In the theme for 2024 "Speak O LORD," Rickie talks about the Words Of Power That Can Never Fail. He also explores why some people find the word unprofitable.
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I appreciate Kevin leading that song so much and highlighting that verse About the Word of God its power and how it overcomes unbelief. I'd like you to try with me to Hebrews chapter 4 Hebrews chapter 4 Hebrews chapter 4 I'd like for you to read the first 14 verses with me Appreciate Jordan filling in so much last weekend. I Think he was a triple dirty. He preached. He taught class and he preached again I'm glad he's young and he can endure that Beginning in verse 1 of chapter 4 Therefore such a promise remains of entering his wrath Let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it For indeed the gospel is preached to us as well as to them But the word which they heard did not profit them not being mixed with faith And those who heard it, but we have believed that We believe or we we have believed to enter the rest as he said By sworn my wrath they shall not enter my rest. Although the words were finished from the foundations of the world We're spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way And God rested on the seventh day from all his works Again, this place they should not enter my rest. It's therefore it remains that some must enter it At those to whom it was first be preached did not enter because of disobedience and again He designated a certain day saying in David today after such a long time has been said Today if you'll hear his voice Not hard in your hearts work Joshua had given them the rest Then he should not act were to have spoken of another day that remains therefore a rest for the people of God For he who has entered his rest has himself also sees from his works as God did from his Let us therefore be diligent into that rest. That's anyone fail That's anyone fall according to the same example of the disobedience Well the word of God is living and powerful and sharper than a two-edged sword piercing even to the division of the soul of spirit joints of marrow and is a discerter of the thoughts and intent of the heart and There is no creature hidden from his side But all things are naked and open to the eyes of him the whom we must Give in a town or seeing we have a great high priest This pass to the heavens Jesus son of God let us hold fast our confession the Hebrew writer rehearses The events beginning at creation going all the way through They're wondering in the wilderness Any highlights in their wondering in the wilderness now when they came up to the edge of the Jordan to cross over to the promised land How they were turned back because of unbelief and verse two highlights this For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to the on But the word which they heard did not profit them not being mixed with faith He says don't be mixed with faith in those who hurt Speak O Lord words of power That can never fail Let their truths prevail over unbelief If the word was to prevail over unbelief they'll fly Why is it said that? The word that was preached to them did not profit them. I Think that's an interesting question for us to think about this morning as we think about the power gods word That shall never fail, but the power gods were also that shall overcome unbelief first of all Why did the word of God fail? It failed because there was no profit to them, but why was there no profit to them? Why was it not profitable them? Well was there something was there something that was the fault of the word? Well, we come to verse 12 and it says for the word of God is living powerful sharper than a two-edged sword Here's the evil of the vision of soul and spirit joint and marrow is it to serve the false and intense of the heart? So that would suggest to us that the fault is not in the word That would suggest to us that the very word That they carried with them going forth from side-eye that they received in the tablets and The very word they received from the prophets Prior to that that that very word had the power of God behind it So was it not profitable because there was something that was wrong with the word I? Want to sometimes if we we can emphasize the fact we're no longer under the old mall That we come to conclusion very subtle shift perhaps that well, there's something flawed with the Old Testament There's something just wrong with the Old Testament and because there's something wrong with there The failure was in the message of the Old Testament, but wait a minute It was God who gave him the message He was God who gave them the tablets of stone It was God who made the covenant with him and spoke that covenant and made that covenant with him It's side-eye and also gave him instructions how to build a tabernacle and the temple So we need to be careful before we conclude that there's something falls with the Old Testament because the same one that gave us the New Testament Also gave us the Old Testament Well if the problem is not in the word If the problem is not in the message itself, then perhaps there was a problem with the way it was delivered There was something wrong in the lyrics of the message There was something wrong with the messenger and the way he delivered that message Except we have to remember That it was God himself who spoke Remember it's thunder and lightning at the mountain and it was such an awesome thunderous, fearful thing for them They said don't let God speak to us anymore You speak to us for God Well, if we're going to conclude that the problem with them that made them profitable was the messenger Then we need to be careful about that because God was the one that spoke to them But because they were fearful to hear fearful to hear God They said to Moses you speak to you up. So Moses spoke Moses was the prophet of prophets Moses was the spokesman of God Moses what in spite of all that he said about himself Even we'll call him an extra seven in the ill-equipped man He spoke powerful words. He stood