Celebrating The Word of God – Dr Jeremiah in New York City

Not every day that medicines great God and hold the celebration of the release of a new Bible that again the Jeremiah study log was known to every dime on Turning Point of the Jeremiah watcher to share in the joy of this landmark event, with the message of that will change will is to introduce timeliness recorded at Madison Square Garden when I don't have much to say about this friends except this was a high moment in my life and the life of Turning Point, we introduce the new study Bible that day. We had a huge crowd.

We had great celebration. It was a well. It was a night to remember. I actually preached two messages that night we separated them a priest, one at the beginning of the evening and one at the end.

Both of them about the importance of the word of God what you're about to hear is part two of our celebration back in 2013 and the importance of the word of God and what it will do for you here from Madison Square Garden is the Bible and what it will do for you Jack. I was born in San Mateo, California. He was a military brat who grew up all over the United States, finished high school in New Jersey attended college at Michigan State were eventually flunked out. Ultimately, he married and returned to California where he became a buyer for Macy's department stores. The pressure of his job was incredible and he responded to his on-the-job pressure by drinking heavily and making a series of very bad decision which eventually landed him in jail. In fact, he spent time in jail and five different states became a fugitive changed his name in this life story with each new person that he met so that the warrants that were out for him couldn't be traced to him 1980. He went to the phone book and pick the name out of the phone book to make it his own.

He decided to call himself Jeff Andrews because maybe A's the first letter in the alphabet. From that moment on that eventually became his legal name, but he continued to run and wherever he went he was looking over his shoulders and one day he just got tired of the whole thing and he turned himself in. Believe it or not, and begin serving his sentence in Danbury, Connecticut, as he tells the story some guy named Gideon gave him a New Testament and one night at 3 o'clock in the morning. He took that little book to the back of his cell and by the light of the full moon.

He began to read it as he read something hit him like a thunderbolt and he knew instantly that this little book was true. He received Jesus Christ as his personal savior to make a very long story short, he's now the vice president of a computer company were his work for the last 17 years and a part of the ministry of Charles Colson's prison Fellowship for the last 13 years that I could have told you.

The Bible is always been a difference maker making bad people, good and good people better.

The Bible's pages aglow with the grace of God provide hope and meaning.

For everyone who will look to it for help. The Bible's power to transform lives is best described in the last half of one of the most beautiful songs in the Bible more than any other Psalm Psalm 19 reflects the beauty and splendor of Hebrew poetry. CS Lewis believed that the Psalm was the greatest poem in the Psalms and one of the greatest lyrics in all of the world.

He reports were different than our poets today. They knew how to arrange their message so that it was set in exquisite color and through the use of comparison and contrast they brought forward so that the message was actually enhanced by the structure that was given to it.

Let me show you what I mean. Here are the words of David's tribute to the Bible, found in Psalm 19, seven through 11, but they're not written in prose, the written in the chart and I like to read them from the chart there exactly the way they are in the Bible.

The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever, and the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous. Moreover by them your servant is warned that in keeping them there is great reward people poets would tell you read this Psalm across and then read it down read it now. MacCallum's that are there if you want to know what the psalmist thinks about the Bible. Here are some synonyms he created for it. He said the Bible is the law of the Lord. It is the testimony of the Lord. It's the statutes of the Lord.

It's the commandment of the Lord. It's the fear of the Lord. It's the judgments of the Lord. These are all synonyms for the Bible and these six synonyms portray the Bible, not just as a book to be read but a book to be obeyed. Judgments and statutes and laws.

These are things we obey in the second column of the psalmist adds adjectives for the Bible.

He says this is what the Bible is like.

He gives us six words, it is perfect. It is sure it is right it is clean and it is true and righteous but it is not until you get to the final column that you understand what the psalmist really wanted us to take away from Psalm 19, seven through 11. He wants us to know what the Bible will do for us and more than anything else. This is why I've been involved in this project. Over these years because I so believe in the power of the Bible to change lives here in this text we are told a number of things about the Bible and what it will do. First of all it will restore your soul, converting the soul. It says Bible is God's agent of salvation. Did you know that you cannot become a Christian without the Bible you say well I know somebody that you have a Bible and they became a Christian. With the became a Christian. It was because of something that came out of the Bible because you cannot become a Christian without the Bible we would not know how to know God without the Bible we can know God exists through his creation, but we cannot know how to know God unless God reveals himself to us and in the Bible he has done just that he has given to us everything that we need to know become a Christian. This book is God's agent of salvation and the message of Christianity can only be found in one place, not in history book.

It's in God's book, Peter says it this way, we are born again through the word of God which lives and abides forever in the Bible also renews your mind, the testimony of the Lord is sure, said the psalmist, making wise the simple.

