THE WORD OF GOD
Paul
wrote in Hebrews 4:12 concerning the Scriptures: For the Word of God is quick, and powerful….
What did he mean when he
wrote, “the Word of God is quick”?
Quick
does not mean ‘fast’ as we define the word today.
When the Bible was being translated to English the word
‘quick’ actually
meant ‘to live’ (see
Strong’s G2198)
Paul,
who is the author of the Book of Hebrews, is explaining that the Word of
God is alive…. Because the Word is God.
John
1:1 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God.
(3)
All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was
made.
(10)
He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not.
(11)
He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.
(14)
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory
as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
These
Scriptures reveal that the Word of God is alive – that the Word is God – and that
the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us (referring to Jesus).
Every
Scripture we read is God speaking to us because the Word is God.
God wants to speak to us
every time we open and read the Bible.
Paul
wrote to the Church in Philippians 2:5 - Let this mind be in you, which was
also in Christ Jesus.
How do we get the mind of Christ? He
tells us in His Word. The more you read it, the more you will begin to get the
mind of Christ in you. In other words…you’ll begin to think and act and talk more
like Jesus.
The Word of God should never
become stagnant or boring to us. If it
is, then we’ve fallen out of the One who inspired holy men of old to write His
letters to us.
Daily
Bible reading should be a routine (a daily habit) but never just a ritual. (ritual
= actions or behavior regularly followed by someone) We should never read just to be reading or just
to say we’ve read it because as Paul wrote in….
2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is given by the inspiration of God,
and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof,
for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
That
the man of God may be perfect
(complete),
thoroughly furnished (fully equipped) unto all good works.
When
the Bible says all Scripture is given by the inspiration of God it is saying
that all Scripture is divinely breathed by God.
(Strong’s G2315)
Every Scripture is important and
was given by God to:
instruct
and teach us concerning God’s laws and ways (doctrine)
chasten
and convict us when we’re doing things that displease God (reproof)
to
correct us so that we’ll change our ways and straighten up (correction)
to
educate and train us how to be more Christ like in every way (instruction)
BECAUSE
– there is a way that seemeth right unto a man, BUT the end thereof are the
ways of death. The wisest man that ever lived felt this warning was so
important that he penned it twice in Proverbs 14:12 + 16:25.
There
is a way that APPEARS to be right/ok/no big deal in man’s way of looking and
reasoning and justifying BUT the ending result is death (physically and
spiritually).
Just
because it APPEARS to be right/no big deal to man does not mean it is right/no
big deal to God. That’s why it’s
important to SEARCH the Scriptures DAILY to see what God says about a matter
(whether it’s salvation, words, actions, reactions, and so on). (John 5:39 +
Acts 17:11 + entire Bible)
Are
our ways right before God? In the end,
He has the final say. The instructions
are in His Word. Every Scripture in the Bible was written and recorded for a
purpose and is profitable. Therefore, it
is important to read the Bible front cover to back cover to see what God is
saying to us.
Did
you know the Bible actually instructs us to STUDY and SEARCH the Scriptures?
Paul admonished in his
letters to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:15 to…
STUDY to show thyself approved unto God,
A workman that needeth not to be ashamed,
Rightly dividing the Word of Truth.
When
you learn a trade/job, you study and read and re-read and study some more. You listen to those who are more knowledgeable
concerning it to gain insight, wisdom, and understanding from them until you
know and understand as well.
It
is the same with the Bible – to learn it you must read, re-read and study it some
more. You listen to those who are more knowledgeable concerning it to gain insight,
wisdom, and understanding (that’s why we need Preachers).
Hearing
the Preached Word can help us to grow spiritually and to understand more fully
what the Scriptures are saying. God
gives the Pastor anointing and revelation to expound and explain the
Scriptures. Titus 1:3 - But hath in due
times manifested His Word through
preaching.
Manifest
means: to make clear or obvious to the eye or mind. So, God uses the preaching to help bring
clarity and make His Word clear to the mind.
The preaching helps bring understanding.
Hearing the preached Word is necessary and important…
BUT
that does not take the place of daily personal Bible reading. The preaching is
to help you understand what you have already read. The more you read and study
the Scriptures, the more you hear the preached Word, the more you will know
what is written within it.
Jesus, Himself, taught in
John 5:39 that we are to…
SEARCH the Scriptures; For in them ye think ye have
eternal life:
And they are they which testify of Me.
