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[0:00] A famine of hearing the word. A famine of hearing the word. Where is the word of God?! It's conspicuously absent in the world today, in churches today.

[0:13] ! The word of God, it's kind of thrown out the window. It's kind of missing. It's not there. And who cares? Who cares? It's like nobody seems to bother that the Bible is not revered and upheld and ministered and received, studied and acted upon.

[0:32] We should care. We should care about the word of God. And the fact that, as the prophet says, it will become scarce. And you could see that in some ways in our present time, I put to you.

[0:48] You see, in some churches, it's like they scarcely open the pages of the Bible and the preacher might scarcely refer to the Bible. And it's lacking. It's missing.

[0:59] And at times we can individually, being honest, we can lack the word of God in our homes, in our personal times. And the word of God is so critical.

[1:11] It's so important. So vital for us. As we know, Romans 10, 17 says, Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. It's the very source of our faith.

[1:23] The message of salvation is in these pages. It's the word of life. It's the word of truth. It's a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces.

[1:34] It's a fire. It's water. There's so much that the Bible says about itself. It's that living seed. And faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God.

[1:45] So for belief to come, for saving faith to come, we need to hear the word of God. So hearing the word of God is a problem when there's a famine of hearing the word, which the prophet says will come.

[1:58] And God's word is so important. As we can grasp it, as we know individual believers, how vital it is. It's our nourishment. It's our nurture. It's our sustenance.

[2:08] It's a matter of spiritual life and death that we have this book, this word, this life. And it says that there will be a famine, not of bread or of water, but of hearing the word of the Lord.

[2:20] It's a real issue. It's a real manifest problem that the prophet said would come. And I believe these features are happening now. The lack of the word of God is happening now.

[2:32] The real Bible is missing, for one. And then real Bible preaching is missing for another. It's becoming scarce as bread in a time of famine. And it's just what the enemy of our soul wants.

[2:44] He wants to keep us from this book. As we know, there's some governments in this world that this book is banned. It's on the banned list and they can get sent to prison for who handle it or prints it and publish it.

[2:58] A famine of the real word of God. That word for which thousands of men and women have suffered down through church history. I'll just give him a hand there.

[3:10] The word of God, thousands have shed their blood through church history. The chair's a bit tight there. All right. Sorry, everyone.

[3:20] We might just hold things for a moment. I'll just attend to him. A little bit of an accident for those that are watching. All right. Can we put him on the walker?

[3:32] That would be better. We've just got a little accident happening for those that are watching the service. So thanks, everybody, for helping. Yeah, we'll sit him on the walker.

[3:43] He's had a little stumble there. Yeah, there we go. All right. Yeah, you're okay there? All right, Michael.

[3:55] Maybe put him in a bit of a better position. Maybe swing it a bit. Does he need a drink of water or something? Here, Stuart. Here you go. All right.

[4:07] We'll just continue there. Sorry, everyone. And we just... That's okay. We'll pray for Michael that he's okay. Those chairs can be a bit uncomfy. So it was a bit of a difficulty for him.

[4:19] So many thousands of people through church history have suffered that we might have this book. It's a fact, isn't it? You know, people have gone to the stake, literally to be burnt at the stake, so we can have these words in our own language today.

[4:36] And so just to have it translated into English... Oh, here, Gloria. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[5:14] We've even got a Bible. As we know, in some countries where it's illegal, it's restricted, and it's forbidden, they tear pages out and say, look, I'll swap you a page and you swap me a page.

[5:27] And then they kind of memorize it. That's what's happening in some countries around the planet today. And where they end up in prison for their faith, they recite the word to one another as they've hidden it in their hearts.

[5:39] So we would do well to remember the word of God, hide it in our hearts. Think about how blessed we truly are to have a Bible and to be able to get one, as well as study notes and various Christian materials that can help us study the word.

[5:55] We're so blessed today in this postmodern world. And yet, because we are so blessed, sometimes I think we take it for granted. I know sometimes where we can get Bible software and study programs and such, we can take it for granted that we've got access to such things.

