THE WORD OF GOD TO THE SAINTS
A. "I LOVE THY COMMANDMENTS ABOVE GOLD; YEA ABOVE FINE GOLD" - Psalms 119:127
1. David is noted for his love and admiration for the Word of God:
a. "The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver." - Psalms 119:72
b. "Forever, O Lord, thy Word is settled in heaven." - Verse 89
c. "I have seen an end of all perfection: but thy commandment is exceedingly broad." - Verse 96
d. "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my pathway." - Verse 105
e. To the saints of God, God’s Word is the one pearl of great price - Matt. 13:46
B. LET US CONSIDER SOME OF THE REASONS FOR THE LOVE AND ADMIRATION OF THE CHILDREN OF GOD FOR THE BIBLE
1. The supreme excellency of the Bible:
a. Its heavenly origin. Compare 2 Pet. 1:19-21 with Isa. 34:16; 2 Tim. 3:15-17
b. Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost - 2 Pet. 1:21; 1 Pet. 1:11; Acts 1:16
c. All scripture is given by the inspiration of God - 2 Tim. 3:15-17
2. The great antiquity of the Bible:
a. It is the oldest book known to men.
b. Its records form the basis of all reliable histories, secular and ecclesiastical. This is a point to keep in mind in our appraisal of the Bible.
c. The story of the Bible covers not only the history of the world but God’s relation with men from the very beginning. No other account of mankind is comparable to the universality of the Bible.
d. It can be said that the Bible is, in truth, the ALPHA and the OMEGA of the divine written revelation.
3. Their miraculous preservation:
a. The Bible has been hated, mutilated, burned, refuted; Atheists have given funeral orations to its "final doom", as predicted by its bitter enemies, yet it lives!
b. Empires, small and great, have disappeared, but the Bible still stands in all its divine vigor and majestic strength.
4. We think of the glorious revelation of the sacred scriptures:
a. They give us the most elevated concept of God and His attitude toward men - John 3:16; 1 John 4:8
b. They give us the highest concept of man made in the image of God - Gen. 1:26, 27
c. The Ten Commandments are the very heart of all true morality - Ex. 20:3-17; Matt. 22:34-38; Matt. 7:12
d. The Bible points to Jesus Christ, the only hope of the world - John 5:39, 46, 47; Acts 4:12
e. Finally, the Bible gives the brightest view of the future for God’s people - 1 Cor. 2:9-11; 2 Pet. 3:13
C. THE SAINTS’ ESTIMATE OF THE BLESSINGS OF THE BIBLE SUMMED UP
1. God’s children show how they evaluate the Bible:
a. By diligent perusal of God’s word - Isa. 34:16; John 5:39; Acts 17:11
b. By making the message of the Bible the subject of much prayer and meditation - Ps. 119:15
c. By living the truths it brings to them - Jas. 1:22, 23
d. By submitting their lives to the authority, regardless of the cost - Ps. 119:32-35, 168
e. By spreading its message abroad, to all nations - Matt. 28:18-20
2. Blessings derived:
a. Increase in knowledge
b. Increase in holiness
c. Increase in true happiness - 2 Tim. 3:15-17; Ps. 119:9, 100, 165
