Loving The Word - Part 2 of 2

Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing, my great Redeemer's praise, Thou the grace of my God and King, Thou triumphs of His grace. This is LeSary Bradley Jr. welcoming you to another broadcast, the Baptist Bible Hour. We bring you part two of the message, Loving the Word. I hope that you will write and let us know that you've listened.

Our address is Baptist Bible Hour, Box 17037, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. We think about the prophecies of the Old Testament that talked about the coming of the Savior. Think about some of the unique events that fit into this overall picture. God had made this covenant with Abraham, renewed it with Isaac and with Jacob. And then when they came into the land of promise, and they faced the walled city of Jericho, when the spies went in to look it out, they found there was a harlot there named Rahab, and she befriended them.

And they said, we will spare your life when we come back to take the city. And you put the scarlet line in the window. This woman, after being spared because when they came and saw the scarlet line in the window, they knew this was the woman that they were to protect. And I believe that scarlet line paints for us a great picture of the line that protects us, which is nothing else than the blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

And this woman, because of her background, because of her lifestyle, would never be thought to be one who would be in the lineage of Jesus Christ. But in the providence of God, it was so arranged. And then when Haman was determined to wipe out Mordecai and the Jewish people. But God had made this covenant and promised that he would spare them. And Esther is at the right place at the right time.

Mordecai says, perhaps thou art brought to the kingdom for such a time as this. And indeed she was. And the scheme of Haman was revealed. And Mordecai and the Jews were spared and Haman was hanged on the gallows that he himself had built. Oh, somebody says, yes, that was an interesting turn of events, another one of those things.

Yes, it was one of those things. One of those things orchestrated by divine providence as God, according to his sovereignty, intervened and sought to it that the provisions of his covenant were kept. And then at last that day came when God came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ.

He was virgin born as the prophet had said that he would be. And then you see him as he embarks upon his ministry. The psalmist says, oh how I love thy word. Do you not love the word that paints for us such a beautiful picture of the life of Jesus?

I've always particularly enjoyed reading the story of how he fed the five thousand. Here are the disciples in something of a panic. We're out here in the wilderness.

It's evening time. What's going to happen? These people are going to perish with hunger and we don't have anything. In fact, they said, let's get rid of them. Let's send them away. And Jesus says, no, don't send them away.

I'll handle it. And he takes the loaves and the fishes and blesses them until the disciples begin to pass them out. They're sitting on the ground in companies of fifties and a hundred and they keep passing out bread and passing out fish and passing it out and passing it out. And everybody's fed and they got more when it's over than they had when they started. Aren't you glad to believe in a Savior like that? Has there been a time or two in your life where you thought, well, I know that's the way it was in Bible times, but it doesn't seem to be happening now.

Because I'm in a low state and I need a lot and it doesn't seem to be coming. But the same Jesus that fed that multitude can provide for us whether it's material needs or spiritual needs. He's the great provider. Or you see him opening the eyes of the blind.

Think of it. Somebody who's never seen the light of day. Somebody who's never seen the face of kindred or seen the beauties of nature. And the Lord opens their eyes and they see this young man that was born blind and says this was all for the purpose of God being glorified by his healing through the powerful words of Jesus. Marvelous to trace his life. Beautiful to see him receiving little children. The disciples meaning well, knowing that Jesus had a busy schedule and didn't want him to be disturbed.

Tries to send these women and their children away. And Jesus said, suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not for such is the kingdom of heaven. Jesus Christ, the son of God, the savior of sinners, the creator of the world was not too busy to receive little children. Oh how I love thy word. And then to see him receiving sinners.

Here's this woman at Jacob's well. Jesus said, I must needs go through Samaria. The disciples were confused by this. They couldn't understand why he would go there. It would not have been a place that he would have had a friendly reception.

Why would he go there? I must needs go because there is this woman that I must meet. And as he begins to converse with her, it comes to light that she's had a very checkered past and had five husbands and the one she currently had was really not her husband. But this woman is received by Jesus.

