May God be gracious to us this
morning as we meditate in his holy word and grant that our
souls may be fed. Let's turn to the epistle of
Paul to the Hebrews, the fourth chapter, and we'll read the 12th
verse. The epistle of Paul to the Hebrews
and reading the 12th verse in the fourth chapter. 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 and is a discerner of the thoughts
and intents of the heart. Paul is speaking to us and of
course to the Church of God very straightforwardly and very earnestly
and very positively. And he's speaking here about
the power, really, and the effect of God's Word. Now, it's a wonderful
blessing for us today to have God's Word, the Bible, in our
own language, and we're able to read it. And we should not
underestimate the great blessing this is, because still in the
world today there are billions of people who do not possess
the Word of God. And we have it freely in our
country. We all have copies of the Bible. I expect we have probably many
copies of the Bible in our homes. But the great thing is whether
it is to us the Word of God. It's not just an historical account,
it is an historical account, but it is the very Word of God. And when we try and recognise
what that means, to think that God, who is of course the Creator
of all things, the One who ever was, the One who is, the One
who ever will be, And three people, three persons, father, son, and
the Holy Spirit all in one. And this God is so great. So
great. And it's always important that
you and I, as we read the word of God, have some comprehension
of the greatness of this God. And we ought to go back often
in our minds to realize that God was eternal. He was there before anything,
before there was any world, before there was any universe. God was
there. Your mind and my mind can't work
out the greatness of God. It's just beyond our natural
understanding. But it's a great blessing if
God gives you and me faith to believe God's Word. And not to argue about it and
pick holes in it and think, well I don't agree with that. You
and I should realise that we are little, small, insignificant
people on this earth. And yet we have to deal with
the great God. we've been born into this world
every one of us has born into this world we each have natural
life it's clear, isn't it? we're all here today because
we have a natural life the important thing is to know whether we also
have a spiritual life which is spiritually alive we all have
a spiritual life What a blessing it is if we have the evidence
that we are amongst those who are classified as the children
of God. God whom God has touched their
hearts. Now, this verse we read here
this morning really just directs us to, if you like, the greatness
of the Word of God. and what effect it has and it
has a wonderful effect what a mercy if it's had a good effect in
our hearts in our souls and it's described here the effect it
has we're told it is quick that means it's alive it's not a dead
word it's a living word and it's powerful and it speaks and it
has an effect it's powerful and it's very sharp it penetrates
it penetrates into our heart and also then it is a discerner
of the thoughts and intents of our heart now you and I my friends
have this picture and you and I stand before God and we're
sat here this morning and I don't know what you've been thinking
about when you've been here but God knows because we're told
the Spirit of God, the Word of God is a discerner of the thoughts
and intents of the heart the knowledge of that should really
have a big effect upon us, shouldn't it? To realise that here we are
today in the presence of Almighty God because God is in every place
beholding the evil and the good. You and I cannot hide from God. We cannot pretend that we have
a God who doesn't know what we're thinking. We have a God who knows
all about us. and what a great blessing therefore
if it is a wonderful blessing to be amongst those who know
that the word of God is quick that means it's a living word
and if it's a living word it's spoken to our living soul we
all have a living soul and it would be a wonderful blessing
if as we have this word here and you can think of those glorious
words in the epistle of Paul to the Ephesians the second chapter
where he says this and you hath he quickened that means made
spiritually alive well this morning I wonder whether that applies
to you and me and it's a good thing to stop and ponder and
think as to whether God has made us spiritually alive. Whether God has come to us and
we realised, yes, God has made me spiritually alive. Once I was dead, once I was blind,
once I was deaf, but the blessed Spirit of God has made me alive. Well, only you can answer that
question. I can't. No one else can. It's between our soul and God. But it is very important. It is vital. It is so necessary. And what a wonderful blessing
if the Spirit of God has given us this wonderful evidence that
His Word has come to us and shown us that our soul, our never-dying
soul, is spiritually alive. We've been made alive by the
Spirit of God. If that is so, you and I have
great cause to praise God, great cause to thank God, that He's
looked upon us, He's remembered us, and He's blessed us indeed. And so says Paul here to the
Hebrews. And remember, of course, this
is written to the Jewish nation to begin with, of course, and
to the whole Church of God. to think that here, the Jewish
nation had been so blessed through their history, and yet when the
Saviour came, how they were blinded. They did not appreciate it was
the Messiah who had been promised and had now come. And so by the
grace of God, the Apostle Paul was converted. As we know, was
on that Damascus road we're told that he had pricks in his heart
pricks in his conscience before that time but when he was on
