Hebrews 4:12-13
~18 min read
TRANSCRIPT
I greet you in the blessed name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In the last week of October, most churches would commemorate Reformation Sunday. The reason is because on the 31st of October 1517, an Augustinian monk named Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. This sparked a protest against the unbiblical teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. There were also other reformers like John Calvin, William Tyndale, John Huss, John Wycliffe, and so forth. It was known as the Protestant Reformation.
At the heart of the Reformation movement came this most pertinent question: How can a man be saved? The Roman Catholic Church said, "Believe in Christ, believe also in the church, believe also in the sacraments, believe also in the traditions, and do all the necessary good works that the church prescribes to do in order to earn your salvation."
Can a man be saved by faith in Christ alone or by faith plus all these works? Out of the Reformation emerged these five essential points of doctrines known as the ‘Five Solas’: salvation is by grace alone, by faith alone, by Christ alone, by Scripture alone, and to the glory of God alone. Today, we will only focus on ‘Sola Scriptura’, Scripture alone.
The Roman Catholic Church rejected this doctrine of Scripture alone because they believed that only the church has the sole authority. Therefore, only the church has the ability to provide the right interpretation. In other words, it was Scripture plus the church. That was a blatant lie.
Our Scripture text for this morning's consideration is taken from Hebrews 4:12-13. Allow me to read for you. "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”
The word "for" connects this verse to the preceding verses which speak about entering into God's rest. The word "rest" can be referred to different aspects of rest depending on the context. There is the Sabbath rest, creation rest, physical rest, Canaan's rest, salvation rest, and ultimately, the Heaven's rest that you and I look forward to. However, we must be careful because there is something that will cause us not to enter into that rest. Faith is the only instrument to enter into that rest, and unbelief is the instrument to keep us out of that rest. And our faith must be based on something. What is this thing? What is the basis of our faith? Romans 10:17 tells us, For "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." We must hear the Word, and by faith, we respond to the Word. And through the wonder-working of the Spirit, that is the only way we can be saved. That is the only way we can enter into salvation's rest.
I. It is Living
That is the reason why the author of the book of Hebrews, whom we believe is the Apostle Paul, went on to say, "For the word of God is quick." The first thing we want to learn about the word of God is that it is living. It is ‘quick’, which means it is alive, it is living. Notice it is in the present tense. The word of God is quick. Here Paul was speaking to the Jewish people and he was speaking about their forefathers who disbelieved God in the wilderness during Moses' time. Because of that, they were not able to enter into Canaan's rest. Remember, unbelief is the instrument that will keep the people out of God's rest. So when they rejected what God has said, they were not able to enter into His rest. God's word is quick. It is alive. It is living in the present tense. Why? Because it speaks to the people during Moses' time. It speaks to the people during Paul's time. And it is still speaking to us today in our time.
Sometimes we hear people say, "You must make the word of God relevant." We understand what they mean. Indeed, we must communicate God's word plainly so that the people can apply it to their lives. But there are some people who think that the word of God is not relevant unless we make it relevant. That is the problem.
The truth is that the Bible is always relevant. It is quick, it is alive, it is living as it was during Moses' time, as it was during Paul's time, just as it is today. It was relevant in those days, just as it is relevant today. God's word is quick or alive because it cannot be bound. 2 Timothy 2:8-9 tells us, "Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel: Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound." You can put the preacher in prison, but you cannot put the Word of God in prison. Even in prison, the preacher can still share the Word of God, and souls can still be saved because the Bible is alive.
God's Word is quick or alive because it is the source of life, and as the source of life, it can give life to others. People's lives are saved, changed, and transformed by the Word of God because as they read the Bible, the Spirit of God is able to use this Book to give out supernatural life to those who are spiritually dead. Some people may argue and say, "I've read the Bible, but nothing happened. It seems that the Bible is dead, like a dead book." The reason why the Bible seems like a dead book to the people is not that the Bible is dead, it is the people themselves who are spiritually dead. Remember 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." Unless the Word of God quickens them, makes them alive through the Spirit of God, gives them life in Jesus Christ, the Bible will always remain a dead book to such people.
Dear friends, contrary to the theology of the Roman Catholic Church, the church cannot quicken the sinner who is dead in sin. Only the Bible is able to do that, for the word of God is quick. It is alive and it is living.
