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[0:00] Now, I know I was watching some of you and I've seen about at least three people yawn already. And that's even before I've started preaching.! Oh, no, a fourth one!

[0:10] Now, as many start talking about yawning, people start yawning. So if you need a good yawn, yawn now. Get it out of your system. So fasten your seatbelts and get ready for the Word of God.

[0:22] Hebrews chapter 1. Hebrews chapter 1. We're going to move around a little here around some words about the Word of God. It's okay. The Word of God.

[0:32] The Word of God. It's 66 books written some 40 people across three continents in three languages over a 1600-year period.

[0:45] Massive, isn't it? So many people, so many writers, such a big, long period, yet one consistent theme throughout. It truly is a wonderful book.

[0:55] The Word of God. Consider someone has written seven wonders of the Bible. Seven wonders. Hebrews 1. We'll get there, verse 3. But firstly, seven wonders of the Bible.

[1:06] The wonder of its formation. The way it grew. It's one of the mysteries of time. The wonder of its unification. 66 books. A library. Yet one book.

[1:18] The wonder of its age. It's the most ancient of all books. The wonder of its sale. It's the best seller of all time. The wonder of its interest. That it is the only book read by all classes of people.

[1:31] The wonder of its language. That it was written largely by uneducated men. Yet it is the best book of literary standpoint. And the wonder of its preservation. That we have it in our hands today in our language.

[1:44] The most hated of all books. Yet it continues to exist. The wonders of the Word. Hebrews 1.3 it says of our Lord. Hebrews 1.3 it says.

[1:56] Who being in the brightness of his glory. And the express of image of his person. And upholding all things by the word of his power. When he had sat.

[2:07] Sorry. When he had by himself purged our sins. Sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high. I know David likes this one, don't you? Upholding all things by the word of his power.

[2:19] It tells of the word of his power. His word. His very word. Upholds all things. It maintains. It sustains. His word.

[2:31] It's very precious and powerful. The wonderful word of God. Some thoughts around the word. Because it's such a precious book. We can't dig deep enough to mine the depths of treasures that are locked away here.

[2:45] The book is his word. And his word is powerful. Hebrews 4.12 tells us more about the word in particular. It tells us. For the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit of the joints and marrows.

[3:05] And is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Quick. Powerful. Alive. Powerful. Neither is there a creature that is not manifest in his sight.

[3:19] But all things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. This book tells us of the one with whom we have to deal. The Almighty.

[3:29] A writer has said this book is the mind of God. The state of man. The way of salvation. The doom of sinners and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy. Its precepts are binding.

[3:41] Its histories are true. And its decisions are immutable. Unchangeable. Read it to be wise. Believe it to be safe. Practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you.

[3:53] Food to support you. And comfort to cheer you. It is the traveller's map. The pilgrim's staff. The pilot's compass. The soldier's sword. The Christian's character.

[4:06] Christ is its grand object. Our good is its design. And the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory. Rule the heart.

[4:17] And guide the feet. Read it slowly. Frequently. Prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth. A paradise of glory. And a river of pleasure. The Bible.

[4:29] It's been said the Bible will keep you from sin. As sin will keep you from the Bible. Be close to the Bible. It tells us how the truth shall set you free.

[4:42] In John 8. In John 8.36. If the sun shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. John 8.36. This truth, this life-changing book has power to save a soul, to change a destiny, to change your eternal destination.

[4:59] If you'll hear its message. Trust the one who's written it for you. He says to you that his word has power. His power. The word has power to sanctify.

[5:12] In other words, to make us holy. That such as we can be made fit for heaven. That we can be made righteous, made holy, made clean. Sanctify them, he says.

[5:23] Through thy truth, thy word is truth. John 17. 17. He makes men holy by his word. And friends, his word is sufficient.

[5:34] Sufficient. This is a modern day error, a failing of churchdom in that they're getting away from the word. There's churches where they scarcely open the pages of the Bible.

[5:48] The preacher scarcely quotes it. It's all stories and fanciful illustrations. And I use illustrations, but we major on the message, not the other things.

[6:03] We major on the word. That's what we want to be. A word-based church. Word-driven. Word-founded church. And the problem is when the word is not sufficient, it becomes a big problem.

[6:19] We know the scriptures that Paul urged Timothy, as it's familiar to, Timothy 3.14-17. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learnt and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learnt them.

