My Stolen Bible

Introduction

I just have one question to ask you right now. How rich do you feel today? When you left this building and heard the word from Tony this morning, did you feel rich and did you feel blessed? I know I did. I know last week, whenever he saw the excitement, of course I was totally lost at the beginning of his lesson on Zion, but as it started molding back together, I started getting it. And the excitement on Tony’s face and his voice and everything. I’m sitting over there going, Man, I tell you what, I wish I had that much enthusiasm, which I know it does in some ways in my heart, but just starting when it all started coming together about Zion, I was like, it’s kind of like the bell just went off, ding-ding-ding, that we are God’s people.

And we are blessed, and we are rich. But that’s not what I’m gonna talk about tonight. I just want to know how rich you felt. Just a few weeks ago, actually a couple of months ago, Terry was going out to the truck, she was about to leave, and she came back in, and just right after I had my foot surgery, and she said, Somebody broke into our truck. And I said, Great. That’s the second time somebody’s broken our truck, but they actually didn’t break in, the door was unlocked by accident. So we didn’t notice anything missing until a couple of days later. I went back out there and I was looking for my Bible because I accidentally left my Bible out in the truck because I needed to do my lesson.

Yes, we have other Bibles in our house that I could read, but my lesson was actually out there in the truck, so I needed my book. So I sat there and I was like, Well, my Bible’s gone. And I went back in the house, I said, Well, I think they stole my Bible. And she goes, What? And I said, Ah, I think they stole my Bible. So I started looking in my other truck, I looked around the house, I came up here that night, couldn’t find it. I said, They took my Bible. And I was like, Well, you know, I guess I gotta get a new one. But you know, Tony had mentioned several times that we like our Bibles, our specific Bibles, because of the fact we know our verses right there.

And we know we could turn the page and we know our verses right there. Now I’ve got to start all over. We talked about Romans 12 the other day. I had already had it marked in my brand new Bible. My brand new one. I was real peculiar about this one because I wanted to make sure I got something that I knew that I was going to really enjoy, and something that was going to be where I can easily read it. And it was going to be a good reference Bible. But anyways, I started thinking a little bit, I said, what that person may not realize is what they took from me is the work most best-selling book in the world. And we all know that everybody in their homes they have one.

I even had one growing up. It had a lot of dust on it, but we did have one growing up. Didn’t know a thing about the Bible. I just knew that it was set over there on the table, and we had a picture of Jesus in the background somewhere in my dad’s room, but I didn’t know anything about it. I didn’t know anything about what the Bible told me about life. So, anyways, I started thinking, this person who took my Bible, what did they gain from this? If they were to open up that book, what were they going to gain from that book? Well, there’s all kinds of things that they could gain on this book. Because that’s what I’m going to talk about tonight is nothing.

1. God's Creation, the Flood and the Law

My stolen Bible. Something very simple. And what did they, where are this, what are these people going to gain from my stolen Bible? Well, this is what they could learn. It’s something very simple. And if you’re writing down some of the, if you’re writing taking notes or anything, just take notes on this because we’re not going to turn to a lot of these passages because I’m going to be kind of going through them a little bit because there’s a lot of information to cover. I will cover one of the passages that I really want to read because it’s always struck, has always provoked my thought and my mind, and they’ll be here just a few moments. But one of the things this person’s going to be able to read is God’s creation.

We all know that God created the earth. In Genesis first chapter and verse 1, he says, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And as if he continues to read, when I say he, I’m talking about my thief, as he continues to read this book about Genesis, he’s going to figure out that God also has great, has also created the human beings. In Genesis the second chapter, verse 7. We’ll see where he put the bread of the breath of life into Adam. And so these are two very simple concepts right here that people always have mixed feelings about. Did God really create the earth? Did he really create man? Or did we drag our knuckles on the ground from the monkeys or something?

But I firmly believe this right here that through this book, God created the earth and he created man. The other thing that this person can also discover is God being angry at man and floods and the earth. And if you read in Genesis 7th chapter, you’ll find out about the flood of Noah. What a great, what a great chapter to read. You know, at the beginning, he was going to go on ahead and just flood the whole earth. But there’s some faithful people on there, knowing his family, so he just told them to build an ark. And a lot of people know about Noah and the Ark because they see all the little displays at places. They see where the animals are there that they took two of every kind onto the ark.

