As the doors opened this morning at 8:45am for the 9am general session, there was what can only be described as a mad dash from the 13 different entrances to the worship center for the front pews. And I was guilty as the next guy speeding down the aisles and hurling my body across a pew to hold a seat for my brothers. Next year, I gotta get Tim Challies’ special treatment and get entrance before the session doors open for everyone. =-) Here is the fruit of my labors:

This morning is the last day of the conference, and it feels like all I can take. Not only because I’ve been blogging like crazy, but also because we’ve just been so blessed with the Word and worship, that I want to take some time to reflect; but there’s scarcely a moment I’ve had to do so. As soon as I head back to the hotel, catch up with e-mail and chat with my wife… I’m ready to hit the sack.

However, there’s no question this conference has been a blessing. Waiting outside the doors this morning, we chatted up with a young man from the Modesto, CA area. Not only is this his first conference, he’s also a new believer; and according to him this was the best experience of His life. It’s so great to hear that kind of enthusiasm and love for God’s Word. May God bless him and all the others who are here at this conference, to be reminded by example and exhortation of the importance of God’s Word and bring that back to all their local churches.

The I-5 nearby was shut down, so the initial session was delayed by 30 minutes to allow time for more conferees to arrive. As Bill Brandenstein put it, “Welcome to Southern California!” This allowed folks a bit of a breather to enjoy fellowship, and for me to clean up some of the previous posts from this conference.  A couple of pews worth of men toward the front, about 10 men, gave their best shot at starting a musical “wave,” loudly and boldly singing together a number of great hymns and hoping to get the rest of the room hooked. It didn’t happen so much…. Folks enjoyed the downtime, I suspect; and were already anticipating some great singing with the whole room in just a few minutes. But we did enjoy hearing them; lots of folks wondering whether there was a soundtrack playing in the worship center in the background. Here’s a photo of this enthusiastic group (standing and seated to the left of the photo):

As things were about to finally commence at 9:30am, a band including a bass guitarist, pianist, electric guitarist and synth keyboardist played a instrumental prelude of “Be Unto Your Name.”

Bill Brandenstein then called us to worship from Scripture, as we as a congregation stood to sing a medley of praise to God with the song team, including “Holy Is the Lord God Almighty,” “See, What a Morning,” and “How Deep the Father’s Love.”

As has been the case throughout this conference, the corporate singing was powerful!. We were then ministered to in praise by a soloist singing a song titled, “Creation Song” along with the other singers on stage.

John MacArthur then introduced Steve Lawson as an “alien” preacher preaching an “alien” message, and joked that there are a few other things about Steve that are “alien.” Steve is willing to preach a message that is alien to the desires of the unregenerate, and John reminded us that we talk to people to whom God gives ear to hear. Apart from God’s intervention, we’re talking to the blind and the deaf. But once God opens the heart, that message becomes the most cherished of all. Steve has for years preached faithfully the Word of God without hesitation. Steve has begun a five-volume set which John suggests will define his life, “A Long Line of Godly Men,” tracing the doctrines of grace throughout Biblical through modern history.

[Personal note: this was, for me, the most powerfully preached message of the conference thus far. As thorough as the below notes/transcript is, it fails to convey the power of the actual preaching of it.]

(The remainder of this comes from the speaker’s perspective)

Thank you, John, for those alien remarks (laughter). It is such a joy to be here if I was thinking on the front row if I could just preach just one sermon to one group of men it would be to you men this morning. And to be able to stand in this pulpit, which to me is the most dignified & sacred pulpit in the world, is quite a humbling experience. There is a cloud of witnesses who have surrounded me and influenced me; John has been the Moses of that cloud. I thank the Lord for how he has used John not only to shape what I believe, but the character of my life. And I’m thankful for what this pulpit has stood for the last 40 years. So in our lifetime that we will ever experience with a more distinguished expository pulpit than this one.

Open to Hebrews 4:12-13, I want to bring a message titled, “The Preacher’s Invincible Weapon.” May God open the echoes within our own heart and soul as we consider the weapon God has placed in our hands as we minister His Word.

