Getting to Know your Bible

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:12):
This is Getting to Know Your Bible, a program dedicated
to the proclaiming of the good News of Jesus Christ.
Here's Billy Lambert.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
Hello, I'm Billy Lambert. I am the regular speaker on
Getting to Know Your Bible, and I want to welcome
you today. This may be the very first time that
you have seen this telecast. I want you to know
that the thing that we emphasize on getting to Know
your Bible is a word of God. The Bible is

(00:46):
the greatest book that has ever been written. Many years ago,
there were those that wrote books that thought they would
replace the Bible. That's what Thomas Paine thought when he
wrote The Age of Reason. But the Bible continues to
live after century. Jesus said, heaven and earth shall pass away,
but my Word shall not pass away. So on getting

(01:07):
to Know your Bible, we're teaching from the timeless Word
of God. The Bible is God's book, the greatest book
that has ever been written. And today we're going to
be opening up the pages of the Word of God
and delivering a message to you from God's book. Today
we're going to be seeing a one of our classics

(01:29):
that is a production of one of our telecasts from
time in the past, and we want you to stay tuned.
We're going to be offering a free Bible Correspondence course
today and we will see information on the screen as
to how you can receive that course. And so we
want to pause at this.

Speaker 1 (01:48):
Time to help you in your study of the Bible.
We want to send you this Bible Correspondence course. This
course is non denominational, it's based on the Bible, it's
conducted by mail, and it's free to receive this course.
Right to Getting to Know Your Bible. Po Box three
one four, Summerdale, Alabama three six five eight zero or

(02:09):
call two free one eight seven seven seven one one
five two one four.

Speaker 2 (02:19):
Have you ever seen two children having a discussion, well,
not really a discussion, Maybe they're just having a fight.
They're just really fussing at each other. And so here
comes one of the parents who stands in between the
two children that are that are having this discussion, this fight,

(02:41):
this argument, and the parent tries to separate them, and
one of them points to the other and said, well,
he started it, and the other one points they said, no,
she started it. And you know, isn't that so much
like people? We just really don't want to admit that
we're at fault. We don't ask what have I done?

(03:07):
That's what we want to talk about today, that question
what have I done? Stay tuned. I want to read
out of the book of Jeremiah. I'm going to be
reading out of the eighth chapter of Jeremiah and the
sixth verse. I listened and heard, but no man spake aright,

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no man repented him of his wickedness, saying what have
I done? Everyone turned to his course as the horse
rushes into the battle. Jeremiah has often been referred to
as the weeping Prophet, and indeed he was. When he

(03:56):
saw the condition of God's people in his day, it
broke his heart. It broke his heart because they had
turned their backs upon God, and he wept like a
broken hearted angel. In the second chapter of Jeremiah, verse
thirty two said, I asked the question, kind of made

(04:16):
forget her ornaments or bride or attire? Yet my people
have forgotten me days without number. You see, God's people
had just completely forgotten about him. In the fifth chapter
and about verse number three, he said, they've made their
faces harder than a rock, and other words, they have

(04:39):
become hard hearted toward God, and the thing that's so
disturbing about it didn't seem to bother them. In Jeremiah
sixe fifteen, he asked, asked were they ashamed? Were they
ashamed when they committed abomination? And the answer was no,
they weren't ashamed. Could they blush? You? See? They were

(05:02):
so hard hearted that that when their sin was pointed out,
it didn't even didn't bother them. And so Jeremiah called
upon them in verse sixteen of that same chapter, standing
in the ways and see and ask for the old past,
wherein is a good way, and walk therein you shall
find rest for your souls. But the response was they

(05:23):
wouldn't do it. They refused to do it. In the
eighth chapter and in verse five, Jeremiah described God's people
as being slidden back or backslidden by a perpetual backsliding.
That was the most charitable thing you could say about

