Profiting by The Word 

THF SUNDAY SERMON

12th of March, 2023

 

SERMON

SERMON TITLE:      Profiting by The Word

SERMON TEXT:     Hebrews 4: 1-2

PREACHER:             Pastor Abiodun Kolapo

 

MESSAGE

Content:  I’m very excited to be in the house of the Lord this morning. Our topic for today is titled “Profiting by your word” and if you don’t mind, let us honour the Lord by standing up to read. Praise the Lord! In chapter four of Hebrews; the Lord is still trying to remind us that God delivers the Israelites from the land of slavery and took them to their promised land but because of unbelief; a whole generation perished because of their unbelief. So, when we gather together here; it is not enough to just hear and worship God; it is possible for a man to hear the Lord and still miss out. So, we will be considering “what our profits are?” Diverse versions of that text reiterate that “it did not profit them… It did not do them good”. And you bear me witness that the promise of God for us are great and precious. No eyes have seen. No ears have heard the depth of the promise of God for us. What are the benefits of God’s word? Number 1: it is our food. Jeremiah 15: 16. I Peter 2: 2 So, the word of God being described here as food, milk, strong meat etc. Why do we take food? We take food for survival, nourishment, and growth. So, is it also in the spirit. Mathew 4: 4. “…Man shall not live by bread alone…”. For your spiritual health; you need the word of God. If you want to live as Christian; you need the word of Gid as food for survival. Deuteronomy 32: 46-47. “…because it is your life”. I can bet with you that if you are not a consumer of God’s word; you are likely to fall. “For flesh profiteth nothing… The word that I give unto; they are spirit and life”. Another thing we get from the word of God is nourishment. If you see a malnourished child, having Kwashiorkor or Marasmus; it is a sign of imbalanced diet. The bible says these teachings are for your nourishment. Many of us are weak and poor because we are spiritually malnourished. The word of God is also for growth. Another word for growth is edification. Acts 20: 32. His word is to build you up and give you inheritance. It takes proper consumption of God’s word to enjoy your inheritance in Christ. That is why he said: My people perish, because they lack the word of God”. II Timothy 3: 16-17. All scriptures, including those you don’t like, are given by God and is profitable for doctrine, instruction, righteousness etc. You can get all dimensions of profits from the word of God.  The only offensive weapon mentioned to fight the devil in Ephesians 6 : 17 is the word of God. When you know God’s word; the demons fear you, because they know you know your right in Christ. Matthews 8: 9.  You can get self-deliverance by simply sticking to the word of God by itself. When you are not too hot as a Christian; if the demons are oppressing you; they will win. Romans 10: 17 – Faith comes by hearing…   It takes a man full of faith to do great things for the Lord. The whole of Psalms is about God’s word. Psalm 119: 105. If you are not guided by the word of God in this world; you will be misled and lost in this wicked world. Joshua 1: 8. After meditating in the word of God; the next thing is to do. Prosperity and good success are preceded by meditating and taking action on the word of God. Psalms 19: 7-11. There is a lot of joy and rejoicing in recounting the word of the Lord. The word of God is to be desired. The reason most of us don’t come for bible study is because we are too busy chasing Gold…money. The only thing that the Word of God and Gold have in common is that you have to dig deep.  Now, why did people miss out on the promise of God?  We are not automations. We are not machines. God requires our cooperation to achieve his works on earth. But people miss out because of unbelief. Another thing is doubt.  James 1: 6-7. “…Let not that man suppose that he will achieve anything from the Lord.”. Why do people miss out on the profits stemming from the Word of the Lord?  Another reason is ignorance. “My people perish because they lack knowledge.”. Matthew 22: 29. When you are grounded in the word of God; you will be able to handle the power of God. You are in error because you don’t know the word of God. Colossians 3: 16. Let the word of God dwells in you richly. Hallelujah! Praise the name of The Lord. Hallelujah! How do I as a believer gets the best of the word of God? The first thing I will say is change your attitude toward the word of God. People can stay awake over the night to watch football, but can’t stay all night to search the word of God. Most of us will wake up in the morning and the first thing they will dob is to surf through the internet and social media. Isaiah 66: 5. Does the word of God moves you? How much time do you dedicate to study the word of God daily?  An average believer cannot quote five scripture verses these days. How do you then want to grow? Our attitude to bible study must change. Don’t say you are too busy? What are you doing? Matthews 13: 7 – The cravings and desires of this world choke the word in their hearts. Praise the name of the Lord. I want us to read Matthew 13: 22: He says the deceitfulness of riches choke the word in their hearts. Psalms 119: 14-17. I told you the whole of book of Psalms is about the word of God. Brethren, you must learn to rejoice…to find joy in the word of God. Some people find their joys in movies and novels. The next verse says: “I will meditate…”. …This book of the Lord shall not depart out of your mouth…  To mediate upon God’s word. I know 80% of the New Testament and about 70% of the Old Testament off hand because I do meditate on them over the years. Meditate on God’s word. The number two is: Delight in God’s word. Psalm 1:2. If you fast for 40 days, skipping breakfast and lunch, and only take dinner; you won’t be very healthy as you ought to be. Also, when you didn’t take the full dose of God’s word; you won’t grow spiritually as you ought to. You need to constantly be refreshed. You need to be fruitful. The word of God must remain in our heart, so that we won’t become forgetful. Make it part of routine that, cone what may, I want to be fully devoted to the word of God. Acts 8: 29-30. Number three is prompt obedience. Let us stop arguing with the Lord. Let us stop rationalizing. Let us drop all forms of excuses. Brethren, learn to kill excuses. Whether it is convenient or not, let us obey; that is how to get the best of God’s word. Luke 5:5. “Nevertheless, at your word; I will lay down the net…”. What instruction has God given you that you are arguing against?  You should just obey the word of God; you will see His glory. Simply choose to believe it. Number four point: Learn to speak according to God’s word. Isaiah 8: 20. Angels of God does not argue with His words. Psalm 2: 7. God has said it; your own is to continue to profess it. Hebrews 13: 5-6. What has God said about the various dimensions of your life? You cannot say what God have said if you don’t even know what God has said. I want to challenge you this morning to stop this Indomie noodles-kind of eating the God’s word. The Chinese says “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years; the second-best time is now”. Meditate in the word now. And lastly, the bible says hearing the word of God and not doing it is foolishness. It is not enough to her, memorize, study, and meditate on the word of God; you need to act on them. You stand the risk of loosing out if you don’t practicalize the word of God. Let us be like Job. Job 3: 12.

 

Prayers

Let us bow down our heads to Pray and tell God – Father I am ready to change my attitude towards your word. Tell it to God. Father! This is my weakness; please help me. If you have not yet given your life to Christ and want to say: Jesus help me. Kindly signify. Is there any one like that?