[6:36] And hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learnt them. And that from a child that has known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation.

[6:47] Through faith, which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God. And is profitable for doctrine. For reproof.

[6:57] For correction. For instruction in righteousness. That the man of God may be truly perfect. Truly furnished unto all good works. Able to make thee wise unto salvation.

[7:12] Profitable. Doctrine. Reproof. Correction. Instruction. Righteousness. When the Bible is not sufficient, it's thin ice, it's dangerous ground, isn't it?

[7:27] We see where some would add to the word of God with extra-biblical revelation. You know, I was in a bookshop lately and I like to look at books and buy books.

[7:39] One day I'll get some time to read some books. But we go to this bookshop and it was a Bible. And it was the Mormon Bible. They wanted $95 for it.

[7:51] I thought, no way. It was an old Bible. And it was like about so thick. It was had the Doctrine of Covenants and the Book of Mormon and the Pearl of Great Price or whatever.

[8:04] It was all in one folder. It was these writings of man mixed in with the word of God. How sad that is, isn't it? The sufficiency of scripture is enough for us.

[8:14] We don't add to the word of God. Joseph Smith's added to the word of God. Very sad. And many believe. What he puts inside the covers, well, what the Mormons put inside the covers of their Bible is two-thirds man's words.

[8:35] What's inside the cover of our Bibles is 100% God's word. Amen. We don't need some extra-biblical revelation. We don't need Ellen White's prophetical revelations and books and stories.

[8:48] We don't believe in Ellen White's extra-biblical revelation or Joseph Smith's extra-biblical revelation. And then you've got churches that believe in Kenneth Copeland's extra-biblical revelation or whoever it is who might get up and mouth some words of thus saith the Lord and believe in that person's extra-biblical revelation.

[9:08] We don't need extra-biblical revelation. That's not to say God can't reveal some things to us, but it won't be out of kilter. It won't be out of accord with the word.

[9:19] And we don't put it inside our Bibles and say it's holy scripture. Friends, the word of God is sufficient. That's the point. And if it's not in here, then we don't stand on it.

[9:31] We stand on the word. And his word is sufficient. His word is sufficient for evangelism such that everything that needs to be said about salvation is in this book.

[9:43] How to be saved? The message of salvation is in this book. This book is sufficient for evangelism. It tells us in 1 Peter 1, verse 23 through, it says, You've seen the grass on the side of the road starting to go dry already, isn't it?

[10:09] Starting to go brown. The grass is starting to dry. The flowers, I start looking in my yard, and some of the flowers are starting to go... The flowers fall.

[10:22] The grass withers. But the word of our God, it says, the word of the Lord endureth forever. This word is eternal. There's no... We don't need to revise it, as it were.

[10:33] There is no revision. It's here. It's forever. It's eternal. And this word, which by the gospel is preached unto you, it endures forever. Do we value it? Do we value it?

[10:44] A book that is eternal. A book that is immeasurably timeless and will be eternal.

[10:54] It endures forever. It is the gospel. Do we value it? Think of the word of God. Do we value it? Do we count it as valuable? Do we treasure it? Do we value it? In the year AD 303, the emperor Diocletian decreed that the Bible should be extinguished, that the Bible should be seized and destroyed.

[11:14] There was a man called Felix, a preacher of Carthage. And the mayor of the town found Felix had a Bible in his possession, and he ordered him, hand it over.

[11:26] Some were willing to hand over these scraps of parchment, but Felix, no. He treasured the Bible. He valued the word of God. And he ended up having to go to lay down his life.

[11:40] He'd rather lay down his life than surrender his Bible. What are we to do with the Bible? We should value it. What are we to do with it? We should meditate on it. In Joshua 1 verse 8, it says, This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night.

[11:58] Day and night. That thou mayest observe to do according to that is written therein. For then shalt thou make thy way prosperous, and then shalt thou have good success.

[12:09] Meditate therein. Hide the word of God in your heart. Scriptures like these that we're sharing tonight. Joshua 1 verse 8, The book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night.

[12:22] That thou may observe us to do that that is in it. Meditate. Meditate on the word of God. You know, you might just get a scripture, and you might study it and research it, or you might just have that scripture, just the words of scripture, flash into your mind.

