Go and Show them the Word
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We are continuing on our road of Evangelism and what it means to evangelize. So far we have talked about how Jesus changes our lives, the cross changes us, and how our Father changes our lives to be evangelists in the way we live. This week we are presented with the Word of God. We are to make much of the Word of God in our lives and in the lives of those around us. We should allow the Word to change our lives and permeate the lives of others.
Many years ago in a Moscow theater, matinee idol Alexander Rostovzev was converted while playing the role of Jesus in a sacrilegious play entitled Christ in a Tuxedo. He was supposed to read two verses from the Sermon on the Mount, remove his gown, and cry out, "Give me my tuxedo and top hat!" But as he read the words, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted," he began to tremble. Instead of following the script, he kept reading from Matthew 5, ignoring the coughs, calls, and foot-stamping of his fellow actors. Finally, recalling a verse he had learned in his childhood in a Russian Orthodox church, he cried, "Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom!" (Luke 23:42). Before the curtain could be lowered, Rostovzev had trusted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior.
In today’s Scriptures we will see the Word and the power it has to change. Turn in your Bible to Hebrews 4:12-13
12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
In this scripture you will see three aspects that will cause you to live differently. First you will see that the Word is living, Second you will see that the Word is precise, and Third the Word is Open. Please stand with me as we read our Scripture.
The Word is living
The Word is living
12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
What does it mean that the Word is living? The word for living here is the word Lemma, the specific meaning for the word used in this passage is to live in a transcending manner. Meaning that the Word lives through those who read, study, and apply the Word. It is important to understand this because often times we will see these scriptures and we will apply logic to it and we will say that the Bible itself is the most important book. The fact though is that the Bible is not the most important book if you do not live it. The book of the bible is just that it is a book. The Book I hold in my hands this morning is not a magical book, it does not change me just by holding it. I love my Bible, I take time to read it, I highlight in my Bible, but most importantly I read my Bible. Have you ever seen someone who takes the Book so seriously? I have.
When I was going through the Institute up on the mountain I went to school with a guy and for today we will call him John. This was not his name but we stream so I will be careful. John believed that his Bible was special and that just holding that book would change things for him. John was careful not to wrinkle the pages of his Bible. He would not let anyone hold his Bible, and for fear of bending pages he was very careful when turning the pages in his Bible. It was painful watching him read his Bible because he would rake the page and do his very best to pull the page without pulling the page in a crease. because of this it took him sometimes 30 minutes to get through 2 pages of reading his Bible. Me on the other hand I have creases, bends in the pages, markings in the margins, underlines, and many other markings. For me the book of the Bible is important but it is far more important for the Bible to be lived out than to be carried.
What good does it do the World for you to carry a pretty Bible and not live it in your life? What will it profit you to have a pretty Bible but not show others the Bibles power to change your life? Please do not get me wrong I am not saying that the book of the Bible is not important, how else would it change lives if it were not read? It is important and I in no way am minimizing the Bible. I do however want to draw the contrast of loving the Word of God because it lives through you and living a really nice book that you carry. Some people in here have a Bible that they aren't even sure what name is in the front of their Bible. Some people might be carrying a copy of another book and would never know it because they never open their Bible. When this passage was written in Hebrews it was written to say that the Word of God transcends through the believers and lives through us. The Bible is living and active because of how we live. If you do not live with the Word of God through you then you are not making the most of the Word. Is your Bible living? Are you showing the World the Word by living it to them? Did you even know this scripture existed? The biggest problem with believers today is that they do not read the word of God. They are taken away by inaccurate philosophies and theology because they do not know enough of the Word to discern the truth. I am just telling you with some of the famous pastors out there and their stories of what the Word says, I know for a fact that anyone following them is not reading the Bible for themselves. This book in my hands has no ability to do anything except when I chose to let it live through me. This book is not going to go love my wife the way I am called to love my wife, this book isn't going to go play with my children and live in love with them the way I am called to. I must apply the Word in my life. What does the Scripture say about this?
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
4 But he answered, “It is written,
“ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”
39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
In these scriptures we find that the Word of God is not a book. It is living and active because it is living in us. The Word of God is living and active when believers study the Scriptures and apply the scriptures. Carrying your bible, posting scriptures on Facebook, Instagram, or any other platform does not matter if you are not going to live it. The Word of God transcends us and lives through us bringing us to life. Do others see this in you?
The Word is Precise
The Word is Precise
12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
We see in this scripture that the Word of God goes past the soul and the spirit, past the joints and marrow, and to the thoughts and intentions of mans heart. The Word of God is active and living through us and is actively changing our thoughts and hearts. People who study and apply their Bible look and sound different than most people. Believers who understand the importance of Scripture have a different understanding of the world around them and the way that God operates. They understand the importance of how they are called to live. The Bible gets to the most important part and changes our hearts. It bypasses the spirit and the soul, bypasses your DNA and whatever was messed up in the fall of man and it goes to the only thing that really matters. Here is the fact we are fallen man. Our bodies will bear the consequences of this sin and we will not escape from the death of our bodies. We will however if we read, study, understand, and apply the Word of God in our lives have hearts that are changed and secured in God. It is precise. The Bible does not mess around with getting to the most important topic at hand. The Bible does not want to make you look prettier, make you sound nicer, smell nicer. It wants to change your heart to be life Jesus. I read a quote one day and I wrote it down, it says this.