[6:11] But in this postmodern world where there's a culture that's kind of saturated with godless philosophies, and it's like people, they've got so many distractions to take them away from studying the Bible, from even opening the pages of it.

[6:27] And look, I can admit that it affects me sometimes. There's so many things that take you away from what we need to be in, the word of God.

[6:37] And to be able to, as David demonstrated, just to come up, just to share what's on our hearts, share those scriptures that God has planted in our hearts, and to be able to minister the word to one another.

[6:50] We need to have the word hidden in our heart, have it there as that seed that is within us. And yet, in this culture we're living in, it's so godless, and it's full of godless philosophies, and churches can be geared away from the word, so that it's all about the entertainment and not the Bible.

[7:12] And that's a real concern, where some people come to worship, but it's all about amusement or entertainment. And the word tells us of such a time as this. In 2 Timothy chapter 3, Paul writes to Timothy, He tells us of perilous times to come, perilous times, such times as there will be no straightforward preaching.

[7:33] It'll be a time perilous. We read there in 2 Timothy 3, in part it says how Paul urges Timothy of the coming judgment.

[7:48] He says that Christ shall come, he shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing. And he says, Preach the word, be instant in season and out of season. Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

[8:03] For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts shall heap to themselves teachers having itching ears, and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

[8:20] I was just talking with a brother in the last few days, and he was saying that someone asked Brian Houston what his success was, as far as the big mega church that Brian Houston runs there in Hillsong.

[8:38] And he says that he scratches where people itch. He actually admitted it. He actually admitted what this Bible verse is saying, that they shall heap to themselves teachers having itching ears, you know.

[8:52] Have you got an itchy ear there? I'll scratch it for you. You know, and it's like, that's not what the word wants us to be like, to have preachers that scratch people where they itch, but to have the word of God in season, out of season, to reprove, rebuke, to exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

[9:11] That's gone out the window, because now it's storytelling. It's being turned unto fables. And it's postmodernism is the kind of culture that we're in.

[9:22] It's the sad culture of our day that we see impacting even in church circles too. And postmodernism, it's not just every man doing what is right in his own eyes, as it talks about in Judges 17, 6, Judges 21, 25.

[9:40] Postmodernism is not just every man doing what's right in their own eyes, but it's actually taking it further, a rejection of all truth, especially foundational truth, absolute truth, final authority truth.

[9:55] That's rejected, because it's all about what is your truth or my truth. And there can be this greyness, this fuzziness, that there is no rock-solid truth.

[10:07] But we know for us as believers, yes, there is. There is a final authority. There is a word we can count upon as absolutely true. Yet the word is under unrelenting attack today from the enemy of our soul.

[10:21] And it always has been. The enemy assaults and attacks the word of God. He always has done, and it's his modus operandi. Men of faith cry out, if the foundations be destroyed, what shall?

[10:36] What can the righteous do? The foundations be destroyed. What can the righteous do? Psalm 11, verse 3. But the postmodernists and those who have this culture believe there is no absolute written truth.

[10:50] Nothing can be known with certainty. So they live in this fog, in this fuzziness, in this airy-fairiness, this fuzzy-wuzziness. And they have a fuzzy-wuzzy kind of God.

[11:01] It's all uncertain and unknown. It's not founded upon the scriptures. And we see this famine of the word of God. A famine in the land.

[11:11] A famine in a society that's obsessed with pleasure and seeking pleasure and descending into lawlessness. As we see, it doesn't take much to set it off. As we see in some countries around the world where lawlessness can just break out across a nation.

[11:27] They'll invade airports and close the country down. There's this sense where a country can come to a grinding halt as a breakdown of law and order and structure and system can happen for whatever reason.

[11:43] And there's this reality that could happen. As you see in some states and cities like in America where suddenly there's riots and people just smashing windows and breaking into stores and chaos can just take over and overtake.

[12:00] When there's no law and order, there's no structure and decency and sense of right, there can be this total breakdown that can happen just like that.

[12:13] You know, someone twitters and calls for some riot, some protest. And before you know it, it descends into lawlessness. That's the kind of world we're living in. It's a tinderbox, isn't it, at times.

