The Perfect Book

[0:00] The perfect book. Speaking of the Word of God, people who know me know that I like collecting books and I've got quite a few hundred of them at home. But I want to tell you this evening, I have found the perfect book. The perfect book. And Psalm 19 from verse 7, we read about that book.

[0:20] Psalm 19 verse 7, it reads, The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

[0:42] The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold. Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is thy servant warned, and in keeping of them there is great reward.

[1:06] So if you're looking for a book to boost your wisdom, to bring you joy, to enlighten you, to bring you inner cleansing and soul converting power, then I have just the perfect book for you. Amen.

[1:23] It was written by 40 different human authors, Holy Spirit filled writers. There were kings and peasants, prophets and philosophers, fishermen, poets, statesmen and scholars.

[1:37] And this book is the world's bestseller still. It has been probably since the dawn of time. Over 100 million copies of the Bible are sold every year.

[1:48] It is also the most stolen book. It is also the most stolen book, because people tend to take it from hospitals or hotels and such. Whenever they can get their hands on it, they like to take this book and steal it. So it's probably not a bad thing anyway, in a way.

[2:06] It's a book that we ought to have. It's a book that we would want to have. And the full Bible has been translated into 698 different languages. 698 languages.

[2:19] And that's 2019 figures, I think. It's probably 700 plus languages around the world. This psalm tells us about this book, about this life-changing book, the Word of God.

[2:33] And the Bible, what it is, how it is, what it affects, what it brings. Firstly, what it is, the Bible. The Bible is an English word which literally means book.

[2:46] And I know I've said this before, I like the acrostic, B-I-B-L-E, basic instructions before leaving earth. It's the Word of God. It's the Lord's law. It's His testimony. It's His statutes, His commandments.

[2:58] It's His fear, His judgments. And people ask, where is God? I tell you where we can find Him, in the pages of His book, His holy book.

[3:09] He's revealed Himself to us through the Word of God. It's His story. It reveals Himself and His story, history, His story of salvation.

[3:21] It's here, here in the book, the Bible, the Word of God. That is what it is. How it is, this psalm tells us how it is. It tells us this book is perfect, complete.

[3:34] It's sure. It's fully trustworthy. We can have complete confidence in this book and its reliability. This book is right. It's revealed truth.

[3:46] It's pure. It's completely clear and clear-cut. It's clean. It's enduring forever. It's true. It's righteous altogether. It's desirable more than gold and sweet.

[4:00] Sweeter more than honey. Think of what we miss out if we don't have this book. If we fail to heed the Bible. What treasures lost. What knowledge.

[4:11] What truth. What blessing we forfeit without this book. And this psalm tells us about the Word of God and what it affects. The Bible is addressed to the whole of you.

[4:22] It's your soul. It's your mind. It's your heart. It's your eyes. If you will but open them and receive. And if we will open our eyes and take it in, this book will set our feet on the solid rock.

[4:38] On the path. It will bring God's truth near and dear to us. It will bring God's spirit and life into our hearts. For that to happen, we need to read it.

[4:52] I know another little quip that I like to make is, the best Bible is a red Bible. Read your Bible. A Bible in the hand is worth two in the bookcase. Here's what someone said about the Bible.

[5:04] Read the Bible completely. Like a love letter. Consult it prayerfully. Like a road map. Study it carefully like a lesson book.

[5:15] And obey it conscientiously like an army order. The psalm tells us about the Word of God. What it brings. It brings converting. It brings a making wise.

[5:25] It brings a rejoicing. It brings an enlightening. It brings a warning. It brings a rewarding. It brings a rewarding. And the six characteristics here.

[5:36] Let's look more closely about what the Bible can bring to our lives. What it says it can do. Consider the value of this book. Really, this perfect book is a whole library of 66 perfect books.

[5:50] The Bible affects a, number one, a converting. It says that the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. So it tells us here the Word of God has a converting effect.

