Around Sugar Hill Church we use the phrase “We believe the Bible is a Big Deal” a lot.
We say that because we truly believe that this book is a gift from the Divine as He uses it to give us direction, correction and inspiration. This Word of God is a living, breathing collection of 66 books that have been divinely inspired through the hearts and pens of men. It gives us the life manual and FAQ’s of our life.
The Word of God refers to all of God’s spoken revelation, including what came through His Son, the Lord Jesus. We have it recorded in written form in the Scriptures. If we read, hear and act on God’s Word, it will keep us from the cultural religion that brings sure confusion.
God’s Word is powerful to expose our sin – Hebrews 4:12-13
‘For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.”
The text gives us at least three things about the power of God’s Word – The Bible:
1. GOD’S WORD IS LIVING.
Since God is the living God, and His Word cannot be separated from Him, that Word is a living Word. It can never be exterminated. As Isaiah 40:8 proclaims, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” Since God is the author of life, His living Word imparts life in two ways.
– GOD’S WORD GIVES NEW LIFE TO PEOPLE IN NEED OF JESUS and
– GOD’S WORD GIVES RENEWED LIFE TO HIS PEOPLE OF FAITH.
If you are already a Follower of Jesus, you’ve gone through dry times when God seemed distant. God uses His Word to renew and revive us. David wrote,
“The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul” Psalms. 19:7. The entire 176 verses of Psalm 119 unpack the benefits of the Bible. Over and over, the psalmist cries out, “My soul cleaves to the dust; revive me according to Your word”. “This is my comfort in my affliction, that Your word has revived me.”
It only makes sense that if the living God, has spoken to us in His written Word, then we should seek it like a treasure and consume it as a hungry man devours a meal. Being the word of God, it is both a word from God and a word about God.
Even though the Bible was written centuries ago, the Spirit of God still speaks directly to us – through it. It is never out of date or irrelevant. It speaks to the very issues that we face in our modern world. I would encourage you to read the Bible not in a random manner, but consecutively, from both the Old and New Testaments. You will find, as I have, that God will often use what you have read either that day or within a few days of reading it.
I believe in the depths of my heart that if you’ll commit – even just 5 minutes – in reading or listening to the Holy Word of God, your life will radically change for the good! Not because of the book itself, but because of the Author of the Divinely Inspired Word of God!
1. GOD’S WORD GIVES NEW LIFE TO PEOPLE IN NEED OF JESUS.
2. GOD’S WORD GIVES RENEWED LIFE TO HIS PEOPLE OF FAITH and,
3.GOD’S WORD IS ACTIVE.
We get our word “energy” from the Greek word translated “active.” It means that the Word is effectual. It accomplishes what God intends for it to do. As Isaiah 55:10-11 states, “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so will My word be which goes forth out of My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” God promises that it will accomplish His purpose.
GOD’S WORD IS SHARP AND PIERCING.
It is “sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow…” Using figurative language shows us that God’s Word is sharp and it cuts deeply, to the very core of our being. God’s purpose in cutting us is to bring healing, not to leave us wounded. Sin heals most completely, where it wounds most deeply; and gives life there only, where first it has killed.
I want to encourage you to treasure God’s Word above all human counsel! Read, study, and meditate on God’s Word. It will not do you any good if you don’t know what it says. Apply, trust, and obey God’s Word. My prayer is that you might experience the Bible. Not to fill your head with knowledge about the end times or theological arguments to support your favorite views. It is to change your heart and life!
Always study it with a view to obedience.
-AChuck
