[0:00] My bad. 2 Timothy 3, and all the way to the end of this chapter, read two verses together.
[0:16] Pretty, pretty familiar verses here. I'll back up. Let's go to verse 15. Paul writing to this man, Timothy, and he says that from a child, thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
[0:36] All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
[0:54] So this is a very popular concept or verses here, about the scriptures, the holy scriptures they're called. And that's the thing that ought to be stuck in your mind when you think of the book.
[1:07] They're holy scriptures. Not just some religious book, but no, the very holy scriptures of God. These are given by inspiration of God. And that makes this book stand apart from every other book ever on the face of the earth or existence or that man could ever conceive is that these words are given to us by inspiration of God.
[1:29] Now we're not going to study that, but it's profitable for some things. And it gives a list of four things there. Doctrine, reproof, correction, instruction, and righteousness.
[1:39] And then it says, the last statement in verse 17, that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. So the word of God is given to accomplish something inside of the man of God.
[1:55] The word of God is not just pronouncing truth and just take it or leave it, but no, it has the ability to do something. It can do a work.
[2:07] And it can do a work inside of you as an individual. And I want to look at that today and start something this morning that probably spill into two or three weeks of study here. The Bible is not a normal book, as you know.
[2:22] It's not just a book written by a man with a little pretty cover on it that everybody carries to church with them on Sunday or puts on their coffee table or puts on their car for good luck.
[2:33] It's a holy book. And it contains, contained inside of these two covers is more, far more than any single or us collectively know or understand.
[2:51] We could all spend 80 hours a week in this place trying to study it and trying to study it together and reading it and reading it and studying it. And we're not going to exhaust what's in this book.
[3:03] You're never in your lifetime going to exhaust what's in this book. Read it over. Read it over. Read it over. Who was telling me that just recently? Or maybe I was listening to somebody talk saying that they were in the car with, was that Brother Sampson said that?
[3:19] In the car with Dr. Huckman or somebody, Brother Peacock said that, I guess. After being through it well over 200 times, just broken to think that he's still learning things, things still coming out of the text.
[3:31] And that's just one man. You can read the volumes of works that men have written about this book and the light that they've been given by God and what they've tried to pen and tried to pass on to another generation.
[3:47] You could read all of their volumes and build upon another and see how revelation is progressive over time from the scriptures. They continue to shed light, continue to teach.
[3:58] You'll never exhaust it. You could give your life in thousands of lifetimes to this book. It's quiet. It's harmless. It's innocent. It just sits there on your lap, sits there on this pulpit, sits there in the pew.
[4:14] It sits on your dresser or sits on your car seat and is just doing nothing. It's just a pretty little book. It comes in black and red and purple and blue and it's got different notes inside of it and what a thing.
[4:29] And there it just sits. But within these covers, the total sum of all of humanity, of all of the energy in this universe cannot alter the words of this book.
[4:43] They cannot affect what almighty God has pronounced. In other words, God has decreed some things. He has purposed some things and they're unchangeable.
[4:55] This book is that powerful. It's more than just prophecy though. It's more than just telling what's going to happen. The Bible says it declares the end from the beginning and that's the truth.
[5:06] But it's so much more than just saying that what it says is going to take place and it's determined by God. All nations are going to come against Israel. Jesus Christ is going to come back. Like those things are facts.
[5:17] And yes, the world governments and systems can't touch it. They can't do anything about it. They're going to do exactly, precisely what it says. But it's more than that. I want you to think this morning that it's your primary resource for knowing God, for understanding God's person, God's will, God's intentions, everything that falls into his realm.
[5:52] This is it. inside of these covers. His truth. And what I'm saying is that the book then is personal. It's more than just prophetical.
[6:03] It's personal. It's a means by which any individual can come in contact with the holy and true God and can connect with him in a personal and in a one-on-one way.
