That the Bible becomes truly engaging when one understands and loves its author, Jesus Christ. It highlights the Bible's unique structure and consistency despite numerous authors over centuries, pointing out that its true importance lies not in worldly matters but in revealing Christ. The message uses the example of the tabernacle, which required fifty chapters to describe because it was a portrait of Jesus, unlike the brief mention of the creation of the heavens. The sermon concludes by urging believers to read the Word of God regularly, reverently, responsibly, and with rejoicing, allowing it to impact their minds, hearts, and daily lives.
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I haven't done that in a year. But just last week I was reminding someone of it. Along in Newport News, a brother was asking me concerning a movement in our country called the Open Air Mission. I know not quite, but somehow he'd come in contact with them and he was asking me about them. And I told him a story about it. You know, there are a wonderful band of God people, and their name, of course, tells what they do. The open air mission. They have open air services outside of factory gates, wherever men are found. And one of the things they do is whenever there's a race meeting, they are there.
They go to all our big race meetings and have open air services by the side of the race court. But as soon as the race starts, they all stand with their back to the racing. And they sing, turn your eyes upon Jesus. looked for in his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace. And I was just telling this, brother, this last week in Newport News, and here you give out to him tonight. Thank you, brother. Thank you. It's a long time since I've sung it, but have we made reference to it last week?
Just a reminder that this week, Monday through Thursday, not Friday, because Friday we're having a very special gathering, but Monday through Thursday, we're looking at four suns. Tonight is the word of God and how to read it. Tomorrow night, the will of God and how to know it. Wednesday night, The worship of God. You've got it right now, sir. I tell you, never forget that way. After that mistake of yesterday, the worship of God and how to present it.
And then if the Lord will on Thursday, the work of God and how to do it. But tonight we're dealing with the word of God and how to do it. I wonder if we could turn together to those lovely verses in the second chapter of Paul's second, oh, I rather Peter's second letter. To Peter, chapter two, if we may please. To Peter, chapter two, we will commence reading a little way. down the, I beg your pardon, to Peter chapter one, and we will commence to read a little way down the chapter in verse sixteen.
For we have not followed cunningly devised fables when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For we received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory. You know, you must forgive me. I've left out two lines, and their most important lines. Let me start reading again. Verse sixteen. Please forgive me.
For we have not followed cunning devised fables when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. But were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory. When there came such a voice to Him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son. in whom I am well believed. And this voice which came from heaven we heard when we were with him in the Holy Man. We have also a more sure word of prophecy, where unto you do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shined up in a dark place, until the day dawn.
and the day star arise in your heart. Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in all time by the will of man, but holy men of God's sake, as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. The Lord will add his blessings in the reading, of his precious word. Now, when you came in tonight, you were given a chorus. If you weren't, please raise your hand, and someone will give you one. Oh, there are a few here, haven't there?
Oh, please. Oh, we're very sorry. You must have crept in the side, George. Ah. Isn't it remarkable how we know? Look at that. Thank you. Now we are without excuse if we don't sing. The only brother who's not permitted to sing is our good chairman of yesterday. He tells me he's got law and justice. But I think he was in the bank line. Would you like to come up here and try with me? As if I've done it as well. Well, thank we are. Now are we ready.
And how about my friend who promised to sing yesterday and didn't? Where is he? That's it. Are you in good voice tonight, sir? No. You didn't wave your head that way yesterday, you know. You made a mistake, all right, didn't you? There we are. Well, come away. We'll turn to our little foresheet. And we'll sing if we may please the one we've been singing night by night. Number twelve, who can move the mountain? Thank you. Who can serve the mountain-brow the history of today?
Who can take them upright, never steer them far away? Who can serve his power when a Christian needs to pray? It is Jesus, he's the Lord. Jesus calls for power in his mighty and devoid. He's the one who hails the same, son, your parents, and why? He makes love impossible, and he's a friend of mine. Blessed Jesus, he's the Lord. Quite good. Quite good. Now I tell you what we'll do.
We'll have that road. Everyone, one, two, four, all we've got at night. Quartet there. Are you ready now? Way to go, jump on your own. Way to go. He's the one who hears the things that bother him divine.