before Pharaoh and delivered the message of God before Pharaoh Here is Moses who delivers God's message Here's Moses who spends time in the Mount with God Resinging the message and now it comes down and delivers the message of God to them so the problem can't be The Regent was profitable was because there was something wrong with the messenger They're the acts chapter 22 acts chapter 22. You see the same kind of thing that takes place in that chapter 22 Looking at verses of 17 and 18 Look at verses 17 and 18 Well said that'll happen I returned to Jerusalem. I was praying in the temple. I was in a trance and saw him saying to me Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, but they will not receive the testimony concerning me Was there something wrong with Paul the messenger? That's not what the Lord's telling him in the vision The Lord tells him in the vision they will not receive the testimony concerning me You look at Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 12 and here's the word that was preached He said to them, but it was not profitable He said because it was not mixed with faith So you can't blame the word. We can't blame the messenger Well, that brings us to another consideration is if that's not the case and the second consideration If the word was not profitable to them, what what makes for a profitable reception of the word? What makes for a profitable reception of the word? Is it the mere possession of the word? Is it the mere possession of the word that makes for a profitable a profitable reception of the word of God? It is a mere reception the thing that makes it profitable They carry the tablet to stone All the little wilderness they had the tablets with them They had Moses with them throughout the time They had they had the stone. We might say they had the book We have our life little Bibles dice and bounce in Boston gold. Sometimes in red We have our life little Bibles. We carry them. We have though. We have our family Bible sitting on the coffee table or the chair shelf We had it frame him behind glass behind glass. That's permanently sealed So it won't deteriorate The problem was not that they carried the Bible We can lose our soul and go to hell carrying the mind They carried the Bible, but it was not profitable to them why Because it was not in their heart We can carry the Bible all day long We can thump it. We can shout it. We can wave it in our hands and say I read what this says I believe what it says. I am what this says, but it doesn't make any difference. What wait? It's not in the heart It's not the mere possession of it That made the difference Let me suggest another thing It was not the understanding of it either The mere understanding of the word of God does not guarantee a profitable reception you Think about that All will go before Felix a gripper and he will speak to Felix a gripper and as he speak to Felix a gripper Basically said do you think you can convince me with all these words you're saying Go your way when I have a war convenient time I will call for you and none of that defeats gripper say time out. I don't understand what you're saying And none of that defeats a gripper say, I don't believe what you're saying Vince a gripper got what he said But every paul spoke of righteous to self-control and judgment to come Felix a gripper got that because he was in fear and friendly when he heard that it was not a problem of understanding that with a problem You think about that rich young ruler That comes to Jesus asking that pensive question about entertaining what was necessary to to enter to have eternal life And the young men said I've kept all the commandment you've told me He might have missed one because Jesus said that go sell all you have and give to the poor and the text says he went away He's sorrowfully and the emphasis that is he went away, and it was sorrowful that he did Was there a problem with understanding that Was there a problem with leaving that middle The young man understood what was said The young man got the message He wasn't willing to lay aside his covetousness To sell all he had to give to the poor. It wasn't profitable not because he failed to understand But because it was not mixed with fate The question then comes When we think about that what is it then? What is it to receive the word profitably? What is it to receive the word profitably? Well, it made it hard to the book of James just a moment and James chapter one Because I think James gives us some help here looking at this particular point that's being made We get James chapter one and verse 21 Therefore lay aside all filtiness and overflow wickedness and Receive with meekness the implanted word some translations say in grafted word. I think that's the old King James New King James says implanted word, which is able to save your soul. I Like that. I like the term in grafted word Because grafting is a significant thing to think about Perhaps you've had the experience of grafting In which you have two different two different strains or kinds of the countries And so you take and you have one kind of pecan tree you graft into another kind of pecan tree And you get the mix of the two and you come out with a different kind of pecan or peach tree or whatever Maybe it's a vine that you graft into the vine When you grab something into the other that means it is mostly out of here it to it Here's the graft and for the graft to take the graft has to become part of the tree that is grafted into And what he says here is this isn't just passing by this is not something different There's a close intimate relationship now. I get word implanted Implants you're right. Do you have dental implants? You have cornea implants You think of something you have a long implant When you have an implant it's what it is to become closely connected to and identified with you so you can separate yourself from the implant or The tree or the vine can't separate itself from the graft that has been taking place Jane says in order to receive the word Offitably we