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The Journey • Sermon • Submitted
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· 13 viewsThe Word brings holiness because it protects us from failure, exposes us to reality, and leads us to mercy
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Series: The Journey
Title: Join the Journey
Text:
ATTN
One comedian I heard dealt with a burning issue in our country today: Passwords.
Pic - Forgot password
See I know that people think you’re getting old when you start having trouble remembering things, but maybe it’s not your age. Maybe its because your brain is just too full . . . with passwords! You have to have a password for everything. And every website you use has got different rules: You got to have two “p’s” three numbers and an upside down “q” . . . and a number and a capital and a symbol. O, Ok that’s easy. And then they tell you “Don’t write it down.” O no, I got it all up here!” And they give you the worst advice: “Just name it after a childhood pet.” O that would work if I had a pet named P,Q, underscore 709576!
So, whenever I go to a site I haven’t been to in a while I end the suspense. I just look for that little button that says “Forgot password.” I don’t even try, I just hit it. Then, that’s right you know what happens: A screen pops us that says, “We’ll help you retrieve your password, What’s your username?” Well, if I could remember my username, I could probably remember my password! That’s why I say, I hate passwords. In fact, I sure hope when I get to heaven, they don’t ask me for a password.
But, in a sense, there really is a password to get into heaven. And right off the bat, someone might say, “I know what it is; it has to be “Mercy.” Well, that answer does make sense, but it isn’t quite complete. The word “mercy” means to keep someone from a punishment they deserve. That might say why you stay out of hell, but it doesn’t explain what gets you into heaven.
Someone else say, “I know what it is: The password is ‘grace.’” That answer seems right too, but, again, I don’t think it’s quite complete. “Grace” means to give someone something good that they do not deserve. Now surely heaven is something good that we don’t deserve, but being in heaven and I might say, truly enjoying heaven, will require something more than grace.
Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:
If you want to know the password I’m thinking of, think about which says, Pursue peace with all people AND HOLINESS without which NO ONE WILL SEE THE LORD. You see mercy isn’t enough because it just gets you out of hell; grace isn’t enough because it just gets you into heaven. You will only enjoy heaven when you are brought face to face with the Lord and that will not happen without HOLINESS.
Now, I know that those of you with some theological knowledge might, at this point, be tempted to “underdefine” this word, “holiness.” You might be tempted to say, “Well, what the Hebrew writer is saying here is that we must possess the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ. We are holy because we have been given the character of Jesus. It has been imputed to us. And while that is true, it still doesn’t completely define this word, “holiness.” One Greek scholar says of this word, Holiness denotes not only the act of God’s free grace in justifying sinners, but also the result of that justification upon the sinner in making him just and equipping him to recognize the rights of God on his life. Holiness refers not only to the activity of the Holy Spirit in setting man apart unto salvation and transferring him into the ranks of the redeemed, but also to enabling him to be holy even as God is holy ()[1] You might say it like this. It refers to the initial act of salvation and also to the process of sanctification in the life of a believer. Without that, the Bible says, no one will see God.
So today we begin a new series entitled The Journey. Over the next 12 months we are going to journal and preach our way through the essential message of the entire Bible. Each week we will have a schedule for you to read that week. A more complete schedule will also be available on the website. I am asking each of you to take a turn at doing a hear journal for each day’s reading.
In case you don’t know what a HEAR journal is it’s a very simple acronym.
The H is for “Highlight.” That just means you ask God to speak to you as you read and, as you read, note a verse that stands out to you.
The E is for “Explain.” Simply, you explain the context of the statement and what it means.
The A is for “Apply.” You take the passage and show how it can relate to your life.
The R is for “Response.” You take some concrete action to obey what you have learned.
Obviously the primary resource for becoming holy is the Bible in your hand or on your smartphone. You might say that this series called “Journey” is not just a journey through something (i.e. the Scripture), it is also a journey TO something: It is a journey to holiness, the characteristic which will allow us to see God. The question then becomes: How? How can we be holy?
That’s what I want to talk about today, I want to talk to you about the how of holy. How do you and I, in a very practical way, experience deep life change in our behavior. If holiness is the password to heaven, how can it be produced in us. I want to show you how from a passage in Hebrews chapter 4.
Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
If holiness is the key to heaven the right interaction with the Word of God is the key to holiness. How does the Scripture produce holiness within us? Well, in the first place:
D1:
Interacting with God’s Word protects us from failure.
Interacting with God’s Word protects us from failure.
EXP
The description of the failure.
The description of the failure.
You see the DESCRIPTION of the failure I’m talking about mentioned right off the bat in v 11. It says, Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall . . . “Entering into rest” is a phrase common in this book. It has both a reflective and a prospective view. It looks to the past and to the future. When I say it looks to the past, I have in mind what happened with the Children of Israel. The first generation that left Egypt died in the desert because they were disobedient and stubborn. They failed to enter into their rest.
It looks to the future because, in a sense, the church is the spiritual children of Israel who are being led to heaven by Christ. The writer is saying that we are to be diligent to enter into our rest. That’s the description of failure. It is failing to enter into our eternal rest in heaven.
The danger of the failure.
The danger of the failure.
The DANGER of the failure. That’s the description of our failure but what about it’s danger? The danger is that we would fall and not reach our destination, which is heaven. Now, I know that raises question marks in your mind. You might be asking, “Well, Rusty, are you saying we can be saved and then so fall from that place of salvation that we do not go to heaven?” Well, as I have said many times. Those who say that a person can lose their salvation would say that these people were genuine believers who lost it; Those who say that you can’t lose your salvation would say that these people were not genuine believers to begin with.
