READ THE BOOK…DON’T WAIT FOR THE MOVIE PART 3

THE WONDER OF THE WORD…JESUS

Isaiah 9:6

Isaiah 9:6 (HCSB) - He will be named Wonderful.

INTRO:  We started a new AM series a couple of weeks ago entitled, “Read the book…Don’t wait for the movie.”  The goal of this series is to entice each and every one of us to really get into the Scriptures.  This series is for the purpose of seeking God through Scripture.

This week I read a very disturbing fact concerning American followers of Christ.  Less than half of all Americans who claim to follow Jesus as their Lord and Savior actually read the Bible either on a daily basis, or on a consistent basis.  This is very sad of course.  We have all these blessings.  Different Translations, Study Bibles, Devotional Bibles, Computer software, fancy designs, and yet we don’t bother picking it up consistently and even reading it, much less even trying to understand it and apply it to our lives.  While in countries likeChina, where it is illegal to meet publicly unless in the communist authorized church; when they get a hold of a Bible, they will rip out all the pages and just pass them out amongst each other, memorize that page and then pass it own.  They willingly lay down their life and even get to the point of facing jail time over just a sheet of the Bible.  Would to God that we had this devotion to the Bible in our free society.

Now so far in this series we saw two reasons for reading the Bible: (1) Because it has the power to transform us; (2) Because it is the authoritative guide for living.  We also looked last week at what our response should be when the Word of God is preached.  It should be: (1) Honored; (2) Sought to be understood;  (3) rejoiced over; (4) and obeyed.

This morning we are going to look at the wonder of the Word.  That wonder is a person – Jesus Christ.

Charles Spurgeon was known as the Prince of Preachers.  He had this to say concerning defending the Word of God.  “God’s Word shouldn’t be defended.  You may as well try to defend a lion.  God’s Word doesn’t need defending.  It needs just to be preached.  Let it out of it’s cage and it will defend itself.”  He had just a love for God’s Word that it exuded out of each sermon he preached.  To read His sermons is to really go beyond the fluff of our society.

As I was preparing this message, I read a sermon that he preached on this very text on September 19^th, 1858.  If you don’t mind, I just want to read a portion of what he said in his sermon before I start on my own.  “One evening last week I stood by the sea-shore when the storm was raging. The voice of the Lord was upon the waters; and who was I that I should tarry within doors, when my Master's voice was heard sounding along the water? I rose and stood to behold the flash of his lightnings, and listen to the glory of his thunders. The sea and the thunders were contesting with one another; the sea with infinite clamor striving to hush the deep-throated thunder, so that his voice should not be heard; yet over and above the roar of the billows might be heard that voice of God, as he spoke with flames of fire, and divided the way for the waters. It was a dark night, and the sky was covered with thick clouds, and scarce a star could be seen through the rifts of the tempest; but at one particular time, I noticed far away on the horizon, as if miles across the water, a bright shining, like gold. It was the moon hidden behind the clouds, so that she could not shine upon us; but she was able to send her rays down upon the waters, far away, where no cloud happened to intervene. I thought as I read this chapter last evening, that the prophet seemed to have stood in a like position, when he wrote the words of my text. All round about him were clouds of darkness; he heard prophetic thunders roaring, and he saw flashes of the lightnings of divine vengeance; clouds and darkness, for many a league, were scattered through history; but he saw far away a bright spot—one place where the clear shining came down from heaven. And he sat down, and he penned these words: "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined;" and though he looked through whole leagues of space, where he saw the battle of the warrior "with confused noise and garments rolled in blood," yet he fixed his eye upon one bright spot in futurity, and he declared, that there he saw hope of peace, prosperity and blessedness; for said he, "Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shad be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful."  My dear friends, we live to-day upon the verge of that bright spot. The world has been passing through these clouds of darkness, and the light is gleaming on us now, like the glintings of the first rays of morning. We are coming to a brighter day, and "at evening time it shall be light." The clouds and darkness shall be rolled up as a mantle that God needs no longer, and he shall appear in his glory, and his people shall rejoice with him. But you must mark, that all the brightness was the result of this child born, this son given, whose name is called Wonderful; and if we can discern any brightness in our own hearts, or in the world's history, it can come from nowhere else, than from the one who is called "Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God."

