2. Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

3. Theme Because the Bible is God's Word, it performs ALL the things He does WITHIN us.

4. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no-one will fall by following their example of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

5. 14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

7. It encourages the downhearted! It gives a future to the hopeless! It brings wisdom to the fool! That's my Bible!

8. It opens the eyes of the sightless! It brings joy to the empty! It gives victory to the defeated! That's my Bible!

9. It educates the naive! It warms the cold hearted! It gives words to the speechless! That's my Bible!

10. It exposes the hidden! It gives insight to the seeker! It feeds the heart of the hungry! That's my Bible!

11. It's a foundation for the sinking! …An oasis in a storm! …An escape from fear! That's my Bible!

12. It brings peace to the angry! …Honesty to the liar! …Love to the loveless! That's my Bible!

13. It brings order to the random! It brings purpose to wanderer! It reveals the glory of God! That's my Bible!

14. 1. The Nature of the Bible – God’s Word “For the word of God is living and active.” Living? What it is not: Passive, inert or lethargic What it is: In motion, “restless” and ceaseless Active? What it is not: Purposeless, random, impersonal, or machine-like What it is: Focused, determined, resolute, effectual and result-oriented

15. 2. The Capability of the Bible – God’s Word “Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow…”

16. Sharp? It can get where it needs to go; it overcomes obstacles

17. Piercing? Penetrates to the deepest parts Our depth and complexity reveals our importance to God, so…

18. 3. The Mission of the Bible – God’s Word “It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Discerning, evaluating, weighing It draws an accurate conclusion about what we are thinking and what our intentions are.

20. Why is there a reluctance to give adequate time to the Word of God? It works on us: it has a job to do It gets to us: it wants to bring us forward and is relentless It reveals where we are in our walk It disturbs us if we are out of sync with God Simple reading is necessary, but not enough. It is deep stuff. Goes deep. It does deep things. It needs time. It needs to be digested and absorbed.

21. Our Challenge… Give the Word of God the opportunity It needs to the work It so wonderfully does!