God demonstrates His love and concern for us by bestowing amazing promises and fulfilling them. The Bible is where we can find help for every circumstance of life. For more messages from Charles Stanley, including this week’s broadcast, go to intouch.org/tv.
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in touch the Teaching Ministry of Dr
Charles Stanley reaching the world with
the Gospel of Jesus Christ next on in
touch the bible more than a book
where do you turn when trouble strikes
you’ve got a lot of choices and people
oftentimes learn the wrong thing
and sometimes people don’t know which
way to turn they just feel helpless and
hopeless
let me tell you the first place you
ought to turn to and that is to the word
of God
because this book is more than a book
it’s the unfolding revelation of
almighty God
and what you’ll find from beginning to
end God meeting the needs of his people
it’s a promise book but unlike all other
promises the promiser has infinite power
and is able to keep every single promise
he makes right on time
where else could you go
what other book is like this there is
none like it
and as you look at the scriptures God is
all the way through the scripture
working in the lives of his people and
so
when you think about
what this book is for most people it’s
just another book but I want to show you
why it’s not just another book
it’s far more than just another book
and when you pick it up to read it you
probably are usually looking for
something specific some needs you have
or some issue that’s going on in your
life
but
sometimes you can’t find the right place
you wonder well where do I turn it must
not have an answer here listen carefully
God’s word has the answer for every
single circumstance of life
this is the divine revelation of
almighty God given to us to live by to
discover who he is what he’s like and
how we can live every single day
knowing in our heart that we have a
security that is divinely given in
almighty God
so we might ask the question what’s the
purpose of the Bible
well the purpose of the word of God why
why did God have all of this written for
us so that now we have from Adam and Eve
all the way to the end of the world why
what did he have in mind his primary
purpose was to reveal the one true God
they’re all kind of so-called gods and
people believe all kind of things and
they act like they believe
God gave us his word in order that you
and I would understand who is the one
true God the omnipotent omniscient
omnipresent all-powerful God
for example if you didn’t have the Bible
what would you think about God
how would you describe him well you talk
to people for example who don’t believe
the Bible you’ll find out what what the
world thinks when they don’t have the
Bible they think all kind of things
erroneous kind of stuff
but God has given us a very clear
picture of what he’s like the second
purpose of it is to lead us to Salvation
that is to help us to understand that we
are sinners
and only by the grace of God his
goodness and love and mercy and
undeserved favor that he forgives us of
our sins it writes our name into Lamb’s
Book of Life and forever we’re his
children he wants us to know that
then there’s a third purpose for it and
that’s this he wants us to understand
not only who he is and to be saved he
wants us to understand how to live a
Godly life how to live a life that
displays his character
and his ideas his purposes and his works
so there is purpose and if you’ll think
about for example the Epistles of Paul
what are they all about they’re all
about how to live a Godly life somebody
says what’s a Godly life it’s a holy
life it’s a life of obedience not
perfect but it’s a life of obedience and
when there are acts of Disobedience
there is immediate repentance and
restoring our fellowship with him
so it’s there to reveal all of to all of
us who God is what he’s like to lead us
to Salvation to lead us deliver Godly
life
but there’s a fourth one and that is
he has given us this book in order to
know how to serve him and to share it
with other people so this isn’t just
another book this is a Divine holy
message from almighty God to mankind to
know who our creator is who our savior
is what life’s all about and how we can
end up spending eternity with him they
closed this book is a disaster
for a person to say I don’t have time
for the word of God you don’t have time
to live
to say that it doesn’t have any answers
to my questions you haven’t read it
to criticize the word of God is a sin
because you are criticizing the very
words of almighty God words of promise
words of Joy words of peace all the
words that come to Amman when we look at
the word of God
so that being the case
I want you to look if you will in Psalm
119. Psalm 119 is all about the Bible
for example
the 105th verse
he says Thy word is what a lamp to my
feet and a light to my path all of us
need light in this darkened World a lamp
to my feet so I see what’s going on a
light to my path so I can know where to
walk
so to me that’s the whole Bible in one
verse the Bible is a lamp to my feed a
light to my path and you remember what
Isaiah said one of my favorite verses
about the Bible Isaiah 40 verse 8. the
grass withers the flowers fade but the
word of our God stands forever which
he’s saying to us it does not change for
example somebody says I’d like to change
some verses in the Bible I know what