There is one theme of the Bible.  And this theme is the Wonder of the Bible – This theme is Jesus Christ.  Each book has prophecies concerning Him.  Each book reveals His character, His purpose, His ways.  Each book gives Jesus Christ His preeminent place.  And that is what we are going to look at this morning.

1.  In Genesis – He is the seed of the woman.

2.  In Exodus – He is the Passover Lamb.

3.  In Leviticus – He is our High Priest.

4.  In Numbers – He is the Star of Jacob.

5.  In Deuteronomy – He is the Rock.

6.  In Joshua – He is the Captain of the Lord’s Host.

7.  In Judges – He is the Sword of Gideon.

8.  In Ruth – He is the Kinsman Redeemer.

9.  In First and Second Samuel – He is the seed of David.

10.  In First and Second Kings – He is the Lord God of Israel.

11.  In First and second Chronicles – He is the great King in the midst of a divided Kingdom.

12.  In Ezra – He is the Lord of heaven and earth.

13.  In Nehemiah – He is the Restorer of those held captive.

14.  In Esther – He is the God who works behind the scenes for His purposes.

15.  In Job – He is the voice in the whirlwind.

16.  In Psalms – He is the King of glory.

17.  In Proverbs – He is the Wisdom of God.

18.  In Ecclesiastes – He is the great preacher crying out.

19.  In the Song of Songs – He is the lover of our souls.

20.  In Isaiah – He is Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

21.  In Jeremiah – He is the Lord our Righteousness.

22.  In Lamentations – He is the Weeping Prophet.

23.  In Ezekiel – He is the Wheel within the Wheel.

24.  In Daniel – He is the fourth man in the fire.

25.  In Hosea – He is the God who is married to the backslider.

26.  In Joel – He is the Hope of His people.

27.  In Amos – He is the God of Hosts.

28.  In Obadiah – He is the Destroyer of the Proud.

29.  In Jonah – He is the God of the second change.

30.  In Micah – He is the God of Jacob.

31.  In Nahum – He is the Avenging God.

32.  In Habakkuk – He is the God of Revival.

33.  In Zephaniah – He is the King of Israel.

34.  In Haggai – He is the Desire of all nations.

35.  In Zechariah – He is the One who was pierced for us.

36.  In Malachi – He is the Lord of Rememberance.

37.  In Matthew – He is the King of the Jews.

38.  In Mark – He is the Suffering Servant.

39.  In Luke – He is the Son of Man.

40.  In John – He is the Son of God.

41.  In Acts – He is the baptizer in the Holy Spirit.

42.  In Romans – He is grace greater than our sins.

43.  In First and Second Corinthians – He is our Sufficiency.

44. In Galatians – He is our Liberator.

45.  In Ephesians – He is the Head of the Church.

46.  In Philippians – He is our Joy and Strength.

47.  In Colossians – He is the Fullness of the Godhead.

48.  In First and Second Thessalonians – He is the coming Christ.

49.  In First and Second Timothy -  He is the Mediator between God and Man.

50.  In Titus – He is the Great God and Savior.

51.  In Hebrews – He is the Source of our Salvation.

52.  In James – He is the Great Physician.

53.  In First and Second Peter – He is the Perfect Sacrificial Lamb.

54.  In First, Second, and Third John – He is Love and our Advocate with the Father.

55.  In Jude – He is the Lord that is coming with 10,000 of His Saints.

56.  In Revelation – He is the Alpha and Omega, The Lion of Judah, The Bright and Morning Star, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the Word, and the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

CONCL:  The point of all this is:  Jesus is the very essence of every book of the Bible.  He is whatever you need for Him to be.  We can’t possibly know Him as much as we should without the Bible.

Think on this one thing:  To neglect reading the Bible is to neglect opportunities of knowing Jesus more.  Knowing Him more should be the desire of every Christian.  That is reason enough to spend a consistent time in His Word.