1. Hebrews 4 v 12-13

2. Your Reaction? Three responses… 1.Curious? 2.Squeamish? 3.Embarrassed?

3. Structure 1.The Living Word 2.Core & Drivers 3.All-seeing Judge

4. Living Word: 1. The Creative Word The Word of God is living & active… 2. The Human Word 3. The Expectant Word “In the beginning God created…the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said…” Genesis 1:1-3 “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” John 1:14 “…the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith.” Hebrews 4:2

5. Core & Drivers: …sharper than a double-edged sword… (cf. Ephesians 6:10-20) 1. Penetrating our Soul 2. Penetrating our Strength 3. Judging our Heart & & &

6. Core & Drivers: Soul Strength Heart “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” Deuteronomy 6:5 …sharper than a double-edged sword…

7. All-seeing Judge: …Nothing is hidden… we must give account. 1. The God who Knits 2. The God who Gardens 3. The God who Judges “My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place…your eyes saw my unformed body…” Psalm 139:15-16 “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God…” 1 Peter 1:23 [We will stand] “before the eyes of him to whom we must give an account…” Hebrews 4:13b

8. The Word of God is living & active. Sharper than a double-edged sword… Nothing is hidden from God’s sight… …we must give account. 1. The Word of God is far from irrelevant or impenetrable 2.It continues to speak through the Bible, creation & people – but it’s “conversational”, a two-way dialogue 3. That conversation goes to our core – what drives us… “Do you love the LORD God with all of your being?” 4.The question is as relevant for Christians as it is non-Christians 5. But the challenge & outcome are massively different