GOD'S WORD: SHAPING LIVES, DRIVING VISION

Introduction

-Thought appropriate (in light of Gideons…) to talk about the place of God’s Word in shaping us, and in light of series on the church being on a path of vision, that God’s Word drives the vision

~The connection is that as we allow God’s Word to shape us as individuals, it will then work within us as a church body in propelling us toward the vision God has for our church so that we fulfill His mission

-We all have ideas and opinions about what we think Christianity is all about and what church is all about, but we have to ask ourselves: WHERE ARE WE GETTING THESE IDEAS AND OPINIONS FROM?

~Are they based on how we have always experienced church?

~Are they based on our personal preferences?

~Or, are they based on what the Word of God, the Bible, has to say?

-The importance of God’s Word has been neglected. As on pastor lamented:

Many are saying that people who are used to television and other modern media cannot handle a 40-minute sermon [or even a 20-minute Bible study]. Sadly, many pastors are heeding that advice. “Seeker” churches advocate 15-minute talks built around some felt need, accompanied by short dramas to hold people’s attentions. [Or, you can’t expect someone to read the Bible for more than a 5-minute devotional that gives you little more than a sound-bite’s worth of motivation.]

-Let me ask you: with such minimal exposure to God’s Word, how can it be expected to shape a life much less drive a vision?

-But the author of Hebrews saw something different in the Word of God that our modern Christian culture fails to see—the writer of Hebrews recognized that the Word of God is capable of examining, convicting, and changing anyone who comes in contact with it.

-The Word of God, the Bible, examines and shapes us as individuals, and then propels us as a group of believers to discover His vision that is unique to us for us to fulfill His mission of sharing the gospel and expanding His kingdom.

-Let’s see what the author of Hebrews wrote about this amazing Word:

Hebrews 4:12 ESV

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 he tell us about God’s Word that shapes us and drives us:

1) God’s Word is effective

-The author of Hebrews says that it is LIVING and ACTIVE/POWERFUL

-When you look at the Bible, it is much more than merely the black letters or red letters on white paper—it is not just a book that you read like other books…merely there for entertainment, but not life-changing

~For example, I love old-time mystery novels and I have been reading an Agatha Christie book on the Scribd app of my iPad when I go to bed at night—at the rate I’ve been going I read about a page and then fall asleep

~But Agatha Christie novels won’t change my life. I don’t wake up the next morning with my soul blessed having read about the great detectives Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple—my life isn’t changed when I find out who the murderer is…these novels do nothing for me…they are not effective to my life in any way

-But Scripture is different. As the great preacher Adrian Rogers said:

The Bible isn’t the book of the month, it is the book for the ages.

-What we have in the Bible is a living Word because it has been inspired by a LIVING GOD

~That means that it has vital power in it that exerts itself on our souls—it does stuff to us

-It is ACTIVE in our lives—the word active/powerful is the word ENERGES which is where we get our word ENERGY—the Bible has energy in it—it causes something to happen, it is able to bring things about

~When you read the Bible it’s like you plugged yourself into the wall socket of God to get His energy for your life—it propels you, it moves you, it shapes you…it does something in your life

-That’s why, for me, it is so vitally important to help the Gideons get the Bible out in the world into people’s hands because it will change lives—it will bring people to faith in Jesus Christ

~As a young man I went to the Bible with wrong motives—I wanted to prove myself right in my own beliefs. But when I got plugged into the Word of God I found out that I am a sinner under God’s judgment, but Jesus Christ died and rose for me and if I repent and believe I will be saved. So, I did and I am! The Word of God is LIVING and ACTIVE—it is effective in shaping us, and because it is LIVING AND ACTIVE it is what will drive church vision

-God said through the prophet Isaiah:

10 "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

(Isaiah 55:10-11 ESV)

-God’s Word will do what it sets out to do.

~It is by the Word of God that the universe was made

~It is by the Word of God that became flesh that salvation was bought

~It is by the Word of God read and preached that lives are changed

-So, if you want to go to heaven, the Word of God will point the way to Jesus

~If the circumstances of your life are making you a hot mess, the Word of God will comfort you, give you hope, give you peace, give you life.

