“My Bible Is Missing…”

Introduction

I. 	Imagine for a moment that this morning you went to the place where you had used your Bible last, and it was not there!
A. 	Had you studied it last night to prepare for your Bible lesson this morning?
B. 	Had you taken it home and forgotten about it until this morning?
C. 	Had you forgotten it and left it in the church building last Sunday?
II. 	Regardless of the above situations, what would you do if you couldn’t find your Bible?
A. 	Would you miss it?
B. 	Would it make a difference in your life?
C. 	Would you look around the house to try to find another Bible, knowing that your hope of eternal life rested on the words in the Bible?
D. 	What if you discovered that all the Bibles in your house were missing?
E. 	What if, upon arriving here this morning, you discovered that the same was true with everyone else here?
F. 	Would this concern you?
III. 	Do you and I benefit from having our Bibles?
IV. 	Let me move your thinking to another situation.
A. 	What if you discovered that all the churches in Rutherford county had ceased to exist, also?
B. 	In our lesson today let us consider the loss of our Bibles and local churches.

Body

I.   Consider the values of the Bible and our loss should we have none.   
A. 	Within the Bible is teaching which leads to life.
1. 	The gospel according to John leads us to have faith in Jesus.                   John 20:30-31.
2. 	The gospel of the New Testament is the power of God to save.                Rom. 1:16-17.
3. 	The gospel was revealed with spiritual, or God given, words.  I Cor. 2:6-13; Gal. 1:11-17.
4. 	The writings of the Old Testament serve to admonish us to live righteously.   I Cor. 10:1-11; Rom. 15:4.
     B.  We are warned not to change the word which has been revealed.    
1. 	Paul marveled that some had changed it.  Gal. 1:6-9.
2. 	To go beyond the gospel is to leave God.  II John 9-11.
3. 	We are warned not to subtract from or add to the Revelation.                    Rev. 22:18-19.
C. 	Aren’t you glad that your Bible is not missing and that you can study and obey it so as to have eternal life?
1. 	Will you study it more so as to be better able to use it aright?                                     II Tim. 2:14-18.
2. 	Will you develop your skills as a teacher of the word?  Heb. 5:11-14;             II Tim. 2:1-7.

“My Bible Is Missing…,” page 2.

II. 	Consider the values of the church and what we should do if we should discover they are not in Rutherford County.
A. 	The church is the family of God.  I Timothy 3:14-15.
B. 	The church is the body of Christ, over which He is head.  Eph. 1:22-23.
C. 	We are members of the spiritual body with individual responsibilities.         Rom. 12:3-8; I Cor. 12:12-27.
D. 	We are to help build up, or edify, the church.  Eph. 4:11-16; Heb. 10:19-25.
E. 	If the church should be missing in your community, what would you do?
1. 	Would you just quit “going” to church?
2. 	Would you begin to meet with a denomination that does not follow the word of God with regard to salvation and worship?
3. 	Would you drive a long distance to go where a church meets?
4. 	Would you begin to teach the word to others and help establish a church in your own house or neighborhood?  Acts 8:1-5.

Conclusion

I. 	Are you thankful that you have your Bible and have a church with which to meet?
II. 	Will you use your Bible more effectively, and will you develop yourself as a member of the body of Christ so as to help save others?  I Tim. 4:13-16.   
III. 	If you have not obeyed the gospel, do so today and if you need to confess sins upon repentance, do that also.

Prepared by:
   David Arnold
   October 25, 1998