The Power of the Word of God (pt.2)
2. The Word of God is powerful because it penetrates our souls (v.12b)
Not only is the Word of God real, but is penetrating. The NKJV translates this word as “piercing.” It has the ability to cut into our core and expose us for who we really are. This is kind of a scary thought, isn’t it? Look at the next part of the verse: “Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow.” At first glance, this seems like a complex and confusing piece of Scripture but let’s break it down. Notice it says that the Word of God is a double-edged sword. What does this mean? It means that the Word of God penetrates our souls. This hurts but it is necessary. The language that is used here about soul and spirit and joints and marrow just mean that the Word cuts us to our core. Have you ever had that happen? Have you ever had the Bible cut you to your core? Have you ever read Scripture and thought, “oh...I’m not doing that right,” or “uh oh…Jesus is talking about me. Maybe I should change.” That is what we call conviction. It hurts to be pierced but sometimes that is the only way we can change what we need to change about our lives.
When I was a young boy, around 8 years old, I was on my way to one of my little league football games. We were a little bit late for the game so my dad dropped me off at the front gate of the park. Instead of walking around this chain-link fence and going into the entryway, I decided I’d cut the time in half, and be cool, and climb the fence and run to where my team was. Well, I was already dressed in full pads with my helmet in my hand. I threw my helmet over the fence, and climbed it as when I got to the top, I slipped (I was wearing cleats, too) and on my way down to the other side of the fence, one of the links tore my football pants and another one went right straight into my hand. It pierced my hand. It bled a good bit and I had to get it patched up and play the game with a bloody hand. To this day, I still have this scare on the palm of my hand where the fence pierced me. And that scar is a reminder of a stupid decision that I made. After that whenever I thought about climbing a fence, I would check to see what the links looked like to see if it was safe.
Likewise, when we go through tough times or suffering we can go to God’s Word. And sometimes we have to allow the Word of God to pierce us and show us how we can conform to Christ and glorify God. After we’ve gotten through whatever tough situation there is, we may be left with a scar. But when we look back at that scar, we see how God used that suffering to bring us closer to him, to conform us to his son’s image, and to ultimately glorify Him.
Jeremiah 23:29 says that God’s word is like fire. Indeed the Bible can penetrate our souls and melt the coldest heart. It can cut the toughest person to the core. Maybe you know someone whose heart is tough or is as cold as the North Pole. You’ve prayed and prayed for this person to come to Christ and it just seems like they never will. Know that it is not impossible. Pray for the Spirit to direct this person to the word of God. The next time you are around them, speak Scripture to him, fill his or her mind will the Word of God by filling your speech with the Word of God and watch it go to work. The Word of God is real because it is living and active and it penetrates our souls.
3. The Word of God is powerful because it judges our hearts (v.12c)
Look at the last part of the verse. The Word of God judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. At first glance, you may think that thoughts and attitudes are the same thing, but I’d like to submit to you that they are not. The Word of God judges our hearts by judging two things: our thoughts and attitudes.
a. It judges our thoughts
When we read the Word of God it pierces our soul and judges our thoughts. What kind of thoughts do you think? This is another scary part of the verse. If all of my thoughts were somehow recorded and broadcast in public I would be not only humiliated, I would be ashamed. However, God knows our thoughts. God uses the Bible to show us our sin and the unbelief in our hearts. Did you know that our unbelief starts with our thoughts? The Word exposes our hearts and our thoughts to ourselves. Without the Word of God to show us our sin, our sin is not as evident.
I’ve been recently reading a book on anger. I had to read it for a counseling class and I thought to myself, “This will be great because I know so many people who struggle with anger. Good thing I don’t. I’ll enjoy reading this so that I can help these people with their anger.” As the author of the book took me through Scripture upon Scripture explaining to me how anger was a sin, I realized that I had an anger problem and a sin problem and a thought problem. After all, in Matthew 5:21-22, Jesus says, "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca, is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.”