[6:23] It's not through a FaceTiming or through a cell phone call. It's not through a vision or dream. It's not through stepping into some portal and escaping reality and there you are in front of God.
[6:38] But no, it's through words in black and white in a book. Now, that being the case, how many people on this planet, how many people own a copy of the words of God?
[6:52] How many people in California own a copy of the Bible? Or how many people have walked past a Bible in a bookstore on a shelf somewhere or even in Walmart or any store like that?
[7:07] There's Bibles that are there. Walking inside of Walmart or some store of that nature, you've walked into some place where the holy scriptures are.
[7:19] You may never go into a church. You may never seek the Lord, but you're that close. How many times has somebody scrolled through Amazon or through some something like that and just came close or brushed up beside a click of a button or a touch of the screen to purchase and have shipped the holy scriptures?
[7:42] What I'm saying is it's very available and it's very accessible and for those that have rejected it or haven't been introduced to it or don't know it, haven't been trained in it and taught it and it's so close.
[7:56] It's so accessible that within one day it could be on their lap. Within one hour they could find it living in America and have the very thing that can get them in contact with God.
[8:10] The very thing that can alter the destiny of their soul for eternity. The very thing that can clean up their life. The very thing that can give them comfort and the very thing that can give them hope and that can give them peace and that can clear the cobwebs out and give them understanding and assuage all the anxiety and the fears in this life.
[8:35] The words of God are there for the person. Now I want to point out some things that the Bible is capable of doing in the lives of individuals and some of this will just kind of apply generally to the lost but more specifically to you here today.
[8:50] But let's go, I want you to grab two places. Jeremiah 23. Jeremiah 23 is the first and Acts chapter 20 is the second.
[9:06] Jeremiah 23, Acts chapter 20. So we're going to start bouncing now in the Bible so be prepared.
[9:31] We'll start in Jeremiah. Are you there? We're going to read verse number 29. So the Lord says, Is not my word like as a fire saith the Lord and like a hammer that breaketh a rock in pieces?
[9:48] The answer is yes. Yes, God it is. Your word can be very destructive. It can be used to destroy.
[10:00] Is not my word he said like this and like that. Two things that destroy break things and pieces burn things up and they cease to exist.
[10:11] Isn't his word like that? Yes, it is. Now just park that in one side of your mind and go to Acts chapter 20 and verse 32.
[10:27] Acts chapter 20 verse 32. And now brethren, I commend you to God and to the word, to the word of his grace which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.
[10:41] So on one side of the spectrum God's word is able to break down and burn and to destroy. On the other side it's able to build up. In 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 2 as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby.
[10:59] So there's this spectrum of what God's word is capable of and I don't even know if that's a great parameter to set for the spectrum but I'm giving you some kind of extremes here and to show you that within that spectrum and within this thought that God's word can do some things inside of your life, inside of your heart and it's able to do that because it's living.
[11:25] So take your Bible and keep turning to the right. Go to 1 Peter 1 and we haven't even gotten into anything yet but just kind of setting up some thoughts here to build from.
[11:37] 1 Peter chapter 1 We're going to get to an outline here eventually of the work of the scriptures in the individual.
[11:51] That'd be you. 1 Peter 1 and verse 23 Being born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the word of God notice which liveth and abideth forever.
[12:10] The word of God verse 25 says the word of the Lord endureth forever. But the point I'm getting at is verse 23 says that that book is alive. It is living.
[12:21] That's so so foreign. That's so weird to say that a book is alive. Would you dare go through Barnes and Noble and pull a book off and say hey this book's living.
[12:34] This one's alive right here. You'd just you'd be the weirdo that gets thrown out of the store. But this book is alive. It's what it says and I believe it.
[12:45] I know it to be true. I've experienced it. It doesn't get up and walk but that's not necessarily a qualifier of whether something is alive or not. It's not breathing air but that's not the it's a spirit.