[12:39] While you're resting, while you're having a sanctified snooze on a Sabbath, on the Lord's Day, just the words of scripture come to mind.

[12:49] Meditate. Day and night. You can get these audio scriptures, can't you? Play it on your car. Play it on your sound system.

[13:03] The truth will bless your soul. Meditate therein day and night. And let it abide in you. It's another thing to do with the word of God, is let the word of God abide in you. 1 John 2 verse 14, John says, I have written unto you fathers, because you have known him that is from the beginning.

[13:17] I have written unto you young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you. And ye have overcome the wicked one. Now there's some young men here tonight. The word of God abides in you.

[13:28] That's precious, isn't it? Precious. The word of God. That's why you're strong, because the word of God abides in you. Make it abide. Let it abide. Take some scripture.

[13:38] It's good to even write it down. Pen it down. Put it in your pocket. Pull it out. While you're doing your day by day, your job, your recreation, setting up the stoplights, wasting time, you can be meditating therein day and night.

[13:54] The word of God abiding in you. And it says in Colossians 3.16, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

[14:08] You can put a tune to scripture and hum it and whistle it and sing it. In the shower, when no one's looking, sing the word of God. Let it out.

[14:19] Let it out. And teaching and admonishing one another. That's why we like songs that have got content, that have got doctrine, that they're truthful. They are in accord with scripture.

[14:31] We can teach and admonish even while we're singing his praises. Let it dwell in you richly, it says. Richly so. And impart it to others. Don't keep it to yourself. It says to share it.

[14:41] Teaching and admonishing one another. Impart it. What can we do with the word of God? Translate it into action. There was a young man went home from a theological school and he thought he was so high and mighty and so scholarly and intellectual.

[14:59] And he thought, hey, grandma, it's just grandma, you know, it's just granny. Have a bit of fun at her expense. And he said, grandmother, you know the Bible that you say you believe was written in Hebrew and Greek.

[15:12] It had to be translated by great scholars into our language. How do you know those who translated it got it right? And granny said, ah, Jamie, lad, never mind the great men.

[15:24] I have translated a few of them promises myself. The word of God, you translate his promises yourself, don't you? You translate his promises into your life.

[15:35] You translate his word into your shoes. You translate the truths of scripture and his promises into your actions. Translate it into action. And continue in it.

[15:45] James 1.25. James says, but whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty and continueth therein, therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the word work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

[16:00] It says elsewhere, be doers of the word. This is not given to us such that we can park it and just theoretically believe it, but that we might translate it into our action, that we might translate it into life and let it live.

[16:15] Be doers of the word. There was a former heavyweight champion, George Foreman, wrote a book called God in My Corner. And he says in 1974, he was about to fight Muhammad Ali and someone gave him a Bible to take along on the trip to the fight.

[16:32] And he told George, he said, George, keep this with you for good luck. And George says, I believe the Bible was just a shepherd's handbook, probably because my only verse I knew was the Lord is my shepherd.

[16:46] But I was always looking for luck, so I carried the Bible with me. I had lucky pennies and good luck charms, so now I had a lucky Bible to add to my collection of superstitious items.

[16:57] And after I lost the fight, I threw the Bible away. I never opened it. I thought the Bible didn't help me to win, so why do I need it? I thought I'd get power simply from owning it.

[17:09] I didn't realise I needed to read it and believe it. Since then, I've come to understand the Bible is my roadmap, not my good luck charm.

[17:21] The Bible is my roadmap. It's not some good luck charm as if there's some superstitious magic to the book. It's the roadmap.

[17:33] It's the guide. It's his words. It's our blessed privilege to have a Bible. Hide it in your heart is another thing to do with your Bible.

[17:44] In Psalm 119, 9 through 11, Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word. It says, Thy word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against thee.

[18:01] Hide it in your heart. There's nothing more useful, I put to you, in my opinion, than to know the word of God.

[18:15] There's no greater knowledge. No greater subject. There's no greater learning. There's no greater endeavour. There's no greater value than the word.

[18:26] Let's face it. Nothing greater we could do with ourselves than to be students of the word. To know his word. To know his word. To learn his word.

[18:37] To meditate. To hide it in our heart. And another thing about the word is the word will cleanse. What will a young man do to cleanse his way? Take heed thereto according to thy word.

