Deep Cuts

Happy Sunday, why don't you find your neighbor and say, I am so glad you are here. I am so glad you are here. There is great joy that we can find when we get together to worship our God in His house, amen. If it's your first time, welcome to the local church, the perfect place for imperfect people to experience the presence of God. There is a connect card in front of you, you can fill that out with your name. Maybe it's not your first time and you have been attending and praying for a prayer, fill that out and pray for every petition each week, amen. Church, as we prepare to worship, God reveals His character through scripture in many different names. Jehovah means the Lord is my banner, He is my victory. Jehovah means the Lord will provide. Jehovah means the Lord is my healer. Jehovah means the Lord is peace. As we declare this morning, no matter what circumstance we are going through, we can raise our voice, we will clap our hands, come on, raise your voice and sing it out with us. Thank you, Lord. You're a mighty God. Yeah. He's moving in this room, come on. Thank you, Jesus. Let's sing this out. He shames every idol. He reigns without rival. He goes by the name of Jehovah, Jehovah.

He speaks into nothing. And darkness goes running. Come on, sing it out. He goes by the name of Jehovah, Jehovah. And call the name. Call the name. Call the name. Call the name. Jehovah. All our praise. All our praise. All our praise. Belongs to Him. Yes, it does. Receive our praise. His bones will be silent. He's dying for Zion. There's no other God like Jehovah, Jehovah. His heart never dies. His eyes are like fire. There's no other God like Jehovah, Jehovah. Call the name. Call the name. Call the name. Call the name. Call the name. Jehovah. All our praise. All our praise. All our praise.

All our praise. All our praise. All our praise. Belongs to Him. All the glory belongs to Him. Come on, sing it out with us. Go. Jehovah needs to fight your battles. Yeah. Jehovah needs to fight your battles. Jehovah needs to fight your battles. Yeah. Jehovah needs to fight your battles. Come on, lift it up, church. Jehovah needs to fight your battles. Jehovah, Jehovah needs your need. Come on, sing it out. Jehovah, Rapha, heal your body. Jehovah, shallow, be your need. Jehovah, needs to fight your battles. Jehovah, Rapha, heal your body. Jehovah, shallow, be your need. Jehovah, needs to need. Jehovah, needs to fight your battles. Jehovah, shallow. Jehovah, shallow, be your need. Jehovah, Rapha, heal your body. Jehovah, shallow, be your need. Call the name. Call the name.

Call the name. Jehovah. All our praise. Jehovah. ♪♪ ♪♪ Come on, give Him praise, church. You're worthy, Lord. This morning, I don't know if you feel it, but I do. This allows me to declare His name over every circumstance, over every situation, no matter how difficult it may feel. God is in this room, and He is powerful to transform it in a second. Let's sing this together. ♪ I just want to speak the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ Over every heart and every mind ♪ ♪ Because I know there is peace within Your presence ♪ ♪ I speak Jesus ♪ ♪ I just want to speak the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ Till every dark addiction starts to break ♪ ♪ Declaring there is hope and there is freedom ♪ ♪ I speak Jesus ♪ Come on, say, Your name is power. Your name is power Your name is healing Your name is life Break every stronghold Break every stronghold Shine through the shadows Burn like a fire

♪ I just want to speak the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ Over fear and all anxiety ♪ ♪ To every soul held captive by depression ♪ ♪ I speak Jesus ♪ ♪ Because Your name is power ♪ ♪ Your name is healing ♪ ♪ Your name is life ♪ Break every stronghold Break every stronghold Shine through the shadows Burn like a fire Your name is power Your name is healing Your name is life Break every stronghold Break every stronghold Shine through the shadows Burn like a fire I'm gonna invite our prayer team to join me down front. And maybe you're here today, and you need the name of Jesus spoken over your circumstance. Maybe you're holding on to something that belongs to Him, that He's told you to surrender. Maybe there's healing that needs to happen in your life. Maybe there's something that is just getting in the way, that there's a stronghold, something that is you just keep hitting wall after wall after wall, and you need to speak the name of Jesus over that circumstance. I'd invite you to come forward. Don't worry about the people next to you.