they are
do you know what they are
I’ll tell you what they all the verses
that talk about Sin and judgment oh hell
they want to change those verses
they change into verse who’s listen the
any verse that talks about their sin
they’d like to eliminate that this is
the divine revelation of God listen you
may tear it out of your Bible but you
can’t tear it out of reality out of God
this is his word innocent his word is
for our benefit
God doesn’t cheat us out of happiness
and joy and pleasure so the question is
all right we declare this Bible is more
than a book why because it’s timeless
it doesn’t make any difference what’s
going on where when the truths of God’s
word are Timeless they are never
outdated under any condition
secondly it is infallible that is it is
without error people will say well the
Bible’s full of error like what
now people think the Bible is full of
error what they what the error they they
bring up or things that have to do with
their sin and so when people have
unbelief about the Bible it has
something to do with their lifestyle and
the way they’re living the Bible is
infallible somebody says well they’ve
got to be mistakes in the bible let me
ask you a question
since God is all-powerful and he created
everything that exists
can he not speak through men’s hearts
and lives and guide them they give us a
Bible that would never mislead anybody
and the answer is yes he can
there may be some things I don’t
understand
but that doesn’t make it fallible the
Bible is the infallible word of God and
listen where in the Bible does he listen
where does he make a mistake
where does he say the wrong thing
no place this is God’s infallible word
it’s the revelation of the one true God
Jehovah it’s a trustworthy God for every
single circumstance of life
you cannot you cannot think of anything
for which the word of God is just lost
for an answer whatever the situation
think about this all the way back to
Adam and Eve to this present moment the
word of God is adequate for every single
need and the word of God is truthful and
where did God ever make a mistake where
did God ever say oops
where did he ever say I forgot that
what did he ever where did he ever say
it let me think about it he doesn’t have
to turn to a book nor a computer nor to
ask someone else this is the absolute
awesome word of the Living God and it’s
adequate for every single thing
a trustworthy guide likewise it exposes
man’s sin and hopeless condition
the wages of sin is death the gift of
God is eternal life and all of us have
sinned and come short of the glory of
God what what people don’t like is it
points to their sin
our whole moral society today is where
it is because people do not want to
believe this book
and they said well you know I used to
believe the Bible well now you don’t
believe it because it nailed your sin
and so the truth is listen God is not
going to overlook anything so you come
to the word of God and you say well this
is my lifestyle well that’s fine what’s
the Bible say if the Bible agrees with
your lifestyle you better stay with it
if your lifestyle disagrees with the
word of God you are in serious trouble
because God judges sin not because he
doesn’t love The Sinner he loves The
Sinner but he wants us to know the truth
and some people want to pick and choose
it’s like you go to the restaurant and
they give you a menu
they don’t just serve you a hot dog
because you walked in they give you a
menu the menu is about that long there’s
something on both sides more than you
could ever possibly eat and you choose
well when it comes to the word of God
there’s no choosing that choosing is
either I believe it or I don’t or I obey
it or I don’t and one of the reasons I
think people have a problem with it is
this
it pictures for us the consequences of
sin
in other words think about this God
starts out with Adam and Eve and
everything’s perfect
and he warned them there would be
consequences of their Disobedience and
so all the way through the scripture God
is doing what he’s keeping his word he
says there are consequences for
obedience
their consequences for Disobedience and
if you’ll think about it in this Society
we live in whether you’re talking about
spiritual things or political or
whatever it might be nobody wants to
talk about consequences
the truth is their consequences of sin
as somebody says well I just don’t
believe that if you’re not a follower of
Jesus look at your own life
you say oh I’ve got everything going my
way for a season
and you’re being misinformed you’re
being misguided
this is a law that cannot change you ask
any farmer you reap what you sow more
than you sow later than you so is that
true sir as a farmer
he wouldn’t be affirm if he didn’t
believe that and practice it because if
I sow beings today I’m gonna get beans
tomorrow and get beans the next day
if I sow
if I plant apple trees I’m not going to
get orange trees or pear trees it’s a
principle that cannot change you know
what god is perfect God is omniscient
and his laws are for our good and that
principle alone is a warning against sin
against God
so when somebody says I don’t believe
the Bible so you just say to them
whether you believe the principle of
sowing reaping oh yeah I believe that
but what they don’t like is the
consequences and my friend their
consequences for obedience their
consequences for disobedience
then I think the Bible is more than a