He makes all things possible, and he's a friend of mine. Blessed Jesus, Very. We'll let you come whenever you want to. Really, we will. Very good. Now, someone's got a favorite. If you've got a favorite, call the number out of them. Where's the hit? Number nine. Oh, I say, number nine. We're back in Sunday school. Back in Sunday school. Number nine, please. If you're black, or if you're white, or if you're penalty, God loves you.
How about those three young folks in that rural area? Do you like to say it, Paul? You wouldn't. I want to tell you something, but you know there are. Thanks to the people who like to make money. Then most of them in the graveyard, but nevertheless. Now are you ready? Everyone please, please. Bring it back. Thank you. If you're black or if you're white or if you're black, or if you're so lucky. If you're darker, if you're in the green.
He loves you when you're happy. He loves you when you're happy. He loves you when you're feeling good. He loves you when you're feeling good. No matter what you look like, no matter what you feel. Don't love him. He really loves you. Don't love him. Don't love him. Don't love him. Don't love him. You must believe in God. You know I wish I could put you all up on the platform. Really I do. Just to look at yourself, trying to do the action, and read the words at the same time.
Come on, let's try it again. And if you want to go back to Sunday School, and that's a wonderful interview, about helping us with the action. Come on, if you're black and Now my good golfing friend there, I didn't see you doing the action, dear. I'm sure it's good training for that pretty game you've played. Oh, are you ready then? All together. Thank you. If you're black, or if you're black, or if you're black, please stop, stop, you. If you're silver, if you're more than if you're in the tree, stop, stop, He loved you.
He loved you in your baby. He loved you when you care. He loved you when you're feeling full. He loved you when you're back. No matter what you look like, no matter what you'll be. Oh, you must believe it. Oh, much better, much better, much better. Now, someone else. Number two, number two, number two, either third. I'm sorry. You must really be quick to get a chorus here. Number two, or one step more. One step more. Thank you, sir. you?
One track more, one track more, give me more, one track more, one track more When the way is weary, And the time is dreary, And the time is dreary, Man I feel, He is dead. Dark and dreary, The way I hear my dream is late, For a week. Very good.
You know, you're singing as good as every day. Now what did you say to us? Number five. You know we have a great problem. I think number five is about the only one I haven't got the music for. But our good pianist can play anything. You know that, sir. Is that all right, sir? Or have you got the music? I'm going to borrow that before I go away, sir. Thank you. Thank you. Oh, that's it. Thank you. If there's no need a bottle of alcohol, I can drink warm water.
Now, sir, you have it. You know, I'm not a musician, and I can't follow this as well. Would you mind playing the bird of life? Would that be right there? Yes. Before, let me listen. His name is Wonderful, His name is Wonderful, Jesus my Lord.
Yes, the mighty king walked through everything. His name is wonderful, Jesus, my Lord. He's a great shepherd, the love of your angels. Thank you.
Thank you very much. May I borrow that music, sir? And very kindly. Just a word of prayer. Oh God and Father, we lift our hearts to thee again tonight and praise thee for thy word. We thank thee for the one who is the subject of thy word. The one whose name is blooded. We ask that tonight, as we think a little more of him, and a little more of that which he hath left on record for us, that our hearts may be touched, stirred, that those of us that love me may go from this place, determined to live for the Lord Jehovah in a better way than ever we've lived before.
And if by chance, Lord, there's someone who's never trusted me, glad that they might realize that the one who is the living word of God is willing to enter their life and make it real, speak then to us, we pray the poor Jehovah's faith, Amen. Amen. I once heard a story that I thought was extremely interesting. Please, it is said. Now, whenever a preacher starts the story by saying, it is said, you can rest assured that he's not certain whether it's true.
So I must start with what it is said. It is said that a young lady who had been greatest in the country went away to the city of London with work. She got a job in a bank and was sent to the city of London for a trade. And she was very much out of her debt. She didn't know anyone. She knew nowhere to go, and it was her first job, and so her wages were not very high. She couldn't go to many places. So what she did, she went into a store and purchased a book.
