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Hebrews 4:12 - Power Greater Than Nuclear.

Hebrews 4:12 (ESV) For the word of God is 
living and active, sharper than any two-edged 
sword, piercing to the division of soul and of 
spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the 
thoughts and intentions of the heart. 

Hebrews 4:12 (NLT) 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.  

INTRODUCTION

The Word of God is not simply a collection 
of words from God, a vehicle for communicating 
ideas; it is living, life-changing, and dynamic as 
it works in us. With the incisiveness of a 
surgeon's knife, God's Word reveals who we are and 
what we are not. It penetrates the core of our 
moral and spiritual life. It discerns what is 
within us, both good and evil. The demands of God's 
Word require decisions. We must not only listen 
to the Word; we must also let it shape our 
lives. [Life Application SB] 

The creative energy that called the worlds 
into existence is in the word of God. This word 
imparts power; it begets life. Every command is a 
promise; accepted by the will, received into the 
soul, it brings with it the life of the Infinite 
One. It transforms the nature and re-creates the 
soul in the image of God.  ED126 

There are many cases where men who have 
defended Christianity against skeptics have afterward 
lost their own souls in the mazes of skepticism. 
They caught the malaria, and died spiritually. 
They had strong arguments for the truth, and much 
outside evidence, but they did not have an abiding 
faith in Christ. O, there are thousands upon 
thousands of professed Christians who never study the 
Bible! Study the sacred Word prayerfully, for your 
own soul's benefit. 5BC1147 

COMMENTARY PEARL

   The Bible holds supreme authority by 
virtue of its Author, who is the King of creation 
and thus Ruler over all the earth. The Bibles 
authority is inherent in its every word. Scripture is 
Gods revelation in history. Just as there is no 
higher authority in an earthly kingdom than a king, 
there is no higher authority you and I can appeal 
to than the Word of God in Gods kingdom. 
   The Bibles authority is timeless. For 
example, when we read in Exodus 20:3, You shall 
have no other gods before Me, this command has 
the very same force behind it today that it had 
when God first thundered these words to Moses 
more than three thousand years ago. Unfortunately 
one problem I see as a pastor today is that 
people disregard Gods Word because to them, 
its just ink on a page. 
   Our problem is that we werent there 
when God first spoke His Word - because if we had 
been there, we wouldnt be so casual about it. 
To get an idea of the terror that gripped Moses 
and all of Israel when God gave His 
commandments, read Hebrews 12:18"21. Even Moses said, 
Im so scared that I can barely even stand 
(loosely translated). 
   The Bible is not simply words about God, 
it is the Word of God. Many people learn about 
God from the Bible, which is good - but that is 
not where you are to stop. The Word of God is 
the voice of God in print. It is active and 
alive and sharper than a two-edged sword, able to 
reach and instruct the deepest recesses and core 
of who you are (Hebrews 4:12). 
   Do you find yourself convicted by the 
thought that you, too, take the Word of God too 
casually? Read and meditate on Hebrews 4:12. Spend 
some time in prayer thanking God for the 
Bible"and spend some time reading it. 
   Your Word, God, is powerful. Your 
authority is all-inclusive. Grant me grace as I study 
Your Word to understand and apply it in my life 
each day. [Alternative View with Dr. Tony Evans; 
https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/alternative-view-with-dr-tony-evans/] 

COMMENTARY

   God's Word is powerful. It can fashion a 
universe and it can create life. It can transform a 
life or a nation. It can initiate judgment or it 
can bring revival. It can transform sinners into 
saints. Yet often God's people do not clearly 
understand what Scripture is saying. That is why God 
gives His people preachers and teachers. In Ezra's 
time God's people had drifted far from God, so 
Ezra taught them God's Word. As the people came 
to understand it, they fell under conviction 
and turned from their sin. The nation 
experienced revival because God's Word was taught 
clearly and accurately. When God's word is clearly 
understood, it is extremely difficult to remain 
indifferent to it. 
   Have you been a careful student of God's 
Word? Are you currently in a Bible study? Do you 
listen intently to your minister's sermons? What 
might happen in you as well as in your life if you 
better understood God's Word? [Being Still With God 
Every Day by Henry Blackaby re Neh. 8:8] 

