Our Wonderful Word of God
Matthew 22:29
"Century follows century -- there it stands.
Empires rise and fall and are forgotten -- there it stands.
Dynasty succeeds dynasty -- there it stands.
Kings are crowned and uncrowned -- there it stands.
Emperors have decreed its extermination -- there it stands.
Atheist have fought it -- there it stands.
Unbelief abandons it -- there it stands.
Higher critics deny its inspiration -- there it stands.
The tooth of time gnaws at it -- there it stands.
Liberalism tries to explain it away -- there it stands.
Christians even neglect it -- there it stands.
66 books written by 40 authors over a period of 1600 years, and today, it is unchanged
-- it is powerful -- it is the most remarkable Book -- there it stands."
-- Copied
" This precious book I'd rather own
Than all the golden gems
That e'er in monarch's coffers shone,
Or on their diadems.
And were the seas one crysolite
This earth, a golden ball.
And gems were all the stars of night,
This Book were worth them all."
Does it really matter whether you and I read our Bibles?
Oh, yes, it really matters!
It really matters because the Bible gives the revelation of God and gives God's purposes for man.
You cannot find that anywhere else!
When you leave out the Bible, you leave out the revelation of God.
Some have said: " Well I can find God in creation -- I can look at the mountains and find God,
and see what God has created."
And that is probably true, but you would still have no idea what God is like.
Creation certainly reveals that God exists, and that He is all-powerful.
But what is He like?
What sort of God is He?
For those answers, we must turn to the Word of God.
God has communicated to us through that Word, and it is there that He reveals both Himself
and His purposes.
Have you ever asked anyone who knows nothing about the Bible if they believe in God.
Most would say that they do.
What kind of God do they believe in?
How do they know what kind of God He is?
When God's Word is not read, a person has absolutely no revelation concerning the character,
the heart, the love, the grace, and the compassion of God.
Isn't it wonderful that God should reveal Himself to us in His Word?
It really matters that we read the Bible because the Bible gives us answers
for the conditions of our day.
Writing to his young son in the faith, the Apostle Paul gave this warning:
" Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith,
giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of demons; speaking lies in hypocrisy ..."
(1 Timothy 4:1-2)
Paul is telling Timothy that the last days will bring a great apostasy, and that many will turn away
from the Word of God.
The words of Paul have certainly come true in this generation.
All across this country we can see the breakdown of moral foundations.
Why has this happened? What is the reason for it?
It is because we have ruled out the Word of God.
And when we rule out the Scriptures, we rule in lawlessness.
In the early days of our country's history, the towns and villages and communities were filled
with God-fearing, Bible-loving people.
The Word of God had a prominent role in shaping the history of America.
Patrick Henry said: " The Bible is worth (more than) all other books which have ever been printed."
George Washington stated that " It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible."
Abraham Lincoln believed that " The Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man.
All the good from the Saviour of the world is communicated to us through this Book."
Daniel Webster said: " If there is anything in my thoughts or style to commend,
the credit is due to my parents for instilling in me and early love of the Scriptures.
If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper;
but if we and our posterity neglect its instructions and authority, no man can tell how sudden
a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity."
And this has happened, and is happening!
The Bible has been watered down in the churches, and neglected in the homes
and in the hearts of even those who call themselves, Christians.
As a result, we are witnessing a breakup of the very foundation of our national character.
In a high school of a large city, a principal was asked, " What are the morals of these young people?"
The principal replied, " Well, they are neither moral nor immoral.
They are unmoral!
They don't even think about whether a thing is moral or immoral."
We have an urgent need for us to get back to the Word of God!
The situation in America reminds us of the nation of Judah during the days of Jeremiah.
"Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears that I might weep
day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!
Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men that I might leave my people
and go from them." (Jeremiah 9: 1-2)
Jeremiah wanted to run away from it all.
He wanted to run away because " they are not valiant for the truth ...
they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the Lord." (Jeremiah 9: 3)
God had revealed to the men and women of Judah His person and His character.