II. It is Powerful
Our second point is: the word of God is powerful. "For the word of God is quick, and powerful". The original Greek word for powerful is from where we get the English word "energize". There's a divine energy working in God's word. Have you ever noticed the difference when you try to paraphrase the gospel using your own words and when you quote the gospel word for word as it is from the Bible itself? It is so different. Why? Because there is a divine energy working in God's Word. It is powerful.
Perhaps the best illustration of this divine energy is found in the creation work of God. God brought everything into existence out of nothing simply by declaring it through his Word. God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. "Let there be darkness," and there was darkness. God spoke and all things came into existence. That was just how powerful God's Word is.
Listen to the words of 2 Peter 3:5-7. The Apostle Peter said, "For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”
Let me briefly explain what it means. By His Word, God created this world. By His Word, God destroyed this world in the universal flood during Noah's time. By His Word, God preserved this world until the day of judgment, whereby the heavens and the Earth will be destroyed by fire. Dear friends, we are still here today not because of the Green Program, not because of the United Nations, not because of the government of Australia. It is because God is preserving us by the power of His Word.
When the reformers studied the Holy Scriptures, they were convicted, and then they unleashed the power of God's Word on the world. The Bible was so powerful to transform the life of the Catholic monk Martin Luther, so much so that when he was ordered to appear before the council at the Diet of Worms to recant what he had nailed, the 95 theses, his response was this: "Since your majesty and your lordships desire a simple reply, I will answer without horns and without teeth. Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason, I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other. My conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen."
Such was the power of God's Word. He could be killed just by saying these words, yet he was not afraid. "I cannot do otherwise. My conscience is captive to the Word of God." It has the power to transform you, whether you are 12 years old or you are 92 years old. That is why we must take every child who is sitting in the Sunday School learning God's Word very seriously. If they will listen and obey God's Word, their lives will be changed forever. For those of us who listen to the Word, we will experience this power, this divine energy that comes through the Word.
For those who reject the Word, the same Word will reveal their spiritual condition, that they will be eternally lost. Can the church or any saint, whether it be Mary or the Apostles or the Pope, do that? Most certainly not, only the Bible. For the Word of God is powerful.
III. It is Penetrating
Thirdly, the Word of God is penetrating. “For the Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow”. The Apostle Paul could have said God's Word is sharp, we would have understood what he meant, but he used a comparative word, "sharper," and the moment he did that, he must bring in a point of comparison and illustration. Therefore, he said it is sharper than any two-edged sword. God's word is sharper, better than the sharpest knife. It cuts both ways, it cuts on either side. It can cut through all the hypocrisies, pretence, and religious façade. It can penetrate into the deepest recesses of our hearts, leaving us convicted.
When God created man, he was created with a soul and body. Soul and spirit are the same; they are used synonymously. Man was created with the capacity to worship. By God's design, man is a worshipper. That is why even after the fall of man, sinful creatures as he was, he still worshipped. But the problem is he would not worship God; he would worship the creation, the creatures, rather than the Creator. Man is incapable of worshipping God. The only way for fallen man to worship God is that God must do His saving work on his soul. God has to save us first in order for us to worship Him.
When God makes a man alive to the operation of His Word, working faith in His Son, a great change occurs in the heart of the person, in the soul of the person. The Word of God is so penetrating that it can pierce even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow. In other words, it can pierce into the unseen and invisible aspects of our beings. Just as the joints and marrows are connected, they are one, the soul and spirit are one too, they are the same. So Paul was not saying that they can be divided; it is in a figurative way of saying it penetrates as deeply as it is possible. In a sense, God's Word does surgery in our hearts, in our soul, in our inner man. Even the most wretched person you have ever known, think of the worst person you have ever known, God's Word can still penetrate his heart.
One of the most amazing gospel works is the prison ministry, and it is truly a privilege that I can be involved in the prison gospel work. During the early years of my ministry, you can imagine how difficult it is for those hardcore criminals with their bodies covered with tattoos, who have been to prison many times, who would not even blink an eye when they were sentenced to life imprisonment. And yet they will cry like a baby when they were convicted of their sins. Only the penetrating power of God's Word can do that, not the church, not anyone in this world, not the words of men. Only the Bible is able to penetrate.