(05:45):
them in that day. They were just continually going back,
going away, leaving God. And that's a very frightening thing.
And when Jeremiah observed this, he wept over it. In
Jeremiah chapter nine and verse one, he said, oh, that
my head were waters and mine eyes a fountain of tears,

(06:10):
that I might weep day and night for the slain
of the daughter of my people. Oh, his heart was broken.
Jeremiah was so concerned about his people, and in the
text before us, Jeremiah said, I preached to these people,
but they did not listen. There was not a man

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who repented of the wickedness that he had committed against God.
He said, I was waiting to hear someone say that
they had done wrong. I was waiting to say to
hear someone say, now what is it that I have done?
But everyone just kept on in his lifestyle, in the

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way that he was going, just like a horse rushing
into battle headlong in the sin. They continued their ways.
They did not repent and say what have I done?
I want to get it right. I want us to
think about that question, and the question is what have
I done? He was listening for the cry of just

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one penitent man. Don't you suppose God still waits for
hearing people to repent and to say, now, Lord, what
have I done? Let me get it right? You know,
some people never want to admit they have done anything
of which they ought to repent. That's a terrible state
for a person to be in, because all men everywhere

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need to repent Acts seventeen thirty, Second Peter three nine.
God God wants all people to repent of their sins,
and it's repent of parish Luke thirteen three. And so
no one wanted to do that in Jeremiah's day. So
let me ask the question, what have I done? What

(08:00):
is it that I have done? Well? What have I
done with the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, Pilot had
to make a choice one time about Jesus, and his
question was what shall I do with Jesus, who's called
the Christ? And every single person gets to the point

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in their lives they have to make a choice about Jesus.
And let me ask you, what have you done about Jesus? Now,
it's not sufficient for you to tell me what other
people have done with Jesus. Don't tell me what Pilot
did with Jesus. We know what Pilot did. Don't tell
me what Judas did. He sold him for thirty pieces

(08:43):
of silver. We know that. Don't tell me what Peter did.
Peter fall in the far off, that's what Peter did
with Jesus. Don't tell me what the Jewish rulers did
with Jesus. They cried out for his death. Don't tell
me what the Roman soldiers did. They nailed him to
the cross. You see, it's not sufficient for me to

(09:04):
tell you what other people have done with Jesus. The
question is what have I done with him? What have
I done with the Lord Jesus Christ? What can I
do with him? What can I do with him? Well,
you can reject Jesus, and so many people do reject Jesus.
And the day in which we live, there are so
many people that are turning their backs upon Jesus. There

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are people in various parts of the world that are
being killed because they profess to believe in Jesus. And
there are those that have turned their backs upon him
to the point that they're willing to kill those who
believe in Jesus. And that's sad Jesus. And John five
and forty said, and you would not come unto me

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that you might have life, you see. That's what you
can do with him, or or you can come to him.
Jesus wants you to. Jesus says, coming to me, all
heavy leading, and I'll give you rest. Matthew eleven twenty eight.
You can come to him, you can't accept him. But
let me tell you what you cannot do with Jesus.

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You cannot remain neutral about Jesus. You say, you may say, well,
Brother Lamond, I'm just not going to make a decision.
I'm not ready to make a choice about Christ. I
hear you what you're saying. I know what you're saying
is in the Bible. I understand what I need to
do to be saved. I understand all of that. I'm

(10:33):
just not ready to make a choice. You're going to
make a decision. You see, No is a decision. And
my appeal to you today is to say yes to
Jesus and don't reject him, because you cannot remain neutral Esus.
Jesus said either you are for me or you are

(10:54):
against me. So you're either for Christ, you're against Christ.
Accept Christ, you reject Christ. And to say no today
is to reject Christ. Don't continue in that vein What
have I done with Jesus? And let me tell you
it makes a great deal of difference as to what
you do with Jesus. It's going to matter in your

(11:16):
own personal life what you do with Jesus. Your peace
of mind. Your salvation, your eternity is all dependent upon
doing the right thing with the Lord Jesus Christ. Think
about the people you influence. Think about your family, Think
about your children, think about your spouse, think about your friends,
Think about those that you work with every day. It

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may be that they're watching you, and their salvation may
dehinge upon your influence and what you do with the
Lord Jesus Christ. See it minters what we do with Jesus.
Do the right thing. Accept him on the terms of
pardon that are failed out clearly plainly in the Bible.