   I have been thinking about the power of 
God's Word this morning and all the changes I have 
seen in my life and thousands of other lives 
because of it. Jesus is the Word made flesh, so when 
we read, study, and meditate on the Word of 
God, we are fellowshipping with Jesus. As His 
Word becomes part of us, we are transformed into 
His image (see 2 Corinthians 3:18). His Word has 
inherent power in it, and it changes us! 
   We are instructed in the Bible to 
meditate on the Word of God, and that simply means to 
think about it, roll it over and over in our 
minds, speak it, and know that as we do, it is 
renewing our minds and teaching us to think as God 
thinks. Our thoughts are extremely important because 
they go before our words and all of our actions. 
God has a good plan for each of us and we will 
see it come to pass as we renew our minds (see 
Romans 12:2). 
   We seem to find it very easy to meditate 
on our problems. We call it worry! It is a bad 
habit that can easily be eliminated from our lives 
by learning to meditate on God's Word instead. 
Each time a worry or a fear comes to your mind, 
find a Scripture that teaches you that God will 
take care of the problem for you and meditate on 
it instead of worrying. For example, if you are 
having financial difficulty, you can worry all day 
and night about it, or you can think about what 
God's Word says concerning Him taking care of 
you: 
   Casting the whole of your care [all your 
anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once 
and for all] on Him, for He cares for you 
affectionately and cares about you watchfully (1 Peter 
5:7). 
   God's Word has an answer for every need 
we have. I intend to spend a lot of time today 
just thinking about the power that is in God's 
Word, and I pray that you will join me. God's Word 
contains the power we need to be successful in all 
areas of our lives. 
   Father, help me discipline myself to 
meditate on Your Word. Let it become a habit in my 
life. I ask You to continue teaching me Your Word 
and renewing my mind accordingly. [My Time with 
God by Joyce Meyer] 

   Since spiritual discernment is the 
ability to see life from God's perspective, it 
requires that we know how He thinks and acts. The 
Bible is His unchanging, infallible revelation of 
Himself. However, the Lord doesn't simply give us a 
list of facts about His character and ways. All 
throughout the pages of Scripture, He illustrates who 
He is and how He operates. 
   Although the Bible is ancient, it's not a 
dead book. It's alive and as fresh as if He were 
speaking directly to you. The stories may have taken 
place centuries ago, but the principles and 
applications are current and relevant. It's our 
instruction book about how to live. Guidance for 
decisions and discernment about situations are found 
from Genesis to Revelation. 
   God's Word is active and piercing. The 
words don't simply sit on the page. They penetrate 
our hearts and judge our thoughts and motives. 
This convicting quality is why some people don't 
like to read the Bible. But self-discernment is 
essential if we don't want to keep making the same 
mistakes over and over again. Some Christians live on 
a surface level, never understanding why they 
react to situations the way they do. But if we'll 
approach the Word of God with an open spirit, it will 
bring to light our hidden motives and reveal 
unrecognized sins. 
   Spiritual discernment involves seeing not 
just our circumstances but also ourselves from 
God's perspective. Have you learned to embrace the 
piercing sword of Scripture, or have you avoided 
doing so because it makes you uncomfortable? 
Remember, God's Word cuts only so that it can heal. 
[In Touch Daily Devotional by Charles Stanley at 
www.intouch.org] 