[12:25] A man's record through history can be traced through the pages of Scripture. We can learn through the examples of Scripture, the men and women of God and the men and women who are not of God and their records through Scripture.

[12:38] And we can see and learn from their tragedies, faults and failings. But today people ignore that. They'll turn from the word to be taken over by fables.

[12:49] And no wonder society is reeling. There's this undermining. There's no foundation or a very flaky, faulty one. There's a watering down such that there is no truth. It's all questioned and undermined and in doubt.

[13:02] And people then turn to scepticism and unbelief because there's been a breakdown of the sufficiency of Scripture. A sufficiency of Scripture. That's another issue in some church circles where they're denying the sufficiency of Scripture.

[13:19] They've got to have something more. They've got to have something else. Something plus. The Scripture plus. Or even putting the Scripture aside and it's all about new revelations and new perceptions and feelings and understandings and supposed prophecies and such.

[13:35] Where is the faithful preaching? There's a famine in the land. Where are the faithful watchmen? Where are those who will have a plea, an urging, a rebuking, an exhorting, a plea to repenting, a gospel declaration?

[13:52] It's missing. It's gone. It's gone. And so we see a church where the Bible is missing. What a reproach. What a tragedy. We see Christians without Bibles. Christians who don't turn to their Bibles or scarcely will.

[14:06] Christians who don't turn to their Bibles or scarcely will. Spiritually bankrupt. A spiritually bankrupt church. The church of Laodicea of Revelation 3 where it says you're wretched, poor, miserable, blind, naked.

[14:18] In contrast to the church of Philadelphia where we see in Revelation 3 verse 8 what made the difference with the church of Philadelphia, the church of brotherly love. It says Revelation 3 verse 8 in part they kept his word.

[14:34] They kept his word. That's what made the difference. Are we going to be a church of Laodicea or a church of Philadelphia? It's a famine in the land. Let's not be like the Laodiceans where they are succumbing to the spirit of the world.

[14:50] What is the spirit of the world? There's this global spirituality now. It's not like the world is not spiritual. They're very spiritual some of them. Very, very spiritual.

[15:01] There's these philosophies. There's Mother Earth. There's relativism. And there's this talk. There's lots of talk about spirituality. But the fact is the devil is very spiritual.

[15:14] And we see some very spiritual people when we're going witnessing and talking to people about the Lord. And you can see a lot of spiritual people that have had spiritual experiences or church experiences or religious experiences.

[15:29] But they are lost. There's an angel of light. And he's still active. He's Satan. There's a book titled Satan is Alive and Well on Planet Earth.

[15:39] And I can believe it. There's a spiritual famine coming that the word of God prophesies for us. Where are the spiritually hungry ones when it's a time of famine? We should get hungry for it, shouldn't we?

[15:50] We should hunger and thirst for his word to feed our soul. We should run to the word and seek the word and study the word. Take time to get where the word is.

[16:03] Matthew 5 verse 6, it says, Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. Amos talks of this time of a famine, a lack of understanding of God's word.

[16:20] It's not like the word has changed. It's still here for us. It's just we've gone away from it. It says that the grass withereth and the flower fadeth, but the word of our God shall stand forever.

[16:34] Isaiah 40 verse 8. The word of our God shall stand forever. It's standing, it's sure, it's rock solid. We can count upon it. We can take it as red and take action upon it.

[16:47] There's a permanency, a purity to the word. And the truth matters. The Lord Jesus says the word of God is the truth. John 17, 17. But what's happening in our day, truth is fallen in the street.

[17:01] Isaiah 59, 14. Truth is fallen in the street. It's like people throw something on the street that they don't value. It's worthless to them.

[17:12] You know, being near a shopping centre here, they eat their pasty and they throw their pasty wrapper on the floor. Someone else will pick it up. That's just rubbish. I don't need that anymore.

[17:22] That's how they treat things these days. It's just, they just discard it. Throw it on the street, literally. The sweet wrappers, the lolly wrappers, the food wrappers and containers.

[17:36] They just throw it on the street. And Isaiah tells how the truth is fallen in the street. It's like it's just treated like garbage. They don't value it. It's just treated like rubbish. Because careless people see no value in the word of God.