[18:49] It tells of the washing of water by the word. Ephesians 5, 26. He wants to sanctify and cleanse his church. We read of its cleansing power. You know, we hear of cults.

[19:02] They've got brainwashing. Well, we've got brainwashing and heartwashing as well. Because we can't have our mind cleansed from the filth and foulness of this world. Because the word of God can do a cleansing work, can't it?

[19:15] Deep down within. From tip to toe. Through our brain. Through our heart. Through our whole body and life. There is a good brainwashing, as it were. Of course, I'm not meaning to support brainwashing cults.

[19:27] But there's a brainwashing book. Amen. It'll save your soul. It'll make you whole. It'll sanctify and cleanse the washing of water by the word. We need that washing, don't we?

[19:38] You know some people? You meet some people in life and they need a good washing, don't they? You can tell. You know, we need a washing in the soul, don't we? We need a washing of our heart.

[19:49] We need a washing of our spirit. And the word will do that. And Jesus says, Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. John 15, 3.

[20:00] Ye are clean through the word I have spoken unto you. Gypsy Smith, an evangelist of old, told of a man who said he received no inspiration from the Bible, although he had gone through it several times.

[20:16] And Gypsy Smith said to this man, he said, I've gone through it. You know, I've read it cover to cover, inside out, back to front, over and over. I've gone through it several times. And the evangelist said, Let it go through you once.

[20:32] We can go through the Bible, but let the word go through you. Let the word work through you, in you. Then you'll tell a different story. It's when the word goes through you.

[20:44] Desire the word. Friends, there's so many scriptures and I'm just scratching the surface. And there's many more we could say here tonight to encourage a studying of the word, a receiving of the word.

[20:55] Now when the preacher preached in Acts, it says they received the word. They received the word gladly. It's not my word, it's his word. That's what matters. That's why there's a lot of Bible in this tonight.

[21:07] Psalm 19.7, it says, Now I'd like to have some gold, wouldn't you?

[21:40] Nice to have a safe hidden away and gold ingots there. But more, more, more, more, more, much more, much more to be desired than gold.

[21:51] Yay, then fine gold. Sweeter. Also than honey. There's some people who've got an appetite for honey here tonight.

[22:02] Who loves the honey? Honey out of the honeycomb. Oh, you know, you get that honeycomb and chew it like chewing gum. It's like just, it's beyond compare, isn't it?

[22:14] You know, you couldn't compare a Coca-Cola to a honey, could you? You know, some man-made kind of sugar or some sweet food or drink.

[22:26] There's nothing compares with honey. Sweeter also than honey. And the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is thy servant warned, and in keeping of them is great reward.

[22:38] More to be desired. Do we desire the word? Do we desire it such that we want to dig it, study it, hear it, get together and let it work?

[22:51] Let it work through you, in you. One day there was a skeptic who asked a highly cultured Christian woman how she could prove the Bible was the word of God. And she said to him, how can you prove there's a sun in the sky?

[23:05] And he said, because it warms me and I see its light. And so it is with me, she said. The proof of the book being the word of God is that it warms my soul and gives me light.

[23:16] Now this will warm your soul. This will give you light. It's more to be desired than gold, than fine gold. More to be desired than honey, than sweet honey, than this honey out of the honeycomb.

[23:27] It's more to be desired. And it warms me, it gives me light. I know it's true. And we should be as those in 1 Peter 2, as newborn babes.

[23:39] Desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby. You hear those newborn babes? Just can't shut them up. Oh, feed it. The babes crying, feed it.

[23:54] As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word. Sincere means unadulterated. It's not mixed. It's not, there's no addition to it.

[24:07] This is pure. It's unadulterated. Sincere. The milk of the word. You can't get more pure than this. This is 100% pure. 100%.

[24:19] You can trust it. 100% trust it. We believe in a Bible that is pure. It's pure. It's unadulterated. It is the sincere milk of the word.

[24:31] And by it we grow. It says that you may grow thereby. So what should we do? Desire it. Like a baby desires the mother's milk. Let us desire this book just so.

[24:44] Cry for it. Get a hunger for it. A longing for it. And delight in it. We know Psalm 1, but his delight, the godly man, his delight is in the law of the Lord.

[25:04] Now we should get legalistic, shouldn't we? Legalistic. We should love the law of the Lord. Now I'm just kidding in a way, but the sense that this is the law of the Lord. The law giver.

