Hebrews 4:12+13
	For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight, but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
	Over the past months, we have been considering the manner in which God is dealing with us in Christ. We have seen that there are two humanities. The one is in Christ, approved and righteous in Christ through the cross. The other humanity is of Adam, set in self and having no place in the presence and relationship of God.
	I will be the first to admit before you, that I in no wise can claim any expertise on this subject, except that little bit which God is working into my life. Again, I lay no claim to greater knowledge, neither deeper insight than any of those seated in this room, this evening, only that which we are growing into together as Christ makes known His Way, His Truth, His Life into each one of us, as we lay ourselves before Him.
	What have we to do before God? What is the meaning of our lives in this world as Christians, as the witnesses of Christ? In studying the Book of Acts, we see the power of God manifested in bringing the timid disciples into a place where their lives counted for something. Each one of us in this room are here because the early church was open to the ministry of the Holy Spirit in bringing forth the living witness of Christ in boldness and in confidence. As they learned to trust God, rather than themselves, they lost their earthly fear and began to vibrantly proclaim Jesus Christ crucified, risen and glorified. The self preservation that characterized even Peter in denying Christ was completely shattered as they became the willing instruments through whom the Holy Spirit had free access to express the Living Word of Christ. Their ministry so affected the world of which they were a part, that it was turned upside down, quite literally in its focus on the very purpose of life. To that point, the emphasis was on what God was going to do for man, according to the teachings of the Jews, and according to the teaching of the Gentiles, who wonered why the Jews were still being so protected by their Jaweh? The Gentiles were fully aware that there was something interesting about the Jews and the way that they lived, but it was still in terms of human efforts and human desires and human endeavors. The Children of Israel talked a good game, and had plenty of unique traditions, but their hearts were open to the many earthly desires and pleasures as were available in the world.
	Their history was filled with accommodation to the rest of the world orders that they encountered. They lived with, and even worshipped the idols of the neighboring realms. They allowed themselves to be attracted to the perceived values and achievements of the world, often forsaking their God. All the good of the world, as well as the evil was allowed to infiltrate and to compromise what should have been a true testimony of the One, True, and Living God.
	The early church, springing forth from this faithless heritage, was often prone to dragging this same effort of self-service into what was seen as God's service. They didn't rely upon God, they relied upon their knowledge and their efforts and their manners of self-preservation.
	All of that came to an abrupt end when they were huddled together, fearfully in the upper room, trying to decide what to do. Their teacher, the One who had gathered them together was gone. Yes, He had been crucified, and true, He had been resurrected, but they were now without a clue of what to do? They were in deepest doubt as to what was going to happen to them.
	This is where I can truly identify with those scared fore-fathers, holed up in that room, praying with all earnestness for some direction, some guidance, some manner of reassurance that God was in charge. They could not understand what was going on. Why had Jesus, their friend and master left them to fend for themselves? Why were they put into such an awkward and precarious position to have to hide for their very lives? The world was out to get them, why couldn't they have gone with Christ and be out of this realm?
	I do not claim to be privy to the minds of these believers, just within the mind that I have put forth to God all too often, when the focus is upon us, when we are concerned about how we fit in, how we are supposed to function, how we are supposed to survive in this realm? Well, in some sense, we have all received the answer to these questions. Rather, we have been given the same guidance that the early church received, the guidance of the Holy Spirit into Christ.
	You see, the early church cowered in fear and trepidation until the Holy Spirit descended upon them, and opened up the Word of God into their hearts. That Word was Christ. The Holy Spirit brought to life the words which Christ had spoken into their hearts. The Holy Spirit made them a completely new humanity in Christ. He took them out of the realm of learning with their ears and with their experiential knowledge of Christ, and utterly created, as only God can do, that new humanity with spiritual faculties to know Christ, to live forth from Christ, to be part of Christ, as His Body. It was the transformation from one realm to the other that made the difference in the early believers. It was this complete ending of the focus of what God could do for them, that is part of the old humanity, and rather, what they could be that would be pleasing to God which is the focus of the new humanity.
	This earth, in all its wickedness and deceit, has no problem seeking after a god that will help to make life easier, more fruitful, more enjoyable. This world order strives to promote itself, and will use any means to attain that end, even to the point of calling upon God, but in calling upon Him on earthy terms, with earthly means and for earthly purposes. There are so many "Christians" in the loosest sense of the term, who feel themselves better off because they acknowledge a God that will promote them above all others, the god of their creation and to their service.