Not in condoning her sin, but in forgiving her sin. And she was so excited about the water that was not in Jacob's well, but the water that Jesus provided. She went rushing into the city and said, come see a man that told me all about me.

He told me everything about my life. Come see, come see. And it's remarkable also that they came.

With the reputation of this woman, she comes into the city and says, everybody come see. I don't pay any attention to her, but the testimony was so convincing that they came. I love thy word. Love the beauty of the account of the life of Jesus. And then the time of his death approaches.

And all the necessary details are in place. All of the prophecies being fulfilled one by one. Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and full knowledge of God.

He was viewed as the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. This is all unfolding according to God's plan that Jesus Christ would go to the cross. And yet though God is orchestrating the event, those involved are crucifying him out of a wicked heart and are totally accountable for their actions. Somebody says that's over my head, but nevertheless that's what the scriptures declare and we must embrace it. That God arranged the death of his son because it was only by his sacrificial death that any sinner could ever be saved. And yet it was all in harmony with his purpose and yet those who were sinful men were responsible for their actions. Yes, we love his word because we read about Jesus. He's the hero of the book.

Whether we're looking at the types and shadows and prophecies of the Old Testament or the gospel account of the New Testament and the final words of Revelation that exalt him as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Furthermore, we should love this book, have every reason for loving it when we consider the practical aspects of it. It provides guidance for living, correction when we're wandering, help when we're struggling, comfort when we're grieving, hope when we're dying.

Let's think about each of those just a moment. Guidance for living. So often people raise questions about issues that say I don't know where to go for the answer.

And yet with just a little searching the answers are here. Think about a person trying to decide about their career. What am I going to do with my life? What kind of education do I need? Where do I want to be? How involved do I want to become? Well, let's say based on the kind of counsel and advice that people are usually given, a well-meaning mother or father or relative or friend may say, Well, the thing uppermost in your mind ought to be how much money are you going to make?

Everything else pales beside that. The ultimate concern ought to be that you're making all the money you can possibly make. Now, there's nothing wrong with making money. A man that doesn't provide for his own is worse than an infidel, so it's a godly, honorable thing to make money.

There's some instruction given in the scripture regarding this. First Timothy chapter 6 verse 10 says, For the love of money is the root of all evil, which some, while some coveted after, have erred from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. That's not condemning money, it's condemning the love of money, but so if all the decisions are based on this, and parents sometimes are responsible in giving their children the wrong counsel because the whole concern is, I want you to make all the money possible, I want you to be rich, if that's the motivation, that's what the person is starting for, they're on dangerous ground.

Because he says, many have pierced themselves through with great sorrows and they have departed from the faith because of their love for money. Let's think about marriage. Somebody says, well, I have fallen in love, and I guess that's the one and only criteria, as long as I love this person, I'll be able to get married. But, if they're looking at God's word, there's some other issues. One of them is found in 2 Corinthians chapter 6 verse 14, Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness, and what communion hath light with darkness, and what concord hath Christ with Belial, and what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

Now, I believe that applies in other areas in addition to marriage, business enterprises and a variety of other ways, but certainly applicable to marriage. I listened to a Christian talk show on Friday, and the program was designed to expose the errors of the Jehovah's Witnesses, and making a great point of the fact that the Jehovah Witnesses do not believe in the deity of Christ. While they talk about believing in Jesus, they do not believe that he was God in the flesh, and so this is fundamental, grave error. And a man called in and said, well I'm engaged to marry one who belongs to the Watchtower, the Jehovah's Witnesses, and I'm really interested in what you're saying, and I would just like a little advice. And two speakers gave him good advice, and they referred him to this passage. They said, you say that you're a Christian, you believe in Christ, you want to follow him, here is something that is very explicit in the word of God.

Here's guidance that you so desperately need. Oh, I know people come along and say, you know, but I think in this case it's going to work out alright. I think I can change him later.

I think she'll finally come around. Certainly there have been times when God by his mercy has overridden the bad choice an individual made. God can do that, but when he warns you up front, this ought to be taken to heart. What about children? Where are you going to go for instruction about how to train them and raise them as they ought to be brought up? All kinds of books can be found.