You can tap on the shoulder. This time is just for you. But we want to stand in the gap with you. There are things that are going on in your world that you are doing with all of your might to make happen, but that's not your responsibility. We believe in the power of the name of Jesus, that the name of Jesus spoke in all things. Every knee must bow at the name of Jesus. Every darkness must flee at the name of Jesus. And so we want to call upon the name of Jesus for you today. Come forward. But maybe you're here today, and there's nothing specific that you need prayer for. The incredible part of this community that God has blessed us with is that we get to lift each other's burdens at the feet of Jesus. We get to carry each other's burdens. So I'm going to pray for a handful of prayer requests, representative of the many. If you're comfortable, would you just extend a hand in agreement, believing that God is with you? that the name of Jesus can show up in these moments. God, we come before you, believing that the name of Jesus is all that we need. Believing that the name of Jesus can make mountains move. Believing that the name of Jesus can bring hope and healing. Believing that the name of Jesus can break chains of addiction in this room right now. So we speak the name of Jesus over our circumstances.

We speak the name of Jesus over our lives, God. We speak the name of Jesus over Maxine, who has some health issues going on, that doctors don't know what to do and don't know the right move. But God, you do. So we speak the name of Jesus over her body right now. Believing the name of Jesus can make blood pressure be normal. Believing the name of Jesus can fix any autoimmune disease. Believing the name of Jesus can show up in her body and restore it to full health, God. You can make dead bones come to life. You can make live bones even stronger. So we believe the name of Jesus over her body right now. We believe the same for Janie, Lord, who's needing some restoration in her body as she's recovering from some hospital stays and some painful illnesses. God, we pray that your hope and comfort would show up in her circumstance. We pray that as you strengthen her body, that you would strengthen her soul, Jesus. We pray that as you strengthen her bones, God, that you would strengthen her heart and her mind, that you would understand that you are with her, that you are strengthening her, God, that you have a purpose for her, that she would see what you're doing in the midst of all this difficulty, God.

We pray the name of Jesus over Lisa, God, who's praying for her aging parents. We pray for their bodies. We pray for their illnesses. We pray what they're going through. We pray that your peace would show up with them. God, we also pray the name of Jesus over Lisa, God, that as she's doing the hard work of caretaking, God, that you would strengthen her heart and mind, God. We pray the name of Jesus over her heart and mind, that she'd be comforted in this season, God, that she'd be strengthened in this season, God, as she is growing weary, that you would surround her with people, that your angels would lift her arms, God, so that she does not grow weary in doing the work of caretaking, God. We pray for the people in this room right now who are being held back by something that is not of this world, but the enemy that is at work. We pray the name of Jesus over that, that no enemy can conquer because of the name of Jesus is in their lives, God. We pray where the illnesses in this room right now, that the things, the cancer that is in this room, God, the depression that is in this room, God, we pray the name of Jesus over all of those things, that every cell of cancer would be removed, God, that every stronghold in the heart and mind

will be removed, God. We pray the name of Jesus that your light would show up in this room, God, that your light would shine, your light, what would shine, your light in the darkness, in the secrets, in the crevices of our hearts and minds, God, and that whatever the enemy lies that have taken root in our hearts, they would be removed in the name of Jesus. We thank you that the name of Jesus restores. We thank you that the name of Jesus brings life. We thank you that the name of Jesus brings comfort. We thank you that the name of Jesus is as good today as it was yesterday and will be good forever. We love and praise you. It's a great name we pray, amen and amen. ♪ Jesus in the stream ♪ ♪ Jesus in the darkness over every enemy ♪ ♪ Jesus for my family I speak the holy name of Jesus ♪ Come on, church, raise your voice and let's shout it out together. Shout Jesus. ♪ Shout Jesus from the mountains ♪ ♪ Jesus in the stream ♪ ♪ Jesus in the darkness over every enemy ♪ ♪ Jesus for my family I speak the holy name of Jesus ♪ ♪ Say your name is power, your name is power ♪ ♪ Your name is healing, your name is life ♪ ♪ Break every stronghold, break every stronghold ♪