	That was the way of the early believers in following Christ. They were out for what they could get from Him. They followed in order that theirs would be the position, the power, and the rank within the earthly system that they hoped He would be setting up. They had nothing to lose in following Christ. They were poor. They were ignorant. They were at the bottom of the social, political, and economic levels of society. This man of Galilee offered them a chance to become somebody. He offered them an opportunity to make it, to be important, to have power and wealth and to receive the glory of the people of this realm. In their self-serving old humanity, they followed Christ for what they could get.
	What they got was crucifixion and the utter devastation of all that they hoped for and believed in. They were completely destroyed! Their master had left them, their friends and families were mocking them. They had no means of visible support. They were shunned in the community. All they had was each other, a poor, wretched miserable lot of humanity, gathered together in prayers of self-seeking and self-pity, holed up in that upper room. It was the old humanity in full bloom, as weeds blossom and spread their vile seeds forth to destruction.
	That old humanity came to an abrupt and merciful end, however, when the Holy Spirit entered into their beings. No longer could they wallow in self-pity, and hide away in the midst of this realm. No longer could they seek solace and safety for themselves. They now were fully incorporated into Christ, and their new hearts burned with the desire to serve Him and Him only. They were filled to overflowing with the need to speak forth that which He had taught them and which they could now understand, not in their minds, not in their imaginations, but in the new heart that was theirs in Christ. They were now, transformed into that new humanity, with all its spiritual faculties to understand spiritual truths. The Holy Spirit brought to remembrance the parables and the teachings of Christ, which had formerly puzzled them, and made them to understand the intricate workings of God. Their lives were completely changed from what they were seeking, to what God was seeking. No longer were they interested in what they could get, but rather what they could give. No longer was life, for them, a matter of earthly principles and earthly ways, but now, their life was Christ, in complete and utter service to Him. As He lead, they followed. As He taught, so they taught. As He had so pleased the Father, so they pleased the Father, and worshipped and obeyed and fellowshipped with one another in Him.
	In Matthew Chapter 15, there is a record of an incident involving Peter and the Lord which brings forth a parallel of what is part of this truth. When Peter ventured forth, unto Christ, upon the waters, he had no problem, as long as he was focused upon Christ. But, when the wind started to pick up and when the waves began to rise and buffet him, he became fearful for his own sake, and began to sink. His focus became centered upon himself, rather than upon Christ, and he began to experience this world's sense of panic and frustration and fear. He was attempting to bridge the gap between man and God through his effort and through his belief on himself, and that will never succeed.
	Peter tried to reach and to follow Christ in terms of the old humanity. He tried to mix the two together, and that can never be! We are either one or the other! God will not accept us on the basis of our earthly success, endeavors, or efforts. He will not accept us on the basis of how efficiently we have developed our businesses or our contacts or developed anything on our own. Neither will the world accept us on the basis of our development into Christ. It will shun our every aspect as perverse or out-of-touch or not being in the best interest of the self-esteem that this world so values. 
	You see, as born-from-above believers, we have no value in the eyes of this realm, but are of greatest value in the heart of God. The old humanity, in its self-seeking, self-preservation mode of thinking and behavior will have nothing to do with anything that promotes God above all else. It is foolishness and stupidity to rely upon God when we are gods unto ourselves, according to this world order. Know yourself, and seek after yourself, we are constantly told. Promote all that is good within you, and you will be somebody. But, if you seek after God, you are a nobody, you are worthless, you are of no value to us or to yourself.
	Well, the honest fact is that we are of no value to anyone except God. We were created for Him and unto Him. In the new humanity of Christ, all the plan and purpose of God has come into fruition. In this new humanity, the design of God is brought unto completion, perfection as the Apostle Paul writes in Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.
	God's every intent in creation, in this entire, endless universe is summed up in the humanity of Jesus Christ, and we are part of that humanity. The focus is not on us, it is on Christ. The plan and purpose is not ours, it is in Him, but we are called to be partakers of that plan. We are made a vital aspect of the fulfillment of God in Christ, and in so being, find our new hearts, our new being firmly focused and reliant and utterly dependent upon Him to be our everything.