[12:58] Jesus Christ said the words that I speak unto you they are spirit and they are life. And so for something to be alive spiritually speaking it doesn't need those physical qualities and characteristics.
[13:11] And so we need to free our mind of trying to plug it into what we know life is here on earth. The word of God is alive. And so within this spectrum I was giving you of this being able to do such things as break down and destroy or build up and grow there's a living agent and it's the words of God.
[13:33] Now turn over to Colossians come back to your left Colossians 3 not only is it alive a spiritual entity that has life in it and because it has life in it it's able to do some things and I want to show you where it where it is capable of living not just on a bookshelf somewhere or in the back seat of your car but it's capable of living inside of you.
[14:06] Look at chapter 3 and verse 16 of Colossians. Let the word of Christ dwell in you. The word of Christ is the subject.
[14:19] The word of Christ and let it do something. Let it dwell in you. I guess the subject is you actually understood. You let the word of Christ dwell in you.
[14:31] That just got a little bit too much. The word of Christ though is doing something it's doing the dwelling. That is present tense it is dwelling inside of you.
[14:41] It's living. It's alive. It's taking up occupancy and not just filling a space but no doubt has a purpose. It wants to do something.
[14:53] It doesn't just dwell to dwell. It dwells to and you can read the passage of what will happen. But let's keep going. Turn to 1 Thessalonians. Keep going to your right just a little bit.
[15:06] 1 Thessalonians just a page or two. Chapter 2. So the word of God is alive. The word of God can live inside of a believer and the word of God can do some kind of work.
[15:23] Some kind of work and that's what we want to study is the work of the scriptures inside of the individual. Look at verse 13. 1 Thessalonians 2 verse 13. For this cause also thank we God without ceasing because when you receive the word of God which he heard of us he received it not as the word of men but as it is in truth the word of God which effectually worketh also in you that believe.
[15:50] That's the word of God and the action ascribed to the word of God is that it effectually worketh in you that believe. so the word of God is alive and it's capable of dwelling inside of you of living in a believer and then it's also capable of working inside of that believer and brethren whether you realize it or not you desperately need the word of God to work inside of you like you need that to happen you may not realize it it may not mean much to you but if you get a taste of what it can do to you how it can sanctify you how it can wash your mind and clarify things in your thinking and in life the word of God I can't tell you how I can't tell you how reading but of the times and the seasons brethren I can't tell you how but I know that there is spiritual substance and life in these words that when they get in the new man is just feeding and growing and getting stronger and grabbing and latching on to certain things and as you go through life and grow in the
[17:06] Lord and in the word of God as it dwells in you it begins to work and you can't explain it you can't put your finger on the actual working of it but you can feel it you can feel yourself getting stronger you can feel yourself not desiring the things of this world and and the of chasing its glamour and its false hope and all of that you sense that this scripture is like turning the dial to where you're starting to go this way now and you're starting to want some things over here whereas before you didn't now okay a man left this church a few years ago he left the church and I went and talked with him just to see what was going on and he said this to me he's like pastor I know no ill feelings and such and such but he said I want you to know or he just said I'm confident that you're going to that the church is going to be fine and that you're going to build the church up on people that love the word of God and I thought well amen
[18:06] I hope to God that's true that we build the church up on people that love the word of God that sounds great but what and he died where he just needed to change and he said some things and when he said that though in my mind I'm thinking so you don't love the word of God like you don't want to be one of those people that love the word of God it just it sounded like that you're going to build a church with people that love the word of God that are interested in the word of God that are strong on the word of God but we're going to leave it just sounded like you're saying so you're just not interested then in the word of God and there's I'm not just pinning at that but that's the thought that came out and I wish he was interested I wish everybody was interested in knowing the word of God and in growing in the word of God and in feeding on the word of God and putting their focus and energy into what