♪ Shine through the shadows, shine through the shadows ♪ ♪ Your name is power, your name is power ♪ ♪ Your name is healing, your name is life ♪ ♪ Break every stronghold, shine through the shadows ♪ ♪ Your name is power, your name is power ♪ ♪ I just wanna speak the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ Over every heart and every mind ♪ ♪ Cause I know there is peace within your presence ♪ ♪ I speak Jesus ♪ Father, we have faith that you are powerful enough. You're able Lord to transform our circumstance. No matter how challenging, how difficult it may be, Father God, your word and your power is over this room and us right now. Let's sing it out church. Jesus from the mountains, Jesus in the streets, Jesus in the darkness over every enemy. Jesus for my family, Jesus for my family, I speak the Holy Name. Jesus from the mountains, Jesus in the streets, Jesus in the darkness over every enemy. Jesus for my family, Jesus for my family, I speak the Holy Name. Jesus from the mountains, Jesus in the streets, Jesus in the darkness over every enemy. Jesus for my family, Jesus for my family, I speak the Holy Name. Jesus. Come on give a prayer Church. Thank you Lord. I speak your Holy Name. I speak your Holy Name. There's nothing worth more that could ever come close. Nothing can compare. You are living for me. Your presence is all I need.

I've tasted and seen of the sweetest of loves. Where my heart becomes free and my shame is undone. Your presence is all I need. Holy Spirit you are welcome. Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere. Your glory God is what our hearts long for. To be overcome by your presence Lord. Your presence Lord. Sing Church. There's nothing worth more that could ever come close. Nothing can compare. You are living Lord. Your presence Lord. I've tasted and seen. I've tasted and seen of the sweetest of loves. Where my heart becomes free and my shame is undone. Your presence Lord. Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit you are welcome. Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere. Your glory God is what our hearts long for. To be overcome by your presence Lord. Holy Spirit you are welcome. Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere. Your glory God is what our hearts long for. To be overcome by your presence Lord. ♪ Your presence Lord, your presence Lord ♪ ♪ Come fill our hearts, come fill our hearts ♪ ♪ You're everywhere in presence Lord ♪ ♪ Open this place, open this place ♪

♪ Let us become more aware of your presence Lord ♪ ♪ Let us experience the glory of your goodness ♪ ♪ Let us become more aware of your presence ♪ ♪ Let us experience the glory of your goodness ♪ ♪ Let us become more aware of your presence ♪ ♪ Let us experience the glory of your goodness ♪ ♪ Let us become more aware of your presence ♪ ♪ Let us experience the glory of your goodness ♪ ♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ Come on, sing it out, say Holy Spirit. ♪ Holy Spirit, you are welcome in me ♪ ♪ Come touch this place ♪ Come on, if you desire more of God, just extend your hands and surrender. Say God fill my heart. ♪ Glory, God is what our hearts long for ♪ ♪ To be overcome by your presence in me ♪ Come on, every voice praise, say Holy Spirit. ♪ Holy Spirit, you are welcome in me ♪ ♪ Come touch this place and fill me ever sweetly ♪ ♪ Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for ♪ ♪ To be overcome by your presence, Lord ♪ ♪ Holy Spirit ♪ We're gonna continue to worship by giving, and giving is just another act of worship. It's where we give back to God because of what he's done for us. That's what we do when we worship in song and prayer, reading his word, we do that also in giving. So we encourage you to be a part of that.

If our service guides would come and go ahead and start, we'll be doing that. If you're not ready, that's okay. There's giving boxes on your way out when we're done. And you can also give online, you can give on our app. Just real quick, another thing that we give too is change for a dollar. And change for a dollar, we have a box out in the lobby. It's a clear box in between the two exit doors. And we just encourage people on your way out, just drop your extra change in there, a few quarters. It adds up and it gives us the opportunity to help those who are in need, especially in our familia. During this past week, we've been able to help four families and that's because of your generosity. So thank you. And you know, sometimes people get in a position, we've had some single moms, they just need a little help, just a little bump. And so we've been able to do that. So thank you for that, all right. Let's take a moment, let's pray together. Thank God for that, let's pray. Father, as we come to you, we're so grateful. Grateful that you allow us to make a difference in others' lives. And it's you that does that, Father. You've blessed us so much. Father, thank you for the local church,