He had given to them His law.
The nation was a depository for the Word of God.
And when they turned away from the God of their fathers, He sent them prophet after prophet.
From early morning until late at night, these divine spokesmen poured forth the Word of the Lord,
warned the people what would take place if they despised His revelations,
and pleaded with them to turn back.
They were not valiant for the truth, and they went on from evil to evil.
Why? " They know not me, saith the Lord."
These Israelites -- the very ones who had been called " God's people" were ignorant
of God and His purposes
When we rule out the Word of God, we not only rule in lawlessness, we also rule in ignorance
of spiritual realities -- ignorance of God, of His Person, of His character, and of His work.
The Bible is the cornerstone upon which our faith must rest.
We dare not ignore it.
We dare not be ignorant of it.
In Matthew 22:29, Jesus said to a group of Jewish religious leaders,
" You do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God."
He wasn't speaking to unschooled Galilean fishermen when He made those remarks.
He was looking into the eyes of the most learned and respected leaders of His day
We have the same situation today.
We have many Christians who "err because they know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God."
They are illiterate when it comes to knowing the Word of God.
It matters that we read the Word of God because the Bible reveals God's plan of redemption.
The Bible tears the covering off the heart of man, and then tells him how he can come
into the very presence of God.
The Bible gives us an accurate picture of what we are in our sins, in our helplessness,
in our hopelessness.
If it just stopped there we'd be in trouble.
But it doesn't.
The Bible doesn't leave us in our despair.
Shining forth from its pages is the Lord's wonderful plan to redeem us.
The Word of God shows us the way of salvation.
And it is so clear and so simple.
John 3:36 says, " He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life:
and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life."
The New Testament casts light after light on the path of salvation.
Again and again, it explains how sinful men and women, through simple faith,
can come into a right relationship with the Living God.
Nothing, absolutely nothing is more important than this!
All over the world, wherever the Word of God is available in the language of the people,
men and women come to Jesus and find life everlasting.
That is a staggering thought!
Some of the wisest, and most intelligent people of the world, as well as some of the poorest,
most ignorant people of the world have found common ground in the Word of God.
Regardless of their cultures, backgrounds, nationalities, or occupations, they have all found real life,
real satisfaction, peace of heart, and peace of mind in Jesus Christ.
I tell you that we simply can't afford to live in this world and not know something of the Word of God.
And it doesn't matter how long we have been a Christian -- one day or 60 years -- we cannot grow spiritually
unless the power of God is filling our empty lives with the Word of God.
In a world of lawlessness and corruption, in a day of crumbling morals and shifting foundations,
we need real guidelines for living.
How can we live in such an age as this when everything seems to be falling apart?
How can we get along when society seems to grow more lawless, more corrupt,
and more sinful with each passing day?
Psalm 119:105 has an encouraging answer:
" Thy word is a lamp onto my feet, and a light unto my path."
Isn't that wonderful?
The Spirit of God through the Word of God will guide us through the maze, through the shallows,
through the quicksand, through the storms, through the sorrows, and the afflictions of life.
The first step that a person makes in departing from God and from His fellowship is when
that person begins to neglect the Word of God.
What we are in our life, day by day, will be determined by what place we give to the Word of God.
I challenge you to read it, appropriate it, and make it your own.
Now is the time for every Christian here to say, " I know those things -- I believe the Bible
-- I agree the we should study God's Word -- I believe that the knowledge of the Scriptures is vital t
o my Christian life.
And I would even agree that ignorance and neglect of the Bible is a terrible tragedy -- in fact,
it is absolutely sinful."
If we believe all that, then why in the world don't we get down to business, and start reading our Bibles?
Why don't we're read it like our lives depended on it?
I would like to see the hands of every Christian who is reading his or her Bible everyday,
and the hands of those who will begin today to read their Bible every day!
Sermon adapted by Dr. Harold L. White
