I'm thankful to be with you again this morning. I certainly desire your prayers that the Lord will bless us as we examine a portion of His Word. I want to look at a segment of Psalm 119. Did you know it's the longest of all the Psalms and in almost every verse there is some reference to the Word of God. It speaks of the law of God, the commandments of God, the statutes of God, in a variety of ways, references made to His Word. It's divided into 22 sections, 8 verses each, each one designated by a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. And we want to look at the 8 verse section that begins with verse 97, Psalm 119, Reading with verse 97, O how I love thy law! It is my meditation all the day. Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies, for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts. I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word. I have not departed from thy judgments, for thou hast taught me. How sweet are thy words unto my taste, yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth. Through thy precepts I get understanding, therefore I hate every false way. How would you describe the word of God? Would you say that it is difficult, it is challenging, or even bitter in some instances? The psalmist says it is sweet that he loves it. Verse 113, I hate vain thoughts, but by law do I love. I don't just recognize it, I don't just read it, I actually love it. In the 19th Psalm, Verse 10, he says, more to be desired are they than gold. That is speaking of the judgments of God or the Word of God. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold, sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Here he tells us it's of tremendous value, of greater value than silver and gold, The people of this world are constantly in pursuit of silver and gold, money, material things, but he says God's word is more to be desired than all of that which is so highly esteemed by others. And then says that it is sweeter even than the honeycomb. Surely then, it must be the desire of all of us today that we could join with the psalmist to say, I love thy word. Not just that we have a Bible on the nightstand at home or even carry it to church and read it periodically, but that we actually love it. Now there are some hindrances to loving it. Sometimes that may come in the form of some preconceived idea about a variety of things. that maybe without ever recognizing it, we have been influenced by worldly philosophy. You know, we are constantly bombarded in this information age. It comes at us from every direction. You get information over the radio, over television, over the internet, all kinds of printed materials. You hear conversation among friends and relatives and people in a variety of situations in life and everybody has their own outlook, opinion, and concept about the issues of life. And it's really strange as to how God's own people can be so easily influenced. Somebody comes along with great educational attainments and It's assumed that they know what they're talking about. They tell you that they are intelligent and that they have accomplished a great deal and somehow people just concede that that must be the case. Must heed what they say. Or somebody comes on radio or television and they're happy to give advice. There's all kinds of free advice out there. And of course there's some that you have to pay a big price for. And what's free and what you pay for is worth just about the same amount, nothing in many cases, because it is totally mixed with man's thinking. God is left out. But much of man's speculation and philosophy enables you to feel good about yourself. And our own human nature likes that. I concede, when I'm reading the scripture, I would a lot rather read the 23rd Psalm. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in the green pasture. It's a great comfort in that Psalm and many others. But you read other portions of scripture and it's convicting. It shows you where you are. It reveals the sin of your heart. In fact, there may be certain days you come across a passage you might be trying to read through the Bible. And you come across a passage and say, I don't think I can handle that part today. Where is that 23rd Psalm? I think I'll come back to this another day. I'm not emotionally prepared for this at the moment. Some of it is hard to take. So people are constantly looking for something that will make them feel good. I was counseling with a young lady several years ago. And among her many other problems, she was impoverished financially. She was just struggling to get by. So I couldn't help but be a little surprised when I learned that in addition to seeing me once a week, she had been going to see a psychiatrist once a month. And while my services were free, she was paying him $100 a visit. And I said, how on earth did you decide to do that when you tell me you can barely pay your bills and just barely keeping your head above water, and you're willing to pay him $100 for 45 minutes? She said, well, he tells me I'm OK, and you never tell me that. I said, well, I've got to speak the truth. And all I'm doing is not giving you my opinion, but citing God's word. And God's word is convicting. But it was worth $100 a moment to her to have somebody tell her she was OK. Well, that desire is in all of us. We'd like to be complimented and thought well of. I concede. I like it a lot better when somebody shakes my hand after a sermon and say, I enjoyed that and I believe that. than to have the response I have had at various times where somebody looked daggers through me and tell me I didn't believe a word of that, or I thought you were wrong on this or the other. We'd rather hear something complimentary. But what we need is truth. And when we come to God's Word, that's what we're going to get. So we don't want to be influenced by our own personal desires or by human philosophy and preconceived ideas. In the book of Isaiah, chapter 44, Verse 24 says, thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things, that stretcheth forth the heavens alone, that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself. You know, it's interesting if you start noticing throughout the scriptures how many references are made to the fact that God is the sovereign creator. We put a lot of emphasis on the Genesis account of