the generosity that takes place here. We're just grateful. Father, I pray today as we open your word, as we study it, our hearts and our minds would be open to what you have for us. Lord, your word, it cuts deep and we need that in our lives. And so we open our hearts to that and ask you to speak to us. So be with us as we continue on. We love you, in Jesus' name we pray, amen. All right, you can be seated. Well, welcome. We're glad that you're here with us today. My name is Garland and I'm thankful that you're sharing your beautiful Sunday with us. It's beautiful out. It'll probably change this afternoon, rain a little bit, but that's okay. We can handle that, right? Welcome to a perfect place for imperfect people to experience the presence of God. We're all imperfect and that's why we need Jesus, right? Oh, that was really bad. Some of you really need Jesus today, all right? We're gonna try that again. That's why we need Jesus, right? All right, there you go. Good job, you scared me for a minute. Uh-oh, we're in trouble. We're gonna be here for a long time today.

All right, well, anyway, We started a new series last week, and it's called It's All in the Word. And the series is about what God's word is, what God's word does, and how we're supposed to live in it. And that's very important. So here's a quick recap from what Pastor Eric shared last week. And he shared three main things. God's word replaces my foundation, because he needs to be our foundation. God's word requires my response. We need to respond to it. We're gonna talk about that today a little bit. God's word reveals what I'm built on. It's all in the word. All right, great series we're gonna be doing over the next few weeks, okay? I got a call from my oldest daughter this week, and she shared this. She said, Daddy, and she's like 39, 40, all right? My wife can tell you exactly. I apologize, I'm probably in trouble now, all right? But my oldest daughter called, she said, Daddy, she goes, I parallel parked in one try today. And she said, and I thought, thanks, Dad. I felt real good. And then she said, and then a little while later, when I went back to the hotel we were staying in,

she said, I ran over my foot with a luggage cart, ripped the toenail off my toe, it was bleeding everywhere. And she said, and I thought, thanks, Mom, all right? Now, I might be in trouble for that one too. That's the way it goes. We got a call from our younger daughter around the same time, and she called to inform us about some of the awards our grandsons had gotten this year in school, and they did really good. Our oldest grandson on her side has autism, finished first in his class in a few things, which was amazing. It's a God thing, and we're so proud of him. But she called us to let us know also that they were getting baptized. And we were so excited about that, because both of them have given their life to Christ, and they were getting baptized last weekend, and so we celebrated that. And by the way, we'll be having baptism next week, and if that's a step you need to take, we encourage you to do that. Just take one of those cards, fill it out, or let us know out in the lobby, and we'll give you a call this week and get that all set up, very important. Here's the truth. I taught my daughters to do a few things really well, okay? But my wife taught them to do a lot of things even better. And that's just the truth.

That's the truth, and we're very blessed in that. We need to have the right things in our lives to equip us to have the right foundation. Pastor Eric talked about foundation last week. But that's why my wife and I, or that's what my wife and I have tried to do when we were raising our daughters. We felt it was very important to make sure they had God and his word in their life. This past week, my wife and I got to go to dinner with some dear friends. They were celebrating their 47th anniversary. Pretty amazing, isn't it? And so we were just talking about things, and they shared that it's not always easy, which we understand that. There's twists and turns in every relationship. But they shared you gotta have the right foundation in your lives. And that right foundation in your life and in your marriage is God and his word. And so that's important to understand. I also heard this week about marriage. Marriage is when one person handles the flights, the passports, the hotel bookings, and the other one asks, where are we going again? All right, you can decide who that is in your home, okay? The Bible is not just another book. It's the very breath of God. Every word is profitable.