Where does anger start? It starts in the heart and with our thought life. Jesus is making anger synonymous with murder. (The following story is based on a story in the book) When Matthew comes home from work at night, he's hungry. His desire is for food, which after thinking about how good it would taste, becomes a demand by the time he gets home. If his wife for some reason does not have food ready for me, he gets angry. He judges her for not doing what he deemed necessary. Then he punishes her by taking his anger out at her. He could get angry at her by yelling at her or he can show his anger by simmering and ignoring her the rest of the night. Both of these instances are sin and both are dealt with in Scripture. He realized that to change anger in my heart, he must recognize his sinful beliefs and uproot them from his heart and replace them with thoughts of God. The reason he lashes out at his wife is because of the anger that was brewing down inside my heart. However, he can free himself from this by reading the Bible. The Bible judges and discerns our thoughts.
The Word of God convicts us of sin and penetrates our souls so that we may change. Why should we change? We change because we realize our anger, or any sin for that matter, hurts God, who has died for us. I can choose not be angry. I can choose not to sin and I can choose to let God be angry for me. He is the judge and he is the punisher. His Word tells us these things.
b. It judges our attitudes
The word of attitude can also be translated, “intention.” An intention is not just a feeling or an emotion that we have about something. I like to call our intentions or our attitudes our affections. The word “affection” is not something that we use much. Our language has developed so that the words emotions and feelings are used more often. I was just talking about how the Word of God judges our thoughts. Sometimes thoughts that we have just kind of pop up. But these thoughts are part of something far deeper: our affections. Emotions and feelings can change like the wind. Affections, however, are a little more permanent. Our affections are the rudders that propel our boat. They are our steering wheel that directs us where to go. Our affections come from deep down in our heart. The Word of God judges this as well. Affections are emotions that are fortified like castles in our hearts.
1 Thes. 2:13 says, “And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.” Paul was writing the church in Thessalonica and he was thanking them that they accepted the Word of God for what it was: the word of God. And by doing this, it was at work in their lives. Yes, the Word of God will show us our sins but by doing so it cleanses us from these so that we may live our lives in peace.
Conclusion
Psalm 31 says,
“In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness.
2 Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.
5 Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth”
God knows our thoughts and our intentions and He also knows our worries. Phil. 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” When we allow the Word of God to pierce us like a sword, and penetrate our hearts and souls we will be filled with a peace that surpasses all understanding. Isn’t that what we all want? Peace? Contentment? Maybe you are worried today about a family member who is not living the way they should. Maybe your anxious about the future and sometimes can’t find God when you need him. Maybe you are depressed and God seems so far away. Feed on the milk of the Word. Fill your mind and meditate on Scripture and the peace that you are looking for will feel your heart.
Our Lord is the God of truth. This Bible is the Word of truth. We can trust that it will be sufficient for our lives because of its power.
“The Word of God is like a swordThat pierces hearts, thus saith the Lord;And like a hammer, weighty, strong,That can break up the rocks of sin and wrong.
The Word of God is like the breadOn which the hosts of old were fed;From Heav’n it came to fill our need,Hungry hearts it will satisfy indeed.” Let's pray.
Invitation
Dear Heavenly Father,
You are the one who indeed created the Heavens and the Earth. You are all powerful and all knowing. You even know the number of hairs on our heads. Thank you for being who you are. Thank you for seeing our sinful state. Thank you for sending your Son Jesus to die upon that cross so that by placing our faith in Him, we may have eternal life with You. Indeed, your grace is amazing. Thank you also for your Word. Thank you for giving us all that we need to live our lives in this book.
With every head bowed and eyes closed, there may be some people out there who are struggling. Maybe you hare going through some difficult life changes. Maybe your anxiety level has risen and you feel like the world is closing in around you. Maybe you are struggling with some sort of depression. Maybe you struggle to get up in the morning. Maybe you can’t stop worrying and it is running your life. Whatever it is, know that God is there for you. Ask him to show you His word and the powerful instrument that it is. Trust him. Fear Him and not fear itself. Cry out to Him and repent of your unbelief and watch how His word pierces your soul and renews your mind.
Maybe there is someone out there who is searching for Truth on their spiritual journey though life. Maybe you’ve decided that Jesus Christ is the way the truth and the life. Right now, ask Jesus to forgive you for your unbelief and your sin. Ask Him to be Lord and Savior of your life and give everything up to Him. He is standing there at the door of your heart, knocking and waiting. Trust Him, for He is your eternal creator, God, friend and Father.
Lord Jesus, thank you again for who you are and thank you for the power of your Word. In your most precious heavenly name we pray, Amen.