[17:50] And yet for we that believe this is precious, it's the living word of God. It's alive. It's active. It's powerful. It's sharper than any two-edged sword. John Huster, Bohemian martyr, said it well.

[18:02] What happened to him?

[18:15] He was burnt at the stake for his faith in the word of God, for his firm foundation. He never recanted from the truth that was living in his soul.

[18:25] He was a saved and God-blessed man that stood in a time of spiritual darkness and decay, in a time of famine. He wanted to seek, listen, teach, love, abide and stand firmly for the truth to defend it to the end.

[18:42] Friends, the word of God is something we should hold dearly and value and esteem. It has authority, this book. Authority. Authority. It's where the authority of our systems of government and law come from.

[18:56] You know, when you stand and they say, put your hand on the book, you know, declare the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth. They still hold it in that regard, in that esteem.

[19:07] As much as you wonder whether it's, there's a degree of question whether we should swear, as it were, because the Bible says swear not at all. But nevertheless, there is that sense that there is authority such that it's stamped on this book.

[19:20] It's stamped with authority and with regard. The word of God, it has authority. And yet, for these days, sometimes the flawed interpretations of men are peddled as God's word.

[19:35] There's these machinations and ministries of men that are astray from God's word, that seem to have people's hearing more and more.

[19:47] And there's this wide variation in churches that causes confusion and doubt. And likewise, too, with the multiplicity of Bible versions. It just causes such confusion.

[19:59] God is not the author of confusion. People and preachers are turning to their inner thoughts and their imaginations, their dreams, as truth for the conduct of their lives.

[20:11] We're not to do that. If they speak not according to the word, it's because there's no light in them. If only people would heed the authority of the word of God and regard the authority.

[20:22] This is the authority. Not man, not church, not religion, not philosophy, not interpretation. The book. The book is the authority. And we can have confidence in the book of God.

[20:33] Amen? We can have confidence in it. And it has soul-changing, soul-saving power. There was an actor who was playing in a sacrilegious play.

[20:46] He was an unsaved man. And he was given the role to play the role of Christ in a sacrilegious play. You know, it was a mockery.

[20:57] It was a mockery of Christ. And this man, his name was Alexander Rostovsev. And he was in the Moscow Theatre. And he was some kind of reputed, I guess, a comedian, a performer.

[21:13] And he was dressed up in the robes of Christ. And he was supposed to read two verses from the Sermon on the Mount to then remove his gown and cry out, give me my tuxedo and top hat.

[21:25] He was kind of going to close the performance with this kind of throwaway line that made Christ look, to ridicule Christ. And so he started to read the words.

[21:37] He had the word of God in his hand. And he was playing the role of Christ and reading these words. He said, And then he began to tremble.

[21:54] And instead of following the script that he should have done, he kept on reading Matthew chapter 5. He kept on reading the Sermon on the Mount as he was trembling at the word, as he was quaking at the word, as the word was convicting him.

[22:07] And as he was reading these words of Matthew 5, he started to ignore the coughs and the calls and the kind of stamping and the, Hey, what are you doing, sort of calling out from the other actors who are trying to get him back on the script.

[22:23] And finally, he recalled a verse he had learnt from his childhood in a Russian Orthodox church. He cried, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. Luke 23, 42, He recollected that word that had been planted in him as a child.

[22:45] Remember me when you come into your kingdom. And before the curtain could be lowered, Rostosev had trusted Jesus Christ as his personal saviour.

[22:55] This word has authority. It's got soul-changing power. It's soul-converting power. Amen. The word of God. It can save a soul. Faith comes by hearing. Hearing by the word of God.

[23:06] Even for an unbeliever who takes this book and tries to mock it and scorn it, to deride it, to undermine it, to try to find fault with it. It speaks to the heart and saves the soul.

[23:17] The word of God. The word of God is life. In Luke 4, verse 4, the Lord Jesus says, It is written, as he was speaking to Satan, that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

[23:32] It's how we are to live. By the word. By the word. Brother, sister, let's not neglect the word. It's our life source. It's got power to change lives, to transform us, to transform people.