The Bible will give you practical guidance that you need to know how to do life so many times I have read the word of God and found myself thinking all men I better not do that for you to do this a different way. The Bible is God's wisdom to us wisdom to help us to know how to do life in the Bible is God's owner's manual. I don't want to go too far down that road because I know how most of us treat those owners manuals, but let me suggest to you that you should read the Bible because if you don't you will wish you had the Bible, the psalmist says will rejoice your heart right out of the text. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. Psalm 19. Did you know that the Bible is one of God's best ways to lift your spirit when you're down when you're troubled you go. I always tell people you will find a lot of help in Leviticus, but go to the Psalms go to the Psalms and there you will find the truth. That will just lift your one day an Australian woman named Darlene Scheck was battling depression was back in 1993 to be exact in her burdens were just overwhelming see no solution for her problems, but her family was a Christian family and Darlene had begun to learn the power of the Bible. So that day she reached for her Bible and as she poured over Psalm 96 the Lord used his word to meet her needs nearby. Her at the time was an old piano that her parents had given her when she was five years old going over to the piano, she began to improvise a song based on Psalm 96 and as she praise the Lord. Her depression began to lift and her faith and her joy in the Lord returned. Little did she know that the song she wrote would become one of the most popular praise and worship songs of all time. We sing it and all of our churches these days. It's called shout to the Lord and when we sing that song we need to remember that it was written by someone who was depressed until they read the Psalms.

When you read the word of God.

It will lift your spirit.

That's what David says and it will also refocus your vision. Notice verse eight of the 19th chapter he says the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening, your eyes God's Word gives us clarity of vision.

Is there anything we need more in this life today than to be able to see things as they are. If you see things as they are. You can stay out of a lot of trouble. I heard a sportscaster that I listen to sometimes on the radio talking about a guy and he said about this guy that he was the president of the state of denial and I know a lot of people that live in that state were citizens of the state of denial about you, but you can't live in the state of denial. If you read the Bible. The Bible will bring you up. Sure it will help you see yourself as you really are and will refocus your vision and it will reinforce your life.

Notice the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever. Forever something that lasts what you know about that. The Bible is forever.

It doesn't change, it will never fail, it won't let you down.

It is never out of date.

You can count on to be there when you needed it endures forever.

The psalmist says in Psalm 119 forever Lord, your word is settled in heaven. I was watching CNN one night and some personalities were interviewing a preacher and during the interview. The interviewer said to the preacher and I quote, when are you Christians going to drag your Bible into the 21st century."

Now I knew immediately that the interview had never read the Bible. The Bible speaks to the issues of our day, and the fact that we don't like what it has to say, does not render it irrelevant. There is certainly an chain, but it is not the Bible. It needs to change. We need to drag our culture back in line with the Bible to say that the Bible will replace the judgment of the Lord is true and righteous altogether in his life there are not many things you can know for sure that are true, you think you do. Sometimes you think you know something is true and you find out it's not every part of God's word.

All of it from the beginning to the end is true, and I make that statement as a man was launched in history as minds far more brilliant than mine would ever be who have tried to destroy the Bible saying it is full of contradictions and it doesn't have any integrity. It seems like every time I set out to destroy the Bible.

They end up becoming followers of Christ because they examine the evidence and find out. The evidence is when you read the Bible you can have the confidence that it is centuries of attempts to discredit people's if a book is no longer relevant.

Why would you read it, but it is relevant and we know it's relevant and you know I've often said that the Bible is a self authenticating book. That means you don't have to have anything else to tell you that is true.

Just in the reading of it something witnesses in your heart that says while this is different. This is true. This must be a God book in the Bible will reorder your values. Notice verse 10 more to be desired are they then told me that much fine gold sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. What does that mean he's the Bible is far more value than we give credit for it to be one of my friends and pastor who is retired from the church now continues to write is a man by the name of John Piper and he made the following comments about this particular verse. He said if you have a choice between the word of God and gold choose the word of God.

If you have a choice between the word of God and much gold choose the word of God.

And if you've a choice between the word of God and much fine gold choose the word of God. The point is plain. The benefits of knowing and doing the word of God are greater than all that money can buy 56 tempted to say this.

This is a pretty bold thing for him to say your tempted to read the stock page before you read the Bible in the morning, remind yourself that this is not very shrewd behavior is like the child who chooses the penny over the dime because it's bigger adults look on and shake their heads and try to teach children how to see what is really more valuable.

There is no doubt the way the angels in heaven looked down at Charlie's businessmen study the stock page before they study the Bible. There's a difference, however, and that the benefits of the word of God over the benefits of gold are greater than 10 to 1, and that doesn't mean you shouldn't study the stock page and learn all you can about financial world when you mix in the truth of God's word and takes it to an entirely different level and I know so many people have told me that the Bible will direct your path. Moreover by them your servant is warned that you know the Bible is full of warnings. That's why some people don't like to read it because it tells them not to do something that they want to do. But you know if you really think this through. Warnings are great value to us. Warnings keep us out of trouble.