It would want to be for a yellow-backed book, you know, the sort of cheap novels that I expect you can buy in your country as well. And back to her lodging, she went, and she started to read the book. But oh, it was as dull as any book she'd ever picked up. She couldn't make heads or tail of it. She started and read a chapter or so, and then went to the middle, and then did what no one should ever do. Went to the last chapter, and it still doesn't make sense. And so she closed it up and she put it on the bookshelf and she said, a waste of five shillings.
Whatever that is in your money, I don't know. At the end of the week, she was introduced to a young man. And like young men sometimes do, he said, by the way, would you like to come out of the couple with me? And she accepted his invitation. And off they went, and backed down together, and enjoyed a thoroughly decent evening. And he asked her, she'd go in again, and she went out the second half. And to make conversation, she looked at him and said, you know, what an interesting thing.
I've got a book on my bookshelf, and the author is the same name as you. What's the name of the book? And she told me. Well, he said that not peculiar because actually I wrote the book. Back to her lodging she went. Down from the bookshelf came the book. It was the most thrilling book she'd ever read. She turned the pages over and over and stayed up almost all night, reading it right through, then shut it up and wore a lovely one.
You know what had happened, don't you? She'd fallen in love with the author. And when she fell in love with the author, a vote that was so dry, so meaningless, with no pain, suddenly became the most thrilling book she'd ever read. I want to say, forty years ago, I fell in love with the author. And a book which to me was just a book to their last act, and I viewed about suddenly became a book that had a purpose.
And it had a purpose because, although I didn't understand it, I fall in love with yours. And as I read it, I wasn't just reading a book. I was reading a book that told me about someone who'd become my failure. And I want to say right at the beginning of my remarks this evening, and remarks they will be, I'm not going to look them up. But I want to say right at the beginning of my remarks this evening, that when it comes to the reading of the Word of God, the most essential thing is to make sure that we know the author.
And if you want the Bible to be an interesting book, then you read it and find out something of the mind of the Lord. As I turn to the Word of God, I must say this to you, that I find myself reading a book that utterly amazes me. Sixty-six. thirty-seven of them written in Hebrew, and the remaining twenty-seven written in Greek, over a period of years that utterly amazes any thoughtful person.
And yet as you read it, you find that there is a whole about this book that no other book in the world has. To imagine that this vast number of authors from different backgrounds with different social and circumstantial backgrounds could take their attention. And what? Some of them history, some of them prophecy, some of them understanding what they were writing, and some of them not fully understanding it at all. Yet when it's written, they have a complete structure consistent, but we look at it and call it the Word of God.
Oh, friends, how amazing it is that no other book like it in the world, no other book like it in the world. And when I turn a page and ponder what it has to say, I get a man. amazed at the not only variety of subjects, but utterly amazed as I read it, how little of it is occupied with what men think are important, and how much of it occupied with what men think are not important things. And then suddenly, We see the Christ and we realize why none important things are important and important things are not important.
For instance, the Lord when he gives the record of the creation of the starry heavens gives it in five English words. If you dabble a little with Hebrew, you will acknowledge that it's but three words. But in our English language, he uses five words to tell us of the creation of the starry heaven. He made the stars over. Yes. When it comes to laying down before the great happening concerning the tabernacle, he takes his teacher.
Not fifteen, fifteen. Let me make that very clear. Why, no. Both in the New and in the Old Testament. And I tend to the doubt of the starry heavens of less importance than the tabernacle. And I think indeed of the billions of dollars you good Americans have spent to get a man to the moon. God dismisses as the creation of all the starry heavens and five worlds. Then suddenly I see the secret to it.
And it is the secret of Bible reading. It is this. But the tabernacle is in pictorial form a portrait of Jesus Christ. Every tint that's associated Whether we look indeed at the furnishings of it, whether we look indeed at the sacrifices that are made in it, whether we think of the priests who stand and officiates there, they all tell us of Jesus Christ. God takes fifty chapters to tell us because he wants us to know about his son. When you look at the stars, what do they tell us about Jesus Christ?