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Believe on Christ with all of your heart. Repent of
your sins. That's what the Bible teaches in Luke thirteen three.
Be willing to confess your faith in Jesus, as it
teaches in Romans ten, verse nine and ten, and to
be baptized in two Christ Agalatians three twenty seven, Romans six,
verses three and four. You'll be added to the Church

(12:26):
the body of Christ verse Corinthians twelve thirteen, Acts two
forty seven. And you serve the Lord in the Church,
in the body of Christ, in the family of God,
and you worship him on the Lord's Day. You do
all the good that you can to help other people,
remain faithful and steadfast to him, rooted and grounded in

(12:49):
the faith. And then one day, because you've done the
right thing with Jesus, He'll do the right thing with you.
What have you done with Jesus, my friend? Well, what
have you done with the Bible? Well? Really, what you
have you done with the Bible? I know what people
in times passion have done with the Bible. They have

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scoffed at the Bible. There been people can you believe this?
Can you really believe this? There have been people who
have tried to destroy all copies of the Bible. There
have been men that we have written books that they
thought would replace the Bible. But the Bible continues to live.

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And the reason is the book that I hold in
my hand is not just an ordinary book. This is
God's book. This is the Bible. It is the Holy Scriptures,
and they are inspired of God. Second Timothy three sixteen,
Second Peter one, verse twenty and twenty one. That holy
men of God spake as they were moved by the

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Holy Spirit. And so this is God's book. What have
you done with it? Well? Could I suggest three things
you can do with it. You can reject the Bible
like the unbeliever. Now they're unbelievers that have totally rejected
the Bible. There are those that would like to eliminate
the Bible from society. It would please them highly if

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there was a law pass that would command that you
bring all copies of the Bible to some central point
and pile them up in a mountain and burn every
one of them. That would tickle them to death. That
would please them, know it, why? Because they don't believe
the Bible. Now you can do that with it. You
can do that, or you can just neglect it. You

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may have more than one copy of the Bible at home.
Have you ever seen people riding around their car and
a Bible laying on the dashboard or maybe it's laying
in the back window of the car. And I've often wondered, Now,
they must believe in the Bible, call they have one,
they're writing around in the car. But what are they

(15:04):
doing with it between Sundays? What are they doing with
it Monday through Saturday? Are they reading it with Most
people have more than one copy of the Bible? But
are you neglecting it? Is it just collecting dust on
the chef at home? Are you using it as a
place to put pictures and newspaper clippings. I've seen bibles

(15:25):
us like that are. The third thing you can do
with the Bible is you can accept it as being
the inspired word of God, and you study it, you
believe it, you obey it, you live by it, and

(15:45):
you die by it. Now we have enough choice to make.
What have I done? What have I done with the Bible?
What are you going to do with the Bible? Now
here's another thing to consider. What have I done with
the church? I know what Jesus how he thought about

(16:09):
what he thought about the church. The Bible says they
Christ loved the church, gave himself for it if Asians
five twenty five. I know how he felt about it.
And I don't believe that an individual will ever be
like Jesus Christ or they get to the point they
feel about the church like Jesus did, that they love
it like Jesus did. Do you really love the church?

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Some claim that Christianity is dying in America. That they
claim that Christianity is on the downswing in America, on
the decline. I don't know whether that's true. Or not.
I don't put a great deal of stock and the
facts and figures that men put out, but I know
that it ought not to be that way. If it

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is that way, and when we get to the point
that we love the Church for which our Lord died,
it will not be like that. And I show that
I love the Church by what I do as a
member of the church. You see, the Church is not
a building. No, no, no. A lot of people talk

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about there's a beautiful church down there on the corner.
They're talking about a building. The Church is made out
of blood, redeemed people. It's composed of those who have
obeyed Jesus Christ by believing on him and repenting of
their sins and be baptized for the remission of their sins.
And they've been added to the church by the Lord.

