Hebrews 4:12-13 - The Powerful Word
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction:
Words have power. Growing up, I remember being told about the power of one’s words. The old adage that sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me has always been a blatant fallacy. Words do matter. They can either build one up or tear one down.
However, as powerful as our words can be, there is a Word that is far more powerful. It has the power to change lives. And yet it also has the power to judge.
The Word of God is the most powerful weapon that we could ever imagine. It is dangerous. Yet, it is life-saving. It wounds. Yet, it saves.
Unfortunately, many underestimate the power of the Word of God. Instead of it being heeded and studied, it is often put on a shelf to collect dust.
It is the best selling book of all time, yet most who have it neglect to read it.
It has reshaped much of our world over the centuries including even the United States of America.
More than that - it has been the source for a multitude of souls to come to a saving knowledge of Christ over the last nearly two millennia.
My friends, today, we are going to be going through two powerful verses in the book of Hebrews.
I get up each week and preach the Word of God. Why do I do that? Why do I spend hours and hours preparing sermons to preach to you all? Why do we gather to worship the Lord each week and hear the Word of God preached?
It is because we believe that it is powerful. We believe that it is effective. We believe that it changes lives. And we believe what it says.
Let’s jump into today’s verses…
Read Full Scripture:
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. 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.
Prayer
Before diving into our points today, I think it is important for us to take a step back and answer the important question…
How do we know that the Bible is the Word of God?
We could spend hours on this wonderful topic. And I do love to nerd out on it. But for a quick answer, we will hit four high points…
1 - It is consistent, historically accurate, noncontradictory, inerrant, and infallible.
It remains the most proven historically reliable work of literature in the history of the world with more manuscript evidence than every other single ancient document.
The NT Greek manuscript evidence amounts to some 5600+ copies (with some sources asserting around 6,000) compared to the next most authenticated document - Homer’s Iliad which is at 643 copies.
However, there is another chasm between these two ancient manuscripts of the Bible and the Iliad - even greater than the 10 fold difference between the copies. The first copy of the Greek NT that we have is within a few decades of the Apostles compared to the earliest copy of Homer’s Iliad being around 5 centuries after his original.
The manuscript evidence for the Bible far exceeds any other book or work from the ancient world.
The internal consistency of the NT Greek manuscripts is about 99.5% textually pure. Most differences are found in capitalization, grammar, and punctuation.
I have given you a document that has more facts about the amazing accuracy of the Bible. I would suggest you reviewing it later today.
The Scriptures are not contradictory. The contain no error in their original autographs which we can confidently and reliably put together due to our vast manuscript evidence.
2 - Jesus confirmed the Bible’s divine origin.
It is great to have the historical record. But we also have authentication from God-made-flesh. Jesus spoke of the Scriptures as true.
Jesus referred to the Scriptures as the Word of God - Mark 7:13 and the commandment of God - Matthew 15:3.
Jesus also quoted the Scriptures many times authenticating them.
3 - The predictions about future events have been proven true time and time again.
Time would fail us to go through the vast number of prophecies that have come to fruition. Yet, centuries before they occurred, the Bible spoke of events that would go on to occur just as God had said they would.
4 - It self-authenticates.
In Scriptures such as 2 Peter 1:20-21 as well as 2 Timothy 3:16, we see that the Word of God is self-authenticating. Some may balk at this reason that we believe that the Bible is true. However, because of the historical accuracy, life-changing power, and amazing consistency among some 40+ authors - the Bible shows itself to be true and trustworthy.
However, despite the overwhelming evidence that we can give, it takes faith to believe God. It isn’t a blind faith as we mentioned before. It is a faith based on the truth of the Scriptures and truth that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came to die on the cross for the sins of the world.
So as we get started today, I stand here presenting you a Scripture worth listening to. A Word worth believing.
With that said, today we are going to see four aspects of the life-changing Word of God. The first is…
I. The Word of God is Powerful (12a)
I. The Word of God is Powerful (12a)
For the word of God is living and active…
The Word of God - namely the Scripture - is living and active.
It is interesting that the author choses the word living here. The Greek word for living here is zaō (zhaou) which is used some 322 times in the NT and almost always refers to an animal or person who is alive and performing an action. In fact, it is where we get the word zoo.