creation, which indeed we should. But when we had what we called Creation Weekend at our church this summer and went over to see the Creation Museum across the river from us, on Sunday morning, I brought a message on creation through the Bible. And just as rapidly as possible, I went through a number of scriptures and then began to make comment on them, but went all the way Old Testament and New Testament alike and showed just the abundance of references. So it's not, if a person says, I don't believe in creation, it's not just denying the Genesis account, it's denying the whole Word of God. The truth of creation permeates the Bible. So he says, I'm the Lord that makes all things. I'm the one that stretched out the heavens alone, and that spread above the earth by myself, that frustrated the tokens of the liars, that make diviners mad, and turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish. And that's exactly what God does. Man comes along with his boasted wisdom as though he's got everything figured out. He understands our emotional makeup. He understands how we function and what the solutions to life's problems may be. But God says he makes man's wisdom foolish. Now you think about it. Who knows the most about you? Is it not the God that made you? He knows what makes you tick. He knows your past. He knows your present. He knows your future. So how foolish it is for somebody to say, I've got to have professional help. I'm going to go to somebody that doesn't even believe in God. And I think that with their great wisdom, they're going to be able to solve my difficulties. Friends, going to the Word of God, hearing the truth as he has presented it to us by writers under divine inspiration, is where we will find the answers we so desperately need. First Corinthians chapter 1, we find a confirmation of that which we just read from the book of Isaiah. It says in verse 19, for it is written, reference made to these Old Testament writings, it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? God's in the process of destroying the wisdom of the world. All a man's boasted wisdom comes to naught. I was trying to preach at a place some time back, and there were two little children that became real competition for me, and at times I felt like they were winning the battle. Their parents were sitting there, but didn't have any concept about how to bring those little fellows under control, and apparently didn't even think it was necessary, and showed total disrespect for our effort to speak from the word of God. I later learned that they were both involved in public education. And this is not to discredit people who are involved in it. There are some godly, wonderful people who are involved. But I couldn't help but believe that they had been influenced by the philosophy of the day, that you've got to let little folks just express their personality and you're not too restrictive and you don't try to correct them and put them under control. But you come to God's word and you find wisdom. You find that the one that neglects to restrain their children and instruct their children and discipline their children and guide their children are not only dishonoring God, but they are harming the children themselves. No matter what the subject matter may be, we're going to find the information that we need, that which is God-honoring and that really which is ultimately beneficial to His people, we're going to find it in His Word. No wonder then the psalmist could say, I love Thy Word. I love it because the answers to life's problems are there. So often we struggle with issues and say, I'm not sure that there is an answer to this. But often it's because we really don't want to accept the answer the Bible provides. We kind of have our mind made up and say, this is the course I want to take. This is the road I want to travel. This is the way I want to go. Where do we get the answer? In God's word. And if we're reading it and we're praying, God will guide us and give us the insight that we so desperately need. Sometimes it's a matter of being influenced by false teaching. Paul referred to that in the Colossian letter, Colossians chapter 2, verse 8. Beware lest any man spoil you through what philosophy? and vain deceit after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. Now that covers a lot of territory. I don't want you to be spoiled. I don't want you to be ruined. I don't want you to be confused through philosophy or vain deceit, empty deceit. This means that there are some who would intentionally deceive. I'm confident that there are some false teachers that are themselves deceived. And what they teach is deceitful, but they're blinded to it. This indicates that there are those who are deceivers and know it. I don't want you to be confused by it. By the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, the elements of this world, and not after Christ. Vain deceit. Somebody told me about hearing an old preacher back in the hills that He got up at an associational meeting and he says, brethren, I tell you, I just don't try to preach the Bible anymore. He said, it's so confusing. I just preach my experience. Now, friends, here's somebody that's fallen off the precipice when it comes to having proper respect for God's word. Here's somebody that's preaching experience as opposed to the definitive truth that is found in the word of God. Verse 18 says, let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshiping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up in his fleshly mind. Don't let anybody beguile you. Don't be deceived, whether it's worldly philosophy or somebody who even invades the church and speaks something which is unsound and incorrect. hearing me on the radio, send me a lot of materials they want me to read and tapes and CDs they'd like me to listen to. If I read all of it and listened to all of it, I'd never have time for the Bible itself. But I started on a trip the other day and just picked up a stack of things people had sent me and thought as I travel I'll listen to some of them. Put in a CD, here's a man that gets up in the pulpit, says he's gonna expound the word of God. First text he read, he said, now we know that it doesn't mean what it says. We know it doesn't mean what it says. I thought, what kind of an impact is that going to have on