Growing Deeper in the Scriptures
   First, we can hear Scripture. This is the 
simplest, least difficult method of learning the 
precepts and principles of the Bible. There are 
plenty of trustworthy Bible teachers and preachers 
around the world. There are churches and schools, 
trustworthy radio and TV programs, audio and video 
recordings, and countless online resources that 
specialize in scriptural instruction. Except for those 
individuals whose physical hearing is impaired, no one 
in the world has any excuse for not hearing 
Gods Word. 
   Second, we can read Scripture. Hearing 
can too easily be a primarily passive encounter 
with the Bible, but reading requires more 
personal involvement - a greater investment of energy 
- than simply listening to instruction on the 
Scriptures. People who start getting serious about their 
spiritual maturity will purchase a copy of the Bible 
and begin reading. Numerous versions, 
paraphrases, and styles can be found on the shelves of 
almost any bookstore, and the Internet offers free 
access to virtually any translation available in 
print. To get the most out of reading, you might 
consider a through-the-year Bible: its reading 
plan guides an individual through all sixty-six 
books of Scripture in 365 days. 
   Third, we can study Scripture. While I 
prefer reading a print Bible, many people have 
discovered the power and convenience of electronic 
Bible resources. This kind of Bible study makes 
sense, considering that almost everything else we 
do involves a computer. Some of the better 
programs take Bible reading to a completely different 
level, integrating the Scripture text with links to 
dictionaries, maps, encyclopedias, photographs, diagrams, 
and commentaries. A click of a mouse on an 
unfamiliar word brings a wealth of information to the 
screen, and you can easily lose the better part of 
an entire afternoon discovering the background 
and meaning of just one verse. Combine that kind 
of study with an online course or one of the 
many excellent programs offered in churches, and 
the average believer can be prepared to meet any 
spiritual challenge. 
   Fourth, we can memorize Scripture. As I 
stated yesterday, committing Bible verses to memory 
is the best way to displace alien, unholy, and 
demoralizing thoughts! In all honesty, I know of no more 
effective way to cultivate a biblical mindset and to 
accelerate spiritual growth than this discipline. 
   Fifth, we can meditate on Scripture. As 
we hear, read, and study Gods Word, our mind 
becomes a reservoir of biblical truth. We can then 
think through, ponder, personalize, and apply to 
our lives these truths weve hidden in our 
hearts. In times of quiet meditation, we allow the 
Word to seep into our cells, to speak to us, 
reprove us, warn us, comfort us, and transform us. 
[Chuck Swindoll www.insight.org.] 

CLOSING THOUGHT

   I have a row of books that I call the 
Books That Changed My Life. It includes the first 
book I learned to read (Ann Likes Red), the book 
that made me fall in love with reading (A Little 
Princess), and the book that inspired me to want to be 
a writer (The Diary of Anne Frank). I've set 
apart poetry, memoirs, Christian classics, and 
novels that ministered to me through grief, 
inspired me as a writer, and took me to a deeper 
place with Jesus. For a short time, I included a 
book that brought back painful memories, until 
Jesus healed that wound and I decided it was time 
to put it on another shelf. 
   So, why didn't I have a Bible with the 
Books That Changed My Life? I guess it just seemed 
strange to shelve God's Word next to Ann Likes Red. 
Today, as I considered what a monumental part of my 
life it has been, I couldn't not add it. It 
contains some of the first stories I heard as a 
child, not to mention the message that moved me to 
accept Jesus as Savior at age five and get baptized 
at thirteen; its words have ministered to me in 
ways that no Christian classic could. It's 
inspired my writing and continues to draw me closer 
to Christ. Some verses have convicted me in 
ways that felt like wounding, but in the end, 
Jesus used them for my healing, and I learned to 
treasure them. 
   In a world filled with great books, I 
pray that I will never overlook the one that 
changes me in the most lasting ways. by Jeanette 
Hanscome 
   Faith Step: List five of your favorite 
books and why they are special to you. Which 
stories from the Bible have changed your life? 
Commit to spending more of your free time reading 
it. [Mornings With Jesus 2019 Devotional by 
Guideposts and Zondervan] 

LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE

Hebrews 4:12 - Power Greater Than Nuclear.

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2017/20170818-1208.html 

YOUR COMMENTS

If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or 
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either 
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in 
hearing from you.  Thanks in advance and let's keep 
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred 
Gibbs  

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

Most Important Decision in Life: 
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0 

A Man without Equal by Bill Bright: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo 

Steps to Peace by Billy Graham: 
https://stepstopeace.org/ 

Seeking God Made Real: 
http://vimeo.com/31489782 

Prayer Made Real: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE 

LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES 

Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies: 
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/ 

Amazing Facts Bible Studies: 
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx  

Voice of Prophecy Discover Bible Study 
Guides: 
https://www.voiceofprophecy.com/study/discover 

Glow Tract Video Bible Studies: 
http://www.bibleresearch.info/ 

LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS

Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of 
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible 

Panorama of Prophecy with Pastor Doug 
Batchelor: https://www.panoramaofprophecy.com/  

Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW: 
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens 

Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet: 
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657  

Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The 
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE