The Word of God Pierces!

Hebrews 4:12 says “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

The term "word of God" may mean a word spoken by God without a human mouthpiece. But in the New Testament it regularly means a word or a message that a human speaks on God's behalf.

Hebrews 13:7 says, "Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith." So the "word of God" in Hebrews 4:12 most likely refers to the truth of God revealed in Scripture that people speak to each other with reliance on God's help to understand it and apply it.

The word of God is not a dead word but a powerful word. It has life in it. And because it has life in it, it produces effects. There is something about the Truth, as God has revealed it that connects it to God as a source of all life and power. He upholds this universe with His mighty word of power. God loves his word. He is partial to his word. He honors his word with his presence and power. If you want your teaching or witness to have power and produce effects, stay close to the revealed word of God.

What does this living and effective word accomplish? It pierces for what purpose? The answer is, to divide soul and spirit.

The writer gives an analogy: it's like dividing joints and marrow. Joints are the thick, hard, outer part of the bone. Marrow is the soft, tender, living, inner part of the bone. That is an analogy of "soul and spirit." The word of God is like a sword that is sharp enough to cut right through the outer, hard, tough part of a bone to the inner, soft, living part of the bone. Some swords, less sharp, may strike a bone and glance off and not penetrate. Some swords may penetrate part way through the tough, thick joint of a bone. But a very sharp, powerful double-edged sword will penetrate the joint all the way to the marrow.

"Soul and spirit" are like "bone joint and bone marrow." "Soul" is that unseen dimension of our life that we are by nature. "Spirit" is what we are by supernatural rebirth. Jesus said, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3:6). Without the awakening, regenerating work of the Spirit of God in us we are merely "natural" rather than "spiritual" (1 Corinthians 2:14-15). So the "spirit" is that unseen dimension of our life that we are by the regenerating work of the Spirit.

What is the point in saying that the "word of God" pierces to the "division of soul and spirit"? The point is that it's the word of God that reveals to us our true selves. Are we spiritual or are we natural? Are we born of God and spiritually alive, or are we deceiving ourselves and spiritually dead? Are the "thoughts and intentions of our heart" spiritual thoughts and intentions or only natural thoughts and intentions. Only the "word of God" can "judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart" as Hebrews 4:12 says.

The word of God pierces deep enough to show us the truth of our thoughts and our motives. Give yourselves to the word of God in the scriptures. It is through God’s word that we confirm not only our regeneration, but also our justification and glorification.

"Yes" Prayer

I am thankful that God sees the end from the beginning, and that he knows all things. I am thankful that he is the author and finisher of our faith. If our Christian walk was left up to our own doing, we would certainly make a mess of it. I am thankful that God knows our needs even before we ask. I am also thankful that he doesn’t give us everything we ask for.

Can you imagine the mess we would be in if we were given everything we ask for? How many times have you asked for something out of frustration? For example, have you ever been so hurt or mad at someone that you prayed silently or out loud that God would just wipe them from the face of the earth? I have. Then some time later I would find myself repenting for such a foolish prayer. I have been like James and John and wanted to call fire down from heaven, only later to realize that I was not walking in the spirit. I know we have all been there.

God does not always say “yes”, thankfully. However, there is one prayer I believe that will always get a “yes” answer. That is the prayer of forgiveness. The bible says in 1 John 1:9-10, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Life is full of things that are not easy. For many, asking for forgiveness is not easy. We have the hardest time admitting fault. However, forgiveness will always be there if we recognize our need for it. When we recognize our need for forgiveness, the answer to the request for it, will always be “yes”.

Fellowship

Why did God create us? I wonder how many times has this question been asked. This is a deep question and theologians have been discussing decades. I guess I will put in my two cents' worth.

I believe a single answer covers the entire spectrum of why we were created. His glory. But, there is another one that I want to focus on: Fellowship.

1 Cor. 1:9, "God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" (NASB). In Greek, the word "fellowship," is "koinonia." It is also translated as "communion." God wants to have an intimate communion, a close fellowship with us.

Do you remember in the garden when Adam and Eve sinned? Who hid themselves? That’s right Adam and Eve. Who went looking for who? Right again! It was God looking for them. After the expulsion from the garden, after the flood, and at the time of the Exodus, God says to the people, "And let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them." Again, who is seeking to dwell with who? It is God seeking man.

Take a look at John 1:1,14 which says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...¹⁴ And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." The word "dwelt" is the Greek "skano-o" and it also means to tabernacle, to tent, to dwell among. Again, it is the Lord who is seeking us, who is dwelling among us. Of course, we see that we are the temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16), and this signifies that the Lord is in us and with us.

This simply tells us that God is a God of fellowship, and that He desires to have people to be with and to love. God is love (1 John 4:8), and the nature of love is to give (John 3:16). God desires that we have an intimate relationship with us through His Son, Jesus.

Do you have that intimacy with Jesus? Do you seek the relationship and fellowship with God that He desires and has manifested throughout history -- especially in the cross?

Ask. Seek. Knock.

Relevant Preaching and Teaching

Many churches make it a point to advertise the fact that they preach and teach a gospel this is relevant. I know that what many are trying to say is that they are not boring like many believe that church can be. As a preacher, I think a lot about relevance. In other words, why should anyone listen to what I have to say? Why should anybody care? Relevance is an interesting word. It could mean more than one thing. It might mean that a sermon is relevant if it feels to the listeners that it will make a significant difference in their lives. Or it might mean that a sermon is relevant if it will make a significant difference in their lives whether they feel it or not.