So here we see that the Bible isn’t just a book. It is a living book. It is a powerful book. And we see here that it is an active book.
The power of God’s Word comes from the fact that it is God-breathed.
Listen to 2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
The Bible is powerful and profitable because of its Source.
The words on the pages of our Bible are not just words to be read. They are words to be encountered, felt, and experienced. They are the very words of God. When you read the words of the Bible you are hearing the very voice of God speaking into your life.
Do you understand how amazing that blessing is my friends?
We are able to hear God speak to us anytime we want to hear Him speak! These words teach us, train us, correct us, and rebuke us.
How can we not get excited about that!
It was amazing that Moses heard God audibly speak to Him through a burning bush. But we have much more special revelation from God than Moses did! We have the entire Word of God!
And this powerful Word will never pass away.
Psalm 119:89 states:
Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens.
It is firmly fixed in the heavens. It will not pass away. Jesus made a similar statement in Matthew 5:18…
For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
The Word of God is eternal because the God of the Word is eternal.
The Word is forever my friends.
And for those who are changed by it, they will experience an eternal change. Listen to Romans 1:16:
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
The word Gospel is often used in place of the Word of God. The entire Bible is about the Gospel. Jesus is the main theme of the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation. And for those who are changed by the Gospel - namely the Word of God - they are blessed with eternity in heaven with Christ.
The Scriptures tells us that salvation is available for those who place their faith and trust in Jesus Christ - who being truly God, took on human flesh some 2,000 years ago and lived a sinless life - and then was crucified, died, and was buried in a tomb. This Jesus who then rose from the dead three days later and is at the right hand of the Father now offers eternal life to those who repent - meaning those who turn away from their sins - and place their faith and trust in Him as Lord and Savior.
I pray that everyone here has experienced the wonderful blessing of salvation. If you have not, may you be blessed by the powerful and life-changing Word of God that tells you how to be saved through Christ’s finished work on the cross! I would love to discuss what this means in more detail after the service if you have not placed your faith and trust in Christ alone for salvation.
Next we see that…
Scripture References: Mark 7:13, Matthew 15:3, 2 Peter 1:20-21, 2 Timothy 3:16, Psalm 119:89, Matthew 5:18, Romans 1:16
II. The Word of God is Piercing (12b)
II. The Word of God is Piercing (12b)
… sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow…
The Greek word translated sword here is machaira (mah-key-ah-rah) which was a dagger used in close combat.
One of the reasons many people avoid reading the Word of God is because of the intimately close and piercing nature of it. Those who read the Word will be dressed down or reprimanded by it.
It will leave you convicted, and it will leave you changed.
We are told here that it is sharper than any two-edged sword. It cuts no matter what way you use it. It is piercing and convicting.
Charles Spurgeon discussed the sharpness of the Word the following way in the life of the believer:
“You cannot come near the gospel without its having a measure of influence over you; and, God blessing you, it may cut down and kill your sins when you have no idea that such a work is being done.”
And moving forward he continues even more vividly…
“Yes, when Christ comes, He comes not to send peace on the earth, but a sword; and that sword begins at home, in our own souls, killing, cutting, hacking, breaking in pieces. Blessed is that man who knows the Word of the Lord by its exceeding sharpness, for it kills nothing but that which ought to be killed.”
Friends, even after we are saved, there is still much chaff within us that needs dealt with by the Lord. Our flesh is still marred by sin.
For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.
We need the piercing Word of God to remove our sin from us daily. Paul shows us in Romans that the struggle against the flesh is real and difficult.
The Word of God is sharp. There is no blunt edge to the Word. It is powerful and effective.
Looking back at this section of Scripture we see that the Word is...
… sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow…
The author wants us to know the amazing intricacy of the Word of God. It is like a surgeon’s scalpel - methodically and purposefully separating the good from the evil.
The sword of the Lord is accurate and precise. He never misses the mark. He never errs. His work is perfect.
Yet, we must be willing to undergo this soul surgery daily. We must be willing to place ourselves under the hand of our skilled surgeon - Jesus Christ - who promises to continue to conform us to His image.
His work is deep and His work is piercing. In fact, the author here uses these two interchangeable statements - soul and spirit and joints and marrow - to show the depth of the piercing Word of God. Though the soul and spirit are one and used interchangeably in the Bible - God’s Word dissects us to the core.
