Love Worth Finding | Audio Program Adrian Rogers

Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: Psalm 119:89

In order to have spiritual power, we need to be molded, motivated, and managed by the Word of God. Yet for many, the Bible remains a closed book. There’s no magical way to understand the Bible. It takes work—joyful, thrilling work—to understand the Word of God.

Psalm 119 shows us how to make the Bible come alive.

First, we must appreciate its virtues: “Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89). The Bible is a timeless book, ultimate and indestructible; it is full of God-breathed truth. If we don’t treasure it, we won’t have any desire to understand it.

Next, we must assimilate the Word of God; we begin by praying that our eyes will be opened, our hearts stirred, and our minds enlightened. Then, with a pen in hand, we read and ponder it, ready to write down whatever the Lord reveals through it. When reading the Bible, we should use our sanctified common sense. We need a plan. Try not to jump into the middle of a chapter, the middle of a book somewhere, with no plan, no rhyme, no reason.

Third, we must preserve it and practice it, as Psalm 119:16-17 says, “I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word. Deal bountifully with Your servant, That I may live and keep Your word.” If we want to learn more of the Word of God, we should obey the parts of it we do know.

Next, we must proclaim it: “My tongue shall speak of Your word, For all Your commandments are righteousness” (Psalm 119:172).

Finally, we must appropriate the values of the Word of God. It’s a source of victory, growth, joy, power, and guidance.

Adrian Rogers says, “The Bible addresses one problem, and that problem is sin. The Bible has one villain, and that villain is the devil. The Bible has one hero, and His name is Jesus. The Bible has one purpose, and that is the glory of God."

Apply it to your life
As you read Scripture today, dwell on these six questions:

-Is there a promise to claim?
-Is there a lesson to learn?
-Is there a blessing to enjoy?
-Is there a command to obey?
-Is there a sin to avoid?
-Is there a new thought to carry with me?

Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: 2 Timothy 3:16
There is an ongoing war over the Word of God. There are those who despise, dissect, and disregard it. But perhaps the greatest enemy of the Word of God is the one who believes in it but doesn’t know it.

We will never be settled until we are settled over the Word of God. Our salvation and sanctification depend on it.

Revelation 22:18 says, “For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book…”

There are five reasons to consider in becoming certain that the Bible is the Word of God.

First, consider the Bible’s scientific accuracy. There have been many occasions on which scientific theories have gone against the Word of God but have crumbled over time. Science changes direction, improves, and builds upon itself. But the Word of God remains unchanged and unmovable.

Second, consider the Bible’s historical accuracy. Though it’s not primarily a history book, the Bible records many notable events verified by historians.

And we also believe in the Bible because of its wonderful unity. It is penned by people from all kinds of backgrounds: shepherds, kings, soldiers, princes, priests, and fishermen. Yet, from Genesis to Revelation, it reads as one book because of its divine inspiration.

Another reason we believe in the Bible is its fulfilled prophecy. The Old Testament contains more than 300 prophecies that deal with Jesus Christ, which He fulfilled in the New Testament.

We believe in the Bible because of its ever-living qualities. The Bible has faced much opposition, yet it has survived; it still applies today.

Adrian Rogers says, “The Bible is not the book of the month; it is the book of the ages.”

But ultimately, we believe in this book because of its life-changing power.

Adrian Rogers says, “The Gospel of Christ is the dynamite of God that saves.” It saves the sinners, sanctifies the saints, sustains the suffering, and satisfies the scholar. The Bible, in all its wonder and majesty, is summed up in this: “Jesus loves me, this I know; for the Bible tells me so!”

Apply it to your life
Are you certain that the Bible is the Word of God? Consider these reasons and come to a faithful understanding of Scripture—knowing that once you begin studying it, you are never finished with it!

Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: Luke 10:21

Luke 10:21 says that God has "hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes."

We are neither too intelligent nor unintelligent to believe in God and know Him personally!

Psalm 19 gives us three ways in which God speaks to us, and in return, we can know God personally, intimately, and assuredly.

First, God has confirmed His words in the heavens: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork…” (Psalm 19:1). The heavens also declare God’s greatness. The vastness of the Universe, along with its small intricacies, demonstrates God’s power.

Adrian Rogers says, “There are no laws of nature; they are God’s laws that nature obeys. Science only discovers what God had already put there.”

The heavens declare the goodness of God: “Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge” (Psalm 19:2). It is God who daily maintains the fixed order in the Universe and provides everything it needs to give us life. His mercies are new every morning. (See Lamentations 3:23.)

God also speaks to us by placing His converting Word in our hands. We have access to Scripture, which is His very word. We ought to marvel at the Bible and celebrate its many virtues. It is inerrant, infallible, foundational, and full of God’s promises.

Adrian Rogers says, “Every sentence, every jot, every tittle, every syllable is put in Scripture by the mind and purpose of God.”

The value of the Scriptures is precious, “more desirable than fine gold” (Psalm 19:10).
They are protective, for "by them Your servant is warned" (Psalm 19:11).
They are profitable, for "in keeping them there is great reward" (Psalm 19:11).

Finally, we can know God through His convicting Word in our hearts. By the Holy Spirit in our hearts, the Scriptures we read can become real.