I mean, they tell us about his power. He uphold us all things. They tell us about his creation. He made all things. But I wouldn't know anything about the character of Jesus Christ by looking at the stars. I'd know something about his power. I'd know something about his might. I'd know something about his ability. But I would know nothing about his character, whether my God was loving or not. When I look at the tabernacle and I see the sacrifices, I see something of a character. So friend, let's get this right at the beginning of my remark, that the Bible will only be a book of great interest to us when in it we see, first of all, God and His Son.
spirit working both through men of past centuries and by it to us today. I had supper this evening with Mr. and Mrs. Hall and as we were seated in their room I looked and hanging on the wall a picture. Now please I'm no architect. I only did one good drawing in the light. I shaded the page black, and I bought it in London and at all. But I couldn't even get away with that.
So I don't know whether it was a good picture, Mr. Hall. I'm sure if it was hanging on your wall, it must be. I only know this as I looked at it, and I thought, oh, how applicable to the people. For it showed the two on the road to America. And the Christ walked in with them. Is it glory that as the Savior walked with those two, so filled with doubt, so disappointed, so broken-eyed, he began at Moses and the prophet, and say unto them, the things concerning himself, And their unhappiness disappeared.
And their purposelessness suddenly vanished. For suddenly they found that the Christ, who they followed, was the Christ. Because the word of God has said these things must happen. If you and I, in Christ, in the church, I am certain that every one of us will realize what a wonderful book is. Let me illustrate it in a way that maybe I have here in this district before. But I feel that I would like to share it.
The Epistle to the Hebrews, of course, is the great book of the New Testament that links the Old Testament as no other book in the New Testament. And yet it's just remarkable how it's done. It's well being called the awesome epistle, hasn't it? You know, the epistle to those Hebrews is the only epistle that we're not certain who wrote. Now, I'm sure some of you good brethren have put a great change to the whole world. All I say to you is this. All I say to you is this. That God didn't tell it to you. If you like to think this, God bless you, God bless you.
But God doesn't say that. And yet is it wonderful, because we are not told who the writer of the epistles of the Hebrews is, God is the father of the parable. And so he adopts the epistle. He owns the epistle, but he gives it to God. And as you go through that first chapter of the Epistle in that evening, how careful God is to tell us about his stuff. May I just remind you of it? In the first verses, of course, God, who in funded times and in divers' manners, making time passed under the parlors by the prophets, half in these last days spoken unto us, flying through, I don't know what you do with Greek prepositions, but has spoken unto us, flying through His Son.
Is it that? You know, you look through the camera, and first of all, you see God speaking about His Son. Is that right? Speaking about His Son. God, through His Son's hands and in diverse manners, taking time's path unto the fathers by the prophets. What did he do now? He spoke about his son, didn't he? Because Jesus on the road to Emmaus, beginning at Moses in the prophets, take unto them the things concerning himself. In the story we considered yesterday morning, although of course I didn't remind you of it, in the story we preached about yesterday morning of Cornelius, You will remember that when Peter stood before him, this is what Peter said, to him, the Lord Jesus, bear all the pocket witness.
So in times past, when the pocket spoke unto the fathers, they spoke unto them, and people said, To him, bear all the pocket witness. They take the things concerning themselves. So first you see God speaking about his son. Then you see God speaking in his son. Hasn't these last days spoken unto us? In. Through. The son. Or is it wonderful that God still speaks. But he speaks to you and me to his son. And he's told us about his son in the written word. But he know that he speaks about his son.
about his son, and then he speaks in his son, now he speaks on his son. If I was giving a talk tonight to young men and seeking to help them to preach, as sometimes I do, maybe giving a talk about homiletics and sermon preparation, I start in the first Hebrews. I say the funniest sermon that was ever preached on people's lives was preached by God. How do you see? He's a seven-point sermon, too. Well, you'd think it was Mr. Gibb. Go over again, wouldn't you? It's a seven-point sermon. Why? Has God treated God with that?
Oh, I say, let me just turn you. I won't teach it. I'll just read it. It's just... trills your heart to me. This is what he says. Happened these last days, spoken out by his son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the world, whom being the brightness of his glory and expressive into his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, where he had by himself perished our sins, kept down at the right hand of the majesty of high. I feel like telling Helen, I know it'll quite get it, but that's all I do.
