In order to stand before Him whom we shall give account to

STUDY: # 908 CHURCH IN THE HOUSES FROM: AUGUST 16 @ 22, 2016

Topic: "In order to stand before Him whom we shall give account to" Hebrews 4:11-13

"Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience." Hebrews 4:11 Let us strive to enter that rest that God wants to give us. Let no one fall imitating the disobedience of those who did not believe the Word of God. Hebrews 4:12 "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 marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." The word of God is alive (it is not empty, but full of life and power), operative (it does, it carries out), and effective (it’s true, real). The Word of God is sharper (it cuts accurately; as it works directly, and does not allow for disputes, does not allow for a gray area) than any two-edged sword. It penetrates to the boundaries (up to the line where they adjoin) of the soul and spirit, the joints and marrow (the fatty, white substance inside the bones), being able to discern (distinguish one thing from another) the thoughts, and intentions (the attitudes, mood expressed in a certain way) 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." Hebrews 4:13 THERE IS NOTHING IN THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE THAT CAN BE KEPT FROM THE EYES OF GOD. Everything is naked and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account to. Let's put all our efforts in believing the Lord, so that we may enter into the rest God wants to give us; and no one falls into disobedience. The ancient Israelites were disobedient. God's voice is clear. There is no reason to be confused, and not believe. Disobedience brings death and pain. Beware, falling results in punishment, pain, and great sorrow. There is a remedy to prevent such falls: THE WORD OF GOD WHICH IS ENGORGED (FULL) WITH LIFE! Many books have become bestsellers, and their authors have become millionaires. But none have been good for the human spirit. And the theme of those books has become irrelevant. One of the wonderful things about the Word of God is that it is always a current theme, for people of all times. Many human words transcend into oblivion. But the Word of God is something that "we all have to face" and "we all have to accept or reject" what it offers. That is the Word of God. Let's treasure it in our mind and heart, for no one and nothing should steal it from us. Our mind has learned many words that need to be replaced with the word of God. Isaiah 55:11 "So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it." Our tempestuous thoughts often lead us to large voids, and dangers that can lead to destruction. On the other hand, when we receive the Word that God gives us, I assure you that we will improve our entire mind. God's word is effective. It is one of history’s undeniable facts that whenever the Word of God has been taken seriously; good things start to happen. We can see it in our lives, we can feel it. Undoubtedly the great changes in people is closely related to the publication of the Bible in the language of the people, and growing biblical studies. When we take the Word of God seriously, we immediately realize that it is not only a book that can be read and studied, but a "LIVING WORD." YOU NEED TO LIVE BY THE WORD!

Revelation 3:8 The Lord's message to the church of Philadelphia: "I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name." The power is not within us. IT IS IN HIS WORD! The word of God penetrates. It produces such an immense effect when it comes within us that it makes us strong. It enters our physical life, and penetrates onto the border between the soul and spirit. We have a spirit. It’s what allows us to think and reason, and look beyond the earth. LOOK ONTO GOD! The word of God tests our life on this earth, and man’s spiritual existence. The word of God scrutinizes the desires and intentions of the heart (Vs. 12). Desire is the emotional side of the person, and intention is the intellectual part. It’s as if we were to say: Your emotional and intellectual life must undergo the scrutiny of God (the test or study done carefully and accurately). Everything is uncovered before God and cannot fail to be before His eyes. Hebrews 4:13 "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." Two interesting words. 1) NAKED - As humans we tend to hide under an external mask. But before God, these things disappear and we have to present ourselves before Him as we are, naked. You do not have to look good before me. You have to look good before the God you say you serve. The other word is 2) EXPOSED - All things are exposed before the eyes of God. Opened not closed. Your life is opened to Him. For a time, you may believe that you have managed to avoid God. But there comes the time when we can no longer avoid meeting Him face to face. God sees the deepest secrets of our heart. Eventually we have to present ourselves before the eyes of God. Perhaps we can hide from the people who we are ashamed to face. But we cannot avoid coming face to face with God. At some point you have to stop running from yourself and God, because there will be nowhere to run to. We'll have to meet God, and nothing can be hidden from His sight because everything is exposed before Him. If we grab a hold of the Word, and live by it; knowing that nothing can be hidden from our God, we will be well prepared to stand before Him to whom we must give account to. Amen.