The Living and Active Word

And I was thinking about how confused people ought about the Bible and I come across something this week that was really fascinating about a candidate for membership in the church who appeared before the church council for examination and one of the Council member Aston Masood Belton, what's your favorite book in the Bible and the man said the book parables the book of parables scratch her head a little better than they sent them. Can you tell us about so the young man boldly proclaimed and carefully. He said Once upon a time a man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell upon thieves and thorns grew and shot the man and he went all I didn't have no money and then him and the Queen of Sheba and she gave the man a thousand talents of gold and silver in 100 changes. All of Raymond's and when he was driving along on the figtree.

His hair got caught in the limb and left them hanging there and he hung there for many days and many nights and ravens came and brought them food and water in one night while he was hanging there. His wife Delilah came along and cut his hair and you drop and he fell on the stony ground, and it rained for 40 days and 40 nights, and he hit himself in the cave and the man went out into the highways and the byways and compel them to come in. He went all and he came to Jerusalem and his sword, Queen Jezebel sitting high up on the window and when she saw him she laughed so he said throw her down from there.

So they threw her down and then he said throw down again and they threw the gun again 70×7, and the fragrances they picked were 12 baskets full. Then he turned to the Council and said to them, now whose wife will she be in the days of Judge when none of the Council members were qualified to question them. So the candidate become a member, but you know before we dismiss this guy. I wonder how many people have such confused and fuzzy understanding of the word of God.

I wonder how many people have such confused and fuzzy understanding about the sequence of the Bible. I wonder how many people take bits and pieces of the word of God and they kind of put them together and that makes some sort of a belief system, and they follow it.

I wonder how many in the next message. Of course I'm going to tell you want to show you how to study the word of God. Maximum effect from a daily basis, but today I want to tell you this.

Listen carefully you will respect for God can be measured by your respect for the word of God by mid-May Hyson to say that the Bible is not God.

We do not worship the Bible. We do not worship a book we worship a person, Jesus the Christ. But I wanted tell you I have been accused through the years from folks in the mainline denominations that I am a Bible worshiper but is it absolutely not true. We do not worship the Bible. We reviewed the Bible because it is the word of God that is without error. But you cannot tell me that if you are in love with someone and when that person sends you a letter that you take the letter and never open it and you tell me that you're in love with that person when you're in love with someone you were literally can't wait to tell the letter wide open in order to read what's in it because an open letter is an opportunity for the love beloved one to speak to you on on open letter is that person not speaking to you. And when God speaks, he reveals to you and to me not only the truth about himself, but he also reveals to us the truth about us wanted to turn with me please to Hebrews chapter 4 verses 12 and 13 for the word of God is living and active shop than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give an account. Father I pray in the name of Jesus that you will only use me as a conduit to what you want to say to your church.

Both the preacher and the listeners. In Jesus name, amen. Why is the word of God compare to a double edge sword.

I think the Bible been written in our time probably would've said that the word of God is sharper than a surgeon scalpel, as would've said because back then the sword operated on people when your body needs surgery. The surgeon scalpel is your best friend not to come back to this in a minute but the two things I want to tell you about Hebrews here before I get to expound the two verses humor said that the word of God is alive, was a mean it means that it is not merely words on pages in a book, it means that these words have God's authority. It means that these words have God's power. It means that these words have God's strength. It means that these words have God's own command. What did the Bible mean by active, it means that it produces fruit it produces fruit when it enters into a heart when it enters into your mind, it will produce changed lives.

That's what the word of God does listen to what Peter said in first Peter chapter 1 verse 23 is that we are born again how by the word of God which lives and abides forever.

So when the word of God acts God acts when the word of God delivers. God delivers. When the word of God heals God healed and according to Hebrews chapter 4 verses 12 and 13. There are three things that I want to share with you that the word of God does. It is when you read it. Believe it and obey it.

Number one, it stretches us on God's operating table. It lays everything there. It lays us on God's operating table.

The second thing it does it cuts us where we need to be cut and the third thing is this. It is design to heal us and restore us number one it stretches us on God's operating table. I'm going to get into the surgeons profession here on for so were going to correct near the end of the day, but that's all right. I've read enough to be dangerous. I told that when you are on the operating table is the time when you are most susceptible to microbes is when you are most susceptible to German whenever you open the word of God. Satan is there. The flash is there and they immediately try to neutralize the impact of the word of God upon your life. Somebody said the devil doesn't go to church with me assure you sitting next around them dumb enough to do what is right here. The look of your spouse. But I'm telling you, the devil is in the church. What is the moment the word of God begins to penetrate into your heart and into your spirit into your mind. He immediately tries to neutralize it. He started right Foster to raise her hand.