12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.

Somewhat hidden below street level in Geneva, there is a monument that pays lasting tribute to the dramatic change in world history that occurred there 500 years ago. It’s known as the “reformation wall,” Over 30ft long and 300 ft long, the wall visually portrays the four key figures, leading influencers of the Reformation in Geneva. They stand together as one because of their singular commitment to the word of God. First is William Farel, then Theodore Beza and John Knox on the right. But in the center is the great expositor, the chief influencer himself, he whose ministry was the heartbeat of this movement: John Calvin. Calvin stands dominantly slightly taller, leaning forward, poised, erect, ready. Both hands are on the Bible, in the Bible. One hand is the Old Testament, the other in the New. And he’s ready to turn to the appointed text, to preach the whole counsel of God. Where are men like this today, whose hands are in the book, ready to open it and bring it to their generation. It was the Bible which marked Calvin’s stay in Geneva. He had no weapon but the Bible. From the first, his emphasis was on Biblical preaching and Biblical teaching. He taught from it nearly every day. Geneva was transformed, Reformation ignited, Western civ altered. The Bible is an invincible weapon in the hands of God’s servant. When ministered in the power of the Holy Spirit, it brings life-changing and history-altering effects. This passage is what we read in Heb. 4:12-13. It’s the supernatural weapon put into our hands. The author of Hebrews gives us one of the most dramatic & graphic pictures of the power of the Word of God that is found anywhere in Scripture. Here he likens the Word of God to a sword, a sharp-two-edged sword. One that is living, active, that cuts, pierces, divides, exposes, judges, saves. This is the preacher’s invincible weapon. We must not sheath it, we must wield it, we must use it.

I want to give 7 distinguishing marks of the sword of the Lord that has been put in our hand, this superior, supernatural weapon.

First, it is the divine Word (v. 12): “For the word of God”. The word that we preach is of God. This is God’s book, God’s message that we bring. We say rightly that there is dual authorship of Scripture, but there is only one primary Author. There are over 40+ secondary authors, the human instruments God used to record it. But standing behind them, there is only one primary Author, God Himself. Hundreds of time in the OT, it says “Thus says the Lord.” That’s what the word of God is. When the prophets wrote the Scriptures, they were claiming to be dispatched messengers of the Lord, bringing the Word to those who would hear them.

Six times David in Psalm 19 refers to the written word as “the law, the testimony, the precepts, the commandment, the judgment, the fear of the Lord.” Each claims that it’s the word of God. Jesus asserted the divine authorship of the word we ministry. Matthew 4, “Man shall live… by every word that proceeeds out of the mouth of God.” Paul in 1 Th 2:13, “… you accepted it not as the word of men, but what it really is the word of God.” Romans 3:2 - “the oracles of God.” Mark 7:8, ‘the commandment of God”, Revelation “the oracle of God.” It speaks to the divine authority of this book.

This first truth begs me to say because the Bible is the word of God and not merely a collection of the wisdom of the world, it requires things of us who pick up this sword. it requires humility. Our ministry must be under the authority of Scripture. We have nothing to say apart from the word of God. We say, speak, warn, promise of what Scripture warns. We go no further. Not only sola Scriptura, but tota Scriptura: all of Scripture is proclaimed.

It also speaks to the dignity that is required of us, because it’s the divine Word. We’ve been commissioned by the High King of heaven to minister His word, and we must do so in a manner befitting of the one who has issued the word, and we must stand in congruence with the one who has given us His word. We are not free to be court jesters; there is a dignity that is required. It also requires an authority when we speak. We are to speak the truth in love, but nevertheless as we speak, we are to do so in an imperative manner. “Let no one disregard you” (2 Tim). This is because we minister the divine word. May God raise up a generation of men who will minister the divine word. How greatly this is needed.