I didn’t know that growing up. I didn’t have a clue who Noah was. I really didn’t. All I just knew that there was somebody who had a big boat and that there were a bunch of animals on it. I didn’t know what the whole purpose of it was. But this person who took my book, who took who took my Bible, will get a good understanding if they read in Genesis the 7th chapter about Noah and why God flooded the earth. Pretty simple concept right now. The other thing he’s going to be able to read is God’s promise to Abraham or Abram at the time. And it goes on that God promised God or Abraham that he would inherit the land, seed, and nation. And of course, all the everything that he promised, God promised, was fulfilled.

And of course, that part can get a little bit complicated because it’s going to be later on when Jesus is born that the seed that Abraham was there. And so if that person who took my Bible just kept reading on, they would discover a little bit about prophecy also. What a great concept that they would be able to discover about Abraham and as it goes on that God did fulfill his promise to Abram. Also, how about Sodom and Gomorrah? Why would anybody want to know a little bit about Sodom and Gomorrah? Well, we have a lot of sin in our life right now. And we can see in Genesis the 19th chapter that God was disgusted with Sodom and Gomorrah. And that he did destroy it.

And that there was some people in there that were actually faithful. Not many. Lot and his family. And they went back out and they got them out of there. Of course, one of them turned their head and looked at the flock. We like saying that because where I used to go to Charleston, somebody put up there, remembers Lot’s wife because we had the clock back there because there were a lot of time watchers back there. Of course, our preacher went on. Never mind. I won’t even get into that. But, anyways, it was just something that was very simple. That we can see the power of God also in this. And that he didn’t like sin. It goes all the way back to also with no one in the ark.

But anyways, this person just kept on reading how he implemented this law in Exodus the 20th chapter. And how the Ten Commandments came about. Here’s where I learned from the Ten Commandments. On Easter, what do they show? They showed the Ten Commandments. And that was the first time I’d ever realized that wow, there’s something out there that has a law. And that law is from God. And I remember Charlton Heston up on the mountain. And how God wrote the Ten Commandments on the wall in the stone. And that was my teaching about the law of God. That’s pretty shameful because I didn’t open up the book. But this person, I hope that they really get something out of it. Whenever they do, if they were to continue on in Exodus 20 chapter, how excited I was when I was said, wow, that’s a true story.

2. The Men and Women We Can Read About

Not Hollywood style, but it’s actually a true story in the Bible about the Ten Commandments. And how Moses went up into the mountain at Mount Sinai. And how God talked to him through a burning bush. It’s just amazing how all these things just keep coinciding together. But you know what? Even what a person can learn in God’s creation, first human beings, the flood, and God being angry at the flood, at the earth and everything, and people and his promises to Abraham. There’s more we can learn from the Bible. How about the men and women that this guy can pick up the Bible and he can say, hmm, I’m going to read about somebody in there. And there’s a lot of great people that we can read about.

We can read about Isaac, Abraham’s son. We remember the story about Abraham and Isaac also, when Abraham was going to sacrifice his son for God. And again, I’ve always mentioned this. I always said, you know, I’ve got a son. You know my son. He walks among you guys and always talking to you, giving you a hard time or something. He’s not here tonight. He’s not feeling well, neither is Coulter. But I just can’t imagine drawing a knife to my son. And even thinking about slewing him. That would be a hard decision. I mean, we sit over there and we go, oh yeah, for God we’d do this. But if the time really came and you had your son laying there, would you take a knife to him and slew him?

That’d be a hard decision. But Abraham’s faith said, yes, I’ll do it. But of course, we know the story right there. What a great story it is that he didn’t. That God intervened. And also, how about Isaac? Whenever he told Abimelech that he says about his wife, Rebecca. Yeah, she’s not my wife. Same story that Abraham did. Sound a little familiar? You sit over there and you go, I remember reading this somewhere else. Where did I read this from? Oh, yeah, that’s right. Abraham did the same thing with Sarah. Wow, that’s pretty neat. Wow, these stories are starting to coincide together. Well, what about Jacob? How about Jacob in the Genesis the 27th chapter? Jacob, of course, is Isaac’s son, and how he blessed, how Isaac blessed Jacob through his and his mother Rebecca’s deceitful just to trick Isaac for his blessing.

