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 till free one eight seven seven seven one one
five two one four.

Speaker 2 (02:21):
Today I'm going to be reading from the seventy eighth Psalm,
beginning in verse forty. How often they provoked him in
the wilderness and grieved him in the desert. Yes, again
and again they tempted God and limited the Holy One
of Israel. They did not remember his power the day

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when he redeemed them from the enemy, when he worked
his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field
of Zone turned their rivers into blood, and the stream
that they could not drink. To suggest that you can
limit God is strange. Indeed, it says they limited the

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Holy One of Israel. To understand the background of this,
this is written concerning the time that the children of
Israel were in the land of Egypt, and then they
left Egypt. They were on their way to the Promised Land.
And for forty law today I'm going today, I'm going
to be reading from the seventy eighth Psalm, beginning in

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verse forty. How often they provoked Him in the wilderness
and grieved him in the desert. Yes, again and again
they tempted God and limited the Holy One of Israel.
They did not remember his power the day when he

(03:52):
redeemed them from the enemy, when he worked his signs
in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zone
turned their rivers into blood, and the streams that they
could not drink. To suggest that you can limit God
is strange. Indeed, it says they limited the Holy One

(04:16):
of Israel. To understand the background of this, this is
written concerning the time that the children of Israel were
in the land of Egypt, and then they left Egypt.
They were on their way to the Promised Land. And
for forty long years. They were in the wilderness, and
it was while in the wilderness that they tempted God,

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they tested God, they rebelled against God. As a matter
of fact, the seventy eighth Psalm is written against the
background of Israel's rebellion, and in the early part of
this chapter, the writer is suggesting that you teach your
children what has happened in the past. And when you

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read this chapter, you will see that there are some
five generations that are contemplated in the early part of
this chapter. And so this generation is to teach the
next generation of that generation, the next generation, and to
not fall after the acts of their fathers when they
were in the wilderness, when they limited God. I want

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you to notice the verses that I just read. He
says they grieve God in the desert. They tempted God,
limited God did not remember his power. And so that's
a strange thought, limiting God. Can God be limited? It's

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strange to suggest you can limit God. When you think
about the power of God. God is a mighty God.
He's able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask,
or think if Esians three twenty so to suggest that
God can be limited. It's rather strange to think in
that worry in that way. And then it's strange to

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think that you can limit God when you think about
God's knowledge. You know, in Matthew chapter ten, we learned
he even has the has on your head numbered. I
think about the very fact that God has all knowledge.
You can't teach God anything because God already knows everything.
And then to say that you can limit him, that

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sounds rather strange. And it's strange to suggest that you
can limit God when you think about the fact that
God is not limited by space. In the one hundred
and thirty ninth Psalm, David said, I go up into heaven,
you're there. If I take the wings of the morning
and I dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
you're there. If I make my bed in shield, that is,

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in the unseen world, you're there. There is not any
place the person can escape the presence of God. So
it's strange to say God can be limited. And it's
strange to suggest that you can limit God when you
consider the fact that God is a God of love
and that his love is for all people, because there's

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no respective persons with God. Romans to loven and John
three sixteen says it God soul loved the world, He
loved all people, and so God is unlimited in his love.
But you can limit God, you say, when our brother lambort,
how is that possible. Well, let's just mention a few

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ways that men limit God. We limit God when we
do not pray. We limit God when we do not pray. Now,
there are lots of reasons that we could list as
to why we should pray, but one of the basic

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fundamental reasons that we should pray is because God wants
us to. Because God commands that we pray. You see,
God wants to hear from us. He wants to hear
from his children, and he wants us to pray. In

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Luke chapter eighteen and verse one, Jesus said men ought
always to pray and not to faint, so we ought
to always be in the habit of prayer. Vers Thessalonians
four and verse eleven says pray without ceasing, so we're
commanded to pray. Philippians chapter four, verse six, and seven

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says that we are to pray and offer prayers of
thanksgiving and supplication. We are to pray. In James five
and sixteen. Confess your false one another. Pray you one
for another, that you may be healed. The effectual, fervent
prayer of a righteous man avails much so we pray