[23:44] There's a story told of the evangelist John Wesley. He was returning home from a service one night and he was robbed. Some thief, some bandits came and robbed him as he was on the trail.

[23:57] And the thief, however, found that his victim had little to no money and just some Christian literature. And as the bandit was leaving, Wesley called out, Stop! I have something more to give you.

[24:09] And the surprise robber said, My friend, sorry, the surprise robber paused and Wesley said this, My friend, you may live to regret this sort of life.

[24:20] If ever you do, here's something to remember. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin. And the thief hurried away and Wesley prayed that his words might bear fruit.

[24:33] Years later, Wesley was at a service greeting people and a stranger approached him. And to his surprise, he found that this visitor was that man who was the bandit, the robber, the thief who had stolen from him.

[24:48] And now he was a successful businessman. And he says, I owe it all to you. Oh no, my friend, Wesley exclaimed, not to me, but to the precious blood of Christ that cleanses us from all sin.

[25:02] This book tells you about the blood of Jesus Christ that cleanses you from all sin. And it can change your heart. Just as that word planted in the mind of that thief, it brought fruit later.

[25:14] And we can do that too. As we witness, as we share, as we testify, as we declare scripture, that scripture will be planted.

[25:26] And God helping it will bear fruit. So be alert to these things. Be alert to the undermining of the word of God today. Because we are under attack.

[25:37] We are under assault. Under assault. For me, it seems like it's never before. Perhaps there's times through history it has been harder.

[25:47] But it seems like it's escalating to me now. You might consider, certainly it's not, the climate is not favourable to the word of God. As we see what the media paints, the left wing, the radical anti-Christian bias that is kind of saturating media of all kinds these days.

[26:10] It's like they find every reason they can to paint Christians as bigots or, you know, you name it, the hate words that they call us. And it's Satan's policy of evil, isn't it, that's at the base of this, all of this.

[26:23] And it happened right back in the garden, in the garden of Eden, where Satan caused confusion. And I know we talked about it on Thursday last, about Satan and Eve herself started to mess with the scriptures.

[26:40] They started to change it and twist it and alter it and question it. As we see in Genesis 3, we see that the word of God was questioned right back then, right at the foundation stages of history.

[26:57] Right there with the first man and the first woman. Satan questioned the word of God in Genesis 3. Notice that he led it off in a positive way. He says, yes, yay.

[27:10] Did God say that? This is Genesis 3 verse 1. And the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. Genesis 3 verse 1. And he said unto the woman, yay.

[27:22] Hath God said, you shall not eat of every tree of the garden? God's word was subtracted from. Eve altered the words of God.

[27:33] And she said, the woman said unto the serpent, we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden. She left out the word freely. So there's just that one word can make a big difference.

[27:44] The word freely was left out. Because in Genesis 2 verse 16, what had God actually said? The Lord God commanded the man saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat.

[27:57] So there was a deletion of a word freely. That can make a big difference. The word freely is important. For example, Romans 3 verse 24, it says, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

[28:10] We're justified. But more than that, we're justified freely through his grace. Taking a word out can make a big difference. And so God's word has been subtracted from.

[28:21] And likewise, God's word is added to. As Eve talked about touching the fruit. In Genesis 3 verse 3, she put it, Eve said, God had said, neither shall you touch it.

[28:46] But again, she was adding to the word of God in that case. In Genesis 3 verse 3. So not only subtracting, but adding to the word of God. We know at the end of the book in Revelation, it talks about, we must not add or take away from the word of God.

[29:01] God's word has been added to. It's been subtracted from. It's been watered down. Where we see modern paraphrases and these kind of flaky sense translations, rather in the substance, the faithful translation that we have here in our hands today.

[29:19] God's word was denied. He said, you shall not surely die. Satan said, you shall not surely die. But of course, we know the wages of sin is death.

[29:31] What God said has happened, is happening, and will happen until Christ comes. So Satan's policy is to destroy the final authority of the word of God.

[29:43] It's denied. It's disregarded today. Friends, it's like it's been put aside. Do we revere the word of God?

