HB–314 The Bible Guide Published By Harvestime Books .

5———————————— PART ONE —THE BIBLE AND CHRIST———————————A Complete Evangelistic Sermon:Chapter OneHow to Understandthe BibleProvided by a God of Love and PowerA voice crackled over the shortwave radio.“Turn your ship 23o to larboard.”An irritated voice replied, “Turn your ship starboard 23o!”Back came the response, “Turn your ship 23o tolarboard—to the left!”Now, thoroughly aroused, in an authoritativevoice came the reply, “You turn to the right! 23o!”The unknown voice ahead of them responded,“Turn your ship 23o to the left.”In his most commanding voice, the captainreplied, “I am the commander of a U.S. Navalvessel, and we are part of the Sixth Fleet. We havetwo destroyers and a fuel ship accompanying us.I command you: Turn your ship 23o to the right!Do it now!”Back came that totally self-assured, calm voice:Turn your ship 23o to the left. I am the lighthouse.”—This was an actual shortwave communication which occurred at night a number ofyears ago, before radar and satellite communications, during a heavy coastal fog in the Northeast.The captain instantly issued orders to swervehis entire fleet to the left—out to sea,—narrowlymissing collision with the rocky coast of Maine. Hehad yielded to a higher authority, and his obediencesaved many lives.The Bible is the only solidly grounded sourcewe can turn to for guidance in these difficulttimes. We dare not rely on our own ideas, or thesuggestions of friends. Only in the Word of God canwe find the help we need if we are to steer a safecourse through the narrow channel of life, and missthe rocks on either side.The Word of God sends the light we need toguide us in every emergency.Someone has said that “light travels at remarkable speed, until it meets the human mind.”“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a lightunto my path.” Psalm 119:105. When this lightstrikes natural human minds, it is not appreciatedbecause “the god of this world hath blinded theminds of them” (2 Corinthians 4:4).THE BOOK FROM GODThe Bible comes to us from God.“For the prophecy came not in old time by thewill of man: but holy men of God spake as they weremoved by the Holy Ghost.”—2 Peter 1:21 (also Acts1:16; Hebrews 1:1-2).The Scriptures were given so we can learnspecial truths God wants us to learn.“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, andis profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,for instruction in righteousness: that the man of Godmay be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all goodworks.”—2 Timothy 3:16-17. (Also see Romans15:4 and Psalm 119:105.)Only in the Bible is there absolute truth.“Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy Word istruth.”—John 17:17.“To the law and to the testimony: if they speaknot according to this Word, it is because there is nolight in them.”—Isaiah 8:20.How then can our confused minds understandand receive the heavenly light of God’s divine Book?Here are five simple steps which will provea help to you:1 - PRAY FOR DIVINE GUIDANCEWe need help in understanding God’s Word,and only its Author can give us that help. Wemust ask Him for that guidance! Amid the terriblecrises of life, we need help which only He can give!We must pray for divine guidance when weopen and study God’s Word, and we must askfor the guidance of the Holy Spirit in order tounderstand the Bible.“Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law.”—Psalm 119:18 (alsoEphesians 1:17; Proverbs 2:3-5).“But God hath revealed them unto us by HisSpirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, thedeep things of God. For what man knoweth thethings of a man, save the spirit of man which is inhim? even so the things of God knoweth no man,but the Spirit of God.”—1 Corinthians 2:10-11 (alsoJohn 14:26; 1 Corinthians 2:14).The writing of God’s book, the Holy Bible,was inspired by His Holy Spirit; yet “the naturalman receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God”(1 Corinthians 2:14). Therefore we need His Spiritto guide us. The Apostle Paul confirmed that thiswas the only way it could be done: “Now we havereceived . . the spirit which is of God; that we mightknow the things that are freely given to us of God.”Verse 12. And the promise is given:“If ye then, being evil, know how to give good

