Jesus as the Sharp Sword , Part 2

May 26

Read: Hebrews 4:12-13

Jesus as the Sharp Sword , Part 2

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:1-5)

Jesus is the Word of God. We can forget that sometimes. We forget that Jesus , as much as the bible, is the word of God. I am not implying that people forget about John 1, but rather that soon after reading it they abandon the idea that Jesus still speaks to the people of God. It is important to remember that God’s words come both from the scriptures as well as from the Son through the Spirit. In fact, they also come through the people of God speaking on the Lord’s behalf.

What does it look like to read Hebrews 4:12-13 with this truth in mind? :

“For Jesus Christ 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. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

Do we trust that Jesus is “living and active”? Do we think Jesus is “sharp enough” to get to the deepest parts of our thoughts and emotions… our deepest self (“soul and spirit”)? What about our physical bodies… our hurts and needs for healing? Could Jesus even touch on our bodily needs in this world… our “joints and marrow”? Does Jesus truly know our thoughts and the intentions of our heart? Would he speak to us about them? Would he lead us insight of those thoughts and feelings? The answer is YES! Yes to ALL of these truths.

This makes sense when we look back at the opening of the book. Remember how Hebrews opens:

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son…” (v. 1:1,2)

God is speaking to us by HIS SON. This is in no way to diminish the bible, but rather an effort to help us see that God still speaks to his people, and he does it in these last days through his Son. The bible is not his Son, that is clear from this verse. So then the question arises, how does Jesus speak today?

1.) Jesus speaks through the Spirit:

“Nevertheless, I (Jesus) tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you…When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” (John 16;7,12-15)

The Spirit of God speaks to God’s people, he tells us what the Father and Son are saying to us and about us! The Father and Son speak to us through the Spirit.

2.) Jesus speaks through other believers - the people of God.

When the Father and the Son speak to us through the Spirit, they not only speak to our lives but also give us words to speak to others.Hebrews 1 does not mean that prophecy has stopped, but it has shifted in light of Jesus, the Son. God no longer favors prophecy over the Son. Now that the Word of God has come into the world, the prophecies of God delivered through the people of God take their right place in relation to Jesus. The type of prophecy spoken of in Hebrews1 lost its prominence once the Son showed up. This does not mean God all together stopped speaking through his people though. Take for instance:

“When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” (Matt 10;19,20)

or

“Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good.” (1Thes. 5:20)

God is indeed speaking to us vis his Spirit within us as well as his people around us. Our listening does not take place in a vacuum. The wild thing is, look at what has brought about this discussion in the first place: the Scriptures… the Bible… the written word of God. Which leads us to this final truth:

3.) God speaks through the Bible / the Scriptures / the written word of God.

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16,17)

This is most familiar to us. It probably irks some of you that I put it last in this list! The truth is that these three pathways of communication are always in tune with one another. Like a musical note or a frequency, they resonate and coincide with one another to function with power and action. They are “living and active”. This is how God speaks: the Bible, His Spirit, His People.

You will flounder if you only have one of these streams of communication. If all you have is the Bible apart from the Spirit and Christian community you will remain lost. (cf.1 Cor. 2, John 3, etc.) Plenty of people study the bible as simply a book and it lacks power… it is not “living and active” apart from the Spirit. If all you have is the Spirit, then you are in trouble because we are not perfect hearers of God when he speaks through the Spirit. The Spirit of God speaks with a biblical accent… the Bible is his lingo. You will have a hard time understanding the Spirit without the scriptures. The Spirit can be grieved as well as “quenched” (see above verse.) This is why the Spirit alone is not the answer… it is not how God designed it! You can have a great “church” and wonderful Christian friends, but if all you have are the people of God you are missing out as well. They are fallible in their hearing just as much as you are. The Christian is called to seek all three of these pathways: the Word of God, the Spirit of God, and the People of God.

The word of God, the Spirit of God, and the people of God are 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. Jesus - the Son - is our greatest and clearest declaration from God. God continues to speak to his people today. He is the LIVING God. It is a beautiful symphony when all three “melodies” sing together… when the Word, Spirit, and People of God are in tune the song that is heard is life changing… transformative… powerful… and true. Are you hearing the entire song? Listen for it today. Love you guys. - JDP