Those who study the Word and are born again cannot study the Word and not be changed. The Lord sanctifies those He saves.
He might save you just as you are - but He refuses to leave you there.
Brothers and sisters - approach the Word of God in expectation. Don’t read it begrudgingly, not expecting anything to change as you read it. Read it with the full understanding that it is living and active. Read it knowing that you are not going to leave your study that day without some sort of change in your life. Allow the Word of God to reveal areas in your life in which you need change. And ask the Holy Spirit to change you from the inside out. Ask the Lord to cut out the sin in your life.
The Word of God exposes what is inside of us. And then His Holy Spirit empowers us to be changed.
Continuing onward we see that…
Scripture References: Romans 7:18
III. The Word of God is Penetrating (12c)
III. The Word of God is Penetrating (12c)
… discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
The Word not only is piercing - cutting out the areas of sin in our lives - but it is also penetrating - looking deep within the mind and heart of a man. Our sin problem is not just found in our actions. Our sin is most deeply expressed through our thoughts and our heart where we find our volition - or will.
The Word discerns - meaning the ability to judge rightly and righteously - specifically in regard to God’s will.
And it judges our thoughts and intentions of the heart. And in doing this we see that…
The Word of God Changes:
1 - Our Mind
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
God’s Word renews our mind. Our mind needs rewired. It is stricken and corrupted by sin. Yet, God’s Word renews our mind giving us discernment to understand what is good.
If we want to see true life change, then we must first have a change in our minds. This is only done by the power of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God.
In fact, this first change of mind is found in repentance and faith when we become a believer. Repentance starts as a change of mind which then leads to a change of direction.
And as believers, we will continue growing in holiness by regularly repenting and allowing the Lord to change our mind and renew it day-by-day.
Next we see that the Word of God changes…
2 - Our Heart
The author does not refer to our actual heart organ in this verse. The heart in the Scriptures refers to the place of the will and volition of man. It is where conviction comes from.
The Bible calls the heart the wellspring of life in Proverbs 4:23. It is the center of our very being.
Unfortunately, the Fall of man corrupted our heart. Jeremiah 17:9 tells us:
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
That is the natural state of man’s heart. However, the Word of God discerns the heart - it judges it - and it changes it through the power of the Holy Spirit.
How often do you ask yourself why you do what you do?
God is more concerned about the why than He is about the what. What we do certainly does matter. But God cares about the heart.
He cares about what is going on inside of your mind and your heart.
Not only does the Word of God cut out the sinful areas of our lives, it also discerns the underlying ‘whys’ of what we do.
The Word of God does not just reform us. It doesn’t just cause a superficial change. The Word of God penetrates and makes lasting change.
This reminds me of my time in the ER. I often get patients who come in with low blood pressure due to sepsis - usually from a bacterial infection that has infiltrated into the bloodstream. These patients are very sick, and one of the marks or symptoms of their condition is often hypotension or low blood pressure. We have medications to give for this which are warranted and do help. But if all that I did was treat their low blood pressure, the patient would eventually be overcome by the bacteria attacking their body and they would pass away.
They need antibiotics as well. They need something that will get to the heart of the problem. They need something that will cure them from their condition.
My friends, we have more than just a problem of consequences from our sins. We have a heart problem. The world offers remedies for the consequences of your sins such as self-help books, seminars, thinking-pattern changes, behavior modification, among others. All of these are efforts to reform a person into a “better them.” Yet, none of these hit at the heart of why each of us suffer the consequences of our sinful actions. As Wiersbe once said - ‘The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart.’
Pray that God will reveal the depths of your mind and heart. Pray that He will change you from the inside out.
So often people seek to change their actions without focusing on their mind and heart. These changes are only temporary. We must pray that God changes us from the inside out.
And finally we see that…
Scripture References: Romans 12:2, Proverbs 4:23, Jeremiah 17:9
IV. The Word of God is Prudent (13)
IV. The Word of God is Prudent (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.
Prudence is acting or showing care and thought for the future. God uses His Word to carefully, thoughtfully, and comprehensively judge the world. It is here that we see the idea of the Word of God extrapolated to refer to Jesus Christ.
We will all give an account to Jesus about our lives.
