Aug. 03, 2025

Pastor Dave's sermon begins at 32:07 min into the video. The music "Enough", "Shout to the Lord", "Goodness of God", "Give Me Jesus", and "Lamb of God" are licensed under CCLI Copyright #2723035 and Streaming Media #22024223 licenses.

The Enduring, Powerful Word of the Lord - When God's Word Becomes Your Life Source

Have you ever wondered why some people seem to have an unshakeable foundation in life while others drift from one crisis to another? The answer lies in discovering God's Word not just as information, but as the very source of transformation that changes everything about how you live, love, and grow. This isn't just about reading your Bible more—it's about allowing God's eternal, powerful Word to become the incorruptible seed that produces lasting change in your heart and daily choices.  That is, God's Word isn't just another book on your shelf or app on your phone. It's the living, breathing foundation that can revolutionize your relationships, your decision-making, your response to challenges, and your understanding of who you are. When you truly grasp that God's Word is enduring, powerful, and absolutely necessary for your spiritual health, everything changes. You stop treating it as optional weekend reading and start recognizing it as the daily nourishment your soul desperately needs.

Pastor Dave’s Key Teachings:

1. God's Word Is Your Eternal Foundation Unlike everything else in this world that fades, breaks down, or becomes outdated, God's Word stands forever. Pastor Dave explains that the Greek word "Rhema" means "a statement, a fact, a message, or a commandment"—this is God's spoken word that continues working in your life long after you first hear it. Think about the difference between your words and God's words: "Our words sometimes fall on flat ears or deaf ears, and sometimes they're just meant to guide for a moment. But God's word is enduring. It is permanent." When you build your life on God's unchanging Word, you're building on bedrock that will never shift, even when everything around you is shaking. This means you can make decisions with confidence, knowing that God's principles haven't changed since He first spoke them.
2. Your Salvation Has an Incorruptible Source Here's life-changing news: if you've been born again, your salvation came from an "incorruptible seed"—God's Word itself. Pastor Dave walks us through this powerful truth: "If the seed of our salvation is the word of God... If that seed is incorruptible, then if the source of my life and the source of my salvation is incorruptible. Therefore, we can take it to its next step and say that my salvation is also abiding and enduring and incorruptible." This isn't just theological theory—it transforms how you face doubt, failure, and fear. When you mess up, when you feel distant from God, when life gets overwhelming, you can remember that your salvation rests on something that cannot be corrupted, cannot fail, and will never pass away.
3. God's Word Accomplishes What Human Words Cannot Every parent knows the frustration of words that seem to bounce off their teenager's ears. Every spouse has experienced the limitations of human communication. But God's Word is different—it always accomplishes its purpose. Pastor Dave reminds us that God's Word "is so powerful that God, just in His breath, said, Let there be light. And there was light, and there still is light. Right? He didn't have to command the light to shine every morning... When He says it, it continues until He says stop." This means when you pray God's promises over your situation, when you speak His truth into your struggles, when you declare His Word over your family—something real happens. His Word penetrates "deeply into the core of our being" and transforms us from the inside out.
4. Your Spiritual Growth Requires Daily Nourishment Just as a baby doesn't survive without regular milk, your spiritual life cannot thrive without consistent intake of God's Word. Pastor Dave uses this vivid comparison: "We need God's word as much as a little baby needs nourishment. As much as a little baby needs the mother's milk." A baby doesn't need to be convinced to cry when hungry—the need is obvious and urgent. The question Pastor Dave poses hits home: "I get concerned sometimes about my own life. Sometimes my appetite is not as strong as others for God's word. Is it true of you too?" When you regularly feed on God's Word, three things happen: you see God's goodness more clearly (even in difficult times), you become aware of areas needing change in your heart, and you actually grow in spiritual maturity instead of remaining stuck in immature patterns.

Scriptural Foundation:

• 1 Peter 1:22–2:3 - The primary text showing how our new birth through God's incorruptible Word transforms daily living. Because we're born again through His eternal Word, we should crave it like babies crave milk, laying aside negativity and pursuing spiritual nourishment for growth.
• 2 Timothy 3:16 - Establishes that all Scripture is "breathed out by God" and practical for teaching, correction, and righteous living. God's Word provides everything we need to handle life's challenges—it's not just inspirational, but completely applicable to daily life.
• Hebrews 4:12 - Reveals God's Word as "living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword." Unlike mere information, it actively works in our hearts, exposing our true thoughts and motivations while creating real transformation from within.
• Psalm 34 - Written by David while fleeing for his life, this psalm declares God's goodness in desperate circumstances. It demonstrates that regular time in God's Word helps us recognize His faithfulness even during our darkest seasons.

Your Journey Forward:

• Start with Honest Self-Assessment: Ask yourself Pastor Dave's penetrating question: "When was the last time you were reading something in scripture or heard somebody give a teaching, and you went ouch?" If it's been a while since God's Word challenged or convicted you, it might be time to approach it with fresh hunger.
• Develop Daily Appetite: Pastor Dave suggests, "If your appetite for God's Word is waning, would you just whisper a prayer that God would give you a desire for His Word? Lord, give me a hunger, a desire." Don't wait for the feeling—start with the prayer, then "expose yourself to God's Word. Read or listen to the word."
• Apply the Two Weekly Questions: Make these questions part of your regular routine: "What is God saying to me through His Word and by His Spirit today? And how am I going to respond?" Don't just read for information—read for transformation and specific action steps.
• Look for the Three Benefits: As you spend time in God's Word, actively watch for these three results: seeing God's goodness more clearly (especially during hard times), recognizing areas where you need to grow, and actually experiencing spiritual maturity in your thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors.
• Make It as Regular as Eating: Just as you don't debate whether to eat each day, make God's Word a non-negotiable part of your daily routine. Pastor Dave reminds us there's "no reason to have deficiency of spiritual nourishment. God's Word is available to us."

Closing Prayer and Reflection:

"Lord, again, You see every heart. You know every thought. And You hear the whispers on our lips today as we respond to You. I pray, Lord, that You would give us a healthy appetite for Your word, that we would have a longing to know Your word. That we would yield to Your word, we would open our lives, we would expose our lives to Your word. Lord, we would be healthy and mature believers. That You would be glorified in how we live our lives. Lord, we would come into the fullness of the wonderful salvation that You've given us. That we'd be reminded constantly of Your goodness, and Your kindness, and Your grace. We ask it in Your name, Jesus. Amen."

The most beautiful truth from this message is that God's Word isn't just something you read—it's something that reads you, changes you, and becomes the very foundation of who you are. As Pastor Dave repeatedly emphasized, God is "more awesome than we know," and His Word reveals new depths of that awesomeness every time we open our hearts to receive it. The question isn't whether God's Word has power—the question is whether you'll position yourself to experience that power in your daily life. Today is the perfect day to begin treating God's Word not as information to collect, but as the life-giving nourishment your soul has been craving.