Psalm 19:12 says, “Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults.”
The Holy Spirit cleanses our wicked and deceitful hearts. When we hand our control over to the Spirit, He brings us into communion with the Father. This is the only way we can know Him personally, intimately, and assuredly.

Apply it to your life
Do you feel distant from God? Remember, by the Word of God in the heavens, in our hands, and in our hearts, we can know God personally.

Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: John 4:46-54

In the kingdom of Heaven, faith is the medium of exchange. Whatever we receive from God is according to our faith.

Adrian Rogers says, “The greater your faith, the greater glory God gets; by faith man gives God pleasure and by faith God gives man treasure.”

John 4 tells the story of a man whose superficial, superstitious faith was transformed into a strong, saving faith.

“So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Then Jesus said to him, ‘Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe’” (John 4:46-48).

First, we must see the problem of superficial faith. In this passage, the nobleman had heard about Jesus’ first miracle, turning water into wine, and was blown away. But Jesus knew that signs and wonders do not truly help in developing a strong faith.

We must also consider the problem of superstitious faith. God performed miracles through Jesus to authenticate His ministry. It is dishonoring to demand a sign from God in order to believe in Him.

It is also self-deceiving; signs and wonders can easily deceive; it is how our enemy leads others astray.

This passage also shows the progression of strong faith. There are steps in developing this sort of saving faith, the first being that he heard the Word of God, and then that he believed it. What we believe is not contrary to reason; it goes beyond reason. We must obey the Word of God, and then rest in it.

Adrian Rogers says, “Faith is not seeing signs and wonders, rather, it is a response to the character of God.”

Finally, this passage shows the provision of saving faith. After the nobleman’s son was healed, he not only believed in a miracle worker but in a Messiah. All of Jesus’ miracles point to the greater miracle, which is the new life in Him.

Apply it to your life
If you want to strengthen your faith, get a good grip on the Word of God. Don’t look to the miracles, but to the Messiah; do not follow the signs, but the Savior.

Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: James 1:22

The Bible is so full of rich, variegated splendor that there are many emblems and symbols for the Word of God. The Book of James identifies God’s Word as a mirror.

James 1:22-23 says, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror…”

In this passage, James has in his mind two imaginary people in front of a mirror. The first person takes a casual glance: “for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was” (James 1:24).

There are some who casually scan the Bible, but God doesn’t reveal much truth to the people who just glance at His Word.

On the contrary, the other person noted in this passage takes a concentrated gaze: “But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:25).

We need to absorb the Word of God, look into it as a mirror that reveals who we truly are. When we study Scripture, it can reveal in us any sin we’re harboring, or have yet to confess, so that we can do something about it.

Adrian Rogers says, “When you read the Bible, the Bible reads you. When the Word reveals something, whatever it is, take heed to it. Don’t just read it and forget it; if you do, you’re deceiving yourselves.”

The first purpose Scripture serves is to show us what we are by nature, but it also shows us what we ought to be by grace. And the ultimate reason why we read Scripture is to become more like Jesus.

This means we never stop growing: we simply go from one stage of glory to another stage of glory. (See 2 Corinthians 3:18.)

Apply it to your life
Adrian Rogers says, “Do you want to be a great Christian? God’s given you a mirror. Each morning, look in there and see what you look like. If you’ve got a dirty face, get clean and then continue to read: not only see yourself but see your Savior.”

Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: Ephesians 6:10-20

Whether we realize it or not, we are part of a war between light and darkness, good and evil, Heaven and Hell, Jesus Christ and Satan. We cannot afford to be ignorant and we cannot possibly be neutral.

Adrian Rogers says, “When you were born again, you were born from above. And you, being Heaven-born are Heaven-bound. You were born for the battle and you were born to win.”

We’re not wrestling against flesh and blood. We’re wrestling against principalities and powers of darkness.

Ephesians 6:10-20 shows us how to prepare ourselves for this Christian Warfare.

In preparing for the battle, we must first remember our adversary. Satan is a decided fact; never underestimate him or count him out. He is a destructive force; systematic, spiritual, strong, and sinister. Yet, he is our defeated foe.

Adrian Rogers says, “Satan had his back crushed and broken at Calvary; soon his head is going to be crushed when Jesus comes again.”

We must remember our armor, which is specifically outlined in Ephesians 6:

-The Belt of Truth
-The Breastplate of Righteousness
-Feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace, knowing nothing stands between our souls and the Savior
-The Shield of Faith
-The Helmet of Salvation

God wants us to enter the battlefield armed with integrity, purity, tranquility, certainty, and sanity. Don’t leave off any piece of the armor of God in this battle. Christian warriors must understand their point of attack. We have the victory. God has equipped us with three things:

The first is our stance. We are called to be strong, to stand against these dark forces of evil with the blessed assurance of victory in Jesus.

Second, we recognize the power of our sword, which is the sword of the Spirit and the Word of God. We must also remember the power of our prayers when prayed in the Spirit.

Finally, the Christian warrior must remember his allies.
“...praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints…” (Ephesians 6:18).

We don’t fight alone; we need to pray for each other.

Apply it to your life
As you prepare for this spiritual battle, remember your adversary, your armor, your attack, and your allies.