It equips us for every good work, what we go through in life. 2 Timothy 3.16 says this. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and it teaches us to do what is right. That's God's word, the Bible. That's why it's important. So what it comes down to is this. Write this down, if you will, a little sidebar. God's word is our source of truth. God's word is our source of truth. And we live in a world that's chaotic, it lacks truth. And if we don't have a source of truth in our lives that is our foundation that we stand on, then we're gonna get lost in this world of confusion because it's a mess. But catch this statement, so important. When you read the Bible and understand it is infallible and errant and completely true, it takes all the pressure off of you for trying to know what is right and what is not. Because God's word does that. It tells us what is right, it tells us what is wrong. God's word is our source of truth. And when my default system is me, there's a lot of room for failure there. When I lean on me, which tends to be

just my natural default system, I tend to fail. And that's probably one of my biggest. struggles that I have in life because I like to be in charge, I like to make the decision, I like to handle it, I can take care of this. But I also understand that when I trust my default system, me, when I'm in control, that's when I tend to fail. That's when I tend to mess up. But when my default system is God and His Word, I can find clear direction. Changes everything. God takes care of it instead of me. Well, what we need in our lives is not a moral compass. People talk about that. What we need is God and His Word. That's what gives us direction. God's Word comforts us. It's full of promises. It's full of hope. But it also convicts us of sin. It tells us what's wrong. It cuts through the hard layers, the scar tissue, the noise. It reveals what is really going on in our hearts and in our lives. So let me ask you, how many of you brought your physical Bible today? Would you hold it up if you brought it? All right. Pastor Eric challenged us to bring our Bibles with us during this series, so we encourage you to do that. All right. And the title for the message today is called Deep Cuts. All right. So let's stand together. We're gonna read this passage of Scripture out loud together. All right. So let's stand. And if you would read along with me, I'd appreciate that. Hebrews chapter 4 verse 12. Here it is. For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. All right. Well done. All right. Have a seat. We are talking about those hard layers of life. The hurts, the losses, the failures, the things we walk through, the disappointments, the wrong choices, the despair, the anxiety, all these things that sin brings into our life, and it just eats at us. So I want us to look at three deep cuts today that God's Word uses to bring these things out in the open so that we can find cleansing, so that we can find healing that only God and His Word can provide. So here's the first deep cut. Write this down if you would. The Word is alive and active. God's Word is alive and active. The Word is as alive today as it was when it was first written down. The very same

power that is in the Word is still powerful today. It speaks life and truth into our lives, and it doesn't expire. Notice this verse is written in the present tense. It says this, for the Word of God is living and active. It's present. It's alive. God is alive, and so is His Word. It isn't just alive, but it's also active. We can use it. So what does that mean? Well, the Bible is just not some historic document that we look back on. It's living Word that looks at us. It reveals truth to us. Now, I know that can sound a little churchy, but stay with me because this is wild when you think about it. The words that we're reading today, Hebrews chapter 4, was written 2,000 years ago. 2,000 years. That's amazing, isn't it? And your phone, if it's four years old, is already outdated, right? If you got a laptop and it's eight years old or more, then it barely runs. And if you got a desktop and it's over 10 years old, you need to throw it away, all right? It's done. But God's Word, 2,000 years old, and it's still alive. It's still active. It's still working in our lives today. There's a word in the Greek, and it's called energeis, and it gives us the English word energy. And it's an adjective that simply means active, effective, and powerful. Well, God's Word doesn't just sit there and wait to be studied. It works. It does something every time that it's encountered. Every time we open it, it's active, effective, and powerful. It gives us energy. In Isaiah chapter 55, verse 11, it says this, that's how it is with my words. They don't return to me without doing everything I send them to do. It's never returning void because it's active and alive. That means every time you open the Word, something is happening, even if you don't feel it. Even when it feels dry, even when you read a passage and you think, I don't even know what that means. Well, His Word is still active. First Thessalonians 2.13 said this, therefore, we never stop thanking God that when you received His message from us, you didn't think of our words as mere human ideas, you accepted what we said as the very Word of God. which of course it is. And the Word continues to work in you who believe. It continues to work. We believe that the entire Bible, the Old Testament, the New Testament, that it's alive and it's active. Here's another little sidebar,