I'm sure the honest truth that is already at work. He's trying to neutralize the effect of the word of God. First, what he will do, he will keep you from reading the word of God, he will try to do everything possible to stop you but if you can't is going to try to get your attention away so you don't read with comprehension. He will get you distracted. What if you can't do that and you defeat him, and that what he will do people try to bring doubt in your mind about what you reading and that flash and the devil will conspire great time to do whatever it takes to neutralize the benefit of the surgery that the word of God is capable of accomplishing in your life and in my Hebrews chapter 4 verse 13 we give you a use of translation. He is saying that the word of God is like an x-ray is like an x-ray is you down sees everything that is to be seen. It reveals who you are. It reveals everything about you when you bear on God's operating surgical table that word of God is able to separate fact from fiction.

It's able to separate reality from fantasy you say what you mean by that. I'm glad you asked, I just a deli. You and I can go for a long time in life thinking that we are just fine with spiritually great. You and I can go for a long time thinking that when it comes to our spirit. We are very healthy. We are just doing all right. We don't need much help. Then you got the doctor and he looks at the x-ray and assist your recess.

I've got operate immediately immediately so I'm fine at this moment limiting something that is no pretense there is no dry, so I'm fine. I really don't need to split that the surgery all the talk and can help you. Are you ready for me to be upfront with you like I've never been before and step on some toes from an Italian listen to me as long as you compare yourself with somebody else you gonna feel fine about yourself. As long as you compare yourself with somebody else. If you find this and it's very easy for me as a preacher to find somebody who struggles with issues that I don't struggle with it is easy for me to find somebody who struggles with more issues than I struggle with and I begin to compare myself to him or her. What if the first thing on Wednesday I'm going to feel about myself. No man, I'm superduper.

I mean, I am the best thing since sliced bread. And I'm gonna delude myself but you know what happens when a 5 o'clock in the morning when I'm sitting there on God's operating table and I find myself laid bare before God when everything is before him who can see all things, when nothing is hidden from his eyes, in front of his word, when all hidden issues in my life are wide open when things that I don't want to deal with confront me head on.

When my pride and self-satisfaction and smugness hit me in the face when I am confronted by him with his own standards, not the standards of somebody else.

When doors that I have tried to keep locked begin to open wide when I am being laid bare with his word to his arm often forced to conclude with the apostle Paul that nothing good dwells in me that is in my flesh I am forced to conclude that the only good thing about Michael Yousef is Jesus Christ. And so the word of God not only stretches us wide open on the operating table the words of Liza's prayer, but it also cuts us where we need to be cut and I have never met anybody who had been through surgeries of man.

I enjoyed that that was such a great experience. I can't wait to go back but I've never met anyone who been through surgery and God use that surgery to bring them to health without saying. I thank God that I been through it and it's the same way when the sword the double edge sword works in your life and mine is he that's the job of the double edge sword. Listen carefully the word of God here does not mean that the sword divide spirit and soul or divides joints from the murderer doesn't mean that all some people really misunderstand that in fact in the human body untold joints and Morrow. I'm not in contact with each other. They don't need to be separated. Therefore, the point of the passage is this, that the word of God cuts to the bone is what it means.

It means that the word of God penetrates deep into the recesses of our spiritual being is what it means. It means the word of God doesn't miss everything, and so the separation is not dividing one part from the other, not at all, but it means that it goes very deep into every single cell in your spiritual body. It means that the word of God stops at nothing until it brings it all up in the open and the concert this and take it from me when you're lying down on God's operating table. They can be no pretense. No pretense in any area of life.

No pretense that she that's why listen to me. That's why the devil in the flesh do not want to to stay very long before the word of God. He doesn't want you to stay on the operating table.

He doesn't want to just be there so God can begin to cut all the things that he needs to take out of your life in my life. The right of the Hebrews said the word of God judges not only your thoughts even knew hidden motives. You might do something wonderful.

But you know when you plan it in your head.

Is it if I do it this way. I'm going to get this and I'm going to do this and all those is inside all these thoughts inside of you. Nobody else knows it except you and God and the word of God. When you open it, it immediately judges your motives. Was it mean using we living in such cultures talk to about this postmodern culture in the last message that is nonjudgmental here now we can judge anybody nobody judge anybody, and we got into all this stuff and we took that all the way to God and the Bible.

