Why Read The Bible?

Evening, everybody. Go ahead and turn in your Bibles

to Psalm 119. Psalm 119.

This message started off from Brother Brian's message about

how important your relationship with Christ and God is and how

we shouldn't diminish that to, to do work for Christ.

And so it started off as how to have devotions.

I think a lot of times we talk about it and it's told make sure

you're having devotions, make sure you're reading God's word,

make sure you're doing that daily.

But as a new Christian, I don't think that we've in my life, I

don't ever think I've ever been told, how do you have devotions?

They have, you know, devotional books and those are really

helpful and they give you guidance.

But a devotional book is kind of like a commentary.

It's great to have, it's great to use, but the source should be

this not, not not illustrations that give you one verse to read

that go in inside with with an illustration.

And as you grow older, you need to get away from the devotional

books that they're great for kids and great for family

devotionals. But as you grow older and grow

in your faith, this should be your devotional book.

You should be able to pick up your Bible and have devotions

with God. And that was one of the things.

And I even talked to Brian about doing it as a Sunday school 13

week. And he was like, how are you

going to do that for 13 weeks? And I said, yeah, that's a good

point. So the IT started off as that

how to have devotions. And I finished that up last

night, finalized and printed it off and headed off to bed.

And about 3:00 this morning I woke up.

And that wasn't the message that got changed.

It's important to have devotions.

But why are we reading our Bible in the 1st place?

Why read your Bible? Yes, yes, we know we're

commanded to do it, but as Christians, I think in today's

Christianity, reading your Bible is such a well, if I got time,

I'll do it. I don't really have a benefit of

why I should read it. I just, you know, I'm told to

read it, so I should read it And I woke up late.

I didn't have time to really get to it.

I'll read it later. And we see through the Bible,

David talks about rising up early in the morning and having

his devotions and his time with God.

And that's the best time to do it is start your day with God.

But why? Why should we read our Bible?

The there was a sad statistic back in 2021 that that looked at

Christianity and, and found that 11% of Christians read their

Bible daily, seven days a week. 5% read four days or more.

That's 16% of all Christianity. Obviously I don't, it didn't say

how many were polled, but in that polling only 16% read it.

The worst thing is it's not that.

Oh, I do it on, on, you know, the days that we don't have

church. The sad thing is 13% read less

than once a year. 29% said they never read it.

That's almost half of Christians that never read it or they read

it once a year. Why why why is why why do we

have? Why are you shaking your head?

What? What's the point of reading

God's word if it's so important? Shouldn't a Christian

automatically want to read it? I I agree, but sadly,

Christianity Today doesn't see this as an important thing to

read, let alone every day or bring to church.

Well, I'll get to it when I get to it.

You know, I and I, I was guilty of this in college.

You go to class, you listen to the professor and they teach and

stuff all everything in the book.

And then you go to have the test and you're like, where did you

come up with these questions? Like 90% of them aren't even

anything we went over in class. What was the point of everything

you were teaching? As funny as that is, the sad

thing, I think a lot of Christians see the same way.

They come to church, they listen to the preacher, The preacher

reads from the word of God. But the sad thing is, is we're

not having a test at the end of the week.

The test is every day of our life and yes, we we get things

that God gives to the pastor to give to us every single week,

but the rest of the book is important.

Pastor can only give you 3 messages a week.

I don't know if if you've looked at it doing 3 messages a week,

it's going to take a long time to get through the whole book

and half the time that you're in the same passages a lot of

times. So, so God designed his word

that we read it ourselves as a child of God.

We should want to read it as you grow and as you get older and as

you want to be closer to God. This is the letter that he wrote

to you. This is this is the the

everything that God ever wanted you to know.

OK, for instance, we just finish.

Let me get there. What did we just finish?

What book did we just finish? Well, I just heard a whole bunch

of different books. No, no, no, not Sunday school

Colossians. Sorry, I should have specified.