write this down if you would. God's Word is a source of power. It's a source of truth, but it's also a source of power. All the words in Scripture, all the written words are the true revelation of God. God's Word, the Bible, is therefore inerrant. It's the final authority and all matters, everything. It's alive and active. It's the supreme source of truth and the supreme source of power for everything that we face in our lives. God's Word is so powerful that when Jesus was tempted by Satan in Matthew chapter 4, you know what he did to fight Satan? He quoted Scripture. He quoted the Bible and Satan took off every time. He couldn't stand up to the power of God's Word. There's strength and power in his Word. So here's the challenge I want to put in front of you. Don't just read the Bible, but read it to be found by it. Let it speak to you. Let it open your heart. Come with an open heart. Come with an open head and let God speak to you. Let him lead you and guide you. Pray this prayer when you open God's Word. Say, God, I don't just want information, I want transformation. Change me. God's Word is alive and active. Then here's the second thing. I encourage you to write this down in your notes. The Word pierces my heart. The Word pierces my heart. Now this is where it can get a little uncomfortable, and we're not going to apologize for this because the text we're reading today doesn't apologize, okay? God's Word goes deeper than surface issues. It pierces the heart and it exposes what we try to hide. Here's what it says in the verse. Sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow. A two-edged sword is a double-edged sword that is sharpened on both of those sides. It's sharp on both sides. It's not just one side but both. It allows a warrior to strike and slice on both a forward and a reverse stroke. It gives an advantage in warfare to the warrior who uses it. No matter what side you attack from, it will cut your opponent deeply whenever you strike them. In the Word, the two-edged sword represents the Word of God. It represents how God's Word penetrates the heart of believers. It goes deep. So look at how the message translates this verse in Hebrews chapter 4. Let me read it to you. It says this, God means what he says what he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon's scapel, cutting

through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and to obey. The Word of God gets to places that no therapist can reach, that no friend can access, no self-help book can find. I believe therapy is important. I recommend therapy, but therapy helps you process what you can articulate. The Word gets to what you haven't even been able to name yet. It goes deep. Here's what I mean by that. Have you ever been reading a verse in the Bible and just felt something shift in your head or maybe in your heart? It's not just understanding, but something goes deeper than that, and it moves you. Maybe you've been in a church service or sitting with your Bible, and suddenly your heart just is moved, and maybe you even get emotional. Maybe you cry. You weren't even sure why that happened, but it's something moving. It's not just emotion. That's God's Word doing surgery. This is God moving your heart, and it's a good thing. Most of us, we've kind of learned to wear a false mask in life, right? We keep the surface looking fine while inside there's a mess. There's the things we're hiding. We perform okay at work. We show up at church. We post the right things on social media, but underneath all of that, underneath the presentation, there's a hurt that we haven't dealt with yet. There's pride that we haven't surrendered, patterns that we keep justifying. God loves us too much to leave us there. That's a good thing. So he gave us the Word, the Word that pierces, the Word that cuts deep, not to wound you, but to heal you. That's the difference, and there is a difference. One is an attack. The other is based on God's love. A surgeon pierces your body not to hurt you, but to remove what's hurtful. hurting and even killing you. The Word does the same thing. It goes past the performance, past the justifications, past that mask we wear, and it touches the things that are wrong in our life. The invitation in this point right now isn't to be afraid of the Word, the invitation is to stop running from it.

Stop skipping the chapters that make you uncomfortable. Stop reading around the verses that you know apply to you or bring that issue in your heart out. Stop treating conviction like an attack and start treating it like a gift. The Word pierces because love goes deep. And catch this, it doesn't just do surgery, but it's also preventative. Listen to what David said in Psalms 119. He said, I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. David said, I am putting something preventative in my life to keep sin out of the way, and it's God's Word. The Word is sharp, it's precise, it doesn't miss. It's direct and it's targeted to cut through and expose the thoughts, the attitudes, the doubts that we carry, the hidden sins that we can discern, so we can discern right from wrong. It helps us to cleanse our hearts. The Word pierces our heart. Then here's our third point. The Word discerns my motives. The Word discerns my motives. Nothing is hidden from its light. It reveals the why behind our actions. Here's what it says in the verse. It says, discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Now, some of us may say, well, Garland, my intentions are good.