[6:05] It gives us the gospel message, the word of salvation. It renews, it revives the life of a man. It speaks to the awful need of us, of our very soul, our crying need of him.

[6:19] No other book has this soul-transforming power. Only the saving message of this book can bring new life. This book is a seed. It's a seed that can germinate and bring life.

[6:34] As Peter puts it in his letter, 1 Peter 1, verse 23, Peter writes, being born again. Born again, not of corruptible seed, not of seed that's going to corrupt and wither and waste, but of incorruptible, the very Word of God which liveth and abideth forever.

[6:56] Born again of this wonderful seed that has this life that is incorruptible, cannot be corrupted, it is sure.

[7:08] And life-giving, this seed by which we are born again. If we'll heed its message, how we need this one book, this one book, that can convert the heart of man.

[7:19] None other book, no other book can do. And there's a big difference between the books that men make and the book that makes men. That's this book, the Bible, the book that makes men.

[7:32] And this one book is crammed with revolutionary propaganda. We know it's a banned book. It's too hot to handle. They won't let you have it in North Korea for one place.

[7:46] And this one book is crammed with this revolutionary, this message. The message of the maker to man. The story of the saviour and his love. The words of the eternal to his very creation.

[7:59] Mortal humanity. A preacher, Wilbur Chapman, says, Study it to be wise. Believe it to be safe. Practice it to be holy.

[8:10] Study it through. Pray it in. Work it out. Note it down. And pass it on. Other books were given for our information. The Bible was given for our transformation.

[8:21] And the way to live is told us in this book. We see, as our Lord told Satan, rebuking him for his lies, it says, And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

[8:45] Luke 4, verse 4. Likewise, Matthew 4, verse 4. It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

[8:57] Every word. Consider its transforming ability. The Bible can transform men and women. It's told in history how nine people mutinied against Captain Bly of the Bouncy.

[9:11] And along with some men and women from Tahiti, they found their way to the tiny Pitcan Island in the South Pacific. Ten years later, drinking and fighting had left only one man alive, John Adams.

[9:25] The one man left from the Bouncy's mutiny. And 11 women and 23 children made up the rest of the island's population, the tiny Pitcan Island. And about this time, Adams came across the Bouncy's Bible.

[9:39] It was in some old chest there, the bottom of the chest. And he opened it and he began to read it. And the divine power of God's word reached into the heart of that hardened murderer on this tiny volcanic speck in the vast Pacific Ocean and changed his life forever.

[9:57] And the peace and love that Adams found in the Bible entirely replaced all the old life of quarrelling and brawling and drinking and fighting. And he began to teach his children, the children from the Bible, until everyone on the island had experienced that same amazing change that he had found.

[10:16] And at the time of this writing, the population of slightly less than 100 people on the island, Pitcan Island, nearly every one of them is a Christian.

[10:30] So this book has a profound effect. It's got a converting power. It's a perfect book for the converting message of it. It's the only book, really, isn't it, that brings that converting message.

[10:44] So the Bible is the perfect book for converting. There's no other religious book can bring that converting to your soul. The Bible also is the perfect book for making wise.

[10:56] Secondly, making wise. It says the testimony of the Lord is, sure, making wise. The simple. This is really better than any university course or men's wisdoms courses.

[11:10] It's better than sitting at the feet of some guru. It's all here in this book, in these 66 books, the word of God. It's got wisdom here. It will make you wise, it says, making wise the simple.

[11:24] And this is the compass whereby we can navigate through life's journey. And it's given for us by the one who's already mapped out our future days.

[11:34] He knows the future. He knows your future. And he's given you the guidebook that can guide your steps, help you make wise choices.

[11:48] Wise choices. Now, we can only really scratch the surface about the Bible tonight. And I found a few interesting, fun facts that I'll throw in here and there just to keep you on your toes and test out how I can pronounce difficult names.

[12:03] And I had some trouble this morning with some of those names from a missionary from South America. There was a whole list of them and I really glossed over them because I knew I'd make a fool of myself.