[25:16] This is his word. This is law. This tells us right from wrong. This tells us black and white. This tells us truth from error. This tells us what we must do, what we ought to be.

[25:29] We should care about the law of the Lord. The law giver has given us the law, but thankfully he's also given us grace. Amen. The law giver has given us grace too. But he's given us his law, the law of the Lord.

[25:43] And his delight, it says of the godly, his delight is in the law of the Lord. And in his law does he meditate day and night, and he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season, and his leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

[26:01] His delight. Do we delight in the word of God? Such that this is our delight. How could you turn to other things that are so empty and vain to use your time?

[26:14] Now this is not to deny a degree of pleasure. We're allowed a little bit of pleasure. But this is to the ultimate pleasure, isn't it? This is better than watching some TV show, some worldlings.

[26:28] This is our delight. This is what gets us out of bed in the morning. This is what drives us and motivates us and enlightens us and equips us and empowers us.

[26:42] And it's his word. Really? Really? His love, his law. It's his love too, isn't it? I know Julie and I were just talking before, and I had occasion as an 18-year-old, I think.

[26:57] I was still 18, maybe 19. I went away on a Bible course. Now, I wouldn't recommend that Bible course today. I was looking at the tenets of this church and this Bible course, and I wouldn't recommend it because I was thinking some of the fundamental doctrines I would actually be in contradiction for today because it's not a belief, a practice system that I would support these days.

[27:19] But nevertheless, it was a Bible course, and it was a Bible college, and I spent seven months there getting trained. And Julie, I left Julie at home. She was my fiancée. No, not quite.

[27:31] It wasn't my fiancée yet. But she was my fiancée in my heart. She was my first love, my only love, my beloved girlfriend, my first girlfriend.

[27:49] And she corresponded to me. And I think I've told you this story before. And the letters came. And she wrote these flowery things.

[28:00] My beloved, my beloved Andrew Craig, or something like that. What did you say? She's going to be so embarrassed now. My beloved sweetheart, precious one.

[28:11] And this was on the outside of the envelope. And so the Bible college principal used to come, or those that would empty the college letterbox, and oh, and they could smell her letters too because she would sprinkle perfume on the letters.

[28:25] She would put perfume on the letters. And they'd just open the letterbox and, whew, this perfume has come out. These letters from Julie to me. And I thought, oh, there's these love letters that she sent to me.

[28:38] And she's having a heart attack here. And on the back it said S-W-A-L-K. You did it too. Yeah. S-W-A-L-K.

[28:49] Sealed with a loving kiss. You know, love letters. Love letters. And friends, this is God's love letter, isn't it? God's love letter, isn't it?

[29:01] His love letter. Don't you want to read it? Don't you want to hear about his love? Don't you want to read about his love for you? Friends, we should care about the Bible such that it is a love letter to us.

[29:15] Some would not see that. And friends, how can we capture that love of the Bible? There was a woman reading her Bible and a four-year-old daughter came up to her and she noticed how the mum was reading the Bible so much.

[29:36] And she said, the little girl, the four-year-old daughter said this, aren't you ever going to get finished reading that book? We never finish reading that book, do we? We never get finished reading that book because there's always more we can find in the book.

[29:54] Don't quit reading it. What are we to do? Someone has said a Bible in the hand is worth two in the bookcase. I've probably got 30 in the bookcase.

[30:06] A Bible in the hand is worth more than two in the bookcase. Friends, we can let the Bible sit and not take heed of it. What should we do with the Bible?

[30:18] Another one we know, I'm sure we know this, 2 Timothy 2.15. Study to show thyself, approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed. Rightly dividing the word of God, the word of truth.

[30:32] Study it. Study it. Someone said this, I study my Bible like I gather apples. First I shake the tree, a whole tree, and the ripest fall.

[30:43] Then I shake each limb. And when I've shaken each limb, I shake each branch. And then every twig. And then I look under every leaf and I search the Bible as a whole, like shaking the whole tree.

[30:56] Then I shake every limb, study book after book. I shake every branch, giving attention to the chapters. Then I shake every twig. Careful study of the paragraphs and the sentences and the words and their meanings.

[31:11] So said Luther. Should shake the tree. Amen. Shake the tree. Shake it. And shake every bit of it. Such that we study it and study it.