Men do not reject the Bible because it contradicts itself, but because it contradicts them.
The Bible gets down to the heart of things and quite honestly most people avoid reading it because they do not want to change their hearts. They are content with the way they are living and because of this they are content to go to church, look nice, dress nice, sound nice, and yet never change their hearts.
I have coached both Baseball and Soccer for my kids. When you become a coach you want your kids to be the best. I am super competitive, sometimes a little too much. I want my teams and my kids to be the absolute best. The problem though with coaching kids is that they cannot jump out and win the World Series next week. You have to start today and build the basics then help them move as they improve each of the basics. For many this is a lifelong journey of improvement. The best players are continuously improving their skills. Sometimes you will do something that looks completely weird and it will be something that comes in handy later. It takes years and years to build the basics and to become the best.
The Bible is not like this. The nature of man is so futile and so short the Bible gets straight to the point. The Bible does not want to build on basics and let you become a nicer person. The Bible will make you a new person. Now don’t get confused, I am not saying that once the Word of God gets to you that you are perfect. We spend most of our lives learning how to let the Word change our lives and hearts. We spend most of our time learning how to read the Word and apply the life that God is calling us to. What I am saying is that the Bible cares about the Heart of the person and changes the behaviors through changing the persons heart. The Bible does not change your behaviors in hopes of reaching your heart, it changes your heart in confidence that it will change your behavior. The Word understands the importance of the Heart.
23 Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.
19 As in water face reflects face,
so the heart of man reflects the man.
13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
The Bible works past all of the things about us and cuts straight to the heart. Maybe that is why the Devil wants to convince you not to read your Bible. Maybe that is why he gets people so bent out of shape over the book itself instead of living it in their lives. Maybe the devil understands that the Word will change your heart. Maybe you understand that and you are just so comfortable and happy with the way you live. The way you live does not require that you count others as more important than yourself. The needs of others over your own comforts. Are you allowing the Word to pierce your heart and to change you? The Word of God is living and active when you read it and apply it. It is precise in that it will change your heart. The Bible is also open. It is not for a select group of people but is for all creation.
The Word is Open
The Word is Open
13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
No creature or person is hidden from the Scriptures. The Scriptures make known who everyone is. The Scriptures are also open to changing anyone who will read it, believe it, and apply it. God has put no qualifications on His word. The Word of God is not for the scholars, it is not for the doctorates, it is not for the socially elite. The Bible is for the most elite of society but also for the lowest of society. It is for the person who obeys mans laws and it is for the person who breaks mans laws. The Bible is there for all people and is readily available for us in this country. How selfish of us that we have Bibles collecting dust when there are children who have not heard yet how much Jesus loves them. The Word of God is open to the World and has the power to change all people not just the people we think are qualified. God is calling all people. The Word of God puts no regulations on who it can change and when it can change them. The Bible does not say it will only change you if you are a good person and follow the laws, it does not say that you can go so far that the Word cant change you. We are the ones who put limitations on the Scriptures. The Bible removes that and says that no matter who you are you are exposed through scripture to the eyes of the Father. The Scripture is for the entire world, it requires though that the Believers read it, allow it to change their hearts, and show the world the change. Are you holding the word back from those who need it because you don't think they deserve it? If you think that way you need to go back to the first two steps of this sermon.
I was recently put in charge of interviewing a young man for a job at AT&T in the construction environment. I talked to the young man for a few minutes and made it a goal to talk him out of getting the job at ATT. I asked him if he had construction experience, he said none. I asked him if he had a fear of heights, he said he could overcome it for the job. I asked him if he had a CDL, he said he would get one. I talked to him about how the crew would be mean to him and they would pick on him because he was so young and that it was likely going to be rough until he proved himself. He told me he could do it. After the interview I was going through the list and marking all the reasons this kid did not need the job. At the end of the questionnaire it asked me if there was any physical reason this person could not do the job and if there was not that I needed to pass him to the next step. A questionnaire brought me to tears. Not because it was making me pass the kid but because one sentence on a computer screen called out my prejudice for this kid. It caused me to question if I had higher expectations for him than I had for myself because if the expectations that I had for him were in place when I got hired I would not be working there today.
The Word of God is not for just those that you deem approved. God desires that all people hear the Word and seek Him. The Word of God is active, it is precise, and it is open to all people. I want to read to you these last few scriptures.
3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
2 that your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.
22 “Turn to me and be saved,
all the ends of the earth!
For I am God, and there is no other.
3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