IV. It is Discerning
Fourthly, the Word of God is Discerning. Look at the last part of verse 12, it “is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” What you are thinking in your heart and mind, what your desires are, your motives, your intentions, your agendas, the Bible deals with all that. We may build walls to hide behind our motives, the Bible deals with that. We may build fences to hide behind excuses for not worshipping, for not being prayerful, for not giving our tithes and offerings, for not reading the Bible. The Bible deals with that. We may say things that we do not mean in our hearts, and what we mean, we do not say. The Bible deals with that too.
The original word for discerner is from where we get the English word for critique. To critique is to make a critical evaluation. The Bible is able to evaluate what the mind is thinking, what is in our hearts, why we do what we do, why we think what we think, why we react the way we react. The Bible evaluates and sorts all that out and then gives to us the most accurate critique of our hearts. Have you ever come to church feeling very good, good about yourself and what you have done? But when you leave the church after the worship service, you feel pretty bad, in a good sense, because the Word of God reveals to you who you really are to begin with.
The Bible teaches us that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it? So if we try to deceive ourselves thinking that we are all right, we are good, the Bible reveals to us that we are not just bad, we are totally depraved. We may be actively attending the worship services, we may be participating in all the Bible studies and fellowship group meetings, we may tick all the boxes of what we conceive in our minds as being spiritual, but the Bible is able to discern, critique, evaluate, and reveal to us that our hearts are actually far away from God. We may be sitting in the pews, but our minds are not in the worship service. We are thinking about something else. We may not have the right motivations and intentions; we are far from being spiritual.
No one is able to reveal that to us, not the pastor, not the preacher, not your parents, no institution can reveal that to us, not the church. Only the Word of God is able to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart. That is just how powerful the Bible is.
V. It is Exposing
So the Word of God is quick, it is powerful, it is penetrating, it is discerning, and finally, it is exposing. When we are confronted, convinced, and convicted by the Holy Scriptures, what does it actually mean? Actually, it means we are coming face to face with God because God is the One who sends forth His Word. And that is what the Word of God will do to us.
Look at verse 13, “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” In other words, no man or woman is able to hide from God, and all things are exposed before Him whom we have to give an account to.
What has verse 13 got to do with verse 12? How are they connected? Well, when God's Word reveals to us who we really are and then we try to hide it, cover it up, ignore it, pretend as if we do not know anything about it, verse 13 tells us that is not going to happen. Everything will be exposed.
When we are being investigated by the authorities, we have the right to remain silent. We may choose to say no comment. In the United States, it is called pleading the Fifth Amendment, which means we choose to decline answering. But we can never do that through the Word of God. Whenever the Word of God searches our hearts, we are required to respond. If we do not respond, one day we will have to stand before God and we have to give an account, and it will be too late.
So when the Word of God convicts us, when the Word of God exposes us, we deal with it. We don't hide it, we don't cover it, we don't ignore it, we respond immediately before it is too late. No one, no creature, can ever hide from God. Remember how Adam tried to hide from God as soon as his eyes were open to good and evil? But God knew who and where he was. Can you imagine trying to play hide and seek with the omniscient God? How foolish! Yet that was exactly what Adam did as soon as he understood sin, he experienced guilt and he tried to run away. You see, the first response to sin is always to hide from the perfect discerning eyes of God.
Dear friends, that is what God's Word does, it exposes sin. It leaves us standing naked and completely exposed before God. Therefore, the unbelieving sinner will try to hide from God because sin brings about guilt. But no matter how hard you try, you may deny it, reject it, ignore it, no one can ever hide from God. Do you think God is ignorant of what you and I have done? Do you think God does not know when we allow our work to take precedence over our services? Do you think God does not know when material things, our families, our careers have become the first priority in our lives? How can we, who profess to believe in God, who knows that He is omniscient, and yet at the same time reject His ability to know all things?
A classic example is that of Ananias and Sapphira. Most of us are familiar with this account in Acts 5. They tried to convince themselves that God might not know everything about them. They had lied about giving all their money to the church, but the reality is that they kept part of it. They had lied to the Holy Spirit, they died on the spot. How foolish! How can you and I think that we can stand before God and not be known thoroughly by Him? There's no such thing as a covered life. No creature is hidden from His sight. Every aspect of our lives is wide open before the Almighty God, even down to our thoughts, even down to the intentions and motivations in our hearts, they are all wide open before God. We are all naked before Him.