[31:21] Study, study, study. Dig, dig, dig, dig, dig. And the word brings us joy. It's the joy and rejoicing of our heart. What did Jeremiah say? Verse 16 of chapter 15.

[31:32] Thy words were found and I did eat them. And thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart. For I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.

[31:43] Jeremiah 15, verse 16. Thy words were found and I did eat them. Oh. I don't know what flavour your Bible is but this one tastes good.

[31:55] Amen. It's good, isn't it? It's good for your soul. Take the word and eat it. Consume it. Let it be such that this is, wow, I've got an appetite this evening.

[32:06] I know I get this terrible problem when there's some chocolate in the house. I don't know if you share this same, the sin of gluttony of sorts.

[32:20] When there's a chocolate bar in the house, I tend to just, oh, it's just a piece. Before long, it's the whole lot. You know? No, wait.

[32:34] Excuse me. Can we get like that with the Bible? That will feed on it. We get so hungry for it that we just want to be like Jeremiah.

[32:47] Thy words were found and I did eat them. Wow. I just want to eat the word, don't you? To eat the word. And it says it was the joy and rejoicing of my heart.

[32:58] What greater joy. What greater satisfaction. What greater joy. Thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart. Jeremiah 15, 16.

[33:09] Friends, just think. What greater joy than the joy of salvation. There's no greater joy. You know, I think of loved ones, family and friends, people I love and care about.

[33:22] And I just pray for them. That they'll have the joy and rejoicing of their heart. That they will know the joy unspeakable and full of glory. They will know the joy giver. The one who is our joy.

[33:34] Because without him, they're missing the very best of life. And it says, then faith cometh by hearing. And hearing by the word of God. You know, this is how we give them salvation.

[33:48] Is sharing the word of God. Hide it in your heart. But learn witnessing scriptures. The Romans wrote, whatever method. Learn some scriptures you can impart to communicate the gospel.

[34:03] Faith comes by hearing. Hearing by the word of God. Someone has said, really, the word. For someone to be saved, they need to hear the word.

[34:17] It's not about fanciful stories. It's the word. Word of God. They need the word of God. Moody said this, I believe the Bible is the word of God because it is the holy book God uses in the conversion of men.

[34:35] Moody, an evangelist of old, he said he knew in every case of conversion that he knew, it was that the Bible was used.

[34:47] The Holy Spirit used the Bible. Words of the Bible. He says, my experience is I'm so convinced that I never speak to the unsaved in China without having my Bible open.

[34:59] The sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. I love how Brother Trent likes to go out with his Bible. I mean, I've got a Bible on me too. I've got a little bit more discreet, but he likes to have a big one.

[35:12] That's what we need, isn't it? We go witnessing. We need the Bible. This is the message. This is what we must communicate. It's the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. It's the hammer which breaks the rock in pieces.

[35:23] It's the fire. It's the hammer. And in all the history, the quote goes on, all the history of the church of Jesus Christ, there's no authentic instance of a soul being genuinely born again into the kingdom of God apart from the Bible.

[35:38] Or something derived from it. Of course, the truth of the scriptures. And he says this quote, I saw a man in the province of Guangxi, China, who with his whole family was converted only through the reading of the word.

[35:52] You hear stories of that, don't you? People get hold of a Bible. I've heard amazing testimonies of that. They don't come to a meeting with an evangelist. They don't have some altar call. As much as that's all commendable and to be done, they had a Bible and the Bible message spoke to them.

[36:11] And this man who got converted, just by reading the Bible, he wrote over the door of his house, this household belongs to the living God. He was converted. The word converts. He was converted.

[36:23] Converts the soul, doesn't it? Faith comes by hearing. And that's the most blessed truth we can know and sustain, that our knowledge of the Bible, such that we want to be messengers of this word.

[36:42] It says in Romans 15, 4, these things were written for our learning. That we, through patience and comfort of the scriptures, might have hope.

[36:54] These things were written in foretime for our learning. Men and women of faith speak to us today. We can walk in their shoes. Elijah, Elisha, Ruth, Naomi, Esther, we can walk in their shoes because these things were written for our learning.

[37:09] So we can learn from the greats of God who have gone before us. And we, through patience and comfort of the scriptures, might have hope. Friends, the Bible is the most important book.