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because there's power in prayer. Pray why because God commands
that we pray. Be constant in prayer, Be instant in prayer,
be always in prayer. We ought to pray because this
is the way that we overcome fear and disappointment and

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worry anxiety in our lives. Listen to Paul and Philippians
four to six. Be careful for nothing, but in everything
by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving. Let your requests be
made known unto God. And so we worry about nothing.
We pray about everything. And the peace of God that

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passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and your minds
in Christ. Jesus and then the Bible teaches that we
are to pray that we get the things that we need.
James Chapter four and verse two says you have not
because you ask not. Matthew seven and seven. Jesus says, ask,

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and you shall receive so their blessings and favors that
God will bestow upon his children. In no way except
the ask for them. So we have to ask. Now.
When we do not pray, we sin. When we do
not pray, we limit what God can do for us.

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If we are to pray because it is commanded, If
we are to pray because this is the way we
overcome fear and anxiety and worry in our lives. If
we are to pray because this is the way we
receive what we need, we limit what God can do
in our lives when we do not pray. If there

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is one thing that I would hope that you will
remember is that you need to be a person of
pray prayer. You need to pray in your home. You
need to pray with your children, pray at meal time,
pray at bedtime, pray at other times in your family.
I want to urge you to be people of prayer.

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You see, we limit God and what God is able
to do for us when we do not pray. Another
way that we limit God is when our faith is
not strong, when we have what some would refer to
as having little faith. Little faith. Jesus on one occasion said, oh,
you have little faith. And so when we have little faith,

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we are limiting God. Now, Christianity is a system of
faith operates by faith. The just live by faith. Romans
one seventeen. We walk by faith and not by sight.
Second Corinthians, Chapter five and verse number seven. As Christians,

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we are involved in a battle of faith, fight the
good fight of faith lay hold on eternal life verse
ten of the six in verse twelve. So Christianity involves
faith on our part. Hebrews eleven in verse six says
without faith, it is impossible to please him. He that
cometh to God must be believed that he is, and

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that He is a rewarder of all of them that
diligently seek him. And so there's our faith. We have
to be people of faith, and it is because of
our faith that God is well pleased with us. But
what is faith. Well, somebody says trusting something having confidence. Well,

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that's possibly true to an extent. But faith is defined
in your Bible and Hebrews chapter eleven and verse six
as being the substance of things hop four the evidence
of things not seen. Faith is believing in the reality
of that which you cannot see. It's believing in the
reality of what you cannot see. But my faith in

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the reality of the unseen things is based on certain
evidence or testimony, and the evidence or the testimony for believing.
And that which I cannot see is the Bible. In
Romans ten seventeen that what so faith comes by hearing,
hearing comes by the word of God. Now faith needs

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to be exercised. We show our faith, James writes in
James two. We show our faith by our works. We
show our faith by the exercise of our faith. The
eleventh chapter of Hebrews is an entire chapter about faith
and what people did because of their faith before example,

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in Hebrews chapter eleven, in verse three, by faith, we
understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God,
so that the things which are seen were not made
of things which do appear. Then there's about Noah in
verse number seven. By faith. Noah, being warned of God
of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared

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an art to the saving of his house. So it
was through faith that Noah was able to save his family.
Think about Abraham and verse eight of Hebrews chapter eleven.
By faith, Abraham, when he was called to go out
into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance,
went out. He went out. Now, notice the next part

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of it, knowing where he went. He had no clue
of where he was going. He didn't have a map,
he didn't have a GPS. He just had God's word.
I want you to pack leave and I'll let you
know where you're going. My friends, that takes a lot
of faith on a man's part. By faith, Abraham lived

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his last That's why he's called a friend of God.
He's called the Father of the faithful. Abraham was a
great man of faith. And where to live our lives
by faith? Now? Where to have enough faith and trust
in God that we rely completely and totally upon him.