Regardless of what you say their initial state was, the warning is very powerful. The writer says, we must possess DILIGENCE. We must be diligent to enter that rest. And what is it that we are to be diligent about? V12 tells us: We are to be diligent about letting the Word of God do it’s work in our lives. Our interaction with God through His word will protect us from failure.
ILL
Pic - Judd Apatow
The New York Times has a practice of interviewing writers about books he or she is reading. They like to get feedback by writers about writers. They ask questions like, “What books are currently on your nightstand? Who is your favorite novelist of all time? What books might we be surprised to find on your shelves?”
They also ask the opposite kinds of questions like, “What book did you find disappointing, overrated, or just not good? What book did you feel you were supposed to like, and didn’t? Do you remember the last book you put down without finishing?
Well, in June of 2015 they were interviewing a screenwriter named Judd Apatow. When they got to the negative questions and asked what book had disappointed him, Apatow replied: “The Bible It's just not working for me. I wish it was. Wouldn't it be great if it did work for me and I had the peace one gets when knowing the universe is just and kind and guided by eternal intelligence? Maybe I'm reading it wrong."
And, you would be right, Judd. You are reading it wrong. The Bible was never intended to work FOR you, the Bible was intended to work ON you.
ARG
But I rather suspect that there are some of you in here who would agree with Judd. You say, “Hey Rusty, you preachers get up and tell me what a wonderful book the Bible is, but I cannot make head nor tail of it. How can it possibly protect me?” Well, I say that because the Bible is not some book you just read and check off your list. The Bible is a book that you are to interact with. There is a process of reading the Bible that does some powerful things in your life. You see, the Bible produces holiness, not just because it protects us from failure, but because it also
D2
Interacting with God’s Word exposes us to reality.
Interacting with God’s Word exposes us to reality.
: EXPOSES US TO REALITY
Series: The Journey
Title: Join the Journey
Text: Hebrews 4:11-13
ATTN
One comedian I heard dealt with a burning issue in our country today: Passwords.
See I know that people think you’re getting old when you start having trouble remembering things, but maybe it’s not your age. Maybe its because your brain is just too full . . . with passwords! You have to have a password for everything. And every website you use has got different rules: You got to have two “p’s” three numbers and an upside down “q” . . . and a number and a capital and a symbol. O, Ok that’s easy. And then they tell you “Don’t write it down.” O no, I got it all up here!” And they give you the worst advice: “Just name it after a childhood pet.” O that would work if I had a pet named P,Q, underscore 709576!
So, whenever I go to a site I haven’t been to in a while I end the suspense. I just look for that little button that says “Forgot password.” I don’t even try, I just hit it. Then, that’s right you know what happens: A screen pops us that says, “We’ll help you retrieve your password, What’s your username?” Well, if I could remember my username, I could probably remember my password! That’s why I say, I hate passwords. In fact, I sure hope when I get to heaven, they don’t ask me for a password.
But, in a sense, there really is a password to get into heaven. And right off the bat, someone might say, “I know what it is; it has to be “Mercy.” Well, that answer does make sense, but it isn’t quite complete. The word “mercy” means to keep someone from a punishment they deserve. That might say why you stay out of hell, but it doesn’t explain what gets you into heaven.
Someone else say, “I know what it is: The password is ‘grace.’” That answer seems right too, but, again, I don’t think it’s quite complete. “Grace” means to give someone something good that they do not deserve. Now surely heaven is something good that we don’t deserve, but being in heaven and I might say, truly enjoying heaven, will require something more than grace.
If you want to know the password I’m thinking of, think about Hebrews 12:14 which says, Pursue peace with all people AND HOLINESS without which NO ONE WILL SEE THE LORD. You see mercy isn’t enough because it just gets you out of hell; grace isn’t enough because it just gets you into heaven. You will only enjoy heaven when you are brought face to face with the Lord and that will not happen without HOLINESS.
Now, I know that those of you with some theological knowledge might, at this point, be tempted to “underdefine” this word, “holiness.” You might be tempted to say, “Well, what the Hebrew writer is saying here is that we must possess the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ. We are holy because we have been given the character of Jesus. It has been imputed to us. And while that is true, it still doesn’t completely define this word, “holiness.” One Greek scholar says of this word, Holiness denotes not only the act of God’s free grace in justifying sinners, but also the result of that justification upon the sinner in making him just and equipping him to recognize the rights of God on his life. Holiness refers not only to the activity of the Holy Spirit in setting man apart unto salvation and transferring him into the ranks of the redeemed, but also to enabling him to be holy even as God is holy (2 Thess. 2:13)[1] You might say it like this. It refers to the initial act of salvation and also to the process of sanctification in the life of a believer. Without that, the Bible says, no one will see God.
So today we begin a new series entitled The Journey. Over the next 12 months we are going to journal and preach our way through the essential message of the entire Bible. Each week we will have a schedule for you to read that week. A more complete schedule will also be available on the website. I am asking each of you to take a turn at doing a hear journal for each day’s reading.
In case you don’t know what a HEAR journal is it’s a very simple acronym.
The H is for “Highlight.” That just means you ask God to speak to you as you read and, as you read, note a verse that stands out to you.
The E is for “Explain.” Simply, you explain the context of the statement and what it means.
The A is for “Apply.” You take the passage and show how it can relate to your life.
The R is for “Response.” You take some concrete action to obey what you have learned.