Remember the Bible tells us, the word of God is quick and powerful and it is penetrating and it is discerning. When the Bible tells us that “the Word of God” – that tells us that God is the Divine author. Do you think the divine Author who has given to us His Word that is quick, powerful, penetrating, discerning will not require a response from us? Surely, He requires that. He requires every one of us to respond to His Word rightly.
In the final analysis, the unbelievers will have to give an account for rejecting His salvation time and again. If you are still an unbeliever, lingering outside the kingdom of spiritual darkness, take it. The pastor, the preacher, your good works, the church cannot save you. Only when you respond to the salvation offered to you through Scriptures alone can you be saved. Only Scripture alone can save.
In the final analysis, all those believers will also have to give an account how they respond to the Word of God. Not for their salvation, because they are already saved. Once you are saved, you are always saved. But for their works, they will have to give an answer for what they have done and for what they have not done. 1 Corinthians 3:12 says, "Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”
Dear friends, are you ready to meet your Creator? How sure are you that all the things you have done, your works, will not be burned up? It is not the words of the church, it is not the words of your parents – it is the powerful Word of God. Only Scripture alone can reveal to you, for the Word of God is quick, powerful, penetrating, discerning, and God is able to expose, reveal to you whether your works will stand the test of fire. Respond to His Word today, do not procrastinate.
We praise God for the Reformation. Without the Reformation, we would be living at the mercy of the Roman Church. Without the Reformation, we would not understand salvation is by Scripture alone. Without the Reformation, we would still be clinging onto our own works, our own humanistic understanding. Praise God for the Reformation! Sola scriptura, Scripture alone; only Scripture alone is able to save us. Let us pray.
Our Father in Heaven, we thank Thee for this blessed Lord's Day that we are able to commemorate Reformation Sunday. Indeed, many churches are commemorating Reformation on this very day. We marvel at how thou would raised up godly men to fight the good fight of faith. They died for the Christian faith that today we can have the Bible we hold in our hands. Oh Lord, remind us, lest as humans we forget. Help us always to esteem Thy Word highly. Only Scripture alone. It is not by the words of men, the words of any institution or church. It is Thy Word, the Word of God. And we pray that as a Bible-believing church, we will also be a church that will apply thy Word, always rightly dividing the Word of Truth in our lives. That the Bible will always be the foundation of our church, our families, our individual lives.
Thou has given to us Thy Word and Thou requires of us to respond. And we want to respond today. When Thy Word convicts us, exposes our sins, we will not deny, we will not cover it up, we will not hide, neither will we run away. But we will respond immediately because we know that Thy Word is quick, it is powerful, it is penetrating, it is discerning, and it is able to expose even our thoughts, our motivations, our intentions. Everything is exposed before Thee. Such power is Thy Word. We give Thee thanks for this opportunity to consider this portion of Scriptures. May we be doers of Thy Word and not hearers only. We pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.
THE BOOK OF HEBREWSChrist, The Living WordChrist, The Living WordHebrews 1:1-2a
The Sevenfold Supremacy of ChristThe Sevenfold Supremacy of ChristHebrews 1:2b-3
The Greatness of Jesus Christ (Part 1)The Greatness of Jesus Christ (Part 1)Hebrews 1:4-6
What Child is This?What Child is This?Hebrews 1:4-6
The Greatness of Jesus Christ (Part 2)The Greatness of Jesus Christ (Part 2)Hebrews 1:7-14