[12:15] But this is probably going to make even more of a fool of me. In Isaiah 8 verse 3, we find the longest word in the Bible. Someone's name. Isaiah 8 verse 3. You know the one.

[12:27] Maha Shalal Hashbaz. So there you go. You know something maybe you haven't heard before. Isaiah 8 verse 3. We can all practice that one.

[12:38] Maha Shalal Hashbaz. The longest word in the Bible. And so there's lots of wisdom here of all kinds and amazing facts. And interesting information.

[12:49] It took over 1500 years to complete the Old Testament. 1500 years. What a time span. And it took 50 to 75 years to complete the word of God in the New Testament.

[13:02] And so the testimony of the Lord is sure. Now some would ask, are there any mistakes in the Bible? And yes, there are. There are many. The first recorded mistake was in Genesis 3.

[13:15] Eve doubted God's word. What a mistake. Adam and Eve were in that perfect environment. Everything was set for them. A world that was perfect. And forever perfect.

[13:26] They had everything they needed to live forever, to live perfectly. Their mistake was disobedience to the word of God. They disobeyed God's word. They doubted God's word.

[13:39] In Genesis 19, we find another mistake in the Bible. The mistake of the Sodomites. Their mistake was ungodly living. And Lot made a mistake too.

[13:49] He pitched his tent towards Sodom. He liked the look of the land. He liked the green valley. And he lingered there in Sin City and he troubled his righteous soul.

[13:59] That was a great grave mistake. In Luke 12, we hear the story of the rich farmer. He made the mistake of putting all of his life, all of his energy, all of his love into the material things that he wanted to store away in his barns.

[14:15] And he thought that he had made such a good decision in placing his energy into that. But it was a mistake. A mistake to place all of his hopes in material things without realising his great need of God in his life.

[14:34] So the Bible is full of mistakes. Men's mistakes. Yes, the mistakes of people that are recorded in it. People who have failed. But of course the Bible has no mistakes.

[14:45] In it. Of itself. It is a book we can trust. And it has wisdom there that will make wise the simple. Make wise the simple. This is the greatest training course.

[14:57] The greatest intellectual exercise that we can make for ourselves is to become familiar with the word of God. To learn it. To read it.

[15:07] To read it. To reread it. To take its message in. And to grow in our wisdom. This book promises to make wise the simple. In other words, those that are humble enough to receive it who will bow to its wisdom.

[15:20] And this wisdom is spiritual wisdom. It's godly wisdom. In contrast with worldly wisdom. The worldly wise would mock and fail. But God's wisdom is sure.

[15:35] It says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. And the knowledge of the holy is understanding. Consider the wisdom here. The wisdom that this book imparts. A proper understanding of life.

[15:48] Of God. Of self. Of others. Of the whole human experience. It's here in this book. If we would but heed it. And even the lowliest child.

[15:59] Who can love the Lord Jesus. Is greater in their wisdom. Than the greatest philosophers and scholars. And PhDs. And intellectuals down at the university. The sad truth is these days.

[16:11] They've taken the Bible. Out of the schools. It used to be in the schools. Where I can recall receiving a New Testament. When I was a school child. But now they've taken the Bible out.

[16:24] By and large. And yet they will at times accommodate it. To be brought into the prisons. But how much better to receive the word of God.

[16:36] Young in life. To be saved from the misery of sin. To trust the saviour. Of whom this book speaks. Than to go into the depths of misery.

[16:48] And then find the Bible. Friends. The Lord makes wise the simple. If we but receive it. And if we are willing. And humble enough. To learn of him. It's a simple gospel.

[17:01] And the truth can be of value. When it is understood. And so we ought to apply our mind. To understand. To dig deep. And to keep on digging.

[17:12] It's like this. This huge. Mine. Of jewels. That we must dig. And dig. And dig into. And come. More and more.

[17:24] Bringing out the riches. Out of that. Buried treasure. That is the word of God. And he will give you. Understanding. He will give you wisdom. So the Bible is the perfect book.