6gifts unto your children: how much more shall yourheavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that askHim?”—Luke 11:13.Alexander McLeod tells of two young men whocrept at night into a factory to discover the secretof a new machine that a clever man had invented,so they could make secret drawings of it and enrichthemselves.But while still in their hotel room, before heading across town to the factory, one of them saw aBible on the table. Picking it up, it seemed to openin his hands to Exodus 20; and he read the TenCommandments.When he came to the eighth one, he could gono farther. Its words seemed to flash like fire, andsmote his conscience. “Thou shalt not steal.”Those men went home without the secret of themachine, but with the secret of personal power.“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?by taking heed thereto according to Thy Word.”—Psalm 119:9.We need special guidance so we can seearight. God has warned us that, if we walk in thelight of our own fire and the sparks of our own kindling, we shall lie down in sorrow (Isaiah 50:11).But if, trusting in Him, our blind eyes are opened,we shall with the psalmist “behold wondrous thingsout of Thy law” (Psalm 119:18). And we shall receivethe help we need!“The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father ofglory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom andrevelation in the knowledge of Him.”—Ephesians1:17.“Holy Spirit, light divine, Shine upon this heartof mine. Chase the shades of night away, Turn mydarkness into day.”—Andrew Reed2 - STUDY THE SCRIPTURESA curious-minded boy prowling about thehouse picked up a dust-covered Bible. Addressinghis mother, he said, “Mamma, is this God’s book?”“Why, yes, of course,” was her quick response. “Well,then,” said the boy, “I think we might as well sendit back to Him. We never use it.”Many will not permit any other article to beplaced on top of a Bible, yet never lift a finger toopen the Book that would get down to the very bottom of the greatest questions and problems of theirown personal lives.We want to start digging into this holy Book.We want to search it in order to understand itsdeep truths. Here is guidance telling us how tobegin our search:Jesus said: “Search the Scriptures; for in themye think ye have eternal life: and they are they whichtestify of Me.”—John 5:39.“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by everyword that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”—Matthew 4:4.Paul said: “Study to show thyself approved untoGod, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,rightly dividing the Word of truth.”—2 Timothy 2:15.“Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine.”—1 Timothy 4:16.“Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.”—2 Timothy 2:7.Isaiah said: “Seek ye out of the book of the Lord,and read.”—Isaiah 34:16.Jeremiah said: “Thy words were found, and Idid eat them; and Thy Word was unto me the joyand rejoicing of mine heart.”—Jeremiah 15:16.The truths in the Bible are to be read over andover again, shared with others, and repeated to ourchildren.And, yes, don’t forget your children! Be sureto teach them God’s Word also! The mother andgrandmother of Timothy did (2 Timothy 1:5)—andas a result he grew up to become an hard-workingmissionary and pastor.“From a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”—2Timothy 3:15.A visitor found a young mother with her babein her lap and her Bible in her hand. “Are you reading to your baby?” was the humorous query. “Yes,”the young mother replied. “But, do you think heunderstands?”“I am sure he does not understand now, but Iwant his earliest memories to be that of hearingGod’s Word.”It is impossible to overestimate the importanceof learning God’s Word all through life—beginningwith our earliest years.We should compare one passage of Scripturewith another as we study, and ask God to sendHis Holy Spirit to guide us.“For precept must be upon precept, precept uponprecept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little,and there a little.”—Isaiah 28:10.In this way, we avoid drawing a wrong conclusionfrom the study of one text or some limited portionof the Bible.The more we value God’s Word, the more it canhelp us!“Sing them over again to me, Wonderful wordsof life; Let me more of their beauty see, Wonderfulwords of life.”—P.P. Bliss3 - BE WILLING TO LEARN