[19:07] God hath said and making that what guides their minds and their life and their decisions the book God's truth I wish everybody was that way but not everybody's that way I desire that I desire for that for myself for my family for you folks to be interested and hungry and to seek the scriptures seek ye out of the book of the Lord and read the book here can do a few things it can inform us of what we are and what we ought to strive to be the book can also transform us and from what I described as chasing this but then to be a peculiar people zealous of good works pleasing to the father it can conform us to the image and likeness and nature of our holy God when Peter said he quoted God saying it is written be ye holy for I am holy there is only one way that can be accomplished you are going to have to have the holy spirit of God and he is going to be bearing witness to the words of God there is only one way you can't be holy you can't conform to God and godliness without the scriptures and so that can't be realized man is incapable of holiness at his best he is altogether vanity and at his best he falls far short of what holiness is and so do you without the scriptures in you the scriptures though
[20:41] I'd say are capable of some remarkable things one of the proofs and we studied this in our doctrines class one of the proofs that this bible is given by inspiration of God like we read is the effect that it has had on sinful man the effect that it has had on a sinner that comes to this book and it's able to make thee wise unto salvation and the entrance of thy word giveth light giveth understanding to the simple and the book changes the man and it's supernatural it's not some self help kind of thing written by some popular guy of the age but it's an enduring monumental work that will never go away that will endure forever and the fact that the testimonies and I'm one of them I hope you are too of what this book can do is evidence that this was not written by Peter this wasn't written by some fishermen sons this was written and given by God almighty now let's get into the first point then of the work of the scriptures in the individual what we read in 2nd
[21:52] Timothy chapter 3 was that the scriptures given by inspiration of God is a profitable for doctrine it's profitable for doctrine doctrine is teaching doctrine is a set teaching of a rule of truth that you can resist or fight against or change if you want but it doesn't change the doctrine it's set it's prescribed and the book is given for doctrine it's given to convince you of some things that are so that are true and you can say well this person over here and this nation over here and this religion over here they have their belief but the word of God is given for doctrine it's given to sort all of that out and to say no this is what's true so I'll give you an example go to college pick one out of the millions whatever there are in this land hundreds thousands pick one and pick a course that has some kind of scientific background or something and just go sit in that course tell me how many hours it takes until you hear about evolution until you hear some underlying if not just straight up teaching that we evolved that we came from some out there source of nothing and that that's not tied or interwoven or just straight up taught for fact that this is the way it is just go pick one and see if that's not what's out there that is what's out there so how do you know what's true what do you believe about that how did you get that belief where did you get convinced that there's a
[23:35] God that he made this earth did you get convinced because you looked and saw that oh look at that tree it's blooming flowers this time of year there must be a God you didn't think that when you saw the tree you didn't think that when you saw the overcast skies today where did you get it from you got it from the Bible whether you know it or not or whether you realize it or not you may say I got it from my mom or grandmother or I got it from my school or from some radio it came from the source of the scriptures every single person that's where it came from without this book you don't have that knowledge now come to 1st is to convince it's to convince it's for doctrine for teaching you and for you to be convinced about some things and it's the words of God that do the convincing notice in 1st
[24:37] Corinthians 2 and you're going to pay close attention here verse 12 and 13 now we have received not the spirit of the world but the spirit which is of God that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God so the spirit by the spirit now we can know the things that are freely given to us verse 13 which things also we speak not in the words notice those two words not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth but which the Holy Ghost teacheth now what's implied there and it's not in the text but it's implied is the words it carries over from saying not in the words which man's wisdom speaketh but in the words which the Holy Ghost teacheth which things also we speak not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth but which the Holy Ghost teacheth the which the
