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

“For the word of God is alive and active.”

What in the world does that mean?

Because the word of God expresses the character and nature of a holy and perfect God, whenever God’s word encounters finite and sinful creatures, the word of God will convict and challenge sinners to repent and change. What the word of God is not and cannot be is mere words that entertain and inform. The word of God will always convict and challenge sinners to repent and change.

It is truly encouraging to hear of so many of you who have taken on the challenge of reading the Bible daily. That makes the hearts of your pastors sing! Well done.

As you are reading and sitting under the teaching and the authority of God’s word, I pray that you are being challenged and changed by God’s truth.

Alistair Begg writes, “The more we sin under the instruction of the Bible without being changed by it, the less likely the possibility of such change becomes.”

So, how can we read the Bible so that God can challenge and change us?

First, read God’s word as if your life depended on it…because it does. Read in a time and place where you can be free from distractions.

Second, read slowly. This is not a race to see how fast you can finish your daily reading. This is about genuinely opening yourself to whatever it is God wants to reveal to you through the reading that day.

Finally, read prayerfully. As you are reading, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal what God wants you to know for that day.

The word of God will always convict and challenge sinners to repent and change. What the word of God cannot be is mere information.

“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God” (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5)

“It is God’s will…”

There are a handful of instances in scripture where the Bible simply tells us that this is God’s will. So whatever follows such statements deserves our full attention.

“It is God’s will that you be sanctified…”

Sanctified means to be more like Christ. It means that every day, every moment, we are becoming more like Christ. It means that we are more like Jesus today than we were when we received Jesus as Lord and Savior. And, it means that a year from now, we ought to be more like Jesus than we are today.

Sanctification – this word literally means to become more holy. We are to be more holy because Jesus is holy. And if we are becoming more like Jesus, then we are becoming more holy.

Sanctification – this is a process that will continue until Christ calls us home. This is a never ending process. You can’t be sanctified in a moment. This is a life-long process.

What is interesting is that in almost every instance sanctification is talked about in the New Testament, its reference is sexual purity. You cannot be like Christ without also living a life that is holy, set apart, sanctified. I am not sure why the Bible makes such a big deal about sexuality. But what is clear is that there is no such thing as pursuing Christ without also pursuing sexual holiness.

When Christians confuse joy and happiness with pleasure, Christians will run into error. You see, while sexual sin is capable of delivering pleasure, sexual sin cannot ever make someone happy. Pleasure is not the same thing as joy and happiness. Sexual sin will never lead to joy and peace.

Of course sexual sin is pleasurable. If it weren’t we would never struggle with it. But pleasure cannot lead to joy and happiness.

God offers us joy and genuine happiness. Pursue Christ. Be sanctified.

How can I say that? Because I know that this is God’s will for you and for me.

“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” – Hebrews 9:27-28

America is divided.

We are divided over political agendas and our loyalties to our political parties. We are divided over whether we ought to “Make America Great Again,” or whether President Trump was one of the worst things that could have happened to our country. We are divided over gun control, abortion, capital punishment.

America is divided.

The same divisions that exist in America divide Christians in the church. I am not sure what to think about that. On the one hand, that the church in America mirrors the culture in America is not surprising. But, I am disappointed that the church cannot find a greater identity to rally and unite around than the same things that divide the American culture. I want the church to have a greater rallying point, a greater unity than the ones found in our culture.

Because when we die it won’t make the slightest difference what political party we belonged to. It won’t matter how much money we had in our bank accounts, how many toys we owned, how many degrees we earned, which neighborhood we lived in, which social circles we ran around in.

The only thing that will matter is whether we belong to Christ or not.

That’s it. That’s the only thing that will matter.

Since that’s the only thing that will matter in the end, shouldn’t Jesus be the only thing that Christians rally around? Shouldn’t our commitment to Jesus be the only thing that unites the church?

I am not sure exactly how and what that would look like, but I am pretty sure it does not look like what the church looks like today.