Warnings protect us from danger, wish to have a discussion among our pastors some years back about what we do in preaching as opposed to what we do in counseling. We came up with this little image that maybe helps us the preacher of the word of God. In today's world takes the Scripture and opens it up and he put signs of warning down in the sand to tell people don't go this way you're going over the cliff softener counseling ministries run ambulance services at the bottom of the cliff is nothing wrong with either one. But isn't it much better not to have to use the ambulance service by just taking note of the word of God and one of the reasons why our culture's word is today is because so many people refuse absolutely refused to stand up in the pulpit and say this is wrong. Don't do this. This is what God's spirit about her angry for you to do is just reflect what the word of God says the Bible tell you when something is going to get you in trouble if you want to get in trouble, go for it but get ready to write an ambulance right in the Bible will reward your obedience. It says here and in keeping the things of the Bible there is great reward. I stand here today after 40 years of studying this book and doing my very best to follow its truth tell you the most rewarding thing you can ever do to know that you're in the will of God to know that you're doing what you believe God wants you to remember when I first started to travel years ago started our television radio ministry I was traveling I went to a little. A fear because I would get on an airplane.

I wasn't worried so much about me but I had a young family go through a little fear that something might happen, and I leave my children without father I wife without a husband one day a friend of mine who was a real student of the word of God, give me a little saying and I put it in my Bible and this is what it says God's man in the center of God's will is immortal until God is done with him in the center of God's will is immortal till God is done with one of these days. Gotta be done with me when he is on Don, but as long as I stay in his will. I can live and be useful and have the joy of the Lord in my heart and my little talk with you tonight know I love stories fill my radio program television program up with them stories or windows to the soul, don't you know there is a man who decided along the way in his life that God wanted him to be a missionary. He was a doctor and a very very good one to be exact, but he decided to go to a foreign field where doctors were not really ever used and known as he went there and gave himself to the ministry. Trying to help people stay there for two whole years and he didn't have one single person could look to and say that person's life was changed because I went there just wasn't any evidence doesn't mean they weren't what he did know if anybody was if you want to write a tragedy. You might want to write about his life because his life actually ended when he was killed in a plane crash attempting to take supplies to a remote village you might be tempted to say what in the world is that all about. What a waste.

He should never have done that but in the wreckage of the plane. This is a true story. The natives discovered a well marked Bible in their language and begin to read it and they told others what they had read and before long they were reading it together and what we would call churches because they began to sprout up all over the place from one well marked copy of the Scripture men and women became Christians of the Southern Baptist who it sent missionaries there did not know any of this. So they put together a plan to send some new missionaries to take the place of the missionary was killed in the plane crash took him a while to put together but they finally got the people together and sent them and when they sent the first missionary team back into the area. They discovered that he wasn't needed.

The place had already been fully evangelized people already knew God got from one little fragment of Scripture left missionaries asked the people. How did this happen that you will Christians. The Colombians went and pulled out the Bible that they had found in the wreckage of the plane and said this is what we been reading and this is changed our life. We had a wonderful privilege as a church to help commission a new Bible and a tribe that had no Bible did not even have a written language.

Can you believe that they didn't have any written language. The missionary went there and he took their oral words and he put them down in a way so the basically put the language together. Then he taught them to read by teaching them to read the New Testament by just a few weeks ago. We dedicated the first full Bible for listener. This young BMB tribe in Papua New Guinea. They have their own Bible and in the years that that missionary has been there over 60% of the people in that culture have come to know Jesus Christ and the person I'm telling you what we have done to produce the Jeremiah study Bible is the greatest work we could ever do long after I'm gone. People be reading this Bible study the notes God will be using it to help them come to know the one he sent the Bible for us to read about and that's the person of Jesus Christ. Don't just put it on your shelf and admire it, read it and study it and let God use it to reestablish your life.

Thank you very much and some notable gifts that night and had a wonderful time of celebration and the beginning of circulation of my study Bible begin now in hundreds of homes thousands of homes, not just here in America but around the world.

Many pastors have it when we introduce that study Bible year that we did that I did 17 pastors breakfast to introduce it to the pastors of America have never regretted that in everywhere we go we find people who have been learning along with us through this study Bible that was created to help people understand what the Bible says what it means and what it means for them friends. Tomorrow we begin a brand-new series called the Jesus you may not know this is never been aired before. I just recently preach this series at shadow Mountain church and we are going to talk about all of the things we can learn about Jesus better therefore us to learn many of us have been reading the New Testament, all of our lives and yet working to find a lot of things that we didn't know about Jesus that are just there for several dig a little deeper. I made a list of these things and quite surprised that some of the things I did not know. I hope you'll join us.

Beginning tomorrow, as we talk about this question. Is he from history or is he from eternity with Jesus, you may not know beginning tomorrow here on Turning Point and have a great day. I'm David Jeremiah. Thank you for listening. More information on the Jeremiah special message from Edison to God.

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