people as they hear a preacher say, the Bible doesn't mean what it says. I mean, you hear enough of that, you finally lose respect for it. If it doesn't mean what it says, then they don't need me to read the Bible, because even the preacher couldn't figure it out, and I know I can't, so I won't even bother to read it. inclination of some to spiritualize to such a degree that it conveys the same thought. Can't just take the Bible literally. That doesn't mean what it says. I've got to get some hidden message out of it. I've had people several times ask me, say, what do you think those five smooth stones meant that David picked up when he was going to go fight Goliath? I say, I think that means he had five rocks that he was carrying out there to use in battle. That's what that meant. Somebody tries to make it mean the five principles of grace or whatever else. There's no biblical authority to say that's what it means. Now, I can see that you go to the book of Revelation, you're going to find a lot of symbolic language. And some people just kind of pick up what... They're inclined to accept and say, here's what I think it means. Well, if we're going to take a dogmatic position about what something means, then we need to have scripture to tie it down. And say, here's what we know it means, because here's what God's word says. Turn to the book of Proverbs, chapter 27. The seventh verse says, the fool soul loatheth an honeycomb, but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet. Now, this clearly indicates that one of the hindrances to loving God's word is being full of worldly interest. person goes to church, it's a good thing that they have assembled with God's people, but if your mind is totally distracted and instead of really hearing the preaching, you're thinking about what you're going to do the next day and about the jeopardy into which your investments have fallen and the immediate financial crisis that we're facing here in this country. or all you're thinking about is something of a materialistic nature, then there's certainly not going to be a full appreciation for the word of God. The full soul, the one that's already full up, doesn't even desire the sweetness of the honeycomb. But on the other hand, the one that's hungry, even to that one, every bitter thing is sweet. I love to see people who are responsive to the Word of God, that when you're preaching His Word, even if it's something that's convicting, if it's something that is not necessarily uplifting, but it's the truth, a person has great regard for it. I preached a rather extended series of messages on the subject of money at our church recently, and I know that's not the most popular theme in many churches today. In fact, some would tell you that a preacher ought to avoid it entirely. That is just totally out of order for a man to have to talk about money from the pulpit. And I understand also that some preachers are reluctant to preach on it because they're afraid that somebody will assume they're trying to feather their own nest, and so I better leave it alone. But if we're going to preach the Bible, we have to preach something about money. Jesus said more about money than he did any other one subject. So many of the parables, so many of the lessons that he presented dealt with the issue. Well, why is there such a reluctance? One, I'm confident is that some people are consumed with the spirit of covetousness. And if you've got a covetous spirit, you don't want to hear somebody talk about money. But how we handle our money, and even as I make that statement, something that needs to be corrected there. I said, how are we going to handle our money? You know, really the fact is it's not ours, it all belongs to God. When we start on that premise, that gives us a whole different concept. It's not how much of my money am I going to give to God, but how am I going to handle God's money and be a good steward of what He's given me and return a portion of that to His service. And when we understand then that the attitude that we have toward money is a real indication of where we are spiritually. whether we're selfish and greedy or whether we're delighting in having the privilege to give in God's service. Well, as I preached that series at our church, I knew that certainly a lot of our younger people needed it desperately because I'd counseled with some that had gone overboard and were in debt with their credit cards. Just incredible today. how the credit card companies have sucked so many young people into this vicious cycle, starting out very young, offering them their cards, and so they continue to mount this debt until, as they're paying 19% interest. The credit card companies believe that if they once get a person to the point that they have over $800 on their balance and they're only paying the monthly minimum they'll never pay out of it, they've got them for life. They'll be paying it from now on. I've actually counseled with people that had so many credit cards that when the bill came, they borrowed from one card to pay the other one. And they're on the slippery slope going down with no solution at that point. And so we need to understand how we are to be good stewards of all that God has given us. But the point I'm getting to, while I knew that a lot of our young people needed it, I was a little concerned that some of our older people would say, well, I'd really rather hear something else because it's not that much interest to me, but I greatly appreciated it when one of the oldest sisters in our church came to me after one of those sermons and said, I tell you, I love that sermon. She said, I'm already trying to figure out how I can give more. I just, I just am so thankful that somebody is touching on that subject. Well, when a person is, is a hungry soul, they've got the right spirit, the right attitude. It doesn't matter what the subject is. If it's biblical, if it's in the word of God, I said, I'm glad to hear that. I want you to preach on that. I need that. And so we want to see to it that we're not filled up with worldly interest and with other materials feeding on junk food to the point that we've lost our appetite for the Word of God. And then we go to the book of 1 Peter, chapter 2. And we gain some insight here as to something that could be a hindrance to loving the Word of God. Verse 