Obviously the primary resource for becoming holy is the Bible in your hand or on your smartphone. You might say that this series called “Journey” is not just a journey through something (i.e. the Scripture), it is also a journey TO something: It is a journey to holiness, the characteristic which will allow us to see God. The question then becomes: How? How can we be holy?
That’s what I want to talk about today, I want to talk to you about the how of holy. How do you and I, in a very practical way, experience deep life change in our behavior. If holiness is the password to heaven, how can it be produced in us. I want to show you how from a passage in Hebrews chapter 4. (Read Heb 4:11-13)
If holiness is the key to heaven the right interaction with the Word of God is the key to holiness. How does the Scripture produce holiness within us? Well, in the first place:
D1: IT PROTECTS US FROM FAILURE
EXP
You see the DESCRIPTION of the failure I’m talking about mentioned right off the bat in v 11. It says, Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall . . . “Entering into rest” is a phrase common in this book. It has both a reflective and a prospective view. It looks to the past and to the future. When I say it looks to the past, I have in mind what happened with the Children of Israel. The first generation that left Egypt died in the desert because they were disobedient and stubborn. They failed to enter into their rest.
It looks to the future because, in a sense, the church is the spiritual children of Israel who are being led to heaven by Christ. The writer is saying that we are to be diligent to enter into our rest. That’s the description of failure. It is failing to enter into our eternal rest in heaven.
That’s the description of our failure but what about it’s danger? The danger is that we would fall and not reach our destination, which is heaven. Now, I know that raises question marks in your mind. You might be asking, “Well, Rusty, are you saying we can be saved and then so fall from that place of salvation that we do not go to heaven?” Well, as I have said many times. Those who say that a person can lose their salvation would say that these people were genuine believers who lost it; Those who say that you can’t lose your salvation would say that these people were not genuine believers to begin with.
Regardless of what you say their initial state was, the warning is very powerful. The writer says, we must possess DILIGENCE. We must be diligent to enter that rest. And what is it that we are to be diligent about? V12 tells us: We are to be diligent about letting the Word of God do it’s work in our lives. Our interaction with God through His word will protect us from failure.
ILL
The New York Times has a practice of interviewing writers about books he or she is reading. They like to get feedback by writers about writers. They ask questions like, “What books are currently on your nightstand? Who is your favorite novelist of all time? What books might we be surprised to find on your shelves?”
They also ask the opposite kinds of questions like, “What book did you find disappointing, overrated, or just not good? What book did you feel you were supposed to like, and didn’t? Do you remember the last book you put down without finishing?
Well, in June of 2015 they were interviewing a screenwriter named Judd Apatow. When they got to the negative questions and asked what book had disappointed him, Apatow replied: “The Bible It's just not working for me. I wish it was. Wouldn't it be great if it did work for me and I had the peace one gets when knowing the universe is just and kind and guided by eternal intelligence? Maybe I'm reading it wrong."
And, you would be right, Judd. You are reading it wrong. The Bible was never intended to work FOR you, the Bible was intended to work ON you.
ARG
But I rather suspect that there are some of you in here who would agree with Judd. You say, “Hey Rusty, you preachers get up and tell me what a wonderful book the Bible is, but I cannot make head nor tail of it. How can it possibly protect me?” Well, I say that because the Bible is not some book you just read and check off your list. The Bible is a book that you are to interact with. There is a process of reading the Bible that does some powerful things in your life. You see, the Bible produces holiness, not just because it protects us from failure, but because it also
D2: EXPOSES US TO REALITY
EXP
Now the reality I’m talking about is found down in v 13. It says And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. The reality that desperately needs to be exposed is the reality of who we really are behind the masks we all wear. We are all so good at covering up. From the that Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, the same humanity whom God created to see Him face to face; the same creature that finds its ultimate pleasure in giving glory to it’s creator; that same humanity tries to hide from God. The last thing we want is to be exposed, but v13 says that all of us need to be exposed because hiding from God doesn’t make us invisible to Him.
ILL
My youngest grandson is at the really cute stage of growing up. He’s learning to say certain N.C. phrases like, “Do What?” and “What’s up?” The other day I was keeping him and he took a nap. I saw him stirring on the monitor and went in to pick him up. When I opened the door to his room, he jumped up and said, “What’s up?”
But it’s not ALL cuteness. No, his little tyrant is coming out too. You know what I’m talking about. He can throw a fit. If you don’t believe that, just ask daycare! So we’ve been trying to crack down on him. Recently, I was getting on him (which, by the way, breaks Granddaddy’s heart!) I was trying to get him to look me in the eye so that I could really get his attention and make him submit. I said, “Grayson look at me!” He turned his head away, so I grabbed his chin. I said, “Grayson look at me!” Well, now I had his head still so he had to face me, but his eyes were looking past me. Finally, I said it one more time and he looked at me. Then he did something that just about made me start laughing: He just closed his eyes!
Isn’t that the way we are with God? He is absolutely in control and we know that we cannot ultimately hide from Him, but in our defiance we just close our eyes as if He wasn’t there! But the only person we are fooling is ourselves!
This is why we need the Word of God. We need to be exposed. We need to catch a clear-eyed glimpse of ourselves.