[17:34] For wisdom. It's the perfect book. Thirdly. For rejoicing. Rejoicing. It says. Verse 8. Psalm 19. Verse 8. The statutes of the Lord are right. Rejoicing.

[17:45] The heart. This book brings an abounding. Joy to the heart. True joy is here. The joy. Unspeakable. And full of glory. That lasting joy.

[17:56] And peace. That comes. From knowing. Our sins forgiven. A home in heaven. Some would try. To find their joys.

[18:07] In other things. Here's a bit of a. Tongue in cheek quote. Many people have finally realized. That money. Can't buy happiness. Now they're trying credit cards.

[18:20] But. You know. It's vanity. Isn't it? Vanity. To try to find joy. And happiness. In such material things. We know. It's empty. And vain. But the real source of joy.

[18:31] And rejoicing. Is found. In the plan of salvation. It's found. In the saviour. This word. Speaks to us of. He was revealed to us. In the bible. So friends.

[18:41] This book. This book. It brings a ray of hope. A spark of life. It brings a joyful news. Glad tidings. That cause the heart to sing. It's a fact. That a big part of this book.

[18:52] Is actually a song book. Of course we know. There's the psalms. 150 of them. Although you can combine some. They might have been sung. As one song.

[19:03] Numbers of them might have been sung. As one song. Yet. There's at least. 185 songs in the bible. Because there's other little. Song parts in different books.

[19:14] And the song of Solomon. There's different songs. Through the bible. So they reckon. At least. 185 songs. In the bible. Now the bible. Is a song book.

[19:25] It's a joyful book. It's a. Life giving book. That sings. Of the life. In Christ. The joy. That is found in Christ. We can know the one.

[19:37] The giver of life. As he gives us this book. And it points to us. The joy of salvation. 1 Peter 1. Verse 8. It says.

[19:48] Of our Lord. Whom having not seen. You love. In whom now. You see him not. Yet believing. You rejoice. With joy unspeakable. And full of glory.

[19:58] We know he's there. We know he's here for us. And his word reveals himself to us. So. We would do well. To. To pay. Attention to the bible. There's a joy.

[20:10] A glorious joy. It's indescribable. We can't put it. Into human. Language. Really. What joy. What rapture. What delight. To know his saving. And to hold in our very hands.

[20:21] His love letter. His wonderful words of life. Truly it is a love letter. I know. While Julie and I were courting.

[20:32] I was away for some. Seven months from her. And she wrote me love letters. And I would really. Pay special attention. To those love letters. And I wrote her.

[20:43] Likewise some. And friends. This is a love letter. It's God's true love. For us. To us. And we would take heed. Do well to take heed. Of these words of love.

[20:55] There's a joy there. It brings to our hearts. A real joy. And truly it makes the heart glad. The bible is the perfect book. For rejoicing. As fourthly. It's the perfect book.

[21:05] For enlightening. We see. Verse 8. Of. Psalm 19. The commandment of the Lord. Is pure. Enlightening. The eyes. So this book.

[21:16] It brings an enlightening. To the eyes. This book. Lights up your eyes. Of the inner man. It provides an insight. For life. So we can truly see. A preacher.

[21:29] Was. Telling. An account. Of a man. That he met. Who was a young bible teacher. Who impressed him. With the peace. And the.

[21:40] Spiritual poise. Of this man. This friend. And he asked him. What was the secret. Why was he so. Confident. And positive. And the man replied.

[21:50] To the preacher. He said. It all started. Through reading. Ephesians. And Gray was surprised. By this simple response. He had read Ephesians. Through. And himself.

[22:01] Many times. But he hadn't experienced. That same strength. That he saw. In his friend. And. So he questioned him further. And the man said. To the preacher. When I was on a.

[22:12] Short vacation. I took. The. Book of Ephesians. With me. And I laid down. One afternoon. I read. I read. All six chapters.

[22:23] And my interest. Was so aroused. That I read it again. In fact. I. Finally. Laid it down. I hadn't. I finally. Sorry. I did not. Finally lay it down.