1 says, Wherefore, laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby, if so be that ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. Now, if we're going to then have a sincere desire for the Word of God, we're going to taste that the Lord is gracious. We're going to be growing by it. He says there's some things that's got to be attended to first. We've got to lay aside lying. We've got to be honest with ourselves, with God, and with others. We've got to get rid of malice, bitterness, guile, hypocrisies, an envy spirit, evil speakings. If you're consumed with these things, He says, You're not going to have the desire for the Word of God. They are hindrances. They are obstacles in the way. So there needs to be a confession of sin and a turning from these things in order then to feed upon the Word of God, to grow by it. And as you grow by it, you begin to love it more and more. You finally come to realize this thing really works. I've had this great trial. I've had this great burden. I've had this difficulty. And I've gone to God's Word, oh I can see there are times that you read and you may read over a number of verses and say, I don't know if I understood any of that. I was reading through the book of Ezekiel not long ago and I came over several verses and I read and I thought, I don't know that I understood one thing that I read. And I can see that it can be discouraging when you come across some of those passages. But you read long enough and the Lord will open up some things to you and give you some understanding and bless you to see some things. Maybe you've read over it many times before and all of a sudden it's like it jumps off the page at you and God speaks to your heart. And you apply it and it makes a difference. And you say, this is great. And when you see how effective it is, it not only proves to be a blessing in your life, you then have a desire to share it with others. Because you say, I can't wait to tell somebody else about this principle, this truth, because I know it'll make a difference in their life. Now, you need to be careful. If you're going to exhort somebody else, if you're going to try to give them the counsel of God's word, be sure that what you're saying is God's word and not your personal opinion. A lady in our church came to me several years ago She had just tried to give a bit of encouragement to another sister in the church. This lady lived alone and had to provide her own income, had a little business and she was very discouraged because she said her business was declining and that some of the customers that she'd had for several years had moved away and she didn't know how she was going to replace it and she was just Very discouraged. So the sister that had come to me to talk about it said, so you know, I told her, you just need to cheer up because things will get better. And she said, I've got to think about that later. And I thought, I don't know if I told her right. I said, no, you didn't unless you're a prophetess and you know that God has revealed to you it's going to get better because the fact is it might get worse. She said, I've got to think about that. She said, what on earth should I have said? You should have said that no matter how bad it gets, no matter how dark it may be, God has promised not to leave you nor forsake you. He's promised to provide your needs. It may not be through your business. It may be from some other channel. You've got to point to God, not to circumstances. You can't promise somebody that things are going to get better. So if we're going to give counsel, let's be sure that it's biblically correct, that it's sound, it's going to be a benefit to somebody. There's another issue that stands in the way of somebody loving the Word of God, and that is a rebellious spirit. Read what it says, and I've had people say this, well, I know, but I'm sure it doesn't mean that. I'm sure it doesn't mean that. Because it wasn't what they wanted to hear. Or I've actually had some go so far as to say, well, I know what it says, but I can't do it. And remember having somebody one day so bold as to say, I won't do it. A rebellious spirit puts you at variance with God's word. Jeremiah chapter 17, verse 23. But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff that they might not hear nor receive instruction. a stiff net of rebellious people that they would not receive instruction. Some people are like that because they think they know it all. They don't think anybody can tell them anything. Nobody can possibly instruct them because they are far ahead of everybody else. And then some, it's just a cantankerous, rebellious spirit. I will not hear it. It's not what I want. It's not what I want to do. And I will not receive it. Look at another example of this in the book of Ezekiel chapter 33. Verse 31 says, and they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words. Here is, as to the prophet, the people come, they sit before you as my people, they're going through the motions, they hear the words that you speak, they hear the audible sound, but they will not do them. For with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. The Lord said there are those that draw nigh unto him with their mouth, their heart is far from me. These say all the right things, but they will not apply the word. Their heart goes after covetousness. For lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument. For they hear thy words, but they do them not. To some people, preaching is just the sound. As long as a man sounds like he's preaching, that's about all it amounts to. They don't get much out of the content. It's as though a lovely song is being sung, but they will not do what is proclaimed in God's Word. We're not to love only in word, but in deed and in truth. If we fail to apply it, it doesn't matter how much we know. Some people like to study the Bible, but it's all for the purpose of debate. You ever seen somebody like that? They've always got some controversial point. They got something they want to argue about. They fail to dwell on those things that exalt the Savior Jesus Christ. They fail to dwell on those practical issues that give you guidance about how you're to live. Got some issue that they want to argue about. And so often, it seems to be that the whole issue is, I want to prove how much I