The Power of the Word

Intro

Good evening everyone! I’m so glad that yall are here!

I’ve been thinking about something.

It can be tough reading the Bible, can’t it?

One of the biggest issues that i hear when it comes to being a Christian, is that people just “can’t get into” reading their Bibles.

And I’ll be real, It’s tough for me too.

Book of ELI

There was a movie that came out back in 2010, that i believe gives great perspective.

The idea of the movie is that there has been a a nuclear war among all of the nations, Literally an Apocalypse where everything is gone. We find ourselves following a mysterious traveler who makes his way into one of the few surviving towns to restock and continue on his way.

The Leader of the Town takes notice of the man, and asks the man where he was headed. “West” was his reply

The man becomes suspicious, and because of the world they live in, locks him away without cause.

Then we find out that the leader of the town has been searching for a long time for something that would make him the most powerful man in the world! And it just so happens that our traveler has what He has been searching for.

The remainder of the Movie is our traveler trying to escape so he could make it “west” to complete his task.

Our traveler was carrying the last known Bible on Earth, and the town leader would do anything to get it.

You see the Town leader remembered the power that the Bible had once held over the people of the world, but misunderstood the root of its power.

The Power of the Word

Questions:

How can a “Boring Book” change everything?!

Matthew 1:1–6 ESV

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah,

Matthew Chapter 1 is one of the places where i used to skip every-time i would read through this section of scripture. It was boring and pointless. Why do I care about someone’s family tree? Get me to the good stuff, the miracles, the intense actions scenes, etc.

But then I started to notice something. The more of the Bible i read, i would look back and see certain peoples names in sections like Chapter 1.

So, Over the next few weeks, I want to address some of the cultural statements that you or someone that you know may have said. “The Bible isn’t really God’s words” “I don’t need religion in my life, to be happy” “There is no God, Just us then we die.”

Body

In Matthew, 1 We see mention of a man names Abraham

Abraham was a big deal!

Abraham is one of the great grandson’s of Noah, yea the Boat guy...

and when we first meet Him, His name was Abram, and He was 75 years old.

He is married to a woman named Sarai, whom was barren, aka Couldn’t have children

God calls Abram to uproot His family to go to a new place, where He will:

Genesis 12:2–3 ESV

2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

God says: “Go to this place, and I’m gonna do a mighty work in and through your life.”

So at 75 years old, He sets off!

Along the way, we see the Lord take care of them when they were threatened, when they were uncertain, and even when they didn’t have any food or resources, God paved the way!

And this may seem like a fairy tale, but things get tough along the way.

Abram is getting tired… He’s getting discouraged… He’s starting to doubt.

10 years, or more have passed since God sent Abram out on this Journey.

Genesis 15:1–6 ESV

1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2 But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” 4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

So the Lord reminds Abram, and even gives him a little bit more, of the plan that He has for Abram and his Family!

The lamp unto my Feet

The Bible says that God doesn’t burden us with the entire plan, but lights the path just enough for us to keep walking!

Psalm 119:105 ESV

105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Unfortunately, Sarai became impatient, and took things into her own hands.

Genesis 16:1–4 ESV

1 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3 So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife. 4 And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress.

She did the same thing that most of us do every day! She took what was meant to be God’s job, and tried to do it herself…

And we see Ishmael come into the world.

Ishmael represents what happens when we refuse to surrender control and try to do it “our way”

Chapter 16 speaks of Ishmael in this way:

Genesis 16:12 ESV

12 He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.”

But Here’s the awesome thing!!

Even though we make mistakes; God will forgive us, and use us if we are willing to let Him.

Genesis 17:1–5 ESV

1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, 2 that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” 3 Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, 4 “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.

13 years later, God showed that He does what He says He will do!

Sarai didn’t believe it, The Bible says that She even laughed at God’s words. But God used Abraham.

Genesis 21:1 ESV

1 The Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did to Sarah as he had promised.

Genesis 21:5–7 ESV

5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6 And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.” 7 And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

And We see that, Abraham would go on to have 9 children, and they would grow to become the Nation of Israel, The Line of David, the Lineage of Jesus Christ.

Which person are you tonight?

Are you more like Sarai, The one who laughs at God, the one who is impatient and tries to take matters into her own hands?

or are you more like Abraham? One that makes mistakes, but in your mistakes you come to the Lord and ask for His forgiveness and allow Him to continue to do His work through your life?

Without the faithfulness of Abraham, we wouldn’t have Jesus. That’s why these family trees are so important, and why when we know their purpose they become exciting!!

Conclusion

The Bible is the most influential and powerful book on earth, and similarly to the example i gave at the beginning of our time, i’m afraid that we take it for granted now, but our lives would be hopeless and without meaning or direction without it. You see, in our movie, the bad man does get the Bible from the traveler, but He can’t read it because it’s written in Brail. While the Traveler has memorized it from cover to cover.

In the same way, i’m afraid that many of us can’t seem to “read” the Bible because one can only truly know the language and understand it through a relationship with Jesus. Through making Him a priority in our lives.

Maybe it’s not the Bible that’s hard to read, maybe it’s all the stuff that you have in your life that’s keeping you from truly seeing the Importance and Power that the Scriptures have!

How can a “Boring Book” change everything?

By allowing it to Change you!