	That is the purpose of the verse before us this evening, in Hebrews. It is the matter of how God used and uses His Word, His Son, by the Holy Spirit to set aside that old humanity in its complete utterness to self, and rather create that new humanity in Christ. This is a process of regeneration which develops in our beings as the Word is effectively used by the Holy Spirit to cut asunder the remnants of that old nature from our beings. Please note, that there is no area that is left untouched by the Holy Spirit as He effectively works to separate the old from the new. The scripture states that He divides asunder soul and spirit. Everything that is of this realm, all that self-serving refuse has to go. We have no manner of carrying our soulical feelings and emotions and desires into the realm of Christ. Our beings are to be, and need to be, utterly focused on Him and our very nature is now His. We cannot set aside what He wants, for what we want. We cannot choose to seek after our feelings, rather than His way of life. To do so, is to mock the effective working of God to such an extent, that our very being will be pierced to the quick. There is no more miserable being in all of creation than one who tries to live a spiritual life with soulical methodology. It just does not work and never can work. We have all been there. What horror, to try to live unto God and unto ourselves. When we know what would please God, and yet seek to please ourselves; when we know that we should forgive, and yet refuse on the principle that we have been too much hurt to forgive; when we know that we should enter into worship, and yet try to drag all the earthly cares and concerns into worship with us; when we know we ought to love, and that God so loves, yet we utterly refuse because of the hatred that infests and corrupts our very essence; what manner of miserable creatures we become, when we try to live the spiritual life without obeying the Word and the Spirit of God! 
	We cannot have it both ways. We cannot have Christ and the world. We are either in Him or we have no part of Him. It is that simple. Once we have received Christ as our Savior, our salvation is assured. But what of His Lordship, of our union in Him, of our being incorporated in the plan and purpose of God to the utter fulfillment of God's delight? It should be our utmost desire to please God in everything that we do, so why is it that we so often choose rather to please ourselves at God's expense, and what an expense?
	In counseling, and in our own beings, too often we are faced with the statement that I know what God wants me to do, but I am not yet ready to do it. I still want to try it my way, even though I know that it is wrong and displeasing to God and will only get me into trouble. I am not yet ready for God's way! 
	How pathetic, to think that we have to be brought to utter devastation day in and day out. To know that, as humans, we are so dumb as to have to repeat the same mistakes over and over again. The stupidity of knowing what is of value, and what is worthless and harmful, and still choosing to travel the road of destruction, simply for the sake of saying that we "did it our way." Why God, why did you have such love for this stubborn, self-centered, corruptible, inane creation, to so love me as to work by your Word, through the Holy Spirit to separate soul and spirit. And now I am talking about only myself. Multiply that times the number of people in this room and those not in this room, and the love of God becomes so much more immense and immeasurable. And the need for Him to work is so unending, and yet He loves us beyond our very limited comprehension, and He loves us into Christ. He loves us to such an end as to desire the very best for each and every one of us, and His best is Christ! No venue of self will spoil the relationship that He has designed for us in Christ. No aspect of unforgiveness, self-pity, nor any other residue of that old humanity will be able to soil the joy of God's pleasure in this new humanity. It will all be effectively removed by the working of His Word. Notice, not just soul from spirit, but bone from marrow. He will have His way, even to the very depths of our beings. One can get no deeper in the life substance of this creation, than into the very marrow of our bones, and that is where God will most effectively and consistently work to His end and to His purpose in ridding the new humanity of all traces of that old humanity. Not even the marrow of our existence will be spared from the effectual ministry of the Holy Spirit. Our words, our thoughts, our deeds are but manifestations of our essence, and it is the essence of our being that He will cleanse with the very blood of Christ.
	He will have His bride, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, and it will be a bride that manifests the very heart of Christ in this realm. Never a part of this realm, but fully in this world for the purpose of bringing glory and pleasure to the heart of God. Let us pray, as did the early church, that God will be pleased to work His plan and purpose into us. That we no longer will hide ourselves away in the upper room, locked away in our fear and trembling and lack of direction and courage. But rather, pray in one accord that all the filth and the residue of that old humanity would be utterly cleansed, scoured, cut away and separated from us, soul and spirit, bone and marrow for His purposes alone to be accomplished, and for His delight and for His glory and for His joy to be accomplished, no matter what the cost, no matter what the means, no matter what the earthly result!
	For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight, but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.