Jesus is called the Word - or logos - in John 1:1. Jesus is the perfect revelation of God as God-made-flesh.
As the author of Hebrews stated in Hebrews 1:3, Jesus is…
He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
With all of this in mind, the author of Hebrews gives us a grave warning after speaking of the importance of the Word of God.
The Word of God has power because the God of the Word has power.
The One Who wrote the Word that can penetrate the heart sees everything.
We are told that no creature is hidden from his sight. Angels, Satan and his demons, and humans are all under His sovereign control and nothing is done without Him seeing and knowing.
All are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him.
For man, this is a flashback to Genesis 3. After sin entered the world, man and woman saw their nakedness and exposure as shameful. Before sin entered the world there was no reason for shame and reproach. Yet, after sin man knew that he had fallen short. All of us know that we are not perfect. We all have things that we are ashamed of - things we wish we would have done and failed to do or things we wish we would not have done.
Yet, we are told that God sees it all.
And we are told that each of us must give an account to God. We all will stand before Jesus Christ on the day of judgment.
This judgment before the Lord is going to be different for each of us depending on whether or not we are believers.
We discussed these back when I preached on 2 Timothy 4:1-5, but it would be helpful for us to address it again here…
There will be three judgments before Christ in the Scriptures.
1 - The Bema Seat Judgement
The word bema comes from the Greek word meaning an elevated platform. It was a place where awards were given during athletic competitions. This judgement is not for sin but instead for rewards for believers. This judgment is for believers who die before Christ comes as well as living believers who are taken up in the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
We see it taught in 2 Corinthians 5:10 and 1 Corinthians 3:12-15. The Scriptures are clear that there will be rewards for those who are faithful. Yet, Paul teaches clearly that works done for selfish motivation will be burned up like wood and hay while works done for Christ will be rewarded.
2 - The Judgment of the Nations (Known as the Sheep-Goat Judgment)
This occurs after the Tribulation and is seen in Matthew 25:31-46. Those who come to faith in God during the Tribulation will be ushered into the Millennial Kingdom while those who are not faithful to God and instead faithful to the Antichrist will be consigned to hell.
3 - The Great White Throne Judgment
This is clearly seen in Revelation 20:11-15. This is where all unbelievers will stand in front of Jesus Christ and be judged for their evil deeds. This is a terrifying judgment that will end with all unbelievers experiencing the second death by being sent eternally to hell- called the Lake of Fire here.
There is only one of these three that believers prior to the rapture will face - and that is the Bema Seat Judgment. We can look forward to the Lord rewarding us based on what Christ has done in and through us.
However, for those who are not in Christ, the judgment of God is a fearful and terrifying thing.
As Hebrews 10:31 asserts:
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
My friends, be sure that you are in Christ. Be sure that you have repented of your sins and placed your faith and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord. We all will face eternity - either with Christ in heaven forever - or apart from Christ in hell with eternal punishment.
I pray that everyone here has placed his or her faith in Christ. There is no more important decision.
And for us in Christ, may we be sure to follow Christ by doing what He has called us to do through His strength alone.
We are only able to know and discern the will of God by knowing His Word.
May we make daily Bible reading the priority it needs to be. May it not just be a chore - but may it be a time of great expectation. We get to hear the God of the universe speak to us as we read the Words of the Scriptures!
Scripture References: John 1:1, Hebrews 1:3, Genesis 3, 2 Timothy 4:1-5, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 2 Corinthians 5:10, 1 Corinthians 3:12-15, Matthew 25:31-46, Revelation 20:11-15, Hebrews 10:31
Conclusion:
As we come to a close, we have seen the powerful Word displayed and described.
It is certainly powerful - it is living and active - powerful and effective.
It is piercing. It is sharp and will cut out the sin in our lives.
It is penetrating and will reach down into the depths of our minds and hearts to change us from the inside out.
And it is prudent - thoroughly weighing all of our works that will be judged as we stand before the judgment seat of Christ one day.
As we go throughout this next week:
Make a commitment to read and study God’s Word regularly each day.
We have some Bible reading resources at the front table you can look through. There are also many online you can create or use. You can start a Bible reading plan at any time during the year!
May we not be a people who are hypocritical - meaning that we speak highly of the Bible and yet neglect to read it.
May we be a people who practice what we preach.
