank God without ceasing because when you received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God which effectually worketh also in you that believe. Now I want to preach to you on ?The working of the Word.?

There?s a lot of people in the world today that have tried a lot of other things than the Lord Jesus. We?re living in a world where it seems change is always on the boundaries and on the first and foremost portion of people?s lives. They always want change and they are always wanting something bigger and better. I want to tell you that there is nothing any bigger or any better than the precious word of God. I don?t know what we?d do today if we didn?t have the word of God to govern our lives. The reason why most Christians are living like they do is because they are lacking the word of God. One thing that will work when nothing else will is the word of God. I like to shout the victory just as much s anybody does but it?s not till the word of god comes on the scene that there?s a change that will make things better in your life. There?s nothing any more precious this side of heaven than the word of God. But there?s a lot of people today that are lacking in this sense. How long has the word been around? John 1 says that in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. Before the foundation was formed, the word of God was around. When the word of God starts dealing with you on the inside...it will work. You Christians that don?t get the word of God today....Shame on you. Don?t you try to live a Christian life without the word of God. How can you get it? It only comes one way. It comes by Jesus.

In Isaiah 55:11 ?So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.?

What does it take for you to get saved? It took the preached word. What does it take for you to shout? It takes the word of God. What changes your life? The working of the word of God.

I?m going to be just as honest as I can be. It?s very easy for us to come into the house of God and sit on the pew and call our selves Christians. But is the word of God working in your life? It?s good to come and shout the victory. It?s good to praise God. It?s good to sing the songs of Zion but it?s takes a whole lot more than that...it takes the word of God working in you. Let me say this. I wonder how good the word of God is working in Christians. You don?t say Amen unless you?re doing what God says. The intent of the word is to change people?s lives. They?ll come in here and sit in the house of God and come time to take up the offering, they?ll stick a dollar or two in the offering plate and the house of God will suffer week after week. Yet they claim that the word of God is working in their life. I have news for you...it isn?t. You can jump up and shout when you start giving your offerings. This is serious business. The word of God has to work in peoples lives.