You see, when you think of God preaching on his son, if you want to know about Jesus, yes, you go home and read that again and turn it over in your mind. But then he preachers, or he speaks first about his son, then he speaks through in his son, then he speaks on his son, then he speaks for his God. For you will remember almost all the things that he says, apart from creation and rejection, in that current point, Firmance, you could have said it about angels. And so the Lord says, Oh, Peter, for my son, for I am the witch of the angel, said he at any time, thou art my son, this day of Adagon.
But then he reaches the dizzy height. Oh, come on, brethren, he argues. He speaks about his son. He speaks in his son, through his son. He speaks for his son. Then what do we say? He speaks for his son. But unto the son. He says, Thy son, O God, is forever and ever. You see, when I'm trying to emphasize as I lay the foundation, both for tonight and the coming night, in the reading of the Word of God, it is Christ's new redemption.
And we must ever be looking for him, the author of the book, if we would find it interesting, if we would be filled with it. So let me say just one or two things about the reading of the Word of God. The first thing is, I say, rather important, we must read it and we must read it regularly. Regularly. Regularly. The second thing I want to say is that we must read it. And we must read it reverently. Reverently. The third thing I want to say is we must read it, and we must read it responsibly.
Now please, I don't mean what our good brothers did with us so ably yesterday morning. Stand here and read a verse, and then ask us to read a verse. And then he, I don't mean that responsibly reading. But what I mean is that when we read it, we must respond to what it says. And if it tells us something to do, let's go and do it. And if it tells us something we mustn't do, then let's not do it. Let's regulate our life. And then we must read it. And we must read it rejoicingly.
First of all, we must read it regularly. How important that is. You know, the word of God is likened to water. We will all shall a young man cleanse his way by taking heed thereto according to thy word. Now may I ask the question, how often do you wash? Getting a bit personal, is it? Getting a bit personal. But how often do you wash? I've got a strong figure, a strong figure.
But if I was to ask you that, personally, you know, take you on five steps. By the way, I'll count. Oh, who do you want? Oh, dear. You, wouldn't you? You'd come back at me. And yet, if the Word of God is that which cleanses our way, surely we must use the Word of God regularly. And as we read it, and as we ponder it, so as your great Mr. Moody once said, sin will keep me from the Bible. The Bible will keep me from sin. Or how should that be?
Let's read it regularly. I suggest to you, not only is it like water and we wash every day, but it's likened to bread. For the Lord Jesus spoke of manor which came down from heaven. He said he was the bread of heaven, the bread of life. And Jeremiah could say in that fifteen chapter of his, thy words were found, and I did. Eat them. Eat them. What may I ask? How often do you eat? Oh, no, I don't want you to give a real answer to that, because I might have to give an answer as well, and it could be a bit embarrassing.
I'm sure of this, that every one of us need to feed upon the Word of God, to feed upon And let me ask you something, because this is what Jeremiah said. My word was found, and I didn't eat it. Mother, mother, come on now, let me talk to you for a moment. Do you allow your child to leave them? I've got a strong feeling you say well. If it's only a spoon for you, you better have it. Or so the mother would it be, that would allow a child just to have what it wanted.
There are certain foods that maybe we don't like. But I know this. Our youngsters had to eat their cabbage. Oh, they leave it all. And if I know anything about American youngsters, most of you'd rather go to McDonald's than anywhere else. And most of it is because there's no spinach in McDonald's. It is remarkable they don't cry, sir, upon the old folks that we like. And there are portions of the Word of God we don't like. Three. There are portions that we look at, and they hurt us. We were talking today, and my good friend, Mr.
Hall, said that he had been reading Samuel Reuters. Was it that you'd been reading him, sir, or what was it you said about him? Anyway, you mentioned him, didn't you? You know, Samuel, right out, an epistle of the Hebrews, who is writing on the epistle of the Hebrews, is one of the most wonderful things that was ever written on the epistle of the Hebrews. But do you know what he says about chapter six? I've been hidden for it. Do you know what he says about chapter six? He says, whenever I come to chapter six, I will read it as fast as I can. I pray. That is a rumor.