book because
it tells us of God’s unconditional love
for us
that is God doesn’t love us if
he loves us period
for God so loved the world listen to
this that he gave his only begotten son
that whosoever believes in him would not
perish but have everlasting life he
didn’t say I won’t love him
God loves everyone
whether they’re obedient or not
but by his laws Disobedience brings the
consequences and so when I think about
his unconditional love his unconditional
that’s his nature that’s who God is God
is a god of love and therefore
he loves us unconditionally and he tells
us in his word how we can be saved from
our sins he just doesn’t condemn people
for sin he tells us how we can be saved
you remember what Jesus said to
Nicodemus he said
except the man be born again they cannot
say the kingdom of God then he takes all
the next verses almost the rest of the
chapter to explain what he means by the
new birth
now Paul put it this way if you confess
with your mouth Jesus as Lord
you shall be saved from your sins
and Paul said it another way he says for
by Grace he is saved through faith not
of yourselves not of works less than a
man should boast it’s by grace through
faith that we’re saved
so the Bible tells us how we can get
right with him then of course
the Bible tells us why Jesus came to
Earth
he wasn’t just somebody the Son of God
coming to Earth why did he come he came
in order to save us from our sins
that’s his purpose for coming he didn’t
come just to be an example he came to
save us from our sins for God so loved
the world that he gave his only begotten
son that whosoever believes in him will
not perish but have everlasting life
you say well what do I need to be saved
from sin
sin is a destroyer
sin destroys everything that is good and
right
he came to make it possible for us to be
forgiven of our sins
and that’s why Paul put it this way if
you confess with your mouth Jesus is
Lord believe in your heart God raised
him from the dead you’ll be saved where
did that come from it came from the word
of God
then
it shows us why we have a virgin birth
is the reason
the spirit of God bestowed upon Mary
that which was necessary for Jesus to be
born of a virgin without contact with
man why because
the Lamb of God had to be a perfect lamb
and you recall all through the
scriptures when they had sacrifices the
sacrifice had to be perfect no sick
Lambs no blemishes perfect
and so that was the picture and the
symbol all down Through the Ages when
Jesus came
he came as the sacrificial lamb of God
he had to be perfect and sinless and so
when normal men and women have that
relationship that nature is passed on
from the man
no father Earthly father God the Father
brought the Lord Jesus Christ into the
world born of a virgin the perfect
sacrifice had to be perfect because of
why he came
so he died on the cross for what reason
he bore your sin and mine in his body on
the tree the Bible says
suppose Jesus had not died on the cross
watch this
supposedly not not had been in a
crucifixional resurrection
then how would you be saved
how many of us have been good enough to
go to heaven none
Jesus came as the sacrificial lamb to
die for the sins of the whole world and
the Bible says that God placed all of
our sin
all of our sin for all Humanity on him
and then God crucified him we say Romans
did it he came into the world for the
purpose of being crucified as a
sacrifice for your sins and mine and so
the Bible explains that the Bible also
explains to us about his resurrection
now we hear about other gods and this
that now and so forth how many other
gods have you heard about who’ve risen
from the dead is anybody
come on anybody they know some other God
that’s risen from the dead no they do
not because there’s no such thing
all watch this almighty God in his love
for us in his desire for us to
understand his whole plan and that we
would believe it put his son through the
cross
and then raised him from the dead to
give proof that he was the son of God
and that he was everything he said it
was
and so Jesus rose from the dead by the
grace of God his plan so that you and I
would never have to wonder if he’s going
to keep his promise or not and the
ultimate test the ultimate test of all
of God’s promises was and is the
resurrection of Jesus Christ if he can
raise him from the dead in keeping with
his promise what promise can he not keep
he can keep everything this is not just
the book this is a book of the
revelation of the plan of God for all
mankind and so
somebody says well where is Jesus now
he’s where he said he would be at the
father’s right hand he says in Hebrews
doing what interceding for us
he’s the living Christ
and for all of us who have been saved by
his grace and love and mercy and that’s
how we’re saved all of us who’ve been
saved know that Jesus is real and that
he is alive and that he is seated in his
father’s right hand listen answering our
prayers comforting our hearts healing
our bodies you name it all the things
that he’s doing and there’s no other
explanation but what he does
and then of course
somebody says well what about God the
Father it tells us where he is he’s
Seated on his throne he sees all the
sinfulness and the wars and the
Bloodshed and all these things but think
about this from the very beginning In
the Garden of Eden God’s hand has been
active he gave us the Ten Commandments
for example
he gave us 10.