[22:34] Until I had gone through it. Fifteen times. And when I got up. After that. I was in possession. Of Ephesians. Or better yet. Ephesians.

[22:45] Was in possession of me. And I had the feeling. That I'd been lifted up. Into heavenly places. To sit together. With Christ Jesus. A feeling that was new to me. And so.

[22:55] This testimony. Encouraged the preacher. To master the scriptures. For himself. To saturate his mind. And his heart. Over and over. With that washing of the word.

[23:07] That he could then. Be moved by it. We see one scripture. In Ephesians. Says this. The eyes of your understanding. Be enlightened.

[23:18] That you may know. What is the hope of his calling. And what the riches of the glory. Of his inheritance. In the saints. The eyes of your understanding. Being enlightened.

[23:29] Friends. We're living in a dark. Dark world. Seems like it's getting ever darker. You see. The way. Worldly media. Mocks Christians. And things.

[23:39] Of truth. There's much. Despondency. And hopelessness. There's a blindness. That seems to have overtaken. So many. The message of this book.

[23:52] Is so. Needful. In such a time. In such a time of darkness. Without the message of this book. We'll abide. In darkness. But this message.

[24:03] This book. Will enlighten. It will bring light. To the very inner man. And it brings us a vision. Of another dimension. Into the future. Into the future.

[24:13] Into the great eternal beyond. If we open our eyes. Spiritually speaking. And be enlightened. And truly. See the light. As the old song goes.

[24:24] I saw the light. No more darkness. No more night. He takes away our blindness. And friends. The Bible is called. A lamp. Unto our feet. And a light.

[24:34] Unto our path. God opens our eyes. To see. Beyond the here and now. And get a sense of the hereafter. That's the kind of enlightenment. That he brings.

[24:45] Not an enlightenment. So called. Of some. Mantras. Of eastern mysticism. Or some. Such. False. Peace.

[24:57] But. A light. That is. God's light. The maker of light. The one who says. Let there be light. Can put that. Into. Our very soul. And 1 Peter 2. Verse 9.

[25:07] It tells about. How we are. A chosen generation. A royal priest. That a holy nation. A peculiar people. That you should show forth. The praises of him. Who's called you out. Of darkness.

[25:18] Into. His marvellous light. So the bible brings light. To a person. To a people. Even an awakening. I like how.

[25:29] It's told that. An American Indian. Prayed. Pleading for revival. For spiritual awakening. And he said. Re-bible us again. Re-bible us again.

[25:42] In the sense that. That really. The revival. Is a re-bibling. It's when we go back. To the bible. And the bible. Opens our eyes. It enlightens the people. It helps people.

[25:52] To see how blind they are. Without Christ. And what a radical transformation. When the light goes on. We go from darkness. To light. Marvellous light. It's a total change.

[26:03] So this book. Has the remedy. That puts the light on. And for the very worst. Of all our stains. The guilty heart. Can be righted. And made clean. As it reads.

[26:14] Verse 9. Psalm 19. Verse 9. The fear of the Lord. Is clean. Enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord. Are true. And righteous. Altogether.

[26:25] Friends. This book is eternal. It says it is enduring. Forever. And what's more. It's still yet. To be fulfilled. It's been reckoned.

[26:36] There's some. 6,000 prophecies. In the bible. Over 6,000. And more than 3,000. Verses of prophecy. Are already come true.

[26:49] In some way. But according to this. Reference. Around 3,000 more prophecies. Are yet to come to completion. And that's an astonishing thought.

[26:59] Isn't it? 6,000 prophecies. Running halfway through. There's still. 3,000 yet to go. To come to completion. You know. This is an eternal book. It is enduring forever.

[27:09] Forever. And there's an astonishing. Future yet. To be revealed. That is. Hidden. And still a mystery. Somewhat.

[27:20] It is true. And righteous. Altogether. Praise God. And Spurgeon said this. I would recommend you. Either believe God. Up to the hilt. Or else not to believe at all.