Now, that's not interesting. It's a verse translated. My friend, there are chapters in the Word of God. And Hebrews six may be one of them. Well, please, please, if I may just make this comment. Hebrews six tell us how near a man can get to Christ without being fed. as Hebrews ten tells us, how far we can get away from Christ without doing harm. That's the difference between Hebrews ten. But there are portions that leave us cow on us that we've got to let them do their work in our lives.
We get regular. We get as we wash. We get as we eat. I say, how often do we take exercise? Or maybe not as often as we should. If you were to listen to the lecture I get from Mary every morning, you know, but half past six, she says, come on, let's get out for a walk. I've got things of better things to do, and half past six. But I'm an obedient husband. Well, there it is. I only know this, that isn't it a fact? Isn't it a fact that each one of us needs to watch, and we need to eat, and we need to laugh. And the word of God is lightness, enlightenment, enlightenment.
You see, I open my Bible and I read this. Who walked in the ways of the Lord? John, I'm in verse four. Who walked in the ways of the Lord. And then remember again, the psalmist says, I will run. Oh, please. I'm no jobber. I only know this. He says, I will walk in the ways of the Lord. I will run in the ways of my commandment. So just as exercise is necessary. So the Word of God is necessary. You know, read it and read it regularly. I delight in the law of the Lord.
And in thy law do I meditate, said the psalmist, both day and day. and night. Day and night. How essential the word of God is. Whatever this chapel is, please, whatever it is, please God it will be known as a place where the word of God is known and loved, known and loved as they read the word. But we read the word of God not only regularly, but we read it regularly. Reverend, I wonder if I could ask you to do something.
You've got your Bible. Come on, you come with me. Eight chapters of Nehemiah. My old friend Nehemiah. Oh, I walked with him alone. So let's just have a little walk with old Nehemiah. The eighth chapter. Let me tell you just what's on my heart. First of all, verse three. You remember it's the story of Ezra, rising on a path, a pulpit of wood. Please, it's quite scriptural to have a pulpit of wood. That's scriptural. Remember they made a pulpit of wood. In the eighth chapter, it says this. And as when the priest brought the law before the congregation, both of men and women and all but could hear with understanding upon the first day of the seventh month.
And he read therein. So the first thing we've got to do with the word of God is to read it. Now let's go a bit further and let me argue. We've got to read it at first time. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, or he was above all the people, and when he opened it, all the people stood up. So we've not only read it, we too reverend. Thank you. You know, I was very thrilled on Sunday morning when you asked the congregation to stand as we read the word of God.
I haven't seen that done since I left God. Thank you for doing that, my friend. It's the reverence of the word of God. My friend, it's the word of God. When Edward Susan the fourth person read it, they're congregating. They not only read it, can reference it. Please, at verse nine, halfway down the verse, this day is wholly unto the Lord your God. More not, nor we. For all the people went when they heard the words of the Lord. So we read it, we reference it, we...
I'm sorry, isn't it? Respond. Respond to it. Very good. That wasn't a word I was thinking of, but that's a very good one. They read. All the people read. I say, you'll have to join my group this class. I can see that. They repented, thank you, sir. They repented, we have said. Well, they realized this was the word of the Lord, and how far they've gone away from it. And I know nothing in the world that will make men repent like the teaching and the weaving and the teaching and the living of the word of God.
The only thing that will bring a man to repent, Would you notice? They read it. They reverenced it. They repented because of it. And verse twelve. And to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them. Right, I said. No good nodding your head. You would say it, sir. They rejoiced because of it. You know, it's been remarkable that you rejoice through the word of God. I know nothing that'll make a man say hallelujah.
Let me tell you this story. I was away in rugby some two or three years ago. And we were doomed to start a fortnight two weeks with special service. We started with a day of conference meeting, and so I had to arrive on the Friday because I wouldn't have been there for the Saturday conference if I hadn't. When I arrived on Friday, I went to the home where I was going to stay, and the lady at the house said, oh, this boy, they're having a prayer meeting. Around the gospel hall I went. Walked in. There were about twenty residents. And there was a monk from a man who had only done that week in conversion.