[29:54] Do we honour it? I urge you today to not disregard the Bible in your own personal life as personal Christians, in your own personal study. To disregard the Bible is an insult to our divine author, the word of God.

[30:08] He's given it for you. I know as a young man, when I was in the early stages, I had a Bible given to me, and it sat on the shelf gathering dust until it came to a point where I truly sought after God.

[30:27] And that Bible was just gathering, literally gathering dust. And we can disregard the Bible, can't we? We can put it aside such that we never open its pages. We need to value this book, to value the book, considering those that have died in translating it, in offering it, in publishing it, in circulating it, such that we have it printed now.

[30:50] The whole of it, in times past, some have just had parts of it. We've got the whole book in the whole cover of the book. So we need to value the Bible. And regard the inspiration of the Bible, the authority of the Bible.

[31:03] Just a couple of things to wrap up. There's a couple of things particularly to take the notice of, and I'm sure many would have heard of these two critical things.

[31:13] Firstly, inspiration. Inspiration. In other words, man to paper. The human author put the pen to paper, but they were inspired.

[31:25] They were moved of God to pen the words. And the words were written down. Man wrote down what God wanted him to write. The words are God's words.

[31:36] Inspiration. God breathed. God breathed it. And the human author wrote God's words down as given unto them. In 2 Timothy 3.16 it says, All scripture is given by inspiration of God.

[31:53] And it's profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, and so on. The inspiration is given by inspiration.

[32:04] Number one. And secondly, illumination. So, inspiration was man to paper. The human author to the paper. Illumination is paper to the soul. Paper to the soul.

[32:16] Illumination. Such that not only has he inspired his word, but he illuminates his word to us. He turns the lights on so we can see what it means, what it says.

[32:26] We can put it into our own life and make it live in the fibre of our own being. Illumination is paper to the soul. Such that the Holy Spirit gets the words off the paper and puts them in here.

[32:39] Amen. Puts them in our heart. He takes it from the page and puts it into the person. That's illumination. And this is the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit. God's word builds sound doctrine in your soul.

[32:52] We know it says that there's a scripture that talks about he's revealed them unto us by his spirit.

[33:02] This is 1 Corinthians 2 verse 10. And there's another scripture that I don't have written down. It talks about these things are spiritually discerned, aren't they?

[33:16] They're spiritually discerned. So there's that sense where to get that illumination, we don't treat this just as an ordinary book, but we ask the divine author's understanding to be given to us.

[33:28] We prayerfully turn these pages. When we see something we don't understand, we pray and ask the Lord to reveal what he's saying to us.

[33:39] And we use scripture to interpret scripture. So the word of God is illuminated. God projects his light upon these pages and illuminates our soul.

[33:50] He gives us understanding, spiritual discernment and understanding. And the Holy Ghost teaches comparing spiritual things with spiritual. That's 1 Corinthians 2 verse 13.

[34:01] And 1 Thessalonians 2 verse 13 it says, You've received the word of God which you've heard of us. You've received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh in them that believe.

[34:19] Paul's saying to the Thessalonians, this is 1 Thessalonians 2 verse 13, You've received the word of God. You've received our word, the apostles' word, the apostles' letters and writings, not as the word of men, but as the word of God.

[34:34] As they declared it in voice and as they penned it on paper in the books of the Bible, you've received the word of God which you've heard of us.

[34:45] Not as the word of men, but as it is in truth. The word of God which effectually works in everyone that believes. So friends, there's that sense that this word works.

[34:56] It works in us. And it's received from God. It is the word of God. And let's be mindful in this postmodern world when there's such a rejection of the word of God.

[35:07] When there's this seeming famine of the word of God. Where it's absent, where it's missing. Where there's churches where they scarcely refer to the text of the word of God.

[35:17] Or this lack of authority of the word of God. Because they're talking through paraphrases and faulty translations. We have the Bible here in this cover of this book.

[35:30] And we can take it as read. We can believe it. And it effectually works in you that believe. So to wrap up, friends, recognise I put to you tonight that we can, each one of us, God helping us, recognise the times that we're living in.

