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Advent HOPE Sabbath School

Brian Hindman

The Blessing of Bible Memorization

We have seen last night, we were looking at the importance of faith, and we see that our faith is always based on what God says in His Word.

Then this morning, we talked about finishing the mystery of God, and the mystery of God isn't unclear to God's people.

It's supposed to be a revelation of the character of God, which is from the principles given in the Bible, which God's people have believed and received into their own lives.

And in order to receive and finish the mystery of God and have the principles of God in our lives, we must know what God's Word says, right?

On the surface this can seem like just drudgery or a difficult mental exercise, but I can assure you, and I will do my best to make clear, it is a incredible blessing that God has made available to all people across the face of the earth who will receive His Word.

Well, I have something here I want to show you before we get started.

I'm holding here in my hand, This is a replica of a Roman Gladius and this is actually from Rome in Italy.

My brother-in-law is in the Navy, in Naval Intelligence, and he was stationed over at a NATO base over in Naples, Italy, not too far away from Rome, and he went and visited there and he bought this for me.

As I've said, I used to be a history teacher and what a wonderful, this is a replica of what again, this is a Roman Gladius, it is, if you look at it, it's a double edged sword And doesn't the Bible talk about the Scriptures as being a double-edged sword?

Can anyone think of a Bible verse that relates to the Word of God having that kind of power?

Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 12, for the Word of God is quick and powerful and as sharp and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Did you catch that verse?

It actually is saying that the Word of God, it affects, impacts, and changes us physically, spiritually, and mentally.

Across the board, on all levels, God's Word has that much of a transforming power.

This is our weapon in the great controversy.

I don't know if you realize it or not, but you and I are born on a battlefield.

We understand that there is a great controversy struggle taking place, and the weapon that God has given to us is the Holy Word of God.

This is just a symbol that Paul used back in his day.

This was the standard sidearm, the standard weapon for a Roman soldier.

They would use this in battle, and 1 of their primary methods for fighting was they would have the shield in 1 hand and they would kind of try to push their enemy off with that and then use this to come in for quick stabbing thrusts and with double-edge you know it could do quite a bit of damage but this Ephesians chapter 6 verse 17 relating to the armor of God it says and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

God is trying to get our attention to the value and the power that is contained in his word.

And that's what we want to look at this evening, as we look at having God's Word hidden in our heart so that we might protect and defend ourselves when Satan comes at us for his attacks, because he is a relentless foe.

Would it be better for me if I have this sword, and it's over here sitting down, and I'm over somewhere else out doing my business, and Satan comes with his temptations, he comes with his attacks, and I say, wait, wait, time out, let me go back and get my weapon and see if I can look up a Bible verse so that I'm ready now.

Or would it be better just to have this with you at all times so that you can defend yourself against Satan whenever and wherever you happen to be?

And so we'll look and see that as we continue on.

If any of you want to see this afterwards, just come up and you're welcome to see.

It's not actually sharpened, so it's not really dangerous.

My wife tells me not to wave it around like a barbarian, and I usually do that anyway.

Okay, well, since this is a presentation on Bible memorization, I thought from the top the best introduction really, besides me waving around a sword like a barbarian, would be to just give a demonstration of the power of memorizing the Bible.

Oh, by the way, you should get a handout that's going to be passed along.

There are, there's 3 primary purposes I want to try to accomplish in this seminar, and the first is to show you a picture of some of the history of people who have chosen to memorize and commit God's Word to memory and the transformation that has resulted from that.

The second thing I want to try to accomplish is why should we memorize the Scriptures and we're going to go to the Bible and spread a prophecy to get answers for that.

And the third purpose is to actually really get practical and say how can I do this?

I'm not a psychologist, psychiatrist, or any type of a specialized mental health professional, but I'll just share with you things that work for me.

And so I hope that will be practical and meaningful and of course valuable as we see the importance of knowing the Word of God.

So I have up here on the screen 2 passages, 1 of them Psalm 91, which Ellen White says is a picture of what God's people will need to know during the time of trouble.

Sounds important to me, that is still something yet to come and this is a scripture that reveals the experience and the faith that we must have for that time.

And so I said, well that sounds important I want to commit that to memory.

And then over on the the other side is 1st Corinthians 13, It's the famous love chapter and Ellen White again, Spirit of Prophecy says this chapter is so important we should read it and study it every day.

And also says we should commit it to memory.

And so I said well if I just memorize it then I can read it anywhere.

So I'm going to ask you to pick 1 of those, and I will just try to recite that for you, if that is okay.

I won't take too much time because we've got much material to get to.

And is there any interest, preference, anyone?

All right, I will be reading from the King James Version, and that happens to be my personal favorite version.

So, good, glad some of you like that version.

And so you're welcome, if you can't read on the screen behind me, you're welcome to follow along in your own Bible Psalm 91 It says he that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty I will say of the Lord.

He is my refuge and my fortress my God in Him will I trust Surely He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler and from the noisome pestilence.

He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust.

His truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flyeth by day, nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

A thousand shall fall at thy side, and 10000 at thy right hand, but it shall not come nigh thee.

Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most high thy habitation, there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

For he shall give his angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways.

They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder, the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

Because He hath set His love upon me, therefore will I deliver Him.

I will set Him on high, because He hath known my name.

He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him.

I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation." Psalm 91, 1-16.

Imagine having that with you no matter where you go.

And when you have that promise with you, you can claim it.

If you don't have it, then you can't exercise faith in what God says in His Word.

And so I want to hide God's Word in my heart.

I've got much, there's 31, 102 verses in the Bible.

I didn't count myself, I looked it up on a computer.

31, 102, and I'm on a mission to memorize all of them.

I mean, unless the Lord comes, I'm going to keep working and working to memorize His Word.

So the first thing I want to look at this evening, and you hopefully all of you have a study guide, I'm actually going to borrow a story that I heard actually given here at Advent Hope about 4 years ago by a speaker named Chad Cruiser.

It was such a good story I heard it actually on AudioVerse and went and read about the story myself.

And so this person his name is Howard Rutledge.

He was a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War and he was an American fighter pilot.

He was flying an airplane, an F-8 Crusader when it was shot down in North Vietnam.

Well, locals there in North Vietnam, which is hostile enemy territory, saw him parachute down and nearly killed him even before he reached the ground.

Well, he was captured and sent to the infamous Hanoi Hilton prison, very harsh prison that was there.

He spent 5 years in solitary confinement.

5 years in confinement with nothing but the thoughts in his mind.

Now here are some of the conditions in prison.

You can read about this online and you can also read about it.

He wrote an autobiography called In the Presence of Mine Enemies.

Here are some of the conditions in prison.

It doesn't sound very comfortable, in a very dark room.

He said there were spiders as big as a man's fist.

He said it was an extremely small and dirty cell that he was kept in.

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The Blessing of Bible Memorization

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