That week. And he'd been a rapper. What can one of the factories in Russia? And he'd come along to the prayer meetings. And you know, the prayer meetings were a bit warm. There were a few amen. There were a few hallelujahs. And what were Lord, you know. And he heard these brethren say amen and hallelujah. And he wasn't quite sure what it was about. But the Lord had saved him. And made a good job of him. And while we were seated there in the prayer meeting, suddenly jumped up to his cage and shouted, Free care for Jesus! Send it in! And I shouted, Who else?
Why are you? Why are you? Now, please, I'm not suggesting that you jump up and shout from here to Jesus. But what I am suggesting is this, that if the word of God comes to our heart and teaches us about the Lord, There'll be that quality of glory in our minds. That's all. They rejoice. I say one other thing here. Oh, yes. Verse fourteen. And they found written in the law. Verse fifteen. So the people went forth and bought them. Do you remember it's the story of the piece of tabernacles they found written in the law that they had to take?
branches of different trees and make booths for the people of Barnabas. And it's very highly written in the law. So the people went forth and bought. So they read the word of God. They referenced the word of God. They repented because of the word of God. They rejoiced because of the word of God. And they... Very good, though, sir. Very good. Not right, though. Very good. Obeyed. Obeyed. Yes, I used to spell obeyed with an R. You've always lost. But you've got the right idea.
Obeyed. R. Obeyed. You responded very good, but they... Oh, very good, we're getting warmer. Very good. I said, my God, that is good, isn't it? Could I suggest they regulate their lives by it? They regulated their lives by it. And brethren, if you and I are going to enjoy the word of God, we're going to have to regulate their lives by it.
Oh, let's go back to what I was saying. First of all, read it regularly. Read it reverently. Read it responsibly. Regulate your life by it. I say, read it rejoicing. Oh, never let us get away from this fact. The Apostle could write to the church of Philippi and say, Finally, my brethren, Rejoice in the Lord. Rejoice in the Lord. Do you know there are too many Christians who go about with a face as long as a fiddle and a black tie down the middle and you wonder whether Christ means anything.
No, I'm not suggesting we've all got to go about grinning like a lot of Cheshire can't. Of course we haven't. Sometimes on life journeys. there are difficulties and problems and heartaches and it would be most unbecoming to be grinning but see but the apostle could say this when he wrote to the church at Colossians I rejoice in my suffering I rejoice in my suffering The only way you and I can do it is by taking the word of God and saying, Lord, Lord, this is here to tell me of thyself, I'm going to know more of thee.
You know, Lord, you see, the word of God is a book of revelation. So it appeals to the mind of man. It reveals God. It reveals us. It reveals the future state. It reveals the past. It appeals to the mind. It's a book of revelation. But the word of God is a book of redemption. So it appeals not only to the mind. It appeals to the heart. James, how I love that. deemed by the blood of the Lamb.
But remember, it is not only a book of revelation and a book of redemption, it is a book of righteousness. So it appeals to the mind and it appeals to the heart, but it appeals to the light. When we come to the Word of God, let us make sure, brethren, that it does affect our mind. It makes us think We ponder it, we think, we ask God's help, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit that we might learn something, more of its central things, Jesus Christ our Lord. Let's remember it does appeal to the heart.
It tells us the wondrous plan of redemption, that man and all mankind is offered salvation through Jesus Christ. And it appeals of the life, day by day, I may walk in the way of the Lord. Word of God of how to read it, O me, regularly, read it, reverently, read it, responsibly, with it rejoicingly for his name is amen we'll be looking at his word again tomorrow night and through his word we'll be looking at his will The will of God and how to know it.
Now please, please, don't come tomorrow night thinking I'm going to give you the secret of knowing everything you should do. You see, I think there's something more in asking a girl to marry you than saying, Lord, what's your will for me at this thing? And then going doing just what you want to do. I might have something to say about that to mine, eh? Of course I might not, but I might. But nevertheless, the will of God and how to know it.
Trust with me, if you can bring others with me. The Lord bless you. Shall we close in prayer? Dear Lord, again we thank thee for thy word and for the happy time together. when we've been able to