And what's interesting, and you might have remembered here

reading this or hearing pastor read this, in the end it says

Paul says in verse 16 in the last chapter, and when this

epistle is read among you, cause it to be read also in the Church

of Laodiceans, and that ye likewise read the epistle from

Laodicea. Well, that's interesting.

Where's the book of Laodicea? Oh, my Bible doesn't have it.

Well, why wouldn't we have that? Well, obviously it's because God

did not want us to have it. God put these 66 books in His

Word for a purpose, for a reason.

And it wasn't just so you could come and listen to it, be

preached at you and taught to you at church.

It was for your everyday life. Go to hold your finger in Psalms

119. Go to Ezekiel 33 Ezekiel 33

gives us a really important warning and kind of a a what I

think a lot of Christians how we are today.

Ezekiel 33 verse 31 and they come and and the beginning of

Ezekiel 33:31

the chapter is talking about some pretty horrible things

going to be coming to the children of Israel.

Some some judgements, and then we pick up in verse 31.

And they can't. And they come unto thee as the

people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people.

And they hear thy words, but they will not do them, for with

their mouth they show much love, but their heart go with after

their covetousness. And lo, thou art unto them as a

very lovely song of one that has a pleasant voice and can play

well on an instrument, For they hear thy words, but they do them

not. I want to give you 10 reasons

from Psalm 119 why the Bible says read it not just commands,

but some benefits. Why you as a child of God,

should read God's Word daily. Psalms 119 And these by Oh no

means is this a long list. A list expounded.

There are so many reasons, but here are 10 reasons why you

should read the Word of God. And hopefully it'll challenge

you to want to read it if you don't read it already, and

challenge you to want to read it more if you do read it already.

Maybe you've never been taught the same way.

Well, we'll just #1 we'll just get into this.

You're there in verse Psalm 119. Look at verse 2.

Blessed are they that keep His testimonies and that seek Him

with the whole heart. We get a blessing from reading

God's Word. I don't know about you, but I

can ask Pastor to pray for me. I can ask ask pastor for for

wisdom, for guidance, but pastor can't give me a blessing.

The the the Catholic Church sees the Pope and the priests as

something that they can give blessings, but only God can give

blessings. Revelations 1/3 talking about

revelation that says blessed is he that readeth and they that

hear the words of this prophecy and keep those things which are

written there in for the time is at hand.

There's a blessing that God can give you because you read his

word. You know, there's there's a lot

of times where we talk about or you shouldn't give candy for

somebody knowing something about the Bible.

We have the Bible trivia. We shouldn't reward people to be

doing that kind of stuff. It gives them just an incentive

to just to want candy. The Word of God is filled with

reasons why God wants you to do something and then gives you a

gift because of doing it. The crowns.

One of the reasons for reading God's word is God will bless

you. Take it how you want.

I want God's blessing. Read His word.

The second thing we see there in verse 9, wherewithal shall a

young man cleanse his way by taking, taking heed thereto.

According to thy word, you want victory over sin.

You have a sin that that easily besets you, one that you can't

get victory over that you. Every time the temptation comes,

you always fall to it, and you try everything in your strength

to do it. God says you read my word, I'll

give you victory. Psalms 119 verse 11 Thy word

Psalms 119:11

have I hid in my heart. Why?

That I might not sin against thee.

How do you hide God's word in your heart?

You read it. I'm not going to be able to hide

God's word in my heart if I don't read any of it.

One verse 101 I have refrained my feet from every evil way that

I might keep thy word. Verse 170 Let my supplication

come before thee. Deliver me according to thy

word. You need victory.

It's in this book. How do you get it?

Read it, study it. God's word can keep you from

those temptations and and give you the victory to overcome that

sin. Verse one O 5 Guidance.

Verse one O 5. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet

and a light unto my path. You you need help trying to

figure out where to go to college, where you should go

work, who you should marry. God says read my word and I'll

guide you. Don't.