know. I want to prove how smart I am. And so I want an opportunity to parade my wisdom. If you begin to study God's Word from that standpoint, you just wanna win an argument, you wanna defeat somebody else, you're not gonna get any benefit out of it. You're not gonna really love the Word. You just look at it as an ammunition chest, but it's not that which feeds the soul and draws you nearer to God. So while there are many hindrances to loving it, there are a lot of reasons for loving it. First of all, the fact that it is God's Word. Think about this for a moment. Suppose you had never had a Bible in your possession, didn't even know anything about the Bible, but God had blessed you just to behold His handiwork to recognize there is a sovereign Creator. God has revealed Himself by the display of His handiwork. He says that it's impossible to look into the heavens to look at all that is done and not understand there is a Creator. So you have come to that understanding. And the thought would cross your mind, would it not be a wonderful thing if this God who has created heaven and earth, all of the beautiful things that I see around me upon this earth, would it not be a wonderful thing if that God had written a book And then you discover, He has! The Bible, 66 books given us by men of divine inspiration. And yet, those of us that have been exposed to the Bible all of our life tend to take it for granted. Fail to read it like we ought. But think of it. It is God's inspired Word. How many times have you thought, you know, if God would just speak to me? If God would just give me a message. Well He has. He's given you a message in His Word. And anything that He impresses on your mind and heart will be in harmony with what's in His Word. I've talked to a few people that said God had told them something but I knew they had a bad connection somewhere because what they claimed God had told them diametrically opposed what God had revealed in His Word. Anything He impresses us to do will be in harmony with His Word. It's a book we ought to love because it's not only God's book that He gave it to us, He inspired men to write it, but it tells us about God. Now there are a lot of things you learn about God by looking at creation. You learn about His wisdom and His power. But you turn to His Word and you read about His holiness and you read about His love. You read about His grace, you read about His mercy, and you see the great extent of the information that He's provided to give us guidance in every detail of life. It unfolds God's providence as He has worked in the lives of multitudes. You see the stories of the Old Testament? How he begins with Abraham in the Ur of the Chaldees, calls him to leave this idolatrous place, and gives him a promise and a covenant that he's going to make him the father of multitudes. And you see that even in that promise and covenant that he made with Abraham, that there is reference to the coming of the Savior, Jesus Christ, that's going to redeem a great portion of the fallen race. Because we learn in the book of Galatians that he's talking about not seeds many, but seeds singular. He's talking about Christ. So early on, there's a prophetic reference to the coming of the Son of God. And you see the great blessing of God. Oh, we couldn't begin to go through the whole story, but see the great blessing of God in the life of Jacob. Here's one, had many qualities that we certainly would not admire. But nevertheless, God loved him. Jacob, have I loved but Esau? Have I hated? Isn't that a marvelous thing? Somebody says, I can't understand God hating Esau. Well, it's difficult to understand God loving Jacob. And if you once see yourself, that's what you're amazed at. How could God love me? Have you ever been so disgusted with yourself to say, you know, I don't even like me? Many times that you think, there are a few people I'm having a lot of trouble liking. But then you get a good view of yourself and I don't even like me. We think if you don't like you, what about, I can expect God to like you or love you. And so it's amazing that he loves you. You know that he doesn't love you because you're lovable. He loves you in spite of yourself. That's on the basis of his grace that he loves you. And here he loved Jacob. And Jacob said, wasn't worthy of the least of his mercies, nor of the truth that is made known to me. And then you see the unfolding of providence in the life of Joseph and how it appeared that everything was dark and to the contrary and nothing, nothing was going right in this young man's life. Sold as a slave, falsely accused, imprisoned, looked like God had forgotten all about him. But ultimately he's exalted from the prison to a place next to authority to King Pharaoh himself and when the famine comes, Eventually the whole family has brought down and given the best of the land and provided for. And you see the unfolding of providence. And you read these things repeatedly throughout the Old Testament and say, I'm so glad to know that the sovereign God who created heaven and earth is still in charge. That you can say with the prophet Habakkuk in Habakkuk chapter 2 and the 20th verse, the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him. It's easy to forget that. When a crisis strikes, When trouble comes, our human nature is such we tend to fall apart. We sometimes forget some of the most basic things that we have heard preached, the things that we sing about. Go to church on Sunday and hear a man preach about a big God. Nothing is too hard for the Lord. They say, Amen. I believe that. That's my God. I believe He can handle anything. And we sing these uplifting songs. God moves in a mysterious way. His wonders to perform. He plants His footsteps in the sea and rides upon the storm. Oh, I can trust God when the storm comes. But then the storm hits. And the storm is frightening. We had the tailwinds of Hurricane Ike hit our city. And we were in our afternoon service. The electricity went out. And you could see pieces of trees flying by the windows and part of the roof being blown off. And you get just a little anxious when the storm comes. There was devastation in our city with 75 mile an hour winds. The whole area was without electricity, many of us, for as much as eight days. You find out that when the storm actually comes, sometimes it's a