The Danger of Drifting AwayThe Danger of Drifting AwayHebrews 2:1-4
What is Man, that Thou Art Mindful of Him?What is Man, that Thou Art Mindful of Him?Hebrews 2:5-9
The Captain of Our SalvationThe Captain of Our SalvationHebrews 2:10
Jesus, Our Sanctifier and ConquerorJesus, Our Sanctifier and ConquerorHebrews 2:11-15
Jesus, Our High PriestJesus, Our High PriestHebrews 2:16-18
Jesus is Greater than MosesJesus is Greater than MosesHebrews 3:1-6
Start and Finish WellStart and Finish WellHebrews 3:7-11
Harden Not Your HeartHarden Not Your HeartHebrews 3:12-19
Enter into God’s RestEnter into God’s RestHebrews 4:1-11
Encountering the Word of GodEncountering the Word of GodHebrews 4:12-13
Sola Scriptura: Scripture AloneSola Scriptura: Scripture AloneHebrews 4:12-13
Christ, Our Great High PriestChrist, Our Great High PriestHebrews 4:14-16
Jesus, the Superior Great High PriestJesus, the Superior Great High PriestHebrews 5:1-10
Dull of HearingDull of HearingHebrews 5:11-14
The Tragedy of Falling AwayThe Tragedy of Falling AwayHebrews 6:1-8
Things That Accompany SalvationThings That Accompany SalvationHebrews 6:9-12
Things That Accompany SalvationThings That Accompany SalvationHebrews 6:9-12
The Anchor of Our SoulThe Anchor of Our SoulHebrews 6:13-20
The Greatness of MelchisedecThe Greatness of MelchisedecHebrews 7:1-10
The Sufficiency of MelchisedecThe Sufficiency of MelchisedecHebrews 7:11-19
The Superiority of MelchisedecThe Superiority of MelchisedecHebrews 7:20-28
A More Excellent MinistryA More Excellent MinistryHebrews 8:1-6
The New CovenantThe New CovenantHebrews 8:7-13
The Tabernacle Fulfilled in ChristThe Tabernacle Fulfilled in ChristHebrews 9:1-7
The Time of ReformationThe Time of ReformationHebrews 9:8-14
The Reasons Why Jesus Had to DieThe Reasons Why Jesus Had to DieHebrews 9:15-26
An Appointment None Can EscapeAn Appointment None Can EscapeHebrews 9:27-28
We Preach Christ CrucifiedWe Preach Christ CrucifiedHebrews 10:1-18
Introductory MessageIntroductory MessageHebrews 10:19-25
What Shall We Do?What Shall We Do?Hebrews 10:19-25
A Living FaithA Living FaithHebrews 10:24-25
It is a Fearful Thing to Fall into the Hands of the Living GodIt is a Fearful Thing to Fall into the Hands of the Living GodHebrews 10:26-31
A Call to PerseveranceA Call to PerseveranceHebrews 10:32-39
Message 1: The Nature of FaithMessage 1: The Nature of FaithEphesians 2:8, Hebrews 11:1
Message 1: What is Faith?Message 1: What is Faith?Hebrews 11:1, Jude 3
The Faith of AbelThe Faith of AbelHebrews 11:4
The Faith of EnochThe Faith of EnochHebrews 11:5-6
The Faith of NoahThe Faith of NoahHebrews 11:7
The Faith of AbrahamThe Faith of AbrahamHebrews 11:8-16
The Faith of the PatriarchsThe Faith of the PatriarchsHebrews 11:17-22
The Faith of JochebedThe Faith of JochebedHebrews 11:23
The Faith of MosesThe Faith of MosesHebrews 11:24-29
The Faith of Joshua and the PeopleThe Faith of Joshua and the PeopleHebrews 11:30
How to Run the Race FaithfullyHow to Run the Race FaithfullyHebrews 12:1-2
Let Us Run The RaceLet Us Run The RaceHebrews 12:1-3
The Christian RaceThe Christian RaceHebrews 12:1-3
Despise Not Divine ChastisementDespise Not Divine ChastisementHebrews 12:4-11
Guard Against Stumbling and FallingGuard Against Stumbling and FallingHebrews 12:12-17
Follow Peace and HolinessFollow Peace and HolinessHebrews 12:14
From Untouchable to ApproachableFrom Untouchable to ApproachableHebrews 12:18-29
True Faith Leads to True Living (Part 1)True Faith Leads to True Living (Part 1)Hebrews 13:1-3
True Faith Leads to True Living (Part 2)True Faith Leads to True Living (Part 2)Hebrews 13:4-6
Remember Our LeadersRemember Our LeadersHebrews 13:7, 17
Jesus is The SameJesus is The SameHebrews 13:8
Do Not Be Carried About by Divers Strange DoctrineDo Not Be Carried About by Divers Strange DoctrineHebrews 13:9
Are You Willing to Stand with Christ?Are You Willing to Stand with Christ?Hebrews 13:10-16
Pray for UsPray for UsHebrews 13:18-19
Blessed AssuranceBlessed AssuranceHebrews 13:20-21