It’s a Wonderful number he gave us
enough that we’d remember and not too
many to remember and I’ll ask you this
what what would you add to the Ten
Commandments
God has given us his law for our good
and he gave the Ten Commandments for our
good
and anytime you break them you violate
God’s choice of what he knew in his
infinite all good mind of his what was
best for us then of course the Bible
explains to us the person of the Holy
Spirit and his work in our life
this isn’t just another book for example
Jesus said to his disciples he said now
I want you to know I’m going to leave
you but I don’t want you to I don’t want
you to be upset because here’s what I’m
going to do I’m going to send another
person
who’s going to be with you in you and
upon you and what I want you to do is I
want you to sit down in the city of
Jerusalem after the resurrection and
because then the holy spirit is going to
come and he’s going to be in you with
you and upon you and he’s going to he’s
going to give you explanations of what
I’ve been trying to teach you he’s going
to he’s going to empower you to do what
I’ve called you to do and you’re going
to impact the whole world
Jesus told them that well he says when I
leave the spirit is of God is coming to
be in you with you and upon you and
think about this so that you and I will
never have to worry about our Salvation
whether we have it today and lose it
tomorrow here’s what he said he said
when the Holy Spirit comes and he comes
upon every single believer when you
trust Christ as your savior the Holy
Spirit comes into your heart to Bear
witness of that and listen to what he
says he seals you until the day of
redemption
now who can break God’s seal nobody
that’s why when you are saved by the
grace of God you are saved for eternity
now I know some of you don’t believe
that
I’m sorry you don’t I used to not
believe you when I grew up I grew up
with people who taught me that if I
sinned against God I’d be lost I was
miserable as a teenager I thought dear
God how am I going to make it
until I find the deck recognize
salvations not watch this once you are
saved it’s not conditioned upon anything
the grace of God Saves us for all
eternity if we disobeyed what happens he
says he he gets the rod out it’s a lot
of Grace but it it’s it can sting he he
talks about his Divine loving
chastisement
and so God in his awesome love for us
saves us and listen he saves us not
temporarily when Paul says we are sealed
unto the day of redemption until the day
he calls us home we are sealed by his
grace not by our good works that’s the
goodness and love of God this is the
unfolding revelation of how God works
how he thinks and how he loves us and
how he judges wickedness and it’s a
promise book the promises of God watch
this a not simple statements that
somebody wrote In the book the promises
of God are the promises of God listen
backed by the awesome power of God to
keep his every single promise God
doesn’t fail to keep his promise we can
make promises that we intend with our
best intention with all of our heart to
keep and we can’t keep them sometime not
true of almighty God
and then of course
uh it is sure it removes the fear of
death and in one verse Paul said absent
from the body
present with the Lord what does the Lost
person say
what do you think is going to happen to
you when you die and you’ve lived an
ungodly life well I’ll just disappear no
you won’t I’ll disintegrate no you won’t
you see you’re not reading the scripture
you’re just trying to work your way out
of going to hell
the Bible says it is appointed unto man
wants to die and after this the judgment
if you’re saved by the grace of God
absent from the body present with the
Lord that’s his awesome promise to us
let me ask a question
if you don’t have Jesus Christ is your
personal savior who died on the cross
laid down his life voluntarily sent by
the father for the purpose of dying for
your sin take in your sin debt upon
himself and dying a substitution or
death for you if you don’t have him to
deal with your sin who’s going to deal
with them
nobody but yourself
and you know what
it’ll be too late
if you want to die one of these days
which you will
and you go to heaven you ask the Lord
Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sin
surrender yourself to him and all these
questions you have about this and the
other will be cleared up how many times
have I met people who said I used to
doubt this question that doubt and I and
argue with people when I got saved
somehow that all seemed to disappear you
know why because you began to understand
who God really is
what will you do about it
will you listen to this message turn it
off and still doubt and play the fool
oh you listen carefully and realize
you have everything to lose
and nothing to gain
by turning away from the truth of God’s
word
I pray that will not happen to you
and father how grateful we are that
you’ve given us your word
I grateful we are that you’re patient
with us
that you have given us the Holy Spirit
to help us understand the word
and you’ve given us the opportunity to
live it out day by day and then to share
it with others so that they too can know
Christ and so they too can go to heaven
one of these days when they die
we love you and we praise you and we
pray that all of our Lives will be
living expressions
of the truth of the word of God
and we love you father for reminding us
that the grass will wither the flowers
will fade but your awesome word will
stand forever
we love you father
for Grace
that we cannot comprehend in Jesus name
amen
thank you