must receive it in a particular way With meekness the implanted or engrafted word now that word meekness is interesting Receive with meekness then grafted word That word meekness means to be brought under control In the part of the country and days in which people are breaking the horses It's still a thing that takes place today It may not take place in the metroplex But it still takes place in parts of the country we're ranching and riding horses is a prominent thing You have to break the horse to right and you have to break the horse to the bridle What you do is you bring the strength of that animal under the control of the rider You don't break his spirit a Judge head is of no doubt You want the horse with all his spirit to be able to respond to the rider? Perhaps you've never seen this But because of former days There's an artistry to this and there's a magick majesty to this Ratchet never seen cutting horses work They have competitions for cutting horses not only they use them in real-life ranch work But they have competitions over here at Fort Worth and Dickey's Arena And what you'll have is you'll have this horse and The rider sits on top of that horse. You'll just have his hands on top of the saddle horse and he better hold on tight Because that horse as his nose own that particular animal that he's cutting out of the herd and All the rider has to do is cue the horse not with a ray, but with his knee or his foot And the horse immediately knows how to respond quite because that horse has been taught operate under the control of the rider Now if that rider Is not prepared with that horse cuts? The horse is gonna cut but the rider's gonna be falling off into the South 40 The horse will stay there because he's trained. He's trained to cut Now come back to this receive with straight under control Receive with self-control We see when great strength of spirit That has been brought under the control of the word that's been implanted into your heart That's able to save your soul You see the Hebrew rider will say again in chapter 4 verse 12 The word of God is quick and powerful and sharp and they do a good sort that same word of God is able to break Not break the spirit of someone But to break the rule and control that person over their whole life and that happens when that word is implanted Grafted into the heart of that person. So that word is close closely attached not distant and So he says receive with meekness We see with a control because the word has brought you under the power of God That is implanted in your heart and you can separate yourself from it Just as that implant has become a part of you and adheres you so that word of God is so closely implanted in Granted it is a part of who you are in your DNA. You can't separate yourself from it He says James says that's how you receive that word Now let's work with that just a moment when we come back to chapter 2 And you're familiar with the events of Acts chapter 2 most of us are When we come back chapter 2 and you have that damn with the Holy Spirit is poured out of the apostles and each one of the apostles spoke In a language they were not educated in but every nation that was there heard in their own tongue The accusation against the apostles is they were taught Peter stands up and says well number one We haven't been drinking number two. It's not the it's not the hour of the day. It's way early in the day You don't get drunk this early in the day, but he says this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel And then he reveals what Joel said And he comes down at the end of that revelation from Joel and verse 21 and says who's there shall call upon the name of Lord But you need to understand you folks that are here listening me He says you never said you've got about wicked hands Take it and crucified the son of God But it was according to the determinate council of God. You have laid your wicked hands on him and you have crucified heal David is over here, but his body's in the grave Christ arose and is now both Lord and Christ Sitting at the right hand of God haven't received the promise of the Father and three thousand were pricking the heart and they asked this question What shall we do? That's not the question that you read about Hebrews chapter four The Hebrew chapter four the word was preached and was not profitable because it was not mixed with fame It was not received with faith. There was unbelief Verse 41 said that word was prepped 3,000 souls 3,000 souls were baptized You see the word is profitable not just when it is implanted in our hearts But the word is profitable when by faith it makes a difference in our lives I repeat We can carry the Bible with us all day long It's not the binding of the Bible that makes the Bible important It's when that Bible that word of God is implanted in our hearts and makes a fundamental difference in our lives You turn to Acts chapter eight and you have the people of Sumerior Philip is preaching and they believed and were baptized But I love the illustration that chapter 19 when we think about what makes a difference in our lives You turn to Acts chapter 19 Hold it emphasis preaching performing miracles and He aggravates the people that are there making money off the girls at a point performing miracles But there are some who believe in those what it says beginning of verse 11 of Acts 19 Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul So even the handkerchiefs Or aprons were brought from his body to the sick and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists put upon themselves to call upon the name of Jesus Or those that evil spirits saying we exercise you by Jesus Zun Paul preaches Paul's Here are these seven sides of this particular man and they're dogging They're following the apostles around and they see the great works the apostles are doing the miracles they're doing and they think it I will some of that And so they're listening intently to what the apostles are saying and what they begin to hear is the apostles are saying By