The World's Most Relevant Book

This is a message from leading the way with Dr. Michael. You sat we pray that it will encourage you in your walk of faith. If you would like to learn more about Dr. you Seth on leading the way, please visit LTW.or someone said the following. Listen carefully. This of the Bible conveys the mind of God. The Bible states the state of mind the way of salvation, the doom of sinners and the happiness of the believer is agreed and to be wise, believe it to be safe practices to be holy. It is the travelers map the Pilgrim's staff. The Pollock's compass and the soldier's sword read it slowly read frequently a reader pray for there is no book in the world like no I know what I'm going to tell you but probably known to most of you, but I wanted to think about this with me, not just here.

This is by way of information just let it sink into your heart in your spirit and focus with me because of netbook. God chose to reveal himself does not look like it. Although he used 14 different people.

In a span of 1500 years and yet it all tell the same story does not look like God chose to reveal himself in the book. It is the only book that is written by 40 Different St. 40 different people in the span of 1500 years and yet they are all consistent. They tell the same story you see here is what what do we know you know going to hear from the liberals because they like to tell the Bible to friends without honesty and without integrity. But the truth is this anybody who is read the word of God, to understand it. I'm really comprehended will find out it's free from contradiction that its theme is consistent that it is fleeing from human orchestration. It tells the whole truth never hides anything. It's writers very good background from kings to doctors the shepherds to the writers the tax collectors. It is written it in different periods in world history is written in different parts of the world. From Europe to Asia to Babylonia does not look like it and imagine a book of science or medicine that would've been written 500 years ago and would be as relevant today, not 2500 years ago 500 years ago and will be as accurate and precise today as it was, that that is written does not look like yes it has 66 books and has 40 different writers over 1500 year period of time, but it contains not many subjects but one subject. Not many themes.

One thing Jesus Christ the Redeemer, the Old Testament tells us to look forward to his coming and those who going to be in heaven. Those who are saved from the Old Testament times are those who are milked by faith like Abraham, the coming of Christ. Jesus said Abraham Saul my Diane rejoiced 2000 years before Christ and the New Testament tells us he came and relook back and we know that he came as no book like should contain 66 books does not contain 66 stories. I just listened. Not so long ago to my lawn preach on television and he was talking about how the Genesis stories. They just stories there's supposed to be poems of an artistic form and what you really need to focus on is Jesus, and Jesus is blazing integrity.

I sent you foolish man in Jesus and believe in with blazing integrity thinks that the Genesis book is full of stories and myth really not set so the logic of this of this. It contains the story of God's redemption from beginning to end. You see, that's why the Bible the unity of it baffles human wisdom. It really does. It defies the critics it challenges its enemies.

The unity of the Bible goes its opponents, does not look like it was interesting. I was thinking the other day if the Muslims will ever permit the Koran the same rigor of criticism that the Bible has been subjected to it would fall apart in 24 hours in terms of contradiction of falsehood and the word of God is being criticized in my line and hooked up with microscope for years and years and the word of God stands tall. Every prophecy that says thus says the Lord came to pass, with precision.

I wanted to listen on military because if you read history. Even if you're not a student of history for you. Just know a little bit of history you would know that the Bible has been attacked and maligned like no other book you would know that the Bible has been banned has been buried and people were forbidden from reading it like no other book.

They have attempted to discredited like no other book. When the Chinese Communists shredded the Bible, the faithful believers picked up to shreds and read and honored the word of God throughout history people either love the word of God or hated the word of God throughout history.

Either the Bible change people's lives all day try to change it throughout history, emperors, despots and dictators have short to banish the Bible, and yet they are all bad on the word of God lives forever. But here's the irony that I could not escape.

As I hear those people who cannot get the word of God, tell me that they devour not read the word of God. They long for like a tall glass of water to a thirsty man. I could not help but think that one despots and atheists and dictators have failed to accomplish is being accomplished by Christians today. So how come by not only reading it, believing it and obeying it.

We are accomplishing what atheists and infidels and agnostics in the past I have failed to accomplish. That's what drove me to do this short series of messages on the importance of the word of God in our daily life was vitally important to begin. If you haven't already.

