Hebrews 4:12 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.
Jeff and I just finished teaching a series called The Bible for Grown-ups by Andy Stanley. It was a short, but quite interesting study in which Andy explained how this great Word of God came together. It is really quite amazing when you realize that although the Bible is one book, it is actually a combination of 66 books that where written over a 1500 year period of time and penned by about forty different men of very diverse backgrounds. Isaiah was a prophet. Ezra was a priest. Matthew was a tax-collector. John was a fisherman. Paul was a tentmaker. Moses was a shepherd. Luke was a physician. And the list goes on. Although it was penned by more than forty men over fifteen centuries, there is one startling fact about the Bible that no other book can claim. It was penned by many authors over a very long period of time, but the Bible does not contradict itself, and it does not contain any errors. All of the writers proclaim the same simple truth: there is only one true God, and there is only one way to salvation — Jesus Christ. I challenge you to find any other book like that. I think that would be an impossible feat. How then did such a book ever come about, and how has this book survived for centuries? Because the Word of God is alive.
Jesus Christ is the living Word of God, and although penned by man, the Bible is the written Word of God. The Bible is alive because our God is a living God. He breathes life into us, and His Holy Word is eternal and shows us the way to eternal life. Our scripture today reminds us that The Word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword. It is able to cut into our hearts and our minds and divide up the things which are godly and those things which are not. The Word of God has a way of reaching into the depths of our thoughts and lives and expose the things that needs exposing. The Word also brings us to the alter. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. (2Timothy 3:16) Yet it also brings us healing, restoration, comfort, and hope like nothing else in the world.
The Bible is active and alive, and it truly is an amazing book. The Word of God is a fire to refine and a hammer to convict (Jeremiah 23:29) It is a mirror to reflect (James 1:22-25), a seed to multiply (I Peter 1:23-25), and rain and snow to grow (Isaiah 55:10-11). The Word of God is a sword to cut (Hebrews 4:12) and gold to enrich (Psalm 19:7-11). It is food to nourish (Matthew 4:4), a lamp to guide us (Psalm 119:105), and water to cleanse us (Ephesians 5:26-27). And the Word of God endures forever (I Peter 1:25)!
Today and everyday as you are putting on the full armor of God, please don’t forget to keep your sword sharpened and ready. If we arm ourselves with the sword of the Spirit, we will be ready for whatever challenge the day may bring!
Inspirations from the Funny Farm 