[25:38] Holy Ghost is teaching is words it has to be and it's in the text comparing spiritual things with spiritual so the point is the word of God is given by inspiration of God the Holy Scriptures and it's given for doctrine and it's given to convince you some things and the Holy Spirit the Holy Ghost will teach you things doctrine using the words using the words of God the Holy Ghost teaches using words know that God did not deal and he does not deal with the hearts and minds of men from looking up and seeing the clouds form and seeing some image and revelation that's not how God deals with man God doesn't deal with visions and dreams he speaks he illuminates he persuades he teaches from the words in his book now man may be confronted with things like the universe with the tree and the flowers and the human and body and all of what the wonders of our world he may be confronted with those things and then seek the source of this wisdom and of this structure and seek that this cannot have just happened he may be confronted with natural laws he may even be confronted with personal guilt all of that's very true a lost man can be confronted with all these things but in any of these cases
[27:03] God will lead him to the words of his book and maybe he'll lead him to a child of God who will lead him to the words of his book whether it's directly or indirectly that's where God is going to get him that's where the answers are that's where the truth exists where it's pronounced and revealed the book so the the word God is given to convince Acts 18 and at the end of this chapter we're introduced to a certain Jew named Apollos in verse 24 he's born in Alexandria he's an eloquent man and mighty in the scriptures so he's a very talented maybe charismatic individual that is just a good speaker could articulate he was smart he'd be a good lawyer he'd be a good politician people would follow him he just had that kind of gift he was mighty in the scriptures and he's instructed in the way of the
[28:16] Lord verse 25 being fervent in the spirit this is a good good guy knowing only the baptism of John now he's got false doctrine the truth here is what he's teaching because he's not up to date with what things are so he's teaching something that's old be like me standing here and telling you that you need to follow Moses not exactly equivalent there but nevertheless he's only like 20 years out of what's in touch okay so he knows only the baptism of John had heard they took him unto them and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly in verse 27 now he's got the truth now some believers have exposed him to the truth he's mighty in the scriptures he's fervent in spirit this guy is sold out and so in verse 27 he was disposed to pass into Achaia the brethren wrote exhorted disciples to receive him who when he was come help them he helped his disciples help them much which had believed through grace so this guy just got his doctrine tweaked and he's able to really minister to everybody the disciples there now in verse 28 for he mightily convinced the
[29:30] Jews and that publicly notice this showing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ the scriptures are given to convince to declare doctrine this man was convincing Jews that Jesus was Christ that is the anointed of God the Messiah that Jesus the man that they crucified that he was their Messiah and he's convincing the Jews in their synagogue in this city saying oh wait and you know what he did he took them to the scriptures he took them to what scriptures they had which was Moses which was the law the books of the law which was the prophets which was the Psalms the writings and he pointed out and proved and taught that Jesus was that Messiah no doubt he was he was showing them fulfilled prophecies in the life of
[30:35] Jesus Christ maybe even as far as types and pictures and how he fulfilled these certain things of God's demands of the past and how all that pictured Christ I don't know what he taught him but he mightily convinced the Jews and that publicly showing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ so one of the reasons the scriptures are given to convince is to convince of the person of Christ to convince anybody that Jesus is not some man not some historical figure that was born and lived and died and just that was the end of that he created a little following but know that he was in fact God in the flesh where do you get that from the word of God that he rose again where do you get that from the words of God and he taught them this man taught them that the Messiah had come and that it was Jesus Christ and he did it by the I love to hear
[31:35] Mark and Suzanne testimony of how they came to the Lord Jesus Christ growing up in synagogue and away from anybody that was talking about Jesus and to hear them say that they went to the scriptures and they opened up the book and read the book and the book was smiting them and at the same time convincing them of the Lord Jesus Christ and if you haven't heard them tell it hang out with them for a little bit they'll tell you I love it it stirs me up to hear their story and you know what it was the work of the scriptures convincing them in their hearts and minds that Jesus was the Christ look back at Acts 28 come to the end of this book Acts 28 verse 23 and 24 24 so Paul is trying to speak to the chief of the