7The story is told of a young man who came to thefamous Greek scholar Socrates, asking, “What shall Ido to become a learned man?” Whereupon Socrates ledhim into a pool of water, plunged his head under, andheld it there awhile. When the youth came up and got hisbreath, Socrates said, “When your head was under thewater, what did you most wish?”“Air,” gasped the young man.“Very well,” answered the sage; “when you wantknowledge as much as you wanted air, you will find waysto get it.”Tragically, many do not want knowledge whenit is revealed in the Word of God. A closed mindis like a jug, corked and sealed;—you cannot getanything into it. “A man convinced against his willis of the same opinion still.”Someone has said, “If an angel brought a message of great wisdom that people did not want, fewwould be impressed. But they will readily accepta great speech by a man that tells them what theywish to hear and already know.”One who would learn from the Bible mustfollow a different path. Here is counsel from ahumble man who was willing to learn:“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk ofthe Word, that ye may grow thereby.”—1 Peter 2:2.Of those in one town, Berea, in which he firstopened the Word of God, Paul later said:“These were more noble than those in Thess alonica, in that they received the Word with allreadiness of mind, and searched the Scripturesdaily, whether those things were so.”—Acts 17:11.The Bereans did not just listen; they beganstudying God’s Book for themselves!Let a man pray, “Lord, save me I plead, deliverme from the sin of prejudice. Keep my soul filledwith the love and the grace and the power of God,and my eyes open to light.”Study it through. —Never begin a day withoutmastering a verse from its pages. Make it your own.—Never lay aside your Bible until the verse or passage you have been studying becomes a part of yourbeing. Work it out. —Live the truth you obtained thatmorning throughout each hour of the day.Dr. George Washington Carver, the great blackscientist of Tuskegee Institute, spent his lifehelping others. For years he urged farmers in theSoutheast to plant crops besides cotton, for if thatcrop failed all was lost. He finally persuaded themto plant peanuts. However, they raised more peanutsthan they knew what to do with.So Dr. Carver prayed for wisdom whereby thepeanut might be put to new uses. His prayers wereanswered; and he discovered how to make oils, varnishes, colorings, medicines, and a hundred otherthings from peanuts.When invited to testify before a Senate Committee in Washington, D.C., he was asked, “Dr. Carver,how did you learn all these things?” He replied,“From an old Book.” The chairman asked, “Whatbook?” Carver answered, “the Bible.”Puzzled, a committeeman then inquired, “Doesthe Bible tell about peanuts?” To this Carver answered, “No, Mr. Senator, but it tells about the Godwho made the peanut. I asked Him to show me whatto do with the peanut, and He did.”4 - ALSO BE WILLING TO UNLEARNTo be willing to give up an idea which we havelong held, even though we now see it is contraryto Scripture, can be very difficult. It is like gettinga horse to back a heavy load up a hill.We have many lessons to learn, and many tounlearn. Our fathers believed the world was flat andtomatoes were poisonous. It took them a long timeto change their minds. Some never did.Galileo turned a telescope, invented only a fewyears before in the Netherlands, upon the skies. Itmade objects seem thirty-three times nearer,—andhelped him prove that the earth moves. But suchnews was a standing rebuke to the highly educatedof his day. They said the world was flat, motionless,and the center of everything. Finally, he was summoned to Rome where, after four months in prison,he was set free when he agreed that the earth doesnot move. But under his breath he whispered, “Butit does move.”Only the Bible has the right answers. “What isthe chaff to the wheat? saith the Lord.” Jeremiah23:28.“To the law and to the testimony: if they speaknot according to this Word, it is because there is nolight in them.”—Isaiah 8:20.But some still choose the chaff. Jesus utteredthese significant words:“Laying aside the commandment of God, yehold the tradition of men . . Full well ye reject thecommandment of God, that ye may keep your owntradition.”—Mark 7:8-9.Old Edwin Rushworth had been a skeptic allhis life, but he resolved to read for an hour a daythe book that he had so long derided. “Wife,” hesaid, as he looked up from his first perusal, “If thisis right, we are all wrong!”He continued his readings for several moredays. “Wife,” he exclaimed, “If this book is right,we are lost!”He went on reading, more earnestly than ever.“Wife!” he said suddenly a few nights later. “Ifthis book is right, we may be saved!”

