“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” (Hebrews 4:12, NLT)
You may not know this about me, but I have studied electronics for decades. I was in an electronics co-op program long before there were personal computers. I studied electronic diagrams and circuits already in a specialized class in High School. I even soldered together my first electronic circuits in the 1970’s.
Sometimes, when working on electronic circuits and components, I had to put on magnifying glasses or lenses. It was the only way to see the miniaturized circuits and traces etched on the circuit boards. In several instances, the only way to sever a defective trace on a circuit board was to use a very sharp X-acto razor blade knife. This knife was as sharp as a razor blade but small enough to get into tight spaces. Whenever I needed to get into the most important of traces and do work on them, that sharpest of my knives was my best choice. It was and is still one of my most important tools for modeling and electronics work.
Sometimes, you need a very sharp knife to get special work done.
In seminary, one of my professors told me that to find the most important parts of a scripture, you have to focus on one word. You have to drill down to its meaning in Greek or Hebrew to understand its nuances. Then, when looking very closely at the meaning and place of the word in its context, you can better understand the meaning of its sentence written in the Bible. In a sense, my professor was using a metaphorical razor blade knife to get at the deepest and most important meaning of the words used by the writers of the Bible. That’s why I studied the Greek and Hebrew words of the Bible for more than forty years now. Focusing on the value of each word of scripture, including its original language meaning, I can see more clearly the meaning of God’s word! Focusing on words of scripture helps me to delve deep into God’s plan for my life.
Sometimes, you need sharp focus to see the meaning of God's Word!
The scripture for today reinforces the importance of the power of the Bible. Not only can focusing on the very words of scripture open up their meaning, focusing scripture on your “innermost thoughts and desires” (Hebrews 4:12) can expose God’s word to do its best work in your own soul! God’s word is “alive and powerful”. Like a metaphorical razor blade knife, scripture is “sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit” (Hebrews 4:12b). The Holy Spirit will not only expose you to the meaning of scripture, but it can also use that scripture to cut deep into your soul, exposing the truth and lies of your life.
Scripture speaks to your innermost self. When used rightly, it interacts with your innermost thoughts and desires. It feeds your soul while nourishing God’s Spirit within you. If you are sinning, it will drill down into the darkness of your desires and expose your errant ways. Just like a very sharp razor blade knife can be used to separate traces on a tiny circuit board ¼ of a human hair thick, God’s word can wheedle its way into the buried sins of your past and expose their corruption. Like that razor blade knife, God’s word is able to cut out the rotting and dangerous trespasses of your thoughts and bring healing to that part of your life.
“Scientists have discovered a variety of uses for the laser beam. We once thought it was a design of science fiction. Now lasers are used for many industrial, medical, navigational and communicative purposes. The difference between lasers and a light from an ordinary bulb is direction. A regular bulb diffuses light in all directions. A laser sends powerful parallel beams. God’s Word is like a laser. It can pierce into the very heart and soul of everyone on earth. It can separate the soul from the spirit. It can discern the highest and lowest thoughts. It can speak to our attitudes and intentions. Are you allowing God’s laser, His Word, to work in you?” (Anonymous, as found on p. 45 on The Best Sermon Illustrations).
A young woman named Eve was having nightmares. They were frighteningly real and scary vivid! Her doctors were perplexed, thinking the nightmares must be the product of something wrong in her thinking. Eve was sent to a psychologist for further examination. Over weeks and months, the psychologist could not find anything serious that could be causing Eve’s nightmares. The psychologist tried everything from behavioral therapy to hypnosis. Nothing worked.
Then, Eve’s mother suggested that Eve see their pastor. The young woman was not pleased and balked at a visit to the pastor’s office. She pictured their pastor as a stuffy old man who would probably lecture her on her sinful desires. However, with the nightmares getting worse, Eve could stand it no longer. She called and set up an appointment to meet with her pastor.
Over several weeks, Eve and her pastor talked. Eve was surprised to find out that her pastor was actually a warm older man wholly devoted to God. At their meetings, Eve and her pastor discussed many subjects, her thoughts, her beliefs in God, and her past. They prayed together for help from God. Then, Eve’s pastor gave her a list of scriptures. Eve was to read one scripture each day at least ten times during ten different moments of her day. Eve didn’t quite understand why but she was willing to try anything.
While reading her scripture for that day from 1 John 4:7-8, Eve turned the page in her Bible and read: “Every one who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.” (1 John 3:4, RSV). She didn’t quite understand the meaning of the verse, but the word “guilty” seemed to stand out to her. When she mentioned her reaction to this verse of the Bible, the pastor began to ask questions about feeling “guilty”, using that word from 1 John 3:4. Soon, Eve began to realize that she felt guilt from a deep hurt she inflicted on her best friend. The two talked about the circumstances of that “guilty” interaction. Both Eve and the pastor soon realized that what Eve had done had brought great guilt to her heart and soul and mind. The guilt was wearing on her subconsciously day and night. The pastor urged Eve to ask her best friend for forgiveness. They prayed about Eve’s guilty feelings. They talked about how Eve holds in some of her emotions in an unhealthy and unholy way. After a few more months of counseling, Eve’s nightmares subsided and soon went away.
That scripture from 1 John 3:4 pierced into Eve’s soul. It separated out for her what she had done right from what she had done wrong. It helped her to come to grips with her sin and work through the damage to her heart and soul. It freed her from a lifetime of nightmares.
God has a way of using scripture to drill down deep into the depths of your soul. The Holy Spirit will often accentuate something in scripture to help heart and soul and mind. Don’t neglect to read and study God’s word. Its power to bring help and healing and direction and wholeness to your life is legendary. Like a razor knife, it may cut at the sins that have been deeply imbedded in your psyche. Like a laser, its focus will enable you to see more clearly and understand God more fully.