I was sharing with the staff how thrilled I am and have been in those past few weeks to get emails and letters, personal calls from people who said reading the word of God as a couple, individually, now has become part of our lives. I promise you you are the one who going to be blessed, for it I can understand how can anybody to claim to love Jesus and claim that they have received them a savior, and yet they spend time on playing golf. They spent time on watching television. Despite time exercising their spend time socializing and I'm not against any of these things, perhaps with the exception of the golf thing I do all of these things I do all of these things but I cannot understand how we can find time for all of these things seller comes the wording of the word of God is like just don't have. It boggles my mind. One of the reasons at least to me personally that people do not read, believe and practice and obey the word of God is what happened in the last four decades in this country is at church leaders and pastors and preachers have dumb down the Bible. They really have many churches use it as an icon, but they don't believe it's content I'll never forget this is nearly 20 years ago I was involved in one of those churches and they asked me there was a very special service and the person involve a new personally so I was going to be involved in in the service and asked me if I would process down there holding the Bible is if you believe it anyway. So be easier for you to carry than any of us.

Sure, I do. And here is gorgeous gold covers LITTLE icons on the outside and then then then head of the church said to me he said no you not holding the angle right you got anglers right as you process down six months earlier I had a debate with a person and he does not believe a thing in the Bible when he was more concerned about Anglia coming down now they believe it is an icon, but not the content of other still in the evangelical church in interest of drawing a crowd or wanting to be like, they have robbed the Bible of its power and's authority. Instead of preaching the Bible. They have settled for soundbites.

They have settled for cheap entertainment. They have opted for slick presentations.

They have opted for all the slick and clever phrases give you an example does not break your heart and put you on your knees, George Marsden said that 85% of students in one of America's largest evangelical seminary.

I will talk about liberals now return about the largest evangelical seminary 85% of the students do not believe in an evidence of the Scripture Paul after Paul have stated that around 74% of the clergy in America do not believe in inerrancy of the Scripture. 95% of the clergy and Episcopal Church do not believe in and receive the Scripture. 87% of the Methodist clergy do not believe in inerrancy of the Scripture, 82% of the Presbyterian because you don't believe in inerrancy of the Scripture. 77% of American Lutherans dump believe in the inerrancy of the Scripture. 67% of the American Baptist denomination clergy do not believe in inerrancy of the Scripture. No wonder. 18% of the believers read the Bible on a daily basis yet again and again. The Scripture tells us that the word of God is the only food for the soul is the only food for the soul sermons are fine books to find all the good help things find the word of God is the only food for the soul. Listen to what God said to Moses in Deuteronomy chapter 8 verse three is of Moses told the Israelites he said God provided you with manna so that listen to this that you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that others from the mouth of God. This is show significant that the Lord Jesus Christ when he was tempted in the wilderness. He reports to Satan. The word of God from Deuteronomy chapter 8 verse three that man does not live by bread alone, but the food of the soul is every word that is uttered from the mouth of God. Listen to what Job said in 2312.

He said I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread. This, not many of us have missed a lot of meals and yet we can go for days and weeks and months without the food for our soul.

We work hard to provide for our family. And that's fine. We should work hard to stay healthy and we should.

We work hard to educate our children and we sure as we work hard to stay physically fit and that's good. And yet when it comes to feeding of our soul. We allow ourselves to be satisfied with the chrome from the word of God. Listen to what God said through Isaiah 55 to why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy listen to me. I need what is good and your soul will delight in the riches of the reason why we have a spiritual famine in the church today is because God's people are spiritually malnourished to the point of becoming anemic.

The word of God is not only food for our soul secular. The Bible tells us that the word of God's power for living is what Paul said is writing to the Romans in chapter 1 verse 16. He said I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.

First for the Jew and the Gentile. It is the power of God. We forever looking for power on the world will little power will only find power over our circumstances. We work hard to find Over problems are diseases are illnesses we all looking for power for our lives and yet were looking for power and all the wrong places.

Because the Bible said the power is in the word of God. We self-improvement books, and that's fine read self-help books. That's fine and we read all kinds of motivational books. I think that's fine but would leave out the only book that is going to give us power over our lives. Power over sin power over Satan power over temptation power over his circumstances power over our illnesses power to change people's lives. The word of God is not only food for our soul is not only powerful living Bible said that the word of God is a mirror is a mirror and I am convinced my own heart of hearts that probably this is a major reason why a lot of Christians don't want to spend time with the word of God. They don't want to read it carefully, because it's a mirror and is going to reflect to them what they don't want to see about themselves. Most of us don't want to confront our failures.

I really do, if not all of us. We hate to confront our failures.

If you read my book of God is in control.

You know that earlier in life and my life.

