“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
What a powerful picture of God’s word and its power in our lives on a daily, not just daily, been an ongoing basis. God’s word, his spoken word is living and active like when we open up the Bible, even as I’m reading Hebrews 4:12 right now, and this is not a dead word. These are not just words written on a page a couple thousand years ago that we pull out and try to manufacture like how might they apply to our life today. No, this is a living word.
Even right now, God’s Word is living and active. It is sharper than any two edged sword. His words penetrates the depths of our being and transforms us from the inside out.
God’s Word Is Sharper Than Any Two-Edged Sword
God is speaking to us even right now through this word and it is active, it is active. It is working even right now when we read it, when you and I read it on a daily basis. When we come together in our churches to read it, it is active. God is acting through his word among us and it is sharper than any two-edged sword. So picture the sharpest two-edged sword.
I have a friend of mine who just got back from overseas, a place among unreached people where he had worked and he brought me a sword to give to my kids. He dulled the edges of that sword because this thing was sharp and I just think about that picture when we picture God’s word. When when you touch it, it affects you. That’s what a two-edged sword, a sharp two-edged sword it does when it touches you, it affects you. And so that’s the picture here.
The word’s sharper than any two edged sword. It affects you. It’s living and active, it’s sharp. What does it do? It pierces the division of soul and spirit and joints and marrow. Discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart. It goes below the surface. It does supernatural work inside of us. Oh, don’t miss the power of God’s word in this text and don’t miss the power of God’s word in your life.
Hebrews 4:12 Reminds Us To Read His Word Daily
Are you daily reading his word? I think hopefully this podcast is helpful toward that, but this is only the beginning. Are you daily soaking in his word? Reading it, studying it, memorizing it, meditating on it. Letting it do living active, sharp, penetrating work inside your heart.
Oh, to think of God’s grace to us in this. I just think about Deuteronomy 4. What nation is there that has a God so near to it as the Lord our God is to us as we call on him? What great nation is there who has words and commands so good and so righteous that had been given to us? The answer is there’s no one. There’s nothing like God’s word and God’s speaking to us through it.
Hebrews 4:12 Praises God For His Word
God, our creator who loves us so much that he has not left us alone to figure out life on our own. Like he has given us his word to lead us and to guide us, and to direct us. Not only is he given us his word to do that work as if it’s outside of us. He has given us his word to penetrate the depths of who we are and transform us from the inside out.
Oh God, we praise you for your word. We praise you for your word and we pray that you would help us to experience its full effects. God, please keep us from ever perceiving your word as just ancient text written on a page 2000 years ago that we’re trying to make applicable to our lives.
This Verse Reminds Us His Word Is Living And Active
That is not what your word is. Your word is living and active today. Right now, your word is speaking to us. Even as we’re praying, we’re praying according to your word. It’s working in our hearts. So may it be so all day long. May it be so every day. Help us to just like you say in your word, I meditate on it day and night, day and night, and help it to be about part of our conversation.
Deuteronomy 4, Deuteronomy 6. Everywhere we go, help us to be speaking your word, reflecting on your word, talking about your word with others in Christ, and sharing your word with those who are not in Christ. Oh God. We pray for people around us today who don’t know you’re living active word. We pray that you help us to speak and help us to share the gospel revealed in your word. And we pray that you would show the power of your word to penetrate hearts and to change lives.
Hebrews 4:12 Prays For The Turkmen People In Afghanistan
God, please use us to lead people to Christ today. God, we pray for that right around us. We pray for that far from us, God. We pray for the Turkmen people in Afghanistan, two million of them. No known followers of Christ. Most of them, if not all of them have never even heard your word. Your word has not gotten to them.
God, please cause your word to go to them and show your word to be living and active among the Turkmen in Afghanistan, we pray. God, cause labors to go out from among us, even those who are listening to this right now. Lord, show who among us are you calling to go to the Turkmen in Afghanistan to take your word to them?
Oh God, we pray for the fruit of your living active word in our lives. For the fruit of your living active word in our churches when we gather together on Sunday for worship to hear your word may it prove living an active, powerful among us.
God, we pray for the spread of your word right around us today. Help us to share your word with others. And God, we pray for the spread of your word to the ends of the Earth, to the Turkmen in Afghanistan. Please, Oh God, cause your word to go to them. We praise you for your living, active, sharp, penetrating life, transforming word.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