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And I do do everything I can for the welfare
and the benefit of the Church. And when I love
the Church, I want to be a promoter of the Church.
Have you ever stopped to think about the fact the
difference the world has been a condition of the world
since the Church has been created, since it was established

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on the day of Pentecost, the only organization, the only
group of people in all the world that are trying
to do everything they can to make this world a
better place is those who compose the church. Others are
not trying to save their souls to keep them out
of any eternal hell. But the Church is I can

(18:24):
tell you. The liquor industry is not doing that. The
only thing they're concerned about in the liquor industry is
your money. They just want your money, or they may
make it as attractive as they possibly can, but the
bottom line is all about money. And Hollywood is not
concerned about souls, absolutely not. All Hollywood is concerned about

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is fame and fortune. That's it. There're some good people
that out in the Hollywood scene, but by buying large
the Hollywood is concerned about money. They're not concerned about
saving your soul, the people going to heaven one day.
The Church is concerned and we need to do everything
that we can to help the church grow. And one

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of the things I can do is by living the
Christian life so that it advances the cause of Christ
and it adorns the Gospel of Christ. In Philippians one
twenty seven, Paul said, let your manner of life be
as it becomes the Gospel. My life ought to be
becoming of the Gospel. It ought to adorn the Gospel.

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It ought to make the Gospel attractive. And when I
make the Gospel attractive, it's going to cause people to
want to come to Christ like a moth to the flame.
You see. I need to do the right thing with
the church. Thousands of people are neglecting the church. When
I can reach stats that tell us that on any

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given Sunday that they're about forty percent of the American
people that are not in church, they're not there, that
tells me that we've got a problem. They'll just suppose
it's fifty to fifty. Just suppose fifty percent are in
some place of worship and fifty percent are at home.
We have a problem on our hands. We have people

(20:13):
that are not spiritually oriented. They're not spiritually inclined. You say, well,
the church turns me off. When you say the church
turns you off, you're saying people turn you off. But
Jesus died for the New Testament Church. You may be
turned off some religious organization that's god so far off
to the right or to the left that they're no

(20:35):
longer considered to be what Jesus would want us to be.
But when we go by the Bible that ought to
attract people because we're trying to lift up Jesus Christ
as the savior of the world. The people that compose
the church are not perfect people, absolutely not. And if
they were perfect, we wouldn't need Jesus, would we If

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we were perfect, we wouldn't need His content in you,
a cleansing of our sins as we walk in the light.
But I can tell you one thing that by and large,
those that compose the church. Let me just speak of
the Summerdale Church of which I am a member, and
I have been now for a number of years. Oh,
I realize that they're not perfect. And if it was
a perfect church when I became a member of it,

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it became imperfect because all of us have weaknesses and flaws.
But it's a tight body that loves one another, trying
to do all the good that it can. And I
believe there are congregations of God's people all over the
land just like that. We need to show the right
attitude towards the church, promote the church, be a member

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of it. And if you all remember the Church of
Christ and you have ceased attending the worship on the
Lord's Day, May I appeal to you to repent and
to return to your first love. Another question we need
ask is what have I done with my sins? Now

(22:05):
we're not asking what if people in Chicago or South America,
China done about their sins? These are my sins. What
have I done about my sins? And I'm aware that
people do various things about sin. I think some people
may make fun of it. We're living in a day
where it's not politically correct to talk about sin, and

(22:29):
that's a word that many preachers no longer use. They
no longer talk about sin. The Bible says that fools
make a market sin in Proverbs fourteen, and so we're
very foolish, foolish when we deny the reality of sin.
But what's your attitude about sin? Said, I'm just going
to try to hide my sins. I just white wash them.