We can see that. Well, why is this happening? Wait a minute. The Bible’s not, it’s kind of not doing telling me the right things. I thought the Bible was supposed to be all good and everything. But of course, we know it is good. We know it’s great. But it tells us stories, accounts that it happened to people. That they are regular people, Isaac and Jacob. Well, how about Joseph? May I tell you, I love reading about Joseph. Joseph’s heart is so strong. Whenever I sit there and think about Joseph and how he was sold by his brothers to the Egyptians for slavery, I just sit there and I just read that and it goes on. And it tells how he goes from one place to the next, one jail to the next.

3. Are You Challenging God Like Gideon?

But yet he never forsake God. And even when Potiphar’s wife said, Hey, you know what? I want to lay with you, and he fled. And he ran and he left. And he didn’t lay with her. I can’t do this sin against God. It’s just amazing. The love and devotion that Joseph had to God. And that’s what this person can learn about Joseph. Well, how about somebody like Gideon? This is this is this story right here just really kind of cracks me up a little bit. If you would turn to Judges the sixth chapter. Judges the sixth chapter. Gideon. He was called by God to go on ahead and take the people out, take the Amalekites, take the I knew I was going to forget. The Medianites, Midianites, and also the people from the east.

Well, one of the things that he did in verse 20 to 36, it’s like he challenged God. He said, and you know, he’s God sitting over there saying, you know what, Gideon, here’s who you’re going to do. You’re going to take. You’re going to go after the Amalekites, the Midianites, and the people from the east. And then here’s what here’s what Gideon says. Verse 36. So Gideon said to God, If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said, look, I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece only, and is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said. And it was so when he rose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece together, he wrung to dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water.

Then Gideon said to God, Do not be angry with me. I think if I’m going to be challenged again, I’m not real sure. And I think I would almost be angry at the second challenge, but God didn’t. You know, he says, Then Gideon said to God, Do not be angry with me, but let me speak just once more. Let me test. I pray just once more with the fleece. Let it now be dry only on the fleece, but on all the ground let there be dew. And God did so that night. It was dry on the fleece only, but there was dew on the ground. And I’m sitting here reading this. I remember the first time somebody I studied this with somebody. I heard it through a lesson.

I went, is he challenging God? Is he sitting over there saying, Well, you know what, God, before I go do this, I’m going to put the fleece down here, make it wet around the fleece. Next day, it’s wet around the fleece is dry. Well, wait a minute. Well, hang on a minute, God. Just a minute. Just a minute here. Let’s do it again. This time, make the fleece wet and make the or make the fleece wet and make the ground dry. I’m sitting over there going, Why is he challenging God? Maybe there’s something along the line that we do the same thing. Do we challenge God like this? Do you think you’re drawing the line at the gray areas that we’re sitting over there going, hmm?

I think I’m going to challenge God in this way. I see a scripture in the Bible, and I’m sitting there reading it, and I know it’s cut and dry, but yet I’m going to sit over there and I’m going to challenge it. Why do we do that? I do it. I’ll admit, yeah, I do it sometimes. You know, we talk about, Tony talks about a lot of times he talks about our speech. He talks about our dress, he talks about alcohol, he talks about all kinds of things that are sinful, that are actually in the Bible. But yet we sit over there and we question these things. Wait a minute, hang on a minute. Am I challenging God like Gideon’s doing right here? Hmm. Sounds like some in some ways I am.

Why would we want to do that gray area? Go into that gray area. I’ve talked to people a thousand times. Matter of fact, I was talking to Jill this morning about smoking. I used to smoke years ago. I quit. And then people are saying, well, I just don’t see anything wrong with it. Okay, well, you know, let’s study a little bit more. Let’s go into that gray area. Or just like the alcohol. The social drinking is getting out of hand, brethren. It’s getting way out of hand. And Tony has preached on it, preached on it, preached on it, but yet people challenge that gray area. Does Gideon challenge them? Are you challenging just like Gideon? Why do we want to do that? Our light’s supposed to shine just like we talked about in class.