All kinds of ideas and concepts. But there's only one authoritative book to which you can turn, and that's the word of God. And it says to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. They are to be trained, not turned loose, parents intimidated by them, but parents standing back as though, well, you know, they are children, children will be children.

Yeah, they will. And without correction, without training, without discipline, they'll be bad children. Because they're born without nature, and they've got your nature. And it's been handed down since Adam, and it's a fall in nature.

And so they have to be corrected, have to be trained, have to be taught. See, it's a wonderful book. It's a book that you certainly ought to love because it gives you the guidance that you need for living. Correction when you're wandering, generally the person that's wandering doesn't even recognize it initially. But let's say you've been drifting a bit, you've been wandering in the wrong direction, but you're reading the Word. So you come across this passage in Ephesians chapter 4 verse 17. This I say therefore, and testify on the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated for the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart, who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness, but ye have not so learned Christ. Put off concerning the former conversation, the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lust, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind.

Here's correction. I've been compromising in some area. I've been trying to defend some friends or family members in their sinful pursuits and it's had an effect on me. But I come to this passage of scripture and it's very explicit. I need to walk on a different path.

I need to put off concerning the former conversation, the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lust. Help when you're struggling. Struggling with applying a lot of areas. Many, many problems.

Many, many challenges that people face in life. You're struggling. You say, I just don't know where to turn.

I don't know what to do. You come across Psalm 46 verse 1 which says that God is a very present help in the time of need. That's what I need. I need help. This is the time of need.

I need it now. And maybe you've been running here, there, and elsewhere trying to find help. Maybe you were leaning on worldly wisdom. Maybe you were willing in some areas to compromise your conviction just because you wanted the help that somebody was promising. So you come back and say, the Lord is the one who provides the help.

I've got to turn to Him. And then how sweet the word becomes to you when you apply its lessons. You rely on its teachings. You hear us quote Hebrews chapter 4, Come boldly to the throne of grace. Find mercy and grace to help in the time of need.

And you look back and say, that's what I did. It was a time of need. I was exasperated. I was discouraged. I was burdened down. But I went to the throne of grace. I needed mercy. God was merciful to me. I needed help.

God help me. Oh, how I love thy word. How I love the fact that I can go to a place that will give me the insight, the help, the encouragement that I so desperately need. What about comfort when you're grieving? 2 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 3, Blessed be the God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.

That's comforting to start with. I'm grieving over the loss of a loved one. If I'm grieving over any kind of a loss or setback, to know that God is the God of comfort who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we ourselves have been comforted of God. Hope when you're dying. A person can go to church for years and sing songs about dying. A song in our hymn, How Sweet to Die.

Or sing, When We All Get to Heaven. And yet, as health is failing, and it becomes evident that one is nearing the end of the way, I've had people say to me, I feel a sense of fear. I'm apprehensive. I didn't want it to be this way. I thought my faith would be stronger. But you go to a passage like this, 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 8, We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. You see, death is not that horrible monster that one might view it to be. As a child of God, it's a home going. To be absent from the body here is to instantly be at home with the Lord. What hope that gives us.

We're not resting in our accomplishments. We can say with a hymn writer, my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name. That's my hope in the hour of my departure from this life. You see, there are many, many reasons for loving His word.

And what's the effect of it? Well, for one thing, the psalmist said he gained wisdom. Oh, how I love thy law, it is my meditation all the day. It doesn't mean that he just isolated himself and did nothing else than meditate on the word of God. He meditated on it, and therefore he found the guidance that he needed as to how he was to live his life.

And remained active in doing the things that were right and that were enjoined upon him in the word of God. And he says, he was wiser than his enemies, for they are ever with me. David had lots of enemies, and they were constantly attacking him from various directions. But he says, I'm wiser than my enemies. How did he get to be wiser? Because he was in the word of God.

See, his enemies were people who did not honor God, or did not at least submit to His word. But David had greater wisdom and understanding because he loved the word. He respected the word, wiser than his enemies. Then he says in verse 99, I have more understanding than my teachers, for thy testimonies are my meditations.