I believe you. I think most of the time our intentions are good. But our thoughts and intentions can be good and still wrong, right? All right, let me give you an example. Let's just say that you see someone coming across the road. There's a car coming and they're gonna get hit. And so you run and you push them out of the way of a speeding car, but you push them in a way of a speeding bus and they get hit. Well, the intentions were good, but you failed, right? And let's just say maybe when you push them out of the way of the car, you get hit by the car while you push them in front of the bus that they get hit by. Your intentions were good, but it's a double failure at this point. Probably doesn't feel good, right? That's a simple example, but there's so much truth. Sometimes our intentions are good, but a lot of time they're not. Most of the time, there's more sin in our thoughts than in our actions. Did you ever think about that? We don't always act out on what we think, but a lot of times we think pretty rough stuff. In my actions, I wanna run people off, in my thoughts, I wanna run people off the road. Maybe a couple of times, all right, don't tell me. But in my thoughts, I wanna run them off the road.

In my actions, I just smile and wave and keep going. But our thoughts can get us in trouble. Most of us have done that and we do that. The Word discerns not just our actions, but also our thoughts and also our intentions. Not just what you did, but also why you did it. And the Word of the God, it's the only mirror that shows you what your thoughts and your motives are. We're really good at deceiving ourselves, right? We say we're being honest when we're really being harsh and we call it just being real. We say we're being generous when we really want all the credit and we just call that serving. We say we're protecting ourselves when really, we're just being afraid of being hurt again. We call that having boundaries. Our motives are messy. And the problem is, we often can't see our own mess. Jeroboam 79 says the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick. Who can understand it? The heart is deceitful. Not sometimes, above all things. It's consistently creatively deceitful. And you can't audit your own motives with the same heart that has mixed motives. You need an outside source. That outside source is God's word. It's his word. It's the outside source that can tell you

the truth about you. That's why it needs to be our default system instead of us. Here's another practical example. Have you ever done something kind for someone and then you got annoyed when they didn't say thank you? I have, you know? Of course. That annoyed feeling is information. The word is discerning something right there. What was the real intention? Was it for them or was it for you? What's the intention? Maybe you've given advice to someone and you framed it as I'm just. trying to help, but the truth is, you want them to do it your way, you want to be in control. Well, the word discerns that, not to condemn you, but to clarify you. Here's what I really believe. God is not trying to expose you to shame you, God is trying to expose you to free you, to give you freedom. Hidden motives are like a splinter or a thorn that gets in your foot and it doesn't come out and it just becomes sensitive, it hurts, it gets infected. And then you change the way you walk because of that simple little thing that's down below the surface. When the word brings it to light, when you read something,

and you feel that clarifying conviction, that's God saying, I see it, I'm not gonna walk away, I'm here to help you, and I want to remove this so that you can be free. David said this in Psalms 139, he said, search me, O God, and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you and lead me along the path of everlasting light. That's the posture, that's the prayer that we want to have. Not God confirmed that I'm right, but God show me where I'm wrong because I trust you. I trust that you want to reveal what you can heal. You see the word? It discerns our motives. And you can either resent that or you can surrender to it. But I promise you this, the people who surrender to it, they walk with freedom. Freedom that people who avoid it never find. Well, deep cuts is the title of our message today because that's what God's word does. It goes deep, it cuts. It's alive and active, it doesn't expire, it doesn't run out of power, it doesn't stop working. It pierces the heart, it gets to places that we've tried to wall off from God and from ourselves. It discerns our motives, it tells us the truth about the why behind the what. And all of that is only scary if you're trying to hide from it.

I went to see my orthopedic surgeon this week for a follow up on my shoulder replacements. Everything's great, thank God. He did both of my shoulders just a few months apart and I had great results. I'd go back to him without reservation. Why? Because I trust him. I mean, he's been amazing through this whole process. We've even become friends. But here's the thing about surgery. You only fear it if you don't trust the surgeon. But if you know the surgeon, and if you know the surgeon has a good reputation, his hands are good, if you know that he cares about you, that he loves you, then you surrender to the procedure because you trust the outcome. Well, God's word is in the hands of a surgeon who loves you, cares about you. He loved you so much that he let his son Jesus die for your sins, die for the wrongs that we find. Every cut is precise, every incision is purposeful, but he doesn't wound you and walk away. He opens the wound and he heals it. He removes the infection. And if you've never handed your life over to the surgeon, if you're sitting here right now and your heart's been exposed a little today, and you know that something needs to change, then today's the time to do it.