[35:46] We should be understanding of the times. As the word urges us to be such people. That we understand the times we're living in. And recognise as Amos prophesied would come.

[35:57] That there is a famine in the land. And be mindful of the importance of the word of God. In the light of that. Where there is a famine. Where there's, it's as if the supermarkets haven't got shelves filled with stuff.

[36:12] And there's a scarcity. Likewise, there's a spiritual scarcity. Where we need to go searching for it and finding it. Tuning into good gospel preaching. Where we can get it over media.

[36:24] Or in person by attending. That we can come where the word is opened. And revealed. And ministered to us. That we can be where the word of God is.

[36:37] To sustain our souls. And even more so as you think. Potentially in future time. Where this book will be declared illegal. Potentially. There's talks of such things here and there.

[36:50] Because there's people who hate this book. They really hate the Bible. Don't they? They really hate it. And we know of course. As people know in China for example.

[37:01] In certain countries. There's just this. This loathing of the word of God. It's dangerous. Because it can unsettle. Satan's system.

[37:12] That he wants. To keep people from this book. Any which way he can. And so as we realise the importance of this book. We realise the context of the famine in the land.

[37:24] That we will search after this book. It is our source of truth. It is our source for faith. For authority. For power. To live the Christian life.

[37:34] To be stronger Christians. We need to be stronger students of the Bible. And to have that life with God. We need to feed off this life sustaining source.

[37:46] And yet the world will continue. To question. To undermine. To subtract from. To add to. To deny. But we have inspiration.

[37:57] This book is inspired. When we want to get a connection. When we want to get God breathed. Truth. Inspiration. Is in this book.

[38:08] And when we need illumination. Which we always need. As we open this book. Let's not treat it. Flippantly. Or carelessly. Or heedlessly. Let's seek God for that illumination.

[38:19] That he will make it. Clear to us. That we can. Have the paper. To the soul. Illumination. When the word of God.

[38:30] Is going to be scarce. And rare. We need to. Be seekers. After it. Every word of God. Is pure. He is a shield. Unto them. That put their trust in him.

[38:41] Proverbs 30. Verse 5. Every word of God. Is pure. You know. It makes me wonder. When you see. You get some Bibles. And it says. In the. In the small writing.

[38:52] Down the bottom. Hath God said. It's just about. Isn't it? Oh this is missing. In some of the manuscripts. Probably. Five out of 5,000. Don't have this. This. Word. Or something or other.

[39:03] And there's this. The devil's casting doubt. Even in the pages. Of people's Bibles. Amen. That's what's happening. Yea. Hath God said. Yea. Hath God said. Yes. God has said.

[39:14] God has said. And we can take it. As read. We can believe it. As true. Every word of God. Is true. Every word of God. Is pure. And he's purified his word. He's preserved his word.

[39:25] Such that you can have confidence in it. And of course. There's many more. Academic arguments. And much more authority. I could give. To convince those. That might.

[39:36] Question what I've just said. But friends. It is. Valid. And authoritative. And you can trust. His word. Amen.

[39:47] Let's pray. Lord we thank you. That your word. Is pure. And we can put our confidence in it. Lord we thank you. That. Faith comes by hearing. And this book.

[39:58] Tells us the message. Of eternal salvation. It can tell us the way. To know how we can be saved. And to know that we are truly. Saved. Eternally saved.

[40:09] And eternally heaven bound. Because it tells us the message. Of your saving love. Lord that took you to the cross. And Lord help us to be. Esteeming your word.

[40:21] Help us to realize that which. What it cost. What it cost us. Not just the cost of a book. But. The cost of. Lives that were. Persecuted.

[40:33] And tortured. And killed. That we might have these words. In our language Lord. Help us to treasure this book. Lord help us to study your word. Help us to put it into our hearts.

[40:43] And minds. Help us to remember it. To memorize it. Help us to do that Lord. That we might be a people of the book. And most especially to put it. Into action in our lives Lord.

[40:54] To illuminate us. When we open its pages. That your Holy Spirit. Would guide us into truth. And help us to see and discern error. In such a time as this. In Jesus name.

[41:06]  We pray. Amen. Amen.