Today, we’re going to continue talking about the most famous book in the history of the world, the Bible, in our message series called The Book of Life. Let’s look at a few more statistics about the Bible from the American Bible Society’s 2012 survey. Generational patterns are seen where younger adults are less likely to perceive the Bible as relevant and useful. 62% of adults over 66 believe the Bible contains everything a person needs to live a meaningful life. The percentage drops to 54% for those ages 47-65, 44% for those ages 28-46 and only 34% for those 18-27. George Barna reports that only one-half of one percent of college-age adults have a biblical worldview, which is understanding the basic truths of the Bible. We need to reach out to the youth and young adults of today with the truth of God’s Word.
Those that read and understand God’s Word are blessed, those who don’t are cursed, it’s that simple. Obedience to God’s Word brings life, disobedience brings death.
Deuteronomy 30:19 (NIV) This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.
The Bible is the book of life for those who follow it with God’s help.
Today, my message is entitled “Applying the Word.” I want you to understand clearly how you can be blessed by applying God’s Word to your life.
James 1:21-22 (NIV) Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
When you accept the truth of God’s Word, it will save you and bring eternal life. However, just listening to or reading the Word does not result in blessing. It’s only when we apply God’s Word to our lives, when we do what it says, that we reap the benefits. That’s what we’re going to talk about today. Let’s read together a parable that Jesus taught often called the parable of the sower.
Matthew 13:3-9 (NIV) Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop–a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear.”
In this parable, the seed represents God’s Word and the different soils represent four different kinds of hearts and four different results. The first three kinds of soils resulted in the death of the seed, a curse, but the last soil resulted in a blessing, an abundant crop. God wants your heart to be good soil, so let’s look more closely at Jesus’ teaching.