Don't you want God's will for who you should marry?

Don't you want God's will for to know where you should live, what

place you should go to, what you shouldn't do?

God's Word can give you guidance.

Psalm one 19133 says Order my steps in thy word, and let not

any iniquity have dominion over me.

As a Christian living in this world, we need this book to

guide us this, this world and, and work and dealing with

people, dealing with people that we know are not saved, that that

we know are fully against everything this book says is

right. How do you deal with that?

How do you live with them? How do you work for them?

This book will tell you how and the only way to do that is by

reading it. Let's pray.

I forgot to pray. I, I, I need that Heavenly

Father, I thank you so much for this morning, for, for being

able to be in your house, to be able to wake up this morning

and, and to have another day to live for you and to, to be able

to come here tonight to gather around your word and to learn.

God, what you've given us this precious gift that we call the

Bible. God, I pray that we, we learned

that how precious this is, how important it should be to us.

God, I pray that you, you help us to, to see why it should be

precious to us. I pray that you you'll be

glorified and you'll be lifted up and be honored by the

preaching tonight that it's specifically about your word

that you said that you magnify above your own name.

God, I pray that you'd be pleased with everything tonight

in Jesus name I pray, Amen. So it gives us guidance.

OK, We can get a manuscript to give us guidance on how to get

through the trail. Brother Scott, you do a lot of

hiking and there's a lot of times where you're going hiking

and it's like, do I go that way or that way?

And they have guidebooks, they tell you, hey, this is the trail

that takes you an hour to do. Don't take a left because that

turns into four hours unless you're ready for it.

It's a guidebook. But what's the difference

between that guidebook and this one?

This one's forever settled. Those paths on that hiking trail

may change. Floods come.

Trees fall down. Your path might change.

But this guidebook never does. Look at verse 89 of Psalm 119.

Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven, not here

where it can, where moth the corrupt as the Bible says, but

in heaven. Psalm 138 verse 2 says, I will

Psalms 138:2

worship toward thy holy temple and praise Thy name for thy

loving kindness and for Thy truth, for thou hast magnified

thy word above all thy name. Brother Brian Sunday school did

a couple times ago about the names of God and, and, and by

all means. It was not an exhaustive list.

There was so many more names that he could have gone into.

God says, I put this book above all of them, every single one of

them, Jehovah, Jehovah Jireh, every word that describes me.

God says my names, I've put my word above it.

All that should be important to us, that should make God's word.

If God puts his word above his name, we should do the same

thing. It's forever settled #5 it's

perfect, it's true. 119 Verse 140 Thy word is very pure,

therefore thy servant loveth it. Verse 160 Thy word is true from

beginning. From the beginning, and every

one of thy righteous judgments endureth forever.

John 1717 Sanctify them through thy truth.

Thy word is truth. Second Samuel 728 Samuel says,

And now O Lord God, thou art that God, and thy words be true,

and thou has promised this goodness unto thy servant.

God's word is settled forever and it is perfect and true.

There's no mistakes in this guidebook.

There's no there was a misprint. Sorry.

AC subsection 4 for the correction.

No, it's perfect cover to cover all the way through.

It's going to be around forever. You know, we, we use the word

that it's a living book. We, we hear that at the, the

pastor says that. We hear that every, every now

and then somebody says that I, I, I love reading this book

because it's a living book. What does that mean?

You know, a lot of, a lot of people have the right words to

say, but do you know what it means?

It means this and and this was a good quote that I I better way

of saying it than I could have. It lasts its lasting freshness

in every generation and every age and every person that picks

it up. It is alive and living and

fresh. I may have other books in my

library, but I've read them a number of times, but after a few

readings, I exhaust their knowledge.

But not the Bible. The lasting freshness of this

Word of God says that it is alive.

It never, it's never obsolete, it's never into, it's

indestructible. It produces growth that gives

life and it sustains life. That's why this book is living,

because I could read Psalms 119 and get this message from it.

