Have you ever dreamed of discovering something really valuable tucked away in the corner of your basement? I guess that’s why TV shows like “Antiques Roadshow” (where experts appraise people’s antiques) are so popular.
Wouldn’t it be tragic to have something incredibly valuable in your home and not even know it? This happened to a gun owner in Los Angeles, California. In January, 2014, at a gun buyback program, he turned in a World War II StG 44 gun for a $200 gift card.
I have some good news for you. You probably have something in your home right now that is even more valuable than a WW II Nazi assault rifle.
That item is the Bible. Before you dismiss it as just another ancient, religious book, let me show you some of the things the Bible can do for you.
In my sermon last Sunday I listed ten powerful things that the Bible can do. I only have space to mention a few of them here. If you would like to hear more, you can listen to the entire message.
What can the Bible do if we put out the effort to get to know it better?
Do you want to know who Jesus is? The Bible has the power to reveal Him to us. In fact, the entire Bible points to the person of Christ. Jesus made this clear after His resurrection when He said to the two disciples, “‘was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?’ Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures” (Luke 24:26–27). Earlier Jesus said something similar to some Jewish religious leaders: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me” (John 5:39).
The Bible also has the power to bring us eternal life. Toward the end of his gospel John explained that “these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31). Peter told believers in his day that “you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God” (1 Peter 1:23). Many good, religious people lack this assurance. They HOPE they will go to heaven after they die. The Bible shows us how we can KNOW!
God’s Word has the power to guide the choices we make. “I have more insight than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, because I have observed Your precepts…. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path…. The unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple” (Psalm 119: 99–100, 105,130).
The Bible also has immediate, as well as eternal benefits. It is a rich source of joy and peacefulness. “This is my comfort in my affliction, that Your word has revived me….Those who love Your law have great peace, and nothing causes them to stumble” (Psalm 119:50, 165). Jesus Himself told us, “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full” (John 15:11). “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16).
How much do you treasure the Bible? Don’t be like the man who practically gave away a $30,000 antique gun–because he didn’t know its value. If we really value the Bible, we will do everything we can to get to know it better.
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