Sometimes, when working on electronic circuits and components, I had to put on magnifying glasses or lenses. It was the only way to see the miniaturized circuits and traces etched on the circuit boards. In several instances, the only way to sever a defective trace on a circuit board was to use a very sharp X-acto razor blade knife. This knife was as sharp as a razor blade but small enough to get into tight spaces. Whenever I needed to get into the most important of traces and do work on them, that sharpest of my knives was my best choice. It was and is still one of my most important tools for modeling and electronics work.
Sometimes, you need a very sharp knife to get special work done.
In seminary, one of my professors told me that to find the most important parts of a scripture, you have to focus on one word. You have to drill down to its meaning in Greek or Hebrew to understand its nuances. Then, when looking very closely at the meaning and place of the word in its context, you can better understand the meaning of its sentence written in the Bible. In a sense, my professor was using a metaphorical razor blade knife to get at the deepest and most important meaning of the words used by the writers of the Bible. That’s why I studied the Greek and Hebrew words of the Bible for more than forty years now. Focusing on the value of each word of scripture, including its original language meaning, I can see more clearly the meaning of God’s word! Focusing on words of scripture helps me to delve deep into God’s plan for my life.
Sometimes, you need sharp focus to see the meaning of God's Word!
The scripture for today reinforces the importance of the power of the Bible. Not only can focusing on the very words of scripture open up their meaning, focusing scripture on your “innermost thoughts and desires” (Hebrews 4:12) can expose God’s word to do its best work in your own soul! God’s word is “alive and powerful”. Like a metaphorical razor blade knife, scripture is “sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit” (Hebrews 4:12b). The Holy Spirit will not only expose you to the meaning of scripture, but it can also use that scripture to cut deep into your soul, exposing the truth and lies of your life.
Scripture speaks to your innermost self. When used rightly, it interacts with your innermost thoughts and desires. It feeds your soul while nourishing God’s Spirit within you. If you are sinning, it will drill down into the darkness of your desires and expose your errant ways. Just like a very sharp razor blade knife can be used to separate traces on a tiny circuit board ¼ of a human hair thick, God’s word can wheedle its way into the buried sins of your past and expose their corruption. Like that razor blade knife, God’s word is able to cut out the rotting and dangerous trespasses of your thoughts and bring healing to that part of your life.
“Scientists have discovered a variety of uses for the laser beam. We once thought it was a design of science fiction. Now lasers are used for many industrial, medical, navigational and communicative purposes. The difference between lasers and a light from an ordinary bulb is direction. A regular bulb diffuses light in all directions. A laser sends powerful parallel beams. God’s Word is like a laser. It can pierce into the very heart and soul of everyone on earth. It can separate the soul from the spirit. It can discern the highest and lowest thoughts. It can speak to our attitudes and intentions. Are you allowing God’s laser, His Word, to work in you?” (Anonymous, as found on p. 45 on The Best Sermon Illustrations).
A young woman named Eve was having nightmares. They were frighteningly real and scary vivid! Her doctors were perplexed, thinking the nightmares must be the product of something wrong in her thinking. Eve was sent to a psychologist for further examination. Over weeks and months, the psychologist could not find anything serious that could be causing Eve’s nightmares. The psychologist tried everything from behavioral therapy to hypnosis. Nothing worked.
Then, Eve’s mother suggested that Eve see their pastor. The young woman was not pleased and balked at a visit to the pastor’s office. She pictured their pastor as a stuffy old man who would probably lecture her on her sinful desires. However, with the nightmares getting worse, Eve could stand it no longer. She called and set up an appointment to meet with her pastor.
Over several weeks, Eve and her pastor talked. Eve was surprised to find out that her pastor was actually a warm older man wholly devoted to God. At their meetings, Eve and her pastor discussed many subjects, her thoughts, her beliefs in God, and her past. They prayed together for help from God. Then, Eve’s pastor gave her a list of scriptures. Eve was to read one scripture each day at least ten times during ten different moments of her day. Eve didn’t quite understand why but she was willing to try anything.
While reading her scripture for that day from 1 John 4:7-8, Eve turned the page in her Bible and read: “Every one who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.” (1 John 3:4, RSV). She didn’t quite understand the meaning of the verse, but the word “guilty” seemed to stand out to her. When she mentioned her reaction to this verse of the Bible, the pastor began to ask questions about feeling “guilty”, using that word from 1 John 3:4. Soon, Eve began to realize that she felt guilt from a deep hurt she inflicted on her best friend. The two talked about the circumstances of that “guilty” interaction. Both Eve and the pastor soon realized that what Eve had done had brought great guilt to her heart and soul and mind. The guilt was wearing on her subconsciously day and night. The pastor urged Eve to ask her best friend for forgiveness. They prayed about Eve’s guilty feelings. They talked about how Eve holds in some of her emotions in an unhealthy and unholy way. After a few more months of counseling, Eve’s nightmares subsided and soon went away.
That scripture from 1 John 3:4 pierced into Eve’s soul. It separated out for her what she had done right from what she had done wrong. It helped her to come to grips with her sin and work through the damage to her heart and soul. It freed her from a lifetime of nightmares.
God has a way of using scripture to drill down deep into the depths of your soul. The Holy Spirit will often accentuate something in scripture to help heart and soul and mind. Don’t neglect to read and study God’s word. Its power to bring help and healing and direction and wholeness to your life is legendary. Like a razor knife, it may cut at the sins that have been deeply imbedded in your psyche. Like a laser, its focus will enable you to see more clearly and understand God more fully.