EXP
Yes! This is exactly why we need the Word of God. It is the tool God uses to expose us. But what is it about that tool that makes it so good at showing us who we are? Well first of all, the Bible is PERSONAL. V12 says, For the Word of God is LIVING . . . It isn’t just ink on paper; It isn’t just a leather-bound bundle of beliefs someone dreamed up to trip you up. It is the LIVING word of God. That means it connects with your life! It speaks to that argument with your wife, that disagreement with your neighbor and that fight with your daughter; it comments on that decision you made to leave or quit or gossip; it reveals the hidden sin, uncovers the hypocritical smile and discovers the devious motive. The Bible is the Living Word of God which means it gets all up in your personal space and shines the light of truth on the darkened deceptions of your heart. It is alive! It is personal.
And it is also POWERFUL. In this context the word really means “effective.” That means it achieves what God has designed it to achieve. This word reminds us of what the prophet Isaiah said in Isaiah 55:11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. God’s word exposes us because it is personal and powerful.
But it is also PENETRATING. The verse, again, says, For the word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Now when I say, “penetrating” I am summarizing two things that this verse says that God’s word does to us.
First it DISCOVERS us. It discovers us EMOTIONALLY. When this verse says that the word of God is like a sharp sword that “pierces even to the division of soul and spirit,” it speaks of the psychological, emotional make up of man. The word gets deep down into our emotions and holds up a mirror to us. It shows us the anger we have because of our pride; it shows us the covetousness we have because we are jealous; it shows us the bitterness we have because of unforgiveness. The Word discovers us emotionally.
And it discovers us MOTIVATIONALLY. The verse says that it shows us our thoughts (watch!) and our intentions. It doesn’t just tell us what we did wrong, it tells us why we did it in the first place.
ILL
You know, it is easy to feel pretty good about yourself if you don’t have to deal with your motives. But when you start dealing with WHY you do the things you do, you start to really discover the wickedness of your heart. Sometimes when I preach, I don’t get a lot of feedback after it’s over. Though this happens less than it used to, when it does happen, I may go home feeling discouraged. In fact, sometimes I spend all afternoon saying stuff like “I’m sorry God,” sort of apologizing for the terrible job I had done.
Often the Lord lets me just kind of stew in all that self-pity for a while. On occasion when this happens, I will hear him ask me (Don’t worry, I don’t hear any audible voices, but this thought occurs to me): “Rusty, why are you so upset? Who are you preaching for, them or Me? Why would you be so upset over whether they liked it when and never even ask me what I thought about it?” And often, as I think about the scriptures that talk about me preaching for an audience of one . . . of worshiping Him, not the opinion of others, the Holy Spirit EXPOSES my motivation. I tell you, the Word will discover you emotionally and motivationally.
EXP
And then the verse says that the Word of God pierces even to the division of soul and spirit and OF JOINTS AND MARROW. The marrow is as deep as you can go in the body. The marrow is what is on the inside of the bone. The point is that the Word of God discovers us COMPLETELY. When we truly encounter God in His world He discovers us from head to toe and it doesn’t stop there. Look at the verse one more time: For the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow (now watch this!) AND IS A DISCERNER of the thoughts and intents of the heart. You see, not only does the word discover us, it also DISCLOSES us. The discovery made by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God is disclosed ot our conscious mind. God’s word discovers and discerns us and the result is that we are exposed for who we really are. We cannot hide. No wonder then, v13 says that no creature is hidden from His sight but all things are naked and open to Him. The word of God exposes us to reality.
Now you know why so many people don’t want to read the Bible. It can be very painful to encounter the real you. It can be very hard to face yourself as you really are.
ILL
As a matter of fact, many people hate that confrontation because it leaves you with a choice. You will either accept the truth about yourself or deny it.
You recognize this face, especially if you have watched Lord of the Rings. It is the actor who played Gandalf. His name is Sir Ian McKellen. He made an interesting confession. He said, Whenever I stay at a hotel, I always check to see if they have a Gideon Bible, and if they do I tear out a page," says the openly gay actor. "I turn to Leviticus 18:22 and rip out that page, which is directed against homosexuals. I think by now I must have ripped out a few hundred.” (By the way he needs to rip out several other pages as well, such as Romans 1 and 1 Corinthians 6, but you get the point).
Why does he do that? McKellen says it is because he is trying to be altruistic. No really, he is. He says, Who knows? There might be someone who has insomnia who reads the Bible because they have nothing else to do and who might be especially vulnerable to what I really think is Leviticus's pornography. You see, Sir Ian has been discovered by the Bible; he has been exposed, but he cannot admit it.
Now that’s an interesting response! It’s a bit like Grayson closing his eyes. He’s not fooling God, he’s just fooling himself. And fooling yourself is dangerous. I say that because of the way v 13 ends. It says And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him TO WHOM WE MUST GIVE ACCOUNT.
Those are very sobering words! God isn’t just communicating His will to us through His word so that we can feel guilty. He’s not just psyching us out. He’s not going to pop up one day and say, “You know all that stuff I said about lying, I didn’t really mean it. I know you’ve got to make it in this dog-eat-dog world, so go ahead and lie a little when you’re selling that car. I know how hard your life is. Don’t worry about it.” No, far from it. He exposes us so that we will see who we really are and then He says, “You really do need to worry about this because you are going to give ACCOUNT for it.
Let’s get this straight! Because we are in danger of not entering into heaven, we are to diligently pursue the Word of God that is just going to expose us and make us fully aware of how much we don’t measure up and then we’re going to die and be required to give an account to God! No wonder we don’t want to read the Bible!