Second, it is the living Word (v 12): “the word of God is living.” It is not merely a natural book, but a supernatural book. this book alone has the life of God in it. this word “living” is in the emphatic position of v.12. It’s the finger of God pointing at the word “living.” Literally, “Living, for the word of God is.” All other ancient books are dead manuscripts, but this book is alive. This book pleads me, it has power to save, has power to sanctify. This book is after us. Moses said, “Take to your heart all the words I am warning for it is not an idle word. Indeed, it is your life.” It’s not an idle word, it’s a living word! It has life, and it imparts life. Jesus said in John 6:63, The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and are life!” Acts 7:38, Stephen referred to “living oracles.” 1 Pe 1:23, “For you have been born again not of seed that is perishable but imperishable that is through the living and enduring word of God.” Spurgeon said this book was alive! I’ve read other books, this is the only book that has ever read me! No book is more relevant, up to date, fresh contemporary than this book. Some pastors are wanting to have a contemporary service. Great: be an expositor of the Word of God! If you preach trends and current events, you are old news before the words come out of your mouth. But when you preach this book, you’re more up-to-date than tomorrow’s newspaper.

I was in England not long ago and mentioned that on Wednesdays I am preaching through Ezekiel. A man came up afterwards and said, “How are you going to make Ezekiel relevant?” I waited 20 years for that question! (laughter) “I do not have to make the Bible relevant, it is relevant. My responsibility is to explain its relevance to those who are there.” I often enter into the pulpit empty or tired, but this book never is! It’s alive. This is the preacher’s invincible weapon.

Third, it is the powerful Word (v. 12): It is active and therefore dynamic, “the word of God is living and active.” It’s a Greek word energeis from which we get energy. This book is energetic, dynamic, powerful. It’s not only that it has life, but has all the essentials of life and the power of God to convict, convert, conform, console. This book is active and energizing in its effect. Full of life-changing power. It’s unceasingly active and relentlessly effective. It’s fully able to carry out all of God’s saving purposes as it’s accompanied by the power of the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 55:10 says as much. It is a triumphant word that will carry out and fulfill all of God’s sovereign purposes. It’s undefeatable book. It has power to save, does it not (1 Pe 1:23). It has power to sanctify (John 17:17). It has power to satisfy (Psalm 119:103). It has power to strengthen (Joshua 1:8). It has power to steer (Psalm 119:105). It has power to sustain (Matthew 4:4). If you want a dynamic ministry in which the power of God is unleashed in your efforts, in which God will carry out His sovereign purposes here on earth, then pull forth the sharp two-edged sword that is active.

Fourth, it is the razor-sharp Word. No instrument is sharp as this sacred tool. “… and sharper than any two-edged sword.” It’s sharper than the sharpest instrument in this world. No surgeon’s scalpel can compare with the razor-like edge of this sword. That it’s two-edged means it’s all edge. Every way this book cuts, it cuts with razor-like precision. there are no dull verses in the Bible. Every book, chapter, verse, word, jot and tittle is razor sharp. The word for sword is the chief offensive weapon of the Roman soldier, small sword in close hand-to-hand combat; used with razor-like precision. Any passage of this book ministered rightly cuts deeply into the soul of man. Eph. 6:17 calls it the sword of the Spirit. As a two-edged sword, it cuts both ways. It comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable. It both convicts and converts; saves and damns; softens and hardens; justifies and judges; it’s law & grace; exposes sin by conviction and covers up sin by forgiveness. In Acts 2, Peter wielded this sword. He quotes Joel 2, Psalm 16, Psalm 132, Psalm 16 again, Psalm 110. With each of these citations, Peter thrusts the sharp sword into the conscience & soul of those who were listening. The result? They were “pierce to the heart,” as being stabbed with a knife. Then 3 chapters later in Acts 5, Peter and John standing before the Sanhedrin, Peter preached the Lord Jesus Christ, even after being told to stop. In v. 33 the Sanhedrin “were cut to the quick.” It cuts both ways. You can be both the most loved man in town and the most hated at the same time. You can walk into a room and either duck or pucker (laughter).