~If you need direction for your life, the Word of God will point you to your purpose, or if you are a church the Word of God will give you your vision

God’s Word is EFFECTIVE—it will accomplish what it wants to accomplish:

2) God’s Word is intrusive

-The author says that the Word of God is so sharp like a sword/dagger that it pierces into you—when it talks about the division of joint and marrow and soul and spirit it is merely saying that the Word of God is able to get into the deepest recesses of a person’s being

-You see, the Word of God is intrusive in that it is able to penetrate into the deepest part of who you are—it touches you in a way that nothing else can—it convicts you and the more that you try to resist it, it will make you about as uncomfortable as you can get until you finally surrender to it

-There might be areas of your life that you kind of safeguard for yourself, and you don’t want God or anybody else to touch those areas—be it a pet sin, be it something you are highly sensitive about, maybe it’s something that causes you pain, or maybe it’s something that you are not willing to change, or in general it’s just something where you tell people DON’T GO THERE

~Maybe you could picture your life like a house, and there are rooms that you lock up and throw away the key—and you think that you can keep everybody out of that room

~But here comes the Word of God and it’s sharper than anything in this world, and it just slices through that door like it was made of paper—and it walks in that room and says THUS SAITH THE LORD—this is what’s what; this is the way it is; and this is the way it’s going to be

-The Word of God is going to come into your life, it is going to intrude into every area of your life, it’s going to tell you the way it is from God, and you can try to resist it but all your doing is making yourself miserable

-The Word of God is going to intrude into the areas of your life that you get so offended about

~That’s the day and age we live in—everybody gets offended about everything; even I’m fearful of talking to people about something because they might get offended

~But the Word of God will pierce your life and touch those sensitive areas, and you can scream at the Word of God all you like I’M OFFENDED, and the Word of God will respond I DON’T CARE—this is what God says, this is what God expects, this is what God wants, SO GET OVER YOURSELF

-And for those who think that their opinion and thoughts are what matter more than anything else, the Word of God will cut right in there and say I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU THINK—this is the living, active Word of God that is eternal; this is what God thinks and that’s the only opinion that matters

-But here’s the thing, God is not trying to hurt you through His Word, He’s trying to heal you—God wants what’s best for you, but sometimes to heal you have to hurt

~It’s like when you have an infectious cyst or boil that needs lancing—the needle is going to pierce you, but it’s to get the infection out

~God’s Word is going to deal with the sin of a person and it will deal with the sin of a church and it will perform spiritual surgery on you, taking out the bad and replacing it with the good and the godly—The Word of God will be intrusive in your life for your good…

3) God’s Word is perceptive

-It says that God’s Word discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart—that word for discern literally means to have the capacity to judge. But instead of judging legal cases, God’s Word passes judgment on the innermost parts of our heart

-Those words for thoughts and intents talk about the unexpressed, hidden things that go on within you. It’s the thoughts we think, the attitudes we have, the secret things we keep within ourselves.

-We may think that: AS LONG AS I DON’T SAY IT OR DO IT, THEN I’M OK. But God’s Word gets inside of you and passes judgment even in those things we don’t think anybody else knows about.

-God’s Word perceives our hypocrisies. We may act one way in front of others, but our heart is stewing in hate or anger or resentment or bitterness or rage or lust

-That’s why Jesus got to the heart of the matter in the Sermon on the Mount. Sure, you may not murder, but do you hate in your heart. Sure, you may not commit adultery, but you lust in your heart. Sure, you may not steal, but you covet in your heart. Sure, you may not lie straight out, but you may be duplicitous in your heart.

-The Word of God perceives and exposes our hearts to their true motives and intents. The Word of God will not let anything slip by it. No matter what kind of façade we put up for ourselves on the outside, the Word of God will always perceive and judge what is truly happening on the inside.

-I’ve started really getting into watching a show called Restaurant Impossible on the Food Network. In it, chef Robert Irvine goes into a restaurant that is failing and he has 48 hours and $10,000 to turn it around. But what happens is that he comes into the restaurant with an outsider’s perspective and as an expert and he finds things going on in that restaurant that is destroying it. He exposes how dirty the kitchen really is. He exposes the bad service habits of the workers. He exposes the bad business habits of the owners. He comes in and perceives the problems. But then Robert Irvine also comes up with the solutions to make it a successful business.

-So, sure, the Word of God intrudes into our lives, it perceives what is really happening on the inside, but then it always points to the solution who is Jesus Christ. Yeah, if you get down to it, we are all lying, murdering, coveting, adulterers at heart. But…but…God so loved a world of lying, murdering, coveting, adulterers that He sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us. And by faith and repentance, we trust that Jesus died for us personally and we hold onto that.

-And so, when you stand in front of God for judgment, there are two choices. You can be clothed and covered by Jesus’ grace and righteousness, or you stand in front of God with all your sins (both actions and thoughts) completely on display.

-Look at v. 13:

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. (Heb. 4:13 ESV)

-So, the Word of God that lives and effects can intrude into your life, perceiving and exposing what’s there, and it can lead you to turn to Jesus. Or, you could ignore it’s work and take your chances standing in front of God with your sins completely on display in front of God and everybody.

Conclusion

-If you have never repented from your sins (meaning turned directions from self to God) and trusted that Jesus died for you, do it today. This is the Word of God—believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved, for there is no other way.

-But the work that the Word of God does in an individual and can do in a church. Would you come and pray that God’s Word has its way in our church, to change us as we need to be changed, and propel us toward the vision God has for us.

-Maybe you want to join a church that is centralized on the Word of God…