That’s why I’m glad for vv 14-16. You see, not only does the Scripture promote holiness because it protects us from failure and expose us to reality, it also
D3: LEADS US TO MERCY
EXP
Don’t miss this! If you do, you’ll try and fail to “live up to” what you see in the Word of God. That is what so many frustrated believers have done. I do not believe that it is an accident that right after v13 that speaks of us giving an account to God, you have v 14. Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. We have not been left alone to wallow in our guilt and sin. We have a great High Priest who not only purchased our deliverance and imputes to us His righteousness, he also know how to sympathize with our weaknesses in life. That’s significant! You see, He knows how to help us in this process of sanctification where we are constantly challenged by the Word of Christ to be practically conformed to His image. He understands our weaknesses and our temptations. So when we are struggling and we have been exposed by the Word of God and we are standing guilty and condemned, we don’t just turn over a new leaf or try to “do better next time.” O no! We come boldly to the throne of grace and we obtain mercy and we find grace and strength to help in our time of greatest need! You see His word exposes us not so that we can be led to despair but so that we can be led to mercy!
APP
Now listen! It is this interaction with the Word of God that we desire every Christ-follower here at Peace have as a powerful part of their everyday walk with the Lord. So let me give you four quick “take-aways” from this message to help you implement this in your everyday life. You see, if the Bible is going to work ON you, not FOR you, you can:
SEE IT FOR WHAT IT IS. Paul said this to the church at Thessalonica: For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. You have to be like the Thessalonians when it comes to this book. You must see it . . . all of it as God’s word, but not just in some religious sense. You have got to see it as His word SPECIFICALLY TO YOU! It is the inerrant, infallible, inspired word of God meant for you to read, understand, and clearly apply to your life. When you open this book you have to believe that God has something specifically to say to you and read it that way. You must see it for what it is, and then you can
LOVE IT FOR WHAT IT DOES. What I mean by that is we have to learn not to run from the exposure that comes from God’s word but to love it. Realize that God is after making you holy so that you will one day enjoy His presence and embrace what the Word is meant to do in your life. James says it like this in James 1:21: Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. As I interact with God’s word daily in my life, God uses the Holy Spirit’s ministry through His word to change me into His image. I can love it for what it does and see it for what it is, but then I can also:
STUDY IT FOR WHAT IT MEANS. Quite honestly there are some things that you can learn which will make the Bible more accessible to you, but I have to say that the best way to learn to study the Bible is to just study the Bible . . . with one caveat. You study the Bible by placing yourself in the middle of what it is saying to you. For me that meant, as a young adult, making up my mind to just forget all I had been taught (as much as possible) and just studying the word to grasp it for myself. You see, part of our problem in understanding the bible is all the stuff we’ve been taught about it that “ain’t necessarily so.” But when you clear the slate and simply try to see what is really there, the Spirit will begin to amaze you through His word. Study it for what it means, love it for what it does, see it for what it is and then.
OBEY IT THROUGH WHAT IT PROMISES: James 1:22 says this: But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. That simply tells us that we can study the Bible until we can cross every theological “t” and dot every theological “I,” but if we do not obey it, we’ve wasted our time.
But that presents a problem: In our sinful flesh, we cannot obey the word, even if we want to. That’s why Paul wrote, There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
You see, we can only obey God’s word through what God’s word promises. We are promised the enabling power of the Holy Spirit to help us live out God’s word in our lives. We obey it through what it promises. We see it for what it is, love it for what it does, study it for what it means and obey it through what it promises.
VIS
Can I just give you an example of how all this came together for me some time ago. Now let me just preface all of this with a confession. I don’t know whether it was the fact that I grew up as a preacher’s kid and saw people mistreat my family, or if I just have a reserved personality or whether it is a combination of both. The problem is that I like to go “all in” with anyone. I like to keep a little in reserve. I do give a lot and I trust more than I ever have because God has given me grace over the years and helped me to grow in Christ. But, in my relationships, there is still this tendency not to trust completely or to invite anyone totally into my life.
I had been the book of 1 Thessalonians in order to preach on Sunday evenings. As I was working through the commentaries on 1 Thess 2:8, I had one of those moments of exposure. Paul says to the Thessalonians, So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. Then I read the commentary on this verse. It said, The true missionary is not someone specialized in the delivery of the message but someone whose whole being, completely committed to a message which demands all, is communicated to his hearers.’ There is an intensity of expression which is a rebuke to that tepid service that keeps the innermost self to oneself and is always a cause of ineffectiveness. Vital Christian service is costly.
Honestly folks, that nailed me. I realized that I have so much trouble being willing to invest in other people WITHOUT LIMITS. I want to give, but I want there to be an end. There’s a time to put up the chips and dip, pick up the cards, turn out the lights and go to bed . . . say about 8:30! So I’m sitting at my desk really feeling desperate. I started asking God, “God, if this is the way it’s supposed to be, I’m hopeless. Why did you call me into ministry when I am so ill-equipped.”
That’s when the Holy Spirit reminded me of this passage of Scripture: Hebrews 4:11-13. It was like He said to me, “Rusty, I’ve exposed you, now let me help you. You’ll never do it on your own. You can’t! You must come boldly to the throne of grace and find mercy and grace to help you in the time of your need!”
Listen! If the password to really enjoying heaven is holiness, then the pathway to holiness is the exposure and the help that comes when the Holy Spirit applies the word of God to our lives. The Bible was never meant to work FOR us, the Bible was meant to work ON us!
APPEAL
That’s why I’m excited about this Journey that we are taking together. Beginning tomorrow, we will be starting our journey through the Bible together. We will do HEAR journals each day on the passages of Scripture that we are covering.