Search means (through the
idea of inquiry) to seek, to investigate (Strong’s G2045)
God
WANTS us to seek, to search, and investigate the Scriptures. Every time we open
the Bible to read, we need to have an open mind to hear what God wants to say.
Jesus taught us in John 15:7 – If ye
abide in Me and My Words (the Scriptures) abide in you, ye shall ask what ye
will and it shall be done unto you.
-
We are to let the Scriptures abide (dwell) in us
-
How will the Word abide (dwell) in us if we do not
read it?
As
Christians, we have personal
responsibilities (things God requires of us), but we won’t know what
those responsibilities are unless we read the Bible often.
There are two
important things in our walk with God that we must not neglect.
·
Daily Bible
reading
·
Daily Prayer
These two things are vitally important to feed our spiritual man.
When
the devil came to Jesus tempting Him to turn stones into bread, Jesus responded
with the Word of God. He said in Luke
4:4….
….It is written, that man shall not live by bread
alone,
BUT BY EVERY WORD OF GOD.
We need the Word of God (the
Bible) more than our daily food.
It is God’s Word that will
sustain us day to day.
Isaiah
40:8 - The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the Word of our God shall
stand for ever.
Every thing else will one day pass away,
but God’s Word will never change. It
will stand forever.
As Christians, we need to read the Bible DAILY! It doesn’t have to be several chapters, but
it needs to be read.
*The importance is not concerning how
much you read but how much you retain.* Meaning….it’s more important to understand what
you’re reading than to have read 3 chapters and not understand what you just
read. (that would be reading ritualistically)
The
Psalmist penned in Psalm 119:11 - Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I might
not sin against Thee.
That’s
the goal – to get God’s Word hidden deep down in our heart.
When
we know what the Bible says, it will help us not to sin and do wrong.
You’ll also find the more you read it, the more things
will quicken to your mind as you read and you’ll begin to make connection
between Scriptures.
What if I don’t understand what a word means?
If you don’t understand what
you’re reading, you can do two things:
1.
Pray and ask God
to help you understand what He is saying in His Word. He will begin to open your understanding…but
it will take time. (Just as a baby learning to talk, walk, eat, etc)
2.
Ask the pastor or
a teacher of the Word - Don’t be afraid
or ashamed to ask if you don’t understand.
Important to note: Sometimes you can look in a
dictionary or ask google the definition of a word HOWEVER, that will not always
be accurate since some word meanings have changed over the years. (Just as the
word “quick” in Hebrews 4:12 did not mean ‘hurry’ or ‘fast’ when the Bible was
being translated to English.)
God has a purpose/a reason for everything that is written
within the pages of the Bible.
Romans 15:4 – For whatsoever things were written
aforetime (previously) were written for our learning…
What is written in the Bible is recorded so that we
can learn from it. So, every time I open
my Bible, I think about what I’ve read and what lesson I can learn from I’ve
just read. How can it apply to my
life? Is there something that I need to
stop doing and repent over? Or is there something God’s Word is instructing me
to do that I’m not already doing?
We are so blessed to have our freedoms and many have
several Bibles in the home yet oft times, the Bibles sit unread collecting dust. It is God’s letters to us. What He has to say is important.
There are those in other countries who wish they could
freely have even one Bible and to be able to gather together with other Believers
as we so freely do here in the US. It’s
so easy for us to take for granted what they long for.
The Scriptures are our Daily Bread. They feed our spiritual man if we’ll read
them….daily and often.
The Word of God is also our sword of the Spirit
according to Ephesians 6:17. It’s our weapon against the devil when he comes to
try to deceive.
If Adam and Eve had not only quoted God’s Word back to
the serpent, but also stood firmly on what God said, the world would not be in
the mess that it’s in today.
Jesus quoted Scripture back to the devil when he
came trying to tempt Him after a long fast in the wilderness. Every time the devil tried to tempt Jesus to
sin, Jesus responded back by quoting Scripture, “It is written….” (Matthew 4:11)
Jesus was exampling to us the importance of knowing what
the Scriptures say so that we will be able to use it wisely to combat the devil
and his lies.
They say a Bible that is falling apart usually
belongs to someone who isn’t – meaning: a Bible that is often read will help
keep us through whatever storm we may go through and face in life because we will
know the Promises within God’s Word that we can cling to in tough times.
God’s Word will direct and lead us, but it must be
read daily and often.