Fifth, it is the piercing Word. Because it’s so razor-sharp, it pierces and penetrates into the depths of the inner man. In v. 12, we see “piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit.” It penetrates the outward facade of the hearer and plunges deeply into the heart. The Word of God gets through to us, to the very depths of our being; it penetrates all the way down to the hidden recesses of the heart. When he speaks of soul and spirit, he’s referring to one’s innermost heart. If you do not preach the Bible, you will have a very superficial ministry. All you’ll be able to do is massage egos and tickle ears. But when you minister the Word rightly, it cuts, it penetrates, it pierces. So often people set up barriers against God and remain aloof from the truth. There’s a “do not disturb” sign around their neck. They try to cover themselves with a thin veneer of religion, fig leaves of self-righteousness and hypocrisy. But the Word penetrates the outer facade and cuts down all the way in: not to harm but to heal. The phrase is a figurative way of saying “to the very core of your being, to the very innermost being of who & what you are on the inside.” It’s only the Word of God that can get down to the bottom of one’s life. It alone can discriminate the division of soul & spirit. He then adds “joints and marrow” referring figuratively to the inner parts of the body as a picture of the soul. This parallels “soul & spirit.” It’s saying when this book is ministered in your hand, it cuts into the depth of a person and exposes secret thoughts, unveils base motives, reveals inner attitudes, and it is only the Word of God that can do this: performing open heart surgery, brain surgery. No mere flesh wounds or surface cuts; but comes with penetrating precision to the depths of joint & marrow. This is the preacher’s invincible weapon.

Sixth, it is the judging Word. At the end of v. 12 and into v. 13, once the heart is pierced, once the soul is laid bare; then it begins to judge. What is exposed within a man? The context here is addressing many religious Hebrews with a non-saving faith. They are under the Word, and in the midst of the fellowship of believers. But many have not come all the way to Christ. Their hearts are uncircumcised. The hardest person to reach with the gospel is someone who is religious and lost. The only way they can be saved is for God’s Word to pierece to their soul and administer judgment. And them to sense their own condemnation before a holy God. No one can be saved until they know they’re lost; and that’s the ministry of the Word of God, to show them their lostness and drive them to Jesus and His saving arms. Only the Word of God that can reveal to a blind person and expose them for who they truly are before their own eyes, and to see they’re lost and in need of a Savior. This is the ministry of the Word of God. It’s in this context, we read that once the Word penetrates, then it is able to judge. It is fully sufficient and entirely capable to judge (kritikos). It’s fully capable of rendering God’s judgment to the heart; you’ve been found weighed in the balances and found wanting, under His wrath; but there is a Savior who can save you. But it must first bring about the sentence of condemnation; the word of God is to sit in judgment as a “critic.”

Liberal critics want to sit in judgment on the Bible. But the Bible is not on trial — we are. It’s the Word of God that is able to judge… notice “the thoughts & intentions of the heart.” It judges and exposes and renders God’s verdict on the secret thoughts, inner desires, personal ambitions, the driving motives. It gets behind, deeper than just outward actions. It alone is able to judge the heart, thoughts and intentions that stand behind our evil actions.

V. 13: “and there is no creature hidden from his sight.” The word “and” shows it’s a a continuation. It’s saying it’s the Word of God that uncovers everything and the secret thoughts of the unbelievers. It’s the Word of God that opens us up and allows us to see what God sees when He looks into the inner person. That’s what v. 13 is saying. “All things”: every attitude, motive, action… “are open” out in the open exposed, made visible. The word “open” comes from the root word where we get “gymnasium,” where the athlete goes to work out. He would strip down so there would be no hindrance from his clothing. Same word used here. It tells us the Word strips the conscience and exposes the inner heart. We stand naked and uncovered before a holy God with no place to hide behind. We stand stark naked before God because the ministry of the Word of God because the ministry of God’s Word has made us open and transparent before God. And we realize how God sees us, that we are sinners an fallen short. Then he says, “and laid bare.” Once the word of God strips us down, we are then “laid bare,” from which we derive “trachea.” It refers to the neck. Laid bare, conveys the idea of seizing by the neck, to expose a victim’s neck for killing. To pull back whatever would be covering the neck; in opening the neck of a sacrifice; or a wrestling opponent held back to the point of choking the neck. The Word of God is able to bring a man under a deep conviction of sin because their heart is exposed before God. How many times has someone come up to me after a service in a quiet tone, “You’ve been talking to my wife, haven’t you?” What has happened is the sharp two-edged sword has laid him bare and for the first time in his life he begins to see himself as God sees him.