God had permitted a series of horrendous failures in my life and you know like nobody else. Of course I would not have been forced to confront my failures. Unless these were saw horrendous. I could not escape, and I now know what God has been trying to do early on in my life. He was trying to teach me to confront my failures not run away from them not hide them not pretend that they don't exist, but confront them but most people don't want to confront the hypocrisy. They don't want to confront the double standards with all was well in the grace of God for us all, but we are very legalistic at somebody else. We don't want to confront our compromises. We don't want to confront our complacency and so will stop looking in the mirror. First, they would look in the mirror and so hard put it aside. Here the message listen to Christian radio. Here's songs I'll do this and I'll do that as well. By the way a lot of the Christian radio stations are going to song into music because they don't want the word of God proclaimed people not listening to the listen to music but not the word of God because the word of God is a mirror and it only took a number people say well I just don't like what I see in the matter what John the club. I don't either is Jameson. Anyone who listens to the word of God and does not do what it says is it is like a man who looks at his face in the mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like now that it's a fact that none of us you get up in the morning and you look in the mirror yes man, what a wonderful thing God made I mean that is just not natural. He delivered your disheveled hair in his face looks like there's a truck run overwritten in any see all the wrinkles and all the stuff in the so young people you haven't been there yet. You will get there.

We just look at Tiffany's while who's that, but that's exactly what causes you to do something about it. Looking you would say to yourself I better hit the shower, and for some of us better do some more things and that if you try tomorrow morning to look in the mirror is going to go to work just the way I just try okay see what happens when you go to your office with your shop or whatever is looking like a zombie universe is a great is willing to lie, but that's exactly why Christians do not want to read, study, meditate and learn and obey the word of God. They don't want to face the facts about the lives they pretend that everything is okay look I got a church I got a midweek Bible study. Actually, the leader allows everybody to express her opinion about what they think about the passage and I feel very good about my contribution about that than I have Christian friends left Christian fellowship up my kids go to Sunday school so they learn the Bible therein, I'm fine. How many of you know that this is a lie from the pit of hell. Listen to what Hebrews 412 says for the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to the dividing soul and spirit in joints and marrow judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart, but the word of God is not only food fossil the word of God is not only give us powerful living the word of God is not only like a mirror reflects our condition, but the fourth and the last thing I want to tell you is that the word of God is a shower that cleanses us is what Paul said to the Ephesians 526. He said after the word of God is like a shower very use of translation and not exactly what I gonna find it in your Bible, but it will make sense. Why does he say it's water. What is he say that because no matter how filthy, how dirty, how you may feel as soon as you hit the shower that perfect temperature water you going to feel Clinton's 1000%. Now imagine looking in the mirror or being able to look in the mirror and then you see all the gunk and all the things that needs to be done and then you not able to do anything about. And can you imagine the frustration. Can you imagine the pain of you not being able to do anything about this thing God that is not the case. The Bible never suggests just the mirror and stops there. It will be the most frustrating thing in the world because each of us know what the matter is going to tell us, but thank God that is not only America but is also a shower that can cleanse us because the word of God is a total job does a perfect job not only shows you the problem. It shows you the solution to the problem will provide you with the cleansing power wanted to listen very carefully to what Peter said that this is a very important passage.

Most people read it so fast. Even if you read the Scripture, but I think that whole this just one verse needs to be looked at. Maybe every morning because of going show you the power of the word of God. First Peter chapter 1 verse 22. He said now that you have been purified yourselves how the word of God.

Now the word of God has cleansed you, in effect, he goes on to say, by obeying the truth now number. Now that you go to the shower so that you have sincere love of your brothers, love one another, even more deeply what is Peter saying listen carefully is what he say he says if the mirror is going to show you resentment and bitterness in your life toward somebody that shower is going to cleanse you by pouring in the love of Christ in your heart to people that you are toward. About he is saying if the matter shows you deep-seated anger and hatred that shower is going to wash you up all over with love for others, even the unlovable saying the barracks is going to reveal envy and jealousy and discontentment. The shower is going to cleanse you is going to give you joy unspeakable.

If the mentor reflects immorality of any kind. The shower is going to cleanse you into purity of motive in life and so I conclude when I began what despots have failed to do in robbing the word of God of its power in robbing the word of God of its effect when they have failed to do God's people are doing by not reading believing and obey the word of God. If I have a along in my heart that everyone who's hearing me right now would make the decision not temporary one, but permanent that you will not eat until you read believe and obey the word of God, my God grant you power and grant the power to do just that. Father, I stand before you as a man who daily faith temptation to not read your word and Lord, we together stand knowing that you, the God of power and might and that when we ask you for power to be disciplined and consistent that you give it to us.

Father, I thank you that it is your desire for your children to know you intimately through your word and that it breaks your heart when your children would not bother to spend time pray fully thoughtfully reading the love letters that you have given us your self revelation and so father we pray that through us through our commitment we experience power beyond our ability to even comprehend. Just as you were promised for father I ask this in Jesus name, amen