By the way, you will find an explanation of a HEAR journal in the insert of the bulletin and also on our website at peacechurchwilson.com. Briefly, you read the passage, highlight the verse or verses that stand out to you, explain what they mean, apply them to your life, and then decide on a specific way to respond to what you have read.
Then, every Sunday in 2020, I will be preaching from some part of the Scripture that we studied that week.
So if Holiness is the password to Heaven, then internalizing the Scripture is the pathway to holiness. The question this morning is simply this: Will you take that pathway? Will you join us for the Journey?
D2: EXPOSES US TO REALITY
EXP
And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
Now the reality I’m talking about is found down in v 13. It says And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. The reality that desperately needs to be exposed is the reality of who we really are behind the masks we all wear. We are all so good at covering up. From the that Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, the same humanity whom God created to see Him face to face; the same creature that finds its ultimate pleasure in giving glory to it’s creator; that same humanity tries to hide from God. The last thing we want is to be exposed, but v13 says that all of us need to be exposed because hiding from God doesn’t make us invisible to Him.
ILL
My youngest grandson is at the really cute stage of growing up. He’s learning to say certain N.C. phrases like, “Do What?” and “What’s up?” The other day I was keeping him and he took a nap. I saw him stirring on the monitor and went in to pick him up. When I opened the door to his room, he jumped up and said, “What’s up?”
But it’s not ALL cuteness. No, his little tyrant is coming out too. You know what I’m talking about. He can throw a fit. If you don’t believe that, just ask daycare! So we’ve been trying to crack down on him. Recently, I was getting on him (which, by the way, breaks Granddaddy’s heart!) I was trying to get him to look me in the eye so that I could really get his attention and make him submit. I said, “Grayson look at me!” He turned his head away, so I grabbed his chin. I said, “Grayson look at me!” Well, now I had his head still so he had to face me, but his eyes were looking past me. Finally, I said it one more time and he looked at me. Then he did something that just about made me start laughing: He just closed his eyes!
Isn’t that the way we are with God? He is absolutely in control and we know that we cannot ultimately hide from Him, but in our defiance we just close our eyes as if He wasn’t there! But the only person we are fooling is ourselves!
This is why we need the Word of God. We need to be exposed. We need to catch a clear-eyed glimpse of ourselves.
EXP
Yes! This is exactly why we need the Word of God. It is the tool God uses to expose us. But what is it about that tool that makes it so good at showing us who we are?
The Bible is Personal.
The Bible is Personal.
Well first of all, the Bible is PERSONAL.
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
V12 says, For the Word of God is LIVING . . . It isn’t just ink on paper; It isn’t just a leather-bound bundle of beliefs someone dreamed up to trip you up. It is the LIVING word of God. That means it connects with your life! It speaks to that argument with your wife, that disagreement with your neighbor and that fight with your daughter; it comments on that decision you made to leave or quit or gossip; it reveals the hidden sin, uncovers the hypocritical smile and discovers the devious motive. The Bible is the Living Word of God which means it gets all up in your personal space and shines the light of truth on the darkened deceptions of your heart. It is alive! It is personal.
The Bible is POWERFUL.
The Bible is POWERFUL.
And it is also POWERFUL. In this context the word really means “effective.” That means it achieves what God has designed it to achieve.
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
This word reminds us of what the prophet Isaiah said in So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. God’s word exposes us because it is personal and powerful.
The Bible is PENETRATING.
The Bible is PENETRATING.
But it is also PENETRATING.
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
The verse, again, says, For the word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Now when I say, “penetrating” I am summarizing two things that this verse says that God’s word does to us.
“Penetrating” means that it discovers us EMOTIONALLY.
“Penetrating” means that it discovers us EMOTIONALLY.
First it DISCOVERS us. It discovers us EMOTIONALLY. When this verse says that the word of God is like a sharp sword that “pierces even to the division of soul and spirit,” it speaks of the psychological, emotional make up of man. The word gets deep down into our emotions and holds up a mirror to us. It shows us the anger we have because of our pride; it shows us the covetousness we have because we are jealous; it shows us the bitterness we have because of unforgiveness. The Word discovers us emotionally.
“Penetrating” means that it discovers us MOTIVATIONALLY.
“Penetrating” means that it discovers us MOTIVATIONALLY.
And it discovers us MOTIVATIONALLY. The verse says that it shows us our thoughts (watch!) and our intentions. It doesn’t just tell us what we did wrong, it tells us why we did it in the first place.
ILL
You know, it is easy to feel pretty good about yourself if you don’t have to deal with your motives. But when you start dealing with WHY you do the things you do, you start to really discover the wickedness of your heart. Sometimes when I preach, I don’t get a lot of feedback after it’s over. Though this happens less than it used to, when it does happen, I may go home feeling discouraged. In fact, sometimes I spend all afternoon saying stuff like “I’m sorry God,” sort of apologizing for the terrible job I had done.
Often the Lord lets me just kind of stew in all that self-pity for a while. On occasion when this happens, I will hear him ask me (Don’t worry, I don’t hear any audible voices, but this thought occurs to me): “Rusty, why are you so upset? Who are you preaching for, them or Me? Why would you be so upset over whether they liked it when and never even ask me what I thought about it?” And often, as I think about the scriptures that talk about me preaching for an audience of one . . . of worshiping Him, not the opinion of others, the Holy Spirit EXPOSES my motivation. I tell you, the Word will discover you emotionally and motivationally.
EXP
Penetrating means that it discovers us COMPLETELY.
Penetrating means that it discovers us COMPLETELY.