[27:30] Believe this book of God. Every letter of it. Or else reject it. We can surely. Receive every letter of it. Every word. Every word of God is true.

[27:42] Verse 10. It says. More to be desired are they than gold. Yea, than much fine gold. Sweeter also than honey. And the honeycomb. The value. The value of this book.

[27:52] Is something I think. Sometimes we don't always esteem it. As we ought to. The truly valuable. Precious book. That we have. And yet. So. Carelessly.

[28:03] We can treat it. Of much more value than gold. It says. More than gold. More than the purest. The rarest of gold. The finest of gold. More sweet.

[28:13] More satisfying. Than that fresh honeycomb. Than the sweet honey. Even. Than liquid honey. Fresh from the comb. And if you've seen it.

[28:24] And experienced it. I know some of you have. You know. It's just. Just so delightful. The sweetness of honey. But this is more sweet. This is much sweeter. The sweetest name.

[28:36] The sweetest book. Sweeter. Sweeter than honeycomb. And. So. It's satisfying. And sweet. More sweet than honey.

[28:48] And the Bible is also. A perfect book. The perfect book. For warning. There's warnings here. Moreover. By them. Is thy servant.

[28:58] Warned. This book. Gives us needful warnings. And don't we need. Warnings sometimes. If we. If we don't. Hear the warning. There's danger there. This book. Gives needful warning.

[29:09] Of pitfalls. For the pilgrim traveler. It warns the sailor. Of the reefs. And the stormy seas. It warns the battling warrior. Of his lurking enemies. It warns of the careless.

[29:21] Of danger. It warns the backslider. Of the neglect of soul. It warns the carnal. Of the reaping time ahead. God gives warning. There's warnings here.

[29:32] There's many warnings. We could find many references. Many particular scriptures. That do give warning. Very directly. Give warning. It tells. As Spurgeon put it.

[29:43] The word of God gives warning. Of our duty. Our danger. And our remedy. Duty. Danger. And remedy. There's warnings here. That we need to. Take attention to.

[29:55] That will wake us. And shake us. From apathy. It tells us. There is no peace. Saith the Lord. Unto the wicked. We would do well. To take warning. Friends.

[30:06] The wicked. Have dire warnings. In the word of God. They've got dire need. Of warning. For their dread. Present condition. And their. Eternal. Future. Damnation.

[30:16] The book warns. Of the damnation. Of the lost. Soul. Of sure judgment. Approaching fast. Save yourselves. From this untoward. This perverse.

[30:27] This crooked. Generation. Acts 20. 31. Paul says. Therefore watch. And remember. That by the space. Of three years. I cease not. To warn. Every one. Night and day.

[30:38] With tears. Think of that. Paul found occasion. To warn every one. Night and day. With tears. Warnings can be ignored. Sadly.

[30:49] Can't they? And it's the same. With God's warnings. Except you repent. You will. Likewise. Perish. Friends. We need the word of God. We need the saving power. Of the saviour.

[31:00] We need. To get right with God. There's warnings. Of. Peril. And. Warnings can be. Missed. Or. Disregarded.

[31:11] As. You could hear. For example. An occasion. Where. Heavy rains came. And blocked off an area. And. A police officer.

[31:23] Parted their car. In front of the rising waters. To warn. Oncoming traffic. To stop. But people drove around. The barricade. Into the swift water.

[31:35] And they. They perished. Because they. Disregarded the warning. The danger. And it's the same. Spiritually so. There's many warning signs.

[31:46] There's many. Preachers saying. You're going the wrong way. Do a U-turn. There's many. That stand. And warn. And.

[31:57] Implore people. Trust Christ. Trust him now. But. They are. Ignored. And your witness is ignored. As we know. When we go witnessing.

[32:08] Sometimes. It's just a slam door. In your face. And they've made their decision. And friends. That door. Is going to shut. For them too. It'll shut to them. As the door shut.