little different than singing about it and thinking about it in advance. The crisis comes and we tend to fall apart. We forget what we've learned. Makes me think, years ago, my mother got a little anxious about what would happen if there was a fire in our house. I had a room up on the third floor and she was concerned that I might not be able to escape because there was just one stairway to get there. So she bought some kind of a portable metal ladder that you could hook on the windowsill and escape in case of a fire. She got some other things around the house and got all kinds of fire extinguishers installed. But in that house, we had gas-steam radiators. Each radiator was a separate unit and had to be lit individually. So she gets up one morning to light the fire in the dining room to prepare for breakfast, and a spark flew off the mat and struck one of the sheer curtains, and they just went up in a blaze like that. In a short time, the room was engulfed in flames. I heard somebody hollering fire. I thought they'd do anything to try to get me up in the morning. I didn't believe it at first, but by the time they opened the door to my room and the smoke started up, I knew we had a fire. So my brother and I rushed in and we knew that we had some fire extinguishers. But my mother, who had made all of this preparation, totally forgot the fire extinguishers. And here she was, with a little pan of water, trying to throw it on the fire. When the crisis came, she was in such a panic, she didn't know what she was supposed to do. She just went into a state of panic. We finally, with the help of the fire extinguishers and soon the fire department arriving, were able to get the fire out before extensive damage was done. But I thought, how that depicts so many of us. We go to church, and we hear about the fire extinguisher. We hear about what we're supposed to do in a case of emergency. How we're supposed to trust God. We're not supposed to fall apart. No matter what comes, we know God is in control. I'm going to trust Him. He can see me through this trial. He can get me through this storm. I'm going to depend on Him. But the storm comes. Here we are, we panic. And sad to say that some people in that state of panic, rather than turning to the Lord, turn to the world and its philosophy. Rather than to resort to the counsel of His Word, they turn everywhere else. But here we see this beautiful example of the unfolding of divine providence in Joseph's life. That that which was negative, that which seemed contrary, that which seemingly would have ruined a young man, Psychologists will tell you this young boy will never be the same. He heard his brothers talk about killing him. They hated him. They despised him. He's falsely accused. He's just a young man, 17 years of age. How's he going to recover from this? But look, God's hand was upon him and God exalts him to a place of authority so that he was able to provide for his family in the time of famine. on the story goes to see the unfolding of divine providence. And we come to the New Testament and we see the details concerning this prophecy and the types and status of the Old Testament that proclaim that the Savior would come and at the appointed time Jesus Christ came to this earth. Said he would come in the fullness of time. It was God's appointed time that Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin. And here there's great joy. The angelic chorus sang, Glory to God in the highest on earth, peace, goodwill toward men. Old Simeon held the Savior in his arms. Mine eyes have seen thy salvation. Now let thy servant depart in peace. How could he have known that? The Lord had to reveal to him that this little baby was the Savior of sinners. Mine eyes have seen thy salvation. He wasn't looking at the church. He wasn't looking at a doctrinal creed. He was looking at a person. He was looking at Jesus Christ. This is our salvation. It's in the Son of God. And we see him then embark upon his ministry, and for those 33 years, heal the sick, raise the dead, and reach out to sinners. Oh, what good news that is to us if we know that we're sinners. That Jesus Christ came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. He was often criticized for it. The self-righteous Pharisees condemned him. They thought this man could not possibly be who he claimed if he was God, if he was a true prophet. He'd know the character of these individuals and avoid them. But he came to save sinners. One thing that used to concern me years ago, and I'm thankful that it seems that many have grown in their understanding of this issue, But among many of our churches, we preach that we've got good news for sinners. We've got the gospel for sinners. But if they found out somebody really was one, they say, we have no place for you. We want you to say you're a sinner. We want you to feel like one, but if you really are, there's nothing for you. I want to tell you, friends, Jesus Christ has a message for those that sure enough are sinners. And he talks about those in the book of 1 Corinthians saying, such were some of you, but you're washed, you're cleansed, you're sanctified. Glad to know that there is no sin but what it can be forgiven by Jesus Christ and cleansed by his precious blood. So we have good news for those that sure enough are sinners. But when a person has been convicted of sin, now they are through with it. They want to turn from it. The evidence of divine grace is just like Paul said to those at Thessalonica, you turn from idols to serve the living and true God. There was a transformation in their life and how beautiful it is to see those. who have walked down some of the dark paths of sin and degradation, being transformed by the grace of God and coming to love the way of righteousness and follow and serve Him. We see the unfolding of providence when at last the time came that Jesus Christ gave Himself to those that came to take Him away and lead Him to Calvary. Peter was ready to fight. He took out his sword. He cut off the ear of the high priest's servant. Jesus rebuked him. Get behind me, Satan! I've not come to fight, I've come to die. If I wanted help, I could have called down legions of angels. But it goes to the cross at God's appointed time. I'm confident it was the exact time, it was the exact day, it was the exact place. Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you by wicked hands are crucified and slain. Here we see the beauty of divine providence and human accountability. Jesus Christ went to the cross by divine appointment. It was agreed upon before he ever came. He had agreed that he would come in the fullness of time. It was the appointment of the Father that he would go to Calvary. There was no other way for the salvation of sinners. He was delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. And yet those who drove the nails in his hands and pressed the crown down upon his brow and spit in his face did it out of a wicked and depraved heart and were fully accountable for their actions. And yet, out of that dark scene, no darker scene ever to transpire on this earth than to see the spotless Lamb of God, the only perfect man that ever lived, being beaten to an extent that his visage was marred and he didn't even have the appearance of a human being. Seeing him writhe in anguish, seeing him bleed and die. How despicable that these vile men would have so inflicted that pain upon him. And I'm confident that that was not the greatest of his suffering. The greatest of the suffering was not physical, but the fact that the sins of all of his people were put upon him. And therefore, the father turned his back. He was separated for a time from the Father. He suffered in that time what you and I could never have paid for had we gone to hell and suffered forever. We never would have paid the debt. But he paid it. He paid it. They thought they destroyed him. After three days and three nights, he arose from the dead victorious over sin, over Satan, over death. And after 40 more days, they were with him out on the mountain His feet began to lift off the earth and they watched Him as He ascended through the clouds and the angel says, Why stand ye here gazing into heaven? This same Jesus that you've seen always going to come back! You see reason for loving the Word of God that you read the Gospel story there by prophecy type and shout in the Old Testament and the actual depicting of the things that Jesus did or what he accomplished in the New Testament Gospels and you come to the epistles and you find the doctrinal implication of all of this that Jesus laid down his life for the sheep, he secured them, he purchased them and therefore our salvation is certain because it doesn't rest on free will and fickle efforts of human beings but on the accomplishment of the Son of God. reason for loving His Word, to come back over it repeatedly and see the great things that God has done for us. And not only are there these fundamental truths concerning the greatness of God, the sovereignty of God, the power of God, the majesty of God, the unfolding of His providence, the birth of the Savior into the world, His perfect life, His sacrificial death, His victorious resurrection, the promise of His return. But then we find, as Paul in his epistles talks about the fundamentals of the doctrine, and in the first three chapters, for example, in the book of Ephesians, he lays the doctrinal foundation and speaks of the fact that we were accepted in the beloved before the foundation of the world. And chapter two, though we were dead in trespasses and in sin, he quickened us and has raised us up to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. And then he comes with the last three chapters and he gives us the practical instruction based on this wonderful truth of salvation by grace. This being the case, he says, therefore, brethren, here's how you ought to live. So we need guidance in his word. Just think about two or three of the practical things that we can find information to guide us in the scriptures. Sometimes parents struggle a little bit with what to do about their children's education, whether or not they ought to give them guidance about a career. And I'm amazed sometimes at how some parents seem to be so intimidated. I was counseling with a family and it was evident to me that The young man that was going off to college was on the wrong course. But the father said, well, no, this is really what he wants to do. I don't want to discourage him. I want him to be able to be fulfilled. Well, you know, the scriptures will give us some insight. First, Timothy chapter 6, verse 10 says, for the love of money is the root of all evil. which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." What do we learn about that? Certainly an education, the right kind of education, is important. Having some goal set for a career is certainly in order. But if the whole motivation is, I want to make the most money possible, and everything else is forgotten, the motive is wrong. It may lead you down the wrong path. You're trying to be like the rest of the world. You're trying to fit in with everybody else. There's nothing wrong with money. It's a great blessing when God prospers somebody. And I've seen some who are very well blessed financially, but they seem to have also that spiritual gift of giving, that they just had great wisdom about where to give and how to give and were generous in doing it. But the love of money, if your heart is set on it, your determination is, I'm going to be rich at all costs, You may be willing to compromise your family, your own marriage. You may ruin your marriage in the process. You may neglect the things of God. You may neglect His church. You may neglect His word. So when young people are giving thought to where they're gonna head in life, they need the counsel of their parents. They need the counsel of God's word. Whatever we do, we're to do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, Paul tells us in the Colossian letter. Now, that already wipes a good many possibilities off the slate. There's something you can't do in the name of the Lord Jesus. There are some careers you just cannot pursue. Am I going to be able to pursue this particular education? Am I going to go after this career? Am I going to do this thing? Can I do it in the name of the Lord Jesus? Say, Lord, my desire is to honor and glorify your name. If in such mundane things as eating and drinking, we are to glorify God, Whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do all to the glory of God. Then certainly when it comes to something so significant that concerns your future life and your career