How are we going to teach somebody if they see the negativity in our life as a Christian? They’re going to sit over there and go, see Steve right there. My pre Christian days, I remember watching some people. I said, Well, there’s a big old hypocrite right there. You know, they’re sitting out there going out and lollygagging around, having a good old time. We cannot convert people that away. It’s just not going to happen. We’ve got to stand strong. We can’t question, we can question what the scriptures say because we want to we want to study them. But we shouldn’t get into those gray areas. My favorite one, the euphemisms. I love it. If I got up here and said some of the words I hear my brethren say, how would you feel in the audience right now?

I told Teresa, I’m going to preach on youth business one day. Tony touched on a little bit last week. I said, I’m going to get up in the pulpit and I’m going to say it. She goes, No, you’re not. Oh, no. Time out. You’re not going to do it. Well, why not? They’re saying it. If they’re accepting it around other people, why can’t I say it up here? I don’t know. Can I put the list up there? No, don’t put the list up there, Steve. Why not? I’m hearing it all the time. Maybe it’s my fault because I’m not confronting them. I’m not confronting them about other things, also. And I would hope that they love me enough that they’re going to confront me if I say or do something wrong.

Why question it? Why question the power of God in our light that needs to shine? Well, how about Abigail? I went over this with the kids over at the house a couple months ago. I love the story when I read it because I was going through 1 and 2 Samuel in my reading. And I read about Abigail. Abigail was a great story. She’s married to a scoundrel, a guy named Nepal. It just cracks me up when she tells David, this man is a scoundrel. He’s your husband. She was married to this guy. He was a rich man. And he was a scoundrel. He wasn’t a good person. He didn’t help David’s people when David asked for some help. So David was going to go out there.

He was going to take care of business. But she stopped him. She said, Don’t do the sin against God. She’s, I mean, telling somebody like that’s just showing a strong love toward God. And she stopped David. Of course, to make the story short, Nepal ended up dying, and David married Abigail. It’s a great story. But I loved it when she says he’s a scoundrel. What kind of character is that? When you hear the word scoundrel, what kind of person are you thinking she’s talking about? So, in other words, what I’m getting at here, brethren, is if somebody says, Yeah, I know Steve, he’s a pretty rotten scoundrel. Wow, what a light I am. So that’s not what we want to be. That’s not the characteristics we want to have.

We want to be a good person, alike, just like we talked about in class. This person could also read about Ruth and the love she has toward the Israelites and Naomi, her mother-in-law. Naomi and Ophrah, Oprah. Ophra. Orphah, is it Orpha? Orpah? Something like that. Now I’m totally confused. So you have Naomi, Ruth, and Ophrah. Orpha. Naomi was the mother-in-law. Well, all three of their husbands died. Ruth was a Moabite. And so Naomi told her, she says, you know what, Ruth, going back to your people. Because I’m going back to with the Israelites. And she said, No, I’m not going. I’m staying with you. And she stayed with, she stayed with Naomi. Because, number one, the Moabites weren’t good people. So she stayed with Naomi.

4. All Kinds of Events in the Bible

Showed her love toward God and to Naomi. And she was rewarned. She was married to Boaz. And of course, she was in the lineage of God or Christ. Great story with Ruth and the love that she has. And how about our apostles? They can turn over to the book of Acts. They’re going to read about Matthew, Mark, Paul, Peter. They’re going to read about all these all these guys. And they’re going to find out the works that they did and what their past was. But you know what? The person who stole my Bible who took my Bible, they’re going to learn about all kinds of events also. They’re going to learn about David and Goliath in 1 Samuel, the 17th chapter. And how this young boy takes on a big giant.

And he goes out and gets five smooth pebbles and he takes that pebble. He walking up to the giant. I could just picture this. Kind of like the picture that’s showing right now up there. I could just see this little guy going up there with his sling and rocks, this big old man coming up there saying, Huh, you’re coming up there with those little sticks. Hang on a minute. I may have this, but this is who I have on my side. I’ve got God on my side. And he slings him and slaps it right in the middle of his forehead and he dies. Goliath dies. Who wouldn’t want to read about that? Because you know what one of the other things people say about the Bible?