And then the verse says that the Word of God pierces even to the division of soul and spirit and OF JOINTS AND MARROW. The marrow is as deep as you can go in the body. The marrow is what is on the inside of the bone. The point is that the Word of God discovers us COMPLETELY. When we truly encounter God in His world He discovers us from head to toe and it doesn’t stop there. Look at the verse one more time:
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
For the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow (now watch this!) AND IS A DISCERNER of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
For the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow (now watch this!) AND IS A DISCERNER of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
God’s Word doesn’t just DISCOVER us, it also DISCLOSES US
You see, not only does the word discover us, it also DISCLOSES us. The discovery made by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God is disclosed ot our conscious mind. God’s word discovers and discerns us and the result is that we are exposed for who we really are. We cannot hide.
And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
No wonder then, v13 says that no creature is hidden from His sight but all things are naked and open to Him. The word of God exposes us to reality.
Now you know why so many people don’t want to read the Bible. It can be very painful to encounter the real you. It can be very hard to face yourself as you really are.
ILL
As a matter of fact, many people hate that confrontation because it leaves you with a choice. You will either accept the truth about yourself or deny it.
PIC: SIR IAN MCKELLEN
You recognize this face, especially if you have watched Lord of the Rings. It is the actor who played Gandalf. His name is Sir Ian McKellen. He made an interesting confession. He said, Whenever I stay at a hotel, I always check to see if they have a Gideon Bible, and if they do I tear out a page," says the openly gay actor. "I turn to and rip out that page, which is directed against homosexuals. I think by now I must have ripped out a few hundred.” (By the way he needs to rip out several other pages as well, such as and , but you get the point).
Why does he do that? McKellen says it is because he is trying to be altruistic. No really, he is. He says, Who knows? There might be someone who has insomnia who reads the Bible because they have nothing else to do and who might be especially vulnerable to what I really think is Leviticus's pornography. You see, Sir Ian has been discovered by the Bible; he has been exposed, but he cannot admit it.
Now that’s an interesting response! It’s a bit like Grayson closing his eyes. He’s not fooling God, he’s just fooling himself. And fooling yourself is dangerous. I say that because of the way v 13 ends. It says And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him TO WHOM WE MUST GIVE ACCOUNT.
Those are very sobering words! God isn’t just communicating His will to us through His word so that we can feel guilty. He’s not just psyching us out. He’s not going to pop up one day and say, “You know all that stuff I said about lying, I didn’t really mean it. I know you’ve got to make it in this dog-eat-dog world, so go ahead and lie a little when you’re selling that car. I know how hard your life is. Don’t worry about it.” No, far from it. He exposes us so that we will see who we really are and then He says, “You really do need to worry about this because you are going to give ACCOUNT for it.
Let’s get this straight! Because we are in danger of not entering into heaven, we are to diligently pursue the Word of God that is just going to expose us and make us fully aware of how much we don’t measure up and then we’re going to die and be required to give an account to God! No wonder we don’t want to read the Bible!
That’s why I’m glad for vv 14-16. You see, not only does the Scripture promote holiness because it protects us from failure and expose us to reality, it also
Interacting with God’s word leads us to mercy.
Interacting with God’s word leads us to mercy.
D3: LEADS US TO MERCY
EXP
Don’t miss this! If you do, you’ll try and fail to “live up to” what you see in the Word of God. That is what so many frustrated believers have done. I do not believe that it is an accident that right after v13 that speaks of us giving an account to God, you have
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
We have not been left alone to wallow in our guilt and sin. We have a great High Priest who not only purchased our deliverance and imputes to us His righteousness, he also know how to sympathize with our weaknesses in life. That’s significant! You see, He knows how to help us in this process of sanctification where we are constantly challenged by the Word of Christ to be practically conformed to His image. He understands our weaknesses and our temptations. So when we are struggling and we have been exposed by the Word of God and we are standing guilty and condemned, we don’t just turn over a new leaf or try to “do better next time.” O no! We come boldly to the throne of grace and we obtain mercy and we find grace and strength to help in our time of greatest need! You see His word exposes us not so that we can be led to despair but so that we can be led to mercy!
v 14. Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. We have not been left alone to wallow in our guilt and sin. We have a great High Priest who not only purchased our deliverance and imputes to us His righteousness, he also know how to sympathize with our weaknesses in life. That’s significant! You see, He knows how to help us in this process of sanctification where we are constantly challenged by the Word of Christ to be practically conformed to His image. He understands our weaknesses and our temptations. So when we are struggling and we have been exposed by the Word of God and we are standing guilty and condemned, we don’t just turn over a new leaf or try to “do better next time.” O no! We come boldly to the throne of grace and we obtain mercy and we find grace and strength to help in our time of greatest need! You see His word exposes us not so that we can be led to despair but so that we can be led to mercy!
APP
Now listen! It is this interaction with the Word of God that we desire every Christ-follower here at Peace have as a powerful part of their everyday walk with the Lord. So let me give you four quick “take-aways” from this message to help you implement this in your everyday life. You see, if the Bible is going to work ON you, not FOR you, you can:
How can we make the most of our “journey” through the Scripture?
SEE IT FOR WHAT IT IS.
SEE IT FOR WHAT IT IS.
Paul said this to the church at Thessalonica: For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. You have to be like the Thessalonians when it comes to this book. You must see it . . . all of it as God’s word, but not just in some religious sense. You have got to see it as His word SPECIFICALLY TO YOU! It is the inerrant, infallible, inspired word of God meant for you to read, understand, and clearly apply to your life. When you open this book you have to believe that God has something specifically to say to you and read it that way. You must see it for what it is, and then you can
LOVE IT FOR WHAT IT DOES.