that Damascus road that amazing time when the Spirit of God descended
upon him the light from heaven shone into his heart he fell down he fell down was
so powerful The Apostle Paul was never the same again. He was a changed person. He was
born again of the Spirit of God. And then, if you read the Acts
of the Apostles, you will find out that he went into the wilderness
for three years, and there God taught him. He'd been brought
up in Jewish tradition. He'd been brought up at the feet
of Gamaliel. He knew the Old Testament law,
but he didn't know the grace of God. He didn't know the glorious
plan of salvation. He didn't know about the Lord
Jesus Christ. But from that day on that Damascus
road, when the Holy Spirit entered into his heart, what a wonderful
revelation then. He was given over those years
and was able therefore to come and to write among many other
things but to write this epistle to the Hebrews. And it is a wonderful
book because it describes the glory of the work of the Savior. That which was described in the
Old Testament but it wasn't shown forth as it is in this book of
the Hebrews. So it's wonderful if you and
I can study the book of the Hebrews. You young people, it's a wonderful
book to study. You're never weary reading it
and re-reading it and to be blessed with that spiritual understanding. To have that wonderful knowledge
that the light of God has shone into our hearts and revealed
to us the evidence of spiritual life so that we have the blessing
that this Word of God has been to us a living Word, a living
Word. For the Word of God is quick. Well, what a mercy, my friends,
if that is so. You know, I hadn't noticed perhaps
quite the same as when we read that opening verses in the 50th
of Isaiah this morning, how the Lord encourages us to come to
Him. There are many words of encouragement
in this day and age, but in that opening verse, He says, Ho, everyone
that thirsteth, well, God knows whether you and I are thirsting
after the things of God and if we are the word tells us come
come ye to the waters and he that has no money he may not
have the currency that we think but we can come we can come to
the Lord Jesus and here's another word come ye Buy and eat. Yay! He says, come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price. That means we have nothing to
offer ourselves. We're bankrupt. Nonetheless,
the gospel invitation is there so wonderfully to us. And then
as he goes on, he says, the third verse, incline your ear and come
unto me. Come unto me. Hear. Hear what God the Lord speaks. And your soul shall live. Perhaps we've been dead. Dead. Spiritually dead. Haven't understood,
haven't been spiritually alive. We've been dead. Incline your
ear. What a mercy of God is Opened
our ears. If you read through in the those
glorious Words spoken to the seven churches as you know, we
hope to go through those in our prayer meetings and what does
he say? He that hath ears to hear let
him hear So here we have this word incline
your ear and come unto me, come unto me, and your soul shall
live. We will find the glorious life
within, the life the Savior gives, and your soul shall live. It's wonderful, isn't it, to
realize we have such a positive word. Your soul, my soul, your soul
shall live. And I will make an everlasting
covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. You see, the
word of God is everlasting. What God does, what God speaks
is done forever. It's not something which is fading,
something which is just disappearing. It's the true Word of God. And so far the Word of God is
quick, is a living Word. And you see that Word never dies.
It's alive forevermore. And so this morning, How wonderful if you and I can
look into our hearts and find the evidence that we possess
the life of God in our soul. And as I often say, and I'll
say it again, a little that a righteous man hath is better than the treasures
of many wicked. little evidence is a tremendous
blessing and never despise the day of small things the devil will tempt you to say
well that's of no consequence really that's not worth even
considering cast not away Therefore, your little hope,
don't cast it away. Lay hold of it. Grasp it. Thank God for it. For the word of God is quick. And then he says, and powerful. The truth is that you and I sometimes
think with regard to such a statement that it's got to be a great noise
and a great demonstration of natural power. But my friends,
that's not so with God. Sometimes it is. It was so with
the Apostle Paul on that amazing day on that Damascus road. But we have cases in the Word
of God where it was not so. And I like to quote, as I think
you probably know, when I quote the conversion of the Apostle
Paul, I like to quote the conversion of that woman Lydia, Sallot of
Purple. And we're told about her like
this, whose heart the Lord opened to receive the words that the
Apostle Paul spoke. There was no great demonstration
of outward things, but nonetheless, it was a powerful word. It was a powerful word because
it changed Lydia. It was the word of life to her
soul. So again, don't kind of be confused
and look for some tremendous and great demonstration of natural
power. The Lord works in many ways. And again, sometimes that power
is set forth in a very quiet way. It's good, therefore, to just
examine ourselves and realize whether God's Word, His Word
has come to us. in a powerful way, but in perhaps
a very quiet way. But again, if it has an effect,
which it will have done, it emanates from God. And there's the wonderful
evidence of this quickening of this life. for the powerful work
of God. We have many occasions, don't
we, in the Word of God when God spoke to people. Yes, and we're
not told, in most cases, how that was and how it occurred.