[32:20] In Noah's day. God shut the door. Bang. No more. No more chance. And there's no second chances. There's an urgent warning.

[32:31] If you're outside of Christ. Turn. To Christ. Don't. Miss that detour. And go.

[32:42] To your destruction. There's another warning. It says. The soul that sinneth. It shall die. Ezekiel 18. 4. I implore.

[32:54] Those who are outside of Christ. To trust him. A warning ignored.

[33:05] Is a shameful thing. Isn't it? There's a need for warning. Of a hell to shun. To heed this book. It's full of warnings. There's many warnings. Yet many.

[33:18] Disregard it. But we neglect. The Bible. At our peril. We must listen. To the warnings.

[33:29] Or face destruction. Thankfully. If we heed this book's warning. And receive its great treasure. We can know. A great reward. And that's the last point.

[33:40] That this is the perfect book. For rewarding. And don't you like to have some rewards. Some acknowledgement. Some. Some. Receiving. Some gift.

[33:52] It says. In keeping of them. There is great reward. If we would trust the. Saviour of this book. If we would trust the message. Of the gospel. Of this book. If we would trust.

[34:02] Our hearts. Keeping. To the Saviour. It says. There is great reward. There is great reward. Spurgeon said. I'll miss that. Sorry. That this book is.

[34:14] It tells of a great reward. A great reward. A great treasure store. Wonderful benefits. And there is a great profit. A rich profit. To be gained. The Bible speaks about. A pearl of great price.

[34:25] We can't think. There is a price. You can't put on this. It's priceless. Isn't it? To you that believe. He is precious. We can't reckon. His value.

[34:36] It's of great price. There is a price tag. We can't. Really reckon. In earthly. Language. And there is great reward. There is tremendous benefit.

[34:47] For you that trust Christ. Nothing compares. And friends. It tells us that. Our Lord is coming. And it tells us how. He says.

[34:59] I come quickly. In other words. This is. It's. He's at the doors. It's the last hour.

[35:12] Time. Time. Is. Running out. And he says. My reward is with me. To give every man.

[35:22] According as his work shall be. Now of course we know. The reward for the believer. Is. Salvation is a gift. It's not earned. It's. Entirely of his. Crediting.

[35:33] Of his. Merit. And yet. There's a wonderful rewarding. That comes. For you that know him. John Newton. The writer of.

[35:43] Amazing Grace said. Some books are copper. Some are gold. But the Bible alone. Is like a book. All made up of bank notes. You know this. It's. It's precious.

[35:54] It's precious. The word of God. And there's a rewarding here. For you that would heed it. This precious book. Leads us to. Our maker. The one who.

[36:04] Gave his life's blood. At the cross. There's. Reward there. To know him. There was a prominent citizen. In a town. Dying. And there they were.

[36:15] In some stately home. All the best doctors. Were around. His bedside. And he whispered. With a note of despair. I'm leaving home. I'm leaving home.

[36:27] But across town. There lay. A solitary figure. In surroundings bare. Her modest home. Contained just threadbare things. There was scarcely. Much there.

[36:39] To see. Of her. Earthly wealth. And in her eye. Was a gleam. And she. Was heard to say. Before she died. I'm going home.

[36:50] I'm going home. You know. There's a tremendous reward there. Isn't there? Our home is not here. But our reward. Is yet to come. Our heavenly home.

[37:01] Made possible. Because of the shed blood of Christ. On our part. Dying in our place. There's a reward. That comes. Because. He's paid it all.

[37:12] And he offers it. To you that believe. So friends. This is the perfect book for you. The perfect book. It brings hope. Peace. Light. Purpose. Assurance. Most of all.

[37:23] It brings the Lord. God. And his glad message. Of new life. Eternal life. Know it in your mind. Stow it in your heart. Show it in your life. And sow it. In the world.

[37:35] Friends. There's so many things. There's some. Precious things we could say. About the word of God. We're just really. Scratching the surface here. But here's what some.