Brother Matt, you could read the same Psalm 119 and get a whole

different message from it. It could change what I read.

Not the words don't change, but the Holy Spirit speaks out of

this book, teaches and and points things out that you need.

How do we get that? By reading God's Word.

The only way to get that is to be in it.

Wisdom number six. Psalm 1/19 1:30 The entrance of

thy words giveth light. It giveth understanding unto the

simple. I need that I fall under simple

gives me understanding. How?

How come the unsaved read this and say that that's too many

thighs and thighs and they don't make any sense?

Well, you know why? Because it's not a book for the

unsaved. Yes.

Does it show the gospel in it? And can they get saved through

it? Yes.

But the understanding is with the Holy Spirit.

That's why a child of God can read this book and see something

different every single time. You can't.

Verse 169. We'll look.

Let me let my cry come near before Thee, O Lord, give me

understanding according to Thy word.

You have something going on in your life and you just don't

know what to do. You don't understand why is this

happening? Why?

Why am I having to deal with this?

Why am I going through this? Lord, get in the book along with

it. It can give you an answer of the

words to say you know the the Bible says study to show thyself

the proved unto a God, a Workman that needeth not to be ashamed,

rightly dividing the word of truth talks about being able to

give an answer to every man. How do you do that reading God's

word. Psalm 11942 So shall I have

wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me for I trust in my

word. If you read his word, he'll give

you the answers. He'll give you the, the

responses that you need to be able to say to somebody.

You have somebody knock on your door.

How do you respond? I, I, I, I'm not a, I'm not a

pastor. I didn't go to Bible college.

I don't have all these degrees and knowing if, if you're in

God's word every single day, don't you think God will give

you the right words to say? You know, somebody can go to

Bible college for four years and be trained in the ministry and

trained in Bible theology, but if you just read the word every

single day for four years, you'll have the same amount of

knowledge. You don't need to go to college,

Bible college to be able to no one understand God's word.

You can just read it, and God will give you the words to say

#7 Protection. Verse 114 Thou art my hiding

place and my shield. I hope in thy word. 116 Uphold

me according unto thy word, that I may live, and let me not be

ashamed of my hope. There's protection given when

you read God's word. Strength Psalm 1/19/28 My soul

melteth for heaviness. Strengthen thou me according

unto thy word. Have you ever got to the point?

After the day of work, you're just like I'm done.

I'm just. I'm going to have a pity party.

This is you don't have any idea what I had to deal with today.

The people pastor said it many times.

The ministry would be great if it weren't for the people Fill

in the name of the job title. It would be the same, it would

be great if it wasn't for the people, and you start having a

pity party. God's word says, get in me and

I'll strengthen you. Psalm 11950 This is my comfort

in my affliction, for thy word hath quickened me.

You'll see that if you read chapter 119.

Over and over and over he says, Thy word hath quickened me.

What does quicken mean? Made alive Does something that

is made alive be weak or is it strong?

Is it renewed with strength? This word of God has the ability

to give you strength. How do you go through a death in

the family and, and, and the Bible says that we we we sorrow

not as those that have no hope. Why?

How are you able to do that? How are you able to get through

the tragedies that this world sees is is the worst possible

tragedy by being in this book the benefit of reading God's

word peace. This world needs peace this

these these Christians in this world need peace.

Verse 165 great peace have they which love thy law and nothing

shall offend them. Oh, that would be interesting.

Wouldn't that be nice to be able to say at any time There's there

was people griping at church in a church.

I'd love to be able to pull that.

You have a church that's about to split.

Hey, guess what, you shouldn't be able to get offended.

Why? Because the Bible says that

great peace have they which love thy law and nothing shall offend

them. Oh, must be not be in God's book

then. Peace is something that this

world has no idea about #10 God will give you sleepless nights.

