3/19/22 Stand not Stunned

Summary: We may not understand everything in God’s Word, but we must stand on it.

INTRO.- ILL.- Years ago NEWSWEEK had an article entitled, “No Allusions in the Classroom.” The article told about 26 people in the college classroom, ranging in age from 18 to 54. All of these people had completed at least one-quarter of their college work. They were given 86 questions to answer, which centered on simple facts about the world.

Here is what some of those people said in answer to those questions.

- Ralph Nader was a baseball player. (Political activist)

- Christ was born in the 16th century.

- J. Edgar Hoover was a 19th century president. (FBI)

- Sid Caesar was an early Roman emperor. (COMIC)

If you think this is bad, listen to this.

ILL.- A group of high school juniors and seniors in one of our better schools in the nation who were headed for college were given a quiz about the Bible. Here are the results of that quiz.

- Sodom and Gomorrah were lovers.

- The N.T. was written by Matthew, Mark, Luther, and John.

- Eve was created from an apple.

- Jesus was baptized by Moses.

- Golgotha was the name of the giant who slew the apostle David.

We need to stick to the Bible! We need to hold to the truths in the Word of God that millions down through the ages have clung to and held dear! We need to immerse ourselves in hIs word

List to what great men in the past have said about the Bible.

Abraham Lincoln: "I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this book."

W. E. Gladstone: "I have known ninety-five of the world’s great men in my time, and of these, eighty-seven were followers of the Bible.”

George Washington: "It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible."

ILL.- Preacher Vance Havner said: “I believe the Bible is the Word of God. I don’t understand it all, but I stand on it.”

While we may not understand everything in the Bible, we should at least believe in it fully and take a stand on it. It is the only safe rule and guide for life.

PROP.- Let’s consider some areas where we need to be committed to the Biblical message.

1. PREACH THE WORD FOR CONVERTS

The Bible gives us guidelines for all of life: relationships, work, marriage, raising children, etc. AND ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO MAKING CONVERTS! We are in the conversion business, you know!

How can we do this? We must preach! We must talk! We must witness! We must knock on doors…the doors of people’s hearts.

II Tim. 4:1-4 “1In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”

Myths, fairy tails and the like won’t lead anybody to eternal salvation. None of these will save anybody eternally. And we need to convert people from junk to Jesus!

We must preach the Bible, the Word of God! We must continue to present the message contained in it and that message has never changed : Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, the Savior of the world! Let us never give up or give in when it comes to presenting Him! HE IS THE ONLY HOPE OF MANKIND! The Bible alone will make good converts.

ILL.- Chuck Colson tells of the change that came over hundreds of men in a prison in Newton, Iowa. He went there to establish a Bible study group some years ago. Two months later, he went back to visit and he found a bunch of excited men. They swarmed around him with their Bibles. He signed over a hundred of them and listened to their testimonies. When he finished speaking, instead of politely applauding, these men jumped to their feet and chanted, “This is my Bible. It is a lamp to my feet.”

He asked, “How could this have happened?” At least half of these men had been unbelievers, yet the whole prison had somehow been transformed. The staff explained that these Christians told newcomers about their faith and invited them to Bible studies.

The Bible makes converts to Christ! The Bible converts people from one way of life to a better way of life! And if it can happen in prison, it can happen elsewhere. Preach the Word for converts.

2. LIVE THE WORD FOR SUCCESS

II Tim. 3:14-17 “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

The Bible not only makes us wise and leads us to salvation in Christ, but it also teaches us how to live a better life. It trains us in right living. The Bible blesses us in ways we never thought possible.

ILL.- Eleanor Schmidt, in Reader’s Digest wrote, “My doctor had recommended surgery and referred me to a specialist. Arriving early for my appointment, I found the door unlocked and the young surgeon, deeply engrossed in reading, behind the receptionist’s desk. When he didn’t hear me come in, I cleared my throat. Startled, he closed the book, which I recognized as a Bible. ‘Does reading the Bible help you before or after an operation?’ I asked. My fears were dispelled by his soft, one-word answer: ‘During.’”

Prov. 16:3 “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”

Ps. 1:1-3 “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.”

Whenever we commit our lives to the Lord and meditate on His Word faithfully, things begin to happen. Sometimes almost unexplainable things begin to happen. Good things begin to happen.

CONCLUSION----------------------------

ILL.- It was said that when the Christian missionaries in Nanking, Japan, gave New Testaments to the Japanese soldiers, one Japanese official came to the missionaries and said, “Please don’t give our men any more New Testaments, for when they read this book, it takes the fight out of them.”

Not only took the fight away but filled them with true LOVE11

Brothers and Sisters, the Bible will take the fight out of people and a whole lot more because it is the living Word of God!

We know this. We believe this and we must cling to this as never before. We must take our stand on the Word of God, because it alone will lead us to salvation in Christ and give us right direction in life!