Hebrews 4:12 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.
God has been challenging all people with the importance of believing in His rest. He has also been challenging those who do not want to believe in Him with the fact that they are wasting their time in pursuing anything other than knowing His rest. God has taken us back to the wilderness wanderings of the Hebrew people in the days of Moses. We have already noted that the first recipients of this letter were Jews and they were familiar with what had happened years earlier as their forefathers were miraculously delivered from Egyptian bondage with the promise of a land that had been earlier promised to Abraham. God described it as a land flowing with milk and honey.
The problem with most of the descendants of Abraham, is that they did not believe in the God of Abraham, and thus they did not believe in His Word. Genesis 15:6 says this of Abram (Abraham):
Gen 15:6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
God is different than man. We may give someone a command, but then we back away and watch them fumble as they try to figure out on their own how to fulfil that command. God does not do that. He gives the command and He also provides all the equipment necessary to fulfil that command.
In Ephesians 6:10-19 you will see that God demands that His children stand and withstand in the evil day. He also lists all the equipment needed to stand and withstand. He shows us that He is the supplier of that equipment. His equipment is not flawed.
Those who have been paying attention know that the masks that we are told to wear in many places are incapable of preventing the spread of the virus. We have been told that the shots are the only way to end the “pandemic”. It is not a pandemic, except for the fact that the officials changed the definition of the word pandemic so they could use it as they pleased.
More and more statistics are coming out that clearly show that those who have received 2 shots and now the 3rd and even heading toward a 4th, are spreaders of the various strains of the virus. It is not those who have not taken the shots that are the problem. It is those who have taken the shots that are the problem. The governments have intentionally unleashed a ticking time bomb that will continue to reveal its poisonous power over time. Don’t count on the mainstream media or the government or the health officials to admit to this. However, there are doctors and nurses who have lost their jobs because they will not bow to the lawlessness that is taking place. They are speaking out, but some are being silenced by ungodly authorities. That is not because they are quacks who should not be heard. It is because they are exposing the wicked agenda that is being promoted.
At some point we will look into the nature and agenda of the anti-christ to see how all of this is preparing a people who have chosen unbelief over God’s rest. We are not living in the time of THE anti-christ, however we are living in the time of many anti-christs. I John 2:18 tells us this.
In verse 12 of our text God declares the power and authority of His Word. Man can argue all he wants against God’s Word; that will not change It. Man can change God’s Word all he wants; God will make sure His Word remains in tact and available for those who will listen to Him.
The word translated as “quick” has the meaning of: “active, blessed, endless in the kingdom of God.” There are people who talk of living documents. What they mean by that is that the document is subject to modifications resulting from changes in cultural norms. There are many people who approach God’s Word that way.
As a young person, the church my parents attended taught that divorce was sin and that remarriage was forbidden for those who are divorced. However, as a teen ager, that same church changed its position to tolerate divorce and remarriage for those who were divorced. After I was old enough to leave that church, they had a “pastor” who taught that the Bible teaches that divorce and remarriage is acceptable to God.
As a young person, we were also taught that rock music and its many off-shoots was sinful music. Then over time they began to bring in some “mellowed out” rock songs and eventually adopted the lie of “Christian rock”. These are just two examples of a religion that took the position of the Bible being a living document that changes with the norms of society.
As a young person the changes that I witnessed caused great confusion for me. I was not saved, but I could still read. I could see what God said and I could also see what professing Christians were practising. For a time I rejected “Christianity”. I wanted nothing to do with such a system. I am thankful that God did not reject me. He worked in my heart and He saved me. I still struggled with these and other doctrines, because the distortion of the Biblical doctrines is common in New Evangelicalism. God saved me and He did not leave me in the mud. He continued to work in my heart to bring me to greater understanding of His Word and because His word is active and endless, He showed me that what He had given man was right. It was man that had distorted what He said. I needed to believe what He said and reject man’s distortions of the truth. I am still learning the importance of this today. God’s Word is powerful and It will override the distortions for those who will submit to God as THE authority. Holler from the housetops if you like, you will not change God’s Word at all. Submit to God’s Word and enjoy His blessings.
God’s Word is also sharper than any two edged sword. I like to work with a sharp knife. My wife likes a knife that is not too sharp. She says it is too easy to cut yourself with a good sharp knife. I say a good sharp knife makes the task easier and it is just a matter of learning to work with a sharp knife. We don’t fight over this but we have our preferences.
God’s Word separates truth from error in a precise and accurate manner. There are no grey areas in God’s Word. The devil likes to convince those who will entertain his lies, that the Bible is confusing and full of grey areas. He will even try to convince people that the Bible is too confusing. The reality is that the Bible speaks to the very need of each and every heart. It gets right to the root issue and shows the only way to fix the problem. That is what most people fight against. They want some wiggle room. Those who submit to God’s Word discover that we do not need wiggle room. The blessing is in following what God says precisely.
The next phrases in verse 12 state what we have just talked about. God’s Word is not designed to destroy man. It is designed to destroy the power of sin that affects man. Those who will take God at His Word will find great blessings all along the way.
God’s Word also judges the thoughts and intents of the heart. I listened to a politician try to wiggle his way out of a statement he had made for political points. The journalist confronted the man in a very straightforward manner. He said he did not believe the politicians excuses for why he said what he said. He even called him out for spreading a lie. The politician continued to try to wiggle his way out of his dilemma. He got caught playing politics and will probably get away with it because that is the game most people expect politicians to play.
God’s Word does not allow for that. It is true that God’s Word is words written on pages. A person can tear them out of the Bible if he wants to. He can throw them in the fire if he wants to. Jeremiah 36 records the account of a king in Judah that did just that, He did not like what he was hearing and he cut pages out and threw them into the fire and burned them.
None of that changed God’s Word at all. What it did do, is bring condemnation upon that king and those who agreed with him in his evil actions. Many people refuse to read or listen to God’s Word because they do not like what it says.
God has already given very clear warning as to what happened to the Jews that rejected His Word in the wilderness. They could not enter into His rest. The same is true today. A person can choose to reject God’s Word. He can choose to alter God’s Word. He has not taken the power out of God’s Word.
Psalm 119:89 For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.
Man does not have access to the originals of God’s Word. They are settled in Heaven. God has also preserved His Word on this earth.
Psalm 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.
They are protected from those who want to destroy God’s truth. The many perversions that are available in book stores today will never replace the true Word of God. Many people will buy them and use them, but they will still stand before God as He judges them according to His sure Word.
God is not making idle threats here. He is not making threats at all. He is simply stating the facts. He is helping all to see again the right approach to accept His way and know His peace and blessing. Many are seeking for peace and blessing today, but they are not finding it. It can only be found in knowing the Prince of Peace — the Lord Jesus Christ.
Pastor Bartel