Oh time out I don't like. That's not a benefit got to give

you. Look at verse one 848 Mine eyes

prevent the night watches, meaning I, I, I can't get to

sleep. I've tried.

I I can't even get to sleep. Why?

That I might meditate in my word.

Sometimes God doesn't let you sleep because he has something

he wants to tell you in his word.

Have you ever had trouble sleeping or or woken up in the

middle of the night? God might be trying to get you

to His Word sometimes. You know, if you're like me,

sleep is hard to get quickly. My wife can hit the pillow and

she's out. I can hit the pillow, I can hit

the bed, I can hit the floor. I mean it.

It takes me a little while to get to sleep.

Talking about peace and about sleepless nights.

God's Word can give you the rest in the stillness in your mind to

let you sleep some extra. So there's the 10.

Here's some extras just because I was feeling extra studious.

Verse one O 3. How sweet are thy words unto my

taste? Yeah, sweeter than honey to my

mouth. Jeremiah 1516 says Thy words

were found, and I did eat them, and they were.

And that word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart.

For I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.

Verse 162 of Psalm 119 I rejoice that thy word as one that

findeth great spoil. Not only does God's word say,

read it and I will bless you. The fact of what it cost to have

this through the years through, through the many, many years.

We, we watched Polycarp not too long ago, maybe it was a long

time ago, I don't remember. But we watched the, the

documentary film about Polycarp and after many things happened

and they outlawed it and they finally capture him and, and

they tell him to recant, standing him before the fire and

say, if you recant, we'll let you go.

If you don't, you're going at the stake.

And Polycarp says this 80 and six years have I served him, and

he never once wronged me. How then shall I blasphemy my

king who hath saved me? All the Christians that that

were burned at the stake, that were mutilated, that were

drugged through the streets that went through the Colosseum, We

have that picture in the in the hallway of, of a Coliseum of

Christians that are going to be killed because of their faith,

because of this Bible. Can you imagine being the

Christian that's not a part of them that didn't get captured?

How, how do you continue? I, I just watched my friends get

destroyed by lions. And if I keep doing it, I'm

going to find the same fate. But over and over and over

again. They were willing to give their

life for this book. If you or I were in that

situation, would we still have God's word today?

Would we have the boldness, the conviction, the faith that said

my life means nothing compared to this book?

Because I understand that this book is above even God's own

name. That's why they were willing to

be tortured and destroyed for this book.

We, we, we have a chorus that we sing just the chorus of this

blessed old book that I hold in my hand is is true from

beginning to end. It's a solid foundation where I

firmly stand. Sin kept me from it.

Now it keeps me from sin. But the the 1st and 2nd verses,

the first verse says it is well. It's a well of pure water when

I'm thirsty and dry, and bread when I'm hungry and worn when

the battle is raging. It's my faithful sword, a

shelter from life's trouble storm.

It's a light to my pathway, a lamp to my feet when this world

gets so dark I can't see. And I've not made a change in

one word that it said, but it sure made a change in me.

And then verse 2, when I think what it costs just to hold in my

hand, it reminds me that I owe a great debt to all of the martyrs

who's gone to the stake and quoted with their Brying debt.

Dying breath. Now its critics are many,

believers are few. But one thing I found to be

true. If you find when you read it

that there's something wrong, there's something wrong with

you. This blessed old book, we have

so many copies of it. You have one here at church, you

have some at home there. There's places in this world and

pastors talked about it that, that they, they get a Bible and

they, they cling to it like it's the lifeline to keep them alive.

There's some places where they only have single pages, one copy

of the word and they, they give brother Brian verse one through

5 and and and doc gets another page for the week and, and, and

somebody else gets the page and they they circulate that around.

We have the entire thing and we don't even read it and we have

multiple copies and we don't even read it.

So how about you? Are you in God's Word every day?

Do you read it? Do you study it?

Is it important to you? That man, I'm going to be late

for work, but it doesn't matter. God's Word is more important

than my being late to work. The world may not understand it.