The Bible’s boring. That’s not a boring story. That’s not a boring account. It’s great. Hearing the power of God and how somebody so small and powerful like David could be with the power of God on his side. And of course, we know the rest of the story would go out. If he took his head, David took his head with his own sword. Wow, what a great event in the Bible. Well, how about all the battles? We love reading about battles and stories in other books. We love reading about Vietnam. We love reading about World War II, World War I, now Iraqi Freedom, all the other battles that we’re in right now. But why not these battles here? These battles that these men went through their lives in the Old Testament and the New Testament.

The battle to stay with God that we have every single day of our life also. The other thing they read about are the murders that happened. How about the murder that happened with Cain and Abel and David having Uriah go up to the front of the line? You can read about that also. That’s what this guy could read that took my Bible. Well, how about the love stories? This is one of my favorite love stories. When you say love stories in the Bible, who comes to mind? Yeah. Oh, I better look down here on my notes. Jacob and Rachel. I drew a blank on that one. How Jacob waited for seven years for Rachel. And then coming to find out that wasn’t even Rachel he married.

5. The Cruel Death and Resurrection of Jesus

When I read that, I went, no! What happened here? I kept on reading. I said, Where’s Rebecca? He’s trying to, he’s trying to marry Rebecca. Who did he marry? Or he’s I’m sorry, Rachel. I’m sitting over there reading all this. I’m like, what happened? Why did this guy do this? Why did this guy’s father do this to him? He waited seven years. That’s a long time. Tony’s been here seven years. It’s a long time. Seems like 15. I’m kidding. But anyway, seven years is a long time. But he loved Rachel enough that he waited another 17 years. And he ended up marrying her. What a great story. Well, how about the miraculous conception of our of our Savior? We can read about Jesus. We can read about Mary and Joseph and Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

We see right now that everybody’s talking about the miraculous birth of Christ because next week is Christmas. You see it all over Facebook. You’re seeing all the nativity scenes. They’re out there celebrating his birth where we do something different. We celebrate his death. Just like we see right there. The cruel death of Jesus. That’s what this person could read about. They could read about a man that came up there who was a good man. And they could sit there and say that he didn’t do anything wrong. That they tried him for something that he was not guilty of. And they put him to death. They hung him on the cross. But before they hung him on that cross, they scourged him. And we’ve seen many lessons about scourging.

That they actually beat him almost to death. He can’t even carry his cross to Gagatha. He has to have help carrying the cross. And that’s even before he’s crucified. You know, somebody does a little study on the crucifixion, you find out that these Romans were professionals. They knew what they were doing. When they put the nails in his hands and they put the nails in his feet, that they were going to miss the bones, and the bones weren’t going to be broken. And they knew that he was going to have to breathe, so he bent his legs just a little bit as he hung on the cross. So when he needed to breathe, he could lift himself up and barely breathe. And every time he lifted himself up, how do you think his back was feeling on that wood?

That every time he lifted himself up, he was breaking probably more sores from being beaten, being scourged before he hung on the cross. That’s what this person gets to read about. But they don’t get to read about the scourging unless they look it up. But we know about it. His cruel death. But they also get to read about his resurrection. That after he died and he was buried, he came back. And he lived on this earth for a period of time. And then he was resurrected back in the heaven after he sat with the apostles. How about the establishment of the church? We can read about that in Acts the second chapter. When the Apostle Peter is talking to the Jews in Jerusalem. And that’s that if somebody could just take, I’ve told people they said, what can you tell me?

6. What I Hope This Person Takes

What’s the best way to learn a little bit about the Bible? And I knew it was going to be a very quick conversation, so I said, take one of the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John, any one of those, and read it in its entirety. Don’t read all four of them. You can later, but then go straight to the book of Acts. And you’ll find out how Jesus lived and then the establishment of the church, how he was resurrected. It’s a simple concept that this person could read about and learn about. And finally, brethren, this is what I this is what I hope that this person takes. Six simple things on the person who took my Bible. And believe me, there’s all kinds of other things we could talk about in the Bible that we could go over.