Notice end of v. 13 “… to whom we must give an account.” The Word of God heightens our sense of accountability before a holy God; to the One who is speaking to me in and through His Word. This is the effect when the Word is ministered in the power of the Holy Spirit. The sinner will be stripped naked, completely exposed and see himself as God sees him. No longer hiding under rags of self-righteousness, but his head will be pushed up and neck laid bare. And the sharp sword is pressed to the neck, and the throat slit, heart pierced, conscience smitten. The sinner is naked before a holy God is hopeless, helpless, exposed & ready to give account to God; and ready to agree that he stands before the holy throne of God.

Only the word of God can convince sinners that they are sinners; only it can bring them to the end of themselves, stripping off self-righteousness and leave them naked before almighty God and under a sense of guilt before Him who has sent the Holy Spirit into the world to convince men of sin & self-righteousness and judgment.

Finally, it is the saving Word. We need to see this final word. It doesn’t just judge, it judges for a higher purpose: to bring sinners to Christ that they might receive His forgiveness and mercy. Notice the “for” at beginning of v. 12, which connects this verse with what immediately preceded. And what precedes? One of the great evangelistic pleas of the Word of God, to hesitant Hebrews. In chapter 3, he is pleading with those who are still unwilling to fully commit themselves to Christ. Look at v. 7: “therefore just as the Holy Spirit says” and quotes Psalm 95:7. Even in this 1st century he was speaking through His Word to compel them to come all the way to God through faith. How it provokes God for men to hear the gospel and halt between two opinions and not come all the way to Christ. In 3:15, 4:2, “the word they heard didn’t profit them… it was not united by faith.” It’s not enough to be a hearer, but you must respond by faith and be a doer of the Word and to come all the way to Christ. It’s God pleading sinners to come to the grace of God in the Lord Jesus. In v. 4:7, let us be diligent to enter that rest; not by our own religious routines, efforts, traditions. Let us be diligent to enter into the rest of the Lord Jesus Christ… and the next verse “for the Word of God is active.” That is why you must hear his voice, why you must respond in faith, why you must repent of your sins, why you must humble yourself and surrender your life to him today. This is the saving word. That is why it’s our greatest joy to say, “Come let us reason together…” We stand before sinners and say, “Ho everyone who thirsts, come to the water…” We stand before sinners and say, “Enter by the narrow gate… few are those that find it.” And “Truly, truly he who hears my words.. is like the wise man who built his house upon a rock…. he who hears and doesn’t act upon [my words] is like a man who built his house on the sand… great was its fall.” We preach this saving Word: “if any man thirsts, let him come and drink and out of his inner being shall come rivers of living water.” “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” When that seed is poured on soul prepared by God, God causes it to germinate and bear fruit.

This word cuts in judgment but also salvation; and brings sinners into the glorious state of no condemnation before God. You must be a man of one book. O preacher man, unsheath the sword. No battle was ever won when the sword was not pulled out. Take this book: open it,read it, study it, preach it, proclaim it. Put down all other blades, they are all dull & blunt. Too many preachers have taken up battle with a butter knife & plastic utensils. Pick up the sharp two-edged sword of the Word of God! Wield the sword confidently; no armor is thick enough to repel its thrusts. No heart too hard to resist it when accompanied by the power of God. Take up the sword it, wield it, let it do its work. Be a minister of death unto death and life unto life; for we have nothing to say apart from the Word of God.