But we do know it was an, what we might call, an effectual word. And by that, I mean this. it
had an effect see God's word does have an effect and it's
something which you won't forget and you won't want to forget
because it's the evidence of God's mercy of God's love
towards you that he hasn't cast you off something of no value
he's looked upon you and what has he done he's remembered you
with that favor he bears unto his people yes powerful word
but not perhaps always in the powerful way that you and I expect
But nonetheless, it will have an effect. The Word, for the
Word of God, to me, has been powerful because it's brought
about life, spiritual life. You see, we've come here this
morning. Well, I hope you've come here this morning to hear what God the Lord will
speak. You haven't just come to pass
the time of day, I hope you haven't anyway. I hope you've come to
hear what God the Lord will speak. And so, for the Word of God is
quick and powerful. Wonderful, isn't it? To think
Almighty God, the Creator of all things, has looked down from
His place in glory and come down to where we are and come into our minds, into
our hearts with His Word. Naturally that's really past
our understanding, isn't it? To think that such a God who
created all things again who spoke the world into being that
power and yet takes knowledge of us takes knowledge of us and
has watched over us from the moment we were conceived until
the present time and to go back in eternity and realize that
there was that plan to redeem our souls and as we look back perhaps in
our lives to realise how unfaithful we've been and we've gone about
pleasing ourselves we haven't done those things which we should
have done and we've done those things that we should not have
done and yet What do we prove? God is kind. God is gracious. God hasn't cut us off. His love and mercy is to us. Until that great time when it's
been revealed, God's always watched over us. For that time when He's
brought this life into our hearts, into our souls. A time not to be forgotten. A time not to be passed over. And a time to thank God for. And a time to praise Him for. For the Word of God is quick
it is no doubt about it it is quick and powerful and then he
goes on and describes it further and it's sharper than any two-edged
sword and he then tells us about this
it pierces even to the desire dividing asunder of soul spirit
yes it's very powerful is that word of God it comes right into
our heart and it affects us and it brings
about a change and it brings into our heart the evidence that
we need a Savior And we need to have the evidence that we
are a believer, that we are a child of God. And all these things
may suddenly crowd in upon us. And we realize how helpless we
are, helpless we are, and how we need a great and glorious
Savior to come to us. Because we're far off. Perhaps
we wandered away from God. Perhaps we've never really considered
these things. And suddenly the Holy Spirit
has come to us and that two-edged sword has pierced into our heart. Oh and it's had a wonderful effects
and he's brought us really to those words that we've already
mentioned in that 55th chapter of Isaiah where the prophet tells
us in those wonderful words, ho, ho. That means to draw our attention
to it, not something which is not relevant. It is. It's the
gospel word. To you and me. Ho! Everyone that thirsteth. You may have been brought in
to a time of thirst now. Never had it before. Thirstly for the things of God. You want the evidence of the
life of God. You want to know that you are
amongst those who are made spiritually alive. There's been a change,
a God-given change. And so you come, and here's such
a glorious invitation. Perhaps you've never noticed
it before, and yet here is a word. Ho, everyone that thirsteth. Well, if you and I are thirsty
naturally, we know what it is, isn't it? We want a drink, we
want a drink. We want something to quench our
thirst, naturally. And so he gives this wonderfully
simple illustration for you and me to understand, how everyone
but thirsteth so if you and I are amongst those who are thirsting
after what? I'll tell you what it means,
it means this the water of life the water of life you may remember
that the Lord Jesus when he was on the earth we're told he must
needs go through Samaria Why was it necessary that he
should go through Samaria? It was necessary because he was
to meet a Samaritan woman. And he went, and we're told,
and he sat upon a well. And the woman came to the well
to draw water. and Jesus spoke to her the woman
was surprised because the Jews didn't have any dealings with
the Samaritan sometimes it may be in our life when Jesus perhaps
speaks to us again it may be like this a living word speaks
to our heart well the Lord Jesus came and he spoke
to this woman in a most amazing way really a very simple
way and it's wonderful to think that Jesus again speaks to us
in a simple way because the Lord Jesus came and he asked
her he said, give me to drink we would think that was a pretty
normal kind of thing to say but we should realise that God had
an eternal plan of love to this woman because this was the day when
God was speaking to her heart. And she was surprised that Jesus
spoke to her. But nonetheless, it was an effectual
word. And she says, how is it that
thou being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria,
For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. And Jesus
said, if thou knewest the gift of God, the gift of God, of giving
life, the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, give
me to drink, thou wouldst have asked of him, and he would have
given thee living water. Well, this was attractive to
the woman, wasn't it? The woman said, that has nothing to draw
with, and the well is deep. And whence then hast thou that
living water? Are thou greater than our father Jacob, which
gave us the well, and drank thereof, and his children, and his cattle?