[32:38] Jews and he's trying to get them together and he's having trouble nailing down a time they finally nail down a time where he can come and spend some time with them and he has a desire in his heart to convince them of something verse 23 and when they had appointed him a day there came many to him in his lodging to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God persuading them concerning Jesus notice this both out of the law of Moses and out of the prophets from morning till evening and some believed the things which were spoken and some believed not what was he doing he was using the scriptures to convince to persuade them of the Lord Jesus Christ testifying the kingdom of God and persuading them concerning Jesus the book is given to convince in this case there's a mixed response to the message but he's using the scriptures because this book has the authority he's not just trying to trick them or tell them some cute illustration or anecdote about some natural thing but no he's going to the book and convincing them that's a work of the scripture all right to point out Jesus
[33:51] Christ the person of Christ let's go to Titus chapter 1 I mean this is I know I don't have to convince you of this you should already be thoroughly convinced but you didn't learn anything about Christ that didn't come out of the scriptures I'm not saying that you had a Bible in your lap I'm saying that every thought every truth that you received whether it was from somebody speaking to you witnessing to you or from some preacher some whatever it came its source was the text the holy scriptures because God gave this book to this earth to convince men of Jesus Christ another thing he gave it for is to convince of sound doctrine I already said that doctrine is given for doctrine look at this in Titus chapter 1 but here's specifically sound doctrine truth verse 9 holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers for there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers especially they are the circumcision whose mouths must be stopped they're teaching things which they ought not so what does he tell
[35:17] Titus look you got the book you've got the faithful word you need to hold it fast you need to take that sound doctrine and convince them show them from the scriptures where they're wrong that's what the book is given for it it's a standard of absolute truth to convince everybody you don't see eye to eye with somebody about things in a way you live your life or the way things ought to be in our country you know what the best thing the only thing that really has any value or matter is to take them to the scriptures and show them why don't waste your time talking about the republican point of view versus the liberal democratic point of view that's that's just it's all in the same playing field you need to take them to the word of God that has the authority and the power and this is the truth this is the only source of truth so you convince with the word of God the truth exposes false doctrine the bible is what you use it's the only entity that has the authority worth submitting to following believing
[36:29] I'd say that all the religious writings that are out there and the beliefs and systems of man they're just man it's the best man could do it doesn't have this level titus chapter one all right go to james chapter two we'll do one more james chapter two and notice verse number nine if you have respect of persons you commit sin and are convinced of the law as transgressors because the law says you're guilty and he goes through a little bit of that further the bible declares that we're all under sin and that all have sinned and if you in this case he's dealing with one specific sin the law tells you that that's wrong so you're convinced of the law now I could go through any sin and find it in either directly or in principle in the word of
[37:46] God where it's it's put down and exposed as wrongdoing and unrighteousness and all unrighteousness is sin and it's transgression and iniquity before God and so there's a thought here that the word of God is given to convince not just of the person of Jesus Christ that he's the son of God and not just of doctrine and truth and versus false exposing truth and error but in another case in sin and I'm just pulling out a few examples here by the way there's a long list if we want to just say this is what the scripture will show you and convince you of but no here's a few things that pretty broad spectrum sin where do you know that something's wrong what basis do you have for morality it has to be it can only be the scriptures there's only one source there's only one in all of the world it's not the laws of the land although we're told to submit to them where the word of God but what is sin how do you know it's sin how do you know it's wrong how are you convinced that it's wrong you better go to a book you better go to the chapter and verse you better have it in the
[38:57] Bible because that's what it's given I'm not big on debating and arguing and we're even warned against that in the Bible multiple times you don't convince somebody by just beating them over the head and screaming at them and if the heart's not open to receive the truth it's going to be closed to the truth they'll never be convinced but if a heart is open to hear truth it will it can be convinced because the Bible has a way of getting in and the Bible is what I'm telling you is the greatest instrument the greatest authority to convince any man or any woman of any truth that exists inside its covers you go to the Bible the airwaves are polluted with voices that are bickering their beliefs back and forth and they're all they're all saying this is my position and this is what I stand for and this is how I live and this is what I believe and you should all believe and listeners have to assimilate all the material and decide if they agree or disagree and each side has all their talking points and they all argue for their view hoping to convince somebody else that they are right what I'm saying this morning is that the scriptures were given to convince us that