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Somebody says, I'm going to deny them. I'm just going
to pretend my sins don't even exist. And someone else says,
I'm going to do the right thing about it, and
I want God to forgive me of my sins. That's
the right attitude. Isn't it Blessed is the man whose
transgressionist forgiven, whose sin is covered Psalms thirty two, Verse one.
We need our sins covered by the blood of the

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Lord Jesus Christ. That's the reason Jesus died on the cross,
isn't it He died that our sins might be washed
away in his blood. That was even predicted in their
Old Testament in Zacharith thirteen and one. In that day
there shall be a fountain open to the house of
David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and
for uncleanness, and friends. Today there's still a fountain filled

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with blood that's drawn from Emmanuel's veins, and sinners that
are plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.
And you can have your sin forgiven in Jesus' blood.
What have you done about your sins? Are you trying
to deny them? Run away from them, hide them, Blame
them on someone else. That's the old blame game people
have been using since the days of Adam and Eve?

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What are you going to do about your sins? Come
to Christ today as a believer in him, we being
willing to repent of your sins, were willing to confess
that you acknowledge Jesus as being the divine son of God,
and have some servant of God immerse you in water
baptize you into Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins.

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Paul in Romans sixty three and four said that we're
baptized into the death of Christ, into his death. And
when we're baptized, we come in union by faith with
the blood of Jesus as washes and cleanses us of
all of our sins. What are you going to do?
What are you going to do with your sins? And finally,

(24:44):
what will you do with the warnings of God? Hebrews
nine twenty seven is really a warning, isn't it. It's
appointed to a man wants to die. And then comes
the judgment are we going to ignore the warnings? Are
we going to nor? Then if there's a storm coming

(25:04):
and you're warned by the media, the television, the weather channel,
they say, prepare, there's a storm coming, Hide, find a
safe place, and some foolhardy person says, I don't believe
all of that. I'm not going to hide. And then

(25:25):
the storm comes and they're killed. The reason they're killed
is they do not heed the warning. Are you going
to heed the warning? What will you do with the
warnings of God? I plead with you with all the
love I have in my heart to turn your life
over to Jesus. To turn your life over to God,

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and you will have a better life and a happier life.
Ask this question, what have I done? And now what
are you going to do to you? I don't make
decisions for people. I have never tried to make someone's decision.
I try to preach to bring people to the point

(26:10):
of making decision. But the choice is theirs. And it's
really a simple choice, isn't it yes or no? You
either accept or you deny, or reject or turn away
from the Lord Jesus Christ. But may I remind you
of what Jesus said, He that rejecteth me and receiveth
not my word. Hath one that judgeth him the word

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that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in
the last day. It's a serious thing to reject Jesus
in his word, and I plead with you to do
the right thing. Now. I want to thank you for
watching today, and in the closing moments. I want to
encourage you to visit the Church of Christ in your community.

(26:54):
You say we're by the Lambord. I don't know where
it's located. Why don't you call us or why don't
you write us or email us and ask for that information.
We'll get it to you as quickly as possible. If
you know where it's located. May I urge you to
visit as soon as you possibly can. You'll find people

(27:14):
that love you and love the Lord, and we'll want
to help you in your journey from Earth to Heaven.
And I want to also urge you right now to
pick up the telephone and call for the free Bible
Correspondence course. It's free. Don't deny yourself of this opportunity
to know more about the Bible, or if you prefer,

(27:36):
you can take the course online. I want to thank
you for watching today and until we meet again, May
the Lord bless you and keep you is my prayer.

Speaker 1 (27:45):
Getting to Know your Bible has been presented by Churches
of Christ. If you have a question about the church,
or if you would like the location of a Church
of Christ near you, or to receive the free Bible course.
Right two, Getting to Know your Bible heelbox one four Summerdale,
Alabama three six five eight zero or call one eight
seven seven seven one one five two.

Speaker 2 (28:07):
One four

Speaker 1 (28:11):
Join us next time forgetting to know your Bible