It's time to trust Jesus. So I'm gonna ask you if you would to bow your head and close your eyes for a moment. And if you're here today and you just wanna say Jesus, if you wanna start living in the light instead of hiding in the dark, would you just raise your hand up right now so I can pray in agreement with you? That's awesome. That's great. You can put your hands down, thank you. And church, we're gonna say a prayer together. And for those of you that raised your hand, I encourage you to pray this and give your life to Jesus today. So I want you to repeat after me. And church, we're all gonna pray this together so no one feels alone in this. Let's pray together, okay? Just repeat after me. Jesus, I come to you as I am. I believe you died for me and rose again. Search my heart, heal what you find. Forgive me, lead me, and change me. I give my life to you today in Jesus' name, amen. All right, can we celebrate those that prayed that prayer today? Thank you. Here's the miracle that just happened. You're not the same person you were five minutes ago.

You're part of the family of God. And if you've given your life to Christ- Then we celebrate that. I wanna encourage you to do this. Take the next step. Next week we'll be having baptism. Carson will share more about that at the end and how you can let us know you wanna take that step. But that's your next step of obedience. So we encourage you to sign up for that. And then also next week is a very important day. It's Father's Day, all right? So invite the dads. Get the people in this room that need to be here next week so they can hear a life-changing message like we've heard today. Well, anytime we read and study and apply God's word, it has a penetrating and cleansing effect on us in our hearts. Chuck Swindoll said this. He said, what air is to the lungs, what nutrition is to our bodies, the truth of the scriptures is to life. It changes us. The word is alive and active. The word pierces our hearts. The word discerns our motives. Let's pray together. Fathers, we come to you. Thank you for your word.

Thank you for the gift that you've given us in your word. Father, that we can read it, that we can let it pierce our hearts to show us what needs to change. And Lord, that's why we need you. We're imperfect, but you're the opposite of that. And you bring hope and you bring healing. And so Father, we rejoice in that. We say thank you. Father, thank you for those that prayed to receive you today. I pray, Father, that you'd just be with them and they'll walk with you, that they'll continue to move forward and take the steps you want them to take. Help us all to do that. But we're grateful that you've given us something to help us in this life. And it's your word. So we say thank you. Thank you for our time today. We love you. We praise you. In Jesus' name, amen. Let's stand and we're gonna continue to worship. Thank you. Father, we're grateful for your presence, for the Holy Spirit that does the work in our lives. Father, we know the work that you started, you will complete it.

So we just surrender our lives to you, Father. We open our hearts to you. ♪ I'm caught up in your presence ♪ ♪ I'm caught up in your presence ♪ ♪ I just want to sit here at your feet ♪ ♪ I'm caught up in this holy moment ♪ ♪ I never wanna leave you ♪ ♪ Oh, I'm not here for blessings ♪ ♪ Jesus, you don't owe me anything ♪ ♪ More than anything that you can do ♪ ♪ I would just want you ♪ ♪ I'm sorry when I've just gone through the motions ♪ ♪ I'm sorry when I just sang another song ♪ ♪ Take me back to where we started ♪ ♪ I open up my heart to you ♪ ♪ To you ♪ ♪ And I'm sorry when I've come with my agenda ♪ ♪ I'm sorry when I forgot that you're enough ♪ ♪ Take me back to where we started ♪ ♪ I open up my heart to you ♪ ♪ Caught up in your presence ♪ ♪ I just want to sit here at your feet ♪ ♪ Caught up in this holy moment ♪ ♪ I never want to leave you ♪ ♪ Oh, I'm not here for blessings ♪ ♪ Jesus, you don't owe me anything ♪ ♪ More than anything that you can do ♪ I just want you, I just want you Nothing else, nothing else, nothing else will do I just want you, nothing else, nothing else, nothing else will do

I just want you, nothing else, nothing else, nothing else will do I just want you, nothing else, nothing else, nothing else will do I just want you, nothing else, nothing else, nothing else will do I just want you, nothing else, nothing else will do I just want you, nothing else, nothing else, nothing else will do I just want you, nothing else, nothing else, nothing else will do I just want you