To the world, it's foolishness. Why would you?

Why would you be late to something?

To read a book, Read the book later.

Listen to it on audio while you're driving into work.

Get in God's book Fun Facts, There's 5300 and Let Me try that

again. 535,600 minutes in a year and it takes 4240 minutes to

read the entire Bible. That leaves you with 531,360

minutes to do whatever else you need to do.

There's 365 days in a year. It takes little, a little under

3 days to read the Bible. I, I would challenge that.

It might take me a couple more days than three, but still it

leaves you with 362 days to do what you want.

Here's your challenge. Would you add five minutes to

whatever time you have to read God's word?

Maybe, maybe you're somebody that doesn't have any time,

doesn't know where do I even start?

I wish you would have done that whole How do I have devotions?

Here's a good way to start. There are almost the same amount

of days that there are proverbs. Read a proverb every day, then

read 5 chapters of Psalm. That'll give you that'll

complete Psalm in a month and Proverbs in about a month.

And then after you do those two, start with Matthew to start with

Matthew and start reading. Maybe it'll only take you a

couple a couple chapters. Maybe it's only the first couple

verses in Matthew and think about them.

You know, we think we think about cows.

They have 4 stomachs. I have one that might be as

equal to two of those, but cows regurgitate their food and and

that's what meditating on the word of God means.

It's it's taking in what God has allowed you to read and, and

meditating and then thinking of it and then swallowing it and

then throughout the day, as gross it might sound, bring it

back up. Think about what you just read

this morning. If you're like me, sometimes it

takes you a couple times reading the same thing for you to

remember what you even read. Because sometimes in the morning

you're reading it like this and you're calling it falling asleep

while you're reading it because you're just woken up and you

haven't had a shower to wake you up.

And it takes you a couple times reading the same thing over and

over because you can read it and then get your shower.

And as soon as you get out of the shower, you're like, did I

do my devotions? I think I read my I've read the

Bible. Yeah, sure.

I did the check mark. Yeah, I did that today.

That's not what having devotions is about.

It's not about being able to check something off the list and

say, Yep, I read my Bible, did it, done.

I even added 5 minutes. Done.

What did you read? Well, I was in.

What's today's date? Of course it's going to make me

have a password to open up my watch to see.

It's the 8th. So that means I read Proverbs 8.

OK, what did it say? Wisdom.

Something about wisdom and get understanding somewhere in that

chapter is probably something good about that.

If that's what it means after you read God's Word, then you

didn't read it. Oh, yes, you, you, you

physically looked at words that were on a page, but nothing went

in here. It went through here like, you

know, like kids goes in one ear and out the other.

I think a lot of Christians read the Bible the same way, Goes in

one ear and out the other. You read it.

Who knows what I just read? I can't apply it to my life

because I don't remember anything about what I just read.

That's why it's important not just to read it, but to study

it. Regurgitate that word.

But when you hear Pastor preach on Sunday, Monday regurgitate

what you heard. Think about what Pastor talked

about. Rethink about that.

Remind yourself what Pastor just said.

And you'll get into the habit of doing that every time you read

God's Word. And then you'll be able to apply

what you learn from God's Word to get the blessing, to get the

protection, to get the words to say, to get the benefits from

reading God's Word. That's it.

That's all I got. Let's bow our heads.

Heavenly Father, I thank you for tonight, for for your word.

God, we don't, we don't love this book enough.

God, I'm ashamed to say that I'm one of them.

God, I just pray that we we get an understanding of how

important this book is to you. And because of that, it can be

that important and even more so to us that we're in it, that we

want to be in it. Some of us may not like to read,

but God I pray that you give us hunger for your word to to be in

it every single day, even just for a little bit to start our

day right with you. I thank you again for your word

and what it cost and how precious it is.

I pray that you give us a challenge and hunger to want to

read it. I thank you again for all that

you do. In Jesus name I pray.

Amen.