Not only is the Word of God real, but is penetrating. The NKJV translates this word as “piercing.” It has the ability to cut into our core and expose us for who we really are. This is kind of a scary thought, isn’t it? Look at the next part of the verse: “Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow.” At first glance, this seems like a complex and confusing piece of Scripture but let’s break it down. Notice it says that the Word of God is a double-edged sword. What does this mean? It means that the Word of God penetrates our souls. This hurts but it is necessary. The language that is used here about soul and spirit and joints and marrow just mean that the Word cuts us to our core. Have you ever had that happen? Have you ever had the Bible cut you to your core? Have you ever read Scripture and thought, “oh...I’m not doing that right,” or “uh oh…Jesus is talking about me. Maybe I should change.” That is what we call conviction. It hurts to be pierced but sometimes that is the only way we can change what we need to change about our lives.
When I was a young boy, around 8 years old, I was on my way to one of my little league football games. We were a little bit late for the game so my dad dropped me off at the front gate of the park. Instead of walking around this chain-link fence and going into the entryway, I decided I’d cut the time in half, and be cool, and climb the fence and run to where my team was. Well, I was already dressed in full pads with my helmet in my hand. I threw my helmet over the fence, and climbed it as when I got to the top, I slipped (I was wearing cleats, too) and on my way down to the other side of the fence, one of the links tore my football pants and another one went right straight into my hand. It pierced my hand. It bled a good bit and I had to get it patched up and play the game with a bloody hand. To this day, I still have this scare on the palm of my hand where the fence pierced me. And that scar is a reminder of a stupid decision that I made. After that whenever I thought about climbing a fence, I would check to see what the links looked like to see if it was safe.
Likewise, when we go through tough times or suffering we can go to God’s Word. And sometimes we have to allow the Word of God to pierce us and show us how we can conform to Christ and glorify God. After we’ve gotten through whatever tough situation there is, we may be left with a scar. But when we look back at that scar, we see how God used that suffering to bring us closer to him, to conform us to his son’s image, and to ultimately glorify Him.
Jeremiah 23:29 says that God’s word is like fire. Indeed the Bible can penetrate our souls and melt the coldest heart. It can cut the toughest person to the core. Maybe you know someone whose heart is tough or is as cold as the North Pole. You’ve prayed and prayed for this person to come to Christ and it just seems like they never will. Know that it is not impossible. Pray for the Spirit to direct this person to the word of God. The next time you are around them, speak Scripture to him, fill his or her mind will the Word of God by filling your speech with the Word of God and watch it go to work. The Word of God is real because it is living and active and it penetrates our souls.
3. The Word of God is powerful because it judges our hearts (v.12c)
Look at the last part of the verse. The Word of God judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. At first glance, you may think that thoughts and attitudes are the same thing, but I’d like to submit to you that they are not. The Word of God judges our hearts by judging two things: our thoughts and attitudes.
a. It judges our thoughts
When we read the Word of God it pierces our soul and judges our thoughts. What kind of thoughts do you think? This is another scary part of the verse. If all of my thoughts were somehow recorded and broadcast in public I would be not only humiliated, I would be ashamed. However, God knows our thoughts. God uses the Bible to show us our sin and the unbelief in our hearts. Did you know that our unbelief starts with our thoughts? The Word exposes our hearts and our thoughts to ourselves. Without the Word of God to show us our sin, our sin is not as evident.
I’ve been recently reading a book on anger. I had to read it for a counseling class and I thought to myself, “This will be great because I know so many people who struggle with anger. Good thing I don’t. I’ll enjoy reading this so that I can help these people with their anger.” As the author of the book took me through Scripture upon Scripture explaining to me how anger was a sin, I realized that I had an anger problem and a sin problem and a thought problem. After all, in Matthew 5:21-22, Jesus says, "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca, is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.”
Where does anger start? It starts in the heart and with our thought life. Jesus is making anger synonymous with murder. (The following story is based on a story in the book) When Matthew comes home from work at night, he's hungry. His desire is for food, which after thinking about how good it would taste, becomes a demand by the time he gets home. If his wife for some reason does not have food ready for me, he gets angry. He judges her for not doing what he deemed necessary. Then he punishes her by taking his anger out at her. He could get angry at her by yelling at her or he can show his anger by simmering and ignoring her the rest of the night. Both of these instances are sin and both are dealt with in Scripture. He realized that to change anger in my heart, he must recognize his sinful beliefs and uproot them from his heart and replace them with thoughts of God. The reason he lashes out at his wife is because of the anger that was brewing down inside my heart. However, he can free himself from this by reading the Bible. The Bible judges and discerns our thoughts.