Jesus answered and said, Whosoever drinketh of this water, this
natural water, shall thirst again. But, and here's a wonderful secret,
but, whosoever, whosoever, drinketh of the water that I
shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give
him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting
life. The woman saith unto him, Sir,
give me, give me this water that I thirst not, neither come hither
to draw. You see, there was that produced
in that woman, that want, that need. And therefore she came,
asking Jesus to give her this living water. What a mercy it
is. Therefore, if you and I have
this cry to God, that he will give us this living water, Well,
I won't go through the whole account. It's in the fourth of
John and you can read it. It's a very lovely account because
as you probably know, she then was so taken aback, she left
her water pot and went back to the town where she was and said,
come see a man that told me all things that ever I did. Is not this the Christ? And that's the same in our spiritual
life when, blessed be God, the Holy Spirit comes and touches
our hearts and gives us the evidence of the life of God in our soul
so that we come hearing such a word as this, how everyone
that thirsteth, come ye to the waters. Come to the Lord Jesus
Christ. We don't have to come with anything.
We may feel we're bankrupt, we may feel we've only got our sins.
We can still come. And so the blessed prophet says,
wherefore do you spend money for that which is not bread,
and your labour for that which satisfies not? Hearken diligently
unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight
itself in fatness. Perhaps we've often heard these
things, and perhaps we've never heard them. We've never been
diligent. And yet, we have then a grand
statement. Incline your ear. Oh, do listen. Listen now, perhaps you've never
listened before. Incline your ear. And come unto me. Hear, and your
soul shall live. Isn't that wonderful, eh? Glorious
invitation of the gospel. Your soul, that's a vital thing,
isn't it? Your soul and my soul shall live. And I will make an everlasting
covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. The promises
of God are yea and amen. They're very sure what a blessing
it is. And so, therefore, here we have
this effect. This Word of God is sharper than
any two-edged sword. It penetrates into our heart. It reveals to us our great need
of a Saviour. It shows to us how we are thirsty. We need the water of life, like
that woman at the well of Samaria. Yes, and it pierces. The sword doesn't go in, it pierces
our heart. It has a gracious, a glorious
effect. Even to dividing asunder of soul
and spirit. and of the joints and marrow
and it doesn't stop there you might say on a perhaps a natural
or physical way it says and is a discerner of the thoughts and
intents of the heart don't underestimate the power of God don't underestimate
the work of the Holy Spirit You see, God does that for you and
me, which we can't do for ourselves. He knows what we're thinking.
He knows our intents. He knows what you were thinking
this morning. He knows what your intentions were. Perhaps you
thought you'd all got it nicely tucked away. No, no, no. God
knows. And God reveals it to us. And
God shows us how great He is. And what does He show to us?
His mercy. And what does He show to us?
His love toward us. And you come and say, why me? Oh, blessed God, why such a wretch
as me, who must forever lie in hell, were not salvation free. That'll make the gospel very
real. That'll make the gospel very
precious. And you will be able to come, however base and evil
and sinful you are, to realize there's mercy. We have a God
who knows all about us. He knows our intents. He knows
all the things that we're thinking about. And yet to think that
he looks upon us and in love and mercy to our never-dying
soul. He draws us to Him, draws us
and we find then something we've perhaps never seen before, a
great and a glorious attraction in the Saviour, His mercy and
His love and His grace. He's brought to us the unmerited
favour of Almighty God, and therefore as we read a word like this this
morning, may we recognise the wonderful favour of God in applying
His Word to our souls. For, says the Apostle, for And the previous verse tells
us, let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any
of you fall after the same example of unbelief. The devil wants
you and me to never believe the truth of God. And we have an
evil heart of unbelief. But bless God, he is far more
powerful than the devil. And he can bring us that peace
in believing. in that peace in tracing out
the glorious work of almighty God in making us spiritually
alive by his powerful word, which is sharper than any two-edged
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.