That second kind of relevance is my goal in preaching the sermons that I share. In other words, I want to say things that are really significant for your life whether you know they are or not. I want to share the words of God that paint a true picture of His glory, character, and sovereignty. My way of doing that is to share the truth of the gospel that has as little of the traditional and religious ways of thinking as possible. In other words, speak a truth that can withstand the scrutiny of those that are traditional or religious in their view of the Gospel.

On any given Sunday you may have people who believe that racism, global warming, abortion, limited health care for children, homelessness, poverty, the war in Iraq, white-collar crime, the global AIDS crisis, rampant teenage pregnancy, the subprime mortgage crisis, and so on and so on, is relevant. These things have nothing to do with the real problem that this world is facing.

I believe that there the most relevant issue in one’s life is whether or not they are “born again”. Jesus says in John 3:3, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Not to see the kingdom of God is to be excluded from the kingdom of God. Jesus said in Matthew 8:11-12 that outside the kingdom is “outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” He called it “eternal punishment” (Matthew 25:46). The alternative to that is to be in the kingdom of God and spend eternity in everlasting joy with the greatest person in the universe (John 18:24).

It would be wrong to think that these other issues are the most important issues in life. They aren’t. They are life-and-death issues. But they are not the most important, because they deal with the relief of suffering during this brief earthly life, not the relief of suffering during the eternity that follows. They only deal with how to maximize well-being now for eighty years or so, but not with how to maximize well-being in the presence of God for eternity. Eternity is much longer than eighty years.

My job as a spokesman for God week after week is to deal in what matters most, and to stay close to the revealed will of God in the Bible (so you can see it for yourselves), and to pray that, by God’s grace, all people will see and feel the magnitude that what God says, is important.

Seeing is Becoming!

It is my belief that what should happen through act of preaching and teaching, is that the lives of the hearers experience change. The life transforming power of God’s word is the means by which all people, no matter what level of faith they have attained, will continue to be changed into Christ likeness. Every message preached should be pointing people toward Christ. It is because of several biblical texts that I believe this to be true. For example, 2 Corinthians 3:18 reads,

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.’

I believe this text teaches us that one of the ways we are changed progressively into the likeness of Christ is by looking at his glory. "We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness." The way to become more and more like the Lord is to fix your gaze on his glory and hold him in view.

It has been said that people are the product of their environment. We are also a product of our habits and desires. We hum the music we listen to. We speak with the accent of our region. We become like our parents even though we sometimes refuse to believe it. We naturally tend to imitate the people we admire most. So it is with God. If we fix our attention on him and hold his glory in our view, we will be changed from one degree of glory to another into his likeness.

In order for us to become Christ like, Christians must set their affections on the God they admire. In this spiritual transaction, seeing is not only believing, seeing is becoming.

Sources to Help You Speak Against Abortion

It is my understanding that January is "Sanctity of Life" month. For that reason, as well as the fact that all Christians need to be better informed on the issue of abortion, I have posted the following information. This article is from John Piper's resource library at www.desiringgod.org written on January 19th 2007.

Dear friends of life created in God's image,

This is mainly for pastors and teachers who want to say something in connection with the January sanctity of life effort. Don't think you don't know enough. One of the young men in our church just told me that this past week he spoke with a junior higher who did not know what abortion was! Never heard of it! If you know anything about abortion, you know enough to be helpful. Here are a few suggested resources:

1. Pictures of the beautiful preborn.
2. The S.L.E.D acronym is a very helpful summary of arguments against abortion.
3. Warning! Stomach-turning graphic. A horrific video of an actual abortion.
4. Abort73.com is a very compelling overall site with everything you need.
5. Corrine and Brian Cords have put together displays that are visually provocative and educational for churches and schools to use.
6. The Live Education And Resource Network have a web site highlighting the implications of abortion for the black community.

5 Things to Commit Too For 2008

The beginning of each year is usually when people resolve to do something different, better or not as much, during the coming year. Below are 5 things we all would benefit from doing well in 2008.

1. Give something away regularly. (Acts 20:35)

Jesus said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." No one practiced than precept more than Jesus. You may give something material or you may give someone a compliment, a "thank you", a card, a phone call; but when you give, Jesus said you receive a blessing.

You are blessed because, among other reasons, your spiritual muscles grow. If we’re not careful we can become greedy. That’s why the Bible says, "The love of money is the root of all evil." (1 Timothy 6:10)

But our greed can be not only with our material possessions but also with our time and our abilities. It has also been said, "Measure wealth not by the riches you have, but by the things you have for which you would not take money." (Anonymous)

2. Live more for others, less for yourself.

In Philippians chapter one, the Bible lays out the great quality of selflessness exemplified by Jesus. He is our benchmark.

You might think you don’t have anything to give in comparison to Christ. But you can help someone excel in their work. You can look out for the advancement of others. You can guard against the sin of envy by praising others for their achievements.

You can think less of yourself at home. You don’t always have to prove you are right. You can say, "I’m sorry." You can forgive.

3. Invest more in heaven than in retirement.

Jesus said, "Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven." (Matthew 6:20)

Jesus said, "Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." (Matthew 6:34)

Jesus is not telling us not to plan. He’s telling us not to worry about our future. Plan for the future state of your financial affairs, but don’t worry about them. Concern yourself more with the treasures you are storing in heaven.

4. Watch less TV, read more Scripture.

Psalm 1 - Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

5. Make Sunday a day of Worship and Rest.

Don’t try to out think God. He rested and He told you and me to rest. We are not smarter or stronger than God. Don’t try to play Spiritual Superman or Superwoman by doing everything on Sunday. How ironic is it that churches often take away the opportunity for Sunday to be a day of rest by a long list of meetings to attend on the Lord’s Day. Make Sunday evening’s family night, stay in, have devotion and play games. This is also a good time to practice Christian Fellowship by spending time with your church family.