[40:15] God is right that his ways are right and true that his plans for our lives are the way we ought to follow and I'd say then if you're not God then who cares what you think if you're not God then I don't give a rip what comes up into your mind or what your heart feels and what you're attached to as far as telling me how I ought to live and since I have God's word I can know exactly how I ought to behave and think I'm convinced I have a ground that I can stand on whereas man I don't want that I don't want to stand on the best man out there and what he thinks and follow him so the scriptures stand in the stead of God to declare his position which by the way he's never been wrong and neither has his book and God's not selfish he's not seeking to gain off of you he's not trying to use you he doesn't stand to gain anything he has need of nothing so he puts out the truth and he puts it out to convince us so wrapping this up in 2nd Timothy chapter 3 the word of God is given for doctrine now again think about this what do you believe about the such thing as the origin of this planet or of this universe what do you believe if
[41:41] I asked you to write a paragraph about it what would you write what do you in your heart believe nobody else in your ear just you and a piece of paper what do you believe about the existence of an almighty creator what would you put what's your source where did you get that belief I know where you got it and you do too how were you convinced I know exactly how you were convinced and it was the scriptures what do you believe about the man named Jesus Christ what do you believe you see the YouTube channels people going around asking certain questions or trying to get conversations started like that what do you believe about Jesus what are you going to say what's your source you believe he was God in the flesh where'd you get that idea seriously from somebody's writings of some philosopher or where from college from where did you get the idea Jesus was God in the flesh where'd you get the idea that he arose from the dead and he's alive and ascended at the seat at the right hand where did you get any of that idea you got it from a book you've been convinced the book has done a work in you what do you believe about what happens to you after you expire on this planet what's going to happen you going to just rot the grounds at the end of it you only have one life live it up as soon as it's done it's done or is there more to it are you convinced of that and if so where'd you get the convincing so if you say well the Bible says or and if that's your answer it's because the scripture has done its work inside of you already it has done a work on you and when you try to witness to your lost family or friends or neighbors and tell them some things and they just don't get it or they're just dead to it or they're just closed to it it's because the scripture hasn't gotten in it hasn't done a work it hasn't convinced them of any of this yet and so you're trying to make something happen and you just personally as a man can't make it happen it's a work of
[43:57] God and it's a work the Bible does when somebody gives an alternate answer to those questions I threw out about God or Christ or death or all those thoughts when somebody gives another answer maybe they're they're very confused about these things some of them are they don't have a real good answer because they just don't know and some of them are convinced about some things you talk to some other religious people they're very convinced that what happens to them after they die is this or this or this and the question comes by what source have they been convinced if it wasn't the word of God I'll say it again I don't care what they think it doesn't hold any weight to me doesn't have any authority it's not God so the scriptures are given to convince next couple weeks I want to look at some other thoughts here that can help us is that the scriptures given to convict it's another thing is given to a third one is to correct and there's a few more that we'll study here in the next few weeks and I hope and I pray that through this that you'll receive it and that you'll open your minds to say that book's awful important that book is more important it's done more in me than I even give credit for maybe some of you just sit and think well you know it was because I watched this guy on YouTube or because I went to church when I was a kid because
[45:19] I was raised in this kind of a family that's why I am the way I am think the way I think but you better realize that if it comes to truth and if you have truth and you know it it's because of the book it's a book that you can carry in your hand and it's a book that God can personally speak to your heart from and don't just don't just put it on well that's the way I was raised make it personal and say no there's more in this book for me there's more than I need to learn more than God can convince me of and I need to walk with him through the word of God so we're going to pray and then dismiss this Sunday school hour and pick it up next week father and lord it is my desire church