0482 Face in the Book

FACE IN THE BOOK

Acts 8:26-38

Look through it not at it Noah’s Ark – made of wood – one family – one door – one window –

When you read the Bible, you’re not serving God; God is serving you John 13; John 15; Rev.1; Eph.5 Jesus is washing your feet from dirt of this world when you are reading Bible. GOD IS AT WORK!!!!

God’s word is only thing we can live (thrive) off Matt.4:4 Life is rollercoaster – stay in the word. Israel lived on manna and were not sick Story about TV

Bible is sweet not sour. Not boring but better than gold Bible and Cell Phone. Story of William. People didn’t die for boring book!

Bible is God’s gift for you. If you put Word in your boat, God will put fish in your net Joshua 1:8; Luke 5 Jesus didn’t go with them but sent His word to be with them. He sent BIBLE to be with us – don’t forget it on shore Smith – ONLY BIBLE. I like to read it HOLY GHOST. Win one soul a day!

God’s word is not to impart information but application Mark Twain “Most people are bothered by those passages of Scripture they do not understand, but the passages that bother me most are those I do understand” Don’t read it to find sermon, read it to find God…Don’t read it, let it read you..Don’t read it out of guilt but out of hunger He read it after church not just in church. He didn’t understand it. He wanted to apply it, not know more!!! It’s reveal GOD, not just you!

The TV is my shepherd, I shall not want. It makes me lie down on the sofa. It leads me away from the faith. It destroys my soul. It leads me in the path of sex and violence for the sponsor's sake. Yea, though I walk in the shadow of Christian responsibilities, there will be no interruption, for the TV is with me. Its cable and remote control, they control me. It prepares a commercial for me in the presence of my worldliness. It anoints my head with humanism and consumerism. My coveting runneth over. Surely, laziness and ignorance shall follow me all the days of my life, And I shall dwell in the house watching TV forever.

We have so many Bibles and we read them so little.  William Tyndale gave his life to translating the Bible into English. Tyndale was criticized by the religious establishment. In fact, his Bible translations were burned by the Bishop of London. Tyndale was charged with heresy and spent more than a year in a tiny underground prison cell. Eventually he was strangled to death while tied to a stake. Then his body was burned. His dying prayer? He cried out, "Lord, open the King of England's eyes." That prayer was answered in the next few years when King Henry VIII ordered that a Bible be placed in every Church in Britain. And it was answered again a century later when King James authorized a group of 39 scholars to produce an English translation of the Bible. Tyndale paved the way with his life and death. You owe it to Tyndale to read your Bible.

Bible verses Cell Phone: carry with you all the time, flip it few times a day, turn back once we forget it, use it to receive messages through text, can’t live without it, give as gifts, used when we travel, used for emergency, it can’t get disconnected Jesus paid the bill.

• 48% could not name the four Gospels. • 60% can’t name even five of the 10 Commandments. STORY: The new pastor was asked to teach the junior high boys’ Sunday school class in the absence of the regular teacher. He decided to see what they knew, so he asked who knocked down the walls of Jericho. All the boys denied having done it, and the preacher was appalled by their ignorance. At the next elders’ meeting he told about the experience. "Not one of them knows who knocked down the walls of Jericho," he lamented. The group was silent until finally one seasoned veteran spoke up. "Preacher, this appears to be bothering you a lot. But I’ve known all those boys since they were born and they’re good boys. If they said they didn’t know, I believe them. Let’s just take some money out of the maintenance fund, fix the walls, and let it go at that." What a sad commentary on today’s Bible knowledge in the church!

This Book is the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s charter. Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. Follow its precepts and it will lead you to Calvary, to the empty tomb, to a resurrected life in Christ; yes, to glory itself, for eternity.