LOVE IT FOR WHAT IT DOES.
What I mean by that is we have to learn not to run from the exposure that comes from God’s word but to love it. Realize that God is after making you holy so that you will one day enjoy His presence and embrace what the Word is meant to do in your life. James says it like this in
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Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
Print
As I interact with God’s word daily in my life, God uses the Holy Spirit’s ministry through His word to change me into His image. I can love it for what it does and see it for what it is, but then I can also:
: Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. As I interact with God’s word daily in my life, God uses the Holy Spirit’s ministry through His word to change me into His image. I can love it for what it does and see it for what it is, but then I can also:
STUDY IT FOR WHAT IT MEANS.
STUDY IT FOR WHAT IT MEANS.
Quite honestly there are some things that you can learn which will make the Bible more accessible to you, but I have to say that the best way to learn to study the Bible is to just study the Bible . . . with one caveat. You study the Bible by placing yourself in the middle of what it is saying to you. For me that meant, as a young adult, making up my mind to just forget all I had been taught (as much as possible) and just studying the word to grasp it for myself. You see, part of our problem in understanding the bible is all the stuff we’ve been taught about it that “ain’t necessarily so.” But when you clear the slate and simply try to see what is really there, the Spirit will begin to amaze you through His word. Study it for what it means, love it for what it does, see it for what it is and then.
OBEY IT THROUGH WHAT IT PROMISES:
OBEY IT THROUGH WHAT IT PROMISES:
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
That simply tells us that we can study the Bible until we can cross every theological “t” and dot every theological “I,” but if we do not obey it, we’ve wasted our time.
says this: But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. That simply tells us that we can study the Bible until we can cross every theological “t” and dot every theological “I,” but if we do not obey it, we’ve wasted our time.
But that presents a problem: In our sinful flesh, we cannot obey the word, even if we want to. That’s why Paul wrote,
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Rom 8:1-
You see, we can only obey God’s word through what God’s word promises. We are promised the enabling power of the Holy Spirit to help us live out God’s word in our lives. We obey it through what it promises. We see it for what it is, love it for what it does, study it for what it means and obey it through what it promises.
You see, we can only obey God’s word through what God’s word promises. We are promised the enabling power of the Holy Spirit to help us live out God’s word in our lives. We obey it through what it promises. We see it for what it is, love it for what it does, study it for what it means and obey it through what it promises.
VIS
Can I just give you an example of how all this came together for me some time ago. Now let me just preface all of this with a confession. I don’t know whether it was the fact that I grew up as a preacher’s kid and saw people mistreat my family, or if I just have a reserved personality or whether it is a combination of both. The problem is that I like to go “all in” with anyone. I like to keep a little in reserve. I do give a lot and I trust more than I ever have because God has given me grace over the years and helped me to grow in Christ. But, in my relationships, there is still this tendency not to trust completely or to invite anyone totally into my life.
I had been the book of 1 Thessalonians in order to preach on Sunday evenings. As I was working through the commentaries on , had one of those moments of exposure. Paul says to the Thessalonians,
So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.
Then I read the commentary on this verse. It said, The true missionary is not someone specialized in the delivery of the message but someone whose whole being, completely committed to a message which demands all, is communicated to his hearers.’ There is an intensity of expression which is a rebuke to that tepid service that keeps the innermost self to oneself and is always a cause of ineffectiveness. Vital Christian service is costly.
So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. Then I read the commentary on this verse. It said, The true missionary is not someone specialized in the delivery of the message but someone whose whole being, completely committed to a message which demands all, is communicated to his hearers.’ There is an intensity of expression which is a rebuke to that tepid service that keeps the innermost self to oneself and is always a cause of ineffectiveness. Vital Christian service is costly.
Honestly folks, that nailed me. I realized that I have so much trouble being willing to invest in other people WITHOUT LIMITS. I want to give, but I want there to be an end. There’s a time to put up the chips and dip, pick up the cards, turn out the lights and go to bed . . . say about 8:30! So I’m sitting at my desk really feeling desperate. I started asking God, “God, if this is the way it’s supposed to be, I’m hopeless. Why did you call me into ministry when I am so ill-equipped.”
That’s when the Holy Spirit reminded me of this passage of Scripture: . It was like He said to me, “Rusty, I’ve exposed you, now let me help you. You’ll never do it on your own. You can’t! You must come boldly to the throne of grace and find mercy and grace to help you in the time of your need!”
Listen! If the password to really enjoying heaven is holiness, then the pathway to holiness is the exposure and the help that comes when the Holy Spirit applies the word of God to our lives. The Bible was never meant to work FOR us, the Bible was meant to work ON us!
APPEAL
That’s why I’m excited about this Journey that we are taking together. Beginning tomorrow, we will be starting our journey through the Bible together. We will do HEAR journals each day on the passages of Scripture that we are covering.
By the way, you will find an explanation of a HEAR journal in the insert of the bulletin and also on our website at peacechurchwilson.com. Briefly, you read the passage, highlight the verse or verses that stand out to you, explain what they mean, apply them to your life, and then decide on a specific way to respond to what you have read.
Then, every Sunday in 2020, I will be preaching from some part of the Scripture that we studied that week.
So if Holiness is the password to Heaven, then internalizing the Scripture is the pathway to holiness. The question this morning is simply this: Will you take that pathway? Will you join us for the Journey?