and your education and all the rest, all of this has to be taken into account. How am I going to honor God? You know, that application will help just in the daily details of life. You might get upset sometimes, upset with family members. Husbands and wives sometimes get upset with each other. In fact, if the truth is known, the person on this earth who can probably upset you more than anybody else is your mate. You've got a close attachment. You two have become one flesh. And you may be able to be very calm and patient with other people, but your mate says something that triggers you. You can just fly off the handle and become so angry. Let me tell you something. Plug in this verse. Whatever you do, you do all in the name of the Lord Jesus. Can you say, dear Lord, bless me while I tell her off. Bless me while I blow my lid. I've had it. I'm just going to let it fly today. No, you can't do that. A lot of things you can't do in the name of the Lord Jesus. Makes all the difference. And then when it comes to the issue of marriage, 2 Corinthians chapter 6 verses 14 and 15 says, be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. Now, marriage is instituted of God and it's a wonderful blessing. But under the best of circumstances, marriage has its challenges. When you put two sinners under the same roof, you have the potential for problems. Because by nature, we tend to be selfish and self-centered and we want our own way. And so even though a person is marrying a believer, there can still be difficulties. And those difficulties, though, can be resolved when we go to God's word for the answer. But let me tell you, you certainly are off on the wrong foot if you ignore what this passage says in 2 Corinthians chapter 6. Being on the radio every day, I get a lot of calls from people with various problems, and I have gotten an unusual number of them in recent years from young women in particular. who said, I'm really struggling. I don't know what to do about my situation. And then asking about the details, find that they have married an unbeliever. In many cases, they say, well, my husband-to-be went with me when we were courting. But once we got married, he lost interest and doesn't go anymore. I've got this problem or that problem. Well, was he a believer? Well, I never was real sure about it. Or in some cases, no, he really wasn't. Here's God's Word. Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. There are numerous problems that are going to be encountered if that's ignored. I've had some interesting experiences in recent years, though, along this line. I don't recommend that you put the preacher under this kind of stress, but I've had some where it was evident to me when I started premarital counseling that the young lady was a believer and the young man she was about to marry wasn't. Well, I won't perform a marriage ceremony under those circumstances. But the first one of those I encountered, I was trying to decide what to do. Do I just tell them at the end of this first session, you need to get somebody else if you're going to be married because I can't do it? No, the thought crossed my mind, by God's providence, He sent this young man to me, and I'm not going to send him away on the first go-around. So I began to pray for him. And in addition to making an assignment about the issues that I wanted him to study regarding marriage, I started assigning him homework that concerned the basic fundamentals of Scripture as to who God is, what our condition is as fallen, ruined sinners, the only hope for us through Jesus Christ the Savior, And this particular case, the young man did a remarkable job with his homework. He'd read the material, he'd read the scriptures, he would come back writing down in detail what he understood, and he got it right. But every time, I would try to press the question. Your answers were all sound. You obviously understood the lesson. What about you? Oh, he had more ways of sidestepping that than anybody had ever seen. He'd always try to get it shifted off some other way. He knew this to be a fact, but he was like an observer, looking at it from a distance. Thankfully, we started well in advance of the wedding date on this situation, so we had a lot of sessions. Finally went to the father-in-law, and I said, we're in a state of crisis. I said, I don't know how you let this slip by that the whole responsibility is on me, but I'm going to have to bow out of this thing here in the next week or two if we don't see a change. I said, I'm still hopeful. This young man's given all the right answers, and I'm hopeful that there's going to be evidence that God's working in his life. But you better be praying or I'm going to bow out. Finally got to the session, I decided at the end of today's session, if I don't see some transformation in this young man's life, I've got to say, I can't marry you. So, turned in his homework, described beautiful things about the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ and the fact that this is the only hope for sinners. I said, now I want to ask you something. We've been meeting over these past weeks, and I commend you. You've been diligent in your homework, in the things that you've written about marriage, and the things that you've written about God, and about these fundamental teachings of Scripture. But I want to know today, where do you stand? And he broke down and began to cry. And he said, I know that I'm just like that sinner I described in my homework, and I know that Jesus is the only Savior, and I want to be baptized. I said, thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. And I've had that same experience about four or five times now. And I know that God indeed can do a work in one's heart. But I tell you, girls, don't expect that's going to happen every time. You should start out on the right track back here knowing that you're not to be unequally yoked together with an unbeliever. coming to love God's Word. Now, so much more could be said about that and about those verses that we read, but I hope you can see in what we've looked at this morning that as the psalmist says, I love Thy Word, we have every reason imaginable for loving God's Word, for receiving it, for respecting it, for making it the guide of our life that we may follow and serve our Jesus Christ to the glory of His name.