But let me tell you something what the writer to the Hebrews are saying that the word of God is sitting in judgment. It is sitting in judgment only as of the word of God is doing is judging, not just my activities is not just my thoughts. But even my motives. The secret intentions. You know, one of the biggest lies of culture listen to me the biggest lie of this culture is to what you feel is right to pray tell me feeling is so subjective and can be totally unreliable.

What is your feeling on my feeling on contradiction is that's why they don't want to answer anything that reminds them of the authority of God and the standards of God to try to do what you feel is for height of the word of God does it sorts out reality from fiction sorts it all out. It says to you this is right. This is wrong. This is of the flesh. This is of the spirit we give an example.

I hope it doesn't get the confession when you are driving alone on the highway and somebody cuts in front of you. Nobody is watching you in the car, you have no passage to what you do to retaliate in a Christian's men at the cusp of the use sign language. Whatever you do. God is watching and then you come in the morning, whatever that evening.

Whatever the before God's operating table with his word of God say to you, it sits in judgment the judges you, says that wasn't glorifying to God wasn't in it begins to bring you under conviction. In fact, I can tell you somebody asked me not so long ago. Somebody was talking to minister to wind you have all this accountability about your time in about your money and why do you have all this accountability, don't you trust yourself and said you said it got was shocking when want what you mean you don't trust yeah listen to me listen to me listen. This is not my games are okay does not play games with each other. You and I are experts in self-deception who we really are. Assess all of your sanctimonious noggin say amen to that. But I think I understand you are not experts in rationalization. You are not experts on deluding ourselves. You are not experts on trying to project an image of ourselves that is far from reality. Anyone would try to believe in ourselves with you.

Something you can take this to the bank. We all try to hide the true self from the public self and you know what we actually have created a double security system to ensure this defensive mechanism we have always enforced with thousands of rationalizations that it's enforced with hundreds of excuses it's enforced with tens of explanations why is this and why is that in and we all all really designed to explain away why we do what we do, why we think the way we think and why we spend our money the way we spend our money why we read what we read and why we watch what we watch and see what we see and on and on and on, but the word of God penetrates through all this clutter is his forgetfulness, and the sword begins to cut away at the security systems and gets all the way into the fourth and begins to sort what is real and what is fiction what is true what is fantasy Noah.

Jeremiah said years ago. He said the heart is deceitful above all things correct Michael you don't trust yourself, you got it. What we cannot do for ourselves the word of God does for us. The word of God not only lays us and stretches us on God's operating table. The word of God not only cuts us where we need to be cut, but finally the word of God heals us and restores us that is not a surgeon who is worth his salt that would open up a patient and would not so him backup in order. The wound may heal the person become restored into full health to full strength fact, I heard about the surgeon who was invited as a guest of the dinner party and while his host was carving the meat. The host kept on running his mouth naked saying how my doing doc and I one of those people have is how do you like my technique in any kept running his mouth. Well, I'll make a good surgeon… And when he finished, and stop bragging. Finally, his guests assistance at Harry. Anybody can cut them apart. It's putting back together that really matters.

And that's what the word of God does doesn't just lays us on the table. What needs to be cut.

It sows us together in order to restore us to full health, spiritual health is for the surgeon to house and that's with the word of God's he cuts what he needs to cut and then he puts it together for healing, and I know it's a in our nature to try to run away from the person whom we think know too much about us is just human nature limited something God knows everything about you that is to be known and therefore where you gonna hide and once you get this thought deep into the recesses of your mind and into your heart and under your belt, when once you get that thought leave this the beginning when you become a realistic about yourself and through the word of God that lays a spare cuts us firmly to be cut and then does all of that for these reasons in order that the word of God may heal us, so that the word of God might fulfill us and bless us and in riches and strengthens us and forgives us and towards more grace from God and live. And that is why the right of the Hebrews goes down a few more verses, verse 16 of chapter 4 and he says the following, he said S Van approach the throne of grace with confidence not of fear and trepidation both confidence so that we might receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. When you let the word of God reign in our lives will of God reign in our lives. Father only you and the power of your Holy Spirit can truly convict on the word can lay a spare cuts.

What we need to be cut and then sell us together to heal us, and so father it is you that we come to full power and full strength. This could be just empty words will be forgotten in 30 minutes. If your Holy Spirit does not allow them to penetrate deep into her follow-up on the conviction I thank you Lord that you promised that your words will not return to you in Jesus name, amen. Thanks for listening to this message from Dr. Michael. You sat recently featured on leading the way.

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