[37:47] Writers said. About the Bible. It says. This book is the mind of God. The state of man. The way of salvation. The doom of sinners. The happiness of believers.

[37:57] Its doctrines are holy. Its precepts are binding. Its histories are true. And its decisions are immutable. Can it be changed? Read it to be wise.

[38:07] Believe it to be safe. Practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you. Food to support you. Comfort to cheer you. It is the traveller's map.

[38:19] The pilgrim's staff. The pilot's compass. The soldier's sword. And the Christian's character. Here paradise is restored. Heaven opened. And the gates of hell disclosed.

[38:30] Christ is. Its grand subject. Our good. Its design. And the glory of God. Its end. It should fill the memory. Rule the heart. And guide the feet. Read it slowly.

[38:42] Frequently. Prayerfully. It is a mind of wealth. A paradise of glory. A river of pleasure. Follow its precepts. And it will lead you. To Calvary. To the empty tomb.

[38:53] To a resurrected life in Christ. Yes. To glory itself. For eternity. Surely there is great reward here. There is great reward.

[39:04] What will you do. With the word of God. Here's what. A preacher. Will before said. There's four things we ought to do. With the word of God.

[39:15] Admit it as the word of God. Commit it. To our hearts and minds. Submit to it. And transmit it. To the world. Admit it as the word of God.

[39:26] Commit it to our hearts and minds. Submit to it. And transmit it. To the world. So friends. This perfect book. It brings a converting. It converts us.

[39:37] If we'll heed the gospel message. It declares. And trust the saviour. It presents. This book. This perfect book. Converts us. It makes us wise.

[39:49] It rejoices our hearts. It enlightens our eyes. It warns us. It rewards us. So apply the word. Let us be not hearers only.

[40:02] But doers of it. Seek God helping you. To make it a habit. To have the word. Make the word. A habit. In your life.

[40:13] To take it. To consume it. To digest it. To chew it over. To meditate upon it. To memorise it. To hide it in your heart.

[40:24] One last final fun fact. The last word in the Bible. Is. Amen. Amen. Let's pray. Lord we thank you for your word.

[40:35] For its converting power. For its enlightening. For its drawing. Unto you. For its rewarding. For the great precious treasure trove that it is.

[40:45] That we can know your truth from it. Lord it's a wisdom. An enlightenment. That nothing compares with. There's no other book. In any library.

[40:56] Of men. Than this one book. The perfect book. Lord we thank you for it. That. Men have bled and died. They've been. Tied to a stake.

[41:08] And burnt. Because they. Helped to print this book. In our language. Lord. That they were. Slain. Even. Surely.

[41:18] Just for. Translating this book. Into. Our. English tongue. Lord we thank you for the great. History of this book. And that. It is. Really.

[41:29] Something we ought to treasure. And value. That it is. Of greater value than. The purest. The finest of gold. And. Sweeter than the honey. Even fresh from the honeycomb.

[41:42] Lord help us to have that value of it. And. More so Lord. To live it. To apply it. To. Sow it as a seed. To. Share it.

[41:52] To transmit it. That we can. Know that wonderful. Sight of seeing one born again. Because. Of that. That imperishable. Incorruptible seed.

[42:04] That it is. A seed. That can germinate. And. Bring forth. A flourishing. Abundant life. Of a saved.

[42:15] Soul. And Lord help us to grow. In that. Learning of it. And application of it. Lord. We pray if there's any yet to be saved. That they will simply cry out.

[42:27] Lord save me. Help me. Even as this. Some simple. Just two word prayers in your word. That says help me. Save me. Lord. As we see.

[42:37] Even the thief on the cross. Scarcely said anything. Lord remember me. When you come in your kingdom. And yet. He was saved. And. Assuredly.

[42:48] As we trust you. We can know. That saving. That sure salvation. And this sure book. Is assured for us. And it's promises. Are for us.

[42:59] Help us Lord. To live it. We pray. In your precious name. Lord Jesus. We ask. Amen.