8And they were! Both of them.5 - BE WILLING TO OBEYThe fifth and final rung in the ladder to Biblelearning is willingness to obey what we learn inthe Scriptures. God can give us the guidance weneed— if we will pray for guidance; study diligently;be willing to learn, to unlearn, and to obey. Christsaid this:“If any man will do His will, he shall know of thedoctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speakof Myself.”—John 7:17.“But He said, Yea rather, blessed are they thathear the Word of God, and keep it.”—Luke 11:28.How simple, how fair! God is telling us, “If youwill choose to follow Me, I will show you the way.If, more than anything else, you want to do My will,I will make clear to you whether a doctrine is trueor false.” Nothing in all this wide world can take theplace of absolute honesty with God.This fifth step of willingness to obey is theclimax. It proves our sincerity in taking the fourpreceding steps. When Jesus called Matthew as hesat in the taxgather’s booth, He said, “Follow Me.”What did Matthew do when he heard those words?“He arose, and followed Him” (Matthew 9:9).This is what it takes. Nothing less, nothing else.Christ is calling to you and me today:“If any man will come after Me, let him denyhimself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”—Matthew 16:24.Christ had His cross. We have ours. The wayof obedience to God’s Written Word is the way oflearning the will of God.“I have more understanding than all my teachers:for Thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep Thyprecepts.”—Psalm 119:99-100.The Word of God, accepted into the heart andobeyed, will change our lives.“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, butof incorruptible, by the Word of God, which livethand abideth forever.”—1 Peter 1:23.“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?by taking heed thereto according to Thy Word. Withmy whole heart have I sought Thee: O let me notwander from Thy commandments. Thy Word haveI hid in mine heart, that I might not sin againstThee.”—Psalm 119:9-11.“Whereby are given unto us exceeding great andprecious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”—2 Peter 1:4.“Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in allwisdom.”—Colossians 3:16 (also 1 Thessalonians2:13; Psalm 107:20; Hebrews 4:12; Deuteronomy8:3; John 6:57-58).There is so much help and power and glory inthe Bible that we never see unless we carefully,thoughtfully read it. As an old Scottish shepherdwas tending his flock in the springtime pastures,he came upon a man examining wild flowers in thegrass through a magnifying glass.The old man’s new friend plucked a tiny flower,placed it under the glass, and invited the shepherdto take a look. He did. He kept on looking. His lipsquivered. A tear stole down his weather-beaten face.“Why are you troubled?” inquired his friend.“I was just thinking,” was the old man’s wistfulreply, “as I looked at the gorgeous beauty of thatlittle flower, how many thousands of them I havetrampled under my heavy shepherd boots, andnever paid any heed to them.”“O Word of God Incarnate, O wisdom from onhigh, O Truth unchanged, unchanging, O Light ofour dark sky. We praise Thee for Thy radiance, Thatfrom the hallowed page, A lantern to our footsteps,Shines on from age to age.“It is the golden casket, Where gems of truth arestored; It is the heaven-drawn picture Of Christ, theliving Word. O teach Thy wandering pilgrims By thistheir path to trace, Till, clouds and darkness ended,They see Thee face to face.”— W.W. HoweA POWERFUL, INDESTRUCTIBLE BOOKFor centuries, men have tried to destroy theBible, but it stands solid.Voltaire said the Bible was an exploded book.His theory is what exploded; for he has been deadover 230 years, and the Book is still here, read andloved by more people than ever.Voltaire said that in 100 years, the Bible wouldbe an outmoded and forgotten book, to be foundonly in museums. When the 100 years were up,Voltaire’s house was owned and used by the GenevaBible Society as a Bible storehouse. Recently, 92volumes of Voltaire’s writings (a part of the Earl ofDerby’s library) were sold for two dollars.Ingersoll, another skeptic, declared that theBible would not be read in ten years. It has beenlong years since he died, yet the Bible today outsellsany one hundred other books put together.Like a cube of granite, the Bible is right sideup no matter how many times you overturn it,and it leaves its imprint everywhere it goes.This divinely inspired volume has been translated into more languages and dialects than anyother book. Completed nearly two thousand yearsago the Bible or portions of it may be read today inmore than one thousand tongues, and it is the mostup-to-date book in the world.“Within this precious volume lies the mystery ofmysteries. Happiest they of the human race, who

9have received God’s grace to read, to fear, to hope,to pray; to lift the latch and force the way. —Andbetter had they ne’er been born, who read to doubt,or read to scorn.”—Sir Walter ScottSomeone has written:“The empire of Caesar is gone; the legions ofRome are mouldering in the dust; the avalanchesNapoleon hurled upon Europe have melted away;the pride of the Pharaohs is fallen; the pyramidsthey raised to be their tombs are sinking every dayin the desert sands; Tyre is a rock for fishermen’snets; Sidon has scarcely a rock left behind;—butthe Word of God survives.“All things

Vance Ferrell The Bible Guide Harvestime Books A Fascinating Journey through Bible Truth Contains 40 chapters and over 1,500 Bible quotations, plus over 150 additional Bible references Over 500 powerful illustrations and poems 20 special charts and illustrations The solid, historic Bible b