the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus and the name of Jesus they got okay. I got the incantation right in the name of Jesus So they're dogging them and now the seven sides of this particular man They break off and it says some of these itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call on the name of the Lord The name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits And they said we exercise you by Jesus Zun Paul preaches And now to me one of the most hilarious things takes place And even the demons have a sense of humor here Because they say The evil spirits answered and said Jesus I know Paul I know but who are you? You get it? And then it says the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them overpowered them And prevailed against them so they fled out of the house making it mooted and there's the second part of that humorous illustration Paul I know Jesus I know and then the spirit they're trying to exercise those kids on case Marty Pence I'll jump on you and now the guys possess and he flees Negative he can be it didn't work too well But now the important part comes This became known both to all the Jews in Greece dwelling in emphasis and fear found them all And the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified at many That believe came confessing and telling their days question Did the word they received make a difference in their lives look at the next verse Many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together Burn them in the side of all and they count up the value of them at total 50 000 pieces of silver So the word of the Lord grew and multiplied mightily in priest did the word of god have value do the word of god profitable? Yes, why? Because when it was preached they received it because they believed Because they believed and what did they do? They took their magic books books of magic black magic they didn't pull any attic in the box Some time later the down day in the blue day to pull them down and say we're going to revisit our books of magic again They didn't give them the good wheel to go to go purchase them again They burned them You've heard the expression burn your bridges Which means when you burn the bridges there's no way out. There's only one way it's forward here. They burned their books And this was not an inexpensive endeavor for them. This was a very costly experience. They did What happened? The word made a difference in their lives Turn to 1st thessalonians chapter 4 1st thessalonians chapter 4 and verse 1 1st thessalonians chapter 4 and verse 1 You Listen how paul what paul will say here Father didn't brethren we urge and exhort in the lord jesus that you should abound more and more just as you receive from us How you ought to walk and to please god for you know the commandment we gave you to the lord jesus We want you to abound more and more and we want you to walk and to please god It's not just we want you to receive it Possess it it's not just we want you to understand it We want you to receive it possess it understand it and we want you to abound more and more and we want you to walk in such a way Having done that so as to please lord, please the lord with the commandment we had given you from back to chapter 1 Real quickly after 1 and look at verse Look at verse verse verse verse 8 and verse 9 For the word of the lord has sounded forth not only macedonian kid, but also in every place your face toward god Has gone out so we don't need to say anything For they themselves declare Concerning us what matter entry we had to you how you listen Turned the god from idols to serve the living and true god and wait for his son He said you received it you turn from idols to the true living god And now you receive the command we gave you then you ought to walk in it And you ought to please god it ought to make an application have an application in our lives The application for them was they turn from idols To serve the living god Basically what he's saying is they turn from sith and serving saying to serve the true and righteous living god The word of god is only profitable Not fully possess a book Not because we understand it But because the word of god has been implanted in our hearts And it makes a difference in our lives But someone responds like the people acts chapter two acts chapter eight then What they initially are say is this I believe And that word i've been taught that word of god i've been taught has made a difference in my life That's initial salvation That question solved there But the question for us going forward as we continue to grow is Is there a time that will not become profitable for us Because we lose faith And like those of whom the Hebrews chapter four talked about We're turned back because of unbelief All of that word continues The build and strengthen our faith Be profitable in our lives Because it makes a difference in our life The sad thing wants when it was preached to them It made no difference The question for us is As we read and as the bible is taught Will it make a difference? That's when The word is profitable And that's when The word of god Will overcome unbelief A powerful passage A powerful illustration for us to think about The question is for me and for you this morning Of what profit Of what profit is the word of god do us Is the value so great It has strengthened our faith And made a difference in our lives If that initial salvation is your desire You've come to christ and have your sins washed away There's an opportunity for you That there's an encouragement that you need A word, a prayer need to be offered There's an opportunity for you We invite you to come while we stand and while we sing Thank you for connecting with us this morning We're so thankful that you were able to do that If you have questions, we'd love to have the opportunity to talk to you You can contact us at www.thebibleway.com Or questions@thebibleway.com Questions@thebibleway.com We'd love to have you in person Come if you can, but thank you for connecting with us.