Because we’re running out of time. I just had these few things that to discuss on there. Well, the first one is God’s great power. We saw where he created the heavens and the earth. We see where he created man. We see where he was with other men, with other people out there on battles. How he was there in the miraculous birth, the conception, and so forth. His great power. And we talk about God’s great power all the time. That we can just look out in our everyday life and drive through the Grand Canyon and see God’s great power and his creation. It’s just unbelievable. Whenever I see some of the things that people sit there and look at and they go, Wow, this is just awesome.

And you look at it and you say, This is God’s great power right here. It’s just a beautiful thing. The other thing that they can learn about is God’s great love for us. Wow. You know, this is a sermon in itself. God’s great love for us. John 3 16. Everybody knows it. We see it at the end of the football stadiums. We see it in basketball games. For God’s loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. And whoever so whoever believes in him shall not perish. But those who do have everlasting life. His love for us. Because of the fact that when we sit there and think about his love for us, that he gave us Jesus. That when he sent Jesus down on this earth, that he sent his son to die on our behalf in his resurrection.

Whenever I sit there and think about Jesus’ life, I sit there and think about everything that he did. I sit there and think about all the teachings he had with people. And he didn’t have to do it. I sit there and think about his love for us. That something that’s really hard to comprehend is that he felt pain just like us. That he hungered just like us. That he had emotions just like us. He’s a human being. He was a human being. Deity. And whenever I sit there and think about my little aches and pains, my little foot, my little knees, my back that hurts, my headaches that I get, my little runny nose, my little cough. He did the same. He felt the pains. And every time I think about that cross and the pains that he went through, it’s just, it just really touches me.

And I hope it touches you. And I hope it touches the person who took my Bible if they read it. Well, how about the establishment? I hope that they understand a little bit more about the establishment of the church. Because it’s so important in somebody’s life. Just like I said, if they were to take one of the gospels and go straight from the gospel into the book of Acts, they can learn the establishment of the church. Of course, it takes a little bit more study. But guess what? They at least they will learn a little bit more about it. And also they’ll learn about salvation. Because that’s what it’s all about, our salvation. That when we pass in this life, we don’t know when that’s going to be.

That we want to be with God in heaven. That when that day comes and they look at me and they say, Steve, you did okay. I’m going over there. I’m hoping and praying that’s what happens. Because we have that salvation. We know that we hear the word. We know that we repent of our sins and we’re baptized in the water and grave of baptism. And we come out in the newness of life. But guess what, brethren? It doesn’t stop there. Because this Bible will also tell us a guy like you stole my thunder, Tony, this morning, when he said that anything that pertains to our life is in this Bible. It is. We could take almost every situation about our life, and we’re going to be able to find it in this Bible.

Conclusion

We can be challenged at all times. But that’s the guideline that we have. And that’s the blessing that we have. And that’s the riches that we have. We have so much more. And there’s so much more that we can learn about the Bible. Because of the fact there’s so much more information in there. I just touched on a little bit. I just remember the time when Tony tried to go from the beginning to the end in 30 minutes. I did remember a lesson, Tony. Wow, miraculous. But you know what? We have this guideline. And it’s a great guideline. And it’s ours that God gave us. He blessed us with it. And I hope you take advantage of it. And I hope this thief who took my Bible.

I hope he’s opening it up. And if I ever meet him, I’ll give it to him now. He can have it. I just hope it’s not in a ditch somewhere or in a trash can. I hope it’s somewhere in his room. And he looks at it and says, Wow, why did he underline all this stuff? Why did he write all these notes in there? I hope it provokes him to do something. I really do. Because maybe one day he’ll come to my house and say, excuse me, sir, but I stole your Bible. That’s okay. You can have it. You can read it. Just abide by it. Like we should. And that’s the lesson, brother. If you’re subject to the invitation, we always have that opportunity to come forward and confess of our sins, be baptized in the watery grave of baptism.

And of course, it just starts right there. Or if you feel like that you’ve brought some type of reproach upon the church and you need the prayers of the congregation, we invite you to come forward. Now sing the song. Stand and sing the song that was chosen.