The Word of God convicts us of sin and penetrates our souls so that we may change. Why should we change? We change because we realize our anger, or any sin for that matter, hurts God, who has died for us. I can choose not be angry. I can choose not to sin and I can choose to let God be angry for me. He is the judge and he is the punisher. His Word tells us these things.
b. It judges our attitudes
The word of attitude can also be translated, “intention.” An intention is not just a feeling or an emotion that we have about something. I like to call our intentions or our attitudes our affections. The word “affection” is not something that we use much. Our language has developed so that the words emotions and feelings are used more often. I was just talking about how the Word of God judges our thoughts. Sometimes thoughts that we have just kind of pop up. But these thoughts are part of something far deeper: our affections. Emotions and feelings can change like the wind. Affections, however, are a little more permanent. Our affections are the rudders that propel our boat. They are our steering wheel that directs us where to go. Our affections come from deep down in our heart. The Word of God judges this as well. Affections are emotions that are fortified like castles in our hearts.
1 Thes. 2:13 says, “And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.” Paul was writing the church in Thessalonica and he was thanking them that they accepted the Word of God for what it was: the word of God. And by doing this, it was at work in their lives. Yes, the Word of God will show us our sins but by doing so it cleanses us from these so that we may live our lives in peace.
Conclusion
Psalm 31 says,
“In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness.
2 Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.
5 Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth”
God knows our thoughts and our intentions and He also knows our worries. Phil. 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” When we allow the Word of God to pierce us like a sword, and penetrate our hearts and souls we will be filled with a peace that surpasses all understanding. Isn’t that what we all want? Peace? Contentment? Maybe you are worried today about a family member who is not living the way they should. Maybe your anxious about the future and sometimes can’t find God when you need him. Maybe you are depressed and God seems so far away. Feed on the milk of the Word. Fill your mind and meditate on Scripture and the peace that you are looking for will feel your heart.
Our Lord is the God of truth. This Bible is the Word of truth. We can trust that it will be sufficient for our lives because of its power.
“The Word of God is like a swordThat pierces hearts, thus saith the Lord;And like a hammer, weighty, strong,That can break up the rocks of sin and wrong.
The Word of God is like the breadOn which the hosts of old were fed;From Heav’n it came to fill our need,Hungry hearts it will satisfy indeed.” Let's pray.
Invitation
Dear Heavenly Father,
You are the one who indeed created the Heavens and the Earth. You are all powerful and all knowing. You even know the number of hairs on our heads. Thank you for being who you are. Thank you for seeing our sinful state. Thank you for sending your Son Jesus to die upon that cross so that by placing our faith in Him, we may have eternal life with You. Indeed, your grace is amazing. Thank you also for your Word. Thank you for giving us all that we need to live our lives in this book.
With every head bowed and eyes closed, there may be some people out there who are struggling. Maybe you hare going through some difficult life changes. Maybe your anxiety level has risen and you feel like the world is closing in around you. Maybe you are struggling with some sort of depression. Maybe you struggle to get up in the morning. Maybe you can’t stop worrying and it is running your life. Whatever it is, know that God is there for you. Ask him to show you His word and the powerful instrument that it is. Trust him. Fear Him and not fear itself. Cry out to Him and repent of your unbelief and watch how His word pierces your soul and renews your mind.
Maybe there is someone out there who is searching for Truth on their spiritual journey though life. Maybe you’ve decided that Jesus Christ is the way the truth and the life. Right now, ask Jesus to forgive you for your unbelief and your sin. Ask Him to be Lord and Savior of your life and give everything up to Him. He is standing there at the door of your heart, knocking and waiting. Trust Him, for He is your eternal creator, God, friend and Father.
Lord Jesus, thank you again for who you are and thank you for the power of your Word. In your most precious heavenly name we pray, Amen.
posted by Charlie Wallace at
9:47 PM
1 Comments:
Good post, Charles.
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