[37:19] If we can just get that. And people might know I've got quite a few books myself. But there's really only one book that matters. When David Livingstone began his trek across Africa in 1852, he had 73 books.

[37:37] Would have been a whole mule train of sacks and boxes of these books. 73 books, quite a lot. And they weighed 180 pounds as he trekked through the continent of Africa into the jungle.

[37:51] Imagine the machete and going through these jungle tracks. And after he'd gone 300 miles, he had to throw away some of the books because it was not feasible to carry so many through the jungle.

[38:03] And he continued throwing away books as he went his way, as he went further and further into the jungle, trekking up and down mountains and through dense growth. You can imagine, eventually his library shrunk down to one book.

[38:17] The Bible. Hear this, he did not throw away. Friends, when it all boils down to it, there's one book. One book that matters. And this book is truly the most important book in the world.

[38:30] Yet many read it as if it was not important. Friends, we've looked at some things tonight. Just to quickly recap where we've covered. We talked about the wonderful book. The wonders of the Bible.

[38:40] It's unity. It's language. It's truth. It's unique. This word is eternal. It's forever. It's truths are forever. Men and women have died through owning this book, reading this book.

[38:55] I was reading about some man in North Korea that was slain because he was communicating this book to the people of the city. And people still hate this book.

[39:06] They don't want this book. The communists have denied this book to many thousands, as they still do in places today. And friends, what should we do with this book? Value it.

[39:18] Value it. Because this is precious. Think of those who don't have the privilege of a book in their language, where they can have the whole word. They've got scraps that they memorise and share.

[39:30] This book is able to sanctify. It's got power to save. Make men holy. This book is sufficient. You don't need some fanciful words from men to give you fanciful stories.

[39:45] You need the word. We must have the word. It's the word that saves. And we should be doers of the word. It should be our road map. We should hide the word in our heart. We should meditate day and night. Don't switch off to the word.

[39:57] Let the truth bless your soul. While you're riding the train, the bus. While you're at home, shutting your eyes. Think of the word. Think of the truths. Read the word.

[40:08] Recite the word. Meditate on the word such that it's hidden in your heart. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. It's alive. It's powerful. It's able to cleanse.

[40:19] In this foul, dirty world where we're bombarded by foulness, we need some cleansing. We need the washing of the word. We should desire the word. We should delight in the word.

[40:30] And we should communicate the word as his witnesses. This message must be imparted. We should have the joy and rejoicing of his salvation. And be workmen of the word such that we study it.

[40:41] That we eat it. Get hungry for God. And faith comes by hearing. Hearing by the word of God. Friends, I'm talking to Christians here, but you might say, I don't know this.

[40:53] I don't know the... I've never thought about this such that I want to know the author of this book. I want to know his salvation. And friends, he extends his love.

[41:06] His love letter is written for you. If you'll but open your eyes and see and read it and hear it and trust the one of it who it tells of his saving, that Christ died for sinners.

[41:18] Christ died for sinners. Christ came to save the ungodly. That's me. Trust him.

[41:29] Let's pray. Lord, we thank you. We can trust you. The author of life. Lord, the author of this book. The one who's given us a precious treasure.

[41:41] Lord, such that this is the one book we want to hang on to. And Lord, to let it live. Let us be doers of its word. Doers of this truth. Let us, Lord, let it be such that we'll put this word of God into action.

[41:55] And help us, dear God, that we might be faithful to your word, that we might hold it forth, that we might hold it fast, that we might be a word of God church, a faithful word of God people.

[42:11] Lord, for any that know you not, they might know that word that sustains all things by the power of your word. We might know you as the living word, as the word made flesh, dwell amongst us, the word of flesh, the word of God, that you were made flesh, that you took upon you the form of a servant.

[42:33] You were made in our likeness such that you became that perfect substitute. Lord, we can put our trust in you. Pray for any that are hearing this, yet to trust you, that they won't delay another day, another moment, but they'll simply say, Jesus, I trust you now.

[42:50] I receive you now. I receive your forgiveness for my sin. I receive your work on my part in dying on the cross for my sin. I trust you now as my Lord. I trust you and receive your saving.

[43:03] By your mercy and grace, by faith, I trust you now. Lord, and help us to be a people that care about your word, such that we hunger and thirst for it, that will desire it more than fine gold, and will long for it more than fine, sweet honey from the honeycomb.

[43:21]  In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.