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You know, in Proverbs the third chapter and verse five,
the Bible says, trust to the Lord with all your heart,
lean not on your own understanding. The mistake a lot
of people are making in our modern world is relying
on themselves and not relying on God. That's a lack
of faith. You see. We can have the faith that

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when I rely on God, that God is going to
be there and to help me. I believe. Romans eight
twenty eight in encompasses the life of faith. We know
that all things work together for good to them that
love the Lord, to them to the called according to
His purpose. I believe a passage like Philippians four thirteen

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encompasses strong faith. I can do all things through Christ,
which strengthens me and so faith in God. But when
I have little faith, I have weak faith. I have
lukewarm faith. Folks, I'm going to limit what God can
do through me and with me and for me. I

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need strong faith. You know the kind of faith we
really need today. We need faith like Abraham. Listen again
about Abraham's faith in the fourth chapter of Roman Letter,
verses twenty and twenty one, and he says this about Abraham,
that he staggered not at the promise of God. You know,
a lot of people here read promises of God and

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the Bible and these I just don't know whether I
really believe that or not. You're staggering at the promise
of God. He's staggered not at the promise of God
through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God,
for he was persuaded that what he had promised he
was able also to perform. So you see, Abraham had

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strong faith in God, and he had such faith in
God that he believed that whatever God promised he would
do that God would do it. And when we do
not have that kind of faith, we limit God. We
limit what God can do for us. We also can
limit God by our lack of the sharing of the Gospel.

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I might put it in another way, by our lack
of evangelism. You know, it is God's desire to save people.
He wants all people to be saved. It is not
the will, It is not the decree. It is not
the desire of God that one single person be lost
in a devil's hell. It's not God's desire. It's god

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desire that all people to be saved. First Timothy, chapter
two and four says that God would have all men
to be saved. Second chapter, Second Peter, chapter three and
verse nine says it that God is willing that all
would repent, that he doesn't want any man to perish,
but that all would repent. You see, God wants all

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people to be saved. He wants every person saved. During
the days of the Apostle Peter was a difficult thing
for the Jews to understand that God even wanted the
Gentiles to be saved. And when Peter came to the
household of Cornelius, who was a gentile. Incidentally, Cornelius fell
down at the feet of Peter, and Peter said, I

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want you to stand up. I'm just a man, he said.
I perceive of a truth that God is no respector
of persons. But in every nation he that feareth Him
and worketh right, anciousness is accepted with him. You see,
God wants all people without distinction to be saved. God
doesn't say, well, you know, I want rich people to
be saved, but not poor people. That's not the God

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of the Bible. And God doesn't say, well, I want
white people to be saved, but not I don't want
people of color to be saved. That's not the God
of the Bible. God wants all people saved, and the
ground is level at the foot of the cross, and
he wants us to be preaching the Gospel to the world.
I believe that it's God's will that we be on

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this telecast right now and preach the Gospel to peoples
and in many places as we possibly can. I believe
that's the will of God because Jesus said, go into
all of the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.
I'm not capable physically capable of going to every place
in all of the world. But through television we're able

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to preach to people that I'll never see, that I'll
never know. And so we're to be a vangistic today.
And what the world needs today is the Gospel. All
men need the Gospel. Even people that don't like us
need the Gospel. What better thing to do for people
that don't like us than to teach them the gospel

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and they come to understand that God loves them, that
we love them, that we would wish and desire and
pray for their salvation. You see, we are to evangelize,
but when we don't evangelize prays, we're going to limit
what God can do. In Roma's the tenth chapter, beginning

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at verse thirteen that Paul wrote that whosoever shall call
upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. But
how shall they call on him of whom they have
not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
And how shall they preach except they be sent? As
it is written? How beautiful are the feet of them
that preach the Gospel of peace and bring glad tidings

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of good things? Those are some sober words. How can
people believe lest they've been taught. How can they be
taught lest somebody is sent to teach them. You see,
we are involved with mankind, and we can't isolate ourselves

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away from the world. We are to teach the world
about Jesus. You say, well, the world is a bad world,
Brother Lambert, Yes, it's a bad world. And that's the
reason Jesus went to the cross, because it's a bad world.
Jesus said, they that are holding not a physician, but
either the sick. I came not to call the righteous,
but sinners to repentance. And that's true. It was true

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then and it is true today. It's because of sin
in the world and sinners in the world that we
need to be carrying the message of the Lord Jesus
Christ to every man, every woman, everyone and every girl
the face of this earth. And it is the Gospel
of Jesus Christ that is the remedy for the predicament