Now this isn't the attitude of some young person who is saying, I know it all and my teachers don't know anything. I think it's to say that if he had a teacher that did not have the same respect for the word of God that he had, then because of his insight to what the word of God says, his knowledge would be greater. I have greater understanding than my teachers, and in verse 100 he says, greater than the ancients. There may have been many esteemed individuals from the past, as people even still today will look back to some of the ancient philosophers and say, well look what they said, look what this man wrote.

Isn't this impressive? But he says, I have more knowledge than they, because I love thy word and it is my meditation all the day. Gain wisdom.

If we want to have genuine wisdom, wisdom that honors God, wisdom that will give us the guidance we need in our life, where do we get it? We get it in His word. Thy testimonies are my meditation. And then secondly, he says, I have refrained from evil. Verse 101, I have refrained my feet from every evil way that I might keep thy word.

Had an impact on him. Wasn't just reading it to get information, he was reading it so he could make the application of it. And therefore I have refrained from evil. Proverbs chapter 1, verse 10, My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. Verse 15, My son, walk not thou in the way with them, refrain thy foot from their path.

So here's clear instruction. Refrain your foot. Don't walk on the same path, don't walk on the same pattern that they are going. So that's what David says, I have done. I have refrained my feet from the evil way. And he says, I have not departed from thy judgments, for thou hast taught me. See, this involves more than just the letter of the word, this is the Lord being our teacher. And the psalmist repeatedly prays throughout this 119th Psalm, Lord, teach me, teach me, teach me, I need to be taught. And when the Lord is teaching us, then it's not just compliance with rules and regulations, it's loving the word because God has taught us in our heart. Lord, thou hast taught me.

And then the expression once again, how sweet are thy words unto my taste. And in verse 104 he says, through thy precepts I get understanding, therefore I hate every false way. Hate every false way. Verse 113 says, I hate vain thoughts, but by law do I love.

I hate it. There's a place for hate if we're hating the right thing for the right reason. First of all, we need to hate anything that's on the inside that is sinful. Psalm 139, verse 23, search me, O God, and know my heart, try me, and know my thoughts, and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Lord, search me. If there's any wicked way in me, help me to see it, and that's what you ought to hate. See, some people can be very quick to hate things they see in other people. They hate this cause and that cause, and they hate this situation and that, but they never take a good, clear look inside.

We pray, Lord, search me. Help me to see my pride. Help me to see the wrong attitudes. Help me to see any sinful thought, any sinful attitude that I harbor there, and help me to hate it. And then hate that which is without, that on the outside which properly needs to be hated. Romans chapter 12, verse 9, let love be without dissimilation. Abhor that which is evil, cleave to that which is good. Hate that which is evil. And then, not only sinful actions, but hating that which is contrary to truth. Paul said in Galatians chapter 1, verse 8, but though we are an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

He didn't say, you know, just so you're sincere, that's all that matters. We are not to hate people. We are to pray for those that are in sin and those who are in error. But friends, sin ought to be hated. And false doctrine ought to be hated.

Paul obviously hated it. Let any that comes preaching another gospel, let him be accursed. And Jesus said in Revelation chapter 2, verse 6, that he hated the doctrine of the Nickeladians. Oh, can you see how the psalmist then could declare, how sweet are thy words unto my taste, yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth. Can you say today, I love thy word. Is it sweet to you to read the words of the beloved apostle, this is a faithful saying and worthy of all the acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief.

Is that sweet to you? If you know you're a sinner, surely that's a sweet message. Or when Jesus himself says, come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest to your souls. What a sweet message.

Or when he says, and I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. How sweet to know of his faithful love and his gracious keeping of his people. The psalmist says, I love thy word. If the message has been a blessing to you, tell others that they can hear the teachings from God's word at this same time each day on this station.

And if you'd like to help with the support, you can go to our website at BaptistBibleHour.org. And until we greet you at this same time tomorrow, this is LaSara Bradley Jr. bidding you goodbye and may God bless you. Praising my Savior. Praising my Savior. Praising my Savior. All the day long.