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in this world. And that predicament is sin. Listen to
Paul in Romans one in verse sixteen, where I'm not
ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the
power of God into salvation to every one that believes
to the jew first, and also to the Greek folks.
We are to be preached the Gospel because it's the
Gospel that has the power to say. The power to

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save people is not in the preacher. The power to
save is not in Billy Lambert any other preacher. The
power to save the world is in the Gospel of
the Lord Jesus Christ. As it were, it's God's dynamite
to shake us out of our lethargy, to shake us
out of our indifference, to shake us out of our sin,

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and to make us realize our need of God, our
need of Jesus, our need of salvation, or how we
need to be evangelistic today and if we want to
make our world a better world, we need to be evangelizing,
telling men about Jesus, going into all the world, preaching
the Gospel to every creature. That's the reason we say

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that getting to know your Bible is dedicated to the
proclaiming of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, because
that's what people need to hear today. I don't need
to be talking about science. I don't need to be
talking about current events. I don't need to be talking
about some deathbed experience I don't need to be telling
you a bunch of tales and jokes and the like,

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or sometimes we may do that as we have illustrating
our truth. I need to be telling you about Jesus.
I'm not here to preach a social gospel. A social
gospel may tickle your ears, it may make you feel good.
But you see, if I preach the pure, unadulterated gospel
of Jesus Christ, it will cause you to realize your

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sinner and you're in need of elevation, and that God
loved you and gave his son that you might go
home to heaven one day. Oh but we limit God
when we don't preach the gospel, don't we. I'm talking
to members of the Church of Christ right now. I
want you to listen to me, and I want you
to listen carefully. If we want to change this world,

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and we want to make this a better world in
which to live, we had better get serious about the
preaching of the gospel, because a lack of evangelism can
limit what God can do. We also limit God when
we do not respond to jesus invitation. You say, well,

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he has one, Oh, yes, indeed he does. In Matthew,
Chapter eleven and verse twenty eight. Jesus said, come unto me,
all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I
will give you rest. Folks, that's an invitation. That's an

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invitation to get out of the sinning business. That's an
invitation to get out of the kind of a life
that you've been living that has brought you nothing but
heartache and misery, and to come to the Lord Jesus Christ.
And he said, I'll give you rest. You need rest,

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you need peace of mind, you need happiness, you need security.
Why not try Jesus. You say, I've not been fought
in Jesus, I've not been living for great Jesus. Well,
let me ask you a question. How well is that
working out for you? How's that working out for you?
Are you happier than you've ever been in your life

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without Jesus? My friend, I want to suggest that Jesus
came that you might have life, and that you might
have it more abundantly. Absolutely, And I would urge you
to think seriously about saying yes to him. Now, you
can say yes and you can say no, but you
can't be neutral about Jesus. Jesus said, either you're for

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me or against me. You're either going to accept his
invitation of salvation or you going to turn it down. Now,
Jesus wants you to be saved. And in order that
you might be saved from your sins, all we must
do is what people in the first century did. The
Corinthians were saved by preaching by the obedience to the gospel.

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Paul preached the Gospel to him First Corinthians fifteen more
of a breth than I declare undo you the gospel
which also you have received, wherein you stand by which
you're saved if you keep in memory what I preached
unto you, unless you believed in vain, for I delivered
under you. First of all, how that Christ died for
our sins, according to the scripture, that it was buried,

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and that he arose again the third day. Accord of
the scripture. Many of the Corinthians hearing laved and were baptized.
That's it, just in a nutshell, Jesus said, he that
believe us and he is baptized, shall be saved. And
may I encourage you right now to call for the
Bible course. And until we meet again, May the Lord

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bless you and keep you is my.

Speaker 1 (27:18):
Prayer 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 p O Box
three one four, Summerdale, Alabama, three six five eight zero

(27:39):
or call toll free one eight seven seven seven one
one five two one four. 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 to Getting to
Know Your Bible p O Box three one one four, Summerdale, Alabama,

(28:02):
three six five eight zero or call one eight seven
seven seven one one five two one four. Join us
next time forgetting to Know your Bible.